CLOUDS

My wife has become very found of white puffy clouds. Her bedroom wall, our screen saver, and her camera all attest to her new obsession. I admit they are pretty and restful, but one can only fixate on them for so long. There are other things to see and do which, in my opinion, are much more important. And, she isn't gettin' any younger.

The Bible has a lot to say about clouds. God placed His bow in the clouds for a sign that He will never again destroy the world with a flood (Genesis 9:13). To the wandering Hebrew children in Exodus 13:21-22, the cloud gave assurance that God was present with them. God used the cloud to direct them in their journey during the day, and He used a pillar of fire to guide them at night. If you think about it, God's cloud and pillar were not only their "gps," they had additional benefits. The desert is hot during the day, so a cloud would provide shade. The desert is cold during the night, so a pillar of fire would provide both light and warmth. Moses received the Law in a cloud (Exodus 24:18). And, He still uses clouds to water His creation (Proverbs 3:20).

While the New Testament has little to say about clouds, what it does say is astounding. At His Ascension, Jesus was taken up into the clouds; He will return in the clouds to claim His Bride, and seven years later, to claim His kingdom (Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 21:27; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Revelation 1:7). It was from out of a cloud that the voice of God spoke at the transfiguration of Christ (Matthew 17:5). We are told that the Hebrew children were "baptized unto Moses in a cloud, and all passed through the sea" (1 Corinthians 10:1-2). An angel came to John, clothed in a cloud, to tell him to seal up the message of the seven thunders (Revelation 10:1-4). At His Second Coming, Christ will be seated on a cloud, and He will remove those who will not be permitted to enter His earthly kingdom (Revelation 19:14-16).

As long as earth has existed, there has been a water cycle. The Bible tells us about evaporation, springs, dew point, rain, rivers, and oceans all being the work of God (Psalm 135:7; Ecclesiastes 1:7). But strangely enough, the water cycle apparently will not remain as it is on the new earth. There is no mention of clouds, dew, or rain. The Word says that there will be no more seas (Revelation 21:1). There is the "pure river of water of life" flowing out of the throne of God, but that is all that has been revealed (Revelation 22:1). There is on old hymn that talks of an "uncloudy day," but I really prefer to get my knowledge from the Word, rather than songs. For my wife's sake, I hope the hymn is wrong. Then again, I am sure that spending eternity with the Creator of the Universe will be sufficient enough to keep her happy.