continuity...

[nHissvc]

Are the following passages related?:


"For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together." (Matthew 24:28)

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

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;
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." (Revelation 19:11, 17-18)

"Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she." (Job 39:30)


--Blessings.

[Lookin^Up]

Let's read the first verse in its context. Jesus is speaking:

"At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather." Matthew 24:23-28
In context Jesus is talking about false christs popping up, trying "to deceive even the elect--if that were possible." To avoid confusion, He even tells us how He will appear: "as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west," not out in the desert or in some secret room. This is where the verse you mentioned comes in: the "carcass" is the non-Christian or uncommitted Christian whose soul is corrupt, like a dead animal, and the "vulture" is clearly the false christ preying on them. It's an analogy showing how false christs gain followers.

Even though vultures are mentioned eating carcasses in the second passage, this is an entirely different context. It's the end of Armageddon, the Antichrist's forces from every nation have converged on poor defenseless Israel, and all hope seems to be lost. But ...

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.” Revelation 19:11-18
I included the verses you left out because I think they're important for showing that the Rider on the white horse is Jesus, coming to the rescue with His angelic army. In this case, the vultures are invited by one of the angels to dig in and feast on the followers of Antichrist for their incorrigible wickedness.

Job 39 is the second chapter where God challenges Job, and again context is important:

“Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south? Does the eagle soar at your command and build his nest on high? He dwells on a cliff and stays there at night; a rocky crag is his stronghold. From there he seeks out his food; his eyes detect it from afar. His young ones feast on blood, and where the slain are, there is he.” Job 39:26-30
I don't think this passage is talking about a vulture; more likely it's an eagle, as they also feed on the blood of dead animals and take them back to their aeries (high nests). It is not, in my opinion, related to either of the first two; God is simply challenging Job with natural wonders that only He can perform, and not mortal man.

[Ransom v. Unman]

Actually, Dave, the OT writers revered vultures for their size. Most of the time when you see "eagle" in the OT, it should actually be "vulture". They changed it in the Septuagint because Greeks like eagles more than buzzards. ;)

Eagles aren't scavengers, either.

I'd say there might a linguistic connexion in a very rabbinic sense. I don't know the original Greek off the top of my head, so I can't say if the "vultures" Jesus talks about matches the "birds" in Revelation, but there might be apocalyptic symbolism moving through all of these verses somewhere. Certainly, as Lookin^ already mentioned, the Revelation and Matthew verses are both referring to the End of All Things.

This is an interesting question, and I'm sure could spur some fascinating research...

[Lookin^Up]

Thank you, Ransom, for bringing up something I didn't know. Still, eagles may not be the scavengers that vultures are, but they do catch (alive) and feed on small rodents and other animals. I guess that was not clear from the way I worded it, but it would fit the passage.