Question:
Answer:
Matthew 24: 23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. (NIV: Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather).
The theme of Matthew 24 and 25 is Jesus speaking about the signs of His Second Coming. We therefore have to look at the meaning of verse 28 in this context. Let us look at the verses directly preceding verse 28.
Jesus warns about deception on four occasions during chapter 24. Here he has just stated that He would not appear to only a few isolated people, but that His coming would be a visible, world-wide event. And then He gives the words of verse 28 which seem so out of place. But to those who live in areas where vultures are still very visible, it is clear that when there is a gathering of vultures, there will be a carcass. The signs (the gathering of vultures) point to only one thing (a carcass). In the same way, the signs given here by Jesus, if taken all together, will point to only one thing, which is His return to this earth.
So these seemingly strange words of Jesus, right in the middle of His discourse about the signs of His return to earth, are there to remind us that the signs will point out His true return, which will be unmistakable. There will obviously be a fake return, an attempt to deceive Christ’s followers, but His warning is clear: remember the vultures, when they gather it points to one thing only, a carcass. Don’t be deceived, look at the signs of His coming and be ready! And if we study the signs, it is quite clear that the Second Coming of Christ cannot be far off, and that we should be surrendering our lives to Him, and getting ready for His return. God bless as you study this great chapter of the Bible!
