Matthew 24 Messiah Coming In The Clouds With Power And Great Glory

This Olivet Discourse Deception study provides an explanation for the fulfillment of Messiah coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, in Matthew 24.

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.” Matthew 24:30

Messiah is not talking about His second coming, but rather to His coming in great power and glory in judgment of the Jews, who had rejected Him and delivered Him up to be killed. He came against the Jews vicariously through the Roman army, the ‘people of the prince‘ of Daniel 9:26.

Here’s the Coming In The Clouds In Power And Glory – Matthew 24:30 video.

Before we focus on the words in the verse, let’s put it in its proper context; with other, similar statements from Messiah.

In Matthew 10:23, Messiah declared to His disciples that they would not have gone through the cities of Israel before He came in power:

When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”

In Matthew 16:28, Messiah declared that some of His disciples would see Him come into His kingdom:

Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.

In Matthew 26:63-64, Messiah told the High Priest that he would see Him come in the clouds of heaven, meaning in judgment.

And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 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. 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.

Should we not believe Messiah’s clear statement, that the High Priest would witness Him coming on the clouds of heaven, which matches the description in Matthew 24:30? He was telling the High Priest that though I look powerless now, you will witness my resurrection, as I fulfill the sign that I gave to you of rising after three days.

And that he would see Messiah come in great power and glory when the temple and city and Jews would be destroyed, because He rejected Him as Messiah and delivered Him up to be killed.  Just as the High Priest was judging him and condemning him to die, so too did Messiah judge the High Priest and condemn him to die.

Either those verses are referring to Messiah’s second advent in the first century, which did not happen; Or it is referring to Him coming in power to desolate the Jews; Or Messiah is mistaken. That’s the only three options.

Applying His statements to the end times takes them out of context, as He told His disciples and the High Priest that they would see these things happen.

Then just three verses later Messiah said in Matthew 24:34,

Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”

When Messiah makes a plain statement, we should not dismiss it, just because we don’t understand the fulfillment. He was clearly saying that all of the things that He just stated in the previous verses would be fulfilled in that generation.

To reinforce that, after berating the Jewish leaders and casting woes on them in Matthew 23, He said in verses 35-36, that they would be killed in their generation.

That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

And within a Biblical generation of 40 years, history proves that in fact that the disciples and the High Priest, did see Him come in power and glory; when He caused the Roman army to desolate Jerusalem, the temple and the Jewish leadership system.

This matches the prophecy in Daniel 9:26-27, that foretold the coming of our Messiah, and that He would be delivered up by the Jews to death; and that as a consequence, the city and the temple and the Jews would be desolated.

..and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. …and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

The whole context of the Olivet Discourse was that after Messiah berated the Jewish leaders, He proclaimed to His disciples, that the temple would be desolated,

And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

The disciples were not asking about the end times, they were asking about when the temple would be destroyed.

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

The word ‘world‘ should be rendered as ‘age‘, as the New King James has it. The latter days of the Jewish age started when they were released from Babylon, after 70 years of captivity; and ended in 70 A.D., when the temple, the city and the Jews were desolated.

The former days were before the Babylonian captivity. In between the two ages was 70 years of captivity when they did not possess the Holy land.

So let’s look at the verse now that we have a proper perspective of its context:

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.” Matthew 24:30

The Jewish leaders were always asking Messiah to give them a ‘sign‘ to prove His power and glory.  The Greek word for sign is semeion, which was used by John often to refer to Jesus’ miracles; the word itself denotes a token of identification or verification.

He gave them the sign of rising again after they had delivered Him up to be killed, with the analogy of Him being the temple.  “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” John 2:19

Then He judged the Jewish leaders and He gave them the sign of destroying their magnificent temple, desolating Jerusalem and the Jews; which proved His power and glory.

The word ‘tribes‘ is referring to the people of the land of Judea.  Some from the House of Israel had regathered in the northern region of Galilee, where Messiah spent most of His time.mThat is, the land of Judea; for other lands, and countries, were not usually divided into tribes, as that was; neither were they affected with the calamities and desolations of it, and the vengeance of the son of man upon it; at least not so as to mourn on that account, but rather were glad and rejoiced: (JG)

The Greek word for ‘earth‘, ‘ge’, does not mean the whole earth, but rather it means ‘country or land’; in this context, the land of Judea.

It’s the same word used in Matthew 2:20, “Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land(ge) of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life.”

And the people of the land of Judea truly did mourn when they saw the power of Messiah commanding the mighty army coming against them.

The symbol of ‘clouds‘ can represent judgment. In this case the judgment of the Jewish nation, which had rejected Him and delivered Him up to be killed.

In Jeremiah 4:13 the word clouds is referring to the Babylonians whose army was coming against the Jews, as the Father’s judgment against them.

Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.”

In Zephaniah 1:15 the ‘dark, gloomy day of clouds’, is referring to the wrath of Elohim against his people for their sins; these judgments being the effects of his wrath, provoked by their iniquities; and of the wrath and cruelty of the Chaldeans, exercised in a furious manner

That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,”

Messiah coming in the clouds in Matthew 24:30 is speaking of His coming in great power to judge the Jews, by using the Roman army to desolate them and their temple; and to setup His kingdom, which would last forever.

Daniel 7:13-14 foretold that the Son of Man would come in the clouds of heaven!

I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.”

Revelation 1:7 may prove that John wrote down the Revelation vision before Jerusalem was desolated, as it describes Messiah coming in the clouds in that generation, so that those who witnessed His death saw Him come in power and glory in causing the Roman army to desolate the city, temple and Jews.

“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.”

Historical witnesses of Messiah coming in power and glory:

Jewish historian Josephus, who documented the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, witnessed chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor, running about among the clouds:

“Besides these [signs], a few days after that feast, on the one- and-twentieth day of the month Artemisius, [Jyar,] a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sun-setting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armour were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities. (Jewish Wars, VI-V-3).

The medieval Jewish historian Sepher Yosippon expounds upon this angelic army in the sky by saying,

“Moreover, in those days were seen chariots of fire and horsemen, a great force flying across the sky near to the ground coming against Jerusalem and all the land of Judah, all of them horses of fire and riders of fire.” (Sepher Yosippon A Mediaeval History of Ancient Israel translated from the Hebrew by Steven B. Bowman. Excerpts from Chapter 87 “Burning of the Temple”)

Matthew 24:27 reads, “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”  This verse seems to suggest that lightning might mark the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds.

Historical confirmation of lightning marking the second coming of Christ may found in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus:

In the sky appeared a vision of armies in conflict, of glittering armour.  A sudden lightening flash from the clouds lit up the Temple.  The doors of the holy place abruptly opened, a superhuman voice was heard to declare that the gods were leaving it, and in the same instant came the rushing tumult of their departure, (Tacitus The Histories 5.13.)

Commentaries from great theologians about Matthew 24:30:

Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible

Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man – The plain meaning of this is, that the destruction of Jerusalem will be such a remarkable instance of Divine vengeance, such a signal manifestation of Christ’s power and glory, that all the Jewish tribes shall mourn, and many will, in consequence of this manifestation of God, be led to acknowledge Christ and his religion. By της γης , of the land, in the text, is evidently meant here, as in several other places, the land of Judea and its tribes, either its then inhabitants, or the Jewish people wherever found.

Coke’s Commentary on the Holy Bible

And then shall appear the sign, &c.— The plain meaning of this is, that the destruction of Jerusalem will be such a remarkable instance of divine vengeance, such a signal manifestation of Christ’s power and glory, that all the Jewish tribes shall mourn, and many will be thence led to acknowledge Christ and the Christian religion. In the ancient prophets God is frequently described as coming in the clouds, upon any remarkable interposition and manifestation of his power; and the same description is here applied to Christ. See Bishop Newton, and Gerhard’s Dissertations, p. 200, &c. and John 6:30. Dr. Clarke says, that the sign here mentioned means the figure given by the prophet Daniel, the signal of that Son of man there described. Instead of the tribes of the earth, some read the tribes of the land.

Professor Dr. Francis Nigel Lee

For at that time, Christ came invisibly – with the visible Roman armies – in order to destroy the Pharisees’ House in 70 A.D.

John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

he shall appear, not in person, but in the power of his wrath and vengeance, on the Jewish nation which will be a full sign and proof of his being come: for the sense is, that when the above calamities shall be upon the civil state of that people, and there will be such changes in their ecclesiastical state it will be as clear a point, that Christ is come in the flesh, and that he is also come in his vengeance on that nation, for their rejection and crucifixion him, as if they had seen him appear in person in the heavens. They had been always seeking a sign, and were continually asking one of him; and now they will have a sign with a witness; as they had accordingly,

And then shall the tribes of the earth, or land,

mourn; that is, the land of Judea; for other lands, and countries, were not usually divided into tribes, as that was; neither were they affected with the calamities and desolations of it, and the vengeance of the son of man upon it; at least not so as to mourn on that account, but rather were glad and rejoiced:

and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. The Arabic version reads it, “ye shall see”, as is expressed by Christ, in Mt 26:64. Where the high priest, chief priests, Scribes, and elders, and the whole sanhedrim of the Jews are spoken to: and as the same persons, namely, the Jews, are meant here as there; so the same coming of the son of man is intended; not his coming at the last day to judgment; though that will be in the clouds of heaven, and with great power and glory; but his coming to bring on, and give the finishing stroke to the destruction of that people, which was a dark and cloudy dispensation to them: and when they felt the power of his arm, might, if not blind and stupid to the last degree, see the glory of his person, that he was more than a mere man, and no other than the Son of God, whom they had despised, rejected, and crucified; and who came to set up his kingdom and glory in a more visible and peculiar manner, among the Gentiles.

Messiah coming in the clouds in great power and glory clearly represents His judgment of the wicked Jews, as He oversaw their desolation by the Roman army.

David Nikao Wilcoxson

Next Olivet Discourse Deception Study: The Abomination Of Desolation Deception

Matthew 24 - Messiah Coming In The Clouds With Power And Great Glory

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42 thoughts on “Matthew 24 Messiah Coming In The Clouds With Power And Great Glory”

  1. Hi David, can I just ask why does Jesus say
    “Immediatley AFTER the tribulation of those days (the great tribulation) shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and THEN (thats after the finish of the tribulation, when its over) shall appear the sign 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.

    You said earlier that the sun, moon and stars were the shinging lights of the religious leaders being extinguished…but if that’s ATFER the tribulation, when its all over as scripture says, why then do you say that the sign of destruction, or more precisely “Jesus coming on the cloud” is Jesus sending the roman armies to destroy the city and temple. I dont get why thats placed afterwards in the reading.
    Surely it should read something like.

    “then there will be great tribulation… and all the tribes of the earth shall see the Son of man coming on a cloud in all His power and glory. Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give her light and the stars will fall from heaven and so the powers of the heavens will be shaken and He shall send His angels” and so forth

    Surely they should see Him coming on a cloud BEFORE, or ay least during and not AFTER if He’s sent the roman armies to BE the tribulation
    Blessings brother

    Reply
    • Well Elaine, we only have the witness of Josephus, and it doesn’t record everything that was seen; so it’s hard to say why it seems out of order.

      But given that we can see the fulfillment of all that Messiah’s described in the Olivet Discourse, we have to fill in the blanks.

      And we have to rely on His clear statement that all of those things would happen in that generation.

      Blessings, David

      Reply
  2. Hi David,

    If you go to such length to support your preconceived ideas, then it probably doesn’t make much sense to correct you.

    I guess when Jesus looked through the clouds in 70 AD it was exactly “as in the days of Noah” or “as in the days of Lot” when people were not very watchful and thus missed the redemption which drew nigh in 70 AD, and landed in hell instead weeping and gnashing their teeth.

    Has it ever did occurred to you that “this generation” could refer to the Jews who would see Christ’s return? To Israel which was reborn 70 years ago? To the fig tree which was once cursed but started to bloom again? Probably not.

    As a Christian you should pray for literal Israel and for Jerusalem, and you should do everything in your power to win the Jews for Christ, and to show some understanding. It doesn’t matter whether they are carried away by their Talmud, Mishna, and some Rabbinic infallibility – you are to show them love. That is what Isaiah 40:1-2 is about:

    “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.”

    I have not read your entire website obviously, and there are many good things you write. Just don’t be found on the wrong side when Christ returns.

    Shalom,

    Jake

    Reply
    • Instead of having a discussion with me as a brother, you attack and talk down to me. Sad story Jake!

      You say you haven’t read the entire website, but you say that I’m wrong. Keep reading, as there’s not much I can add here.

      I take Messiah at His word, that all of those things that HE described would happen in that generation of Jews who rejected Him and delivered Him up to be killed. Daniel 9:26-27 foretells the same thing, that the temple and city would be desolated.

      And we have the historical account of that all happening, in that generation.

      Messiah coming in power and glory was not talking about His second coming, but His coming to cause the Roman army to desolate the temple, city and Jews.

      The High Priest had proclaimed that it’s better for one man to die, than for the nation to be desolated. So they delivered Messiah up to be killed. And the sad irony is that Messiah used the most powerful army in the world to destroy the nation which rejected Him, which spit on Him, which mocked Him, which blasphemed Him.

      Indeed He came in power and glory, to cause the righteous blood that had been poured out by the Jews, to come upon that generation, just as He said (Matt 23:35-36).

      Jewish historian Josephus, who documented the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, witnessed chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor, running about among the clouds:

      “Besides these [signs], a few days after that feast, on the one- and-twentieth day of the month Artemisius, [Jyar,] a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sun-setting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armour were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities. (Jewish Wars, VI-V-3).

      The medieval Jewish historian Sepher Yosippon expounds upon this angelic army in the sky by saying,

      “Moreover, in those days were seen chariots of fire and horsemen, a great force flying across the sky near to the ground coming against Jerusalem and all the land of Judah, all of them horses of fire and riders of fire.” (Sepher Yosippon A Mediaeval History of Ancient Israel translated from the Hebrew by Steven B. Bowman. Excerpts from Chapter 87 “Burning of the Temple”)

      http://theolivetdiscourse.com/matthew-24-messiah-coming-in-the-clouds-with-power-and-great-glory/

      David

      p.s. I do pray for Israel. The Apostle Paul told us that true Israel is a people who have a covenant relationship with the Father through the Son. That Israel has blessed the nations. That Israel is saved.

      Reply
  3. David,

    I am not attacking you personally but your views, and maybe you should listen for once.

    I read things on your site which I deem unsriptural, and so I air my voice – I don’t need to read every single of your articles before doing that.

    Someone who doesn’t want to see that Daniel 12, the Olivet Discourse, and Jews’ Great Tribulation are a bit more than just 70 AD, can’t understand the times we are in because everything hinges on the State of Israel.

    Reply
    • Jake, you’ve claimed that I’m unteachable, that I don’t listen, that I need to study more, I’m too dogmatic, that I’m parroting what Pastors taught me, that I inject my own bias, etc. And you think that’s not an attack on me?

      The modern nation of Israel is in Revelation alright, but not in a good way. The ‘kings of the east’ in the 6th bowl are the Khazar Jews who originated from the Khazarian Kingdom is Eastern Europe, who are primarily Turks, who converted to Judaism. These are the ‘Jews who say that they are Jews, but do lie, and are of the Synagogue of Satan”.

      The irony is that Gog and Magog have already come against the land, because Gog is Satanic Lord Rothschild and Magog is the vast organization of Khazar (Ashkenazi fake) Jews which he leads. Gog has already come into the land that had no walls, and they have already raped and killed many of the people who lived there, the Palestinians. They already control half of Jerusalem.

      Gog funded and designed the Israeli Supreme Court building, which is why it has Satanic/Masonic symbols on it, such as the pyramid with the all-seeing eye on it, and the obelisk. It’s why there’s a Satanic HEXagram on the Israeli flag, because Satanist Lord Rothschild put it there.

      How is it that you ignore the cries of the many Jews in New York and around the world, who proclaim that Zionist Israel is contrary to Scripture? http://christianitybeliefs.org/end-times-deceptions/true-torah-jews-believe-that-the-state-of-israel-is-illegitimate-in-the-eyes-of-god/

      Your bias prevents you from seeing the truth.

      Reply
  4. Hi David,

    It seems that when you call me biased it’s fine, and if I call you biased it’s a personal attack, right?

    I don’t have a problem with you, David, I have a problem with your doctrine which contributes to dragging people into hell. You will give account on judgment day for that, and if I were you I would humble myself and start to correct the teachings where I have gone wrong (like all of the above insights for example).

    Shalom,

    Jake

    Reply
    • Jake, you called me many more things than just ‘biased’. You say that you don’t have a problem with me, but then you say that my doctrine is dragging people into hell, and that I need to humble myself and correct teachings that you think are wrong.

      And then you say Shalom. Sorry, I don’t buy into the dual-narrative. Don’t accuse me of dragging people into hell and then wish me peace. You seem to be double-minded.

      David

      Reply
  5. There is no contradiction here at all, David.

    In my opinion, there is a lot of false and dangerous teaching on your website, so it would be cruel if I told, “You’ve got a great website, helping people to find the truth” – as that is sadly not the case (IMO).

    If you can’t bear someone criticising your teaching, then this shows pride and that alone is reason enough to examine yourself. I don’t know you personally, so why should I have anything against you.

    Shalom (which also means “Bye” in Hebrew, but I do wish you peace).

    Jake

    Reply
    • All you’ve done is criticize me on three different websites, but nothing that you’ve said has convinced me that I’m wrong. You can’t prove that Messiah’s ministry was 70 weeks. You can’t prove that the Olivet Discourse was not fulfilled in the 1st century. Those are just your opinions.

      I’ve approved all of your comments, and have provided a defense of my beliefs. I’m confident in what I teach, that’s not pride. You say that you have nothing against me, but you accuse me of teaching things that are condemning people to hell. Those things seem quite contrary to me. David

      Reply

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