And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”
Copy of my reply to beloved brother
@TribulationSigns
The word Jesus used for "
taken", suggests that they are "
taken" against their
will, as they were previously happy with what they were doing (is. Grinding at the Mill) and in the comfort of their bed (Resting), then suddenly, without them expecting any danger, they were suddenly "
taken" against their will.
Jesus also alluded to the people who were eating and drinking and given into marriage during Noah's days, who died by the floods, as being "
taken", in context to the narrative that Jesus was applying to the term "
taken".
"
Taken", according to the narrative that Jesus was implicitly alluding to would mean
DEATH. The carcuses represent a killing field of the dead, where the scavenger eagles gather for the free picking.
To the disciples, who were the recipients of the words of Jesus, who wanted to understand what the end will be like, where the end means natural destruction of the world, Jesus would not speak allegorically and certainly would not undermine his very Church before it had even had the chance to begin, to even suggest that it is the spiritual killing field of his Church. Jesus words to his immediate recipients were to encourage and to give heart to his founding Church members, that he was about to use, to establish his Church. The end in this respect was very far off, in the future and the implication was that the disciples, needed to not worry themselves about the end, especially the end of his Church, in context to the "
falling away", by the introduction of the
Abomination of Desolation.
In this respect, Jesus is not speaking of his Church in a negative light before his disciples, especially before it was even established, as this would be counterproductive to the disciples, who had no idea what was about to happen to their shepherd in the coming years of their ministry.
Jesus did connect Noah's Days, with the Abomination of Desolation and this speaks volumes, of why it cannot be 70AD, it cannot be 1st Century Jerusalem earthly city, it has to be the end of the natural world as we know it.
Remembering that in Matthew 24 Jesus points to the physical Temple and prophesies it's fall, as the 1st part of the disciples' questions, as to "
when will this happen". Obviously, this pointing to physical Temple buildings and the destruction of the physical stones, was 70AD.
Yet the other two part questions, were the sign of Christ's coming as distinct from the 70AD question and linking it to the end of the world.
The abomination of desolation comes part and parcel with the falling away from the faith, yet the result of the end, has to occur when the Gentile nations come to the full knowledge of Christ, those peoples of nations, yet to be born into the world. The declaration of Noah's Days, signalled the end of the age that Noah was living in, before the floods came and had "
taken" (killed) them away. So Jesus alludes to a similar end and Peter extrapolates how that will go down as
@keras had pointed out early in the forum posts.
Notice Peter in 2 Peter 3 also connects Noah's Days to the end of the world, in context to the Lord's brilliant coming, which is the two questions of the disciples three part questions of Matthew 24.
4They will say, “
Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
6By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction
10But
the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and
the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
Taken! Taken! Taken!
Zephaniah 1:17-18
11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with his promise
we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
@keras as much as I don't agree with your eschatological views concerning other matters, I must concur with you on this matter and in relation to how the end will come about. A portion of the Sun will explode to trigger God's extinction protocol (
Zephaniah 1:17-18).
