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It is imperative that we consider the timing of His coming and the events generally associated with it. As the clouds accompanying Him are called clouds of heaven it would give a spiritual rather than a natural connotation to them. At the same instance there will be a great sound of a trumpet (Mt. 24:31) which coincides with the sounding of the last trumpet ( 1Cor. 15:52) and the moment of the resurrection of the righteous. The last trumpet, is the final of seven which sound at the end of the age. Rev. 11:15 Consider that it is called the time of the dead, they are judged worthy of resurrection unto eternal life at that time, or they must wait for the second resurrection, which is unto eternal death. This is the time of rewards being distributed to His saints. Rev. 11:18 Also scheduled for this time is the gathering together of His saints from all over the earth, both the living and the dead. Mt. 24:31
Jesus had already introduced the preceding as a scheduled event which will transpire at the close of the great tribulation period. Mt. 24:29 Mark, in his recording of these words of the Lord Jesus, makes it even more evident and verifies the fact that the second coming of Christ is at the close of the tribulation period. Mark 13:24-27 There are too many statements to be found in the Word pertaining to the timing of His coming as being at the close of the tribulation for it to occur at any other time. The cataclysmic conditions in the heavens recorded by both Matthew and Mark will introduce the end of the age and usher it to itís climax.
We next note that Ezekiel saw a tremendously, blazing fire. A flame that had already become so hot that it was creating a fire storm. A whirlwind of fire, like a circle of fire creating itís own wind and feeding on the oxygen it sucked into itís flame. Eze. 1:4 If we keep in mind that our God is a consuming fire we are not amazed by the appearance of this wonderful manifestation of fire. It is the fire of the Spirit which is the most pleasant of experiences and is that which comes upon His people when they are baptized with the Holy Ghost and fire. Mt. 3:11 Many of the old testament prophets had experiences where the saw the manifest fire of the Lord. The three Hebrew children of the Lord who were thrown into the fire furnace heated seven times hotter demonstrated the vast superiority of the Lord, over natural fire, who is a flaming fire and a hotter fire than that which any man could possible kindle. Fire can be a friend or a foe. The fire of the Lord, when received in the baptism of the Spirit is a wonderful friend. The same fire, if in judgment is greatly destructive. Gen. 19:24