One Of The Best Ways To Interpret The Words Of Jesus

One of the best ways to interpret the words of Jesus when he spoke to first-century, old covenant Israel is to see how his words are directly connected to the old covenant law which Israel was under.

For example, Jesus said in Luke 17:37,

"Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

This is a quote from Deuteronomy 28:26 which reads,

"Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the air and beasts of the earth, with no one to scare them away."

Deuteronomy 28:26 is about God's judgment on old covenant Israel when he brought armies of the nations against the people for their violations to the law.

The armies would leave the dead bodies of the Israelites for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.

Jeremiah quoted directly from Deuteronomy 28:26 when he spoke about the dead bodies of those from Jerusalem and the towns of Judah left behind by the Babylonian armies.

Jeremiah 7:30-34

Then the carcasses of this people will become food for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.

Jeremiah 16:4

They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried, but will lie like dung on the ground. They will be finished off by sword and famine, and their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and beasts of the earth.

Jeremiah 19:7

And in this place I will ruin the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, by the hands of those who seek their lives, and I will give their carcasses as food to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.

This is consistent with Revelation 19:21 when the bodies of unbelieving Israel were left dead by the Roman armies, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

In Revelation 19:21, John wrote:

"The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.”

Revelation 19:21 is the fulfilment of Luke 17:37 when Jesus said,

"Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

The dead body symbolized the dead bodies of those in Israel who rejected Jesus as the Christ and persecuted and killed those in Israel who did believe.

From AD 66 to AD 70, the Roman armies were brought against first-century, Christ-rejecting Israel to execute the final old covenant judgment on Israel, leaving many dead bodies for the birds of the air.