HT – About Fire and Cloud – 하나님의 교회 예수증인회 Church of God Jesus Witnesses

About Fire and Clouds

Christ, who will come as the Judgment Lord, is said to be surrounded by fire.

<Isa66:15-16> See, the LORD is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword the LORD will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the LORD.

<2Thes1:7-9> and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power

<2Pet3:12-13> as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

On the other hand, it is recorded in the Bible that Jesus is coming in the clouds when Jesus comes as the Lord of Judgment.

<1Thes 4:15-17> According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

The content of being lifted into the clouds and receiving the Lord from the air above the clouds also shows the second coming of Christ. It is, of course, a prophecy of Christ coming as judge. Since Jesus is in the air above the clouds, he is riding on the clouds when he sees it from the ground.

The book of Revelation also states that when Christ comes to the clouds on the day of final judgment, the prophecy of the resurrection of the dead will come at the same time.

<Rev1:7> Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

In the book of Revelation, when Christ came to the clouds in the last days, those who pierced saw Jesus. Those who pierced Jesus are Roman soldiers. These words are premised on the resurrection of the dead when He comes as judge. If cloud means flesh, shouldn’t the Roman soldiers reincarnate at this time and see the Jang-gilja directly?

Fire and cloud are expressions from different perspectives of an event

1 Thessalonians 4: 15-17 and Revelation 1: 7 are paired words and prophecies of Christ who will come upon the cloud as the final Judge. Likewise, Isaiah 66: 15–16, 2 Thess 1: 7–9, and 2 Peter 3: 12–13 are the words of coming to be the last Judgment Lord, judging by fire and bringing punishment. Depending on your thoughts, the two prophecies are in conflict with each other, and you will be asked whether they represent different events.

But believers who believe in Almighty God must also believe that everything is possible. At the end of the day the earth will be distrusted by the dissolution of hot fire, and on that same day the saved saints will be transformed in an instant, lifted up into the air, and will receive Christ on the clouds. Even if the earth is a sea of fire, there is no reason for not believing the prophets’ prophecy that there is a cloud in the air and that the saints will receive Christ on it.

Here, we need to take a closer look at the comparison between Jesus’ ascension two thousand years ago and His descending in the air on the last day.

<Act 1:9-11> After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

‘Jesus will come as He ascended to heaven,’ says the angel. Then imagine the scene of ascension. The disciples are watching from the earth, and Jesus is being lifted into the air to be on the clouds. There is a cloud between the disciples and Jesus. In other words, when people looked up from the earth, Jesus was riding in the clouds. Compare this scene with the appearance of Jesus descending into the air on the last day.

<1Thes4.15-17> According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Imagine a scene where the last 144,000 on earth welcome the coming of Christ. Consider comparing the scenes of Jesus’ ascension. Jesus is on the cloud. We who wish to meet the Lord will be lifted from the earth upon clouds to receive Him in the air. Looking at Jesus descended into the air from the ground, he can be described as riding on a cloud because he is on the cloud.

When He comes, Jesus does not come under the clouds but is on the clouds. We are lifted up to meet the Lord in the air. The earth is judged by fire and becomes a sea of fire, but we are lifted up into the air to receive the Lord on the clouds.

<Dan 7:13-14> “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

The prophecy of Daniel 7:13 should be interpreted as a prophecy against the Judgment Lord in the last days. For it is after judgment that the kingdom of God will be restored forever. Jesus’ coming in clouds and coming to judge is a prophecy of an event. See Daniel 7:26 for clarity.

<Dan 7:26-27> ‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’

1 Thessalonians 4: 15-17 is very important in understanding how fire and clouds fulfill prophecies as an event. Please read it slowly again.