27th of the 4th month 2018/2019
Shalom all,
Ḥazon/Revelation 1:7 “See, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth shall mourn because of Him. Yes, Aměn.”
In a clear declaration, in the revelation of יהושע Messiah that Yoḥanan was given, we see the powerful truth that awaits all mankind! Our Creator and Saviour is coming on the clouds and every eye will see Him!
Ḥazon/Revelation chapter 1 makes a powerful introduction to this extremely powerful book, declaring who יהושע Messiah is! He is the Aleph and the Taw, He is the beginning and the end! He is the One coming on the clouds and in saying that, we can boldly say that: He is יהוה our Saviour!!!
In a brief message called, “SEE, HE IS COMING ON THE CLOUDS!” I would like to expand a little on this phrase in order for us to fully comprehend the magnitude of this statement, among many, that declares that יהושע Messiah is יהוה our Saviour and there I no one else beside Him!!!
As part of this very powerful revelation of יהושע Messiah, we need to understand why this declaration of Him coning on the clouds is a very significant one, especially when it is made very clear that every eye will see the one who comes on the clouds! In this message I want highlight various key passages that help us understand the power of the declaration and revelation of who it is who rides the clouds, as we need to understand from a Scriptural perspective why this statement carries such power. One that is wonderfully thread through Scripture in order for us to acknowledge and confess who our Creator and Saviour is!
The first part of this verse 7 from Ḥazon/Revelation 1 is a quote from:
Dani’ěl/Daniel 7:13 “I was looking in the night visions and saw One like the Son of Enosh, coming with the clouds of the heavens! And He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.”
As a part of the visions that Dani’ěl saw, we are able to see that He was given a revelation of the One who is coming with the clouds!
The Aramaic word that is translated here as ‘visions’ comes from the noun חֱזוּ ḥezu – Strong’s H2736 which means, ‘vision, appearance’ and comes from the root verb חֲזָה ḥazah – Strong’s H2370 which corresponds to the Hebrew primitive root verb חָזָה ḥazah – Strong’s H2372 which means, ‘to see, behold, have a vision, prophesy, perceive, to see by experience’. It is from this root verb that we get the Hebrew word חָזוֹן ḥazon – Strong’s H2377 which means, ‘revelation, vision’, and this is the word that is used for the Book of the Revelation of Messiah – a clear book of prophesy that reveals to us very clearly who our Saviour, Master and Elohim is!
Dani’ěl saw, in a vision, the revelation of יהושע Messiah, and in the Aramaic phrase He is described as being One like the Son of Mankind, which prophetically was clearly understood as being The Saviour who would come to be born in the flesh and redeem mankind!
Messiah told His taught ones, when teaching of the end days and the time of His coming again, the following:
Mattithyahu/Matthew 24:30 “And then the sign of the Son of Aḏam shall appear in the heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of Aḏam coming on the clouds of the heaven with power and much esteem.”
This imagery of our Creator and Saviour coming on the clouds is one that was understood by Yisra’ěl, and one that gave a confident expectation of deliverance to come, yet when Messiah came in the flesh and made the clear declaration that He would be seen coming on the clouds, it was seen as blasphemy, when He made this statement before the high priest:
Mattithyahu/Matthew 26:62-65 “And the high priest stood up and said to Him, “Have You no answer to make? What do these witness against You?” 63 But יהושע remained silent. So the high priest said to Him, “I put You to oath, by the living Elohim that You say to us if You are the Messiah, the Son of Elohim.” 64 יהושע said to him, “You have said it. Besides I say to you, from now on you shall see the Son of Aḏam sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of the heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his garments, saying, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? See, now you have heard His blasphemy!”
With Messiah quoting from Tehillah/Psalm 110 and Dani’ěl/Daniel 7, He was making it clear that he is the High Priest and King that is coming again, when he shall be seen as the One who is coming on the clouds!
By this statement He was basically telling them that He is the Master and Elohim and Saviour of Man, and by this declaration he was making it clear that at the revelation of His coming on the clouds, every eye would see and know that He is יהוה our Saviour! Think about it for a moment! At these words the high priest tore his garments and said that יהושע has blasphemed! It was considered blasphemy to be saying that He was the One who is coming on the clouds, for it was understood very clearly that it is יהוה who is the One who shall come on the clouds! On order for us to understand this more, we can take a look at a couple of key Scriptures that highlight this clear concept and imagery of יהוה being the One who is coming on the clouds!
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 33:26 “O Yeshurun, there is no one like Ěl, riding the heavens to help you, and on the clouds, in His excellency.”
The poetic term ‘Yeshurun’, which means ‘upright one’, is used as a symbolic term in Scripture when speaking of all 12 Tribes of Yisra’ĕl that are serving together in unity! יְשֻׁרוּן Yeshurun – Strong’s H3484 comes from the word יָשַׁר yashar – Strong’s H3474 which means, ‘to be straight, right, pleasing, be level, upright, just and lawful’. The Book of Yasher, commonly known to us as ‘Jasher’, means the book of the ‘upright/straight’ or the Book of the ‘Righteous’. This is what יהוה has chosen Yisra’ĕl (His called-out Bride) for – to be straight and upright and walk in His Torah, shining the Light of His Besorah (Good News) amidst a crooked world.
יהוה – He is Ěl and Sovereign of the upright ones, and He is coming as the Righteous King, riding on the clouds, to gather the tribes of Yisra’ĕl.
The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘clouds’ comes from the root word שַׁחַק shaḥaq – Strong’s H7834 which means, ‘cloud, dust, sky, heavens’ and this word is used 21 times in Scripture and is frequently used to describe the power and strength of Elohim who is above the clouds and who rides on the clouds!
Tehillah/Psalm 68:4 “Sing to Elohim, sing praises to His Name. Raise up a highway for Him who rides through the deserts, By His Name Yah, and exult before Him.”
Tehillah/Psalm 68:33-35 “To Him who rides on the ancient highest heavens! See, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice. 34 Ascribe strength to Elohim; His excellence is over Yisra’ěl, and His strength is in the clouds. 35 O Elohim, awesome from Your set-apart places, The Ěl of Yisra’ěl is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be Elohim!”
This Tehillah is a great song of Dawiḏ and expresses the clear call for us to praise Him who rides the clouds and deserts!!!
Tehillah/Psalm 18 is a song of Dawiḏ which carries the words that he spoke to יהוה in the day that יהוה delivered him from his enemies and from the hand of Sha’ul. And in this song of praise יהוה is described as the One who came riding on the storm cloud into battle against His enemies in order to deliver His Beloved!
Tehillah/Psalm 18:9-15 “And He bowed the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under His feet. 10 And He rode upon a keruḇ, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness His covering; around Him His booth, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies. 12 From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed, hail and coals of fire. 13 And יהוה thundered in the heavens, and the Most High sent forth His voice, hail and coals of fire. 14 And He sent out His arrows and scattered them, and much lightning, and confused them. 15 And the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were uncovered at Your rebuke, O יהוה , at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.”
Very powerful imagery used here in this great song of praise for our Deliverer, who comes riding on the storm clouds and destroys our enemies with the lightning fire of His wrath!
This very strong imagery is also seen in another psalm that is ascribed to Dawiḏ in the LXX and Syriac texts:
Tehillah/Psalm 104:1-4 “Bless יהוה, O my being! O יהוה my Elohim, You have been very great: You have put on excellency and splendour, 2 covering Yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a curtain, 3 who is laying the beams of His upper rooms in the waters, who is making thick clouds His chariot, who is walking on the wings of the wind, 4 making His messengers the winds, His servants a flame of fire.”
Making thick clouds His chariot!
The Hebrew word that is translated here as ‘chariot’ is רֶכֶב reḵeḇ – Strong’s H7393 which means, ‘chariot, chariot horses, charioteers’ and comes from the primitive root verb רָכַב raḵaḇ – Strong’s H7392 which means, ‘to mount and ride, ride in a chariot, to cause to ride, to cause to draw or plough’.
This highlights the clear imagery of our Master and Elohim who is coming, riding on the clouds, coming to reap the harvest and destroy His enemies and deliver His chosen!
The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘cloud’ is עָב aḇ – Strong’s H5645 which means, ‘cloud, dark cloud, cloud mass, thick clouds’, and this word comes from the primitive root verb עוּב uḇ – Strong’s H5743 which means, ‘cover with a cloud, to becloud’.
The first time we see the word עָב aḇ – Strong’s H5645 being used is in:
Shemoth/Exodus 19:9 “And יהוה said to Mosheh, “See, I am coming to you in the thick cloud, so that the people hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” And Mosheh reported the words of the people to יהוה.”
Here it is translated as ‘thick’, and the Hebrew word for ‘cloud’ is עָנָן anan – Strong’s H6051 meaning, ‘a cloud, cloud mass, heavy mist’.
The word עָב aḇ – Strong’s H5645 is typically designates a particular cloud, generally a dark cloud in the sense of a rain cloud. The ‘thick cloud’ can be both something very encouraging as well as something very frightening! As Yisra’ĕl went through the Wilderness they were guided by the presence of יהוה, and here Shelomoh uses the clear imagery of the goodness of a king’s favour being like that of a cloud that brings the much-needed springs rains.
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 16:15 “In the light of a sovereign’s face is life, and his delight is like a cloud of the latter rain.”
In a clear contrast from verse 14 where we see the picture of the anger of a king that brings death, here we see how the light of a king’s face is life!
To be in the light of someone’s face is a picture of acceptance and approval, and the light of a king’s face is often an expression that is commonly used in regards to יהוה.
Tehillah/Psalm 4:6 “Many are saying, “Who would show us good?” יהוה, lift up the light of Your face upon us.”
Tehillah/Psalm 44:3 “For not by their own sword did they possess the land, neither did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand and Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You delighted in them.”
Tehillah/Psalm 89:15 “Blessed are the people who know the festal trumpet-call! They walk, O יהוה, in the light of Your face.”
The ‘light of the face of יהוה’ also speaks of His esteem and was made clearly visible in the form of our great Husband and King, יהושע Messiah!
Qorintiyim Bet/2 Corinthians 4:6 “For Elohim, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts for the enlightening of the knowledge of the esteem of Elohim in the face of יהושע Messiah.”
His delight is like the cloud of the latter rain!
In continuing to give us the clear image of the blessing of life we also see Shelomoh teaching us the delight of our Sovereign is likened to His great protection and provision!
The Hebrew word used for ‘latter rain’ is the word מַלְקוֹשׁ malqosh – Strong’s H4456 and comes from the same as the word לֶקֶשׁ leqesh – Strong’s H3954 which means, ‘the after growth’ and the denominative verb of this is לָקַשׁ laqash – Strong’s H3953 which means, ‘to take the second crop, to take everything, to glean the harvest’.
The latter rain is also a promise of provision and blessing that is given for obedience:
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 11:13-14 “And it shall be that if you diligently obey My commands which I command you today, to love יהוה your Elohim and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your being, 14 then I shall give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, and you shall gather in your grain, and your new wine, and your oil.”
If His commands were guarded then יהוה would send both the EARLY rain and the LATTER rain!
The former and latter rains are related to the two comings of Messiah. The Hebrew word for ‘early rain’ is the word יוֹרֶה yoreh – Strong’s H3138 and is the active participle of the word יָרָה yarah – Strong’s H3384 which means, ‘to throw or shoot, direct, instruct, teach, teacher’.
What we recognise from the early and latter rain is that with the first coming of Messiah we can recognise that He came to ‘teach and instruct’ us and with His second coming, as the latter rain, He is coming to take up a harvest of souls – He is coming to reap, and He is coming on the clouds!!!
These words are used, both as references to these two events, in Hoshěa and Yo’ěl:
Hoshěa/Hosea 6:3 “So let us know, let us pursue to know יהוה. His going forth is as certain as the morning. And He comes to us like the rain, like the latter rain watering the earth.”
The word translated as ‘latter rain’ is מַלְקוֹשׁ malqosh – Strong’s H4456 and the word translated as ‘watering’ is יוֹרֶה yoreh – Strong’s H3138.
Yo’ěl/Joel 2:23 “And you children of Tsiyon, be glad and rejoice in יהוה your Elohim, for He shall give you the Teacher of Righteousness, and cause the rain to come down for you, the former rain and the latter rain, as before.”
The word used for both ‘teacher’ and ‘former rain’ is the root word מוֹרֶה moreh – Strong’s H4175 which means both, ‘teacher’ and ‘rain’ and comes from the root word יָרָה yarah – Strong’s H3384 from which we get the term ‘early rain’.
The word that used in Yo’ěl/Joel 2:23 for ‘latter rain’ is מַלְקוֹשׁ malqosh – Strong’s H4456.
יהושע Messiah is both our Teacher of righteousness and He is the ‘gatherer of the after crop’ – He has come and shown us the way and taught us through His life, death and resurrection how we are to walk in Him and guard the Torah – when He comes again will He find faith – active faith that is seen in the diligent guarding and doing of His commands???
The day of יהוה is a dark day, a day of thick clouds, and the question we must be readily able to answer positively, is that when He comes again will we be found to be doing that in which He delights!
The Rider of the thick clouds is coming – are you ready with oil in your lamp and ready to be taken up as His ready Bride or will you be found to be one who has blasphemed His Name and walked in stubbornness and pride and will tremble at His appearance in the cloud!!!
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 19:1 “The message concerning Mitsrayim. See, יהוה is riding on a swift cloud, and He shall come into Mitsrayim. And the idols of Mitsrayim shall tremble at His presence, and the heart of Mitsrayim melt in its midst.”
This message concerning Mitsrayim is a clear prophecy against that which is of the world and walking according to the lusts of the flesh and walking in idolatry! יהוה is coming, riding on a swift cloud!
The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘riding’ is רָכַב raḵaḇ – Strong’s H7392 which means, ‘to mount and ride, ride in a chariot, to cause to ride, to cause to draw or plough’.
The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘on’ is עַל al – Strong’s H5921 – translates as ‘in, on, upon, over, by’ and is used as a preposition (in the sing. or pl. often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following).
The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘swift’ is קַל qal – Strong’s H7031 which means, ‘light, swift, one who is swift’. The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘cloud’ is עָב aḇ – Strong’s H5645 which means, ‘cloud, dark cloud, cloud mass, thick clouds’
When our Master comes riding on the clouds, He will be coming swiftly and there will be nowhere to hide for His enemies!
In another image of יהוה riding on the clouds in vengeance, is seen in the message concerning Ninewěh:
Naḥum/Nahum 1:2-3 “יהוה is a jealous and revenging Ěl, יהוה is a revenger and a possessor of wrath. יהוה takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He watches for His enemies. 3 יהוה is patient and great in power, but by no means leaves unpunished. יהוה has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.”
While we are definitely able to see the clear theme of the image of the One who rides the clouds, being made abundantly clear, we must take note that in the ancient pagan Kenaʽanite religion, Ba’al was believed to be the one who rides the clouds!
In Ugaritic texts, which are the ancient texts that deal a lot with the ancient Kenaʽanite religion, Ba’al was repeatedly referred to as being the one who rides on the clouds ad sends rain. In fact, in the Ugaritic texts one of the titles that is repeatedly given to Ba’al is ‘The Cloud Rider’! Why is this important for us to know? Well, when we look at the history of Yisra’ěl and their falling away to the corruption of Ba’al worship, we are able to understand why the clear description of יהוה being the Only One who rides the clouds and sends rain, being significantly important in declaring who one serves and follows!
As we consider this clear battle for worship, we can be reminded of the events that took place when the House of Yisra’ěl was under the reign of a wicked Aḥaḇ and his corrupt wife Izeḇel, who had caused Yisra’ěl to follow the wicked worship of Ba’al, the Kenaʽanite deity of fertility, who they believed to ride the clouds and send rain!
It was during this time that the prophet of יהוה, Ěliyahu, had called for the rain to stop for 3 ½ years and then confronted the corrupt Ba’al worship, in a heated showdown on Mount Karmel, where the True Cloud Rider was revealed and the prophets of Ba’al were put to death! After this event, the rain came as the True Cloud Rider, יהוה Elohim, had now sent his rain at the voice of His prophet!
It is in Melaḵim Aleph/1 Kings 18 that we are able to read and study the events of the showdown on Mount Karmel and from verse 2 we are told that the famine was severe in the land:
Melaḵim Aleph/1 Kings 18:1-2 “And after many days it came to be that the word of יהוה came to Ěliyahu, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Aḥaḇ, and I give rain on the earth.” 2 Thereupon Ěliyahu went to present himself to Aḥaḇ. And the scarcity of food in Shomeron was severe.”
Yisra’ěl had fallen prey to the false worship of Ba’al and after 3 ½ years of there being no rain, the time to show a corrupt people who the True Cloud Rider is came about. Under a corrupt worship system, Ba’al was worshiped for being the cloud rider and sender of rain and was believed to be the one to bring fertility. Well, after 3 ½ years of drought, the famine had become so severe that the time to now choose who they serve had come about, as Ěliyahu set up a clear challenge that would identify who the True Cloud Rider and Sender or Rain was.
Despite concerted efforts of the Ba’al prophets, their assumed deity did not answer them! Then Ěliyahu repaired the slaughter-place of Yisra’ěl and called on יהוה to send fire. יהוה answered with fire and consumed the ascending offering, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
After this we see the following response of the people of Yisra’ěl who were called to choose that day whom they would serve:
Melaḵim Aleph/1 Kings 18:39 “And all the people saw, and fell on their faces, and said, “יהוה, He is the Elohim! יהוה, He is the Elohim!”
The people acknowledged that יהוה is Elohim and by this declaration of acknowledgement, they acknowledged that יהוה is the True Cloud Rider and not Ba’al!
The Ba’al prophets were then killed at the wadi Qishon and then Ěliyahu told Aḥaḇ to go up and eat, because of the sound of rain! Rain was coming!!! The Cloud Rider and Sender of Rain was coming! At this event on Mount Karmel, when יהוה answered with fire, we are able to recognise the image of Him answering with lightning from His dark cloud, striking with lightning the ascending offering that was prepared by Ěliyahu! There was thunder, lightning and then the rain!!! This was a huge day as it identified who the True and Only Cloud Rider is! Ba’al worship was destroyed and יהוה was once again revealed as Elohim and the One who rides on the clouds!!!
The heavy rain that followed would have ended the drought and so we are able to see the powerful prophetic shadow picture of the second coming of our Master. In the Book of Amos, we are told that the days are coming when יהוה will send a famine for the Word:
Amos 8:11 “See, days are coming,” declares the Master יהוה, “that I shall send a hunger in the land, not a hunger for bread, nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the Words of יהוה.”
A famine for the hearing of the Word! I think that we are certainly in these days, as we take note that many are, as Sha’ul said, listening to those who tickle the ear and are refusing to listen to the proper sound teaching of the Word of Elohim! This is a time when the choice of who one serves must be made!
Sadly, many are deceived as they simply follow what they are told and are unable to rightly divide the truth and discern against deceit, for they know not the right-rulings of Elohim because the false prophets and false teachers and false shepherds have muddied the waters and taught deceit, treachery and falsehood!
Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 23:26-27 “Till when shall it be in the heart of the prophets? – the prophets of falsehood and prophets of the deceit of their own heart, 27 who try to make My people forget My Name by their dreams which everyone relates to his neighbour, as their fathers forgot My Name for Baʽal.”
The deceit that is coming forth from the hearts of false prophets and false teachers continue to cause people to forget the Name of יהוה – for Ba’al!!!
The Hebrew word בַּעַל ba’al – Strong’s H1167 means, ‘owner, lord, master, land owner’, and at its root form it means, ‘to marry, rule over, husband’. We also take note that the name בַּעַל Ba’al – Strong’s H1168, as it is used in this verse from Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 23:27, was the name of a Phoenician deity and as a name it can be rendered from the Hebrew into English as ‘The Lord’!!!
Melaḵim Aleph/1 Kings 18:21 “And Ěliyahu came to all the people, and said, “How long would you keep hopping between two opinions? If יהוה is Elohim, follow Him; and if Baʽal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.”
If we translate the Hebrew of the highlighted text correctly into English we would better have the following:
If יהוה is Elohim, follow Him; and if The Lord, follow him.
For many this may seem offensive, yet to the true hearer and doer of the Truth this is a sobering reality of what the false and deceitful traditions of man has done in causing many to not know Elohim and in doing so they have forgotten the Name of יהוה, which highlights how the deceived have forgotten who it is who causes them to be!
Choose the True Cloud Rider or choose the cloud deceiver!
As we consider the clear revelation of יהוה being the One who rides the clouds and the One who is coming on the clouds, as prophesied, we are able to understand the clear choice that many where given when Messiah came in the flesh! Many rejected Him and His words that revealed that He is the One who is coming on the clouds, as blasphemy, and it is with this imagery that we are able to once again recognise how it is the spirit of Ěliyahu that must come first, before Him who rides on the clouds comes, for the spirit of Ěliyahu calls for a choice to be made, in a time of a famine for the Word!!! Only those who truly hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled and be taken up to be with him who rides on the clouds, while those who reject Him and shall be destroyed by the fire of His wrath when He comes on the dark cloud!
Every eye will see Him who rides on the clouds! The question is… who are you serving? Choose the True Cloud Rider today – יהושע Messiah – for He is יהוה our Elohim!!! In choosing Him you choose life and choose to hear, guard and do His Word as you throw off all that entangles and destroy all form of ‘Ba’al’ worship, in order to serve the True Living Elohim, who rides the clouds! The revelation of יהושע Messiah identifies for us that He is יהוה our Elohim and Saviour, and beside Him there is no one else. Our acknowledgment of this is another confession of confidence we have in our only One True Saviour who is coming swiftly for us:
SEE, HE IS COMING ON THE CLOUDS!
Are your eyes fixed on Him? If Not, then hear this message and look to the Prince and Perfecter of our belief, for:
SEE, HE IS COMING ON THE CLOUDS!
יהוה bless you and guard you; יהוה make His face shine upon you and show favour to you; יהוה lift up His face to you and give you Shalom