"for where the rotting carcass is, the vultures will be gathered unto it" on the surface seems to be a call to judgement and moral rot... NOT transifiguration and teleportation to a glorius state of new beginnings. Or so it has been argued.
Fact is, only God knows a lot of this stuff. Those who imply they do know what it all means, and who is represented by what symbol, and when it all occurs and the timetable for the flow of events... are usually just liars raising big money from vulnerable saints, or one of the vulnerable sheep who is in denial over their most recent shearing.
Jesus will come when HE is good and ready... in the fullness of time. Eschatology, is a waste of 'right here' 'right now'. Stewardship as a biblical principle requires that we consider the future and invest ourselves in it as a matter of accountability, not waste our days pining away for an event that may or may not ever occur in the ways we have been taught.
God is NOT in a hurry. He waited for the last 2 millenia for each believer to hear the gospel, receive it, live and beget children, grow old in His grace, nurture families and work, grow old and die in His mercy. He waited for each generation to be "saved." He waited for me. He will wait for as long as it takes for HIS table to be filled to the full.
Until God says "enough! My dinner has more than enough family members for my feast to begin," we are going to do what every faithful generation of believers have done since the beginning of time: wait, be thankful, and live our lives as God gives us the grace to live them.
The rest of all the eschatology hub-bub is primarily a means for raising money and bilking older, blue-haired, kindhearted saints out of their pensions.
Oh yes, and trying to scare the "unbelievers" and the "unchurched" into "changing their evil ways" to avoid getting beheaded or something later on. Of course new followers usually bring with them, a measure of financial support and influence, two rather tangible and useful elements for the "personal kingdom builders" amoung us.
Always follow the money.
BUMP
rotting carcasses and burning fires don't sound like my idea of a rapturous event that I want to attend.
How dare you question the writings of the lahayes and lindsays of the "any minute now" crowd of chicken littles?