15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. (Matthew 24)
Jesus is in th midst of answering the questions of His disciples about the time and nature of His return. This last verse primarily means: It will be obvious - just like we expect to see vultures around dead bodies. there is also this tone in His reply that we need to not make watching for His return an all-consuming fear. We don't need to be worrying about vultures, because we are alive. And we don't need to be looking for all sorts of secrets, because when He returns, there will be no doubt. We are to watch and wait for Him to come again in a healthy way: with a sense of readiness and urgency, but not an all-consuming panic that keeps us from doing what we should be doing while we wait: pursuing holiness and telling others of His salvation. So, don't worry about they vultures; they turn up. And don't fall prey to vultures who pretend to be Jesus.
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