Simon wrote:
I have always found Matt 24: 28 [Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather] very puzzling. It seems as if it’s misplaced yet I know that it’s only because at this stage I do not understand this verse;
Hi Simon. You have run into the simple reality that Matthew did not write Jesus' sayings chronologically, but rather he grouped Jesus' teachings together by topic, regardless of when He spoke the various different things that He taught. Therefore, unless you are aware of this, reading Matthew by itself without the other gospels can be confusing. One of Luke's contributions is that He did tell Jesus' story and teachings in chronological order.
Luke 1:
3. It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
4. That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
When you read that same passage where Jesus speaks of vultures gathering and feeding on dead carcases, from Luke's gospel, you get those words in the actual context in which Jesus was speaking about it. It then makes more sense. However, it goes against what many have been taught about our rapture.
I believe that Satan copies God in so many ways. Satan therefore has a plan to copy God with a rapture all his own. But instead of a rapture of believers to go be with God and have everlasting life and love, peace and joy, etc., Satan's rapture is to the battle of Armageddon where there will be flesh-eating birds gathered to feed on the flesh of them who fall in that battle. In order to see how this all fits together, you have to have all the pieces of the puzzle. God has chosen to instruct the wise by placing line upon line and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little.
Isaiah 28:
9. Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
10. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
Unfortunately, many have neglected this necessity to their own hurt and wrong conclusions. For example, for many years it has been taught that Jesus' teaching about the one taken and the other left situation is referring to the rapture of the church. Yet the subject of the church is nowhere in this discussion. Rather, it is a description of this unbelieving world and what will happen when Jesus comes back after the tribulation. When the disciples ask Jesus where the ones who are taken, are taken to... His answer is that they are taken to where there are to be dead bodies, fallen in battle, where the birds will be gathered to feed on them. This is in Luke:
Luke 17:
26. And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29. But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
31. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.
32. Remember Lot's wife.
33. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
34. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
37. And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
Notice verse 30 above. This is describing how it will be when Jesus is revealed to this unbelieving world, NOT when He comes to rapture His church. He is not revealed to this world when He raptures us. So, when this happens, that Jesus is describing, we will already be with Him and yet Jesus still describes how one is taken and another is left. For so long this has been used to describe our rapture, yet it is not ours, it is Satan's rapture as described in Revelation. (Our rapture was not yet revealed when Jesus taught this, and would not be until later, by Paul.) Yes, Satan is going to have a rapture too. In the book of Revelation, we are given more of the details that join together with the things that Jesus was teaching about. It is described as follows:
Revelation 16:
12. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Revelation 19:
11. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
17. And I saw 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;
18. That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and 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.
19. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.OK, when you put this all together and allow it to simply say what it says, a very clear picture emerges of what is being described. We are already long gone and with Jesus in heaven by the time that all these events are happening on this earth. (Thank God for that.) That's why when Jesus appears to this world at this battle, the armies of heaven are with Him. Now there is this strange gathering together to the battle by three unclean spirits like frogs. These go out to the whole earth and begin gathering people from the entire globe in one instant or at least it seems in one self-same day, and these people are seemingly chosen at random from among the people on earth everywhere. Notice the different activities that the people in the three examples given by Jesus are involved in. Sleeping, preparing a meal, and working in the field. This suggests that this is describing a global gathering from all the different time zones. Some are still asleep, others may be having breakfast while others are already at work. One is taken and the other is left. Taken where? To the battle of Armageddon, that's where! And that strange verse about blessed is the one who keeps his garment. Oh, if I had a nickel for every time I've heard that quoted as if it were Jesus speaking. It has even been colored red in red letter editions as though it is Jesus speaking. It is not Jesus speaking, it is these unclean spirits who are gathering people to Armageddon, pointing out that when they start rapturing these folks, there will not be any warning or chance to put on clothes if they happen to be naked. Therefore, those who are naked will be ashamed when they are suddenly transported out to this battlefield by a miracle of Satan and these unclean spirits like frogs and they see that they are naked and everyone will see them and they will be ashamed. This will obviously cause everyone who did happen to be wearing clothes at the moment of this rapture, to become glad, or "blessed" that they were not also naked when this occurred. Simple, isn't it? There is no need to spiritualize what was meant to be taken exactly as it is written.
Hope this helps,
Barry Amundsen