Jesus Prophesied About The Eagle Of The Roman Empire

Jesus Prophesied About The Eagle Of The Roman Empire In The AD70 Destruction of Jerusalem

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Dive into the biblical and historical references that show that Jesus prophesied about the eagle of the Roman Empire in the AD70 destruction of Jerusalem.

AQUILA

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Aquila

The Lion Had Eagle's Wings

The Fig Tree Parable

Bible texts about the Roman Army Eagle

Mat 24:15

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’[fn] spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),

Mat 24:16

“then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Mat 24:17

“Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.

Mat 24:18

“And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.

Mat 24:19

“But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

Mat 24:20

“And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.

Mat 24:21

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Mat 24:22

“And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

Mat 24:23

Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.

Mat 24:24

“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Mat 24:25

“See, I have told you beforehand.

Mat 24:26

“Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.

Mat 24:27

“For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Mat 24:28

“For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

Luk 17:20

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation;

Luk 17:21

“nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’[fn] For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Luk 17:22

Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

Luk 17:23

“And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’[fn] Do not go after them or follow them.

Luk 17:24

“For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.

Luk 17:25

“But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Luk 17:26

“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:

Luk 17:27

“They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Luk 17:28

“Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;

Luk 17:29

“but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

Luk 17:30

“Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

Luk 17:31

“In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.

Luk 17:32

“Remember Lot’s wife.

Luk 17:33

“Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

Luk 17:34

“I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left.

Luk 17:35

“Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left.

Luk 17:36

“Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.”[fn]

Luk 17:37

And they answered and said to Him, “Where, Lord?” So He said to them, “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

The Roman Eagle

The Roman eagle from AD 70 was known as the Aquila. Far from a simple crest, it was the sacred, golden, or silver standard of a Roman legion. Representing the  demon god Jupiter and Rome’s military might, it was fiercely guarded in battle by a prestigious, elite standard-bearer known as the Aquilifer. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

The Aquilifer Bore The Roman Eagle or Aquila 

The Aquilifer was a prestigious Roman soldier who held a rank just below a centurion. He was paid double the standard legionary wage. The Aquilifers were easily identified in the ranks as they wore animal pelts (such as lion or bear skin) over their armor

History and Cultural Significance of the Roman Eagle or Aquila

•  Symbolism: The eagle represented the demon god Jupiter, who was considered the father of the Roman state. It was typically depicted with its wings raised, grasping Jupiter's lightning bolts in its talons.
• The Ultimate Badge of Honor: The loss of an eagle standard to an enemy was considered an unbearable, catastrophic disgrace. Roman legionnaires would willingly die to protect or recapture their Aquila.

The Romans Fought To Recover Lost  Eagles

To the Romans, the Aquila was effectively the "soul" of the legion. If one was captured, entire legions were sometimes disbanded in disgrace. When Rome suffered devastating defeats—such as the loss of three legions at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest—the empire fought bitterly for years to recover them. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Surviving Relics: No actual legionary Aquila standards have ever been discovered intact by archaeologists. Historians and archaeologists rely on sculptural carvings (like those on the Arch of Constantine or Trajan's Column) to reconstruct what they looked like. [1, 2, 3, 4]

To explore more about how the eagle standard functioned in the military, you can read the UNRV Military Guide or dive into the Vindolanda Roman Army Museum records. [1]

The Golden Eagle Episode of 4 BCE shows that Jesus'  "eagle" is that of the Roman Empire

The famous "Golden Eagle" episode was detailed by Josephus in The Wars of the Jews (Book 1, Chapter 33) and in Antiquities of the Jews (Book 17, Chapter 6). [1, 2, 3]

The incident took place in 4 BCE at the end of Herod the Great's reign: [1, 2]

• The Uprising: Two prominent Torah scholars instigated young Jewish men to pull down the large golden eagle Herod had mounted over the Great Gate of the Temple. They viewed the eagle as a violation of Jewish law and idolatrous.
• The Response: While a crowd watched, the young men used axes and hatchets to chop down the eagle. Herod’s captain and soldiers arrived and arrested about forty of the men, taking them to the dying king.
• The Outcome: The men defiantly admitted to the destruction of the eagle, stating they did it out of devotion to their ancestral laws. Herod had the ringleaders burned alive. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Note: Josephus explicitly states the eagle was a golden dedication erected by Herod the Great. It was not a captured military standard taken from a Roman legion during the later Great Revolt of 66 CE. 

However, Herod the Great was a Roman appointed King, and he ruled under the auspicies of the Roman Empire.

Roman Forces Lost the Golden Eagle to the Jews in AD66 

The Roman aquila (the golden eagle standard of a legion) famously fell to Jewish forces in late 66 CE during the First Jewish–Roman War. [1, 2]

Historical Context & Details:

• The Event: During their retreat from Jerusalem, a Roman punitive force of the Legio XII Fulminata (under the Syrian Legate Cestius Gallus) was ambushed and routed by Jewish rebels in the rugged mountain pass at Beth-horon.
• The Capture: In this massive, humiliating defeat, the Romans lost approximately 6,000 soldiers and the legion’s revered aquila standard was captured by the Judean forces.
• Significance: Losing a legionary eagle was considered an unparalleled catastrophe and a deep dishonor in the Roman military. This major victory emboldened the rebellion, prolonged the war, and directly prompted Emperor Nero to send General Vespasian to crush the uprising. [1, 2, 3, 4]
You can read more about the tactical details and the ensuing war on the Wikipedia Battle of Beth Horon page.

How Jesus' Prophecy About The Eagles Gathered Around The Carcase of Jerusalem was fulfilled

Jesus' prophecy,  “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together,” was fulfilled in AD 70.  

This year was a defining moment for the Roman Empire. During the Siege of Jerusalem in AD 70, the Roman legions (such as Legio X Fretensis) successfully breached the city and destroyed the Second Temple. They planted their eagle standards in the temple grounds to signify total victory.

In Book 6, Chapter 6, Section 1 (or 6.316 in the standard numbering) of The Jewish War, Flavius Josephus details the Roman legions bringing their military standards, including the aquila (eagles), into the Temple grounds. [1, 2]

He writes:

"the Romans... brought their standards to the temple, and set them over against its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifices to them..."
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