Did Jesus have the second coming in mind when He predicted His coming on clouds or did this saying have a different meaning?

Answer 1

Jesus knew that His seven-year "earthly ministry" would be a "two-parter." He knew that the first part would be cut off in the midst of it after 3 1/2 years by His "sacrifice."

That was the reason He came the "first time."

And He knew that He would be returning the second time... not as a "sacrificial Lamb"... but as earth's returning King with Power and Glory.

He revealed it to His hometown people "in church" one day, shortly after He began to preach the Kingdom of God. The scroll of Isaiah that He was handed contained Isaiah's inspired prophecy, that rolled both parts of Jesus' ministry into one, of which the people were unaware.

Jesus only read the prophecy up to the end of the first part... and stopped reading where the second part began. The first part read:

"...He found the place where it is written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.' Then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.

"The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him, and He began by saying to them, 'TODAY THIS SCRIPTURE IS FULFILLED IN YOUR HEARING.'" (Luke 4:17-21 NIV)

If Jesus would have kept on reading... He would have delved into the second part [the second 3 1/2 year phase] of His seven-year ministry -- His return to take over the rulership of earth from Satan-guided man.

Isaiah's passage goes on to say from; [...to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor..."]:

"...and THE DAY OF VENGEANCE OF OUR GOD, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow on them a Crown of Beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of Praise instead of a spirit of despair..." (Isa.61:2-3 NIV).

Jesus knew why He came... to remove all sin from the earth... and to save it from Satan's perverted rule. But, He first had to "redeem man" from his god's clutches -- which meant, He had to DIE FOR THEM.

For if He failed to complete the first phase of His ministry... there would be no second part.

The Words of The Bible are "Jesus' Words." He is the "WORD of God" [the LOGOS; the Spokesman for His Father in heaven -- see John 1].

And no one knows Scripture better than He does. He knew and knows all the prophecies that reveal the time of His coming to earth as its King. His mention of "clouds" is repeated throughout Scripture.

The Scriptures tell us that the earth will be darkened by clouds prior to Jesus coming back to earth in WRATH. It's the sun-like "brightness of His coming" that shall split the clouds for all the nations on earth to see... so that there will be no mistaking it.

"...for the Day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; a day of darkness and of gloominess, a DAY OF CLOUDSand of thick darkness..." (Joel 2:1-2).

"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood [see also; Rev.6, seal 6], BEFORE the Great and the Terrible DAY OF THE LORD come." (verse 31)

Jesus had exactly His "second coming" in mind when He spoke of "clouds."

"Immediately AFTER the Tribulation of those days SHALL THE SUN BE DARKENED, and THE MOON SHALL NOT GIVE HER LIGHT, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 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." (Matt.24:29-30)

Answer:When Jesus told Caiaphas and the court that condemned him to death that he was the Son of Man who would come "on the clouds of heaven" he was not speaking of his second coming but the coming judgment of Jerusalem (Matthew 26:63-64) As Caiaphas and the court well knew, clouds were a common Old Testament symbol pointing to God as the sovereign judge of the nations. In the words of Isaiah, "See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within them" (Isaiah 19:1). Like the Old Testament prophets, Jesus employs clouds to warn his hearers that as judgment fell on Egypt, so would judgment soon befall Jerusalem.