Matthew 24:27 (1st century historical fulfillment?)
Matthew 24:26 - In the wilderness (1st century historical fulfillment?):
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Matthew 24:27
Matthew 24:28 - Wherever the corpse may be (1st century historical fulfillment?):
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Matthew 24:27: "For just-as the lightning comes-out from (the) easts and is-appearing as-far-as (the) wests, so will-be the coming (of) the Son (of) Man."
1st century timing?
Jesus said: "just-as the lightning comes-out from (the) easts and is-appearing as-far-as (the) wests, so will-be the coming (of) the Son (of) Man" (Matthew 24:27).
6 verses later, Jesus then addressed the 1st century disciples to whom He was saying those things and said "So also you — when you-see all these (things), you know that it-is near, at (the) doors. Truly I-say (to) you that this generation by-no-means will-pass-away until all these (things) take-place" (Matthew 24:33-34).
The term "lightning"
Jesus said: "just-as the LIGHTNING [astrapé 796 in Greek, noun] comes-out from (the) easts and is-appearing as-far-as (the) wests, so will-be the coming (of) the Son (of) Man" (Matthew 24:27).
The Greek word for "LIGHTNING" [astrapé 796 in Greek, noun] used in Matthew 24:27 can reasonably be translated or understood as "LIGHTNING" there.
For example, the same Greek word was used in the following passages:
LIGHTNING can be compared to an arrow that goes out: "the LORD will be over them, and (His) arrow will go out as LIGHTNING [astrapé 796 in Greek, noun]" (Zechariah 9:14 (LXX)).
LIGHTNING can be described as scattering people: "O LORD, bow Your heavens" (Psalms 144:5 (LXX)), "Flash LIGHTNING [astrapé 796 in Greek, noun], and You will scatter them" (Psalms 144:6 (LXX)).
LIGHTNING can be seen to shake the earth: "His LIGHTNINGS [astrapé 796 in Greek, noun] appeared to the inhabited earth; the earth saw, and was shaken" (Psalms 97:4 (LXX)).
LIGHTNING can be there in the context of thunder: "(The) sound of Your thunder (was) in the whirlwind, and Your LIGHTNINGS [astrapé 796 in Greek, noun] shined to the inhabited earth; the earth became shaken and trembling" (Psalms 77:18 (LXX)).
LIGHTNING can be there in the context of rain: "Bringing up clouds from (the) extremity of the earth, He made LIGHTNINGS [astrapé 796 in Greek, noun] for (the) rain" (Psalms 135:7 (LXX)).
A local event?
A "lightning" (Matthew 24:27) is usually seen by people within a certain region when it "comes-out from (the) easts and is-appearing as-far-as (the) wests" (Matthew 24:27).
1st century events
It is written in Matthew 24:27: "just-as the lightning comes-out from (the) easts and is-appearing as-far-as (the) wests, so will-be the coming (of) the Son (of) Man". 3 verses later, it is written that "they-will-see the Son (of) man coming on the clouds (of) heaven with power and great glory. And He-will-send-out His angels".
A coming in the clouds of heaven in the Bible can be described as being accompanied by lightning. For example:
2 Samuel 22:10-15: "And He parted (the) heavens, and came down, and darkness (was) under His feet. And He sat upon (the) cherubs and spread out, and was seen upon (the) wings of (the) wind. And He made darkness His hiding-place; His tabernacle round about Him (was) the darkness of waters; He thickened (it) with the clouds of (the) air. At the brightness before Him coals of fire were kindled. The LORD thundered out of heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice. And He sent out arrows, and scattered them, lightning bolts, and deranged them."
The Roman historian Tacitus (who was born in the 1st century) wrote about an event that happened around AD 66, in which an army of glittering appearance was seen in the clouds around the start of the Jewish War that led to the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. The historian added a detail after making this description: a sudden lighting flash from the clouds lit up the Temple.
The Roman historian Tacitus wrote in "The Histories":
(5.13): "in the sky appeared a vision of armies in conflict, of glittering armour. A sudden lightning flash from the clouds lit up the Temple."
For more details on this event:
Matthew 24:30 - Coming on the clouds with angels (1st century historical fulfillment?):
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The lightning comes out "from the easts"
Jesus said that "the lightning comes-out from (the) easts" (Matthew 24:27) specifically. The Roman historian Tacitus recorded that a sudden lighting flash from the clouds lit up specifically "the Temple" of Jerusalem in the 1st century which would have been specifically located in "(the) easts" (Matthew 24:27) of Jerusalem.
Map of Jerusalem around the 1st century (with the temple specifically located in the east, click on the map to expand):
Furthermore, Jesus that this lightning "is-appearing as-far-as (the) wests" (Matthew 24:27). If Jesus meant that this lightning is appearing as far as the wests to those who see the lightning, then surely a lightning that lit up the temple of Jerusalem in the east in the 1st century would have been visible as far as the west of Jerusalem as well.
The term "coming" [parousia in Greek] can describe an extended stay
Jesus said: "just-as the lightning comes-out from (the) easts and is-appearing as-far-as (the) wests, so will-be the COMING [parousia 3952 in Greek, noun] (of) the Son (of) Man" (Matthew 24:27).
The Greek word for "COMING" [parousia 3952 in Greek, noun] used in Matthew 24:27 may also be translated as "presence" or "stay". It can denote an extended period of time in which someone is for example coming to a city, being present and staying there for some time, and then departing from where they came.
For example, Paul used the same Greek word to describe when he was present with "the saints in Christ Jesus being in Philippi" (Philippians 1:1) in contrast to when he was now being absent, writing: "So-then my beloved, just-as you always obeyed — not as in my PRESENCE [parousia 3952 in Greek, noun] only, but now much more in my ABSENCE [apousia 666 in Greek, noun]" (Philippians 2:12).
If the coming from heaven happened around AD 66, could the Son of Man Jesus have stayed for some more time before departing? There may be evidence for that, as for example the Roman historian Tacitus recorded around AD 66 that a lightning flash from the clouds lit up specifically "the Temple" of Jerusalem. This may have been an indication that Jesus was coming to destroy that temple. A few years later, around AD 70, that temple was destroyed. From that, it could be supposed that Jesus may have stayed for a few years, at least from around AD 66 when the lightning flash lit up the temple of Jerusalem until around AD 70 when the temple was destroyed.
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