Vultures and Doves

From CJB: Pg 1254
Matthew 24:  10-28

Matthew 24: 10 At that time many will be trapped into betraying and hating each other, 11 many false prophets will appear and fool many people; 12 and many people's love will grow cold because of increased distance from Torah. 13 But whoever holds out till the end will be delivered. 14 And this Good News about the Kingdom will be announced throughout the whole world as a witness to all the Goyim. It is then that the end will come. 15 "So when you see the abomination that causes devastation spoken about through the prophet Dani'el standing in the Holy Place" (let the reader understand the allusion), 16 "that will be the time for those in Y'hudah to escape to the hills. 17 If someone is on the roof, he must not go down to gather his belongings from his house; 18 if someone is in the field, he must not turn back to get his coat. 19 What a terrible time it will be for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that you will not have to escape in winter or on Shabbat. 

Matthew 24:  21 For there will be trouble then worse than there has ever been from the beginning of the world until now, and there will be nothing like it again! 

When is "then"?  "Then" is when the enemy begins to get bold and people begin to turn on one another.  Friends are at each other's throats, families are ripped apart.  Congregations split and fall.  Each fighting to be the one that is right. Many people's love will grow cold because of distance from Torah.  Those who were flag bearers will drop their flags for other gods.

22 Indeed, if the length of this time had not been limited, no one would survive; but for the sake of those who have been chosen, its length will be limited. 

To get beyond this devastation, our Heavenly Father limits the time of the destruction.  He does not want any He has chosen to fall prey to the enemy.  Those who feel they may have escaped the raping of the community, maybe you have been chosen.  Those who feel the battle is endless, maybe you need to look again at who you are and what you stand for.  Now is not the time to question Torah, now is the time to question our selves. 

23 "At that time, if someone says to you, `Look! Here's the Messiah!' or, `There he is!' don't believe him. 24 For there will appear false Messiahs and false prophets performing great miracles -- amazing things! -- so as to fool even the chosen, if possible. 

When someone points out a person with the greatest understanding or a deep knowledge of the Word; be cautious.  The person with an answer to everything and rapid prayer to make things right may be that false Messiah.  Be careful not to misstep by saying "No one said he is the Messiah."   There is no need for the enemy to do the obvious.  What the enemy does is take the most vulnerable and pair them up with the most anti-Messiah influential.  Our enemy knows the Scripture better than most of us.  However, an observation of the lifestyle, a close listening of the history, a watch for incongruent affect (ie. what is said and what is seen do not add up) and an inappropriate laugh usually adds up to someone who lives a life of fantasy or is deeply hurt, emotionally and spiritually.

25 There! I have told you in advance! 26 So if people say to you, `Listen! He's out in the desert!' don't go; or, `Look! He's hidden away in a secret room!' don't believe it.

Now we have been forewarned.  He may be in the office; he may be in the hallway.  He could even be at the next convention or special presentation.  One thing is for sure, if he is too good to be real, you can count on him not being the Messiah.  You can count on him being a scholar in knowledge only.   And you can rest assure, that he is in no hurry to gather you in.  He has all the time in the world.  He doesn't move rapidly - no need to stampede the flock.  Once he gets you in then he shows his true colors.  As the next verse says; the Son of Man comes like lightning!  Y'shua, our Messiah, has no need to waste one moment trying to convince us that we are messed up.  No need to convince us that we are following false doctrine.  Read it in His Words... He does not dilly dally!  27 For when the Son of Man does come, it will be like lightning that flashes out of the east and fills the sky to the western horizon.

28 Wherever there's a dead body, that's where you find the vultures

The dead bodies - the ones who want to do what is right yet seem to hold on to their old ideas.  The ones who want to be reaching out to others to show them the way, yet have difficulty in seeing their own ways are not Torah compliant.  The ones that want a place at the head of the table yet have no desire to even set the table.  The ones looking for position of importance yet run from every opportunity to jump in and lend a hand.  These are the dead bodies and these are the ones the vultures prey upon.  May YHVH be with them and bring them home.

Abba, Father -- YHVH -- the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob;  the Elohim of all gods; the Master of the Universe who knows all and sees all; the One who gives favor to those You love and repress those who do not take kindly to your direction - thank You.  Father thank You so very much for permitting me to be here at this moment.  Thank You for not giving up on me when my life was full of doubts.  Father thank You for seeing me through those years of not knowing why I even existed.  Thank You.  I love You Abba; I bless You with every fiber of my being.  Thank You for the fibers.  And above all, thank You for Y'shua Who guided me back to You.  Amein!