For
wherever the carcass is, there is where the vultures gather together.
Matthew 24:28
Matthew 24 [23.] “Then if any man tells you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or, ‘There,’ don’t believe it. For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.
Matthew 24 [25.] “Behold, I have told you beforehand. If therefore they tell you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ don’t go out; ‘Behold, he is in the inner rooms,’ don’t believe it. For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For wherever the carcass is, there is where the vultures gather together. But immediately after the oppression of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Matthew 24 [32.] “Now from the fig tree learn this parable. When its branch has now become tender, and produces its leaves, you know that the summer is near. Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all these things are accomplished. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Meaning:
This short saying sounds like a proverb. When an animal dies, vultures soon appear and gather around the body. Jesus uses this everyday sight in the middle of his teaching about his coming. Luke records it in a different setting, where the disciples ask, “Where, Lord?” and Jesus answers, “Where the body is, there will the vultures also be gathered together” (Luke 17:37).
- “For wherever the carcass is”
The word “For” links this verse to what comes before. Jesus had warned that people would claim the Messiah was hidden in the wilderness or in inner rooms (Matthew 24:23-26). He then said that his coming would be like lightning, seen from east to west (Matthew 24:27). Vultures do not need anyone to tell them where a carcass is; they see it and gather. In the same way no one will need to announce the coming of the Son of Man. It will be obvious to all.
- “there is where the vultures gather together”
The PIB footnote notes that the word can also be translated “eagles”. In Scripture these birds of prey are often pictures of judgement. Moses warned Israel that if they turned from God, “Yahweh will bring a nation against you from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flies” (Deuteronomy 28:49). Habakkuk described the Babylonian army in similar words: “They fly as an eagle that hurries to devour” (Habakkuk 1:8). Many readers have also noted that the Roman legions marched under eagle standards. When the Romans surrounded Jerusalem in AD 70, the eagles truly gathered over a city that had rejected its King.
- A picture of certain judgement
The saying also teaches that judgement comes where there is spiritual death. Just as vultures are drawn to what is dead, God’s judgement falls on what is corrupt. In Revelation an angel calls to the birds of the sky, “Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God” (Revelation 19:17), as Christ returns to defeat the forces of evil.
The Significance of Matthew 24:28
- Christ’s coming will be unmistakable
We do not need to follow rumours or secret teachers who claim to know where Christ is. When he comes, everyone will know.
- Judgement follows corruption
The proverb warns that spiritual decay invites judgement. A nation, a church or a person that has turned away from God cannot hide from him. It calls us to turn back to God while there is time.
Cross-References:
Luke 17:37: "Where the body is, there will the vultures also be gathered together." Luke’s version of the saying.
Matthew 24:27: "For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." The verse just before.
Deuteronomy 28:49: "Yahweh will bring a nation against you from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flies;" The eagle as a picture of judgement.
Revelation 19:17: "Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God," Birds gathered at the final judgement.
Conclusion: Matthew 24:28 uses a familiar proverb: wherever a carcass lies, vultures gather. As surely as vultures find a dead body, the coming of the Son of Man will be seen by all, so no one needs to chase rumours of a hidden Christ. The image also speaks of judgement falling where there is corruption, as it did when Rome’s eagles gathered around Jerusalem.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible