Vultures?

[Guest]

Hi

Luke chapter 17. Last Verse 37. 

Advice as to meaning please? 

Who would the vultures be? 

[other one]

Birds of Prey that eat dead things....   the verse is just saying that it will happen everywhere at one time...

[johnthebaptist]

On 10/13/2019 at 6:01 AM, Melinda12 said:

Hi

Luke chapter 17. Last Verse 37. 

Advice as to meaning please? 

Who would the vultures be? 

My Bible (Revised Standard Version), says "eagles," not "vultures."

[Guest]

You sure? It says where there is a dead body, vultures will gather. Cannot imagine eagles in that context? 

[TraceMalin]

This would be a fun discussion in an English class. The KJV says, "eagles," and the NIV says, "vultures." This could be interpreted as Jesus was simply painting a picture of a dead body being pecked at by birds of prey, or if one wanted to read into it, "a dead body" could be a body of faith, believers or the church and the "vultures" could be those who would prey upon that body. Like, if the members of that body are asleep at the wheel and not paying attention, the opportunists could rise to positions of power and exploit others. The context of the verse doesn't help because Jesus is talking about the Son of Man returning and people being taken. Taken in death? Or, taken in some sort of rapture? Some Bible commentaries suggest that Jesus used the image of a gathering of vultures as a way of describing a sign that the second coming would take place. It's one of the more mysterious set of verses in the Bible. 

[seeking the lost]

On 10/14/2019 at 8:33 AM, johnthebaptist said:

My Bible (Revised Standard Version), says "eagles," not "vultures."

Eagles are vultures.  They eat dead things.

[johnthebaptist]

46 minutes ago, seeking the lost said:

Eagles are vultures.  They eat dead things.

The context is that some will be chosen and others left behind. Perhaps Jesus is comparing those left behind to dead bodies being eaten by birds.

[OneLight]

For the OP, the Greek word is aetoi, or aetos, but is generally aetou, which is a masculine noun.  The meaning is an eagle or vulture, a species of rapacious birds represented as praying on dead bodies where some species of vulture is probably intended.

As for the context, let's put Luke 17 beside Matthew 24 and see the similarities. 

Luke 17:20-37 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Coming of the Kingdom

²⁰ Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; ²¹ nor will they say, ^[a]‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is ^[b]within you.”

²² Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ²³ And they will say to you, ^[c]‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. ²⁴ For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. ²⁵ But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. ²⁶ And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: ²⁷ They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. ²⁸ Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; ²⁹ but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. ³⁰ Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

³¹ “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his ^[d]goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. ³² Remember Lot’s wife. ³³ Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. ³⁴ I tell you, in that night there will be two ^[e]men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. ³⁵ Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. ^36 [f]Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.”

³⁷ And they answered and said to Him, “Where, Lord?”

So He said to them, “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

 

Matthew 24:15-28 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Great Tribulation

¹⁵ “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), ¹⁶ “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. ¹⁸ And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. ¹⁹ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. ²² And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the ^[a]elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

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.

 

Notice they both speak about the end of the tribulation when Jesus returns.  When He returns, there will be the battle of Armageddon where the Beast and his armies are destroyed by Jesus.  We read this in Revelation 19:17-21, which also includes the calling of all the birds to feast on the dead bodies.

 

Revelation 19:17-21 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Beast and His Armies Defeated

¹⁷ 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 ^[a]supper of the great God, ¹⁸ 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, ^[b]free and slave, both small and great.”

¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ 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. ²¹ 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.

[seeking the lost]

11 hours ago, johnthebaptist said:

The context is that some will be chosen and others left behind. Perhaps Jesus is comparing those left behind to dead bodies being eaten by birds.

Matthew 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

25 Behold, I have told you before.

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

The greater context may include that but the immediate context is referring to false christs that shall come.  Those who would believe the word of he is in the desert and go out to see are called vultures or eagles.  The false christs are the carcases.  

[douge]

On ‎10‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 9:01 AM, Melinda12 said:

Hi

Luke chapter 17. Last Verse 37. 

Advice as to meaning please? 

Who would the vultures be? 

One Light got it right.

And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. Luke 17:37

Luke 17:36 is not about the "rapture" as many think it is about the unbelieving Israel being separated from the believing remnant.

Luke 17:37 is about the coming of the Lord at the end of the tribulation.

Revelation 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

19:18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.