Mat 24:27 For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:28 For wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

Alternative: Because just as the light's flash comes out of the sunrise and gives light until its setting so also will the presence of the son of man be. Because if there is a dead body, the birds of omen gather.


Again, I refer you back to the original question from the Apostles. Were they asking about the significance of Christ's presence to the end of the age (and, the purpose of the world)? Or were they asking about his coming at the end of the world? The later interpretation is more popular in modern Christianity, but the first version is stongly supported by the original Greek of the Gospels. Of course, my view is that both viewpoints are valuable.

Here, the immediate point of these verses is to provide an explanation of why we should not believe that a savior in a time of trouble will be found in the desert or a secret chamber.

The first verse here contrasts the openness and revealing nature of Christ with the secrecy and remoteness of the false saviors to whom people turn in times of trouble. The true annointed is a bright light, out in the open, which enlightens everything. The false saviors are hidden and make everything obscure.

The next verse compares these false saviors with birds around a dead body. The term "vulture" is never used in the New Testament, so perhaps the Greek term, gups, an uncommon word in Greek literature, was not a part of the common tongue of simplified Greek (Koine) in which the Gospels were written. However, the term "eagle" was known, largely because the eagle was used as a standard of the Roman legions. Here, Christ uses the common desert image of the a carcass surrounded by birds to call to mind the deadly nature of the desert.

The eagle played in important role in Greek culture where is was a symbol of Zeus. An eagle was sent to torment Prometheus for giving fire to mankind. Zeus released two eagles (one from the east and one from the west) and they met in Delphi, defining it as the center of the world. Zeus also took the form of an eagle in his homosexual relationship with Ganymedes. In Roman culture, the eagle was original one of five animals used on the standard for the Roman army, but about 100 BC, the other four animals ( the wolf, the minotaur, the horse, and the boar) were abandoned, leaving only the eagle, which later became associated with Caesar and then all future emperors.


"Lightening" is from astrapê, which means "a flash of lightening," "lightening," and the "light of a lamp. " It is a metaphor for the "flashing" of the eyes.

"Comes out of" is from exerchomai, which means "to come or go out of " or "to come out."

"East" is from anatolê, which means "to rise above the horizon," "sunrise," "ascendent," and "source."

"Comes is from parousia, which means "presence," "arrival," "occasion," "situation," "substance," "property," and "contribution."


"Shines" is from phainô, which means "to bring to light," "to cause to appear," "to make known," "to reveal," "to show forth," "to display," "to give light," and "to shine."

"West" is from dusmê, which means "setting," "the point of setting," and "the quarter of sunset."

"Eagle" is from aetos, which means "eagle," (which was considered a bird of omen) "eagle as a standard (of the Roman legions)," and "omen."