Coming in the Clouds Verses Coming On a White Horse

Revelation 14 shows 2 reapings. The first is the Son of man­Jesus Christ­as He gathers His New Testament elect­the saints­to deliver them from the wrath to come. That must occur before the reaping of the damned for the winepress of the Wrath of God. Both reapings take place nearly simultaneously. Just as soon as the saints are removed from the earth the Wrath of God can begin.

Jesus will return twice.

In Revelation 8:1 we read that there will be an half hour of silence before the first trumpet of wrath begins to sound after the Church is removed. The second reaping culminates with the return from heaven of Jesus with His saints all riding on white horses, thus the reference to the horses bridle in Verse 20. It is not until Revelation 19, after the wedding feast is completed, that we read about the final return of Jesus on a white horse to destroy the armies that are gathered against Him, and to reign on the earth. That second return is the literal fulfillment of verses 17-20.

The remainder of this lesson will focus on the first return of Jesus in the clouds. There are many other characteristics that are attached to Jesus’ first return to rapture believers which do not occur when He returns on a white horse. Among those are:

1. Clouds.
2. Jesus’ appearance in the clouds.
3. The sun, moon and stars going dark at His appearing.
4. The last trump will sound.
5. A loud shout.
6. The elect­the New Testament church­being “caught up.”
7. Christians and heathen are both present and observing.

Not all of these things are mentioned every time His first appearing is mentioned. Some times only one is mention. at other times several are mentioned. There are some characteristics that occur during both of His appearances. Among those are:

1. He will be seen in His glory at both of His appearings.
2. He will be visible to all at both of His appearings.
3. Angels will be present at both of His appearings.
4. He will descend from heaven at both of His appearings.

The primary difference is that He will be in the clouds when He rescues His people, while there is no mention of clouds when arrives on a white horse.

Revelation 14:13-20

13 ¶ And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

The hope of all Christians, both living and dead, is the appearing of Jesus in the clouds on that day when He comes to resurrect the dead, and gather them together with the living to depart this world in the clouds.

Titus 2:12-14

12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Jesus instructed the Church­believers, whether they are Jewish or gentile­to look for His appearing in the sky.

Matthew 24:25-27

25 Behold, I have told you before.

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.

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.

Luke 21:27-28

27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Everyone will go through the Tribulation, but Jesus will come for us that we don’t have to suffer the Wrath of God.

1 Thessalonians 1:10

And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

When Jesus departed the earth He departed in full view of those around Him. Those who saw Him leave were encouraged by the men in white concerning the return of Jesus. It is not spelled out here, but it was certainly understood that Jesus was coming again for believers.

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.

10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

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.

When He returns it will be in like manner. He left in the clouds and He will return in the clouds, and everyone is going to see Him coming.

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.

Jesus said that he would come in the clouds after the Tribulation. After the Tribulation of Satan and the anti-Christ does not mean after the Wrath of God. Jesus gathers all of His New Testament elect into the clouds to be with Him before God’s retribution on sinners begins. This time is also known as the Day of the Lord.

Matthew24:29-30

29 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:

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.

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Acts 2:20

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

The skies go dark at every mention of the Day of the Lord. In the Gospels Jesus gathers His elect ones on day one the Day of the Lord and the world mourns at the sight of Him. Why is that? Because they know that after the saints are gone their punishment will begin. God’s punishment is a part of the Day of the Lord but it lasts much longer than just one day.

Isaiah 13:9-11

9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

The Day of the Lord and the day of Christ are the same day. The day of Christ, when He comes to gather believers, will not come until after the anti-Christ is revealed. Verse 6 says now you know what withholds Him. Him is Jesus and not the anti-Christ. The reason he said now you know is because he just told them in the third verse that the anti-Christ must be revealed before Jesus can appear in the clouds in His time. That’s what Jesus said. You will see the anti-Christ, and after the tribulation of those days you will see Me coming in the clouds to gather you to Myself. Verses 7 and 8 talk about the anti-Christ being restrained. Revelation tells us that he is restrained in the bottomless pit until the appointed time of the end. After he is released for a short time to try the whole earth during the Great Tribulation, Jesus will return to rescue His own from the wrath to come.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

2:1 ¶ Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3 ¶ Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Seals 1-5 reveal the Tribulation and seal 7 reveals the Wrath of God. The sixth seal is opened below. Under that seal the 144,000 are sealed and the entire church is taken into heaven before the throne. The verses before the rapture of believers out of the Tribulation show the skies going dark and the heathen fearing the day of God’s wrath. This is the same as Matthew 24 where Jesus lights up a darkened sky before the Wrath of God, as He gathers His New Testament elect.

Revelation 6:12-17

12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The same trump that sounds in Matthew 24 is sounded below. Jesus descends from heaven to gather the living and the dead. The saints are gathered into the same clouds that Jesus arrives on in Matthew 24.

1 Thessalonians 4:14-17

13 ¶ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The last day is when the Resurrection will take place. The Resurrection takes place on the day when Jesus comes for His elect, both dead and living. The instant change from mortal to immortal takes place during the Resurrection which precedes the Rapture. It all happens on the first day of the Day of the Lord. Peter spoke of the day of the Lord as if it was a thousand year event.

John 6:40

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 11:24

Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

1 Corinthians 15 tells us that Jesus will finally put the final enemy under His feet at His appearing. He has power over death now, but it is not until the Resurrection that He delivers the final blow to the enemy that keeps dead bodies in the ground. It all happens at the final trump when the dead in Christ rise up out of the ground first, and then the living are changed in the twinkling of an eye, and everyone is then raised up together, all at the same time, to be with the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15

15:1 ¶ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

12 ¶ Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

20 ¶ But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.

28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?

31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.

33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

35 ¶ But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.

40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

51 ¶ Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE, AT THE LAST TRUMP: FOR THE TRUMPET SHALL SOUND, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 ¶ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.