Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered

If you had to pick the most enigmatic statement Jesus ever made, it wouldn't be a stretch to say it was Luke 17:37. It's the last verse in this passage:

I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. (Luke 17:34-37, KJV)

I read many commentaries on this verse, but none of the answers seemed to make sense. Many have remarked that the body or the corpses are in reference to antichrist's armies being destroyed at Armageddon (side note: NIV and many other translations say vultures instead of eagles, however the Greek word aetos used here can also refer to eagles or other large birds of prey). In the context of the preceding verses in Luke 17 this explanation seems really out of place since Jesus was talking about people being taken and others being left behind while working or sleeping-- something that's really hard to relate to the aftermath of a serious battle.

For a month, I asked the Holy Spirit for understanding concerning Luke 17:37 and a similar verse in Matthew 24:28. Finally, just this morning around 5am, I believed I have finally received an answer while praying in bed and would like to share it here! Since these verses may have implications on the timing of the rapture -- whether it's post or pre tribulation, I don't want to get into that controversy right now. However I must be faithful to what I have received, so I ask those who believe that the rapture is post-tribulation to keep an open mind since the implication of my interpretation may imply that there will be a pre-trib or pre-wrath rapture. As a disclaimer: I am currently leaning towards the belief that there will be both-- a partial pre-trib rapture of overcoming saints signified by the barley harvest preceding the Feast of First Fruits in the OT, followed by a post-trib rapture of the remaining majority of Christians signified by the wheat harvest in the OT leading up to the Feast of Tabernacles, or sukkot. 

Some bible commentators have remarked that the eagles refer to the saints, or those who 'wait' upon the Lord in reference to Isaiah 40:31

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

If the eagles are referring to the saints, what are they doing around a body or carcass? (side note: Matthew 24:28 substitutes the word body for carcass which is ptoma in Greek). It seems like a pretty gruesome picture and it's what I asked the Lord this morning that led me to the following and the picture is so clear once you see it!

In Luke 17:37 the word used for body in Greek is soma (Strong's Greek word 5393). soma means living body and it is the same word used for body in Luke 22:19 when Jesus says

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

What does Jesus mean by his body being given to us? In John 6:54-56, Jesus makes a statement that caused many of his followers to be stumbled and leave him:

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.

Now imagine if we were to literally carry out what Jesus is asking of us here. Picture in your head a scene where many are gathered around the body of Jesus and are eating his flesh and drinking his blood. You could almost relate it to a gathering of vultures around a carcass-- the same picture Jesus gives in Luke 17:37 and Matthew 24:28!

What does it mean to eat Jesus' flesh?  In John 1:14, the "word [of God] became flesh". We know from John 1:1 before Jesus became a man, He was the word of God. In Matthew 4, Jesus likens God's word to food by telling Satan, "Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God". The link between Jesus as food and God's word deepens even more in John 15:6-7 when Jesus relates abiding in His word as the key to eternal life:

If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

This goes on to show how important it is for us to 'abide' or live on God's word. God's word is our true food and without it we will truly starve to death. However, since Jesus, who was the word of God, became man, we can not only eat God's word, but we can also eat Jesus! This is why in John 15:7, Jesus says "if you abide in me AND my words abide in you" and in John 6:35, Jesus declares:

I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

I feel that a big burden of Jesus' ministry was trying to reveal this mystery, that He alone is our true life source. So in order for us to truly live, we have to follow Jesus wherever he goes, because He is our only food supply and without him we cannot live. This is exactly what is described by Revelation 14:4 regarding saints who follow the Lamb wherever he goes!

These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.

Furthermore, the Lamb can be a likened to a body in Revelation 13:8 as "the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world." Just as the saints follow the Lamb wherever it goes, so do the vultures or eagles flock to the carcass to feed on it in Matthew 24:28 and Luke 17:37.  Jesus is the way the truth and the life (John 14:6), without Him we cannot live!

Bringing things back to Luke 17:37, the disciples ask "Where Lord?" because they wanted to know where the men and women who were 'taken' in the preceding verses are. So Jesus in answering this question responded "Where the body is there the eagles will also be gathered." We have clearly shown that the body/carcass refers to the Lord Jesus, or the Lamb of God who was slain. So we now have the answer to the disciples' question. Where are the men and women taken to? We know that the Lamb of God is in heaven from Revelation 14. Thereby the eagles, or the saints, are taken to heaven!

So what Jesus is describing in Luke 17:34-36 is the taking up of the first fruits of God (Revelation 14:4) who by waiting on the Lord, mount up on eagle's wings into heaven (Isaiah 40:31) and follow the  carcass which is the "Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world" wherever it goes.  Jesus is giving us a promise that by waiting on Him as a faithful bride, he will leave an open door for us as he describes in Revelation 3 and Isaiah 26 to be with him in heaven until the indignation  passes (Isaiah 26:20). This is one of those times when we just have to take a moment to marvel at the beauty of God's word and say Hallelujah!