Some of the disciples were talking about the Temple, how beautiful it looked with its fine stones and the gifts offered to God. Jesus said,

"All this you see---the time will come when not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one will be thrown down."

Some will be killed by the sword, and others will be taken as prisoners to all countries; and the heathen will trample over Jerusalem until their time is up.

I will turn your cities into ruins, destroy your places of worship, and refuse to accept your sacrifices.

I will destroy your land so completely that the enemies who occupy it will be shocked at the destruction.

May their camps be left deserted; may no one be left alive in their tents.

Your country has been devastated, and your cities have been burned to the ground. While you look on, foreigners take over your land and bring everything to ruin.

Jerusalem alone is left, a city under siege---as defenseless as a guard's hut in a vineyard or a shed in a cucumber field.

"Here is what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge around it, break down the wall that protects it, and let wild animals eat it and trample it down.

I will let it be overgrown with weeds. I will not trim the vines or hoe the ground; instead, I will let briers and thorns cover it. I will even forbid the clouds to let rain fall on it."

Your sacred cities are like a desert; Jerusalem is a deserted ruin,

and our Temple, the sacred and beautiful place where our ancestors praised you, has been destroyed by fire. All the places we loved are in ruins.

And at the end of that time God's chosen leader will be killed unjustly. The city and the Temple will be destroyed by the invading army of a powerful ruler. The end will come like a flood, bringing the war and destruction which God has prepared.

That ruler will have a firm agreement with many people for seven years, and when half this time is past, he will put an end to sacrifices and offerings. The Awful Horror will be placed on the highest point of the Temple and will remain there until the one who put it there meets the end which God has prepared for him."

And so, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a pile of ruins, and the Temple hill will become a forest.

Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire can burn down your cedar trees!

Weep and wail, cypress trees--- the cedars have fallen; those glorious trees have been destroyed! Weep and wail, oaks of Bashan--- the dense forest has been cut down!

The LORD will bring all the nations together to make war on Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half of the people will go into exile, but the rest of them will not be taken away from the city.

Then they brought in some men to tell lies about him. "This man," they said, "is always talking against our sacred Temple and the Law of Moses.

We heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will tear down the Temple and change all the customs which have come down to us from Moses!"

In just this way the people of Israel will have to live for a long time without kings or leaders, without sacrifices or sacred stone pillars, without idols or images to use for divination.

But the time will come when the people of Israel will once again turn to the LORD their God and to a descendant of David their king. Then they will fear the LORD and will receive his good gifts.

You will look for me, but you will not find me, because you cannot go where I will be."

He says that we will look for him but will not find him, and that we cannot go where he will be. What does he mean?"

So the Jewish authorities said, "He says that we cannot go where he is going. Does this mean that he will kill himself ?"

That is why I told you that you will die in your sins. And you will die in your sins if you do not believe that 'I Am Who I Am'."

Jesus answered, "The light will be among you a little longer. Continue on your way while you have the light, so that the darkness will not come upon you; for the one who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.

Believe in the light, then, while you have it, so that you will be the people of the light." After Jesus said this, he went off and hid himself from them.

In a little while the world will see me no more, but you will see me; and because I live, you also will live.

"Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. My Father will love those who love me; I too will love them and reveal myself to them."

Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and my Father and I will come to them and live with them.

"God bless the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory to God!"

Jesus answered, "I tell you that if they keep quiet, the stones themselves will start shouting."

May God bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD! From the Temple of the LORD we bless you.

Jerusalem, go up on a high mountain and proclaim the good news! Call out with a loud voice, Zion; announce the good news! Speak out and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah that their God is coming!

He will take care of his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs together and carry them in his arms; he will gently lead their mothers.

How wonderful it is to see a messenger coming across the mountains, bringing good news, the news of peace! He announces victory and says to Zion, "Your God is king!"

"I will fill the descendants of David and the other people of Jerusalem with the spirit of mercy and the spirit of prayer. They will look at the one whom they stabbed to death, and they will mourn for him like those who mourn for an only child. They will mourn bitterly, like those who have lost their first-born son.

The crowds walking in front of Jesus and those walking behind began to shout, "Praise to David's Son! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise be to God!"

The people who were in front and those who followed behind began to shout, "Praise God! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord!

God bless the coming kingdom of King David, our father! Praise be to God!"

So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, "Praise God! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! God bless the King of Israel!"

If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved.

The scripture says, "Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed."

As the scripture says, "Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved."

And how can the message be proclaimed if the messengers are not sent out? As the scripture says, "How wonderful is the coming of messengers who bring good news!"

Even today, whenever they read the Law of Moses, the veil still covers their minds.

Now, "the Lord" in this passage is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom.