CLOUD AND CLOUDS (2)
In Acts.1: 9 we read. “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and A CLOUD received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 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”.
I did mention that cloud and clouds are used in symbolic form in the scriptures. So you don’t read clouds and be looking upwards into the sky depending on the context.
We have also seen that in Acts 1:9, he left in a cloud (singular) but in 1 Thes.4:17, He comes with Clouds (plural).
What’s the difference?
How did the cloud get multiplied into clouds? But let us see what the scripture says on the use of these words ‘cloud’ and ‘clouds’.
(1) CLOUD as instrument of Judgment.
“The burden of Egypt, Behold the Lord RIDETH UPON A SWIFT CLOUD, and shall come into Egypt; and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His (God’s) presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it…Isa.19:1.
So what was the cloud here, with which God rode into Egypt?
We are told this was the king of Assyria; when God used him to destroy the power of Egypt especially, partly because Israel was putting their trust in Egypt instead of God.
While the Egyptians trusted in their idols.
“In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians”. (v.23)
Finally, God was establishing His true worship in those nations,
And so we are told,
..In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:
25 Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance”.Isa.19:23-24.
The restoration of all Nations into God’s intents, for every KNEE should bow and all Tongues should confess that Jesus is Lord.Phil.2:10-11.
This is also the same sense in which it is used in Math. 26:64
“Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven”.
Referring to the coming Judgment on the Jews in AD70, using the Roman Armies. Which is also what John wrote about in Rev.1: 7.
“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindred’s of the earth shall wail because of him”
Fulfilling the prophecy of
Zech.12 :10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn”
Those who pierced Him were the Jews, who finally regretted their actions as the spirit of supplication was poured upon them.
If every eye must see Him come in the way we preached it, then it’s no longer in like manner, for only His disciples saw Him go, not everybody.
But we shall know that will come to pass at the end. When all eyes shall see Him.
(2)CLOUDS’ as witness or ministry –A people.
Heb12: 1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us”,
This is referring to all the Saints of Old in Chapter 11, watching us in the spirit as we run this Christian race.
Right from Abel down through the line, to Abraham, Sarah, Isaac Jacob Gideon, Rahab etc etc. ,…”, The very ones referred to as spirits of just men made perfect..Heb.12:22-24.
So when read in, 1 Thes.4:17
“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”.
What clouds is this, is it the atmospheric clouds up there in the sky? No!
This is referring to the saints of old, the clouds of witnesses together with the resurrected saints.
Isa 60:8 Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?
This is referring to the restoration of the glory of Zion, which is prophetic of the church and all men returning back to God.
Isa. Chapter 60 is all prophetic of the restoration of the kingdom of God.
The verse 1, talks about we, getting up from the state of depression as God’s Glory has risen upon us, the Church. So those coming back home are referred to as Cloud.
(3)”CLOUDS WITHOUT RAIN” A people with false ministry.
In Prov. 25: 14 we read
“Whoso boasteth himself of a gift (in a gift of falsehood) is like clouds and wind without RAIN”
What is this telling us?
Simply that all those who proud and parade themselves as anointed men of God, but in actuality are operating a false anointing, even in areas wherein they are not actually called into, are clouds WITHOUT RAIN.
Rain (water) speaks of the Holy Spirit.(John.7:38-39)
Now, note it very well that these people are called “CLOUDS”.
The only thing is that they have no Rain. Peter calls them “WELLS WITHOUT WATER, CLOUDS that are carried with tempest” (2 Pet. 2:9-18).
Jude referred to such ministries such as…
..Cain, ..Balaam and Core, as spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, …CLOUDS THEY ARE WITHOUT WATER, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth,..; (Jude 11-12)
Clouds or well without water speak of false ministries, they are a people.
So dear ones, if these sets of people are termed clouds without water, then of course, those who are truly yielded to the life of Christ, the dead in Christ can best be described as ‘CLOUDS and WELLS with water!
We know that ‘Rain’ ‘water’ and ‘River’ are “one in nature”, the same element H2O, ‘River’ is a body of water, and the evaporation of water from the ‘clouds’ that falls back to the earth as ‘Rain’.
“If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth…” (Ecl 11: 3).
Meaning genuine ministry shall be a blessing to humanity.
So we see that, while Acts 1:9, speaks of God’s invisible glory presence, the CLOUDS of 1Thes.4: 17 is speaking of a people of God’s Glory amongst whom He dwells, the corporate Church of God.
The point I am raising is that, Jesus didn’t go away in an empty clouds above neither is He coming from the atmosphere.
Stop looking up for Him.
How is He coming?
Follow me…
To be continued…