“BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen”—Revelation 1:7 (NASB)
Revelation 1:7 begins with a prophecy from Daniel 7:13,14 (NASB): “Behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.” Daniel is speaking symbolically about our Lord’s Second Advent and how it will be associated with clouds (trouble) in the heavens—the religious systems of the earth. Jesus’ return is to establish the everlasting dominion and kingdom given to him by God.
The perception of many Christians is that everyone sees Jesus coming, literally, in the sky. However, Revelation 1:7 says Jesus comes in the clouds and then, every eye will see him, after he has arrived. This is consistent with Jesus’ statements that he would arrive as a thief (Matt. 24:43,44; Luke 12:39,40). Both the Apostle Paul and Apostle Peter confirm that Jesus would come, or return, at his Second Advent as a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10).
Jesus prophesied that after his return, “there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short” (Matt. 24:21,22 NASB). The tribulation comes from man’s selfishness, and we see that today. Nations, terrorists, and many different groups are warring against each other, struggling for power, influence, and survival. This struggle, if left unchecked, would destroy mankind; but Jesus and his bride return to prevent that destruction and establish Christ’s kingdom. The world of mankind does not see Jesus arrive, but they see the effect of his return in the troubles that ensue as Jesus implements the kingdom and dominion, given to him by God.
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