Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
I'm tellin' you, guys! If you want to explain who Jesus is by connecting together all the prophecies from the Old Testament into fulfillment, Revelation chapter 1 is the place!
Behold, He Cometh with Clouds
After hearing this incredible description of who Jesus is and what He wants us to be, we hear this bold proclamation! But there are quite a few verses this passage is tapping into...the concept of coming with clouds, for one thing. Often, in the Old Testament, Yahweh is depicted riding on the clouds, coming in judgment. Apparently, this was used to contrast against the false Canaanite god, Baal, who in Ugaritic texts is said to be called the Rider on the Clouds. But Yahweh is stronger than Baal, and He is the True God in the heavens. Notice some of the verses about God coming on the clouds.
Exodus 34:5 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
Psalm 104:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
Psalm 104:2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
Psalm 104:3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
Isaiah 19:1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
Nahum 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
Those verses should fill us with a sense of awe at the majesty of the LORD. One thing to remember is that anytime the word "LORD" is in all capitals like that, it's an indication that the tetragrammaton YHWH, the personal name of God, Yahweh, is being used. So this is THE Mighty God here that this is referring to. The one, true God, the Creator, the Redeemer of Israel out of Egypt--that God. And hearing that He rides on the clouds as His chariot, or descends on the cloud, or comes to judge Egypt on a swift cloud, is a way of referring to the God of the Heavens, the Lord over the heavens and the earth, the Creator of the Universe, and by extension, the earth's rightful Judge. But the image gets expanded in the book of Daniel.
Daniel 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
Daniel 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
You'll notice that Daniel 7 should really be on our minds as we read Revelation 1...but some of that is for the next blog post. The important thing to notice now is that in Daniel's vision, he is seeing the kingdoms of the world, who are depicted as beasts, being judged by the Ancient of Days who sits on the Throne and judges the kings of the earth. That would be powerful enough, but then this shocking image appears seemingly out of the blue, where a human figure does what usually only the God of the heavens does...comes with the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of Days and is given authority and everlasting dominion. That is startling! A human figure coming on the clouds. But it's the term "Son of Man" that gets a lot of play. That's Jesus's favorite term to use for himself, and we start to realize that Jesus is claiming to be the human figure that will restore the dominion and authority that God intended to give humanity all the way back in Genesis 1. And when you understand this prophecy being in the background of the gospels and realize that the Jews had been looking for and expecting this human figure who would receive a kingdom that would never be destroyed, you start to see why the high priest freaked out when Jesus connects himself to the image from the prophecy.
Matthew 26:62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
Matthew 26:63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
Matthew 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Matthew 26:65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
Why does the high priest go nuts? Because Jesus basically just told him he would be receiving an everlasting dominion and a kingdom that would never be destroyed. Also remember how often the visual of YHWH coming with the clouds is associated with judgment? What are you saying, Jesus of Nazareth?? But Jesus is vindicated in his ascension as we see him doing the very thing that Daniel seems to have seen...
Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Acts 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Acts 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Acts 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
Acts 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
I've heard people talking about this passage as if the disciples were completely off track and still missing the point of everything Jesus had taught them. But I don't think this is a non-sequitur at all. Remember, this is after Jesus opened up their eyes to understand the law and the prophets. Yes, it's before the Holy Ghost has come, but it's after he's helped them tie the big picture of what the Scripture is teaching together. They knew the Son of Man was receiving a kingdom and they knew that Jesus is the Son of Man! They just had the timing a little wrong. But that doesn't mean that Jesus isn't the Prince of the kings of the earth or that He's not coming back to judge all earthly kingdoms! But that's His job. The disciples needed to be focused on their job. (Which is still our job right now, by the way.)
But the passage that is most reminiscent of the words of Revelation 1:7 is something Jesus said in His Olivet Discourse.
All Kindreds of the Earth Shall Wail Because of Him
Matthew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
When Jesus comes back, it will either be the greatest day of a person's life or the worst day. Greatest if you follow Him already as King and want to see Him come back. The worst day, if you have set yourself against Him and His word. This isn't just a localized thing. All the tribes of the earth, all the kindreds of the earth, shall wail and mourn because of Him. Jesus isn't a local, tribal leader. He is Prince of the kings of the earth, and the entire world is impacted by Him.
And Every Eye Shall See Him
This isn't just Israel seeing Him, but every eye. The coming of Jesus is dramatic and earth-shaking.
Matthew 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
Matthew 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
But one of the most interesting parts of this verse is the part that hones in on a particular event.
And They Also Which Pierced Him
At first glance, it seems pretty straightforward. When did the piercing happen? On the cross. Who was pierced? Jesus. But the word "pierced" connects with some beautiful hidden gems in the rest of Scripture.
For example, Psalm 22 is an incredible prophecy of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Many of the exact phrases from the psalm are echoed in the gospels, describing the crucifixion. 1,000 years before Jesus, and hundreds of years before the Persians started to experiment with the punishment, this psalm is mind-blowingly accurate in its description. One of the key phrases (which is what relates to our current topic) comes from verse 16.
Psalm 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
But when John writes his account of Jesus's death, this isn't the passage he goes to. He links it with a prophecy in Zechariah which has even deeper implications. Psalm 22 predicts the manner of death of the Messiah, but Zechariah gives us an insight into who was actually being pierced...
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
This is in the midst of a prophecy about how the LORD, YHWH, is going to save Jerusalem from the nations coming against her, and in the context of that, the phrase comes..." they shall look upon ME whom they have pierced"...the question I have is who is speaking? Who is pouring out the spirit of grace and supplications? Whoever is doing that is the one speaking, and it seems to me that this is the LORD Himself saying that the inhabitants of Jerusalem will look on the One they pierced, and is, remarkably, claiming to be the One they pierced. John chooses this passage to reference when he describes his eyewitness account of Jesus on the cross.
John 19:34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
John 19:35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
John 19:36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
John 19:37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
Even so, Amen.
This is what is so amazing about our God. This truth is so powerful that John doubles up with another "Amen." The One who rides the clouds is also the One who was pierced, and one day everyone will have to reckon with Him. Are you ready? Will you be crying tears of joy or wailing and mourning because of Him when He comes? What is your relationship to the Pierced Cloud Rider?
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