Doesn't it seem interesting that their question was not "When will this happen?" but "Where will the people be taken?" That intrigues me. Why did they ask that? Now Jesus answer is enigmatic and I think that we can conclude that He did not intend to give a crystal clear answer.
Now to what does "where" refer to? Does it refer to the "judgment" that is obviously being spoken to, or does it refer to the "taken." I feel that either one may be applicable. They could say, "Where is the judgment going to take place?" and Jesus in His answer says, "Well, wherever it's needed—just like an eagle or a vulture would be where a body needs to be picked up." But in the construction of the context, "where" is much closer to "taken." "Where will they be taken?"—those who are separated away from the judgment. Then His answer becomes even more enigmatic. Let's go back to the book of Job, because the verse that Jesus quoted was taken from there.
Escaping what is surely a life-threatening situation at the end time is what is involved in the context here. Taking one's cross or seeking to find one's life does not mean bearing up under some difficult and awkward tragic burden. But brethren what he's talking about is dying to self, always the self wants to preserve itself. Always the self wants to satisfy the self, always the self seeks out comforts for the self. But when we become Christ's, we cannot do that because these self-satisfactions, this self-preservation, this seeking of comfort runs counter to—contrary to—the way of life that God has called us to, to obedience to His very commands.
