What does Luke 18:7 mean?

In this larger section, Jesus makes several contrasts of those with faith against those without faith. In His description of His second coming, He gives examples of behavior that identify people who will not be anticipating His return. They will marry, celebrate, and plan without a thought. When He returns, they will be destroyed, but their closest friends and family who have faith will be rescued (Luke 17:22–37).

In this parable, Jesus describes a judge who refuses to consider a widow's request for justice. This is contrasted with God the Father, who awaits the day when He will give justice to His elect. The judge finally relents because the widow is so persistent. God does not need convincing; His justice will be swift.

Revelation 8:3–5 describes the actual event when God will exact justice for those who died as martyrs:

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

What follows are the first six of the seven trumpet judgments. A third of creation will be destroyed, horrific locusts will descend, and a supernatural army will attack (Revelation 8:6—9:19). And still, the people will not repent (Revelation 9:20–21).

Scholars offer numerous interpretations of the question about God's delay. Where the English Standard Version says, "Will he delay long over them?" the NASB says, "and will He delay long for them?" Most of the debate is over the Greek word for "and"—kai—which can have meanings other than just "and." Instead of using "and," the ESV repeats what the "and" refers to: "will He [God]" from earlier in the verse. The NASB uses both, to be thorough. In some contexts, kai can mean "if," "but," "even if," or "because."

This flexibility leads to many discussions. When all is said and done, two plausible possibilities remain. Both interpret kai simply as "and" but equate "delay long" with God's patience. The question they answer differently is "With whom is God being patient and why?" One response is that God is patient with His followers' endurance and limits the amount of injustice they will suffer before Jesus returns. The other option is that God is patient with those who are not saved (2 Peter 3:8–9), so they have longer to come to a saving faith in Jesus.