Seattle, June 2, 2005. (9)
HOW ABOUT LIGHTNING? Please understand that we are not saying that lightning is God, not by any means. Lightning is a most spectacular happening in nature. It is both exciting and dangerous, for it can kill. Lightning travels at the speed of light or one hundred eighty-six thousand two hundred eighty-two miles per second [two hundred ninety-nine thousand seven hundred ninety-two kilometers]. It is composed of a succession of flashes, mostly four in number, and that is the number of the earth. The existence of God is seen in lightning. The face of the Lord Jesus at the time of His resurrection is an example. As His true essence was manifest, His countenance was like lightning. Mt. 28:3 How real was it? Ever been scared to death? Well, the men who were guarding the tomb were. They became frightened and became as dead men or those brave soldiers passed out from fear. Is
lightning frightening? Oh, yes. Jesus, on His return will come with the speed of lightning or light. He will come from the east or the sun rising and shine unto the west. Circling the whole earth in a matter of seconds. Incidentally the word used in the Greek for coming is parousia which is commonly used for the rapture. He will be highly visible at His coming. Lightning is hardly something that can be considered secret and unseen.
A GLIMPSE OF HIS PHYSICAL APPEARANCE. Daniel saw the Lord. In appearance and configuration, He was like a man. But that is where the resemblance ends. Daniel saw the Lord in all of His glory and majesty. Clothed in fine linen, which is a type of righteousness. Rev. 19:8 He is righteousness personified. He is our righteousness. Barnes notes describes the beryl as being a mineral of great hardness, green and bluish-green and a six sided prism. Certainly no man ever endured hardness as did Jesus, Green is the color of life. The six sides of the stone relate to the number of man. A prism will refract light and show its various colors like that of a rainbow. In His face, here, is to be found that amazing, scintillating, flash and glow of the glory of the Lord. The appearance of His face is given in this manner that we might understand that we are not looking at the glow of a light globe. This is a living light, it is undulating, it is pulsating it is flashing like lightning. Dan. 10:6 The electrical energy creating lightning originates with the sun. It is no small wonder when, we see the face of Jesus that it also has that sun like glow to it. The Apostles and John on Patmos, all saw His post resurrection countenance. They saw as it were the reflection of the same living glow that is common to our sun. Mt. 17:2 Rev. 1:16