Matthew 24:37
For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
The Master compared the coming apocalyptic events surrounding His return to the times of Noah (Matthew 24:37). Much teaching has been drawn from the comparison, but one in particular may need to be reviewed, the one surrounding the idea of, ‘left behind’. Here is our Master’s saying, Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left (Matthew 24:41-41).
This passage is usually viewed as the people ‘taken’ being those going to be with the Master (1 Thessalonians 4:17), while the ones remaining on earth endure the final wrath of God. The disciples felt that Yeshua’s statement was important so they asked for clarification. They said to him, "Where, Lord?" To which Yeshua answered, "Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather (Luke 17:37)." (The Hebrew word used in the text is ‘nesher’, which is either ‘eagle’ or ‘vulture’).
The ‘vultures’ referred to by the Master give us an invaluable clue as to the meaning of the verse. The ‘Days of Noah’ represent a microcosm foreshadowing future events. As flood waters rose on the earth many corpses floated to the surface becoming food for scavenger birds such as vultures. Both Ezekiel and John had visions of endtime events where scavengers came to ‘clean up’ the mess left by an apocalyptic war. Here is Ezekiel’s, "As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field, 'Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood (Ezekiel 39:17), and now John’s, Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, "Come, gather for the great supper of God (Revelations 19:17).
Fitting Yeshua’s statement with His explanation, we can easily conclude that the ones remaining are the ones who will enjoy the Yeshua’s Kingdom on earth, while the others will be ‘taken’ to a less pleasant future by the birds of prey.
The Kingdom of God is not somewhere in space. It is on the earth. We may only have a little bit of it right now, like a ‘guaranty’ (Ephesians 1:14) that we find in obeying His commandments, but one day it will cover the earth as waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9).
On that day, do you really want to be ‘left behind?’
For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
The Master compared the coming apocalyptic events surrounding His return to the times of Noah (Matthew 24:37). Much teaching has been drawn from the comparison, but one in particular may need to be reviewed, the one surrounding the idea of, ‘left behind’. Here is our Master’s saying, Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left (Matthew 24:41-41).
This passage is usually viewed as the people ‘taken’ being those going to be with the Master (1 Thessalonians 4:17), while the ones remaining on earth endure the final wrath of God. The disciples felt that Yeshua’s statement was important so they asked for clarification. They said to him, "Where, Lord?" To which Yeshua answered, "Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather (Luke 17:37)." (The Hebrew word used in the text is ‘nesher’, which is either ‘eagle’ or ‘vulture’).
The ‘vultures’ referred to by the Master give us an invaluable clue as to the meaning of the verse. The ‘Days of Noah’ represent a microcosm foreshadowing future events. As flood waters rose on the earth many corpses floated to the surface becoming food for scavenger birds such as vultures. Both Ezekiel and John had visions of endtime events where scavengers came to ‘clean up’ the mess left by an apocalyptic war. Here is Ezekiel’s, "As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field, 'Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood (Ezekiel 39:17), and now John’s, Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, "Come, gather for the great supper of God (Revelations 19:17).
Fitting Yeshua’s statement with His explanation, we can easily conclude that the ones remaining are the ones who will enjoy the Yeshua’s Kingdom on earth, while the others will be ‘taken’ to a less pleasant future by the birds of prey.
The Kingdom of God is not somewhere in space. It is on the earth. We may only have a little bit of it right now, like a ‘guaranty’ (Ephesians 1:14) that we find in obeying His commandments, but one day it will cover the earth as waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9).
On that day, do you really want to be ‘left behind?’
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