Coming on the Clouds

Jesus will arrive at the end of the present age, rewarding his saints but judging and condemning his enemies.

Jesus will arrive at the end of the age “on the clouds of heaven,” as promised in the Scriptures. The Day of the Lord will mean the completion of the Kingdom of God, the end of death, the new creation, and the judgment of all men.

The return of Jesus Christ is pivotal to the message of the Book of Revelation, and references to the event occur throughout the Book. This includes descriptions of his arrival at the beginning and the conclusion of the Book.

John makes extensive use of the Old Testament, especially key passages from the Book of Daniel. However, he never uses a citation formula, nor does he quote a passage directly. John incorporates verbal allusions and echoes of Old Testament language in his narrative. Moreover, his allusions are based on the Old Greek or Septuagint translation rather than the original Hebrew text.

[Photo by Sadiq Ahmad (Bangladesh) on Unsplash]

This usage is indicated in the quotations from Revelation presented below by representing source language from an Old Testament passage with all CAPITAL letters (For example, “And behold, I AM COMING SOON!”).

John does not mechanically reproduce statements from his Old Testament sources. He frequently changes the original wording so that the scriptural allusion more accurately represents the point that John is making.

The Book of Revelation begins by declaring that Jesus has given his servants vital information concerning prophetic events that will soon affect them. The seven churches of Asia must obey the things about to be unveiled because the time and events are near.

Christ’s opening words echo two passages from the Book of Daniel. However, there is a key difference:

• “But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to king Nabuchodonosor what things must come to pass in later days” -(Daniel 2:28. From the Septuagint version).

• “And you, Daniel, close the words and seal the book until the season of the end, until many are taught, and knowledge is increased” -(Daniel 12:4).

• “The REVELATION of Jesus Christ, which God gave him TO MAKE KNOWN to his servants THE THINGS THAT MUST COME TO PASS soon. <….> Blessed is he who reads, and they who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, FOR THE SEASON IS AT HAND” – (Revelation 1:1-3).

The events that were in a more remote future for the prophet Daniel and the Babylonian king are imminent for John and the churches of Asia (“soon” or ‘en tachei’). This idea occurs again in the final chapter of Revelation. Jesus is coming soon (Greek, ‘tachu’).

Note well how the ideas expressed in Revelation 1:1-3 are reiterated in Revelation 22:6-7. Note also that Revelation 22:12 adds the fact that Jesus will arrive with rewards for men and women based on their deeds:

• “These words are faithful and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel TO MAKEN KNOWN to his servants THE THINGS THAT MUST COME TO PASS soon (‘en tachei’). And behold, I COME SOON. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book” -(Revelation 22:6-7. Again echoing Daniel 2:28 AND 12:4. Note the verbal allusion to Zephaniah 1:14).

• “Behold, I AM COMING SOON! AND MY REWARD IS WITH ME, TO RECOMPENSE each man according to his deeds” – (Revelation 22:12. Note the verbal allusion to Zephaniah 1:14 and Isaiah 62:11. Compare Revelation 3:11, 22:7,.22:20).

LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES

Christ’s greeting to the churches of Asia includes another description of his future return. This statement echoes Daniel 7:13, a passage used several times in the Book of Revelation. Jesus and the Apostle Paul apply this same passage when describing the arrival of the Messiah on the clouds:

• “Behold, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS. And every eye will see him, and THEY WHO PIERCED HIM. And ALL THE TRIBES OF THE EARTH WILL MOURN over him” – (Revelation 1:7. Note the allusions to Daniel 7:13, Zechariah 12:10, and 12:12 in the Septuagint version).

• “And behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him” – (Daniel 7:13).

• “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. And then ALL THE TRIBES OF THE EARTH WILL MOURN, and they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with A GREAT SOUND OF A TRUMPET, and THEY WILL GATHER HIS ELECT from the four winds, FROM ONE END OF HEAVEN TO THE OTHER” – (Matthew 24:30-31. Note the verbal allusions to Isaiah 11:12, 27:13, 43:6, Daniel 2:13, Zechariah 12:10. And compare Matthew 26:64, Mar 13:26, 14:62, Luke 21:27, Acts 1:9-11, 1 Thessalonians 4:17).

For the wicked and impenitent, the final day will mean judgment and wrath (“the tribes of the earth will mourn”). For the saints, this will be a day of vindication and rewards when Jesus gathers his saints.

In his first vision, John sees the exalted Son of Man pictured as the high priest of his people. The description includes language from the seventh chapter of the Book of Daniel, the same passage that describes the arrival of the Son of Man on the clouds – (Revelation 1:9-20):

• “And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the lampstands ONE LIKE UNTO A SON OF MAN, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girded about at the breasts with a golden belt. And HIS HEAD AND HIS HAIR WERE WHITE AS WHITE WOOL, white as snow. And his eyes were as A FLAME OF FIRE” – (Revelation 1:12-13. Compare also Daniel 10:6).

• “I beheld until thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days sat. His raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool. His throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof, burning fire. <…> And behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him” – (Daniel 7:9, 13).

As the high priest of the churches, Jesus ministers in the sanctuary of the tabernacle, walking among the seven “golden lampstands,” which represent the seven churches of Asia. This is the same Jesus who sends letters to each of the seven congregations in chapters 2 and 3. The letters contain corrections and commendations for each church, plus promises to Christians who remain faithful and “conquer”  – Revelation 1:18-20, 2:1).

The priestly Son of Man will reward his overcoming saints when he returns. The promised rewards anticipate everlasting life in New Jerusalem, which will be received after the return of Jesus. Likewise, the wicked will receive their well-deserved reward when Christ arrives “on the clouds of heaven”:

• “To him who overcomes, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God. <…> He who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death. <…> And I will certainly not blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father and his angels.” Etc. – Revelation 2:7. Compare Revelation 2:11, 2:17, 2:26-29, 3:5, 3:12, 3:21).

• “I AM COMING SOON! Hold fast that which you have, that no one may take your crown” – Revelation 3:11. Note the verbal allusion to Zephaniah 1:14. Compare Revelation 22:7, 22:12, 22:20).

THE DAY OF THE LORD

Each of the three sevenfold series described in chapters 6 through 16 ends with a scene of final judgment, and each one concludes at the same moment. The opening of the sixth seal by the Lamb, for example, results in the Day of the Lord, the time when God’s wrath is unleashed on His enemies:

• “And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. And THE SUN BECOME BLACK as sackcloth of hair, and THE MOON BECOME AS BLOOD. And THE STARS OF HEAVEN FELL TO THE EARTH, as a FIG TREE CASTS HER UNRIPE FIGS when SHE IS SHAKEN of a great wind. And the heaven was removed as A SCROLL WHEN IT IS ROLLED UP, and every mountain and island was moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every slave and freeman, HID THEMSELVES IN THE CAVES AND IN THE ROCKS OF THE MOUNTAINS; and THEY SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS ANDTO THE ROCKS, FALL ON US, AND HIDE US from the face of him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath is come; and WHO IS ABLE TO STAND?” – (Revelation 6:12-17. Note the verbal allusions to Isaiah 2:10, 2:19, 34:4, Daniel 8:10, Joel 2:10-11, 2:30-31, 3:15, Hosea 10:8, Nahum 3:12).

The series of seven trumpets likewise ends with the day of judgment. When the  seventh trumpet is heard, the unrighteous are judged and condemned, but the saints receive everlasting life and eternal rewards:

• “And the seventh angel sounded his trumpet. <…> And THE NATIONS WERE ENRAGED, and your wrath came, and the time of the dead to be judged, and to give their reward to your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to those who fear your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth” – (Revelation 11:15-18. Compare Psalm 2:1, Revelation 6:12-17).

The harvest of the earth is described in Chapter 14. Once again, language about the Son of Man arriving on the clouds is applied to John’s vision:

• “And I saw, and behold, a white cloud. AND ON THE CLOUD I SAW ONE SITTING LIKE UNTO A SON OF MAN, having on his head a golden wreath, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the sanctuary, crying with a great voice to him that SAT ON THE CLOUD: Send forth your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap is come. For the harvest of the Earth is ripe. And HE WHO SAT ON THE CLOUD cast his sickle upon the earth, and the earth was reaped” – (Revelation 14:14-16. Compare Psalm 2:1, Daniel 7:13, Revelation 6:12-17).

• “He that sows the good seed is the Son of Man. And the field is the world; and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. And the chaff represents the sons of the evil one. And the enemy that sowed them is the Devil. And the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. As therefore, the chaff is collected and burned with fire. Thus is will be in the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who work lawlessness. And they will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. THEN THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father” - (Matthew 13:37-43. Note the allusions to Daniel 12:2-3. See below).

In Revelation 14:14-16, the Son of Man gathers his saints. The counterpart to this “harvest” is described in Revelation 14:17-20, the ingathering of the fruit of the vine. The grapes are thrown into “the great wine-press of the wrath of God.” This second “harvest” portrays the fate of the wicked at the end of the age. When the Son of Man appears, he will dispatch his angels to gather the nations before him for judgment and sentence. This interpretation is confirmed by the cross-references to this passage - (Isaiah 63:1-3, Joel 3:13, Revelation 19:17-21).

• “But whenever the Son of Man arrives in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his throne of glory. And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them, one from another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left” – (Matthew 25:31-33).

In Daniel 7:9-27, the vision of the Son of Man portrays both the victory of the saints and the judgment and destruction of their enemies. Judgment is made by the “Ancient of Days FOR the saints.” The kingdom and political powers of the world are taken from “the little horn” and the existing governments that persecuted the saints, and the kingdom is awarded to the men and women represented by the Son of Man, the people of God.

When the Son of Man arrives “on the clouds of heaven,” he will deliver his saints and judge their persecutors. Both events will occur at that same time, namely, on the Day of the Lord. Faithful saints will inherit everlasting life in New Jerusalem, but the wicked will be excluded from the city:

• “For the great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and very speedy. The sound of the day of the Lord is made bitter and harsh. A mighty day of wrath is that day, a day of affliction and distress, a day of desolation and destruction, a day of gloominess and darkness, a day of cloud and vapour” – (Zephaniah 1:14-15).

• “Behold, I AM COMING SPEEDILY, AND MY REWARD IS WITH ME, to recompense each man according to his works. I am the Alpha and the Omega, THE FIRST AND THE LAST, the beginning and the end. Blessed are they who wash their robes, that they may have the right to come to THE TREE OF LIFE, and may enter in by the gates into the city. Without are the dogs, AND THE SORCERERS, AND THE FORNICATORS, and the murderers, and the idolaters, AND EVERY MAN WHO LOVES AND MAKES A LIE” – (Revelation 22:12-15. Note the verbal allusions to Genesis 2:9, Isaiah 41:4, 44:6, 48:12, Malachi 3:5. Compare Revelation 1:8, 1:11, 2:8, 21:6).

The sixth bowl of wrath causes the final battle at the placed called “Armageddon.” At this moment, the voice of Jesus is heard, once again declaring his soon arrival. However, this time he compares his return to the actions of a thief, an analogy found elsewhere in the New Testament and in Revelation:

• “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches and keeps his garments, LEST HE WALK NAKED AND THEY SEE HIS SHAME” – (Revelation 16:12. Note the echo of Isaiah 47:3. Compare Revelation 3:18).

• “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; and keep it and repent. If, therefore, you will watch, I will come as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you” – (Revelation 3:3).

• “Watch, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through” – (Matthew 24:42-43. Compare Luke 12:39, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 2 Peter 3:10). 

The Book of Revelation begins in the late first century with the seven churches of Asia, but it concludes with the return of Jesus “on the clouds of heaven,” the gathering of his elect, the judgment of all men, and the arrival of the New Heavens and New Earth.

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[Citations of Old Testament passages in this article are based on the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint (see the links here and here). Text printed in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS represents quotations and verbal allusions from the Old Testament. The Septuagint is represented by the Roman numeral for ‘seventy’ or LXX based on the Latin name of the translation, ‘Interpretatio septuaginta virorum’]

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SEE ALSO:

• The Death of Death - (The arrival of Jesus at the end of the age will result in our resurrection and the end of the last enemy, Death - 1 Corinthians 15:24-28)

• The Final Hour - (The Book of Revelation moves from the Death of Jesus to the final day when God judges the wicked and vindicates the righteous)

• Messiah and King - (The reign of Jesus Christ from the Messianic Throne began following his Death, Resurrection, and Exaltation)

• Venir sur les nuages - (Jésus arrivera à la fin de l'âge actuel, récompensant ses saints mais jugeant et condamnant ses ennemis)