(Rev 1:7)
There is some debate about whether this passage refers to Jesus coming when He raptures the church or at the end of the seven year tribulation. I believe it is the latter. Opponents of that view argue against what they call an invisible rapture of the church. They use First Thessalonians, chapter four, verses sixteen and seventeen. It reads in part, “...with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God,...”. I believe the shout and the trumpet call will be heard by those Jesus is calling home but not by non-believers. Support for this view is found in Matthew, chapter twenty-four, verses forty and forty-one. “Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one left.”
The sudden disappearance of all genuine believers at some future point makes the most sense when we take all passages related to the Rapture in full context. Moreover, verse seventeen of First Thessalonians, chapter four reads, “Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord.” If we are meeting Him “in the air” that means Jesus did not actually return to the Earth.
This event fulfills two prophecies. The first is found in Isaiah, chapter nineteen, verse one. “An oracle against Egypt: Look, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. Egypt’s idols will tremble before Him, and Egypt’s heart will melt within it.” In this prophecy, Egypt refers to all people and nations that reject the one true God.
The second prophecy fulfilled is found in Zechariah, chapter twelve, verse ten. “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the house of David and the residents of Jerusalem, and they will look at Me whom they pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child and weep bitterly for Him as one weeps for a firstborn.” This is more than those who actually crucified Jesus in the First Century. It includes all who reject His vicarious death and resurrection as the only means of salvation.
Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The New Testament was written in Greek. The message here is that Jesus is everything. The second part strengthens that claim by using a phrase familiar to the Jews. “The One who is, who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.” The first part of that declaration is an exposition of the statement made by God found in Exodus, chapter three, verse fourteen. Here Moses asked the Lord who he should tell the Israelites sent him to lead them out of captivity. God replied, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” I think this conveys the idea that God is too great to comprehend. It is a commandment to walk in faith.
“The Almighty” also goes back to the Old Testament description of God. He is referred to as the Almighty forty-eight times in the Old Testament, seven of those times as God Almighty. The Hebrew words for this description of God are El Shaddai. For those who say Jesus never claimed to be God, this clearly refutes that assertion.
Verses seven and eight put forth a few major points. Jesus’ second coming will fulfill the Hebrew prophecies. The Jews were expecting the Lord to return on, “the day of the Lord.” Jesus will fulfill that prophecy after the seven year tribulation. Another point is that people who rejected Him on His first coming will weep and mourn when they see the One who they crucified and rejected. And finally, Jesus clearly brought to an end the argument that He never claimed to be God.
