Matthew 24: Stay With the Carcass

"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be..... For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together."(New Testament, Matthew, Matthew 24:21-28)

Here the Lord directs the Saints to stick with the main body of the Church and not get lured away from the carcass.  This may become especially important in the Tribulation when the Saints need to gather for preservation. The Lord's Saints myst stay with the carcass because that is where we will find the Eagles (the Lord's anointed).

The Church of Christ during the Tribulation may be likened to a carcass because it may not be in complete operation at that time (following the Burning of Babylon).  Carcass doesn't necessarily infer carrion (decaying and rotting flesh). After an eagle kills a rabbit (for instance), the fresh kill will attract other eagles who will all feed together.

Jesus Christ warns us in these verses that the Saints must gather together in one place and in one body. We need to stick with the carcass, with the main body of the Saints, and with the priesthood keys.

Called Home to Defend the Constitution?

I grew up in an affluent LDS ward on the East Bench of Salt Lake City, Utah.  Consequently, in addition to the great blessing of being raised in the LDS faith, at the same time, I think I myst have been exposed to just about every crazy, spurious, and false doctrine imaginable.

One of the more memorable false doctrines had to do with rumors of numerous young men receiving Patriarchal blessings that supposedly said something like, "you will fulfill a faithful mission but then be called home early to defend the Constitution".  Seriously, who makes this stuff up?

My comment on "defending the Constitution" is this.  The full-time missionaries need not be called home to defend the US Constitution because their work to encourage a spiritual revival of faith in Jesus Christ and a return to virtue is doing more to defend the Constitution than anything else that could be done. 

Constitutional government can only protect the freedom of a moral, virtuous, and righteous people. The erosion of traditional family values and morality in America is the single most significant domestic and foreign threat to our freedom.  There is no law, or tax cut, or budget, or convention that can fix what only a return to virtue can save.  

Immortality threatens freedom because drug abuse and promiscuity lead to poverty, and poverty empowers evil people to take over our government and limit our freedoms in a vain attempt to do the business of the Church which is to provide welfare and expect virtue. That is why when I see the missionaries, in addition to our military serviceman, I also make a point to thank the missionaries for their service to defend the Constitution and preserve my freedom. 

5 And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God. (Book of Mormon, Alma, Alma 31)