RE: marilyna816.htm

Dear Marilyn,
 
Later on Saturday I check my Greek Lexicon to see what it said about the word "eagles" in Matt. 24:28 & Luke 17:37 which is word #105 "aetos" in Strong's Concordance.  According to my Greek Lexicon, the "eagles" in these two Bible Passages listed under "aetos" are "vultures."  However, I don't see this as a problem in fitting in with Luke 17:37 which says,  "wheresoever the body, thither will the eagles be gathered together." Matt. 24:30 & Mark 13:26 shows the Son of Man being seen by all the tribes on earth coming in the clouds of heaven which as you pointed out as the visible part of heaven which would also correspond with Rev.19:11-13 with Jesus appearance in heaven on a white horse, and in verse 14  the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean while Matt. 24:31 says, "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." And Mark 13:27 says, "And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, form the uttermost part of the earth to the utmost part of heaven."  'Then if you go back to the scenario in Rev. 19:14 after all the armies which were in heaven that follow Jesus on a white horse, we see in verse 17 an angel standing in the sun; and "he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the Great God; that ye may eat the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great."  So Jesus and his armies of saints are at that point in the visible part of heaven, and vultures and birds also fly around in the visible part of heaven.  The angel is telling all these fowls  in the midst of heaven to gather themselves together for this supper of the Great God. So it looks like the fowls in the midst of heaven will gather themselves together in the visible part of heaven near where Jesus and his armies are also visible in heaven.  At this point in time, the beast, the kings and armies are not dead that are gathered together to make war against Jesus on his white horse and his army which are shown in Rev. 19:19.   Rev. 19:20 shows us the beast and false prophet being cast alive into the a lake of fire burning with brimstone. Then finally we see in Rev. 19:21, "And the remnant were slain with the sword of him (Jesus) that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh."
 
I guess my biggest problem was in picturing the body of Christ as being "the carcase" in Matt. 24:28 since the Pre-Tribulation Saints would all be alive in heaven; and although I know that the martyred tribulation saints will be under the altar in heaven according to Rev. 6:9-10.,  I normally think of a dead carcase or corpse as the physical part of the body that is in the grave or is on the ground with vultures hovering over it.  So I really wasn't thinking about the collective body of the dead in Christ as being "the carcase" described in Matt. 24:28 since the rest of the body of Christ (Pre-Tribulation saints) in heaven are alive along with the fact that you see the souls of martyred saints under the altar who cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" They sound very much alive although they don't have their immortal bodies yet in this verse, and their dead bodies are not yet resurrected at this point in time.  However, since the kings and army (body of men) assembled together against Jesus and his army have not yet been killed by the sword proceeding from Jesus' mouth at the time the angel tells the fowls in the midst of heaven to gather themselves together, then the kings and army as a body of men on earth assembled to war against Christ and his army must not be "the carcase" or dead body referred to in Matt. 24:28 & in Luke 17:37.
 
However, when Jesus told his disciples in Matt. 24 & in Luke 17 that the elect would be taken, and they asked him, Where?, at that point in time there was no "body of Christ" that was the church until after the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost when about 120 believers gathered in the upper room. When Jesus spoke the words recorded in Matt. 24 & Luke 17, Jesus hadn't yet died and been resurrected from the dead nor had he told them to take the gospel to all the nations of the world baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit as shown in Matt. 28:19-20, Mark 16:14-18, & Luke 24:45-48.  The gentiles were not referred to the elect of the Lord in the Old Testament either so I doubt very much if they were thinking at that point in time that the elect included the gentiles until after Jesus resurrection when he directs them to take the gospel to all the nations of the world.  Jesus appears to them after his resurrection and at that point in time according to Luke 24:45, it says, "Then he (Jesus) opened their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And year are witnesses of these things."  However, it isn't until over in Acts 13:46-47 that we see the apostle Paul turning to the gentiles to preach the gospel to them specifically.  Then in Romans 8:33, Colossians 3:12, & Titus 1:1, we see the elect mentioned as being Christians, and we are told in Galatians 3:26-29, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ, For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."  But Jesus' disciples didn't know that the elect in Matt. 24:31 & Mark 13:27 that would be gathered by the angels at Christ's second coming to earth would include gentile believes until after Jesus' opened their understanding after his resurrection.  And until their understanding of the scriptures were opened by him, his disciples would have thought that it was the dead Old Testament Saints as "the carcase" which when resurrected made up "the body" along with the living elect of Israel.  And wheresoever "the body" was, the eagles (vultures) would be gathered together.  When Jesus opened up their understanding to the scriptures after his resurrection, their understanding of "the carcase" and "the body" would have dramatically changed to include "the dead in Christ" and "the living tribulation saints."
 
God bless,
Donna