Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
It has been said that eagles are to the air what lions are to the earth. Lions are the kings of beast and eagles are the kings of the air. That is so true because in Exodus 19:4 God likens Himself to an eagle. The eagle is actually mentioned 31 times in the Bible and Proverbs 30:19 notes the way an eagle soars in the air is an amazing wonder, and it truly is.
Matthew 24:23-28 is a scripture about eagles that I have thought about often. I think it applies to the day we live in. It is in the context of Jesus talking about the end times and how to avoid some of the deadly pitfalls that are actually happening right now.
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
We have certainly seen the false christs and false prophets gather people into a remote compound away from family, society and friends sometimes with tragic results. That is the extreme. Most of us are not going to fall for that foolishness, but there are a lot of believers who fall for a much more subtle version of this same deception.
A desert, or inner room, speaks of anything that isolates you from other believers and the body of Christ. Luke’s version of this same story brings some clarity by recording a question the disciples asked Jesus, “Where, Lord?” or literally, “Where is the body, Lord?” (Luke 17:37) Jesus responded by telling them the carcass is the Lord Himself and the eagles are His disciples.
In the natural eagles only eat what they kill. Normally they will not eat road kill, something that was killed by another predator, or died naturally. God, the Father, the Great Eagle has killed his Son for all of us, His little eaglets to feed upon (Isaiah 53:10).
Jesus said, “He who feeds on Me will live because of Me” (John 6:57). Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good” and Psalm 103:5 tells us, “The Lord satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Note it says satisfies our mouth, not our ears or eyes. In the natural it is what you eat and drink that gives you strength, health and sustains you. We can hear about what a dish tastes like or look at it all day, but it only works when we put it in our mouths and consume it. That is the way it is with us spiritually. We have to feed upon Him personally and in a community with others that we “do life together” with.
God created community and He created us as humans to live life together. The pages of the gospel reveal a Jesus who highly valued and lived His life in community. His mission was grounded in the community He was a part of. Your spiritual life and ministry will never go anywhere near its full potential apart from living in community and “doing life together” with others.
Jesus warned us in the last days people would separate themselves from community, the gathering of eagles, whether it is intentional or simply being caught up in the flow of current culture. Whatever the reason, it is deception. We should be intentional to not just gather on a particular day or time, but to “do life together” in the context of a community where Jesus Christ is the central person.
Many Blessings, BW