Being from the South, I have learned a multitude of Southern sayings and phrases.
For example, did you know that it was possible to be “full as a tick?”
If you had lots of money you were “walking in high cotton?”
If someone gets on your last nerve, you could be “madder than a wet hen.”
Some Southerners say that “if the cows are sitting down the fish are not biting," and that eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day will bring good luck.
I am sure that you have heard this last one, that "when you see vultures flying in a circle, then there is something dead nearby."
Well, I can honestly say that I’ve never walked in high cotton, nor have I ever had good luck from eating black-eyed peas, but I have been “full as a tick, madder than a wet hen, and a fish on the line while the cows were sitting down!”
But the one that I have found more true than any of the rest is the fact that when you see the vultures fly in circles, you can “bet your bottom dollar” that there is something dead nearby.
My belief in that fact brought an eerie feeling to me one day when I passed by a rather large house. As I went by I noticed that circling above the house were several vultures. Even sitting atop the roof in a perfect row, were several more. My first thought was that something must be dead in there! Now that probably was not true, but all evidence from the vultures pointed to it.
Did you know that in Luke 17:37, Jesus talks with His disciples about the vultures? He is discussing with them the coming of God’s kingdom, and He tells them, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” The disciples struggled to understand this verse, and sometimes we do as well. But his words are plain to those who want to accept them.
He is saying that the Lord will come at a time when we least expect it, like a flash of lightning, at an appointed time that only He and the Father know. Some will be found righteous and ready for His return, and others will be found dead in their sin, as evident as the vultures circling overhead.
We have been told many times throughout scripture that we can know the condition of a person's heart based on the signs.
“A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. (Luke 6:45) As well as, “…every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. …Therefore by their fruits, you will know them.” (Luke 17:16 & 20)
So, in the same manner, those who have rejected Jesus, and embraced sin, will be known by “the vultures that gather.”
As Christians, we have to remain vigilant in maintaining a pure and godly life. We have to be aware of the signs that point to sin and ungodliness.
Be aware of the "vultures circling overhead," submit to God, and pursue His will so that when the Son of Man comes, He will find you righteous and ready!
