What is your take on this scripture: Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather?

Question

From Matthew 24:28

This is the passage where Jesus is describing the signs of the end of the age.

Answer 1

In Mt 24:28 and Luke 17:37 the phrase occurs with slight variation in wording. Both contexts are about the return of Messiah, and how it will be for the deluded, who say to the true disciples, "Look, he is here or there", but we are told "do not believe it" (Mt 28:26), because those who speak to enthrone an earthly man as messiah are under "a strong delusion" (2Th 2:11), and they are of those who will be "left" (Lk 17:35), and they are of the world which will -in general- be gathered to Yrushalaym to fight Messiah when He comes, whom He will kill and the vultures will eat (Rev 19:17-21).



All the kings of the earth and their armies are gathered to the great slaughter (Is 30:25),

“For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory," (Is 66:18)



Zech 3:8 “Therefore wait for me,” declares YHWH,

“for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.

For my decision is to gather nations,

to assemble kingdoms,

to pour out upon them my indignation,

all my burning anger;

for in the fire of my jealousy

all the earth shall be consumed."



[ESV] Zechariah 12:3

"On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it."



[ESV] Zechariah 14:2

"For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle..."



YHWH has surely said he will gather all nations to this battle, and they will be destroyed and eaten by the birds. And having raised His Holy Ones, Messiah will meet all nations there and fight the battle.



So then,

Lk 17:36 "One will be taken and the other left.”

37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”



Either way, whether raised and united with Messiah, or deluded and left to fight Him at His return, they will all be united in battle, and the losers will be consumed by the vultures.



So we don't need to ask "where, Lord?": where else could it be? By a strong resurrection the saints will be gathered there,

by a strong delusion the world will be gathered there,

and by a loud voice the birds will be called to 'the great supper of Elohim' (Rev 19:17). All nations will surely find the place: Yrushalaym.

Answer 2

My take is kind of a variation to what Wynner01 said. Except that, I didn't see the vulture and the carcass as being symbolic, but rather an expression.



"Where the carcass is, there will the vultures be gathered" = when something is out there in public, everybody knows about it and you can see the gathering from far away.



In context, Jesus is contrasting false Christs, who appear in secret to the elite few, with the true Second Coming: everybody's going to see Him, *everyone*. No secrets, no rumors, it's going to be as obvious as a sheet of lightning... or a flock of birds you can see for miles.



Except I don't know about the whole dead-carcass metaphor. I could be wrong in this interpretation, it's just my impression when I read the text.

Answer 3

Thanks for the question. It's a really good discussion.



When Yeshua says in Matthew24:28:



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



It is said immediately after the warning to not follow any "other" Christ, nor to be deceived as Yeshua, the Son of Man will return in the way that He said. This then means that the sentence about the carcass is the same subject. He speaks earlier about those who are dead inwardly and this refers to that. The "eagles" is not necessarily "eagles" in the Greek but it is some kind of flying thing, probably bird. The word comes from the same word which means wind, or air. BUT



"gathered together" means those who are gathered together as though to be entertained.



So this would make sense.



In Revelation 19, the word for bird is a different word, but nevertheless seems to be consistant as in a prophetic way.



Hebrew and Aramaic/Arabic loves play on words and there are scholars who believe (Bivin is one) that the Gospel of Matthew was originally written in Hebrew and then later translated into Greek.





Bless you Charli - you're a good Berean, encouraging other Bereans!

Answer 4

Matthew 24:27 indicates that the return of Jesus to the earth will be sudden, like a stoke of lightning. The event that precedes His return is the gathering of the Gentile nations at Armageddon (Rev. 16:13-16; 19:11). The eagles (vultures) flying around the carcass picture the awful carnage that will result from this great battle (Rev. 19:17-19). The cosmic changes mentioned in Matthew 24:29 precede the return of Jesus Christ to the earth.



We are not told what "the sign of the Son of man in heaven" is, but the people on earth at that time will recognize it. When Jesus comes for the church. He will come in the air and His people will be caught up to meet Him in the air (I Thess. 4:17). But our Lord's second coming at the end of the Tribulation will be a great public event, with every eye seeing Him (Rev. 1:7).



Grace and peace. God bless.

Answer 5

My take on this is much the same as Garth G.

Not very nice at all, the carcass is a dead body & they appear to be the ones taken away in battle that the birds of the air feast on. Rev 19

Answer 6

The passage tells of false Christs and that they will appear in private rooms.



This is a contrast of the True Christ with the Antichrist.



Jesus in His first Advent appeared privately and regionally. In His second Advent He will appear publicly and Globally.



In contrast the Antichrist will appear in the desert and will represent death, a dead corpse. A dead church, a dead world and its spiritually dead leaders will flock to this false Christ as vultures to a dead corpse.



Christ represents life and appears in the twinkling of an eye when all will see Him.

Antichrist will appear in the desert and attract a dead following, in a dead world.



There are other levels of meaning, as this passage also is referring to the Nation of Israel, but this level will have to do for now as space does not permit a full treatment of the subject.



Search "Carcass, Vultures, Fruchtenbaum" for a very insightful commentary.

Answer 7

For FRENZY: I have 9 translations at hand, all but one use Eagle. The Weymouth NT uses Vulture. The greek word used is "aetos", which does mean eagle.

The Strongs Concordance contains this definition: Outline of Biblical Usage

1) an eagle: since eagles do not usually go in quest of carrion, this may to a vulture that resembles an eagle

2) an eagle as a standard (Roman Military)



Most likely what has happened, as often with words and phrases when translated, the usage of eagle didn't make sense from a literal view, so they figured that since vultures are what are drawn to carrion that is what they must be talking about, so they changed it, not realizing the prophetic use of it.

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Now; although many take Matthew 24, and make an end time prophecy with it, (which it is to a point, but here is not the main focus of what it is referring to) it is instead a prophecy of the Destruction of The Temple at Jerusalem. He is simply warning them, because of their rejection of G-d's Messiah, and their morally bankrupt state (carcases, dead), that Rome (the Eagle) will come in and utterly devastate them. They will literally have to flee for their lives.

Also, we must remember not to take it out of context. Leaving it with the previous verse is the main reason many miss that point, because it does speak of the Son of Man's 2nd Coming, but as with any prophecy, past-present and future can often be mixed together, The most interesting part of the preceding verse is that HE will be coming from the east, thereby attacking westward (armageddon). So did Rome when they attacked Jerusalem in 70 AD. And when the Roman LEgions attacked, they did it as swift as lightning with no mercy. When Messiah comes the 2nd time, it will be swift and with no mercy toward His enemies.

Answer 8

It refers to those who will take advantage of those who have been overcome by troubles.



EDIT:

Wesley's Notes



24:28 For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles he gathered together - Our Lord gives this, as a farther reason, why they should not hearken to any pretended deliverer. As if he had said, Expect not any deliverer of the Jewish nation; for it is devoted to destruction. It is already before God a dead carcass, which the Roman eagles will soon devour. Luke 17:37.



Apparently, the Romans had an eagle as their "mascot" so-to-speak. Eagles were on their shields. What I'd like to know is what the correct translation is. There is a world of difference between "vultures" and "eagles".

Answer 9

What is a "vulture"? Vultures are unclean birds which feast on carrion -- the corpses of dead animals, including men and women. The original Hebrew and Greek words refers to a "bird of prey," rapid in flight, such as the black vulture, falcon, or kite. The birds hasten to the prey.There are spiritual vultures also that fit this Charli,zapping away at some one.

Answer 10

Carcass means death and I believe that the vultures represent evil spirits, which I got from the parable of the seed and the sower. So what I get is where ever you see death, evil spirits will be attracted to be there. In proper context here, Jesus was warning us that there will be many false christs. And we can tell because the fruit of their followers will be in a dead religion. Jesus also tells us that His return will be so glorious that there will be absolutely no doubt that it will be Him.

Answer 11

It's just reference to being able to discern the signs of the end. When you see buzzards circling, it is a sign that something dead is nearby. When you see the signs of the end of this age, Christ, along with His Judgement, is at the door. God Bless!

Answer 12

When Jesus comes again to rule on this earth, the human bodies of the wicked and unbelieving will be eaten by the birds.

Answer 13

it means where theres bad going on. people will still be their trying to get their bit..........not the end times or end of age.

Bad meaning the carcass .

Vultures are the. people taking advantage.

talking about the men around his land.

Answer 14

My Take: Pretty much what the US is doing in Iraq. Picking on the bones of the people/country as the spoils of war. Think Haliburton and how they made zillions (for Cheney) masterminding the "post-war reconstruction."

Answer 15

It sounds like vultures eat dead things to me.....happens al the time.

Answer 16

This is why we must give our lives up to God!

It does not matter what man does to the body in death, as long as our "spirit" is with God.

Answer 17

Carcass ..here is........ dead in christ

Vulture... taken up or caught up in his coming

Dead is obeying the word of God.

Answer 18

Eagles or Vultures?

The Sign

“WHEREVER the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.” (Matthew 24:28) Instead of learning from this illustration, some find fault with it. They say that eagles are solitary hunters that feed on live prey, not carcasses. Thus, some Bibles use the word “vultures.” But the Greek word in question, a‧e‧tos′, is correctly translated “eagle.”

One species found in Israel is the tawny eagle. “Like many birds of prey,” observe John Sinclair and John Mendelsohn, “the tawny eagle is not averse to carrion and is quite often among the first arrivals at a fresh kill.” Another observer reported a gathering of 60 bateleurs and tawny eagles in Africa’s Kalahari. He added: “The Tawny Eagle is dominant when they meet at carrion. In a number of cases two birds, presumably a pair, have been seen to share a kill.”

Sea eagles are also common in lands of the Mediterranean. In past centuries, sea eagles and land eagles fed on the carcasses of horses slain in battle. “It is well known . . . that they follow armies for that purpose,” states McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia.

Being swift and farsighted, eagles are sometimes the first birds to arrive at a fresh carcass. Jesus was familiar with the description in which Jehovah God asked Job this humbling question: “Is it at your order that an eagle flies upward and that it builds its nest high up, . . . upon the tooth of a crag and an inaccessible place? From there it has to search for food; far into the distance its eyes keep looking. . . . Where the slain are, there it is.”—Job 39:27-30.

Thus, Jesus well illustrated that only those with a figurative eagle eye would benefit from the sign.



When the Son of Man Is Revealed

WHILE Jesus is still in the north (either in Samaria or in Galilee), Pharisees ask him about the arrival of the Kingdom. They believe that it will come with great pomp and ceremony, but Jesus says: “The kingdom of God is not coming with striking observableness, neither will people be saying, ‘See here!’ or, ‘There!’ For, look! the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Jesus’ words “in your midst” have at times been translated “within you.” So some have thought that Jesus meant that the Kingdom of God reigns in the hearts of God’s servants. But, obviously, the Kingdom of God is not within the hearts of these unbelieving Pharisees to whom Jesus is speaking. Yet, it is in their midst, since the designated King of God’s Kingdom, Jesus Christ, is right among them.

It is probably after the Pharisees leave that Jesus talks further with his disciples about the coming of the Kingdom. He has particularly in mind his future presence in Kingdom power when he warns: “People will say to you, ‘See there!’ or, ‘See here!’ Do not go out or chase after [these false Messiahs]. For even as the lightning, by its flashing, shines from one part under heaven to another part under heaven, so the Son of man will be.” Hence, Jesus is indicating that just as lightning is seen over a wide area, the evidence of his presence in Kingdom power will be clearly visible to all wishing to observe it.

Jesus then draws comparisons with ancient events to show what the attitudes of people will be during his future presence. He explains: “Moreover, just as it occurred in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of man . . . Likewise, just as it occurred in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building. But on the day that Lot came out of Sodom it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed them all. The same way it will be on that day when the Son of man is to be revealed.”

Jesus is not saying that people in Noah’s day and in Lot’s day were destroyed simply because they pursued the normal activities of eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building. Even Noah and Lot and their families did these things. But the others went about such daily activities without paying any attention to God’s will, and it was for this reason that they were destroyed. For the same reason, people will be destroyed when Christ is revealed during the great tribulation on this system of things.

Emphasizing the importance of responding quickly to the evidence of his future presence in Kingdom power, Jesus adds: “On that day let the person that is on the housetop but whose movable things are in the house not come down to pick these up, and the person out in the field, let him likewise not return to the things behind. Remember the wife of Lot.”

When the evidence of Christ’s presence appears, people cannot let attachment to their material possessions hinder them from taking prompt action. On her way out of Sodom, Lot’s wife apparently looked back longingly for the things left behind, and she became a pillar of salt.

Continuing his description of the situation that would exist during his future presence, Jesus tells his disciples: “In that night two men will be in one bed; the one will be taken along, but the other will be abandoned. There will be two women grinding at the same mill; the one will be taken along, but the other will be abandoned.”

Being taken along corresponds to Noah’s entering with his family into the ark and the angels’ taking Lot and his family out of Sodom. It means salvation. On the other hand, being abandoned means suffering destruction.

At this point, the disciples ask: “Where, Lord?”

“Where the body is, there also the eagles will be gathered together,” Jesus answers. Those “taken along” for salvation are like farsighted eagles in that they gather together to “the body.” The body has reference to the true Christ at his invisible presence in Kingdom power and to the spiritual feast that Jehovah provides. Luke 17:20-37; Genesis 19:26.

▪ How was the Kingdom in the midst of the Pharisees?

▪ In what way is Christ’s presence like lightning?

▪ Why will people be destroyed for their actions during Christ’s presence?

▪ What does it mean to be taken along, and to be abandoned?

Answer 19

In short, it refers to three possible things: Angels, a Mystery, OR actual human tissue.



Perhaps ALL of the above!



However, my opinion is that Matt 24:28 is mostly spiritual ... that those that are separated through unbelief from the life of God, are the carcasses. And the vultures are the demons that prey upon their unregenerate souls.



Check out these references.



Quote Excerpts comparing birds to angels ... particularly fallen angels:



1) """Though you were created a little lower than the angels, you need not abide lower, for I shall uplift you, even high above those detestable birds which dwell in the earth.""" ~ Jesus via ... http://trumpetcallofgodonline.com/index.php5?title=Resist_the_Devil%2C_Embrace_the_Lord%E2%80%99s_Commands..._I_Am_Your_Strength



2) """Every eye shall see Him...those asleep, those awake, those who are condemned, and those already in the Sanctuary. And oh yes, you foul and detestable birds flying in the midst of the earth, you shall see Him; and that very same hour, you shall all perish, along with all those who gave heed to your transgressions and followed after you. All you spirits fallen, and unseen by My children, your existence is gone from you...you have been blotted out.""" ~ God the Father from: http://trumpetcallofgodonline.com/index.php5?title=Armageddon



3) """All are black and dry bones and hollowed out eyes. The dead and dying are a feast for all vultures and birds of prey ["vultures and birds of prey" represent evil spirits who will prey on non-believers].""" ~ God the Father from: http://trumpetcallofgodonline.com/index.php5?title=Interpretation:_Behold_the_Harlot%2C_Who_Sits_Upon_the_Beast%2C_Clothed_in_Scarlet...Soon_Will_She_Wear_a_Garment_of_Many_Color







Some Excerpts of Non-specific references that remind me of Matt 24:28:



1) """And of that left...

Will not the birds of the air come and consume,

until nothing of the crop remains?""" ~ The Father and Jesus



2) """Hear Me now! oh wayward, most wicked generation, vipers, sanctuaries of all detestable birds. Call on your men in authority, bring out your riches, bow down and call upon all your idols, call upon your gods and possessions to save you...if they are able. Bring out your weapons of war, encompass My holy city, fulfill every evil desire of your black hearts, beat upon your chest and shake your fists toward Heaven... // Your kingdom is finished, judgment reigns!

And it shall fall hard upon your backs...you are broken and blotted out.""" ~ The Father and Jesus



3) """And of these, even a great remnant, who did flee at the face of the abomination who makes desolate, even all of these shall mount up on the wings of eagles and be hidden for time, times and the dividing of time, from the face of the devourer of flesh... he shall be devoured. And those who follow him are consumed, meat for the birds, dwelling place of the worm. No more breath shall they attain, nor shall their souls escape My glory, nor the power of My sword which proceeds from My mouth.""" ~ The Father and Jesus



4) """saying to all servants of satan, you shall be consumed! You shall all suffer a very grievous death in this land! You are forsaken and left desolate, a feast for the birds, hiding place of the worm...except you repent and give Me glory, calling on Me in the name above all names, the only name given by which you must be saved... CHRIST JESUS THE LORD!

KING OF KINGS, LORD OF LORDS...THE SAVIOR OF MEN.""" ~ God, the Father



5) """These shall be gathered, and nourished for one week in the house of the Lord.

Woe to the house of satan...your children shall be meat and drink for the birds of the air and beasts of the earth, in the great and terrible Day of the Lord God Almighty that comes quickly.""" ~ God, the Father from: http://trumpetcallofgodonline.com/index.php5?title=Woe_to_the_Captives_of_This_World...The_Prison_House_Is_Opened%2C_Yet_You_Remain_Therein_Holding_Onto_Your_Sin%2C_Abiding_In_Your_Transgression



6) """Oh peoples of My earth, hear your God. // You are lost, drowning in the sea, sinking in the sand, suffocating in the mire. Evil surrounds you, you are dead, all are rotting. The birds are circling; and the predators, stalking. Soon you shall be devoured, never to be seen of again. You have turned from your God and cast away the Cornerstone. Your house has fallen; its foundation crumbles. Soon all will be dust and rubble. Oh sadness, great anguish, My beloved ones are gone from Me. I gave My Son to die for them, so they may live. They choose death...wailing, much wailing, tears as a river...No!""" ~ God the Father from: http://trumpetcallofgodonline.com/index.php5?title=Come_Up_Hither







Some Excerpts where something similar appears to point to literal fulfillment of physical flesh being eaten by actual birds:



1) """Let your bodies consume away, your eyes in their sockets. Your flesh shall melt and slide from your bones...a feast for the birds. Thus is t