You were told the wrong interpretation of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, referring to the CLOUDS of the BOOK of ACTS, and other passages in Matthew, Luke, Hebrews... You have been confused and this is as expected, until the proper timing. Now let's gain the right interpretation.
Therefore when Jesus Christ returns he must come back from the earth as he is being watched by disciples, and he will come back as he blesses his disciples. One thing Jesus absolutely did not do as he was being watched leaving was: go into heaven in a cloud.
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| Look at the fluffy little clouds, but don't get confused! |
Did NOT Jesus Christ a/k/a Yahshua give a clear and firm teaching about Heaven?? Yes he did! Jesus Christ proclaimed as did John the Baptist"that heaven is at hand". At hand is not in the sky. And clouds do not mean clouds in the atmosphere. Clouds in the O.T. had meant a large unified mass of witnesses gathered around. Or it means "the status of being hidden, to hide".
“FROM THAT TIME JESUS BEGAN TO PREACH, AND TO SAY, REPENT; FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND.” MATTHEW 4:17.
“THESE TWELVE JESUS SENT FORTH, AND COMMANDED THEM, SAYING, GO NOT INTO THE WAY OF THE GENTILES, AND INTO ANY CITY OF THE SAMARITANS ENTER YE NOT; BUT GO RATHER TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL. AND AS YE GO, PREACH, SAYING, THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND. HEAL THE SICK, CLEANSE THE LEPERS, RAISE THE DEAD, CAST OUT DEVILS; FREELY YE HAVE RECEIVED, FREELY GIVE.” Matthew 10:5 to 8.
The concept of "heaven" and where exactly is heaven, what is it? This is a whole other discussion. This is very deep theology and indeed the cosmology of the Universe. We can get into that in this brief article, later on we will explore Heaven and comparison of "Kingdom of Heaven" versus "Kingdom of God", are they the same or overlapping to what degree?
Let us begin by thinking what this is all about. The most important and impending event to be concerned with - is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Yahshua). This is the event we should all be waiting for and in terms of the True Israelites, True Jews, this is the core of the religion itself, to receive the Messiah, Moschiach. This is THE turning point of all of history. This is the transitional point when civilization moves into a New Era. Even the Buddhists, the Hindus of the Vedic religions, and the Muslims believe and accept this. It is the Ultimate Prophecy. We in strong faith, know and expect it to be very soon, as this is the "End Times" even now.
Having said that, the Second Advent, the arrival of our Saviour to usher in the Promised Kingdom, will have to be understand to a certain extent, before we are to recognize it. So we have done a lot already, to interpret scripture and realize that the time is nigh, it is "the End Times". Many prophecies have been fulfilled, many signs have been given. Signs in the stars have occurred, as the Magi (who are called "the three wise men"), the astrologers had calculated the first arrival of Jesus Christ at the Nativity.
To more fully comprehend the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, there happen to be some very veiled clues throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Obviously, in order to be a good student of Biblical knowledge and to be an advanced seeker of the secrets of Prophecy, one has to understand one fo the primary principles. What is that, you ask Ahgamen? It is the principle of establishing the original meanings of the language and symbolism, mysticism of the Old Testament, which you can then build upon with the later messages in the New Testament. It will therefore demonstrate and progression a continuation and a fulfillment, from the Old unto the New and beyond.
We will now focus on the event called "The Ascension" which happened after the "Resurrection" and there are only a few passages wherein these descriptions of the ascension are found. Specifically, we turn to the writings of Luke, in Book of Luke and in Book of Acts, in the first chapter.
The reason why we will focus on the Ascension, as a way to understand the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is because clues are wrapped into that. Clues of the Second Advent are within the Ascension; that is what it gives us. Unfortunately, this is where the confusion started, with the mistranslation AND the misinterpretation - all too common!
Taking a study of all the info on Biblehub (thank you very much), we can find these translations which are the best ones. Basically this is to say, if you have a different Bible, then most likely it has been poorly and erroneously translated. These ones are the most accurate translation and lead to best interpretation and understanding! It is all about "going" not "go" nor "gone".
who
also said, “Men, Galileans, why do you stand gazing into the sky? This
Jesus who was received up from you into Heaven, will so come in what
manner you saw Him going on to Heaven.”
who
also said, "Men, Galileans, why do you stand looking into heaven? This
Jesus, having been taken up from you into heaven, will thus come in that
manner you beheld Him going into heaven."
who also said, 'Men, Galileans, why do ye stand gazing into the heaven?
this Jesus who was received up from you into the heaven, shall so come
in what manner ye saw him going on to the heaven.'
And
they said, Galilean men, why stand ye looking to heaven this Jesus,
taken up from you to heaven, so shall he come which manner ye saw him
going to heaven.
Who said, Men, Galileans, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus having been taken up from you into heaven, will thus come in like manner as you beheld Him going into heaven.
Who
also said: Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This
Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, as you have
seen him going into heaven.
And
they said: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up toward
heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, shall
return in just the same way that you have seen him going up to heaven.”
Translation from Aramaic - Yeshua? No. Yahshua!
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they were saying to them, “Galilean men, why are you standing and gazing into the sky? This Yeshua, who was taken up from you into Heaven shall come in this way, as when you saw him going up into Heaven.”
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| Image of the page on Biblehub |
The best article I have ever found, is snipped here next! The link to its full content is at the end of this page. The words of this author, Pedro F. Morales in 2011 are very important and so accurate as to bear wide dissemination, for the Truth will be told in the End Times! Let's go to the original language and translation... "Luke's Insights Into the Second Coming of Jesus" Warning: it is very deep and detailed. The logic being employed is impeccable. It is all about the logic and making sense of the True Original message. That is what we must do. We have to. Or else. There is no getting deluded or confused by sloppy, partial, disorderly thinking. That is not allowed, for that is the evil way of the Forsaken Age!
After this Morales article, there are other pertinent and accurate articles snipped below. Plenty of sources is always better.
"In the Textus Receptus we have: outos o iesous o analephtheis aph umon eis ton ouranon outos eleusetai on tropon etheasasthe auton poreuomenon eis ton ouranon. Almost no popular translation gives the literal translation for this verse. To understand the literal translation here is crucial. The verb tense of 'to go' in respect of the disciples seeing Jesus go is very important because it determines whether we understand the action of Jesus as already having finished or still in process. This in turn helps define the important expression 'in the same manner'. Young's Literal Translation gives us: this Jesus, who was received up from you into the heaven, shall so come in what manner ye saw him going on to the heaven.' The American Standard Version: this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven. Other translations that use 'going' are the Aramaic Bible in Plain English, the Darby-Bible Translation and a couple of others. The literal Greek says 'in the same manner as you saw him going '. The Greek verb for go is in the present participle. This means that the action has not been completed, a completely different meaning than when using 'as you have seen him go' or 'saw him go' or as in other translations. By using this proper translation and grasping the significance of the type of action as not yet completed we can arrive at a better understanding of what the heavenly men said to the apostles. If the statement to the apostles uses the present participle, then by logic the event of the ascension of Jesus cannot have been completed the moment the two men came. This seems to contradict a lot of biblical interpretations. If this is correct, it practically deals a death blow to the idea that the heavenly messengers simply came to tell the apostles not to waste any more time and hurry up out of there. At what moment then did these two men entered the scene? Several careful interpreters have brought attention to how Luke recommences the process of ascension in verse 10 after having finished it in verse 9. Luke uses the same present participle form of 'to go' in verse 10, in verse 9 he uses the aorist indicative active tense, where he says that a cloud hypelaben (hid) him (The New American Standard of 1985 version as well as the King James version translate the term hypelaben as received, whereas the New International version of 1984 translates it as hid.), referring to Jesus. Though the term has been translated by several different words or phrases, the Greek aorist sense of the verb places the type of action as having been completed, or in the past. The ending of the action in verse 9 tend to confuse us. We tend to presume that the moment the angels spoke to the apostles was after Jesus had ascended already. This assumption is wrong. They approached the apostles as they were still looking at Jesus go up. We can take comfort knowing that even great interpreters, i.e. Calvin, made this simple mistake. Even those who placed the Greek Study Bible in Biblios.com fail in seeing this critical distinction. They place a subtitle in this passage with the intention of helping students getting the central idea. The subtitle simply reveals the manner in which their doctrinal presuppositions blinds them to the actual writing of Luke.From this we can see how this small mistake makes difficult the making of a valid interpretation of the words of the men.
The correct translation of poreuomenon as 'going' limits the definition of 'in the same manner' for now Jesus has not completed the ascension, and one important element of the messianic expectation of the apostles has not been involved yet; namely, the cloud. If we understand the significance of this, we can clearly see the reason the two men came to clarify the teaching of Jesus to the disciples. The disciples had taken a literal meaning of the words of Jesus and expect him to return in a cloud. This conforms perfectly to the type of correction the two men deliver. They speak on the manner in which Jesus will come again, which is precisely what has the apostles holding a wrong understanding of the Second Coming. The manner the apostles expect the Second Coming is in the cloud. By interfering with the apostles' attention to the ascension the two men can properly speak of the manner of the coming of Jesus as if it were a new form of teaching. Jesus had clearly included the cloud in the coming of the Son of Man, but now the divine messengers tell the disciples their view of the cloud is wrong. Jesus does not refer to a literal cloud, since obviously none have been involved so far in his ascension.
Once again the two men has no interest in clarifying anything to do with the time of the Second Coming. Moreover in Acts 1:6-7 the apostles concern regarding the time had been addressed already. Jesus unequivocally told them that the time of that event 'it is not for them to know about'. Either in their challenge or in their clarification of the teaching of Jesus, the celestial men show no intention of even referring to that aspect of the Second Coming.
- What does 'the same manner as you saw him going' mean? This phrase expresses to the apostles that, if they want to grasp the teaching of Jesus concerning his future coming, they must examine the manner in which Jesus was leaving the earth before the two men interrupted them. The apostles must examine what they saw Jesus doing during that time span. As mentioned before, the Gospel of Luke only has a few verses on the ascension and the Gospel of Mark only one. It should not be difficult to find what things Luke and Mark report Jesus doing during that time. Two things that Jesus did for sure as he was being watched leaving were: he went up from the earth, and he was with his disciples. The Gospel of Luke 24:51 mentions also that Jesus was being raised as he was blessing his disciples.
- Therefore when Jesus returns he must come back from the earth as he is being watched by disciples, and he will come back as he blesses his disciples. One thing Jesus absolutely did not do as he was being watched leaving was: go into heaven in a cloud. In both instances where Luke narrates the incident of the ascension the only mention of one cloud is on verse 9 to say that after Jesus had been lifted up 'a cloud hid him from them.' Luke contains a brief mention of the ascension in Acts 1:22 where it is repeated that Jesus was 'taken up' with no mention of any cloud or clouds being involved. The same thing happens in Mark 16:19. Now had Jesus ascended on a cloud, it is highly unlikely that that fact would not have been reported. The presence of any cloud being involved in the ascension was at the last moment as the means for concluding the event by hiding Jesus. And since the two men came to the apostles as Jesus was still going up, no clouds are involved in the definition of 'in the same manner as you saw him going '. Therefore, clouds were not a means of transportation in the ascension. And as Jesus is coming in the same manner as he was seen going, he will not come in the literal cloud of heaven.
What is the meaning of Jesus' teaching that the Son of Man will come in the cloud? Before looking for a meaning of this word in the scriptures, we need to establish something first. The teaching of Jesus of the Son of Man coming in a cloud is synonymous with the clarification of the messengers of 'in the manner as you saw him going." This signifies that one of the things included in the interpretation of the phrase of the messengers if not all of them together must necessarily mean 'cloud'. In the list only two things are actions, going up from the earth and blessing the disciples, and only one is a 'thing', the disciples. Thus in some form, manner or shape these disciples must be similar to that cloud Jesus talks about. Can we find scriptural texts connecting these two? In Hebrews 12:1 the author calls a big group of witnesses a 'cloud'. This type of cloud seems to be the one in which Jesus could come again. On the other hand, the author of Jude referring to a group of 'ungodly' people who have become part of the Christian community calls them 'waterless clouds, carried along by winds'. This last passage seems to suggest that clouds that travel quickly through the sky because of their lack of internal density can be compared to sinful people. Though this subject of the metaphorical meaning of cloud or clouds in scriptures is indeed very interesting, I want to conclude this composition repeating the observation that our examination of the above passages have demonstrated: Jesus is NOT coming in the literal clouds of heaven."
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6759073
Old Testament foundation of using Clouds as a symbol (sometimes literal, but mostly figurative and meaning something else)
Cloud [N] [S]The Hebrew so rendered means "a covering," because clouds cover the sky. The word is used as a symbol of the Divine presence, as indicating the splendour of that glory which it conceals ( Exodus 16:10 ; 33:9 ; Numbers 11:25 ; 12:5 ; Job 22:14 ; Psalms 18:11 ). A "cloud without rain" is a proverbial saying, denoting a man who does not keep his promise ( Proverbs 16:15 ; Isaiah 18:4 ; 25:5 ; Jude 1:12 ). A cloud is the figure of that which is transitory ( Job 30:15 ; Hosea 6:4 ). A bright cloud is the symbolical seat of the Divine presence (Ex.29:42,43; 1 Kings 8:10 ; 2 Chr 5:14 ; Ezekiel 43:4 ), and was called the Shechinah (q.v.). Jehovah came down upon Sinai in a cloud ( Exodus 19:9 ); and the cloud filled the court around the tabernacle in the wilderness so that Moses could not enter it ( Exodus 40:34 Exodus 40:35 ). At the dedication of the temple also the cloud "filled the house of the Lord" ( 1 Kings 8:10 ). Thus in like manner when Christ comes the second time he is described as coming "in the clouds" ( Matthew 17:5 ; 24:30 ; Acts 1:9 Acts 1:11 ). False teachers are likened unto clouds carried about with a tempest ( 2 Peter 2:17 ). The infirmities of old age, which come one after another, are compared by Solomon to "clouds returning after the rain" (Eccl 12:2 ). The blotting out of sins is like the sudden disappearance of threatening clouds from the sky ( Isaiah 44:22 ).
Cloud, the pillar of, was the glory-cloud which indicated God's presence leading the ransomed people through the wilderness ( Exodus 13:22 ; Exodus 33:9 Exodus 33:10 ). This pillar preceded the people as they marched, resting on the ark ( Exodus 13:21 ; 40:36 ). By night it became a pillar of fire ( Numbers 9:17-23 ).
9. Various Other Figures:
Clouds are used in connection with various other figures. Rapidity of motion, "these that fly as a cloud" (Isaiah 60:8). As swaddling clothes of the newborn earth (Job 38:9); indicating great height (Job 20:6) and figurative in Isaiah 14:14, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds," portraying the self- esteem of Babylon. "A morning without clouds" is the symbol of righteousness and justice (2 Samuel 23:4); partial knowledge and hidden glory (Leviticus 16:2; Acts 1:9; Revelation 1:7).
Alfred H. Joy
https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/cloud/
Ascending into Heaven (Luke 24:51)
"While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven." (Luke 24:51)
While this blessing is taking place, two additional actions are occurring, represented by two verbs. "Left" (NIV) or "was parted" (KJV) translates the Greek verb diistēmi, "to move from, separate from, or take leave of, go away, part."1271 The word "taken up" (NIV) or "carried up" (KJV), the Greek verb anapherō, "to cause to move from a lower position to a higher, take, lead, bring up."1272 But two other aspects of this particular verb are interesting: (1) The verb is in the passive voice, which means that this happened to Jesus, he doesn't initiate the action. And (2) the verb is in the imperfect tense, which indicates continued action in the past tense. So Luke is emphasizing the process of the ascension, and might be translated "he was being taken up into heaven." Minor points, yes, but interesting.
Interesting because we have absolutely no clue to what this was really like. Was it some sort of levitation like one of those portable flying devices? We don't know. This is one of those unrepeatable events that can't be studied by comparing it to other examples. The only thing in the Bible remotely close is the ascension of Elijah in a whirlwind and a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). But there's no chariot or whirlwind here.
Why did Jesus rise up to heaven? Is heaven up? Certainly people in Biblical times viewed the heavens as the abode of God. But heaven seems to be more than a geographical or astrographical location. It is another sphere, another dimension from the earthly, physical dimension we live in. While Jesus' resurrection body had the ability to adapt to the physical demands of earth, it was not limited to earth. It could adapt to the spiritual dimension as well (1 Corinthians 15:44).
While many passages allude to the ascension, only two other passages attempt to describe it. The first is in the longer ending of Mark: "After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up (Greek analambanō) into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God" (Mark 16:19). However, this does not occur in the earliest texts and is probably a later addition. The other reference is from Luke's pen in Acts 1.
Coming with the Clouds of Heaven (Acts 1:9-11)
"After he said this, he was taken up (Greek epairō, Aorist tense, passive voice) before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight." (Acts 1:9)
Here we have three additional elements. The first element is that the disciples observe him rising. He doesn't just disappear, but first begins to rise. The Greek verb epairō means, "raise." The second element mentions that a cloud hides him from sight. The third element is a pair of angels who announce, "This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
How does Jesus ascend into heaven? Into a cloud. Then how will he return? In a cloud. As Jesus relates the end-time events, he says, "At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Luke 21:27).
Now bear with me, as I explore this a bit further, since in the Luke 21:27 passage, Jesus is alluding to the prophecy in Daniel 7:13-14 where the Son of Man receives great power and glory.
Jesus Entry into the Heavenly Throneroom -- in a Cloud (with Daniel 7:13-14)
Now look at the prophecy in Daniel that Jesus has referred to:
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14)
Daniel's vision uses the phrase, "coming with the clouds of heaven." I would ask: Coming where? Does it talk about (1) coming to earth or (2) coming into the presence of the Ancient of Days -- the Father? The latter, I believe. The Son of Man is coming with the clouds of heaven on his way into the presence of the Father.
Perhaps Jesus is, at the moment of his ascension from the disciples, going directly into the presence of the Father's throne room in immediate fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy! Wow! I had never really thought about that before.
This is a three-part drama.
- Jesus ascending from earth to heaven (Luke 24:51 and Acts 1:9-11).
- Jesus entering the heavenly throneroom as the exalted Son of God and receiving all authority, where "from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of God" (Luke 22:69).
- Jesus returning in a cloud at his Second Coming "with power and great glory" (Luke 21:27).
Is your head spinning yet? Mine is. But re-read the passages again and connect the dots. Perhaps you'll see what I see.
http://www.jesuswalk.com/luke/112-ascension.htm
For the original article we posted on Ahgamen. net on this huge subject, CLICK here --- https://www.ahgamen.net/2020/12/a-study-of-clouds-and-heaven-remember.html
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