Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass
nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near. Immediately after the
anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the
heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth.
And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory. Matthew 24:28-30 NLT
Vultures do gather. We recently went to Caw Caw Interpretive Center, a nature and historical park near Charleston, SC. There were about thirty turkey vultures roosting in the trees there above old rice plantation fields. Vultures were circling and looking for a mid-morning snack. We also saw a few vultures in a neighbor's yard, ironically feasting on an old turkey carcass. Who puts a Thanksgiving turkey out in their yard? At any rate, these ugly birds do gather together with their friends, and soar on air currents while looking for their next meal. Waiting.
We don’t know when Jesus will be coming
back, but we do know when He left.
So when they had come together,
they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring
the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know
times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My
witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the
remotest part of the earth." And after He had said these things, He was
lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their
sight. Acts 1:6-9
With that…Jesus was gone from earth…gone from His beloved disciples and
friends. Only the Heavenly Father knows when Jesus will return and bring
restoration and peace—true peace—to Israel and the whole world. It is not for
us to know when He will return—or really even to guess. People have made
predictions for thousands of years as to the time of Christ’s return. Making
fools of themselves. Jesus also told His disciples, and us, to be ready...For this reason you also must be ready;
for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Matthew
24:44. The verses earlier in Matthew 24 tell us that there will be deep
mourning. There will be deep anguish and then the Son of Man, Jesus Christ,
will return on the clouds of heaven. Be ready—always. If you are ready, then
you won’t be mourning—but you will be filled with joy. What do we need to do to be
ready?
Prayer
~ Dear Jesus, Just as is written in Jeremiah… LORD, you are my strength and fortress, my
refuge in the day of trouble! Nations from around the world will come to You
and say, "Our ancestors left us a foolish heritage, for they worshiped
worthless idols. Can people make their own gods? These are not real gods at
all!" You said, "Now I will show them my power; now I will show them
my might. At last they will know and understand that I am the LORD." Jeremiah
16:19-21. I do believe in You, Jesus, as my Messiah and Savior. Help those who
know about You and don’t believe. Have mercy on them. Have mercy on us all.
© 2020 Text and
photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Unless
otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the
NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
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