The following is section two from a series on emphatic elements in the Greek New Testament, written by biblical language expert Justin Alfred. Previous blog entries in this series:
Section IV – Matthew 24:15-28
Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; 17 let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house; 18 and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak. 19 “But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days! 20 “But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath; 21 for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall. 22 “And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short. 23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,‘ do not believe him. 24 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 “Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 “If therefore they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go forth, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 “For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather (Matthew 24:15-28)
The “Abomination of Desolation” and the Antichrist
This passage is clearly talking about something that will be a sign of the soon return of Jesus, and that has to do with the “abomination of desolation” that is going to be once again erected in the “holy place.” I say once again, because this first occurred in December, 167 BC, under the Seleucid King, Antiochus Epiphanes:
In 167 b.c., Apollonius, his (referring to Antiochus – my note) chief tax collector, was dispatched with 22,000 men and attacked Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Most of the male population was killed and the women and children enslaved; those few who could left the city. The city walls were demolished and the old city of David refortified (the Akra) and furnished with a military garrison (1 Macc 1:29–36; 2 Macc 5:24–26). There followed the prohibition of all Jewish rites and the rededication of the high temple to Olympian Zeus. A monthly check was made, and anyone found with a copy of the Book of the Law or a child who had been circumcised was put to death (1 Macc 1:54–64; Ant 12.5.4–5 §§248–64). In December 167 b.c. (on 25 Kislev) the first pagan sacrifice was performed on the altar to Zeus which had been erected over the altar of burnt offering in the temple: this is “the abomination of desolation” alluded to in Dan 11:31 and 12:11 (cf. 1 Macc 1:54; Mark 13:14 in a GK version).1
However, the next time this occurs, it will be in relation to the Antichrist enthroning himself as not only the world ruler, but according to 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, proclaiming himself to be God: “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). Thus, according to Jesus, this will usher in “a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.” Jesus then goes on to describe in general terms the horror of that time period, which will include, once again, “false Christs and false prophets” who will, through the power of Satan “show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.”
Jesus Will Return like Lightning
Further, they will furthermore tell people that the “Christ” is in a special place, but Jesus tells His disciples to “not believe them.” Jesus then says that His coming will be like “lightning,” and “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather,” and this last prophetic has conflicting interpretations. The word “vultures” (ἀετός – aetos) may also be translated as “eagles,” and this in particular is what has caused a difference of interpretation. Some see the “eagles” as referring to the Roman Army, whose insignia was the eagle, while others see this as a parabolic reference to the signs of His return in comparison to one seeing vultures in the air indicates that a dead body is near – thus, when the signs begin to occur that He just enumerated, one should know that His coming is near:
This proverbial saying about vultures recalls Job 39:30:
“Where the dead are, there it [the vulture] is.” It may be understood either (a) from the point of view of the vultures or (b) from that of the observer. (a) Vultures are able to discover a carcass from far away because of their keen sight (Job 39:29), and once they have seen it they take action. This could be a parable of the keen-eyed disciple who reads the significance of events and acts on it, perhaps reflecting the “when you see … then escape” of vv. 15–16. (b) Anyone who sees a gathering of vultures knows that there must be a carcass. This could be applied in two quite different ways, depending on whether it is a reflection on the whole preceding paragraph (when you see all the horrors of the siege you may be sure that Jerusalem is doomed) or merely on the preceding verse (the parousia of the Son of Man will be as obvious as the presence of the carcass). The placing of the saying after v. 27 supports the last option, as does the fact that Luke uses it in a context referring to the parousia (Luke 17:37), but the saying remains enigmatic. Its gruesome subject-matter suits this ominous context, but to allegorize it as depicting the “corpse” of Jerusalem surrounded by the “eagles” (military standards) of the Roman armyis to look for too literal a reference in proverbial language.2
Regardless of which interpretation of ἀετός (aetos) one might lean toward, the important thing for us to note is that even in this dire warning He is giving to His disciples, Jesus makes it explicitly clear that NO CAN PREDICT ACCURATELY when His return will be—which includes, of course, the rapture of the church prior to God’s wrath being poured out (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 5:9), for His coming will be “as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be” – that is, suddenly and without knowing when.
[1] David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. 1 (New York: Doubleday, 1996), 270.
[2] R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew: The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co., 2007), 918.
Donna Sharp says
August 8, 2012 at 3:56 amWow !!
Interesting as the Holy Spirit gave me this sign with vultures a few months before I was Born Again and Baptized with the Holy Spirit by Fire. I was driving down for business in Miami Fl and not living correctly at the time and the entire drive down I kept seeing Vultures everywhere, it was to the point I actually called a friend of mine to seek an explanation, her explanation however was not the correct one.
I was dead and the vultures were circling. God was showing me just how dead I was and they were waiting for me to die so they could eat me.
See when I was a little girl I lived way out in the country on a farm. It was a very dead place and many vultures where there due to dead animals from time to time. I was terrified if I lay down in pasture to look up at the sky and clouds they would think I was dead and eat me.
So the moment I was Born Again and Baptized with the Holy Spirit he immediately gave me the revolation of these two signs of death and the walking dead. Since my rebirth, I see them but always off in the distance never around me :). Thanks you Father this verification from Justins blog.
I tell you all of that for this, Our Daddy, “God” speaks to us all in many different ways or signs all day long every day.
Please pray for open eyes to see him, open ears to hear him, and most of all a Heart of Flesh to feel him and get to know him. He is outpouring signs at the speed of light right now for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear just like the Word says. We are seeing these signs and wonders everyday.
I will tell you however to get here is painful if your journey is from death like mine was, but it is worth it, however many tears I shed, deliverences I had, His Glory & Love out ways them all.
Ladies, it’s kinda like birth, extra painful, scary at times but extra special and always worth it!
He is so very precious and loving. He will share the most extrordinary things with you if you ask and are found to be trusted with his wisdom and secrets.
I have found the more obedient I am, the more He tells me, and the more He shares with me. I mean obidience in everything, especially His love, His Word, where I go, what I do, even when I don’t want to, or agree with him at the times. I do what He wants to the best of my ability every day.
Some days are good some bad, its a walk and sometimes you trip and fall, just get back up, pick the gravel out of your knees, and keep going forward.
Do not lean on your own understanding He always tells me, and reminds me that there are many other people and factors associated with me and him in our travels that my conduct effects.
We are in His Kingdom and what each of us do effects all of us and all those in the Kingdom, like rippling waves, as we are one with him and each other.
I used to be concerned with the “when” Jesus was coming back thing. Now I am only conerned with the “bringing His Kingdom forth part”. The Kingdom of heaven is taken by force by those who are forceful !
He is drawing the lines for battle I do believe and sorting the wheat, testing the vesssels, and compiling the workers, as it is written the harvest is ready and the workers are few.
I am forceful with His love, his patience, His kindness, and His passion to let His light shine forth in the dark place we now live.
Pray for this Country and our fellow Children of God as Justin said above, His return will be swift and way to fast for any of us to comprehend. Are you ready ? Like the virgins, do you have extra oil for your lamp ?
He will guide you with His hand upon you every step of the way. He does me and He is not a respector of man that He should not treat all His children with kindness and love if they seek Him with all thier hearts.
It’s a daily moment by moment walk for me. I pray the love of God fall upon every eye, ear, and heart that reads Justin’s blog today and puts an unquenchable urgency to serve our King with Honor, Love, and Kindness like He does each of us, Amen.
Eric says
August 8, 2012 at 12:47 pmAlthough there was a desolation of the temple in 167 BC, we must be careful to recognize that Daniel only speaks of one time when the abomination of desolation will be set up, which is halfway through the tribulation period, according to Daniel 11:31 and 12:11 and Matthew 24:15. Otherwise, if we recognize the one in 167 BC as such, then Daniel’s prophecy was fulfilled approximately 200 years before God said it would. In other words, the abomination would have been set up around week 40 of Daniel’s prophecy instead of midway through week 70 as Daniel said. The setting up of the abomination of desolation is still future then.
Tom Webster says
August 10, 2012 at 4:06 pmThere is nothing in Scripture to support a 7-year Tribulation period. Christ was “cut off” (crucified) in the 70th week (i.e. AFTER the 69th ‘seven’). Nothing hints of a future 70th week, which is a myth. The Tribulation is 3.5 years, which is kicked off by the abomination that maketh desolate being set up in the soon-to-be constructed 3rd temple in Jerusalem. Twice in Daniel chapter 12 and at least 5 times times in Revelation, the Tribulation period is referenced as 1260 days or 3.5 years or 42 months.
Mr Alfred would correctly select “vultures” (carrion birds) if he would compare Matthew 24 with Luke 17, especially v37, which is an obvious reference to Armegeddon:
LUKE 17:24-37 (KJV)
24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
31 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.
32 Remember Lot’s wife.
33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
Those TAKEN are not raptured; they are taken to judgment and specifically tossed into the pile of bodies
The disciples did not question Jesus further because they understood He was referring to Ezekiel chapter 39: verse 4 (“ravenous birds”)
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
and the call to the fowls in Ezekiel 39, verse 17:
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord God.
21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward.
Later, after Revelation was given, we understand that this occurs at the battle of Armageddon, which I prefer to call the slaughter at Armageddon:
NOTE the references to the fowls in 19:17 and 19:21
REVELATION 19:
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Finally, Christ’s coming will be VISIBLE just like when lightning lights up the entire sky. No secret pre_Trib Rapture is implied… The Creator who SPOKE the world into existence comes with A SHOUT, the Resurrection, and the removal of the sky… His glory will be seen by all… and THE DAY OF THE LORD has arrived…
Tom O. says
August 21, 2012 at 11:22 amTom W.
The Luke 17 passage about Noah and Lot do refer to the rapture. The reference to Noah is also in Matt. 24:37 and gives further information about the gathering of the Elect in Matt. 24:31. It tells us that the rapture will be just like it was for Noah & Lot, once the righteous (Noah, Lot, the Elect Christians) are taken out of the way, judgement will then come. This judgement is the Day of the Lord which are the trumpet judgements of Rev. chapter 8. We know this because the SIGN of the day of the Lord (Matt. 24:29, Rev. 6:12-13 & Joel 2:31) preceeds the rapture of the church (Matt24:31, Rev.7:14)and then judgement, the actual Day of the Lord follows it.
Tom O.
Tom Webster says
August 10, 2012 at 4:38 pmMr Alfred makes this statement:
…but this cannot be supported from the context of Matthew 24
When YOU SEE the abomination of desolation…
Obviously His coming is after this… the Tribulation has started…
His coming will be VERY VISIBLE and from the context is AFTER The Tribulation, or at least after the Tribulation has begun…
Reading all of Matthew 24, the ELECT will know the signs of His coming, and will not be deceived…
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
While you may not know the exact hour and day of His coming, you will know that the 3.5-year Tribulation has begun when the [false prophet] sets up the image of the beast (antichrist) and the temple is desecrated…
When you see the celestial signs, sun darkened etc. THEN you are to look up because your redemption (the redemption of your body = the resurrection) draweth nigh…
LUKE 21:20-28 for context
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
What things?
A. Jerusalem surrounded by armies (Armageddon will be very soon)
B. Jerusalem trodden down/ time of the Gentiles /end of the age
C. Signs in the sun, moon, and stars (verse 25)
The “rapture,” which is really the second phase of the resurrection, occurs at THE LAST TRUMP (last in a series) – the 7th trumpet. The dead in Christ rise FIRST…
Revelation 10:7 (KJV)
7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
{note that it is multiple “days” on the earth that the events of the 7th trumpet occur}
Just like when you see the fig tree (and all the trees) budding, you KNOW that summer is near…
Actually, Jesus is telling us that those believers with wisdom and discernment WILL KNOW when His return is close…
This is also why His return is not “imminent,” as there are many prophecies which must be fulfilled before Jesus can return.
Ben says
August 13, 2012 at 5:58 pmJustin,
you said
“Jesus makes it explicitly clear that NO CAN PREDICT ACCURATELY when His return will be”
You are continuing to make this make erroneous statement here and in your Aug 1 thread. I submitted to you many Scriptures in the Aug 1 thread that disprove this notion. If you are confident in your teaching about this you will address my arguments in the Aug 1 thread and explain to us how this statement harmonizes in light of the Scripture passages I have given you. I look forward to your response and am willing to recieve correction on this if I am mistaken.
Tom says
August 18, 2012 at 1:36 pmBen, Matthew Chapter 24 and Revelation Chapter 6 have the same sequence of events. The SIGN of the Day of the Lord ( NOT The Day of the Lord) of Joel 2:31 is both at Matt. 24:29 & Revelation 6:12-13. The Great tribulation starts at the mid point of Daniel’s 70th week with the abomination of desolation of Matt. 24:15 which is also seal #5. The elect (saints and christians) are gathered together at (Matt. 24:31) and are the same great multitude who come out of the great tribulation in Rev. 6:9 & 14. The gathering together of the elect or rapture is what cuts short the Great Tribulation for the sake of the elect in Matt. 24:22. The rapture is in the 2nd half of Daniel”s 70th week after both the Abomination of Desolation (vs. 15) and the SIGN of the Day of the Lord (vs. 29). We are told to watch and be ready (vs. 33, 42-44) for the return of Jesus because we do not know the EXACT day (24 hours) or hour (60 minutes) the Lord will return in vs. 36 & 43. Verse 33 tells us when we see all these things, the 6 seals and signs in the sun moon and stars, know that Christ’s return is near. Luke 21:25-28 “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Then the actual Day of the Lord begins with the trumpet judgements of Revelation Chapter 8. The Sign of the Day of the Lord and the Day of the Lord (Christ) are great for time synchronization of other Bible prophecy verses. Jesus returns to earth a second time at the end of Daniel’s 70th week at the 7th trumpet at Rev. 11:15 to start his 1000 year reign on earth. The nations reject Jesus rule and the bowel judgments are released upon them including the battle of Armageddon from Rev. 16:15.
Tom Webster says
August 13, 2012 at 6:54 pmTHE IMPORTANCE OF THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT:
23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,‘ do not believe him. 24 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 “Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 “If therefore they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go forth, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 “For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.
The word translated as “then” in v23 is Strong’s G5119 and means “then” or “at this time.” It is linking the Tribulation in the previous verse (v22), and the immediate context is that false Christs and false prophets will be making false claims that [Jesus the Christ] is in some secret location (or place). It is not in any way implying that you do not know the coming of Christ is near, or that the elect will not know the timing of His return. Actually, you are warned not to believe in some secret or hidden coming.
When there is a thunderstorm, you may not know when the exact time the next lightning bolt will streak across the sky, but you most certainly know that another lightning bolt is expected and probably soon!
What Jesus was really saying, which can be easily understood from the immediate context, is that His coming will be very VISIBLE – e.g. like lightning that lights up the entire sky. You will not miss it…
Other Scriptures make it clear that EVERY eye will see Him at His coming. However, nothing from the immediate context in Matthew 24:15-28 supports the statement “no one can predict accurately” when His return will be. Instead, the [Bible] “reader WILL understand” (v15) when he or she SEES the abomination of desolation (v15) that The Tribulation has begun and that the coming of Christ is not too far off…