16/12/11

He will come in cloud

Mark 9:7 - And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.


When we were small, and even now many parents still talk to your infants making funny sounds like gogo, gaga, lulu, lala... they do this for their mind tells them that children do not understand words. They do not realize that small infants have the ability to match sound patterns to events and thus develop their vocabulary. This is the reason in developed countries you will find more parents talk to their infants like they talk to any other person. When coming to the Bible we people have been doing the very same mistake.

Some days back I was having a discussion with my daughter (of 6 years) and she started popping serious questions and one of them was about Satan if he is a snake? To this I told her that he was a beautiful spirit being more than an Angel but allowed evil in him and came as a snake, which does not mean he was a snake nor moved like a snake, but twisted and turned the Truth by his words like a snake does, so as to deceive and hurt man. Then came the question 'why did God use symbols like snake in the Bible?'

Before Jesus gave us His Spirit, man did not have the ability to understand scriptures so God was compelled to us symbols. It is like we describe the sun to a child as a ball of fire. We use the term ball for they know the shape of a ball and it is easy to understand but the right term would be a sphere of fire. We use common known objects to describe things not known or visible, in the same way even God does that. But then there are terms we use like describing an aeroplane to a child who has not seen even a photograph of it, as a mechanical vehicle that flies like a bird. What you may mean its ability to fly but then the child may visualize it as having wings and flapping it like a bird. So it is important that more the objects we recognize the more easily we can understand things not yet visible to us.

Now that we have received the Spirit of God - the Spirit of Truth who gives us the ability to understand, it is sad we are still doing gogos and gagas. Our spiritual vocabulary is very bad and it really pains to see even great Men and Women of God operating mainly on gifts and anointing but not in understanding of the Kingdom of God. That is the reason they hit a ceiling in their spiritual life and many break and fall.

When Jesus said He would come 'in cloud' people changed 'in' to 'on' and put a figure of a man representing Jesus standing on a cloud. If they kept the 'in' as 'in' then it would be difficult for them to picture it. They do this for their spiritual vocabulary does not understand the term 'cloud'.

When the Lord used the term cloud He meant glory. Jesus Christ is our temporary home. Temporary does not mean we will have another home but temporary means our permanent home is in Him when He comes in glory. Jesus Christ is Son of God and after He comes in glory we will be part of Him as God the Son and not Son of God. We will be sons of God who will be part of the Body of the glorious God the Son. That is the reason His birth is celebrated as living in booths. He is our Booth our temporary dwelling place till He comes in glory and becomes our permanent Home.

Just about 2 weeks back I was teaching on the event concerning Jesus Christ coming in cloud and the Lord explained things that really got me flabbergasted. It is so different to what people think.

It is time we grow in spiritual understanding; that we strive to experience not a cloud like Moses experienced over us but the real glory of God like Jesus said. Jesus Himself said we would do greater things than even things He did at that time and this is will only be possible if we grow not only in gifts but also in Fruits. Knowledge and understanding of the Kingdom of God is one of main ingredient directly or indirectly of many of the Fruits.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, we pray that your children stop being children and start growing into sons. You do not give precious things to the immature but to those who are mature. Your inheritance is not to children but to sons. Lord, open the eyes of your people and let we not desire to remain in a booth but to work towards You coming in glory and we dwell in our permanent house that is You before the foundation of creation...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Luke 21:26-28
26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Revelation 14:13-16
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

Revelation 10:1-6

1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:

John 17:20-24
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

John 5:20
- For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and greater works than these will he show him, that ye may marvel.

John 14:12
- Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father.

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