The Two Witnesses

11 Then I was given ^(A)a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, ² but do not measure ^(B)the court outside the temple; leave that out, for ^(C)it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for ^(D)forty-two months. ³ And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for ^(E)1,260 days, ^(F)clothed in sackcloth.”

⁴ These are ^(G)the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵ And if anyone would harm them, ^(H)fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, ^(I)this is how he is doomed to be killed. ⁶ They have the power ^(J)to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and ^(K)to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. ⁷ And when they have finished their testimony, ^(L)the beast that rises from ^(M)the bottomless pit^{[a] (N)}will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, ⁸ and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically^[b] is called ^(O)Sodom and ^(P)Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. ⁹ For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and ^(Q)refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, ¹⁰ and ^(R)those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and ^(S)exchange presents, because these two prophets ^(T)had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. ¹¹ But after the three and a half days ^(U)a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. ¹² Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ^(V)“Come up here!” And ^(W)they went up to heaven ^(X)in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. ¹³ And at that hour there was ^(Y)a great earthquake, and ^(Z)a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and ^(AA)gave glory to ^(AB)the God of heaven.

^14 (AC)The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵ Then ^(AD)the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and ^(AE)there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ^(AF)“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of ^(AG)his Christ, and ^(AH)he shall reign forever and ever.” ¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders ^(AI)who sit on their thrones before God ^(AJ)fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying,

¹⁹ Then ^(AQ)God's temple in heaven was opened, and ^(AR)the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings,^[c] peals of thunder, an earthquake, and ^(AS)heavy hail.

Vision of the New Temple

40 ^(A)In the twenty-fifth year ^(B)of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, ^(C)in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, ^(D)the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me to the city.^{[a] 2} In ^(E)visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on ^(F)a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. ³ When he brought me there, behold, there was ^(G)a man whose appearance was ^(H)like bronze, with ^(I)a linen cord and ^(J)a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. ⁴ And the man said to me, ^(K)“Son of man, ^(L)look with your eyes, and ^(M)hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. ^(N)Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”

The East Gate to the Outer Court

⁵ And behold, there was ^(O)a wall all around the outside of the temple area, and the length of the measuring reed in the man's hand was six long cubits, ^(P)each being a cubit and a handbreadth^[b] in length. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one reed; and the height, one reed. ⁶ Then he went into ^(Q)the gateway facing east, ^(R)going up its steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one reed deep.^{[c] 7} And ^(S)the side rooms, one reed long and one reed broad; and the space between the side rooms, five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the vestibule of the gate at the inner end, one reed. ⁸ Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, on the inside, one reed. ⁹ Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits; ^(T)and its jambs, two cubits; and the vestibule of the gate was at the inner end. ¹⁰ And there were three side rooms on either side of the east gate. ^(U)The three were of the same size, and the jambs on either side were of the same size. ¹¹ Then he measured the width of the opening of the gateway, ten cubits; and the length of the gateway, thirteen cubits. ¹² There was a barrier before the side rooms, one cubit on either side. And the side rooms were six cubits on either side. ¹³ Then he measured the gate from the ceiling of the one side room to the ceiling of the other, a breadth of twenty-five cubits; the openings faced each other. ¹⁴ He measured also ^(V)the vestibule, sixty cubits. And around the vestibule of the gateway was the court.^{[d] 15} From the front of the gate at the entrance to the front of the inner vestibule of the gate was fifty cubits. ¹⁶ And the gateway had ^(W)windows all around, narrowing inwards toward the side rooms and toward their ^(X)jambs, and likewise the vestibule had windows all around inside, and on the jambs were ^(Y)palm trees.

The Outer Court

¹⁷ Then he brought me into ^(Z)the outer court. And behold, there were ^(AA)chambers and a ^(AB)pavement, all around the court. ^(AC)Thirty chambers faced the pavement. ¹⁸ And the pavement ran along the side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates. This was the lower pavement. ¹⁹ Then he measured the distance from the inner front of the lower gate to the outer front of the inner court,^[e] a hundred cubits on the east side and on the north side.^[f]

The North Gate

²⁰ As for ^(AD)the gate that faced toward the north, belonging to ^(AE)the outer court, he measured its length and its breadth. ²¹ Its ^(AF)side rooms, three on either side, and its jambs and its vestibule were of the same size as those of ^(AG)the first gate. Its length was ^(AH)fifty cubits, and its breadth ^(AI)twenty-five cubits. ²² And ^(AJ)its windows, its vestibule, and ^(AK)its palm trees were of the same size as those of the gate that faced toward the east. And by seven steps ^(AL)people would go up to it, and find its vestibule before them. ²³ And opposite the gate on the north, as on the east, was a gate to ^(AM)the inner court. And ^(AN)he measured from gate to gate, a hundred cubits.

The South Gate

²⁴ And he led me toward the south, and behold, there was a gate on the south. And ^(AO)he measured its jambs and its vestibule; they had the same size as the others. ²⁵ Both it and its vestibule ^(AP)had windows all around, like the windows of the others. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. ²⁶ And there were seven steps leading up to it, and its vestibule was before them, and it had ^(AQ)palm trees on its jambs, one on either side. ²⁷ And there was a gate on the south of ^(AR)the inner court. And he measured from gate to gate toward the south, a hundred cubits.

The Inner Court

²⁸ Then he brought me to ^(AS)the inner court through the south gate, and ^(AT)he measured the south gate. It was of the same size as the others. ²⁹ Its ^(AU)side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others, and both it and its vestibule ^(AV)had windows all around. ^(AW)Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. ³⁰ And there were vestibules all around, twenty-five cubits long and five cubits broad. ³¹ Its vestibule faced the outer court, and ^(AX)palm trees were on its jambs, and ^(AY)its stairway had eight steps.

³² Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and ^(AZ)he measured the gate. It was of the same size as the others. ³³ Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others, and both it and its vestibule had windows all around. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. ^34 (BA)Its vestibule faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its jambs, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps.

³⁵ Then he brought me to ^(BB)the north gate, and ^(BC)he measured it. It had the same size as the others. ³⁶ Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others,^[g] and it had windows all around. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. ³⁷ Its vestibule^[h] faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its jambs, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps.

³⁸ There was ^(BD)a chamber with its door in the vestibule of the gate,^{[i] (BE)}where the burnt offering was to be washed. ³⁹ And in the vestibule of the gate were two ^(BF)tables on either side, on which the ^(BG)burnt offering and the ^(BH)sin offering and the ^(BI)guilt offering were to be slaughtered. ⁴⁰ And off to the side, on the outside as one goes up to the entrance of the north gate, were two tables; and off to the other side of the vestibule of the gate were two tables. ^41 (BJ)Four tables were on either side of the gate, eight tables, ^(BK)on which to slaughter. ⁴² And there were four tables ^(BL)of hewn stone for the burnt offering, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high, on which the instruments were to be laid with which the ^(BM)burnt offerings and the sacrifices were slaughtered. ⁴³ And hooks,^[j] a handbreadth long, were fastened all around within. And on the tables the flesh of the offering was to be laid.

Chambers for the Priests

⁴⁴ On the outside of the inner gateway there were two ^(BN)chambers^[k] in the ^(BO)inner court, one^[l] at the side of the north gate facing south, the other at the side of the south^[m] gate facing north. ⁴⁵ And he said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests ^(BP)who have charge of the temple, ⁴⁶ and the chamber that faces north is for the priests ^(BQ)who have charge of the altar. These are ^(BR)the sons of Zadok, who alone^[n] among the sons of Levi may come ^(BS)near to the Lord to minister to him.” ⁴⁷ And he measured the court, ^(BT)a hundred cubits long and ^(BU)a hundred cubits broad, a square. And ^(BV)the altar was in front of the temple.

The Vestibule of the Temple

⁴⁸ Then he brought me to ^(BW)the vestibule of the temple and measured the ^(BX)jambs of the vestibule, five cubits on either side. And the breadth of the gate was fourteen cubits, and the sidewalls of the gate^[o] were three cubits on either side. ^49 (BY)The length of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and the breadth twelve^[p] cubits, and people would go up to it by ten steps.^[q] And there were pillars beside the jambs, one on either side.

The Inner Temple

41 Then he brought me to ^(BZ)the nave and measured the ^(CA)jambs. On each side six cubits^[r] was the breadth of the jambs.^{[s] 2} And the breadth of the entrance was ten cubits, and the sidewalls of the entrance were five cubits on either side. And he measured the length of the nave,^{[t] (CB)}forty cubits, and its breadth, ^(CC)twenty cubits. ³ Then he went ^(CD)into the inner room and measured the jambs of the entrance, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits; and the sidewalls on either side^[u] of the entrance, seven cubits. ⁴ And he measured ^(CE)the length of the room, twenty cubits, and its breadth, twenty cubits, across ^(CF)the nave. And he said to me, “This is ^(CG)the Most Holy Place.”

⁵ Then he measured the wall of the temple, six cubits thick, and the breadth of ^(CH)the side chambers, four cubits, ^(CI)all around the temple. ⁶ And the side chambers were in three stories, one over another, ^(CJ)thirty in each story. There were offsets^[v] all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side chambers, ^(CK)so that they should not be supported by the wall of the temple. ⁷ And it became broader as it wound upward to the side chambers, because the temple was enclosed upward all around the temple. Thus the temple had a broad area upward, and ^(CL)so one went up from the lowest story to the top story through the middle story. ⁸ I saw also that the temple had a raised platform all around; the foundations of the side chambers measured a full reed of ^(CM)six long cubits. ⁹ The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits. ^(CN)The free space between the side chambers of the temple and the ^10 (CO)other chambers was a breadth of ^(CP)twenty cubits all around the temple on every side. ¹¹ And the doors of the ^(CQ)side chambers opened on ^(CR)the free space, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south. And the breadth of the free space was five cubits all around.

¹² The building that was facing ^(CS)the separate yard on the west side was seventy cubits broad, and the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length ninety cubits.

¹³ Then he measured the temple, ^(CT)a hundred cubits long; and the yard and the building with its walls, a hundred cubits long; ¹⁴ also the breadth of the east front of the temple and the yard, a hundred cubits.

¹⁵ Then he measured the length of ^(CU)the building facing the yard that was at the back and ^(CV)its galleries^[w] on either side, a hundred cubits.

The inside of the nave and the vestibules of the court, ^16 (CW)the thresholds and ^(CX)the narrow windows and the galleries all around the three of them, opposite the threshold, were paneled with wood all around, from the floor up to the windows (now the windows were covered), ¹⁷ to the space above the door, even to the inner room, and on the outside. And on all the walls all around, inside and outside, was a measured pattern.^{[x] 18} It was carved of ^(CY)cherubim and ^(CZ)palm trees, a palm tree between cherub and cherub. Every cherub had two faces: ^19 (DA)a human face toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved on the whole temple all around. ²⁰ From the floor to above the door, cherubim and palm trees were carved; similarly the wall of the nave.

²¹ The doorposts of ^(DB)the nave were squared, and in front of ^(DC)the Holy Place was something resembling ^22 (DD)an altar of wood, three cubits high, two cubits long, and two cubits broad.^[y] Its corners, its base,^[z] and its walls were of wood. He said to me, “This is ^(DE)the table that is before the Lord.” ²³ The nave and the Holy Place had each ^(DF)a double door. ²⁴ The double doors had two leaves apiece, ^(DG)two swinging leaves for each door. ²⁵ And on the doors of the nave were carved cherubim and palm trees, ^(DH)such as were carved on the walls. And there was ^(DI)a canopy^[aa] of wood in front of ^(DJ)the vestibule outside. ²⁶ And there were ^(DK)narrow windows and palm trees on either side, on the sidewalls of the vestibule, ^(DL)the side chambers of the temple, and the ^(DM)canopies.

The Temple's Chambers

42 Then he led me out into ^(DN)the outer court, ^(DO)toward the north, and he brought me to ^(DP)the chambers that were opposite ^(DQ)the separate yard and opposite ^(DR)the building on the north. ² The length of the building whose door faced north was ^(DS)a hundred cubits,^[ab] and ^(DT)the breadth fifty cubits. ³ Facing ^(DU)the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court, and facing ^(DV)the pavement that belonged to the outer court, was ^(DW)gallery^[ac] against gallery in three stories. ⁴ And ^(DX)before the chambers was a passage inward, ten cubits wide and ^(DY)a hundred cubits long,^[ad] and ^(DZ)their doors were on the north. ⁵ Now the upper chambers were narrower, for the galleries took more away from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building. ⁶ For they were in three stories, and they had no pillars like the pillars of the courts. Thus the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and the middle ones. ⁷ And ^(EA)there was a wall outside parallel to the chambers, toward the outer court, opposite the chambers, ^(EB)fifty cubits long. ⁸ For the chambers on the outer court were fifty cubits long, while those opposite ^(EC)the nave^[ae] were ^(ED)a hundred cubits long. ⁹ Below these chambers was ^(EE)an entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer court.

¹⁰ In the thickness of ^(EF)the wall of the court, on the south^[af] also, opposite ^(EG)the yard and opposite ^(EH)the building, there were ^(EI)chambers ¹¹ with ^(EJ)a passage in front of them. They were similar to the chambers on the north, of the same length and breadth, with the same exits^[ag] and arrangements and ^(EK)doors, ¹² as were the entrances of the chambers on the south. There was an entrance at the beginning of the passage, the passage before ^(EL)the corresponding wall on the east as one enters them.^[ah]

¹³ Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers opposite ^(EM)the yard are the holy chambers, ^(EN)where the priests who approach the Lord ^(EO)shall eat the ^(EP)most holy offerings. There they shall put the most holy offerings—^(EQ)the grain offering, ^(ER)the sin offering, and ^(ES)the guilt offering—for the place is holy. ¹⁴ When the priests enter the Holy Place, they shall not go out of it into the outer court ^(ET)without laying there the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. ^(EU)They shall put on other garments before they go near to that which is for the people.”

¹⁵ Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by ^(EV)the gate that faced east, and measured the temple area all around. ¹⁶ He measured the east side with ^(EW)the measuring reed, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around. ¹⁷ He measured the north side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around. ¹⁸ He measured the south side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. ¹⁹ Then he turned to the west side and measured, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. ²⁰ He measured it on the four sides. It had ^(EX)a wall around it, ^(EY)500 cubits long and ^(EZ)500 cubits broad, ^(FA)to make a separation between the holy and the common.

The Glory of the Lord Fills the Temple

43 Then he led me to ^(FB)the gate, the gate facing east. ² And behold, ^(FC)the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And ^(FD)the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and ^(FE)the earth shone with his glory. ³ And ^(FF)the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen ^(FG)when he^[ai] came to destroy the city, and just like ^(FH)the vision that I had seen ^(FI)by the Chebar canal. And ^(FJ)I fell on my face. ⁴ As ^(FK)the glory of the Lord ^(FL)entered the temple by the gate facing east, ^5 (FM)the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into ^(FN)the inner court; and behold, ^(FO)the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

^6 (FP)While the man was standing beside me, ^(FQ)I heard one speaking to me out of the temple, ⁷ and he said to me, ^(FR)“Son of man, this is ^(FS)the place of my throne and ^(FT)the place of the soles of my feet, ^(FU)where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more ^(FV)defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoring and by the dead bodies^[aj] of their kings at their high places,^{[ak] 8} by setting their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with ^(FW)only a wall between me and them. They have ^(FX)defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger. ⁹ Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, ^(FY)and I will dwell in their midst forever.

¹⁰ “As for you, ^(FZ)son of man, ^(GA)describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan. ¹¹ And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, ^(GB)make known to them the design of the temple, its arrangement, ^(GC)its exits and its entrances, that is, its whole design; and make known to them as well all its statutes and its whole design and all its laws, and write it down ^(GD)in their sight, so that they may observe all its laws and all its statutes and carry them out. ¹² This is the law of the temple: the whole territory on the top of ^(GE)the mountain ^(GF)all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

The Altar

¹³ “These are the measurements of ^(GG)the altar by cubits (the cubit being ^(GH)a cubit and a handbreadth):^[al] its base shall be one cubit high^[am] and one cubit broad, with a rim of one span^[an] around its edge. And this shall be the height of the altar: ¹⁴ from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; ¹⁵ and the altar hearth, four cubits; and from the altar hearth projecting upward, ^(GI)four horns. ¹⁶ The altar hearth shall be ^(GJ)square, twelve cubits long by twelve broad. ¹⁷ The ledge also shall be square, fourteen cubits long by fourteen broad, with a rim around it half a cubit broad, and its base one cubit all around. ^(GK)The steps of the altar shall face east.”

¹⁸ And he said to me, ^(GL)“Son of man, thus says the Lord God: These are the ordinances for the altar: On the day when it is erected for offering burnt offerings upon it and ^(GM)for throwing blood against it, ¹⁹ you shall give to ^(GN)the Levitical priests ^(GO)of the family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, declares the Lord God, ^(GP)a bull from the herd for a sin offering. ²⁰ And ^(GQ)you shall take some of its blood and put it on ^(GR)the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the ledge and upon ^(GS)the rim all around. ^(GT)Thus you shall purify the altar and make atonement for it. ²¹ You shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and ^(GU)it shall be burned in the appointed place belonging to the temple, outside the sacred area. ²² And on the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering; and the altar shall be purified, as it was purified with the bull. ²³ When you have finished ^(GV)purifying it, you shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish and ^(GW)a ram from the flock without blemish. ²⁴ You shall present them before the Lord, and the priests ^(GX)shall sprinkle salt on them and offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord. ^25 (GY)For seven days you shall provide daily a male goat for a sin offering; also, a bull from the herd and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be provided. ²⁶ Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, and so consecrate it.^{[ao] 27} And when they have completed these days, then ^(GZ)from the eighth day onward the priests shall offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your ^(HA)peace offerings, and ^(HB)I will accept you, declares the Lord God.”

¹⁹ So then you are no longer ^(A)strangers and aliens,^[a] but you are ^(B)fellow citizens with the saints and ^(C)members of the household of God, ^20 (D)built on the foundation of the ^(E)apostles and prophets, ^(F)Christ Jesus himself being ^(G)the cornerstone, ^21 (H)in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into ^(I)a holy temple in the Lord.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

24 ^(A)Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. ² But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, ^(B)there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

³ As he sat on ^(C)the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him ^(D)privately, saying, “Tell us, ^(E)when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your ^(F)coming and of ^(G)the end of the age?” ⁴ And Jesus answered them, ^(H)“See that no one leads you astray. ⁵ For ^(I)many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am ^(J)the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you ^(K)are not alarmed, for this ^(L)must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For ^(M)nation will rise against nation, and ^(N)kingdom against kingdom, and there will be ^(O)famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are but the beginning of ^(P)the birth pains.

⁹ “Then ^(Q)they will deliver you up ^(R)to tribulation and ^(S)put you to death, and ^(T)you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. ¹⁰ And then many will fall away^[a] and ^(U)betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ And many ^(V)false prophets will arise ^(W)and lead many astray. ¹² And because lawlessness will be increased, ^(X)the love of many will grow cold. ^13 (Y)But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom ^(Z)will be proclaimed throughout the whole world ^(AA)as a testimony ^(AB)to all nations, and ^(AC)then the end will come.

The Abomination of Desolation

¹⁵ “So when you see the abomination of desolation ^(AD)spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in ^(AE)the holy place (^(AF)let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ^17 (AG)Let the one who is on ^(AH)the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, ¹⁸ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁹ And ^(AI)alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰ Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be ^(AJ)great tribulation, ^(AK)such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. ²² And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for ^(AL)the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ^23 (AM)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For ^(AN)false christs and ^(AO)false prophets will arise and ^(AP)perform great signs and wonders, ^(AQ)so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, ^(AR)I have told you beforehand. ²⁶ So, if they say to you, ‘Look, ^(AS)he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ^27 (AT)For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be ^(AU)the coming of the Son of Man. ^28 (AV)Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁹ “Immediately after ^(AW)the tribulation of those days ^(AX)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and ^(AY)the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then ^(AZ)will appear in heaven ^(BA)the sign of the Son of Man, and then ^(BB)all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and ^(BC)they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven ^(BD)with power and great glory. ³¹ And ^(BE)he will send out his angels with a loud ^(BF)trumpet call, and they will ^(BG)gather ^(BH)his elect from ^(BI)the four winds, ^(BJ)from one end of heaven to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

³² “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, ^(BK)at the very gates. ^34 (BL)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ^35 (BM)Heaven and earth will pass away, but ^(BN)my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day and Hour

³⁶ “But concerning that day and hour ^(BO)no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, ^(BP)nor the Son,^{[b] (BQ)}but the Father only. ^37 (BR)For as were the days of Noah, ^(BS)so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ^38 (BT)For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, ^(BU)marrying and giving in marriage, until ^(BV)the day when Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, ^(BW)so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. ^41 (BX)Two women will be grinding ^(BY)at the mill; one will be taken and one left. ⁴² Therefore, ^(BZ)stay awake, for you do not know on what day ^(CA)your Lord is coming. ^43 (CB)But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night ^(CC)the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also must be ^(CD)ready, for ^(CE)the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

⁴⁵ “Who then is ^(CF)the faithful and ^(CG)wise servant,^[c] whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? ^46 (CH)Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁷ Truly, I say to you, ^(CI)he will set him over all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master ^(CJ)is delayed,’ ⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants^[d] and eats and drinks with ^(CK)drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that servant will come ^(CL)on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know ⁵¹ and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place ^(CM)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

² And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, ^(A)a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and ^(B)seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. ³ And there are ^(C)two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” ⁴ And I said to ^(D)the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, ^(E)“Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” ⁶ Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to ^(F)Zerubbabel: ^(G)Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. ⁷ Who are you, ^(H)O great mountain? Before ^(I)Zerubbabel ^(J)you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward ^(K)the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^9 (L)“The hands of ^(M)Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also ^(N)complete it. ^(O)Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. ^10 (P)For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see ^(Q)the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

^(R)“These seven ^(S)are the eyes of the Lord, ^(T)which range through the whole earth.” ¹¹ Then I said to him, “What are these ^(U)two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” ¹² And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these ^(V)two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil^[a] is poured out?” ¹³ He said to me, ^(W)“Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” ¹⁴ Then he said, ^(X)“These are the two anointed ones^[b] who stand by ^(Y)the Lord of the whole earth.”

¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling^[a] the world to himself, ^(A)not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us ^(B)the message of reconciliation.