Why Have We Yet to See the Lord Jesus Coming in the Clouds?

Question: We’ve been longing to see the Lord Jesus coming in the clouds to rapture us into the kingdom of heaven. Now, however, all sorts of disasters have arrived and the prophecies of the Lord’s return have now largely been fulfilled, but we still haven’t welcomed the Lord. We feel lost and confused: Why have we yet to see the Lord Jesus coming in the clouds? How exactly can we welcome Him?

Answer: Hello! The problems you raise are very real and they are something we urgently need to understand. First, we should know that the Lord Jesus is faithful, and that since the Bible prophesies the Lord Jesus coming in the clouds, it absolutely has to be accomplished and fulfilled. However, the omens of the Lord’s return have now appeared and we still haven’t seen the Lord Jesus coming in the clouds or welcomed Him. So there is truth to be sought in this.

Actually, we just need to investigate the Bible carefully and we will easily discover that it doesn’t just prophesy the Lord Jesus coming in the clouds, and there are also lots of prophecies about Him coming in secret, like “If therefore you shall not watch, I will come on you as a thief” (Revelation 3:3), “Behold, I come as a thief” (Revelation 16:15), “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6), “Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes” (Matthew 24:44), and “For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in His day. But first must He suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation” (Luke 17:24–25).

The Scriptures’ references to “I come as a thief” and “at midnight there was a cry made” indicate that when the Lord returns, He will do so quietly, in secret. And the “Son of man” mentioned in the verses refers to God incarnate. Only the flesh born of man with normal humanity could be called the Son of man. For example, the Lord Jesus was the Son of man, and He was God’s Spirit incarnating as an ordinary person who came among man in secret to work. Whereas if He were to appear in a spiritual body, He wouldn’t be referred to as the Son of man. For example, Jehovah God was the Spirit and wasn’t called the Son of man. The spiritual body of the Lord Jesus after His resurrection could walk through walls, now appearing, now disappearing. People felt that He was extraordinary and mysterious, and therefore He could not be called the Son of man either.

The Scriptures also say that when God returns in the last days, He will endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation. If the Lord Jesus openly came in the clouds in a transcendent Spirit, no one would dare to resist Him. Then how would He endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation? It is only if God returns in the flesh to secretly walk among mankind so that He looks like an ordinary person from the outside that people will fail to know His identity, and then He will be rejected and endure suffering. We can therefore confirm that when the Lord returns, He will first become flesh and come in secret and then openly appear to man. This is how all the prophecies of the Lord’s return will be fulfilled.

The Lord Jesus prophesied long ago, “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:12–13). “He that rejects Me, and receives not My words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). 1 Peter 4:17 says, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.” And it is recorded in the Gospel of John, “For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22). “Sanctify them through Your truth: Your word is truth” (John 17:17). We can see from these verses that when the Lord incarnate comes in secret, He will express the truth and perform the work of judgment beginning in God’s house, using the truth to purify and save man. In the period when God incarnate secretly arrives to express the truth to save mankind, all those who recognize God’s voice from the truth expressed by God and accept God’s work of judgment in the last days are the wise virgins, and will be caught up before God’s throne. However, when the incarnate God secretly descends and works, those who refuse to accept God’s work of the last days, and who even resist, reject and condemn Him, after the conclusion of His secret work, will be swept away by the great disasters with much weeping and gnashing of teeth. This will fulfill the prophecies of the Lord Jesus coming in the clouds, “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). “Behold, He comes 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” (Revelation 1:7).

Therefore, if we want to greet the Lord, then when we hear someone testifying that the Lord Jesus has returned in the flesh, we should proactively seek and investigate in accordance with the Lord’s words, to see whether there is the expression of the truth. Only by doing this can we confirm whether it is the Lord’s appearance and avoid missing our chance to welcome the Lord.

Now, in the entire world only The Church of Almighty God is openly testifying that the Lord Jesus has returned to earth in the flesh to work and save mankind, and that He is Almighty God, Christ of the last days. Almighty God’s word and work not only fulfill the prophecies that the Lord will return as the Son of man and come in secret, but also fulfill the prophecies of the Lord returning to express the truth and to do the work of judgment. Almighty God has expressed millions of words and is carrying out the work of judgment beginning with God’s house. He has also provided to us all the truths the Lord Jesus prophesied that He would bestow upon mankind, such as God’s purpose in His management of mankind, the inside story on the three stages of God’s work, the mystery of God’s incarnation, the root cause of mankind’s sin, how Satan corrupts mankind, how God performs the work of judgment to perfect a group of people into overcomers, how man will be separated each according to their kind, how the kingdom of Christ will come to be, and more. God has revealed all these mysteries to us. In addition, Almighty God has also told us what kind of people God likes and dislikes, how we are to practice in order to be able to resolve our corrupt dispositions and our sinful nature, to be able to fully escape from Satan’s influence, and to be purified and attain the full salvation of God, how we can become people who do the will of the heavenly Father, and what true obedience to God and true love for God are. Those who love the truth in all religions and denominations have heard Almighty God’s utterances, and recognized that His words are the truth, the voice of God. One by one, they have come before Almighty God’s throne and attended the wedding feast of the Lamb. This is the precise fulfillment of the following prophecies, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). They have been raptured before God and experienced the judgment of God’s words, and their life dispositions are transformed to varying degrees. These people are the most blessed of all and will be led by God into the next age and inherit His promises and blessings.

Now Almighty God’s work of judgment in the last days is approaching its end. Once those who accept God’s work of judgment are made into overcomers, God’s work to save man by expressing the truth before the great disasters will come to a close. Afterward God will bring the great disasters down upon the world and He will begin to reward the good and punish the wicked. God will then appear openly to all nations and peoples. At that time, those who don’t accept Almighty God’s work of judgment in the last days, and who even reject, condemn and resist Almighty God during the period in which God comes in secret, will all be revealed as the tares and wicked servants. They will see that Almighty God, whom they resisted, is none other than the Lord Jesus returned in the flesh. It will be too late for regrets. They can only wail and gnash their teeth. This precisely fulfills Revelation 1:7, “Behold, He comes 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.”

We can see from all this that the stage in which Almighty God incarnates and comes in secret to work is precisely the most crucial time when God saves mankind. All those who accept Almighty God’s hidden work and are made into overcomers are the most blessed of all. If we only wait for the Lord Jesus to come in the clouds, and never seek or accept the work of the secret coming of Almighty God, then we will certainly fall into the disasters and be punished. Just as Almighty God warns us, “Many people may not care what I say, but I still want to tell every so-called saint who follows Jesus that, when you see Jesus descend from the heaven upon a white cloud with your own eyes, this will be the public appearance of the Sun of righteousness. Perhaps that will be a time of great excitement for you, yet you should know that the time when you witness Jesus descend from the heaven is also the time when you go down to hell to be punished. That will be the time of the end of God’s management plan and it will be when God rewards the good and punishes the wicked. For the judgment of God will have ended before man sees signs, when there is only the expression of truth. Those who accept the truth and do not seek signs, and thus have been purified, shall have returned before the throne of God and entered the Creator’s embrace. Only those who persist in the belief that ‘The Jesus who does not ride upon a white cloud is a false Christ’ shall be subjected to everlasting punishment, for they only believe in the Jesus who exhibits signs, but do not acknowledge the Jesus who proclaims severe judgment and releases the true way and life. And so it can only be that Jesus deals with them when He openly returns upon a white cloud. They are too stubborn, too confident in themselves, too arrogant. How could such degenerates be rewarded by Jesus? The return of Jesus is a great salvation for those who are capable of accepting the truth, but for those who are unable to accept the truth it is a sign of condemnation. You should choose your own path, and should not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and reject the truth. You should not be an ignorant and arrogant person, but someone who obeys the guidance of the Holy Spirit and longs for and seeks the truth; only in this way will you benefit.”

We now understand that the time when the Lord appears openly is the time when God rewards the good and punishes the wicked. That is why, before that time comes, we should be wise virgins, investigate and accept Almighty God’s word and work when He comes in secret in the last days. Only then will we have the opportunity to attain God’s full salvation and be brought into His kingdom.

Editor’s Note: After reading this essay, we have gained clarity on why we have yet to see the Lord Jesus coming in the clouds and how we should practice to welcome Him. If you have any other questions or confusion about welcoming the Lord’s return, please feel free to contact us using the online chat buttons at the bottom. We will answer any questions you might have.