Chapter Four/Jesus Comes With Encouragement

"Coming With the Clouds"

Next, John jubilantly announces:  "Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in grief because of him. Yes, Amen."  (Revelation 1:7)   No doubt John was here reminded of Jesus' earlier prophecy concerning the conclusion of the system of things. Jesus there stated:  "Then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."  (Matthew 24:3, 30) Thus, Jesus 'comes' by turning his attention to the executing of Jehovah's judgments  on the nations. This will result in momentous changes on earth, and since "all the tribes of the earth" have  ignored the reality of Jesus' kingship, they will indeed experience "the anger of the wrath of God the Almighty." -Revelation  19:11-21; Psalm 2:2, 3, 8, 9. 

During Jesus' last evening with his disciples, he told them:  "A little longer and the world will behold me no more."  (John 14::19) How is it, then, that "every eye  will see him"?  We should not expect that Jesus' enemies would see him with physical eyes, for the apostle Paul said, after Jesus' ascension to heaven, that Jesus  now "dwells in unapproachable light," and "not one of men has seen or can see" him,  (1 Timothy 6:16)  Evidently, John meant "see" in the sense of "discern," God's invisible qualities by mean of his creations.  (Romans 1:20)  Jesus "is coming with the clouds" in that he will be just as invisible to the naked eye as the sun is when it is behind clouds. Even when  the sun is hidden by clouds during daytime, we know that it is there because of the daylight that surrounds us. Similarly, though the Lord Jesus is invisible, he will be revealed like "a flaming fire, as he brings vengeance upon those who do not obey the good news about him.'  These too will be compelled  to "see him." -2 Thessalonians 1:6-8; 2:8.  

Jesus will be 'seen' by "those who pierced him." Who might these be?  When Jesus was executed in 33 C.E., the Roman soldiers pierced him literally.  The guilt of that murder was shared by the Jews, for Peter told some of these at Pentecost; "God made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you impaled."  (Acts 2:5-11, 36; compare Zechariah 12:10; John 19:37.) Those Romans and Jews have now been dead for close to 2,000 years . So those who 'pierce him' today must represent nations and people s that display the same hateful attitude that was shown when Jesus was impaled.  Jesus is no longer here on earth.  But when opposers  either actively  persecute Jehovah's Witnesses, who bear witness to Jesus, or passively consent to such treatment, it is just as though such opposers were 'piercing' Jesus himself. - Matthew 25:33, 41-46. 

Next time: Chapter Four/Jesus Comes With Encouragement - Symbolic Numbers In Revelation

From the book of Revelation