Clouds

            As a kid, I used to lay on my back on a summer day in Indiana and watch the clouds. I wold try to find different shapes and would usually find a couple of animals and as they moved across the sky, they would change shape sometimes even to something different. I recently picked up the habit again as I sat on the patio recently, watching the clouds go by. A hippopotamus is easy to find but in an instant, it can change to a dragon, a horse or even an elephant. Revelation 1:7 says, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” 

           According to some sources, clouds are mentioned some 49 times in the Bible. One of the interesting mentioning of clouds was at the scene of the ascension in the Book of Acts. Acts 1:9-11 says, “ 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 stedfastly 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.” Could you possible imagine what it would have been like to have been there on the Mount of Olives that day. Jesus is speaking. He finishes and then ascends right before their very eyes. It is no wonder that the people stood there looking up into the sky. “Where did He go?” “Is He going to fall back to the earth?” “I can't believe my eyes.” It was a wonderful time to have been in His presence to see what had taken place in that moment. The angels then had to jar them back into reality with their words of explanation. Jesus had ascended up into a cloud. I can only imagine that was some special cloud. Revelation goes on to remind us that He is going to come in the clouds also. When He left, there were only a small group of people present to witness the ascension but when He comes again, we notice that every eye shall see Him. Can you imagine that? There are all kinds of views on when this is going to take place. I have always been premillennial in my doctrinal statement. That is, I believe that according to 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4 that the church, that is, all believers will be “caught up” t o meet the Lord in the air. The dead in Christ will rise first then we which are alive will be caught up with them according to First Thessalonians 4:13-18. the prophecy of Zechariah 14:4 will be completed when the Lord Jesus Christ actually touches his feet on the Mount of Olives. It will be a very dramatic touch as the Mount of Olives will then split in two, half going North and the other half going south. The crack will exist from the Mediterranean Sea to the Dead Sea. Then, the Millennium will begin and Christ will reign for a thousand years with a rod of iron. The world is filled with a lot of people these days who believe in all sorts of variations on this doctrine. Some are “pre”, some are “post”, some are “mid” and some are “a” in regards to the millennium. Whatever your view, keep looking up. For me, I keep an eye on the clouds and an ear open for the trumpet. We are living in exciting days and Bible prophecies are indicating that the times are definitely close to the Second Coming. Praise God that His Son is coming a second time. Is your neighbor ready?