For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. (Matthew 24:28, NKJV) This is one of the strangest prophecies in scripture. It is also one of the most interesting. It is found in the middle of Christ’s warnings about the fall of Jerusalem. Jesus is basically saying there will be a dead body (the fallen city) and birds of prey will gather around it. But why eagles? Because that’s what the Romans carried on their aquila or ensigns, and it was the Romans who destroyed the city and burned the temple. But note that Jesus says eagles and not eagle. There’s more than one and this is particularly interesting once you understand the context of the temple’s history. When Herod built his temple he stuck a golden eagle on its gate, perhaps as a nod to Roman benevolence. It was a gorgeous sculpture, but the Pharisees didn’t like it one bit. “What blasphemy! Doesn’t Herod know we forbid the making of images?” The religious Jews loved the new temple but they hated the eagle, so a couple of scholars pulled it down. Herod was furious and had the two men burned alive. After that he let the [...]![]()
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