Second-Coming of Christ
The Coming on a Cloud
I have been asked many times why I was born unto earth and why I didn't come down on a cloud, like many people expect. I got this e-mail once, which is similar to many others.
1 Thes. 4:16 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with
the trumpet of God."
When Christ returns it will not be in the same manner of his First Coming. Christ will not need to set up a website to
make known his Second Coming. It will be evident to all. He will return in all his deserved glory.
Now, this person believes, just like many other people out there, that the Second-Coming of the Messiah will be on a cloud, and will be known by all. They cannot understand why I did not come down on a cloud and why everyone can not know straight away that I am Christ.
To answer this, I am going to look at the First Coming of the Messiah.
At the First Coming, many of the educated men of Israel thought that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem as a descendant
of King David. (Matt.2:5-6);(Mic.5:2). Yet there were many other Jews who expected the Messiah to come on the clouds,
much like many Christians now expect the Second Coming of the Messiah to come on the clouds. This belief was based on
their reading of the prophecy of Daniel, "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a
son of man,"(Dan.7:13) and possibly other prophecies of supernatural events Such as Joel 2:30-31.
Therefore, the Pharisees questioned Jesus. They told Jesus to show them a sign from heaven, to prove
that he was the Messiah (Matt.16:1-4);(Mark 8:11-12). Without any of the signs from heaven forementioned in the
Bible, they could not accept him as their long-awaited Messiah.
Contrary to the expectations of many Jews who believed, on biblical grounds, that the Messiah would come
on the clouds with signs in the heavens, Jesus was born on the earth as a child in a lowly family. Therefore, we should all
re-examine the Bible from the perspective that the Second Advent of Christ will not take place on a cloud, coming down from heaven but, in
fact, take place in the same manner as the First Advent.
