Prayer – Lord, it is a hot sunny day, today. No clouds in the sky. Does that mean that this is not the day of your return? Almost every day I look for clouds—anticipating your return. No clouds—this is not the day. But I know that there has to be more that clouds forming in the sky before You return, like great battles, persecution and strife. Open my eyes and heart to understanding the unfolding mystery of prophesy. I’m waiting patiently, searching the sky and scripture in anticipation of that great day.
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| Clouds above Jerusalem |
Meditate. Consider God’s guidance in scripture. Read God’s
word and listen to what He is saying.
Can you tell what the weather will be?
One day the
Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a
miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. He replied, "You know
the saying, 'Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow; red sky in the
morning means foul weather all day.' You know how to interpret the weather
signs in the sky, but you don't know how to interpret the signs of the times! Matthew
16:1-3
Then Jesus turned to
the crowd and said, "When you see clouds beginning to form in the west,
you say, 'Here comes a shower.' And you are right. When the south wind blows,
you say, 'Today will be a scorcher.' And it is. You fools! You know how to interpret
the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don't know how to interpret the
present times. Luke 12:54-56
Another instance of clouds that we can easily recall is
when Jesus ascended into Heaven, after His resurrection.
After saying this,
he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer
see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men
suddenly stood among them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why are
you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into
heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him
go!" Acts 1:9-11
So, just as the angels said…Jesus will return the same way
as He left the earth. Riding on a cloud. Friends discussing this recently
brought to mind the image of Jesus Christ returning with tremendous power—the sky
filled with colorful clouds and blazing lightning! Every eye will see Him, just
as John wrote. With technology today that is easily achievable—but with God all
things are possible. He doesn’t need fancy equipment. Since He could move
faster than the speed of light, instantly, Jesus could be seen by everyone all
around the world, as Matthew described, with power and glory. KaZoom! KaBoom!
Immediately after
the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no
light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be
shaken. And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in
the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the
earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory. Matthew 24:29-30
What could you imagine about that vision of Jesus coming in
the clouds?
Who are those who have pierced Him? Not only the Jews, and
the Romans or Gentiles, who crucified Him, but everyone who has rejected Him and
continues to sin. Zechariah wrote about this in an Old Testament prophesy
concerning the Jews and Jerusalem during the end times. Not just the Jews will
mourn, but everyone around the world—all nations.
Then I will pour out
a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of
Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for
an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has
died. Zechariah 12:10
Will you be mourning or rejoicing at the return of Jesus
Christ? The choice is yours. Repent and be saved—let the rejoicing begin today!
Verses of Salvation ~ In Jerusalem, the LORD of Heaven's
Armies will spread a wonderful feast for all the people of the world. It will
be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat. There he
will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth.
He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears.
He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The
LORD has spoken! In that day the people will proclaim, "This is our God!
We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the LORD, in whom we trusted. Let
us rejoice in the salvation he brings!" Isaiah 25:6-9
(Underlined for emphasis.)
Happy Birthday Blessings,
Claudia!
© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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