A Rapture Study: One Taken, One Left II

In the first part of this study I continued taking a look at the differences between the rapture and the second coming but this time through the lens of Matthew 24:40-41, a passage that’s often thought to be the rapture of the church.

I examined the context of the passage to see if being “taken” is a good or bad thing. I explained that due to Jesus’ reference to the judgment of Noah’s time as a parallel to what his second coming will be like, being taken is indeed a bad thing.

I also referred to the parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43) as well as the parable of the dragnet (Matthew 13:47-52) to make the case that angels are the ones doing the “taking” of nonbelievers – at Christ’s second coming – into judgment.

In this post, I’ll take a look at what Jesus meant in Luke 17:37 when he said “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together” and use that to make a case as to the judgment that I believe is being alluded to here.

Birds of Prey

In Luke 17:37, Jesus tells the disciples where those who are taken are taken to by stating “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together”. What does he mean by this? Although in some translations you’ll see “vulture” instead of “eagle”, the Greek here is “aetos” and is noted on blue letter bible’s Greek lexicon as “an eagle: since eagles do not usually go in quest of carrion, this may be a vulture that resembles an eagle”.

In other parts of the bible we see an eagle – as a bird of prey – hunt for food and consume flesh, even the flesh of the slain. Job 39:27-30 offers this description to us, “‘Does the eagle mount up at your command, And make its nest on high? On the rock it dwells and resides, On the crag of the rock and the stronghold. From there it spies out the prey; Its eyes observe from afar. Its young ones suck up blood; And where the slain are, there it is,'” (Job 39:27-30).

We can see in Job 39:29-30 an example is given of an eagle feasting on flesh and being where the slain are. Likewise in Proverbs 30:17, we see an eagle being used to draw imagery of a bird of prey consuming flesh, “The eye that mocks his father, And scorns obedience to his mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it, (Proverbs 30:17).

Despite the uncertainty with the nature of the bird in question (either being an eagle or a vulture that resembles an eagle), I believe that these two passages help support this view of birds of prey feasting on flesh which then helps us understand how they relate to divine judgment.

When we go back to Matthew 24 we also see this same language used of eagles being where a body or carcass is in relation to Christ’s second coming, “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together, (Matthew 24:27-28).

Even in this passage we see that verse 27 gives us the necessary context to properly interpret what is meant by the “carcass” and “eagles”. The return of Christ is in scope and what follows his return is judgment which is then later elaborated on in verses 40-41.

Dr. Thomas L. Constable in his commentary on Luke makes a similar case concerning the “eagle” or “vulture” appearing where bodies are in relation to Christ’s coming,

Vultures hovering over dead bodies graphically depict the death and judgment that comes with Jesus’ return as the judging Son of Man (17:37).” The general teaching of the parable is that Jesus’ appearing and the beginning of the kingdom will be sudden, and unexpected by most people who are alive then. It will be an unmistakable event in history, and will involve physical danger for earth-dwellers, because divine judgment will follow immediately…

The Winepress and Supper of God

Although we understand that what Jesus is referring to here is a judgment that occurs upon his return to the earth, the next question should be what judgment involves birds of prey? Revelation 19:17-21 is one passage which incorporates predatory birds with judgment. In this judgment, the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies that were gathered in Revelation 16:13-14, 16 at the valley of Armageddon to make war against Jesus, are destroyed by the sword of his mouth (Revelation 19:21).

However, before this occurs birds of prey are called to the “supper of the great God” to feast upon what will be the aftermath of this judgment, “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great,'” (Revelation 19:17-18).

The birds are called to the “supper of the great God” to feast on the flesh of slain men and animals alike. This event is noted to us in Revelation 19:15 as the “winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” or as the “great winepress of the wrath of God” which is also described to us in Revelation 14:17-20. This, however, is not the only place we see the illustration of birds of prey feasting on slain men as a part of God’s judgment. This also appears in Ezekiel 39:17-20 in the aftermath of the war of Gog and Magog,

‘And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God, ‘Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field: ‘Assemble yourselves and come; Gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal Which I am sacrificing for you, A great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel, That you may eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, Drink the blood of the princes of the earth, Of rams and lambs, Of goats and bulls, All of them fatlings of Bashan. You shall eat fat till you are full, And drink blood till you are drunk, At My sacrificial meal

Although I believe that birds of prey will be a part of this judgment, or rather, the aftermath of a judgment, something important to note here is that the winepress of the wrath of God is specifically dealt to the armies of the antichrist and the kings of the earth,

“And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:19-21)

It’s a judgment personally dealt by Christ to the armies gathered against him. We can also see this described to us in Isaiah 63:1-6 where we’re told specifically that it’s the Lord alone who does this, “I have trodden the winepress alone, And from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, And trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all My robes,” (Isaiah 63:3).

Due to this, although birds of prey are in scope in Luke 17:37 concerning what will befall those who are taken, it may not necessarily be the winepress of the wrath of God that’s being alluded to here. I say this because what’s highlighted to us in Matthew 24:40-41 and Luke 17:34-36 pertaining to who’s left behind and who’s taken is alluding to a judgment that’s global in nature, a judgment that will affect all unbelieving mankind.

It also speaks of a judgment – as I’ve noted earlier – where those who are taken, are taken as unawares, as they go about life as usual noted in the daily activities at the time (i.e. grinding at the mill, in bed, in the field).

Whereas to contrast, Christ in Revelation 19:19-21 executes judgment on those who “gathered together to make war against Him” (Revelation 19:19) which was initially shown to us in Revelation 16:13-14 and 16, “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty“.

This is painting a different picture for us and due to that I don’t believe that those that don’t gather against the Lord will share the same exact fate as those that do. But if this is the case, what judgment is being alluded to in Matthew 24:28 Luke 17:37? In part 1, I touched on the parable of the wheat and tares and the parable of the dragnet which helped us further understand how those taken, are taken into judgment at Christ’s second coming – by angels.

They are then cast into hell (Matthew 13:42, 50). This differs from the fate of those who are taken and end up as food for birds. Although we can infer from Matthew 24:28 and Luke 17:37 that these individuals aren’t thrown into hell as we see in the parable of the wheat and tares and parable of the dragnet, they will be taken by angels and their end is certain death as they’re merely alluded to as a “body” or “carcass”.

As to how they end up dead, I don’t believe scripture is as clear on this point. Perhaps similar to those who gathered against Christ, they are taken to be slain by him and then to ultimately serve as food. Regardless of what this specific judgment may be or how it may be exacted, Jesus’ message is still clear – unbelievers will be caught unaware as judgment overtakes them at his return.

To conclude, by examining the context of Matthew 24:37-41 along with Luke 17:26-30 we see that by Jesus making a reference to the flood as an act of judgment on Noah’s generation, he draws a parallel to the judgment that will come upon the earth dwellers suddenly at his return.

It’s with this context that we then see Jesus proceed to make his statements concerning one person being taken while another is left. With this understanding, we saw that in Luke 17:37, Jesus told his disciples where those who are taken are taken to – a place of judgment.

It’s only after understanding the context the passage lays out for us is when we can come to the correct conclusion that Matthew 24:40-41 doesn’t actually relate to the rapture as is commonly believed and taught (pre-trib or otherwise) but is instead a picture given to us concerning the judgment that will befall those on the earth at Christ’s second coming.

Other articles in this series:

1. A Rapture Study
2. A Rapture Study: The Tribulation
3. A Rapture Study: The Tribulation II
4. A Rapture Study: Rapture vs Second Coming
5. A Rapture Study: Rapture vs Second Coming II
6. A Rapture Study: One Taken, One Left
7. A Rapture Study: Parable of the Wheat and Tares

Also Learn more about what follows this “blessed hope”:

1. Beyond The Blessed Hope