Does Luke 17:35-37 Teach a Pre-Trib Rapture?

Let us analyze some different translations of Luke 17:37.

NIV: “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

ESV: “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

KJV: “Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.”

ASV: “Where the body is, thither will the eagles also be gathered together.”

DR: “Wheresoever the body shall be, thither will the eagles also be gathered together.”

LSV: “Where the body, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

NET: “Where the dead body is, there the vultures will gather.”

YLT: “Where the body is, there will the eagles be gathered together.”

Do you notice two key terms that alternate between the different translations? The first is the term “corpse” or “body,” and the second is the term “vultures” or “eagles.” Both offer wildly differing interpretations. In one, we are given the imagery of vultures circling a dead body to consume it. In another, we are presented with eagles gathering around a living body.

It is worth noting that the more traditional and literal translations all favor the reading of “body” and “eagles,” as opposed to “corpse” and “vultures.” The Douay Rheims, King James, Literal Standard, and Young's Literal all render the first term as “body” and the second term as “eagles.”

Why the differing translations? And which one is correct? Well, upon closer examination, we see that this is not an issue of linguistics. In other words, the Greek terms being used could easily go either way. Rather, this boils down to an issue of context and interpretation. Particularly, it centers around whether one professes belief in the pre tribulation Rapture theory (invented, and popularized, roughly over 200 years ago).

Let us examine the Greek first, to rule that out. The word used for “body” is sōma, which is literally translated plainly as “body.” It can refer to a living body or a dead body. The corresponding adjective does not affect the focal point of “body.” It simply means “body.” We see the same Greek term used in Luke 22:19 at the Last Supper when Our Lord says, “This is My Body (Greek: Sōma).” St. Paul even uses the same term whenever he references the Body of Christ, speaking about the Church. So whether one interprets sōma as a living body, a deceased body, or a spiritual body, will hinge on one's understanding of the context surrounding the usage, as well as their doctrinal filter within that context. For example, if someone believes in a pre trib Rapture, that will affect their understanding of the term.

The second term used for “eagles” or “vultures” is the Greek term aetoi. Its primary usage in Greek is for an eagle, however its wider definition applies in general to any designated bird of prey, hence possibly a vulture. Strong's Concordance defines it principally as an eagle, and secondly as a bird of prey. Hence, the best application of the word is primarily “eagle,” although technically, one could also use the term “vulture,” which is also a bird of prey. So again, the issue comes back to context and interpretation.

Why do pre trib Rapture proponents prefer “carcass” and “eagle.” The reason is due to their personal interpretation of the immediate context. Let us examine Luke 17:35, two verses earlier. I will quote four primary translations.

NIV: “Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”

AMP: “There will be two women grinding [at the mill] together; the one (the non-believer) will be taken [away in judgment] and the other (the believer) will be left.”

KJV: “Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”

DR: “Two women shall be grinding together: the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.”

Pay close attention to the translation offered by the Amplified Bible, which is interesting because it favors the traditional view and argues squarely against the pre trib Rapture view. As a matter of fact, the pre trib Rapture interpretation is held by a very small percentage of people. It is rejected of course by the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as Lutherans, Calvinists, Presbyterians, Methodists, etc. The ones who tend to promote it are Baptists and Pentacostalists, and varying non denominational sects. One study done at Oxford showed that, worldwide, roughly 1-2% of professed Christians believed in the Rapture. In the United States, the number was between 4-6%. So the numbers are small, even though they tend to be a loud and noisy group. They also make lots of movies promoting their ideas.

In pre trib Rapture thought, the ones who are taken in verse 35 are raptured to Heaven, to avoid the tribulation of the antichrist. The ones who are left behind are the ones who will face the persecution of the tribulation. But notice how even the Amplified Bible translation disagrees with this and flips it around as a 180. There is a reason for this, and it is found in verse 26 of the same chapter in Luke 17.

Luke 17:26 says: “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.”

So then, let us ask ourselves, how was it in the days of Noah? We find out in Genesis 7:23 that the flood waters came, and they utterly destroyed and blotted out and wiped away all mankind on the face of the earth, except for Noah and his family who were the only ones “left” by God.

The Hebrew for “they were destroyed” is “way yim mā ḥū,” which literally means to be destroyed, blotted out, wiped away, and also… taken. Very interesting. So the ones “taken” in the days of Noah were taken to their destruction and perdition. The ones who were “left” in the days of Noah were protected and saved by God.

So pre trib Rapturists have it exactly backward, and even the Protestant Amplified Bible realizes this. The Rapturists say those who are “taken” are taken to God, and the ones who are “left” are left for destruction. But that is not how it was “in the days of Noah.” They completely inverted the meaning of the passage. Know anyone else who likes to invert Scripture? I can think of one, and he is also called the father of lies by Jesus.

Why does this matter to Luke 17:37? Because a pre trib Rapturist will want to say that vultures gather around a corpse because they believe that those who are “left” will be facing tribulation. But we have now seen that their interpretation is flawed and they are ignoring the wider context of the passage. If the context teaches that those who are “taken” are being taken to perdition (Hell) and those who are “left” are actually those for whom God gives the New Heavens and the New Earth after the Second Coming, then the translation which makes better sense is the one which says eagles gather around a living body. In that understanding, the eagles represent victorious birds who swirl around their victorious Leader, and that is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ.