Matthew 24:26 Cross References - JMNT

²⁶ "Therefore, if they should say to you folks, 'Look! He is within the desert (wilderness; desolate place),' you should not go out, [or], 'Look! [He is] within the inner chambers (interior rooms; storehouses; barns; closets),' you should not put your trust in [it] or believe [them].

¹ Now in those days [i.e., years later, when Jesus would have come to be known as a Nazarene], John, the Immerser (or: Baptist; the one who immerses), is repeatedly coming to be at the side, progressively birthing himself (= making an appearance) in the midst of the wilderness (within the uninhabited area; in the desert) of the Judean [district], continually making public proclamation as a herald, ² on the [occasion and term of the priesthood of] chief (or: ranking) priests, Annas and Caiaphas, a gush-effect which was God (or: the result of a flow from God; God’s spoken word; a declaration from God) came into existence (came to be; was birthed) upon John, son of Zechariah, within the midst of the wilderness (the uninhabited, desolate place). ³ And so he came (or: went) into all [the] region around the Jordan [River], repeatedly making a public proclamation heralding an immersion (or: baptism) of a change of mind and way of thinking [which also implied a return to God], into a flowing-away of failures (a sending-away of mistakes; a letting-go and release of failed attempts to hit the target and attain the goal; abandonment of sins; a divorce from, and a forgiveness of, errors).

³⁸ "Consequently, you are certainly not the Egyptian – the one who was stirring up a revolt and then leading the four thousand 'men of the dagger' (= assassins or terrorists) into the desert some time ago (or: before these days)."