He comes

Behold, he comes 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” (Rev. 1:7).

Almost two thousand years ago John on the isle of Patmos cried, “behold. He comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him.” this phrase, ” he comes“ , is from the Greek erchomai . It is the third person singular, present indicative. This means he comes as a present tense reality. The verb is present indicative. He comes. He is in the act of coming. Behold. He is now coming. He has been coming, he is still in the act of coming, and he continues to come.

More than once the coming of the Lord is in this tense throughout the book of Revelation. It is not merely a future thing, not something that will happen somewhere down the course of history, but it is something that ” is”. The church systems are either looking back to an historical Christ, or forward to a futuristic coming of Christ. Such interpretation misses the implication of the word erchomai. The meaning embraces; he comes, he is coming, he continues to come, he will continue to come until he has come in the fullness of every dimension possible.

The coming is happening in your life now. Christ comes out of the realm of spirit to be manifested in flesh, out of the realm of the invisible, expressed and revealed as visible and tangible way to the physical creation. Erchomai to make one’s appearance before the public: He comes and appears before the view of the people round about.

This coming has already happened, it is happening now, and will continue to happen. This is the revelation that so captivated the apostle John that he could only exclaim with amazement, “Behold. He comes.”

Soon Christ will come in a manifestation of himself in a measure never before seen or experienced by men upon this earth. He will come to be glorified in his saints, manifested in his sons to set creation free. The bondage of corruption, the power of sin and death, will first taken from God’s people, then from all humanity.

“With”

There are two more words: “with clouds.” “With” is from the Greek preposition meta. It means ‘with’, but it also means together with, in the midst of, among, between, in common with, with the help of, and by means of.

Behold. He comes with clouds, an association.
Behold. He comes together with clouds, a communion.
Behold. He comes in the midst of clouds, an indwelling.
Behold. He comes among clouds, a fellowship.
Behold. He comes between clouds, a union.
Behold. He comes in common with clouds, participation.
Behold. He comes with the help of clouds, interdependence.
Behold. He comes by means of clouds, an instrumentality.

The glory cloud

God has displayed his glory has been in the form of a cloud from early times. This glory cloud of God has taken different shapes and different sizes on various occasions. When it was time for the children of Israel to begin their exodus out of Egypt , the glory of God took the form of a pillar of fire enshrouded within a cloud.

(Ex. 13:21-22) And the lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud , to lead them in the way; and by night in a pillar of fire , to give them light, to go by day and night: he took not away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

The glory cloud of God signified the unique presence of God. Yahweh was present in this place, at this time, for a special purpose. And the lord went before them in a pillar of a cloud. God was in the cloud.

God himself dwelt in that cloud by day and in the fiery pillar by night as a visible manifestation of his glory and presence. While Israel walked in the light of his presence, no calamity could harm them, no enemy could attack them, no evil could befall them, nor plague come near their dwelling.

(Ex. 19:9) “I come to you in a thick cloud that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe for ever”.
(Lev. 16:2) and the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron your brother, that he does not ever come into the Holy Place within the veil before the Mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.”

When the cloud came down out of heaven and rested on top of Mount Sinai, God in a unique sense had come out of the realm of spirit to meet with the children of Israel on the earth plane. When they saw the cloud enter into the Most Holy place in the tabernacle and later in the temple, God in a special sense was taking up residence within. The light that shone in the holiest of all behind the temple curtain of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, was not the light from the lamp stand in the Holy Place , or the sunshine in the outer court. This was the glory light of God.

When the Lord Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mount he transfigured before them and suddenly there appeared abright cloud ñ a cloud with a light in it. Out of that bright cloud, the voice of the Father spoke concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. “This is my beloved son; hear him.”

From the glory cloud of presence, God spoke.

First on Mount Sinai: (Ex. 19:9,20) The Lord said to Moses, lo, I come to you in a thick cloud.

Later God spoke from the same cloud after it had descended upon the tabernacle: (Ex. 33:9) and it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the lord talked with Moses.

In the wilderness, this glory, this cloud, and the voice out of the cloud are brought together: (Ex. 24:15-17) and Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the lord abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the lord was like devouring fire.

On the Mount of transfiguration, the Son is enveloped in the cloud and we are commanded to hear him.

(Heb. 1:1-3) God has in these last days spoken to us by his son, who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person … “

One cloud

“… when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight”

God consistently manifested himself in “one” glory cloud. There was always only a single cloud.
One cloud over the camp of Israel.
One cloud over Mount Sinai.
One cloud resting upon the tabernacle in the wilderness.
One cloud shining in the most holy place.
One cloud filling Solomon’s temple.
One cloud over the summit of the mount of transfiguration.
One cloud in which Christ ascended from the Mount of Olives

Christ ascended in one single cloud of God’s glory — the same cloud in which God had manifested his presence from early times.

Many clouds

With the return of the Lord a distinct difference. Not one cloud but many. Christ departed this earth in one cloud . He comes again in many.

(Rev. 1:7) behold , he comes with clouds : and every eye shall see him”.
(Dan 7:13-14) I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like a son of man came with the clouds of heaven — and there was given to him dominion.
(Mat. 24:30)”and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”.
(Mat. 26:64) “hereafter you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven”.
(I Thes 17:16, 4:17) then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds and so shall we ever be with the Lord”

In the clouds. More than one cloud. Many clouds. A great company of clouds.

We Beheld His Glory

When the firstborn son of God was in the world, John (1:14) said of him, we beheld his glory

The great work of Jesus as He went about doing good, healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, performing miracles and teaching and speaking was glorious but there is a greater glory to behold.

(2 Peter 1:16) for we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the father honour and glory , when there came such a voice to himfrom the excellent glory (the glory cloud), saying, this is my beloved son, in whom i am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard,when we were with him in the holy mount”

At the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry he said,

(Jn. 17:20-24) neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also shall be one in us—and the glory which you gave me i have given them—I in them, and you in me, that they may be made perfect in one—that they be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory which you have given me”

Until Jesus appeared upon this planet, God exhibited his presence in the form of one glory cloud. As Jesus approached the cross, and the events to unfold thereafter, he disclosed the truth that God purposed from eternity; to share his glory with a vast family of sons—a body which is the fullness of himself.

Concerning his glory

I Thes. 2:1112 and you know how we exhorted you—that you should walk worthy of God, who has called you to his kingdom and glory
(I Pet. 5:1) I also am a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.
(II Thes. 2:14) whereunto he has called you to the obtaining ofthe glory of our lord Jesus Christ.
(Rom. 8:18) for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us
(Heb. 2:10) for it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings”.

There is to be a universal revelation of the glory of God. The same glory revealed in the cloud of old, becomes an intensified glory in the many clouds who are God’s sons.

Other references speak of “with His saints”:

(I Thes. 3:13) to the end he may establish your hearts—at the coming of our lord Jesus Christ with all his saints
(Jude 14) behold, the lord comes with ten thousands of saints [The interlinear reading from the diaglott translation gives perhaps the clearest rendering from the Greek text: Lo, comes the Lord in holy myriads of himself.”
(Zech. 14:5) and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with Him.

All of these saints are partakers of his divine nature conformed to his image, imbued with his mind, filled with his life, radiating his glory. Myriads of himself, of his own kind, born of his seed, reproducing his life, a many brethren company of sons. John sees this same scene in vision and cries out, “behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him.”

When Jesus ascended two thousand years ago, he ascended glorified in that singular glory cloud in which he had dwelt from eternity. He was the one God manifested in all fullness in one man; the son and this will happen again in the sons. (II Thes. 1:10) “he shall come to be glorified in his saints , and to be admired in them that believe.”

The glory of the sons and daughters

Paul wrote:
(Rom. 8:17) “and if we are children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.“

Christ coming “with clouds” means each will stand in his own realm of the glory of the Lord. The glory shared, as the cloud that represents the glory is shared. Each elect son becomes a manifestation of the glory of the cloud of the Shekinah.
The overcomer as His tabernacle and His temple is to become His ark, His most holy place. The glory given rests upon them, increasingly fills them and will and does radiate out from this holy habitation of God. In Old Testament times, God dwelt in one single cloud. But now (2 Cor. 6:16-18) I will dwell in them, and walk in them—and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord.

When a cloud becomes so heavy with droplets that it can no longer hold them, they fall as rain. The clouds are as chambers containing the water of life. It is the nature of clouds when full to empty themselves. In a similar manner God by his spirit gives living (spiritual) water to refresh and impart life to his creation. If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth” (Eccl. 11:3).

All that God is is being formed in his children; they are becoming a receptacle, a vehicle for all the fullness of God, filled up with the life-giving properties of our Father. He is filling the clouds.

The nature of each child will be to pour out that life just as God poured it into Jesus and Jesus is pouring it into them. The sons and daughters, as the clouds of heaven, full of God, will pour Him out upon all who dwell in the earth-realm. A true ministry having life to give, and willing to empty themselves in order to give life to a dry and thirsty people.

Peter and Jude tell us that false ministries are “clouds without water.” A true ministry is a cloud with water. Jesus was a bright cloud laden with water, for “the son of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and give his life.”

The one glory is to become the multiple glory. The one cloud of his presence becomes the many clouds of his presence. The Lord is coming to be glorified in a many- membered body, in the clouds of his presence. These are the clouds of his glory into which the triumphant saints of God are being “caught up.” the “catching up” is being brought to that high spiritual sphere where overcomers become one with that whole great “cloud of witnesses,” the spirits of just men and women made perfect. They without all the called elect cannot be made perfect, but with them will be the perfection of God expressed out of the high realm of the heavens of God’s spirit. Those of generations on earth, and all those overcoming saints of all former ages who have gone on before are joined together becoming the complete manifestation of God’s majesty, power, and glory as sons and daughters of God.

The resident within the shimmering cloud of glory is the Lord himself. The Lord is the source of the dazzling light, for it is he who causes the celestial host to shine, forming the “cloud” and manifesting his glory. Our Lord will complete all of his work and purpose in us, lifting us up into higher realms of his spirit, and completing the union with the whole body of the firstborn. The life of God is taking form. The clouds are coming together. The clouds are gathering rain. The glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

All Flesh shall see it together

Scripture says, “the glory of the lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” God is saying the same to the world today. The unveiling of the sons of God is the revelation of the glory. When the glory of the Lord and the salvation of God is revealed, it is the fulfillment of the word of the Lord to Isaiah: “I will give you for a light to the Gentiles, that you may be my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

When the kingdom of God fills the earth, the earth will be filled with righteousness. When the glory of the Lord is revealed , the earth will be flooded with light. The world will know the sons and daughters of God to be the salvation of God as God pours out his spirit upon all flesh. All humanity, with that quickening of the spirit, will have its eyes enlightened to see in the body of Christ the salvation of God, to see in the sons and daughters of God the glory of God and the righteousness of God.

The world will see God’s elect as:
—the righteousness of God because they are becoming righteous sons and daughters;
—the light of the world because they are becoming a shining people; and
—the salvation of God because they are becoming a fully saved people.

Behold , he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him.