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Luke 21:9
ESV And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”
NIV When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.'
NASB And when you hear of wars and revolts, do not be alarmed; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.'
CSB When you hear of wars and rebellions, don't be alarmed. Indeed, it is necessary that these things take place first, but the end won't come right away."
NLT And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.'
KJV But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

What does Luke 21:9 mean?

Jesus continues describing what the world will go through during the church age: between His ascension and His second coming. He's already mentioned that false messiahs will pop up, claiming to be Him. Now, He talks about war.

At the time this commentary is being written, Israel is at war with Hamas in Gaza. That conflict began in October of 2023. When Hamas first struck, many people wondered if this was the beginning of the end: if the end times were upon us. Few of these people realized that Israel has been at war since its re-establishment in 1948. Surrounding nations regularly attack, trying to destroy the Jews.

People have the same fear when they hear of other conflicts. But it's questionable if the whole world has ever been at peace. Even if North America and Europe are stable, conflicts abound in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. "Tumults" refer to instability or disorder, something like an insurrection; few countries regularly have a peaceful change of power.

Jesus is clear, however, that war should not leave us terrified. War must happen before He returns. "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom" (Luke 21:10). Even the millennial kingdom, when Jesus reigns physically on the throne in Israel, will end when Satan rallies an army to rebel against Jesus, and Jesus destroys them all (Revelation 20:7–10). The human addiction to war proves mankind, as a whole, can never save itself. The world needs Jesus.

Matthew 24:6 and Mark 13:7 don't mention "tumults." They say the disciples will "hear of wars and rumors of wars."
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