Rapture Clouds

The coming of Jesus to remove his church from earth to heaven will be heard everywhere on earth. The command of his mouth, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God will fill the air worldwide with impressive sounds. But there is also something to be seen, even though Jesus does not yet come to earth on this occasion. What is the spectacle of the clouds accompanying Christ?

As soon as the dead in Christ are risen worldwide and the living believers worldwide are changed in the blink of an eye, they will be caught up together “in the clouds” to meet the Lord in the air. The question is how this is possible in countries where clouds never appear. It has been suggested that "the clouds" refer to the swarms of believers floating up in the air to meet the Lord.

However, this interpretation is inconsistent with the root word for "clouds" in the Greek text. That is the word "Nephele," which throughout the New Testament means clouds in the air, water clouds. Very often, the word "nephelē" is used for the cloud of glory that accompanied the people of Israel on their Exodus from Egypt and their wilderness journey, the cloud under which they sheltered and in which they were baptized.

It is the same cloud that overshadowed Jesus and his disciples at the moment of his transformation on the mountain (Math.17:5). It is the same cloud in which Jesus disappeared at his ascension:  'and a cloud received him out of their sight.' (Acts 1: 9). Through this very cloud He was 'received in heaven' (Mark 16:19). These are the same clouds with which he will visibly return to earth in power and great glory (Mark 13:24). As the angels said in Acts 1, after Jesus had ascended: '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' (Acts 1:11). The form of the word in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is exactly the same as the form in Mark 13:26: “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with power and great glory.” This is the exact fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy:

“I was watching in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven came One like the Son of Man.” (Daniel 7:13)

In the trial before the Sanhedrin, Jesus referred to this prophecy and to Psalm 110: “And Jesus said, ‘I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power of God, coming with the clouds of heaven.’” (Mark 14:62) This ultimately became the basis for his condemnation.

This Son of Man will receive from God an imperishable kingdom that will extend over the whole earth.

The clouds Daniel and Jesus speak of are the clouds of God’s glory. These clouds are also connected to the rainbow. The first place in the Bible where clouds are mentioned is in Genesis 9, immediately after the Flood. Three times God speaks of "his bow in the clouds." (Gen. 9:11) And two more times God's rainbow is connected to the clouds:

"Like the appearance of the RAINBOW that appears in the clouds on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. It was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of One speaking." (Ezekiel 1:28)