Matthew Chapter 24

VERSE 40 and 41 “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken and the other left.”

Whither Gathered–the Attraction

 Here is where we jump back to that earlier verse we skipped in our study, Matthew 24 Verse 28.

“And they [the disciples] answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? [Where will these be TAKEN?] And he said unto them, wherever the body [the carcass, the food] is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.” (Matt. 24:28; Luke 17:37)

The lesson is that in that day, when the Lord is gathering his “elect” from the four winds of heaven–from every quarter of the Church–he will attract them as eagles are attracted, by food, for which they have a keenness of vision and appetite; that in due time the Lord would provide the proper food, and his true people would recognize it and be gathered to it–the ready and worthy taken and the others left.

The food of “present truth” now provided by our Lord, and the gathering of his saints by and to it, fits the description of this prophecy exactly. The present call IS NOT out of one “mill” into another “mill“; nor out of one “bed” (creed or denomination) into another of about the same size. It IS NOT the gathering by one man or many men, to him or to them, into a new denomination (or organization); but a gathering together unto Christ himself, the true and only Master and Teacher.

Where and when before was there ever such a public recognition of all who trust in the precious blood of Christ and who are consecrated to him, as the one household of faith–all brethren– and the one and only Lawgiver Christ, regardless of human creeds and dogmas upon other subjects? Never and nowhere since the days of the apostles, so far as we may judge.

Moreover, it is worthy of note that great human ability, oratory, etc., have been notably connected with other movements, but not with this present gathering to the Lord. Here the truth, the spiritual food which the Lord is supplying, is the whole attraction: human flourish and oratory find little room for exercise here; they are lacking but are not missed. The gathered and gathering ones come together because they “hunger and thirst after righteousness:” and they are finding the satisfying portion which the Lord himself has provided; and each for himself is eating thereof.” (D609-611)

Let us take a quick look at Luke’s account again as explain in R229

Verse 35 “Two will be grinding together.” Grinding is the preparing of food for the household–this, then, seems to refer specially to the teachers in the church; some of these will be taken and some left.

The disciples inquired where they would be taken to, and Jesus answered: “Where the body is there will the eagles be assembled.” The ones taken from the bed and from grinding are likened to eagles; they live high up above the world, in the mountains, far-seeing; having eyes adapted to looking at the light (How they represent the intelligently earnest Christians).

What causes the assembling together of the eagles from various quarters?

It is hunger, and because they see the prey- the food—a long way off–the food attracts them; they come to eat the carcass–the food.

Now look at the wonderful figures Jesus has given us. First, he will be present invisibly, as the lightning, and men will eat, drink, and know not in the days of the Son of Man; second, in this day all that are on the housetop should escape before the storm destroys the house (nominal church) and injures many in it; third, in the night, before the day has fully come, some, both of grinders and of those not at ease in the short bed will escape; fourth, these thus attracted away, will be like eagles; fifth, the thing which takes them away is a desire for food; sixth, such as thus seek food find it and meet the others similarly hungry and feed together.

How true this picture is; the professing church has more preaching and teaching and forms than it ever had, yet no food is found by the “eagle class“–the eagles are hungry, and it is their hunger which takes them away, and every such hungry one thus separated, the Lord will feed, and as they come to feed, they find others of “like precious faith” and character, who have forsaken all for truth–the food.

Thus the “gathering” of the ripe wheat–of the jewels–of the eagles is now in progress, and bye and bye these will be glorified with their head –Jesus–changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye from human and mortal conditions, to spiritual and incorruptible.

Let us say in the words addressed to Lot; “Escape for thy life, look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain lest thou be consumed.” (Gen 19:12-17)

Continued with next post.