​      THE MYSTERY REVEALED

THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN 

Have you ever wondered why the scriptures speak so much about the clouds of heaven?  The inspired writers spoke of those clouds and Jesus, Himself, spoke of them.  He spoke of how He will be returning with the clouds of heaven or with the clouds of the sky. 

Matthew records Jesus speak of the day of His return He say that His sign will appear in the sky, “- - and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:30) 

After He had been arrested Jesus was brought before the high priest to be charged.  The high priest asked Him if He was the Christ, the Son of God.  Jesus responded, "You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." (Matthew 26:64) 

As if to make sure that we heard the message, Mark recorded Jesus speak of how He will be coming in the clouds (Mark 13:26 and Mark 14:62). 

John did not mention Jesus coming with the clouds in his gospel but he made that statement in his book of Revelation.  He said, “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) 

Daniel mentioned those clouds.  He said, "And 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" (Daniel 7:13).

Why all the mention of clouds in scripture?  What have clouds got to do with anything?  When we look at those scriptures that speak of the clouds of heaven and put them together, we can begin to see some things. One thing has to do with what happened when Christ ascended into heaven.  

Why does the scripture include that statement about a cloud receiving Jesus when He ascended?  If it was just a normal cloud, He would have ascended "into a cloud".  Scripture says that as His disciples were looking on, "a cloud received Him out of their sight." (Acts 1:9)  Would a cloud receiving Him indicate that the cloud had some ability to accept Him?

Paul tells us about how Jesus will be returning.  He did not mention Jesus returning in clouds or with the clouds of heaven but he did say that He would be coming with all His saints (1 Thessalonians 3:13).  

Paul says that Christ will be bringing those who have fallen asleep in Christ with Him and the dead in Christ will rise first.  He says those who were alive will be "caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:17-18)  

Is Paul saying the same thing that Jesus said when He said that He would be returning with the clouds of heaven?  Are they both saying that Jesus will be returning with the spirits of the departed saints?  Had they been with Jesus in heaven before that? 

Some Christians believe that Paul is speaking of an event (The caught up) that will take place long before Jesus returns with the clouds of heaven, after which He will judge the nations.  From the prospective of our lesson it does not matter.  We will see that as we continue reading scripture. 

In chapter 11, when the Hebrew writer spoke of the departed faithful, he ended the chapter saying that they could not have been made perfect apart from us.  All of the faithful for all time have become perfect in Christ Jesus because of His redeeming blood.  He not only redeemed God’s people of the new covenant, He redeemed the faithful of all time. 

The writer continued his discussion of the departed faithful in the next chapter.  He began by saying, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1). 

He is still speaking of the departed faithful of old but not as though they are gone on but as though they are still with us as a cloud surrounding our church assembly.  That sounds like their spirits are surrounding us. 

With regard to those ancient ones of faith surrounding us as a cloud of witnesses the Greek wording says they are a cloud, not a crowd.  If he meant exactly what he said about the departed faithful, they are actually present with us in our assembly of the church and with us individually as we live our daily lives.  

He continues by telling us to lay aside everything that could hold us back and run with endurance the race before us.  It sounds like the spirits of the departed faithful are surrounding us like spectators at the games watching us and cheering for us as we run.  Did they first see Paradise?  If so they know by sight the great prize that is waiting for the faithful.  Would that make them cheer all the more for us?  

The writer continues by speaking of what happened to that old Hebrew nation in the wilderness and how it relates to us.  He says that we have not come to an earthly mountain, speaking of that earthly Mount Sinai that Israel came to in the wilderness.  

He says that we have come to Mount Zion and, “- -to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:22-24)

He is speaking of the goal that we are striving for as we run our race.  Our prize is that spiritual mountain of God and His holy city and we have come to the foot of that mountain. 

That city is the same prize that Abraham was looking for.  The writer says that, “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8) 

He says, “By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

It appears that Abraham’s spirit is in that cloud of glory that surrounds the church on earth just as that glory cloud surrounded that earthly tabernacle in the wilderness.  The spirits of the righteous are also on that mountain. 

He says that we have come to that Mountain and to the assembly of the church and when He lists those who are with us in the assembly.  He says it includes the Father and the Son and myriads of angels and it includes the spirits of the righteous made perfect. 

It sounds like all of the departed faithful from our day are in that cloud on God’s mountain and in our church assembly and they are cheering for us as we run our race of life.  Do they rejoice when we do well?

Jesus gives us the message in parables.  Speaking of rejoicing in heaven over a sinner who repents, He gives the example of a woman who found her lost coin and how, “When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:9-10)

He does not say the angels will be rejoicing (although they likely will be) but that there will be rejoicing among them.  The spirits of the righteous made perfect are among those angels in that assembly.

Speaking of that earthly tabernacle showing an earthly likeness, scripture says that when Moses erected the tabernacle, “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.  Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” (Exodus 40:34-35)

Moses spoke of their wilderness tabernacle cloud and said that, "throughout all their journeys, the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel." 

That old covenant tabernacle was a mere copy of God’s new covenant tabernacle.  If that old earthly tabernacle had its glory cloud then our tabernacle has its glory cloud.  It appears that our cloud includes the spirits of the righteous made perfect who are enrolled in heaven. 

When Solomon dedicated the temple in Jerusalem, scripture says that, “It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.” (1 Kings 8:10-11) 

Solomon then addressed the people who had come for the dedication; “Then Solomon said, “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.”  Jesus is in a thick cloud on our mountain. 

Paul is speaking of the day when his spirit would go there in one of his letters.  In his letter to the Philippians he told them, “But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.” (Philippians 1:23-24)

His resurrected body would not depart to be with Christ until that last day comes.  Only his spirit could depart to be with Christ. 

When Christ returns with the clouds of heaven, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Christ and He will resurrect their dead bodies before they are caught up to meet Him in the air. 

In the meantime that glory cloud will be on our tabernacle throughout all of our journeys as we travel toward our heavenly land just as there was a glory cloud on that old Hebrew tabernacle throughout all of their journeys. 

Can the clouds blow about like the wind blows about?  Jesus said of those who are born of the Spirit, "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).  

We can’t blow about like the wind while in our body of flesh.  Could He have been speaking of the spirits of the departed faithful blowing about like the wind where ever they wish to go? 

Ezekiel foretold Christ’s return and says, "I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day." (Ezekiel 34:12)  He will gather His sheep on that last day.  It will be a cloudy and gloomy day for most but a day of glory for those who are called from the four winds to be revealed with Him in clouds of glory.  

Those departed faithful are there in the clouds now but they can only be seen by faith.  Some day they will be revealed with Him in glory and every eye will see Him coming with the clouds of heaven. 

So, how is it that the spirits of the departed saints are now in the clouds around us but final judgment has not happened?  How are the spirits of the departed faithful in a cloud of glory with Jesus if they have not yet been judged?  Is it possible that they have been judged already?  

Peter spoke of judgment of the house of God coming before outsiders are judged when he wrote, "For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God- -?" (1 Peter 4:17)  

Peter said that God's household will be judged first, before outsiders are judged and it began in the first century.  Did judgment of the saints begin as the first century saints fell asleep?  After we depart this life will our spirits go before Jesus on that mountain for judgment to see if we will be able to stay there with Him? 

It will only happen if we hear Him say what the master told the two talent slave who gained two more talents was told.  The master said, “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:23)

 

"Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org )


                                                                             Johnny Rogers 12-28-04

                                                                                    Revised 8-8-22