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Monday, February 23, 2015

Eagles, Martyrs, the Elect, and the Sent Away; Separated for the Millennial Kingdom or Hades; Taken or Left

We looked at the idea of riddles, dark sayings, and parables, and that Jesus didn’t always speak in comparisons or speak in veiled mysteries. More times than not the mystery lies in our own lack of understanding. There are two sections in the gospels that speak about eagles and upon first look they seem to be the same, however they are speaking about two different groups of people. The order of the timeline for both sections is a little different and the words used are a little different, rendering two events where eagles are present and doing something. We also have added words and tenses to the text that change the idea of what is taking place. This adds confusion as well. Since the Greek text is very specific with its words, we find treasures when we look into every word. Also we seem to have a bit of folklore regarding eagles which we will also explore.

Jesus’ disciples ask questions, and that is helpful for us to learn from. We may not comprehend the questions as we have done a poor job of understanding the words. We have lumped events and ideas together which are different happenings separated by time. The apocalypse is Jesus being revealed from heaven as who he really is. The parousia is Jesus’ coming to judge. Both the revealing and the judging happen consecutively. Let’s take note of this word parousia as it is used a lot in the context.

 NT:3952 parousia (par-oo-see'-ah); from the present participle of NT:3918; a being near, i.e. advent (often, return; specifically, of Christ to punish Jerusalem, or finally the wicked); (by implication) physically, aspect: KJV - coming, presence.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

In Matthew we are told that there are corpses and eagles. We have assumed that the eagles were there to eat the corpses as part of Revelation 19 when all the birds are called to a supper of the dead bodies of people and animals. This is not the case. While eagles may be part of that supper, all flying birds are called to eat. Not all flying birds are eagles. Because eagles were unclean, translators have assumed this to be what Jesus was saying, however as we will see, these eagles are doing something. Let’s look at this verse broken down, then we will go back to the context.

Matthew 24:28G3699For whereG1063 G1437everG1510.3might be G3588the G4430corpse, G1563there G4863[3will be gathered together G35881the G1052eagles]. http://studybible.info/ABP_Strongs/Matthew%2024

Matt 24:28
28 

 o%pou
wheresoever
3699
 hópou


 ga\r
For
1063
 gár


 e)a\n

1437
 eán


 h@|
is
5600
 ¢¡


 to\
the
3588
 tó


 ptw=ma
carcase
4430
 ptœ¡ma


 e)kei=
there
1563
 ekeí



 sunaxqh/sontai
will
4863
 sunachth¢¡sontai


 oi(
the
3588
 hoi


 a)etoi/
eagles
105
 aetoí

(Interlinear Transliterated Bible (TR Edition). Copyright © 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved. [For more detail see the full copyright page.])

NT:4430 ptooma, ptoomatos, to
1. a fall, downfall
2. that which is fallen; the (fallen) body of one dead or slain, a corpse, carcass Matt 14:12(from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

NT:4863 sunago (soon-ag'-o); from NT:4862 and NT:71; to lead together, i.e. collect or convene; specifically, to entertain (hospitably): KJV -  accompany, assemble (selves, together), bestow, come together, gather (selves together, up, together), lead into, resort, take in. (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

This word for corpse or carcase is “not alive and whole”, it has been killed. During the tribulation, people will have been martyred for their faith. Wherever the dead bodies will be, the eagles will be, not to eat them but to gather them. What are they gathering? The spirits and souls of the martyred. This is not about the birds eating the dead bodies because in context this is about the parousia, the apocalypse. The eagles gather, the word “be” is not in the text, therefore wherever a dead body is, the eagles will gather the dead.

The disciples ask Jesus in Matthew 24:3 three questions, 1) When will the destruction of the temple happen, 2) What will be the sign of your parousia, and 3) The end of the age. He answers the first question by telling them that they themselves will be martyred. Those who endure to the end of their lives will be saved. Then Jesus says the gospel must be preached in all nations, then the end will come. Jesus says to look for what Daniel prophesied because that is when the temple will be destroyed. When that all starts to happen (around 70 AD) get out of the city. We know that the disciples, as recorded in Acts, prepared by selling everything and leaving ahead of the destruction. Jesus also says those days would be shortened, as in the devil would not be allowed to inspire this military campaign for a long period of time. 

Now after the destruction of the temple, there will be a time of false prophets and teachers who will say Jesus is on earth ready for the parousia, the Day of the Lord, but don’t be fooled because Jesus won’t be in one place. He will be so visible to the whole earth, it will be like lightning. That will be the parousia. Not a hidden event, where one guy claims Jesus is here or there, and showing false signs and wonders. The earth will not see Jesus again until the Jews say “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” Matthew 23:39. Then the Day of the Lord will happen. Jesus says that wherever the dead bodies are, the eagles will gather. Dead bodies, whose dead bodies? Those who reject the beast and his mark.

The next sentence, verse 29 says “Immediately after those days”, what days? The days of the carcasses and eagles gathering. Immediately after the martyrdom of those days, then the heavens will be shaken. Then Jesus will appear. Then nations will mourn because they see Jesus. Then Jesus comes in great glory. Then Jesus sends the angles to gather the elect. Look at the time line of the word “then”. That gives us very specific timing as to the order of things at the end of the tribulation. The Day of the Lord comes after the dead bodies of the martyred are gathered. Compare this to Revelation 20.

Rev 20:4-5 Then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom authority to act as judges and to pass sentence was entrusted. Also I saw the souls of those who had been slain with axes [beheaded] for their witnessing to Jesus and [for preaching and testifying] for the Word of God, and who had refused to pay homage to the beast or his statue and had not accepted his mark or permitted it to be stamped on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived again and ruled with Christ (the Messiah) a thousand years. [Dan 7:9,22,27.] 5 The remainder of the dead were not restored to life again until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection AMP

First the eagles gather, sunago, the martyred (verse 28), then the angels gather up episunagoge, the elect (verse 31). Jesus says to pay attention to those things as then we will know when his parousia/apocalypse will take place. This generation/nation will not pass away until the end of the tribulation. Jesus then gives a comparison to a fig tree and says when you see these things, then Jesus’ parousia is close.

Jesus then goes on to answer question number three. Remember 1) the temple will be destroyed, get out of the city; 2) the dead bodies will be gathered by eagles, then he will be seen like lightning that’s the coming, parousia. Jesus then answers number 3, when is the end of the age. Jesus says Heaven and Earth will pass away, that is the end of the age. Verse 36 gives us Jesus’ answer. The Heaven and Earth passing away is the time that we don’t know the day or hour. The Father knows and he alone knows when the Heaven and Earth will pass away. That is the end of the age, after the temple is destroyed, the Day of the Lord, and Jesus’ millennial reign, then Heavens and Earth pass away.

Jesus goes on to reiterate the parousia, the Day of the Lord, by comparing the days of Noah. Jesus explains that at his coming, parousia, people will be going about their daily business and daily work when one will be taken and one left. That is an unfortunate translation. Taken means received, and left means sent away. On the Day of the Lord people will be separated, some will be received and some sent away. Go back to Revelation 20:4 & 5, we have the martyred who are gathered by eagles. The elect who are either alive or dead and gathered by angels. Then we have the rest of the people who are destroyed with the sword of the Lord. Jesus uses a comparison of a servant and then says that the evil servant goes to a place with weeping and gnashing of teeth. Let’s read Revelation 19:21.

Rev 19:21 And the rest were killed with the sword that issues from the mouth of Him Who is mounted on the horse, and all the birds fed ravenously and glutted themselves with their flesh. AMP

Jesus answered the three questions the disciples had, again, the destruction of the temple, the signs of the Day of the Lord, and the end of the age. Jesus focuses on the first two more than the last as no one knows the day the Heavens and Earth will pass away. Now we should compare what we just learned to Luke 17. This section has some of the same elements, but different timing, characters, and questions. In Luke, the Pharisees are asking when the kingdom will come. They were looking for a date, they wanted a series of events. Jesus’ answer was not what they wanted to hear.

Luke 17:20-22 Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied to them by saying, The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display, 21 Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]. 22 And He said to the disciples, The time is coming when you will long to see [even] one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see [it]. AMP

The kingdom of God does not come with signs or announcements. There will be nothing observable to the coming kingdom, which is the context to the question the Pharisees were asking. The kingdom would come on the Day of the Lord, but there would be nothing obvious, nor will it be a place on earth that one can see, like a palace and its grounds. Then Jesus says the kingdom of God is inside of you. That was a shocking statement, the rest of the context that we will explore hinges on that very understanding. The kingdom of God inside of people.

Luke 17:21G3761Nor G2046shall they say, G2400Behold, G5602here, G2228or, G2400Behold, G1563there. G2400For behold, G1063 G3588the G932kingdom G3588 G2316of God G1787[2within G14733you G1510.2.31is].
 22G2036And he said G1161 G4314to G3588the G3101disciples, G2064There shall come G2250days G3753when G1937you shall desire G1520[2one G35883of the G22504days G35885of the G52076son G3588 G4447of man G14921to see], G2532and G3756you will not G3708see it . http://studybible.info/ABP_Strongs/Luke%2017

Remembering who Jesus was speaking to, verse 22 is to the disciples. He says they will desire to see one of the days Jesus will come but they won’t see it with their eyes. Why, because they will be in heaven, either coming back with Him or awaiting with those not in Jesus’ army for the kingdom to be established. The disciples will not see Jesus’ parousia as a flash of lightning. The further context tells us that they wanted to see the Day of the Lord. First, however, Jesus was telling them that there was a period of time to consider. Therefore if someone tells the disciples that Jesus is over here or over there, as in his “revealing” do not go follow them. Jesus says he has to suffer, then he says, as in the days of Noah and Lot, Jesus’ revealing will be an unexpected event. The word for revealed in verse 30 is apokalupto, “uncovered”. Just like a lightning strike, Jesus’ apokalupto will be very visible. This is a different word than parousia. Jesus then says’ in that day’. What day? The day of the apocalypse. In the day of the apocalypse one will be received and one will be sent, verse 34 and 35. Verse 36 may not be in the text, but the same two words are used as to how people will be separated, some are received and some are sent away. Jesus tells them that whoever loses his life will save it. That clearly defines those who are martyred are saved.

The disciples then ask where, or what location will this happen that some will be received and some will be sent away? Whatever spot the body is in, the eagles will gather the people up. Now remember, first the martyrs are gathered by the eagles before Jesus comes, and we also know that the elect will be gathered by angels after Jesus comes. So this third group of people are going to be gathered by the eagles. Who are they?

Luke 17:37 Then they asked Him, Where, Lord? He said to them, Wherever the dead body is, there will the vultures or eagles be gathered together. AMP

Luke 17: 37G2532And G611responding G3004they say G1473to him, G4226Where, G2962O Lord? G3588And G1161 G2036he said G1473to them, G3699Where G3588the G4983body, G1563there G4863[3will be gathered G35881the G1052eagles]. http://studybible.info/KJV_Strongs/Luke%2017:37

    
Luke 17:37
37 

 kai\
And
2532
 kaí


 a)pokriqe/nte$
they  answered
611
 apokrithéntes


 le/gousin
and  said
3004
 légousin


 au)tw=|
unto  him,
846
 autœ¡


 Pou=
Where,
4226
 Poú


 ku/rie
Lord?
2962
 kúrie



 o(

3588
 ho


 de\
And
1161
 dé


 ei@pen
he  said
2036
 eípen


 au)toi=$
unto  them,
846
 autoís


  %Opou
Wheresoever
3699
 Hópou


 to\
the
3588
 tó


 sw=ma
body  is,
4983
 sœ¡ma



 e)kei=
thither
1563
 ekeí


 sunaxqh/sontai
will
4863
 sunachth¢¡sontai


 oi(
the
3588
 hoi


 a)etoi\
eagles
105
 aetoí

(Interlinear Transliterated Bible (TR Edition). Copyright © 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved. [For more detail see the full copyright page.])

NT:4983 soma (so'-mah); from NT:4982; the body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively: KJV - bodily, body, slave.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

This is not translated quite right. This word for body is different here than in Matthew, which is “dead body”. Again translators added the word dead to the text in Luke to make these two passages alike, but that is incorrect. This idea is this body is living and whole, not dead. If one is martyred they could be dismembered, but these bodies are whole. At the very least the spirit and soul are separated from the body at death, but these bodies are whole. Wherever the saved living bodies are, the eagles will gather them, these are people who will go to hades. Revelation 19:21 calls them the remnant. Their bodies are destroyed by Jesus’ sword that proceeds from Jesus’ mouth, and the birds feast on the bodies. The spirits and souls of those who accepted the mark of the beast are taken to hades by the eagles. Remember. humans are three part beings. We are spirit, soul, and body, the body is the tent or shell, we are our spirit and soul. The living bodies at the time of the Day of the Lord become disembodied. The body is left behind on earth, and the eagles take the spirit/soul to hades where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The TR uses the word 4863 “to bring together”, but the NA27 uses the word 1996 which has the prefix epi attached to sunago, with denotes “above gather”. This is the translator’s opinions. The living bodies are the ones still alive on the earth on the Day of the Lord. Again the word be is not in the text and the word gather is not past tense, it should be “gather” not “gathered”. The eagles are not gathering themselves, the eagles gather the living bodies. These living bodies are not the martyred, obviously, and not the elect who the angels gather. The question the disciples had is where will the sent away ones be sent from? Jesus’ answer is wherever there are living bodies the eagles will gather them. In other words, unlike the white throne judgment, there won’t be a centralized location for this event. It will take place anywhere there are living bodies.

In Matthew the order of events is that people will claim Jesus is here parousia up through the time people are being martyred. The eagles will be gathering the martyred before Jesus comes. Then, when Jesus comes, the heavens shake and everyone sees Jesus’ coming. After that, the elect are gathered by angels. These are those who are received, or as we mistakenly see translated, taken. In Luke the apocalypse comes when no one is expecting it and the disciples want to know where it will take place that some will be sent away. Is there a central location, a city, or place? Since Jesus already said they desire to see those days with their eyes but they won’t see it, the disciples were not looking at a time but looking for the location of the separation of the taken and left or received and sent away.  Jesus’ answer is wherever there are living bodies. So the eagles gather the martyrs before Jesus comes on the Day of the Lord. The angels gather the elect, then the ones who are not the elect and were left on earth are those who are gathered and sent away by the eagles.

Remember the martyrs are killed all throughout the tribulation, but mostly after the wrath of the Lamb, during the second three and one half years. Those who do not take the mark of the beast will be killed. Some who do not take the mark of the beast or worship the beast may still be alive, and the angels will gather the elect, those living and those who died of natural causes during the tribulation. The whole world sees Jesus and mourns. Then the eagles gather the living, those who received the mark of the beast. After the beast and false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire, the sent away do not live again until after the one thousand years. The received are received into the first resurrection, and live and reign as priests for one thousand years. The second death at the white throne judgment has no power over them. Those who stay dead for the one thousand years have to be judged by how well they treated others at the end of the one thousand years. Some will live and some will go to eternal punishment, which is called the second death.

One of the things we may over look regarding similar passages where Jesus was telling the disciples the order of events is that this was all conversational. Jesus may have told the disciples about the three questions they had first, then later someone was asking about some of the similar events and Jesus used some of the same ideas but truly they were speaking about a different group of people. In Matthew’s account Jesus doesn’t say where the sent away ones go. But in Luke’s account he does. In Luke’s account Jesus doesn’t speak about the elect or the martyred, he is only speaking about the living who are the sent away. If a group of people were walking and talking to Jesus it would seem reasonable that as the disciples were processing what Jesus said, they would come up with questions and find a time to ask him. The disciples asked three questions, the destruction of the temple, the parousia, and the passing away of Heaven and Earth, but in Luke they want to know where the sent away ones will be sent from. Conversations with Jesus are sometimes not complete in one sitting. I find it interesting that we are not told who exactly is asking the questions, was it Peter, Mark, John, or someone else? Today our questions might be a lot like theirs, except we would most likely ask about the eagles.

What exactly are eagles and why do we have Jesus, on two different occasions, speaking about them. Why are eagles gathering both dead and living bodies at different times, once just before Jesus’ return with the armies and once just before his millennial kingdom starts?

Many times in the Bible the eagle is used as an example of the enemies coming against Israel. It seems they come against Israel for judgment. On the other hand in Revelation 12, Israel is saved by an eagle. Therefore, eagles are not only used for bad judgment but good judgment as well. It is interesting that Jesus used them when speaking of the last days. From the time of the Exodus eagles were used as a symbol of Israel’s deliverance which is again noted in Revelation 12. A root of the word eagle in Hebrew means “separate”, which seems to be what the eagles do in Jesus’ accounts. It may be that our avoidance of mythology has caused us to disregard eagles and their symbolic and literal function.

Eagles are also used as symbolism for nations, compare Daniel 7 to 2 Ezra 11 & 12. Nations are given symbols of lions, eagles, bears, and leopards. Don’t read too much into this as our national symbols. In the Bible these are terms given by Yahweh to the prophets, not taken as symbolic figure heads for nations by mankind. However, Yahweh would be indicating that one particular nation acts like a lion or bear or eagle and the prophet would understand the nations’ actions in that manner. The symbols of clean and unclean that we learned from the Letter of Aristeas is always about the behavior of the unclean animal not the flesh itself.  In other words, just because the United States uses the eagle as a symbol does not mean it is automatically “the eagle” indicated in the Bible. Neither does it mean that the United States acts like an eagle. Nations come and go, evolve and dissolve, which is indicated by the idea of the feathers from 2 Ezra. But Jesus wasn’t speaking of nations, he was speaking of beings.

Ezekiel tells us of beings that have four faces, and these beings came to earth just before the Glory of God was removed from the temple. We noted quite some time ago that the Glory of the Lord came into the temple at the time of Solomon, and through to the time of the Glory of God leaving the temple, the Glory resided among booths of male prostitution, female prostitution, incense burned to other gods, worship of the cherubim, and worship of the stars and planets. The temple was in existence for about 400 years, but for over three hundred years many types of heathen practices took place inside. This is why Hezekiah and Josiah tried to clean up these things, and yet by the time of Ezekiel it was still going on and the Glory left. This is the section that tells us about the Ophanim as the transporters of the Glory and the other beings. Ezekiel 1:10 and 10:14 show that there are eagles which we also see in Revelation 4:7.

When we look at the gospel in the stars we see that the Eagle is a destroyer of the serpent. The eagle is the one who grabs the serpent with its talons and carries it off. That was the original constellation of Lepus. Lepus, a decan of Gemini, is shown as a rabbit, but older indications from the Dendera show it as a serpent being crushed in the talons of an eagle under the constellation of Orion.

Another interesting fact lies in the constellation of Scorpio. As we have previously studied, the sun goes through the actual constellation of Scorpio only six days per year (The six thousand year time frame of the devil). Scorpio lies below the ecliptic except for its claw. The rest of the month we mistakenly attribute to Scorpio, but it should actually be attributed to Ophiuchus. Ophiuchus is the dominant constellation who is standing on the scorpion, his heel being bruised while holding the serpent, keeping it away from the crown. Ophiuchus was depicted in the Dendera as a bird headed man, to show that he was the enemy of the serpent and scorpion. Luke 10:19 tells us this picture of the redeemed having authority to trample snakes and scorpions. Subsequently, the picture of Ophiuchus represents the believer taking authority over the enemies, as well as Jesus who is bruising the scorpion’s head, while the scorpion bruises Jesus’ heel. The serpent that Ophiuchus is holding is called Serpens. Within the constellation of Serpens are interstellar clouds of gas or dust called the Eagle Nebula. Interestingly the eagle cloud has a hold of the serpent which is also a picture of the Holy Spirit holding back the devil who wanted to steal Jesus’ kingship.

Also in the star gospel the decan Aquila is an eagle in the constellation of Capricorn. Its star names tell the story of a wounded eagle, pierced; and is a picture of what Jesus endured for us. The star gospel does not indicate eagles as unclean, therefore we know that that is a more modern connotation which came when the law was distorted. Again we see the original intent from prior to 300 BC in the Letter of Aristeas.

One more bird to take note of from the star gospel is Cygnus, We depict this bird as a swan but the star names simply note it as a bird. Its brightest star is called Deneb which means “the judge”. Deneb shows up in Capricorn and in Aquila meaning “the Lord or Judge comes”. Adige is another word associated with this star which indicates it is connected to the one coming to judge the earth in righteousness. It seems that the eagles Jesus told us about do the separating and judging.  

We have an interesting discrepancy that occurs in Revelation 8:13, where the TR uses the word angel, the NA27 uses the word eagle. This gives us another clue as to the idea that eagles in the context that Jesus was speaking, as well as what Ezekiel saw, are beings, part of the group of the sons of God. We know there are Angels, Cherubim, Seraphim, Ophanim, Beasts, Elders, and Living Creatures which consist of a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle. All of these beings have a role to play in Yahweh’s kingdom.  Let’s look at the definition of the word eagle and Revelation 8:13.

NT:105 aetos (ah-et-os'); from the same as NT:109; an eagle (from its wind-like flight): KJV - eagle.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:109 aer (ah-ayr'); from aemi (to breathe unconsciously, i.e. respire; by analogy, to blow); "air" (as naturally circumambient): KJV - air. Compare NT:5594.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Rev 8:13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! KJV

Rev 8:13 Then I [looked and I] saw a solitary eagle flying in midheaven, and as it flew I heard it crying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the rest of the trumpet blasts which the three angels are about to sound! AMP

Rev 8:13G2532And G1492I saw G2532and G191heardG1520 oneG105eagle G4072flying G1722in G3321mid-heaven, G3004saying G5456[2voice G31731with a great], G3759Woe, G3759woe G3759woe, G3588to the ones G2730dwelling G1909upon G3588the G1093earth, G1537because of G3588the G3062remaining G5456sounds G3588of the G4536trumpet G3588of the G5140three G32angels, G3588of the ones G3195being about G4537to trump. http://studybible.info/ABP_Strongs/Revelation%208

Truly an eagle goes out flying in the mid heaven crying “woe”, because of what is about to come on the earth. The angels are blowing the trumpets and tribulations on the earth are getting worse. What we see then, since Jesus said the eagles would be gathering the martyred and the living towards the end of the tribulation, and John is seeing an eagle crying out, that the class of eagles has a function in the end of days. As we saw there must be many eagles gathering around the martyrs. Then after the elect are gathered by angels, they will become priests during millennial kingdom. The living from the earth are gathered by eagles, and will be sent to hades where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth for one thousand years. 

Eagles have a place and a function concerning judgment. During the time of the trumpet judgments, an eagle flies through the heavens crying woe, because of the tribulations on the earth. Eagles come to earth during the tribulation wherever people are being martyred for Christ. They come back at the end of the tribulation, after Jesus comes with his armies for those who are going to spend one thousand years in hades. As part of the class of living creatures and the cherubim class, eagles must be important to Yahweh. We see from Matthew and Luke that they are important to Jesus and Jesus named them specifically as the ones who gather.


Jesus also gave us some specific details regarding his coming and as to when. The disciples were told they wouldn’t see it, therefore don’t be fooled by those who claim Jesus is on earth. Why won’t Jesus’ disciples see his coming? Because they won’t be on earth at the time, they will be in heaven and some will be coming back with him. Jesus reminds us that the kingdom of God is within us, therefore if we try to save our lives we will lose it. If we lose our lives we will have eternal life. At the time of the end of the tribulation some people will be received into the millennial reign as priests and have eternal life, and some will be sent away to hades and will then go through the white throne judgment after the one thousand year millennial reign. All of these things are not a mystery or a riddle. Jesus spoke plainly and expected us to teach others so that everyone would know the specific points of redemption and salvation at the end of the age.