Luke 21:6 kjv
As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Luke 21:6 nkjv
"These things which you see?the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down."
Luke 21:6 niv
"As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down."
Luke 21:6 esv
"As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."
Luke 21:6 nlt
"The time is coming when all these things will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!"
Luke 21 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Matt 24:2 | "See all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, not one stone here..." | Jesus' parallel prophecy about the Temple's destruction. |
| Mark 13:2 | "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone..." | Another Gospel's account of Jesus' prophecy. |
| Luke 19:43-44 | "...they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone..." | Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, predicting its total destruction and Temple's fall. |
| Jer 7:4 | "Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the LORD...’" | Prophetic warning against misplaced trust in the physical Temple's security. |
| Mic 3:12 | "Therefore Zion shall be plowed as a field...and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest." | Prophecy of Jerusalem's and Temple Mount's devastation. |
| Dan 9:26 | "...and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary..." | Old Testament prophecy pointing to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. |
| Lam 2:7 | "The Lord has spurned his altar, spurned his sanctuary..." | Lamentation over a destroyed sanctuary, showing God's judgment. |
| Acts 6:14 | "...that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs..." | False charge against Stephen, yet highlighting perceived threat to Temple. |
| Heb 9:11-12 | "...Christ came as high priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tent..." | Emphasis on a greater, spiritual tabernacle not made with hands. |
| Heb 8:13 | "In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete..." | Implies the old physical order, including Temple worship, becoming outdated. |
| Acts 7:48 | "Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands..." | Stephen's sermon underscoring God's omnipresence beyond physical structures. |
| 1 Pet 2:5 | "...you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house..." | Believers as the new 'temple,' spiritual not physical. |
| Eph 2:20-22 | "...Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord." | The church as God's spiritual temple, growing through Christ. |
| 1 Cor 3:16 | "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" | Individual believers/church as God's temple, emphasizing spiritual presence. |
| Isa 40:8 | "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." | Contrast between temporary earthly structures and God's enduring Word. |
| Zech 8:3 | "...and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain." | Prophecy of Jerusalem's future restoration, contrasting its present state. |
| Matt 23:37-38 | "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... Behold, your house is left to you desolate." | Jesus' lament, foretelling the abandonment and desolation of the Temple. |
| Luke 13:34-35 | "Behold, your house is left to you desolate." | Another account of Jesus' lament and the Temple's coming desolation. |
| Jer 22:5 | "...then this house shall become a desolation." | Old Testament prophecy about a desolated house, paralleling Temple's fate. |
| John 2:19-21 | "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up... He was speaking about the temple of his body." | Jesus redefines 'temple' as His own body, signifying a shift from physical to spiritual. |
Luke 21 verses
Luke 21 6 Meaning
Luke 21:6 declares Jesus' profound prophecy regarding the absolute destruction of the magnificent Temple in Jerusalem. It predicts that despite its grand appearance and perceived permanence, a time would come when no single stone of the structure would remain resting upon another, signifying total demolition and desolation. This statement came as a shock to the disciples, who had just marveled at the Temple's beauty and costly stones, challenging their understanding of the enduring symbol of Jewish worship and national identity.
Luke 21 6 Context
Luke 21:6 is part of what is known as the Olivet Discourse (Luke 21:5-36), a major prophecy delivered by Jesus to His disciples on the Mount of Olives. The preceding verse (Luke 21:5) sets the immediate scene: some disciples were admiring the Jerusalem Temple, commenting on its beauty, the costly stones, and the votive gifts. This admiration was not uncommon, as Herod's Temple was a colossal and impressive edifice, the centerpiece of Jewish worship and a symbol of national pride. Jesus' startling response in verse 6 directly addresses this admiration, challenging the assumption of the Temple's permanence. Historically, the Temple was indeed destroyed by the Roman legions under Titus in 70 AD, about 40 years after Jesus' prophecy, fulfilling these words with brutal precision. This destruction also marked a turning point in Jewish history and Christianity, signifying the end of the Old Covenant Temple-centered worship and affirming the dawning of the New Covenant age where worship is no longer bound to a physical place.
Luke 21 6 Word analysis
- As for these things: Refers specifically to the stones and votive offerings that the disciples were just admiring, clearly identifying the object of the prophecy as the physical structure of the Temple.
- which you see: Highlights the present, observable reality of the Temple's grandeur. The disciples were literally standing there, beholding its magnificence.
- the days will come: A common prophetic marker, signaling a future, definite event that God will bring to pass. It points to an appointed time for divine action and judgment.
- when there will not be left: Greek: ouk aphethēsetai (οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται), meaning "it will not be left" or "it will not be allowed to remain." This emphasizes a complete and irreversible removal or destruction.
- one stone upon another: Greek: lithos epi lithon (λίθος ἐπὶ λίθον). This phrase vividly describes utter demolition. Not just damage or partial ruin, but a state where no part of the structure remains intact, standing on another piece. It implies a thorough dismantling, often associated with a complete plowing up of the foundation, as prophesied in Micah 3:12.
- that will not be thrown down: Greek: ou mē katalythē (οὐ μὴ καταλυθῇ). The double negative "ou mē" in Greek creates an emphatic negative, meaning "it will absolutely not be thrown down" or "it certainly will not be dissolved." In this context, it confirms that every single stone, even the smallest, will face this destructive fate. The word katalythē means "to be thrown down, pulled down, destroyed, dissolved," indicating a comprehensive demolition, not merely damage.
Words-Group Analysis:
- "As for these things which you see, the days will come": Jesus draws an immediate connection between what is visible in the present and a future, hidden reality. This highlights the predictive nature of prophecy, inviting listeners to contrast the apparent permanence with divine certainty.
- "not be left one stone upon another that will not be thrown down": This entire phrase is a powerful hyperbolic statement for total and utter destruction. It conveys not merely damage, but complete devastation, to the extent that the very foundation stones would be overturned. The intensity is amplified by the Greek's double negative, stressing the absolute certainty of this complete demolition. It stands as a stark declaration of the impermanence of even the most formidable human-made structures when God's appointed time of judgment arrives.
Luke 21 6 Bonus section
The destruction foretold in Luke 21:6 wasn't merely a political event; it carried profound theological implications, signaling a paradigm shift in God's relationship with humanity. It underscored the transition from a localized, Temple-centric worship system to a global, Spirit-empowered worship. This prophetic dismantling of a seemingly immutable symbol of religious life demonstrated that true worship is not tied to a specific building but is spiritual and "in truth" (Jn 4:21-24). It also emphasized the principle that everything in the earthly realm, no matter how grand or sacred, is ultimately subject to decay and change, while God's Word and kingdom endure eternally.
Luke 21 6 Commentary
Luke 21:6 encapsulates a pivotal moment in Jesus' ministry, serving as a powerful prophecy that radically redefined the nature of God's presence and worship. Against the backdrop of the magnificent Jerusalem Temple, considered the permanent dwelling of God and the heart of Jewish identity, Jesus pronounces its complete annihilation. This prediction would have been shocking, perhaps even sacrilegious, to His listeners, as the Temple had stood for centuries as a testament to God's covenant with Israel. Jesus’ words indicated that God's plan was not irrevocably tied to physical structures. His prophetic insight into the Temple's future demolition in 70 AD by the Romans confirmed His authority as Messiah and prophet, marking the end of the Old Covenant sacrificial system centered on that physical building. It paved the way for a New Covenant worship, not bound by location but centered on Christ and experienced spiritually within the believer and the community of faith, becoming the true temple where God's Spirit dwells. This verse, therefore, is not merely a historical prediction but a profound theological statement on the temporary nature of the old order and the coming of God's kingdom beyond material structures.