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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:<\/p>\n
<\/em><\/strong>Section IV \u2013 Matthew 24:15-28<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n 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<\/sup> then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; 17<\/sup> let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house; 18<\/sup> and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak. 19<\/sup> “But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days! 20<\/sup> “But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath; 21<\/sup> 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<\/sup> “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<\/sup> “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,<\/em>‘ do not believe him<\/em>. 24<\/sup> “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<\/sup> “Behold, I have told you in advance. 26<\/sup> “If therefore they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go forth, or<\/em>, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them<\/em>. 27<\/sup> “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<\/sup> “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather (Matthew 24:15-28)<\/p>\n 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 \u201cabomination of desolation\u201d that is going to be once again erected in the \u201choly place.\u201d\u00a0 I say once again, because this first occurred in December, 167 BC, under the Seleucid King, Antiochus Epiphanes:<\/p>\n \u00a0In 167 b.c., Apollonius, his (referring to Antiochus \u2013 my note<\/em>) 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\u201336; 2 Macc 5:24\u201326). 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\u201364; Ant <\/em>12.5.4\u20135 \u00a7\u00a7248\u201364). 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 \u201cthe abomination of desolation\u201d<\/em> alluded to in Dan 11:31 and 12:11 (cf. 1 Macc 1:54; Mark 13:14 in a GK version).1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n 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: \u201cLet no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come <\/em>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\u201d (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).\u00a0 Thus, according to Jesus, this will usher in \u201ca great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.\u201d\u00a0 Jesus then goes on to describe in general terms the horror of that time period, which will include, once again, \u201cfalse Christs and false prophets\u201d who will, through the power of Satan \u201cshow great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.\u201d<\/p>\n Further, they will furthermore tell people that the \u201cChrist\u201d is in a special place, but Jesus tells His disciples to \u201cnot believe them<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Jesus then says that His coming will be like \u201clightning,\u201d and \u201cWherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather,\u201d and this last prophetic has conflicting interpretations.\u00a0 The word \u201cvultures\u201d (\u1f00\u03b5\u03c4\u1f79\u03c2<\/strong> \u2013 <\/strong>aetos<\/em>) may also be translated as \u201ceagles,\u201d and this in particular is what has caused a difference of interpretation.\u00a0 Some see the \u201ceagles\u201d 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 \u2013 thus, when the signs begin to occur that He just enumerated, one should know that His coming is near:<\/p>\n This proverbial saying about vultures recalls Job 39:30:<\/p>\n \u201cWhere the dead are, there it [the vulture] is.\u201d 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 \u201cwhen you see \u2026 then escape\u201d of vv. 15\u201316. (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<\/em> 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<\/em> (Luke 17:37), but the saying remains enigmatic. Its gruesome subject-matter suits this ominous context, but to allegorize it as depicting the \u201ccorpse\u201d of Jerusalem surrounded by the \u201ceagles\u201d (military standards) of the Roman armyis to look for too literal a reference in proverbial language.2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Regardless of which interpretation of \u1f00\u03b5\u03c4\u1f79\u03c2<\/strong> <\/strong>(aetos<\/em>) 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\u2014which includes, of course, the rapture of the church prior to God\u2019s wrath being poured out (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 5:9), for His coming will be \u201cas the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be\u201d \u2013 that is, suddenly and without knowing when.<\/p>\nThe “Abomination of Desolation” and the Antichrist<\/h3>\n
Jesus Will Return like Lightning<\/h3>\n
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