Luke 7:18
Luke 7:1818Then John’s disciples informed him about all these things.
sets up the scene where John the Baptist sends two disciples to ask whether Jesus is "the Coming One." The Watchtower treats Jesus's reply () as a foretaste of the future paradise rather than as inaugurated fulfilment of Isaiah 35. The setup verse — itself — usually appears only as narrative framing, not as a load-bearing argument verse.
is the doorway into one of the strongest texts against the Watchtower's exclusively-future paradise reading of . John's disciples bring the Messiah-question to Jesus in v. 18; in v. 22 Jesus answers by quoting Isaiah 35 and pointing to his miracles as present-tense fulfilment — "go and tell John what you have seen and heard." The healings of Luke 7 are not a trailer for a future millennium; they are Isaiah 35 happening in real time. The Witness's "earthly hope" is not wrong to expect resurrection healing at the consummation, but it is wrong to defer the prophecy entirely into the future when Jesus said the prophecy was being fulfilled already. Read and alongside — the miracles of Jesus's ministry are firstfruits, not previews.