He’s Coming in the Clouds

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Jesus Comes in the Clouds

“Today’s weather for Jerusalem. Mostly sunny and dry, temperature reaching 25° C.”

 

Sounds lovely. No clouds in the sky. And no worries, because if the weatherman is accurate, the Lord won’t be returning today. That’s because the Bible says that when He comes, He’ll be coming in the clouds. That’s right-no clouds, no coming.

 

It’s not that we’re basing our understanding of Bible prophecy on the weather reports… Let me explain.

 

Here’s how the book of Acts records the catching up of Jesus into heaven;

Chapter 1, verses 9-11:

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Jesus ascended into the clouds, and He’s coming back the same way. In other words, He will descend from heaven coming out of the clouds. As the church is “raptured” (caught up), we will ascend as Jesus did, and He will meet us in the clouds. I Thessalonians 4:16-17 says it this way:

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

It happens in the clouds.

 

Notice something else. How Jesus was taken up. He was dead, the Spirit of God entered into Him, and then He was resurrected.As described in Acts, He floated up into the air and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Compare this to the ascension of the Two Witnesses, recorded in Revelation 11:11-12:

 

And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

See the similarities? First, the Two Witnesses were dead, and the Spirit of God entered into them. They raised up, ascended to heaven, and a cloud received them out of sight.

 

Furthermore, when this happened to Jesus in Acts, the disciples “beheld” Him. With the Two Witnesses, “their enemies beheld them.” The more I dwell on it, the more it looks like the description of “the rapture” in I Thessalonians 4 in which the dead rise and are caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The Two Witnesses floated up in plain sight; there was no vanishing, no neatly folded clothes left behind.

 

So, will the Lord come in the clouds? The Bible says… yes. Matthew 24:30 states that immediately after the Great Tribulation, “they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven.” Revelation 14:14 tells us that “upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.” Daniel 7:13: “One like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven.”

 

It turns out that the two men in white apparel were correct. Just as Jesus ascended into the clouds, He’ll come back in the clouds.

 

“With today’s news… It’s been three days since the two so-called prophets of God were killed by World Community forces in Jerusalem. Their bodies are still laying in the streets. The weather today calls for overcast skies.”

GOING UP

  • Jesus ascended into the clouds, and He’s coming back the same way. In other words, He will descend from heaven coming out of the clouds..  Acts 1:9-11
  • Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. I Thessalonians 4:15-18
  • They ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld theme.  Revelation 11:11-12

COMING DOWN

  • Immediately after the tribulation… shall they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven. Matthew 24:29-31
  • Behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man…  Revelation 14:14-20
  • Behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven.  Daniel 7:13

 

By Eddie Sax