In the middle of His discourse concerning the last days and His Second Coming the Lord Jesus made this statement; “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.” (Matthew 24:28) Now vultures are birds that feed off of dying and decaying carcasses. When you see them circling around in the sky in the desert you know that something is dead or dying down on earth. In the context of Matthew Chapters 24 and 25 the Lord Jesus was pointing out that the whole world would be in a state of advanced spiritual decay at the end of this age because of spiritual deception, false Messiahs, nations rising against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms, famines, earthquakes, pestilence and persecution increasing in intensity and frequency like labour pains on a pregnant woman (Matthew 24:8) Ultimately would come the last and final act of desecration of the Temple by the man of sin. (Matthew 24:15) (2 Thessalonians 2:4)
Now I am inclined to think that the vultures are the demonic forces unleashed in the world in the very last days to work their diabolical deeds and to feed off of the spiritual decay in the hearts of men and women in the world at large and within wider Christendom. These demons come out of the Abyss to wreak mayhem and murder on earth in the last days. (Revelation 9:3) We also know that when the Lord Jesus physically returns that the vultures will literally feed off of the carcasses of the armies of the hordes of Antichrist. This will be the consummation of the wrath of God upon a Messiah hating, Messiah rejecting world. (Ezekiel 39:17-20) (Revelation 19:17-18, 21)
The Lord Jesus was saying that when these ‘birth pains’ He mentioned are increasing in intensity and frequency that the birth of the Messianic Kingdom of God on earth is about to occur. As the Lord Jesus also said in Luke’s account of the same discourse when He referred to unusual signs in the cosmos, the nations on earth in perplexity not knowing the way out and men fainting from terror and apprehensive of what is coming upon the world and experiencing the heavenly bodies themselves shaking and large hail stones falling from the sky. (Luke 21:25-28) See also (Revelation 16:21) Today we are much closer to the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus yet there is much less interest in His Second Coming today in the world and especially within wider Christendom than there was around 30 years ago.
I well remember my early years in the Open Brethren Assemblies over 40 years or so ago now that after every service the believers would readily and eagerly converse about the Bible and often about the last days and the Messiah’s Second Coming. Today in an increasing number of churches this is not even on the radar. We know that the establishment of Israel as a nation again in 1948 after almost 2,000 years of exile, was a major marker by which to measure the Second Coming of the Messiah. It has now been 71 years since this historic event occurred. Israel as a nation is God’s prophetic time clock for the nations. In 70AD it was temporarily disabled and in 1948 it was repaired nationally. Its spiritual restoration as a nation is yet to come in the future even though they are back in the Land of Israel. (Ezekiel 37:1-14) Today we can see the whole world in its spiritual death throes and the demonic vultures feeding off of the fleshly actions and imaginations of men and women and young people. There are several conspicuous marks that reveal we are now in the very last of the last days.
Firstly, we see spiritual decay through the evolution of Technology. We see microchipping of humans, high definition holograms, virtual reality computer games engaging the imaginations of billions of young impressionable minds with violence, with sex, with materialism and hedonism that is producing a future generation of people that can be automatically controlled and programmed by this technology. Even mobile phones can be used for banking, purchasing and even have a google language translator. This is reminiscent of the Tower of Babel. Of course technology can benefit mankind when used appropriately but technology in the hand off sinful fallen man can become a monster that devours and feeds the fleshly desires and appetites of the unsaved and I dare say many in Christendom.
In the time of Noah we are told that the imaginations of men’s hearts were constantly set on wicked and evil things all of the time and that every thought and imagination they had was continuously evil. (Genesis 6:5) Added to this in Matthew 24 the Lord Jesus specifically said that what was happening in Noah’s time would happen again at the end of the age and that the wicked would be swept away in judgement and the righteous left to inherit the Messianic Kingdom. (Matthew 24:36-41) Billions of young people around the world through the internet, computers and mobile phones and video games are having their imaginations hijacked and re-programmed to engage in those pleasures and pursuits that draw them away from God and will send them to hell if they do not repent of their evil and wicked deeds.
Secondly, we see spiritual decay through biotechnology and DNA and cloning. Longevity of age is being enhanced. Men are seeking to go beyond the age set by God being 75 years or by reason of strength 80 years. Through these technologies man is trying to programme and prolong life beyond the limits God has set.
Thirdly, we see spiritual decay in the nations preparing for war. The prime candidate to kick start a war is Iran. In Daniel chapter 10 we are told that Israel will fight a war with Iran and then with Turkey and the context is set in the last days. (Daniel 10:12-14, 20) This war with Iran I am inclined to think will precipitate the Ezekiel 38 invasion over the Golan Heights and from Saudi Arabia. Possibly we will see other nations drawn into the arena of this conflict that will see a third of mankind destroyed by the firepower of these nations. (Revelation 9:18-19) Today with the nuclear weaponry and missile stockpiles this is a grim reality.
Fourthly, we see spiritual decay in the rise of Sodomy within western democracies. Even though they are in the minority we see the sodomites increasing in violence and aggression as they did in Sodom and Gomorrah and that ultimately brought about the judgement of God on those wicked cities on the plain. Sodom and Gomorrah teach us about what things will be like in the world at the end of this present age.
Fifthly, there is the spiritual decay within wider Christendom (Institutionalised Christendom with its denominational structures). Today within Christendom we have ecumenism, interfaith, hyper faith prosperity, Kingdom Dominion and having it good in this world and feel good theology, not to mention the counterfeit revivals where signs, miracles and wonders are placed above the exposition of God’s Word.
Sixthly, you have the preparations for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple Mount Institute now has 99% of the instruments needed for Levitical worship and even a red heifer according to the Law of Moses necessary for the Temple sacrifices. Through DNA many Jews are now able to race their tribal inheritance from the time of Moses and Joshua. The spiritual decay in all of this religious activity is that any sacrificial system set up is an affront to the perfect and finished atoning work of the blood of the Messiah which saw the curtain of the Temple in His day torn from top to bottom after He has said on the cross “it is finished!”
As the Book of Hebrews tells us that the Messiah has been sacrificed for sin, once and for all time, a blood sacrifice never to be repeated again, and one that will last for all of eternity. The Roman Catholic Church with its perpetual sacrifice of the Messiah in the mass goes directly against the scriptures. Likewise re-instituted sacrifices and offerings by unsaved Jews is in the same vein as what is done by unsaved Roman Catholics in the perpetual sacrifice of the Mass. In this matter they are ‘bedfellows.’
Finally; we see the onslaught of Charismania gone mad. While the gifts of the Spirit practiced Biblically have never died out and are needed more than ever before in the Church today we also have many counterfeit signs, miracles and wonders as Paul taught would manifest themselves just before the man of sin is revealed. Today it is personal prophecies, gold dust and feathers floating down, glory clouds, grave soaking, and destiny tarot cards and so called apostles and prophets that in some cases claim equality with the original apostles in receiving supposedly extra revelations that go beyond scripture. God Himself calls these things wickedness. Those who love wickedness within and without Christendom that do not receive the love of the truth will believe the lies of the Antichrist and go along with his system and follow him into the pit of everlasting perdition. (2 Thessalonians 2:9)
In the light of this ever increasing spiritual decay and with the vultures of demonic forces having a feeding frenzy on a spiritually sick and dying world and a backslidden Church what are we as believers to do when we see these things happening all around us? Well we must first and foremost continue to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom which includes the Second Coming of the Messiah. Eschatology is a very powerful spiritual tool in evangelism. Until this job is achieved within every nation the Lord Jesus cannot come back. This is the challenge facing the Body of the Messiah, the faithful Church today. (Matthew 24:14) (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
Added to this the Lord Jesus said; “When these things begin to take place, as belivers in Him we should stand up and not buckle over at the knees with fear and apprehension like the unsaved that have no hope. Added to this, we are to lift up our heads and look heavenwards because our redemption, our deliverance and our rapture and resurrection are about to happen when the Lord Jesus comes back to earth, to destroy all rebellion and sin, to spiritually restore Israel and to inaugurate His Messianic Kingdom on earth. So then we can see what the Lord Jesus was referring to when He said; “For as lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass there the vultures will gather.” (Matthew 24:27-28)
