Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30, NKJV).
I enjoyed laying down upon a grassy incline and gazing up into the cloud-laden sky as a young boy. I would watch the clouds sail by me in the domed blue sea of air, knowing they had a story to tell. The most intriguing thing was how they transformed before my eyes. A cloud would become a floppy hat atop a bear. A small cloud shaped like a flower became something I could readily pick. Another, a long-shaped cloud, was changed into a scary dragon. In another, a mushroom cloud seemed to become a nuclear explosion. I would stare at the clouds and see angels, animals, trees, faces, shapes of countries, and a host of other familiar things. They told quite a story.
The clouds in the Bible tell a far more astounding story. The clouds are associated with divinity and divine events. Behind them is the work of God, what He has done for us and will do. They reveal that He is the all-powerful creator and redeemer. Clouds do His bidding; they are "His chariot" and the "dust of His feet." (Psalm 104:3; Nahum 1:3).
God set the rainbow in the clouds after the flood, declaring His faithfulness. In the pillar of cloud, He guided Israel in their desert wanderings, protecting them from the scorching heat. It showed God's leading and provision. Then, in a thick cloud covering Mount Sinai, Moses came near God to receive the Ten Commandments. Sin is the transgression of the law. But if you seek His forgiveness, He will sweep away your sins "like a cloud." (Genesis 9:13; Exodus 13:21-22; Isaiah 44:22).
At Jesus' transfiguration, it was through a cloud that the Father declared, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" We do well to listen! Then there was that extremely dark cloud over the cross when it covered Jesus and the land. Due to Jesus bearing our sin and guilt, He felt utterly abandoned. Where was His Heavenly Father during this horrendous time? Was He not concealed in the darkness and "thick clouds of the skies"? He was suffering along with His Son. It is in the dark clouds that God is all the nearer. (Mark 9:7; Psalm 18:10-11).
The powerful news is that the Messiah died for our sins and rose from the tomb, triumphal over sin and death. The clouds address this, for many witnesses beheld Jesus ascend to heaven in "a cloud." Not only that, but Christ will soon return "on the clouds." Those who trust Him for their salvation and deliverance will be caught up "in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" and forever be with Him. (Acts 1:9; Matt. 26:64; 1 Thess. 4:17).
Therefore, be encouraged by the clouds; they tell an astonishing story. They speak of God's creative and redemptive works. Remember that when you behold them in the sky.
