“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.” John 6:56. “For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” 2 Cor. 4:10-11. “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Gal. 5:24. When our flesh, with its passions and desires, is alive, sin increases. If the situation is to change, then the flesh must die. The flesh with its passions and desires must be crucified. Then we belong to Christ. Then there is an end of sin and the life of Jesus is manifested in our mortal flesh. This death occurs during our lifetime—while we are on this earth. Jesus was the first One in whom this death was working, therefore it is called the death of Jesus. The law was powerless when it concerned the flesh; therefore Jesus had to come in the flesh so that God could do what was impossible for the law. He condemned sin in the flesh. Jesus died to all the passions and desires so that we might no longer walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Rom. 8:3-5; Heb. 2:14. Jesus said, “The bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” That is the carcass. All resistance to God’s will was put to death in this flesh so that God’s will was manifested in His mortal flesh. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. “For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.” “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” Jesus said this to the Jews, but they did not understand it, and followed Him no more. This is a great mystery even in our days, for the majority of the people are in the flesh, and they, too, cannot understand this death of the flesh. It has to be understood by faith, because it is the Spirit who gives life. John 6:63. The carcass is Jesus’ flesh, which He gave for the life of the world, and we are the eagles—as many as eat His flesh. “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles . . . .” Isa. 40:31. The eagle builds his nest on high from where he spies his prey. Job 39:27-30. The judgment, which the serpent received, was that he should crawl on his belly and eat dust—in total contrast to the eagle. The serpent has power over all those who live according to their passions; their thoughts and desires never rise above the dust—that which is corruptible. They fight over it and are anxious for it. Such people never have their eyes opened to the death of Christ—they never see the carcass. They must be raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly places; from that position they can see the carcass. Then they will get an understanding of the dying of Jesus, what it means to die to one’s desires for the things here below, and then they can seek the things that are above where Christ is. Col. 3:1-3. Such people eat His flesh and drink His blood, and the life of Jesus is revealed in them. They become a light in this world by being raised up, i.e., by being dead to honor-seeking, covetousness, the lust for power, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life—all the things that cause turmoil and great agony in people’s lives. Col. 3:5-10. If you speak about these things to someone who wants to be great in this world he will laugh at you. But speak to someone who is tired of this world and tired of sin and he will understand you. When Jesus spoke about His return, His disciples asked Him, “Where Lord?” Jesus answered them, “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.” Luke 17:37. For whom will Jesus come? He will come for the eagles, those who are redeemed from the earth and from among men. Where shall He find them? They are gathered wherever the carcass is. He will come where they are eating His flesh and drinking His blood. He will not forget a single one as long as he is eating His flesh. Therefore they do not need to run wherever people make a great hue and cry. These cries are heard much in our days. They form groups and make everything appear as grand and attractive as possible. Of course, they believe that everything is supposed to go according to a biblical pattern, but they lack the flesh that Jesus gave for the life of the world. It is not suitable for them to proclaim the death of Jesus in the midst of all this haughtiness and lust for power. It goes without saying that this does not result in the life of Jesus, and hungry souls continue to ask, “Where is it? Is there nothing else besides what we are hearing? Is there no help out of this misery?” But then they hear this cry again: “Come here!” and they run hither and thither. There are always new preachers. The assembly sits there wondering, “Does he have what we are looking for?” People live in this confusion until their eyes are opened to see the carcass where they receive nourishment, something that can give them life, and they have this certainty in their hearts that they will go with Jesus when He returns. This is the dying of the Lord Jesus which Paul carried about in his body, so that the life of Jesus might also be manifested in his mortal flesh. Here we can see that Paul’s flesh also became such a carcass and that he gathered the eagles around him. He was able to give nourishment, and strengthen all those who sought the things that are above and not the things that are on the earth to do all God’s will. The others—those who loved the world—could not bear this aroma of death unto death, and they hated him. In Acts 20:29 Paul says, “After my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.” These people were everything else but carcasses according to the flesh. Division and corruption followed in their wake. Such people do not gather eagles, but rather frogs and worms that crawl on the ground, and with their hypocrisy they transform everything into a whitewashed grave. Therefore Paul, after speaking about being an aroma of life unto life and death unto death, says, “And who is sufficient for these things?” May there be many such men who arise as overseers in the church, who are such carcasses who have this gathering power within themselves, who by their aroma gather the eagles—those who are upright—and chase away all those people who crawl on the earth. Such people can lay down their lives for the brethren. However, just as they said to Jesus, “Away with him!” so they also say to those who partake of the dying of Jesus, “Away with them!” They do not want to have a carcass in the camp; it has to be outside the camp where Jesus died. Let us therefore go to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. In the camp your eyes will never be opened to see the carcass. You need to receive the wings of an eagle—faith in God—so you can be finished with worshiping all greatness of the flesh and looking up to people. Then you are raised above the camp and get to see the carcass which is outside the camp. You can gather together with all the others who are upright and eat so you can have life within you. But those who are in the camp speak about Jesus and try to calculate the day of His return. They calculate over and over again and always come up with a different year. Then they cry out: “Come here! Come here! The people run and are confused, always asking the question, “Where?” But there is no other answer than Jesus’ own, “Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”Sigurd Bratlie