Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Revelation 1:7

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

7. This verse, as indeed may be said of the whole Book, is founded chiefly on our Lord’s own prophecy recorded in St Matthew 24, and secondly on the Old Testament prophecies which He there refers to and sums up.

with clouds ] “With the clouds,” “he clouds of heaven” of Dan 7:13.

and they also which pierced him ] Zec 12:10; in his Gospel, Joh 19:37, St John translates that passage correctly, and here refers to the same translation: that of the LXX. is wrong and almost meaningless. But while the words here are taken from Zechariah, the thought is rather that of Mat 26:64: “they which pierced Him” are thought of, not as looking to Him by faith, and mourning for Him in penitence, but as seeing Him Whom they had not believed in, and mourning in despair.

all kindreds of the earth ] Better, all the tribes the reference is still to Zech. l. c., through the medium of Mat 24:30. Thus we see that the fact that the profitable and the unprofitable “mourning” (or “wailing” the Greek word is the same in St Matthew as here) are foretold in the same terms, in solemnly suggestive contrast with each other, is due not to the Apostle but to his Master: it is He that tells us that all tribes of the earth must mourn, either now for the woe our sins caused Him, or then for the woe they will cause us.

because of him ] Literally, “at him;” at sight of Him. R. V. “over Him,” which can hardly be meant here.

Even so, Amen ] Or, Yea, Amen the two words, Greek and Hebrew, being similarly coupled in 2Co 1:20. The second, like the first, is an emphatic word of confirmation so used e.g. repeatedly by our Lord Himself, St Mat 5:18, &c., where it is translated “verily.” The popular tradition that “Amen” means “So be it” is only partially true: even in its liturgical use, we append it to creeds as well as prayers. It comes from the same Hebrew root as the words for “faith” and “truth;” the primary meaning being apparently “solidity.” See on Rev 3:14.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Behold he cometh with clouds – That is, the Lord Jesus, when he returns, will come accompanied with clouds. This is in accordance with the uniform representation respecting the return of the Saviour. See the notes on Mat 24:30. Compare Mat 26:64; Mar 13:26; Mar 14:62; Act 1:9, Act 1:11. Clouds are appropriate symbols of majesty, and God is often represented as appearing in that manner. See Exo 19:18; Psa 18:11 ff; Isa 19:1. So, among the pagan, it was common to represent their divinities as appearing clothed with a cloud:

tandem venias, precamur,

Nube candentes humeros amictus.

Augur Apollo

The design of introducing this representation of the Saviour, and of the manner in which he would appear, seems to be to impress the mind with a sense of the majesty and glory. of that being from whom John received his revelations. His rank, his character, his glory were such as to demand respect; all should reverence him, and all should feel that his communications about the future were important to them, for they must soon appear before him.

And every eye shall see him – He will be made visible in his glory to all that dwell upon the earth; to all the children of men. Everyone, therefore, has an interest in what he says; everyone has this in certain prospect, that he shall see the Son of God coming as a Judge.

And they also which pierced him – When he died; that is, they who pierced his hands, his feet, and his side. There is probably an allusion here to Zec 12:10; They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn. The language here is so general that it may refer to any act of looking upon the pierced Saviour, and might be applied to those who would see him on the cross and to their compunctious visitings then; or to their subsequent reflections, as they might look by faith on him whom they had crucified; or to the feeling of any sinners who should reflect that their sins had been the cause of the death of the Lord Jesus; or it might be applied, as it is here, more specifically to the feelings which his murderers will have when they shall see him coming in his glory. All sinners who have pierced his heart by their crimes will then behold him and will mourn over their treatment of him; they, in a special manner, who imbrued their hands in his blood will then remember their crime and be overwhelmed with alarm. The design of what is here said seems to be, to show that the coming of the Saviour will be an event of great interest to all mankind. None can be indifferent to it, for all will see him. His friends will hail his advent (compare Rev 22:20), but all who were engaged in putting him to death, and all who in any manner have pierced his heart by sin and ingratitude, unless they shall have repented, will have occasion of bitter lamentation when he shall come. There are none who have a more fearful doom to anticipate than the murderers of the Son of God, including those who actually put him to death, and those who would have engaged in such an act had they been present, and those who, by their conduct, have done all they could to pierce and wound him by their ingratitude.

And all kindreds of the earth – Greek, All the tribes – phulai of the earth. This language is the same which the Saviour uses in Mat 24:30. See the notes on that passage. The word tribes is what is commonly applied to the twelve tribes of Israel, and thus used, it would describe the inhabitants of the Holy Land; but it may be used to denote nations and people in general, as descended from a common ancestor, and the connection requires that it should be understood in this sense here, since it is said that every eye shall see him; that is, all that dwell on the face of the earth.

Shall wail because of him – On account of him; on account of their treatment of him. The word rendered wail – kopto – means properly to beat, to cut; then to beat or cut oneself in the breast as an expression of sorrow; and then to lament, to cry aloud in intense grief. The coming of the Saviour will be an occasion of this:

(a)Because it will be an event which will call the sins of people to remembrance, and

(b)Because they will be overwhelmed with the apprehension of the wrath to come.

Nothing would fill the earth with greater consternation than the coming of the Son of God in the clouds of heaven; nothing could produce so deep and universal alarm. This fact, which no one can doubt, is proof that people feel that they are guilty, since, if they were innocent, they would have nothing to dread by his appearing. It is also a proof that they believe in the doctrine of future punishment, since, if they do not, there is no reason why they should be alarmed at his coming. Surely people would not dread his appearing if they really believed that all will be saved. Who dreads the coming of a benefactor to bestow favors on him? Who dreads the appearing of a jailer to deliver him from prison; of a physician to raise him up from a bed of pain; of a deliverer to knock off the fetters of slavery? And how can it be that people should be alarmed at the coming of the Saviour, unless their consciences tell them that they have much to fear in the future? The presence of the Redeemer in the clouds of heaven would destroy all the hopes of those who believe in the doctrine of universal salvation – as the approach of death now often does. People believe that there is much to be dreaded in the future world, or they would not fear the coming of Him who shall wind up the affairs of the human race.

Even so, Amen – , nai, amen. A double expression of so be it, assuredly, certainly, one in Greek and the other in Hebrew (Prof. Stuart). Compare Rom 8:16, Abba, Father – , abba, ho pater. The idea which John seems to intend to convey is, that the coming of the Lord Jesus, and the consequences which he says will follow, are events which are altogether certain. This is not the expression of a wish that it may be so, as our common translation would seem to imply, but a strong affirmation that it will be so. In some passages, how. over, the word ( nai) expresses assent to what is said, implying approbation of it as true, or as desirable. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight, Mat 11:26; Luk 10:21. So in Rev 16:7, Even so ( nai), Lord God Almighty. So in Rev 22:20, Even so ( nai), come, Lord Jesus. The word Amen here seems to determine the meaning of the phrase, and to make it the affirmation of a certainty, rather than the expression of a wish.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Rev 1:7

Behold, He cometh with clouds.

Behold, He cometh

The second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is set before us as the supreme hope of the Church, that great and glorious event towards which all is leading up, or for which all is preparing. This being so, our feelings in regard of it will serve us as a test by which to gauge ourselves with respect to our present condition before God. If things are as they should be with us, we shall be able to say from our heart, Even so, Amen. Have any of us failed before this simple test? Have we come to the conclusion that, though we hope we love the Lord, we do not love His appearing? What are the causes that render it possible for any true child of God to shrink from the thought of his Masters return? Conspicuous amongst these is that secret worldliness of heart, against which the Master so solemnly warned us: Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your heart be overcharged with the cares of this life. Have we to confess that we have been living and labouring to win wealth, or fame, or social distinction, or to better our position, and to gain the honour that cometh from man? Ah! no wonder then that we love not His appearing, for has not our worldly self become within us a little Antichrist, whom the Lord must needs destroy by the brightness of His coming? Or peradventure we are entangled by worldly associations. Instead of so loving the world as Christ loved it, and going into it to save its perishing children, we have gone there in search of social pleasure, and have found a social snare; and instead of going outside the camp bearing Christs reproach, we have become conformed to the worlds image, and accept its maxims and wear its uniform. Ah! how can we desire the Lords appearing if we have been false to our colours? Or again, is it not only too obvious that many are prevented from uttering this prayer from the heart because they know that they have been leading an indolent and useless life? Have you an inward conviction that the Lord Jesus Christ must, as a matter of simple truth, say of your service, were He now to appear, Thou wicked and slothful servant take the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath ten talents? Or, once again, how many a Christian is robbed of his Advent hope by some secret sin, known perhaps only to God and himself, extenuated and even defended by a perverted understanding, but already condemned by the inward witness of the Holy Ghost in his hearty It may be some crooked, or at any rate questionable, practice in business; it may be some impurity of thought, or even of action; it may be some habit of levity and frivolousness, or loose and giddy speech; or it may be a custom of exaggeration and untruthfulness which you have familiarised yourself with until you scarcely are aware of it when you fall into the fault. Or perhaps it may not be secret sin which stands between us and our hope, but rather an open and obvious inconsistency apparent to all around as well as to ourselves. Many real Christians, I am persuaded, are unable to love the Lords appearing because they are walking rather after the flesh than after the Spirit. Now, if for any of these reasons you feel yourselves unable to love and pray for the Lords appearing, consider, I pray you, whence you have fallen, how your highest glory is being turned into your deepest shame. Oh, cast away all that robs thee of thy Advent hope and of the joys of anticipation, and make a fresh and full surrender of thyself. But if the thought of this glorious event prove so very heart-searching to us, who have already come under the influence of Gods grace, how very powerfully should it weigh with those who have not yet taken the very first step in the Christian life! It is surely high time for such to listen to the Advent cry, Behold, He cometh with clouds. Behold, He cometh. Oh that men would respond to that call for here indeed is something worth looking at. Man may say Behold! about many things of small import, but when God says Behold! rest assured there is something worth looking at before us. A voice from heaven is pleading for our attention, and it seems to say, Stop and think, the foredoomed hour draws nigh, return and come! And every eye shall see Him. It will not be a matter of choice or preference then, as it is now; a stern necessity will compel every human being that God has made, whether he will or no, to behold the approaching King. Drawn as by an irresistible force, all shall be brought into His presence, and find themselves arraigned before the bar of the Judge. Who are they to whom this revelation of Jesus Christ will cause such unspeakable despair? They are described here. And let us be honest with ourselves, and face the question candidly: Do I belong to the classes that are mentioned here as being plunged into such dire distress? First we hear of those who pierced Him. Have any of us pierced Him? True, we were not present at Calvary, we had no part in driving in the iron nails into His quivering palms, or in thrusting the spear into His side. But have we never pierced Him? Yes, not once only, but over and over again, in the long, dark ages of mans history, Jesus Christ has been pierced, and He is being pierced still. How do men pierce Him? Surely by undisguised hostility and contemptuous scorn. It is wonderful to what length men will still go in their hatred of Christ. Still He has to complain, They hated Me without a cause. The bitter things that men of the world say about Christians, what is it but a determined attempt to wound the Master through the servants? Others, again, pierce Jesus by cold indifference and heartless ingratitude. You can be kind and tender in every other relationship of life; you are a generous husband and a considerate and sympathising father; and you are a gentle and devoted wife and a tender-hearted mother and friend; there is only one Person whom you habitually slight and treat with ingratitude and neglect, as though it were a matter of indifference to you whether you pleased or pained Him, and that Person is Divine. Him you have treated with contempt, His love you have rejected, and His mercy you have despised. Ah, how will you face Him when every eye shall see Him, and you shall know at last how your callous indifference, your black ingratitude, has pierced the sensitive heart of the Son of Man, who lived and died for you? How will you endure the wrath of the Lamb? Some of you again have pierced Jesus by deliberately choosing something which He hates in preference to Himself. Ah, how often this is done! It may be that your preference falls on some evil habit that is destroying you, body and soul; it may be some accursed sin that is poisoning your whole being, and yet you prefer it to Christ. But our text speaks of others besides these. It tells us how all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. To which of the two kindreds do you belong? Are you of the earth, earthy, or are you citizens of Mount Zion? for to one or other of these two classes we all belong. Judge yourselves, lest that day come upon you as a thief in the night, revealing to you your true character and position when the revelation comes too late. Again, we ask, Who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? Those surely have nothing to fear from the Lords appearing who can say, Unto Him that has loved us, etc. Judgment has no terrors and eternity no alarms for those who are living in the conscious enjoyment of the benefits of redeeming love. (W. Hay Aitken, M. A.)

The revelation of the mystery

St. John is speaking in the language of ancient prophecy. Christ is coming. Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him. This is a truth of the faith, and St. John corroborates Daniel, not because he imitates the prophetic spirit by echoing prophetic phrase, but because each prophet stands on a mountain peak of Revelation, and surveys an unalterable fact. For the mind to grow into the force of that fact is one of the most necessary methods of advance in the Spirit and will of God.

I. St. John is speaking in the language of a seer, which is the real language of mans immortal life. His words are a cry of relieved tension of feeling, of suddenly fulfilled expectation; like the watcher from Athens catching sight of the corn-ships as they doubled Sunium; like the anxious gazer descrying in the distance the British flag which announced approaching relief to the beleaguered sufferers in Lucknow; like the dying man straining the ear through the silent night for the first footfall of one he loves, and longs to see before he dies.

1. Man expresses his sense of relation to objects and persons external to himself by two names–Time and Eternity. These names of course represent real ideas. These ideas are dim and vague enough. Surely he has to learn that Time is a phantom of succession; that he himself, not Time, is moving on; that now his life is partially developed; surely he has to realise that Eternity can include no sense of succession, but represents life as fully possessed. We must learn in the things of the soul to weigh and measure by the scales, by the standard of Eternity, for we are immortal. Speaking, then, as we should speak, with a sense of our full, our endless life, the close of the great conflict is not far off.

2. To each one of us there shall be a full consciousness of the coming and the presence of the Lord. Every eye shall see Him. The eye is the watch-tower of the human spirit, whither it ascends to view Gods universe. The eye is the instrument by which impressions from the objects of an outer world, impressions of colour and harmony and form, are conveyed to the lonely soul. The eye can alone convey the message, the power to use it is in the soul itself. My friends, it would seem that the human soul has a strong likeness to the poor frail human body. Living, though sick with sin, it is conscious, in a dreamlike consciousness, of the presence and claims of God; if life is failing in it, if the disease of sin is settling into spiritual death, it loses that consciousness. But one thing is certain: the hour is coming when each of us–with a consciousness of soul as clear as the sight of the eye of the body–when each of us shall see the fairest, the most awful vision, the coming Christ. Here we see but dimly; there will be the full revelation.

II. We are brought face to face with him whose appearing shall be the interpretation of all dreams, the solution of all perplexing problems, behold, He is coming with clouds.

1. St. Johns account of the pageant of Christs appearing is an appeal to an instinct of humanity face to face with nature. Of all natural objects that awaken the sense none can rival for power mountains, clouds, and sea. But clouds combine, in a measure, the resources of sea and mountains; smoothed out at dawn or sunset, twisted into strange contortions by the storm, they rival the solemnity of mountains in their vast proportions, and imitate in their changeful movements the beating of the waves. Everywhere they give the sense of thinly veiled depths of mystery yet to be revealed, and of the wrath and power of God against human sin. When Christ comes, then, this is certain, He will come revealing hidden things of darkness, ay! and hidden things of light. It will be a time of unveiling. But more: He will come in the fully manifested display of Gods irreconcilable antagonism to human sin. It will be a moment of startling and complete revelation.

2. But there is a further feature, the most striking of all. It is an unexpected touch in the picture which follows–they also that pierced Him–a sudden allusion to the Passion. Doubtless there is a warning in such words, that those who deride, reject, or seek to destroy the highest goodness now shall one day see the magnitude of their madness. But this is not all. Face to face with human sin in its closing crisis, the great Representative of the race displays before assembled worlds the extent of its malignity in wounding God. Even those who have hated it most shall then for the first time vividly realise its actual dreadfulness. And in these wounds of the Passion are exhibited the stores of the experience of human life, He is in direct relation to all, for all have pierced Him, and He has learned by experience the sorrow and sin of that humanity which is common to all. And then we are reminded that the judgment to follow takes its force and derives its necessity from the necessities of His nature. With the knowledge of God He comes, and with the feelings and experiences of man.

3. The great wail of the human family recorded in the close of the verse is its outspoken sign of recognition of the truth. In some–His persecuting enemies–the cry of fear and fury at the certainty of the triumph of goodness; to some undeveloped soul the anguish of fuller recognition of that marvellous majesty, which on earth it only recognised by stray sigh of penitence or a passing thought of desire: to some who through no fault of their own, by a specialite of circumstances, or mystery of mental build, or owing to a fog of prejudice, or an involuntarily blinded mind, have never known Him–the purifying sorrow of awakening at last to the unveiled beauty; to some who have known and loved Him, the fuller sense–for love is the real illumination–of how unworthy they have been, how their best has been bad, their self-sacrifices pitiful, face to face with the unshrouded loveliness of that supernatural sorrow.

III. What, then, is the relation of that final vision with the mystery of the passion? This: in that supreme crisis of humanity it is a mystery no more; or rather the souls of those who are passing from the limitations of time are themselves in a sphere of mystery; they see, they understand such visions with the quickened senses of eternity. Life here is in deepest shadow, but nothing since the beginning of creation has been so wrapped in shadow as the fact and the consequences of Calvary; if that be clear, all must be plain. And clear it will be. Christ is the Great Revealer, in Him we shall see all. What shall we see? This. The real meaning of humility. The strange and now interpreted story of the humiliation of the Cross. What shall we see? The perfected sympathy of God in Christ with all that is truly human, all that would permit that sympathy by a surrendered will. What shall we see? The evident and now intelligible splendour of the ideal of humanity. But, oh! the surprise of the souls of the blessed when first they see unveiled in awe and majesty the ideal of Divine, of human beauty–the Fairest of the fair! What shall we see? The meaning of suffering. It seemed awful, almost cruel, when borne in the darkness of probation, but here is the end. In the light of the Crucified now in unshrouded beauty, the full splendour of that suffering once borne with difficulty, but borne in patience, will reveal what, in the valley of the shadow, lay concealed within it–some inconceivable secret of the love and the loveliness of God. What shall we see? We shall see in its overwhelming glory the mystery of power. It could only speak on earth in the mystic but eloquent symbol of the Cross. Here it is plain in the clear Revelation. Power elevating, perfecting the uncreated beauty. The power that could deal with the ruin of the creature, the redeemed the work of the Redeemer, the forces of redemption–God in Christ. (Canon Knox Little.)

The Second Advent of Christ

I. The Judge. Behold, He cometh. Who? Christ Jesus. Were He only a man, He could not be qualified for this high office, for no man, however acute his discernment, can know the thoughts and intents of the heart; but, being God as well as man, He is omniscient. His justice is equal to His knowledge, for justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne, while a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of His kingdom. There is no quality more important in a judge than this.

II. The certainty of his approach. Behold, He cometh, exclaims the apostle, as if he had actually seen Him on His way.

III. The manner of His coming. Behold, He cometh with clouds. This agrees with the exhibition that was given at the promulgation of the law from Sinai, when clouds and thick darkness, from which there proceeded flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, enveloped the mountain. And further, since clouds are always spoken of as the symbols of Divinity, and since few things are more sublime in their appearance and motion, could any representation be more descriptive of the God-like manner of His operations, or better calculated to convince us that the mighty agent in this grand movement is God?

IV. The universal publicity of His appearance. Every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Men of all creeds, in short, of all colours, of all grades of talent, and of all conditions of society, will be there.

V. The way in which these two different classes will be affected by the sight of their Judge. Not one of them, we may well conceive, will behold Him with indifference. Still, however, there will be a vast difference between the feelings of the wicked and the feelings of the righteous. (W. Nisbet.)

The final coming of Christ to judgment

I. Christ will come to judgement.

1. The announcement of prophecy: Enoch, Job. Christ and His disciples were frequent in their reference to fits final advent. They made it a motive for diligence, an incentive to watchfulness, and the occasion of other solemn instruction.

2. The statement of Scripture. Be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh. He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained.

3. The conviction of reason.

4. The dread expectation of conscience.

II. The coming of Christ to judgment will be associated with majesty and glory. He cometh with clouds.

1. The clouds are indicative of mystery. Clouds hide many things from mortal vision. So the coming of Christ will be associated with great mystery. There will be the mystery connected with a judge possessed of a nature at once human and Divine. There will be the mystery associated with the life and attendance of angelic spirits. There will be the mystery consequent upon the resurrection and trial of humanity.

2. The clouds are indicative of beauty. We have all seen and admired them. So the great coming of Christ will be associated with everything that constitutes moral grandeur. The scene will be one of supreme rectitude, of infinite purity, and, therefore, unrivalled glory.

3. The clouds are indicative of power. With what force do the clouds rush along the heavens; who, or what could resist them in their rapid march? So the final coming of Christ to judgment will be irresistible.

III. The coming of Christ to judgment will be witnessed by an assembled universe. And every eye shall see Him.

1. He will be seen by the devout Christian. By men who have consecrated their lives to His service. These will be in sympathy with His coming.

2. He will be seen by the impious sceptic. Hobbs and Hume will see Him. These will behold His coming with surprise.

3. He will be seen by the morally impenitent. Herod, Judas, Pilate; sinner, you will see Him. These will see Him with dismay. Hypocrite and backslider, you will see Him. You will see Him with despair.

IV. The coming of Christ to judgment meets with the solemn approbation of the good. Even so, Amen.

1. They approve, not because they desire the final overthrow of the wicked. The good mans desire is, that the whole world should be saved.

2. They approve, because it is the legitimate termination of mortal affairs.

3. They approve, because it will lead them into a bright and more durable vision of the eternal.

Lessons:—

1. The world will one day see Christ.

2. Will you wail because of Him, or say, Even so, Amen? (J. S. Exell, M. A.)

The second advent

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the great ordinance of Jehovah for bringing all things to that state and bearing which He has assigned them in His eternal mind. The whole of this dispensation of God to man is called the mystery of God, and the whole of this mystery has its accomplishment in three comings of Christ; His coming in the flesh, His coming in the Spirit, and His coming in the clouds. It is to the last of these comings that John refers our attention in the text. Behold He cometh. The coming of Christ in the clouds is yet, perhaps, at some distance, but faith anticipates it, realises it.

1. Now, that the coming of our Lord in the clouds is an event worthy of all your attention and wonder, I think will appear, if we consider–

(1) The place from which He comes–from heaven. Angelic voices sound from that far country whither He has gone to receive a kingdom, into the royalties and glories of which He has entered as the reward of His suffering. From that country He shall come back.

2. The coming of Christ with clouds is worthy of all our attention and wonder because of the place to which He comes. To this earth once more–to this earth where His delights were with the sons of men–to this earth in which He was born–to this earth, again, where He lived, like a common Jewish peasant, three and thirty years–to this earth again, from which He was hissed away by a scandalised death.

3. The coming of Christ in the clouds is worthy of your attention and regard, because of the circumstances of glory in which it will take place. Behold, He cometh with clouds. Why, He came with clouds before, but they were clouds of poverty, clouds of obscurity, clouds of shame; but now He comes in clouds of glory, of brightness.

4. This coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds is an event worthy of your attention and wonder also, because of the time of it. He says, Behold, I come quickly. He will not delay His coming beyond the time assigned for it.

5. The coming of our Lord in the clouds, is further worthy of all your attention and wonder, because of the solemn preparations which shall usher it in. There will be signs in the air, signs in the sea, signs in the sun, signs in the stars, mens hearts failing them for fear, the sea and the waves roaring, mighty events treading on the heels of one another.

6. The coming of Christ in the clouds is an event worthy of your attention and wonder, because of the solemn work He then comes to perform. He says, Behold I come; My reward is with Me. (J. E. Beaumont, M. D.)

Christ coming with clouds

John, who once heard the voice, Behold the Lamb of God! now utters the voice, Behold, He cometh!

I. Our Lord Jesus Comes.

1. This fact is worthy of a note of admiration–Behold!

2. It should be vividly realised till we cry, Behold, He cometh!

3. It should be zealously proclaimed. We should use the heralds cry, Behold!

4. It is to be unquestioningly asserted as true. Assuredly He cometh.

(1) It has been long foretold. Enoch (Jud 1:14).

(2) He has Himself warned us of it. Behold, I come quickly!

5. It is to be viewed with immediate interest.

(1) Behold! for this is the grandest of all events.

(2) He cometh, the event is at the door.

(3) He, who is your Lord and Bridegroom, comes.

(4) He is coming even now, for He is preparing all things for His advent, and thus may be said to be on the road.

6. It is to be attended with a peculiar sign–with clouds.

(1) The emblems of His majesty.

(2) The ensigns of His power.

(3) The warnings of His judgment. Charged with darkness and tempest are these gathered clouds.

II. Our Lords coming will be seen of all.

1. It will be a literal appearance. Not merely every mind shall think of Him, but every eye shall see Him.

2. It will be beheld by all sorts and kinds of living men.

3. It will be seen by those long dead.

4. It will be seen by His actual murderers, and others like them.

5. It will be manifest to those who desire not to see the Lord.

6. It will be a sight in which you will have a share. Since you must see Him, why not at once look to Him and live?

III. His coming will cause sorrow. All kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.

1. The sorrow will be very general. All kindreds of the earth.

2. The sorrow will be very bitter. Wail.

3. The sorrow proves that men will not be universally converted.

4. The sorrow also shows that men will not expect from Christs coming a great deliverance.

5. The sorrow will in a measure arise out of His glory, seeing they rejected and resisted Him. That glory will be against them.

6. The sorrow will be justified by the dread result.

Their fears of punishment will be well grounded. Their horror at the sight of the great Judge will be no idle fright. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The coming of Christ

I. The coming of Christ.

II. The evidence of His coming. This appears from the character of God, from His holiness and righteousness, His faithfulness and truth, from His holy covenant, counsels and promises, His infinite glory, and Divine government. The truth of this appears from the character of Christ–from His human nature, His atoning death, His resurrection from the dead, His ascension to heaven, and Divine administration. The evidence further appears from the work of the Spirit, who convinces the world of judgment to come–from the law of God, which is perfect, pure, and spiritual, holy, just, and good. The truth of this appears from the types of Holy Writ (Num 6:24-26; Mat 25:34). Again, the evidence appears from the prophecy of Enoch (Jud 1:14-15); from the character of God as the Judge of all the earth; from the faith of Job in the living Redeemer (Job 19:25; Job 19:27); from many of the Psalms; from the vision of Daniel (7:10-14); from Christs parables, the testimony of the angels when Jesus ascended, and from the doctrines and promises of the prophets and apostles. The truth of this will be rendered obvious from the works of Providence, and the unequal distribution of Divine dispensations. Verily there is a reward for the righteous; verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth. The evidence of this appears from reason, the light of nature, the power of conscience, and the inseparable connection between the Creator and the creature.

III. The manner of His coming.

1. We have in these words the solemnity of His coming. This great event is ushered in with a Behold!

2. We have in these words the reality of His coming. He will come personally: The Lord Himself will descend from heaven.

3. The certainty of His coming.

4. The nearness of His coming.

5. The suddenness of His coming. His first coming was slow and progressive.

IV. The majesty of his coming. Behold He cometh with clouds. Clouds are the symbols of Divine majesty. He shall come in the Fathers glory, invested with all His essential perfections, with all His authority, excellence, and majesty. He shall come in His own glory, the glory of His Deity, His person, and His offices as mediator. He shall come in the glory of the Holy Spirit, resting upon Him as the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel, and of might, of knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. He shall be glorious in His throne–the great white throne. He shall be glorious in His apparel–robes of light; and also in His power–travelling in the greatness of His strength, mighty to save. He shall be glorious in His chariot–the clouds of heaven, the wings of the wind. He shall be glorious in His attendants–the holy angels, the beings of light. He shall be glorious in His Church, who shall bear His blessed image, reflect His moral glory, and exhibit the transcendent excellence of the last, the finishing touch, of His glorious, skilful, wonder-working hand. He will be glorified in His saints, and admired in all them that believe. He shall be glorious in His last great work of judgment and mercy, now finished for ever, and He shall contemplate the whole scene with Divine delight, and pronounce it to be good.

V. The effects of His coming. The first effect is the misery of the wicked: All the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. There is here an allusion to the book of Zechariah (Zec 10:12). The second effect is the triumph of the righteous: Even so, Amen. The first word is Greek, the last word is Hebrew. The expression is doubled, to strengthen the assertion. It expresses the apostles acquiescence in the promise: even so, thus let it be; it is just and right that it should be so. It expresses the souls approbation of the promise; of all the counsels and arrangements of heaven. It expresses faith in the promise: Lord, I believe that Thou wilt come. It implies hope in the promise: Looking for the blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God our Saviour.

VI. The uses of his coming. Hence see the glorious consummation of the whole plan of mercy. All the perfections of God shall be displayed, His character shall be glorified, His law shall be honoured, and His government vindicated; all His counsels shall be fully unfolded, and all the predictions of His Word shall be verified; and God shall then be all in all, in His ineffable resplendent glory. Hence see the necessity of constant preparation for the coming of Christ. We cannot die in safety unless we enjoy peace with God. (James Young.)

Wail.

Despair of sinners in judgment

I cannot put into English the full meaning of that most expressive word. Sound it at length, and it conveys its own meaning. It is as when men wring their hands and burst out into a loud cry; or as when eastern women, in their anguish, rend their garments, and lift up their voices with the most mournful notes. All the kindreds of the earth shall wail: wail as a mother laments over her dead child; wail as a man might wail who found himself hopelessly imprisoned and doomed to die. Such will be the hopeless grief of all the kindreds of the earth at the sight of Christ in the clouds: if they remain impenitent, they shall not be able to be silent; they shall not be able to repress or conceal their anguish, but they shall wail, or openly give vent to their horror. What a sound that will be which wilt go up before high heaven when Jesus sits upon the cloud, and in the fulness of His power summons them to judgment! Then they shall wail because of Him. Will your voice be heard in that wailing? Will your heart be breaking in that general dismay? How will you escape? If you are one of the kindreds of the earth, and remain impenitent, you will wail with the rest of them. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 7. Behold, he cometh with clouds] This relates to his coming to execute judgment on the enemies of his religion; perhaps to his coming to destroy Jerusalem, as he was to be particularly manifested to them that pierced him, which must mean the incredulous and rebellious Jews.

And all kindreds of the earth] All the tribes of the land. By this the Jewish people are most evidently intended, and therefore the whole verse may be understood as predicting the destruction of the Jews; and is a presumptive proof that the Apocalypse was written before the final overthrow of the Jewish state.

Even so, Amen.] , Yea, Amen. It is true, so be it. Our Lord will come and execute judgment on the Jews and Gentiles. This the Jews and Romans particularly felt.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

St. John being to speak of the various afflictions of the church of God, which should immediately begin, and hold on during the whole time that Rome should continue heathen, and one thousand two hundred and sixty years after, during the whole reign of the beasts, prepareth Christians for it, by calling them by the eye of faith to see (though at a great distance) Christ coming to judgment, whom he speaks of as already coming, according to the usual style of prophets, who use to speak of those things that shall shortly be done, or certainly, as if they were already done. He describes the manner of Christs coming to judgment, and saith,

he cometh with clouds, that is, in a glorious manner; in the clouds with power and great glory, Mat 24:30; in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, Mat 25:31; with ten thousand of his saints, Jud 1:14; with a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God, 1Th 4:16; here, with clouds, bright and glorious clouds, not obscuring him, but making his appearance more glorious and terrible.

And every eye shall see him; he shall come visibly, for, Act 1:11, he shall so come, as he was seen going up to heaven: see Isa 40:5.

And they also which pierced him; they also which pierced him shall look on him, Zec 12:10; yea, not those only which pierced him with their spears, but every sinner who hath pierced him with his sins, Heb 6:6. From whence we may observe, that the resurrection will be general; and those in the Great Moguls country are like to awake out of their sleep in the grave, as well as others.

And all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him; all the nations of the earth, (Greek, the tribes of the earth), shall wail, not with a mourning of repentance, the time for that will be past, but with a wailing of despair and horror.

Even so, Amen: these words are either a prophetical assertion, confirming the truth of what he had said, or a pious prayer or desire, or rather both together.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

7. with cloudsGreek,“the clouds,” namely, of heaven. “A cloudreceived Him out of their sight” at His ascension (Ac1:9). His ascension corresponds to the manner of His coming again(Ac 1:11). Clouds are thesymbols of wrath to sinners.

every eyeHis comingshall therefore be a personal, visible appearing.

shall seeIt is becausethey do not now see Him, they will not believe. Contrast Joh20:29.

they alsothey in particular; “whosoever.” Primarily,at His pre-millennial advent the Jews, who shall “lookupon Him whom they have pierced,” and mourn in repentance,and say, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.”Secondarily, and here chiefly, at the general judgment all theungodly, not only those who actually pierced Him, but those who didso by their sins, shall look with trembling upon Him. John is theonly one of the Evangelists who records the piercing ofChrist’s side. This allusion identifies him as the author of theApocalypse. The reality of Christ’s humanity and His death is provedby His having been pierced; and the water and bloodfrom His side were the antitype to the Levitical waters of cleansingand blood offerings.

all kindreds . . . shallwailall the unconverted at the general judgment; andespecially at His pre-millennial advent, the Antichristianconfederacy (Zec 12:3-6;Zec 12:9; Zec 14:1-4;Mat 24:30). Greek, “allthe tribes of the land,” or “the earth.”See the limitation to “all,” Re13:8. Even the godly while rejoicing in His love shall feelpenitential sorrow at their sins, which shall all be manifested atthe general judgment.

because ofGreek,“at,” or “in regard to Him.”

Even so, AmenGods sealof His own word; to which corresponds the believer’s prayer, Re22:20. The “even so” is Greek; “Amen”is Hebrew. To both Gentiles and Jews His promises and threatsare unchangeable.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Behold he cometh with clouds,…. John carries on the account of Christ in his kingly office, one branch of which is to execute judgment; and describes him by a future coming of his, which cannot be understood of his coming to take vengeance on the Jews, at the time of Jerusalem’s destruction, though that is sometimes expressed in such language, and with such circumstances, as here; see Mt 24:30; because if this revelation was made to John, in the latter end of Domitian’s reign, as is commonly reported by the ancients, and in the year 95 or 96, as chronologers generally place it, it must be upwards of twenty years after the destruction of Jerusalem, and therefore cannot relate to that; nor to his coming in a spiritual sense to convert the Jews in the latter day; for this coming is personal, and with clouds, when he will be seen by every eye; all which circumstances do not so well agree with that; besides, all the kindreds of the earth will not lament on that account: the wicked will take little notice of it, the tribes of the Jews will rejoice at it, and so will all the converted Gentiles: it is better therefore to understand this of Christ’s second coming to judge the quick and dead, which is represented as just at hand, to denote the certainty of it; and a “behold” is prefixed to it, to excite attention, and to denote the importance of it: things of great moment, and very surprising, will then be done; Christ will appear in great glory and majesty, the dead in Christ will be raised, Christ’s personal kingdom will take place, and the general judgment come on. The manner of his coming will be “with clouds”; either figuratively, with angels, who will attend him both for grandeur and service, or literally, in the clouds of heaven; he shall descend in like manner as he ascended, and as Daniel prophesied he should, Da 7:13. Hence, one of the names of the Messiah, with the Jews, is, , “Anani” r, which signifies “clouds”; and his coming is so described, both to denote the grand and magnificent manner, in which he will come, making the clouds his chariots; and to strike terror into his enemies, clouds and darkness being about him, thunder and lightning breaking out of them, as tokens of that vengeance he comes to take upon them; as also the visibility of his coming, he shall descend from the third heaven, where he now is, into the airy heaven, and sit upon the clouds, as on his throne, and be visible to all: hence it follows,

and every eye shall see him; that is, everyone that has eyes shall see him, or all men shall see him; the righteous shall see him, and be glad; they shall see him in his glory, as he is, and for themselves, and be satisfied; they shall rejoice at the sight of him; they will be filled with joy unspeakable, and full of glory: but the wicked will see him and tremble; they will be filled with the utmost consternation and astonishment; they will not be able to bear the sight of him; they will flee from him, and call to the rocks and mountains to fall on them, and hide them from his face.

And they [also] which pierced him; his hands, feet, and side, when they crucified him; both the Roman soldiers, who actually did it, and the body of the Jewish nation, the rulers and common people, who consented to it, and at whose instigation it was done; these, being raised from the dead, shall see him with their bodily eyes, whom they so used.

And all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him; all the wicked, in the several parts of the world, will lament, and wring their hands, and express the inward terror and horror of their minds, at his appearing; they will fear his resentment of all their wicked words and actions; will dread his wrath, and tremble at his righteous judgment:

even so, Amen, says John, and so say all true believers; what the wicked lament, they rejoice at; they desire the coming of Christ, they love it, look and long for it; they believe it shall be, and wish it may be quickly, as in Re 22:20; This expression of faith in, and desire after the coming of Christ, is signified by two words, the one Greek and the other Hebrew; suggesting, that this is an article of faith among all the saints of all nations, Jews and Gentiles, and is what they are wishing and waiting for.

r Targum in 1 Chron. iii. 24. vid. Beckii Not. in ib. Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 85. 2.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Behold, he cometh with the clouds ( ). Futuristic present middle indicative of , a reminiscence of Da 7:13 (Theodotion). “It becomes a common eschatological refrain” (Beckwith) as in Mark 13:26; Mark 14:62; Matt 24:30; Matt 26:64; Luke 21:27. Compare the manifestation of God in the clouds at Sinai, in the cloudy pillar, the Shekinah, at the transfiguration” (Vincent).

Shall see (). Future middle of , a reminiscence of Zec 12:10 according to the text of Theodotion (Aquila and Symmachus) rather than the LXX and like that of Mt 24:30 (similar combination of Daniel and Zechariah) and 26:64. This picture of the victorious Christ in his return occurs also in Rev 14:14; Rev 14:18-20; Rev 19:11-21; Rev 20:7-10.

And they which ( ). “And the very ones who,” Romans and Jews, all who shared in this act.

Pierced (). First aorist active indicative of , late compound (Aristotle, Polybius, LXX), from and (to stab, to pierce), in N.T., only here and Joh 19:37, in both cases from Zec 12:10, but not the LXX text (apparently proof that John used the original Hebrew or the translation of Theodotion and Aquila).

Shall mourn (). Future middle (direct) of , old verb, to cut, “they shall cut themselves,” as was common for mourners (Matt 11:17; Luke 8:52; Luke 23:27). From Zec 12:12. See also Re 18:9.

Tribes (). Not just the Jewish tribes, but the spiritual Israel of Jews and Gentiles as in 7:4-8. No nation had then accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, nor has any yet done so.

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

He cometh with clouds [ ] . The clouds are frequently used in the descriptions of the Lord ‘s second coming. See Dan 7:13; Mt 24:30; Mt 26:64; Mr 14:62. Compare the manifestation of God in the clouds at Sinai, in the cloudy pillar, the Shekinah, at the transfiguration, and see Psa 97:2; Psa 18:11; Nah 1:3; Isa 19:1.

Shall see [] . The verb denotes the physical act, but emphasizes the mental discernment accompanying it, and points to the result rather than to the act of vision. See on Joh 1:18. Appropriate here as indicating the quickened spiritual discernment engendered by the Lord ‘s appearing, in those who have rejected Him, and who now mourn for their folly and sin.

They which [] . The compound relative describes a class. See on Mt 13:52; Mt 21:41; Mr 12:18.

Pierced [] . See on Joh 19:34, and compare Zec 12:10; Joh 19:36. The expression here refers not to the Jews only, but to all who reject the Son of Man; those who “in any age have identified themselves with the Spirit of the Savior ‘s murderers” (Milligan). The passage is justly cited as a strong evidence that the author of the Gospel is also the author of Revelation.

Kindreds [] . More correctly, tribes. The word used of the true Israel in chapter Rev 5:5; Rev 7:4 – 8; Rev 21:12. As the tribes of Israel are the figure by which the people of God, Jew or Gentile, are represented, so unbelievers are here represented as tribes, “the mocking counterpart of the true Israel of God.” Compare Mt 24:30, 31.

Shall wail because of Him [ ] . Rev., better, shall mourn over Him. Lit., shall beat their breasts. See on Mt 11:17.

Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament

Comment:

1) “Behold he cometh with clouds,” (Idou erchetai meta ton nephelon) “Behold he comes oi his own accord with the clouds,” “as he went away,” Luk 24:50-51; Act 1:10-11. He went away blessing faithful Galileean church followers, expressed “ye men of Galilee,” of his church. He will return with special blessings for his church first. Heb 9:28.

2) “And every eye shall see him,” (kai opsetai auton pas ophthalmos) “And every eye will see him.” though not at the same (identical) instant. Time is required in time to fulfill different things to be fulfilled at his second coming as at his first. Before 1) The tribulation judgments, 2) the marriage of the Lamb, and 3) the great white throne judgments are finished, “every eye shall see him.”

3) “And they also which pierced him,” (kai hoitines auton eksekentesan) “Even those who pierced him,” Joh 19:37. It is not all over yet, for Christ rejectors, for every dart cast at the Lord and his church and people will be brought to judgment, Ecc 12:13-14.

4) “And all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him,” (kai kopsontai ep’ auton pasai hai phulai tes ges) “And all the tribes of the earth will wail on their own behalf, or of their own accord over him,” Rev 6:13-17; Rev 20:11. At that hour “weeping, wailing gnashing of teeth in pains of torment and unceasing regret shall arise from the mouths of the unsaved, Mat 8:12; Mat 22:13; Rev 14:11.

5) “Even so, Amen,” (nai, amen) “Yes, may it be so; It appears that the redeemed will shout praises at and as the just judgment of God is one day poured out upon those who have wilfully rejected his Son and done despite to the spirit if Grace, Pro 1:24-30.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

(7) Behold, he cometh with clouds.Better, with the clouds. The reference to Christs words (Mar. 14:62) is undoubted. In the clouds St. Augustine sees the emblem of the saints of the Church, which is His body, who spread as a vast fertilising cloud over the whole world.

Every eye shall see him, and they also which (they were who = whosoever) pierced him.Here again is a reference to the incident of the piercing of Christs side (Joh. 19:34), recorded only by St. John.

Shall wail because of him.Or, shall wail over Him. The prophecy in Zec. 12:10, is the suggesting one of this. But the passage in Zechariah describes the mourning of grief over the dead; the passage here is the mourning towards one who was dead, and is alive. He towards whom they now direct their sorrow is the One over whom they should have wailed when He was laid in His tomb.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

7. Behold Even while he speaks the advent is for a moment visible to his raptured eye.

He cometh The immediate present; he comes this moment. In prophetic conception our seer brings the coming before his own eyes, and depicts its circumstantials. For a moment the far-distant event, so often spoken of as nigh at hand, is visibly present. Compare Mat 24:30.

With clouds In clouds would simply describe his high locality; with clouds implies that the clouds are part of his attendant pomp.

Every eye Carries the visible fact to every single individual of the human race.

Shall see Declares the visibility of his real living person.

And Rather, even. Even the very men whose thorns, nails, and spear, pierced him on the cross, shall now behold him on the throne. The nature of this striking climax, that objectively the worst sinners of the race his crucifiers must now face him, requires a literal interpretation. His physical crucifiers, and not only those who spiritually crucify him by their sins, (which would include all sinners,) must be meant. John watched the piercing of the Saviour’s side by the soldier, and recognised the piercing of Jehovah in Zec 12:10 as finding a fulfilment in this piercing of Jehovah-Jesus. It would be such a fulfilment as could be used as illustration for a believer, but not as evidence to convince a sceptic. See our notes of Joh 19:34-37. Zechariah makes the Jews look in penitence upon him they have pierced; John gives the severe weeping, equally true, of the impenitent meeting the Judge when penitence is too late. The passage is a clear proof that the Gospel and Apocalypse are by the same John. In confirmation of this, Alford notes, that the Greek word for pierced is the same in both Gospel and here, though not in the Septuagint. Dusterdieck replies that other translations into the Greek than the Septuagint, as those of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, use John’s word. But neither of these was, like the Septuagint, in common use; and the plain fact that this passage amplifies the passage in the Gospel with marked peculiarities, still remains. Kindreds (tribes) of the earth Of the earth, is usually an adverse phrase in this book, and doubtless here means the tribes of the earthy. Dusterdieck refers they which pierced him to the Jews, and these kindreds to the Gentiles.

Even so, Amen Yes, so be it. The even so translates the Greek, and Amen transfers the Hebrew form of the same word. Solemn assent is given by both even to the tears and terrors of the guilty.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘Behold He comes with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, including those who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so, Amen.’

John now gives us the theme of the book. The book is centred on the Second Coming of Christ, for that is its focal point. In the end all, both believers and persecutors, will see Him in one way or another, for in His coming in glory He will be unavoidable.

But sadly for the great majority, ‘the tribes of the earth’, it will be a time of mourning. The words are based on Zec 12:9-10. ‘They will look to him whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for his only son’.

Both these verses end in ‘Amen’, the guarantee of their fulfilment. Later the Son of Man will be declared to be ‘the Amen’ (Rev 3:14), and thus the guarantor of their fulfilment.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Rev 1:7. Behold, he cometh with clouds, &c. This verse contains the great moral which the whole book is designed to illustrate; namely, that, though there should be great opposition made against the cause and kingdom of Christ, yet it should be utterlyin vain, and his kingdom should triumph in the most illustrious manner; so that all who had opposed him, should have the greatest reason to mourn; to lament that fatal opposition, by which, instead of prevailing in the least against him, they have only effected their own destruction: and as this series of divine prophecy begins, so it ends with this sentiment, and with the joyful consent of his faithful servants to this glorious truth, which should fill the enemies of Christ with such terror and dismay. Comp. ch. Rev 22:20. The last clause, Even so, Amen, may be thus interpreted, “Yea, Lord, we repeat our joyful assent; be it so; Come, Lord Jesus, in the clouds of heaven; take to thyself thy great power, and reign: thy faithful people shall lift up their heads with joy and triumph, being assured that their complete redemption is approaching.”

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Rev 1:7-8 . Just as Amos (Rev 1:2 ), by a forcible expression, concentrates the chief contents of his book at the very head; so here the writer of the Apoc., who in this also follows the mode of the ancient prophets, by adding to the passage Rev 1:7 , containing the sum of his entire prophecy, [638] the full authority of the name of God, of whose message he is the prophet, Rev 1:8 . [639] Klief. incorrectly denies that the parousia is the proper theme of the Apocalyptic prophecy, and therefore combines Rev 1:7-8 , not with Rev 1:4-6 , but with Rev 1:9 sqq.

[638] Cf. Joe 3:16 .

[639] Cf., especially, Amo 4:13 .

Already the is an indication that something important is presented. [640]

. He (Christ) cometh; [641] this is the theme of the Apoc., [642] which is expressed here not in indefinite generality, but directly afterwards its chief points, as they are further unfolded in the book, are stated. For the coming of the personal Christ is a coming to judgment , [643] and indeed not only for hostile Jews ( ), but also for the heathen ( . ). Christ cometh “ with the clouds.” The [644] designates the coming one as accompanied by clouds; whether we are to regard these as beneath [645] or about him, [646] is not expressed. The . does not form an apposition to “arising out of the sea,” and is not simply a descending from heaven, [647] for the conception, Rev 13:1 , is too unique to correspond to the stereotyped idea in our passage; [648] also, the . . is too significant for “down from heaven.” But, according to the O. T. mode of representation, God coming to judgment appears surrounded by clouds. [649] [See Note XXIII., p. 124.] When he comes, absolutely all ( ) will see him; not only his believers, who have remained steadfast to him, and whom he, their Judge, their Deliverer, will introduce into his glory, [650] but also as is expressly declared by the words

, unbelievers. Among these, the first to be especially mentioned are , i.e., the Jews. Volkmar and Hilgenf. [651] incorrectly think here chiefly of the heathen, since heathen hands directed the plunge of the lance into the Crucified. [Note XXIV., p. 124.] But decisive against this is not only the relation to the subject, but also the expression, . .

. . . Here, as in Joh 19:37 , the prophecy, Zec 12:10 , forms the foundation, where the words are rendered by the LXX., , . According to Zechariah, the converted people are to look towards their God, whom they had wounded by their infidelity and disobedience, i.e., as the LXX. correctly explain, had despised; but in this passage the “seeing,” i.e., the actual beholding of the coming Christ, is understood in the sense that then, at the commencement of the judgment, repentance is no longer possible, and only terror remains concerning sins that have then undoubtedly occurred. Against the pragmatism of this passage, Ebrard wishes here to find the meaning: “When he cometh, Israel shall be converted, [652] and the nations of the earth shall certainly lament, [653] as those who have fallen away.” Bengel falls into the same error, when he remarks of the in the second member, “Undoubtedly with hostile, or even, on the part of some, with penitential , terror.” How Joh 19:37 is in this respect related to this passage, is not manifest; since there only the fact of the , i.e., the thrust of the lance, is stated. The difference between Joh 19:37 and this lies in the fact that there ( . ) the special point of the thrust of the lance is emphasized; while here ( . ) the subject is the death “the slaying” [654] in general, as the most manifest proof of hostile unbelief. As to in this sense, cf. Num 22:29 , Jdg 9:54 , 2Ma 12:6 . Partly because of this difference, and also partly because Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion translate the word , Zec 12:10 , by , [655] we dare not infer the identity of the Evangelist and the writer of the Apoc.

. Although this expression may comprise also the Jews, yet, according to the connection, it is to be limited to the anti-theocratic and antichristian heathen. The [656] obtains, by the construction with and the acc., [657] a graphic clearness, such as is peculiar to the entire style of the writer of the Apoc., by representing the mourning, not according to its inner reason ( ), but according to its external direction, towards the coming Judge. [658]

Not only by the twofold assurance in both Greek and Hebrew, [659] at the close of Rev 1:7 , but still more completely and solemnly by the entire Rev 1:8 , [660] is the main sentence, Rev 1:7 , sealed. This verse contains a significant unfolding of the old prophetic formula . For the Eternal, who is at the same time Lord of all, will execute his prophecy, Rev 1:7 . [661]

The formula [662] is, according to its meaning, [663] correctly explained by the gloss . [664]

. Cf. Amo 4:13 , where the LXX. have it for .

[640] Cf. Rev 16:15 , where, in like manner, the same fundamental thought of the book suddenly enters with surprising force.

[641] Cf. concerning the present, Winer, p. 249.

[642] Introduction, sec. 2.

[643] Mat 16:27 .

[644] Dan 7:13 ; Mar 14:62 .

[645] Mat 26:64 .

[646] Cf. Psa 97:2 .

[647] Ebrard.

[648] Among the later Jews, the Messiah is expressly called “the cloud-man” (Wolkenmann) or ; cf. Ewald.

[649] Psa 97:2 ; Psa 18:10 sqq.; Nah 1:3 ; Grot., Hengstb.; cf. Knobel, Prophetismus d. Hebr ., i. p. 361 sqq.

[650] Cf. Rev 19:1 sqq., Rev 20:11 sqq., Rev 21:1 sqq.; Mat 25:31 sqq; 1Th 4:16 sqq.

[651] Introduction, p. 12.

[652] Zec 12:10 .

[653] Mat 24:30 .

[654] Cf. Rev 1:9 ; Rev 1:12 , etc.

[655] But in connection with the circumstance that the LXX. at other places translate the word by , not by , we must not infer, with Ewald, that Zec 12:10 also may have been originally, with the LXX., .

[656] Cf. Zec 12:10 ; Mat 24:30 .

[657] Cf. Rev 18:9 .

[658] Cf. 2Co 2:3 ; Mat 27:42-43 . See, also, De Wette.

[659] Erasmus, De Wette.

[660] Cf. exposition of Rev 1:7-8 .

[661] Observe here again, as in Rev 1:4 , the relation of the name .

[662] Rev 21:6 .

[663] Cf. Rev 1:17 , Rev 2:8 , Rev 22:13 .

[664] Cf. Jalkut Rub ., fol. 147: “Adam transgressed the whole law, from to ,” in Wolf.; cf. also Wetst.

Rev 1:9 to Rev 3:22 . John receives in a vision the command from Christ to write down the revelations communicated to him, and to send them to the seven churches of Asia (Rev 1:9-20 ). This is to be done in such a way that to each one of these churches, in a special letter (Rev 2:1 to Rev 3:22 ), the contents of the revelation are to be applied for encouragement, consolation, and warning.

NOTES BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR

XXIII. Rev 1:7 .

Luthardt interprets the clouds as “in heavenly glory.” Trench, on the other hand, maintains that they belong “not to the glory and gladness, but the terror and anguish, of that day. The clouds have nothing in common with the (Mat 17:5 ), ‘the glorious privacy of light,’ into which the Lord was withdrawn, for a while, from the eyes of his disciples at the transfiguration; but are rather the symbols or fit accompaniments of judgment (Psa 97:2 ; cf. Psa 18:11 ; Nah 1:3 ; Isa 19:11 ).” Both ideas, however, are reconcilable, according as those who contemplate Christ’s coming are believing or unbelieving.

NOTES BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR

XXIV. Rev 1:7 .

Alford: “The persons intended in this expression are, beyond doubt, those to whom our Lord prophesied in like terms, Mat 26:64 ; viz., those who were his murderers, whether the Jews who delivered him to be crucified, or the Romans who actually inflicted his death.”

NOTES BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR

XXIV. Rev 1:7 .

Alford: “The persons intended in this expression are, beyond doubt, those to whom our Lord prophesied in like terms, Mat 26:64 ; viz., those who were his murderers, whether the Jews who delivered him to be crucified, or the Romans who actually inflicted his death.”

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

DISCOURSE: 2477
CHRIST COMING TO JUDGMENT

Rev 1:7. Behold, he Cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

THE great subject of the book of Revelation seems to be, to predict the trials and deliverances of Gods Church to the end of time. To a superficial observer, it would appear strange that God should permit his enemies to triumph for so long a period, and in so awful a degree. But there is a time coming when all these inequalities in the Divine government will be rectified, and a righteous retribution be given to those who suffered, and to those also who inflicted the sufferings upon them. To this period our attention is directed in the very commencement of this prophecy; that persecutors may know what tribulation awaits them, and the persecuted may be comforted in the prospect of their eternal rest.
Let us then contemplate,

I.

The future judgment of our Lord

Behold, he is surely coming to judge the world
[Our blessed Lord is ordained of the Father to be the Judge both of quick and dead The time for his future advent, though not known either to men or angels, is fixed in the counsels of the Father: and at the appointed instant it shall arrive. The world will be sleeping in security and carelessness, as much as ever they were in the days of Noah: but it will not on that account be delayed: it will come as a thief in the night, and as travail upon a woman with child With inconceivable glory will the Lord Jesus then appear, surrounded with myriads of the heavenly host, and coming in the clouds of heaven His judgment-seat will be erected, the books wherein all the actions, words, and thoughts of men are recorded, will be opened, and all the universe be summoned to give an account of themselves to him ]
Then shall every eye see him
[All who have ever lived, from the very commencement to the end of time, shall be raised from the dead, each in his own proper body. The sea as well as the land will give up the dead that are in it, and not an individual, however great or however obscure, be wanting All will surround his throne, and behold him in full view: not as unconcerned spectators, but as criminals, whose cause he is about to try, and whose state he will fix in happiness or misery for ever and ever ]
Thus certain, and thus awful, will be our gathering unto Jesus at the last day. But let us more distinctly consider,

II.

Its aspect on the different classes of mankind

The text more especially refers to the ungodly: but, as all will be equally interested in that event, we shall extend our views to the world at large; and consider the aspect of our Lords advent,

1.

On the ungodly

[Those who pierced our Lord in the days of his flesh, thought not that they should ever behold his face again: but every one of them shall be summoned to his presence in that day. Pilate with the chief priests, and Herod with his men of war, and all the populace who demanded his crucifixion, and the soldiers who mocked him in gorgeous apparel, and drove the crown of thorns into his temples, and those who ploughed long furrows on his back by scourging, and those who nailed him to the cross, and the soldier that pierced his sacred body after he was dead, and all who approved of those proceedings, shall in that day see him yet once more, with all the marks of their cruelty yet upon him: yes, they shall all recognize in his glorious person the Man whom once they treated with such indignity. But how widely changed the condition both of themselves and him! Themselves, no longer in a capacity to oppress; and him, no longer capable of suffering from oppression: themselves, as malefactors and murderers; and him, as the Judge about to take cognizance of their offences: themselves, as children of the devil; and him, as the Lord of glory!O, with what horror will they be struck! with what dread will they be overwhelmed!
But are there not many who pierce the Lord at this time also, and crucify him afresh, by continuing in their sins? Yes verily, there are many amongst us not a whit less criminal than his very murderers; I should rather say, far more criminal; inasmuch as they who reject him now, sin against incomparably greater light than was enjoyed by any previous to his crucifixion. It is this that makes the sin against the Holy Ghost so heinous, in comparison of the sins committed against the Son of man. The Holy Ghost has borne such testimony to the truth, as nothing but wilful infidelity can resist. And they who at this day hear the Gospel preached to them, and make no account of all the wonders of love and mercy that are set before them, have a measure of guilt which will make their last state worse than that of Sodom and Gomorrha. Think then, ye, who, having heard the truth, reject it, and, more especially, ye, who, having embraced the truth, dishonour it, or depart from it, think, I say, what will be your views and feelings, when you shall behold that Saviour face to face! Will ye not be ready to call upon the rocks and mountains to fall upon you, and to cover you from his wrath? Yes, indeed will ye; and if even the whole earth will wail because of him, much more will ye, who have received all his grace in vain.
The Apostle adds, Even so; Amen: by which I understand him, not merely as confirming the truths which he has before asserted, but as acquiescing in them as every way worthy of their Divine Author. It is right that those who once pierced him when on earth should wail because of him; and it is right that they also who reject him now should feel the full weight of his displeasure. St. Paul himself puts that matter beyond all doubt, when he says, If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha.]

2.

On the godly

[Blessed be God, though all the unregenerate shall wail, there are some to whom the Saviours advent will be a ground of joy! We are told, that the saints wait for his appearing, and love it, and look forward and haste unto it, and in the spirit of their minds are saying, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. However terrible his advent will be to others, it will not be so to them; for the prospect of being called to meet the Lord in the air, is that which St. Paul teaches us to regard as a source of the richest consolation, under whatever trials or losses we may be called to sustain. Comfort ye one another, says he, with these words.
But here you will naturally ask, Whence arises this difference between the two? Why do the one behold him with such anguish of heart, and the others with such unutterable joy? I answer, The godly have beheld him here, and mourned before him as for an only Son [Note: Zec 12:10.]. They have seen how grievously they have themselves pierced him by their iniquities; and they have bewailed their guilt and folly with the deepest contrition. They have even looked to his wounds as endured for their transgressions; and have sought for healing to their souls by the stripes inflicted on him: and having done this by faith, they are accepted before God, and shall be presented before him faultless with exceeding joy.

Seek ye then, beloved, the Spirit of grace and of supplications, whom God has promised to pour out upon you. Then shall you have such views of the Saviour as shall bring peace to your souls, and such views as will give you confidence before him at his future coming.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

(7) Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

How beautifully the Apostle breaks off at this verse, from what he had been saying before, to honor, and glorify the Son of God. He is indeed still on the same subject; for his whole heart seemed to be on fire, at what he had been meditating, concerning Christ’s love, in the redemption of his people. But at this verse, he breaks out in a devout rapture of holy joy, as though he beheld Christ as immediately appearing to his view. He connects the blessed subject of washing his people with his blood, as now coming in the clouds, to receive them to himself; and, overpowered with the contemplation, he cries out: Behold he cometh! Reader! ponder well the several weighty things in this blessed verse. First, The certainty of Christ’s coming. So the Angels, which attended the ascension of Christ assured the Church of the certainty of his descension, Act 1:11 . Secondly, The object of his coming. To judge the world in righteousness, and minister judgment to the people, Psa 9:8 . Thirdly. The different effects produced by his coming; every eye shall see him, they also which pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him; that is, everlasting horror will come upon all his enemies, all the Christ-despisers; all of this description, in all kindreds where they are; shall be tremblingly alive, in the anguish of their souls, at his appearing. But his people shall shout aloud with holy joy at his approach, and put their hearty even so, Amen, in Confirmation of it. Reader what saith your heart to these things? If you can welcome Jesus, approach now in ordinances; if his Person, blood, and righteousness, be dear to you now, surely His coming will be so then! If Jesus saith I come quickly! Can you answer, even so, come Lord Jesus? Surely our knowledge and love of Jesus here, are sweet testimonies of our delight in him, both here and hereafter.

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Ver. 7. Behold, he cometh ] He is already upon the way, and will be with us shortly. Let us hasten his coming, and say, as Sisera’s mother, Why are his chariots (his clouds) so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?Jdg 5:28Jdg 5:28 .

Shall wail ] Gr. , shall smite their breasts or thighs; the elect as repenting, the reprobate as despairing. Iisdem quibus videmus, oculis, flemus; so here, , they shall look and lament.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

7, 8 .] A solemn announcement of the coming of Christ , and declaration, by way of ratification, of the majesty and omnipotence of God (see below). Behold He (the Person last spoken of: the subject being continued from the preceding verses) cometh with the clouds ( , viz. of heaven: so expressed in reff. Dan., and Mark: cf. , ch. Rev 11:12 ), and every eye shall see Him (by a well-known figure, not merely Hebraistic but common to all tongues, the acting member is said to do that which the man does by its means. This is to be understood of the whole human race, risen and summoned before Him), and (among them: the does not couple a separate class, but selects a prominent one) they which ( , of the whole class: almost = “whoever:” “all they who”) pierced Him (see Joh 19:36 f. and note. As there St. John evidently shews what a deep impression the whole circumstance here referred to produced on his own mind, so it is remarkable here that he should again take up the prophecy of Zechariah (ref.) which he there cites, and speak of it as fulfilled. That this should be so, and that it should be done with the same word , not found in the LXX of the passage, is a strong presumption that the Gospel and the Apocalypse were written by the same person. It is true, that Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion have used the verb ; but this hardly comes into consideration as affecting this presumption.

The persons intended in this expression are beyond doubt those to whom our Lord prophesied in like terms, Mat 26:64 ; viz. those who were His murderers, whether the Jews who delivered Him to be crucified, or the Romans, who actually inflicted His death. That the meaning must not here be generalized to signify all who have by their sins crucified the Son of God afresh, is plain from the consideration that this class, , are taken out from among the which precedes, whereas on that supposition they would be identical with it; for we all have pierced Him in this sense), and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn at Him (i. e. their mourning shall be directed towards Him as its object: in fear for themselves in regard to the consequences of his coming: similarly , Joh 13:28 . The account to be given of the meaning in ref. 2 Kings, , is in fact the same, the circumstances only making the difference. In Zec 12:10 , both meanings are united.

The prophecy is in allusion to Mat 24:30 ; and its sense, that all, even the holiest of men, shall mourn at the visible approach of that day. But as Bengel well remarks, there will be then two kinds of mourning: “pr terrore hostili,” and “pr terrore pnitentiali.” The former will prevail in the impenitent and careless world; the latter even in the comforted and rejoicing church. The holiest saint when that Presence is manifested, in the midst of his “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us,” will personally feel with St. Peter, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” The whole is an adaptation and amplification of the words of Zechariah, l. c. See Vitringa’s note. But we must not adopt his notion, taken up also by Hengst., “Venire dicitur Christus to nubibus cli, quoties gloriam majestatemque suam in singularibus grati, severitatis et potenti su effectis demonstrat, et se ecclesi quasi prsentem exhibet:” for thus we confuse and indeed stultify the whole of this solemn announcement. The certainty of Christ’s revealing Himself to his Church in mercies and judgments needed no such asseveration as is here used: but the certainty of His great personal second coming did and still does; being the one fact which the world and the church alike are disposed to lose sight of). Yea, Amen (both these words are used in ref. 2 Cor. as forms of ratification. The former is Greek, the latter Hebrew: and both together answer to the “Thus saith the Lord” of the prophets: , . , , . Andr [7] in Catena). I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, He that is and that was and that is to come, the Almighty (by whom are these words spoken? Certainly as they here stand, with , and , they must be understood as uttered by the Eternal Father. And similarly we find Him that sitteth on the throne speaking in ch. Rev 21:5 ff. In our Rev 1:17 , and in ch. Rev 22:13 , it is our Lord who speaks. Nor need we be surprised, that He who is of one essence with the Father should assert of Himself the same eternal being as the Father. This need not lead us to force the reference of any passage, but each must be ruled by considerations of its own context. Schttgen gives examples of the Rabbinical usage of “ab Aleph usque ad Tau,” to signify “completely,” “entirely:” and of the word being a name of the Shechinah, because it comprehends all the letters. The . was a correct gloss, from ch. Rev 21:6 , Rev 22:13 ).

[7] Andreas, Bp. of Csarea in Cappadocia, Cent y . VI.

answers in the LXX to the Hebr. also to . See note on Rom 9:29 .

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

Rev 1:7 . A reminiscence and adaptation of Dan 7:13 (Theod.) and Zec 12:10-14 . The substitution of (so Joh 19:37 , Justin’s Apol. i. 52, Dial , xxxii., cf. 61., 118., adding ) for (70 mistranslation in this passage, though not elsewhere, of ) shows that the original text was used (though Lcke and Ewald hold that . was the LXX reading till Origen), and that it was interpreted in some (Johannine? Abbott, Diatessarica , 1259 1262, 2317) circles as a prophecy of the crucifixion. Only, the reference is no longer to repentance (Zech.), but, by a turn of characteristic severity, to remorse and judgment. There is a remarkable parallel in Mat 24:30 , where patristic tradition ( cf. A. C. 233 36) early recognised in . . . the cross itself, made visible on the day of judgment. The first of the three signs preceding Christ’s advent in the clouds, acc. to Did. xvi. 6 ( cf. Zec 2:13 LXX), is (Christ with outstretched arms, as crucified?); and, acce. to Barn, vii. 9, “they shall see him on that day wearing about his flesh ”. Note ( a ) that the agreement with Joh 19:37 is mainly verbal; the latter alludes to the crucifixion, this passage to an eschatological crisis, ( b ) No such visible or victorious return of Christ is fulfilled in the Apocalypse, for visions like Rev 14:14 f., Rev 19:12 f., do not adequately correspond to Rev 1:7 , Rev 22:12 , etc. ( c ) No punishment of the Jews occurs at Christ’s return, for the vengeance of Rev 19:13 f. falls on pagans, while Rev 11:13 lies on another plane. , . . .: the monotonous collocation of clauses (Vit. i. 9 16) throughout the Apocalypse with , is not necessarily a Hebraism; the syntax of Aristotle ( e.g. , cf. Thumb, 129), betrays a similar usage. . . . ., selected as a special class ( , , Justin). The responsibility of the Jews, as opposed to the Romans, for the judicial murder of Jesus is prominent in the Christian literature of the period (Luke Acts, cf. von Dobschtz in Texte u. Unters. xi. 1, pp. 61, 62), though the Apoc. is superior to passages like 2 Clem. xvii. . . .= the unbelieving pagans, who are still impenitent when surprised by the Lord’s descent ( = “because of,” cf. Rev 18:9 in diff. sense); a realistic statement of what is spiritually put in Joh 16:8-9 . This forms an original element in the early Christian apologetic. To the Jewish taunt, “Jesus is not messiah but a false claimant: he died,” the reply was, “He will return in visible messianic authority” (Mar 14:62 = Mat 26:64 , significant change in Luk 22:69 ). In several circles this future was conceived not as a return of Jesus, nor in connexion with his historical appearance, but as the first real manifestation of the true messianic character which he had gained at the resurrection ( cf. Titius, 31, 32). See on Rev 12:4 f. , : a double (Gk. Heb.) ratification of the previous oracle.

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

Behold. App-133.

with. App-104.

clouds = the clouds.

eye. Figure of speech Synecdoche (App-6), for person.

see. App-133.

they, &c. Allusion to Zec 12:10.

pierced. Compare Joh 19:34.

kindreds = tribes, as Mat 19:28; Mat 24:30; &c. Greek. phule.

because of. Greek. epi. App-104. See Zec 12:10.

Even so = Yea.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

7, 8.] A solemn announcement of the coming of Christ, and declaration, by way of ratification, of the majesty and omnipotence of God (see below). Behold He (the Person last spoken of: the subject being continued from the preceding verses) cometh with the clouds (, viz. of heaven: so expressed in reff. Dan., and Mark: cf. , ch. Rev 11:12), and every eye shall see Him (by a well-known figure, not merely Hebraistic but common to all tongues, the acting member is said to do that which the man does by its means. This is to be understood of the whole human race, risen and summoned before Him), and (among them: the does not couple a separate class, but selects a prominent one) they which (, of the whole class: almost = whoever: all they who) pierced Him (see Joh 19:36 f. and note. As there St. John evidently shews what a deep impression the whole circumstance here referred to produced on his own mind, so it is remarkable here that he should again take up the prophecy of Zechariah (ref.) which he there cites, and speak of it as fulfilled. That this should be so, and that it should be done with the same word , not found in the LXX of the passage, is a strong presumption that the Gospel and the Apocalypse were written by the same person. It is true, that Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion have used the verb ; but this hardly comes into consideration as affecting this presumption.

The persons intended in this expression are beyond doubt those to whom our Lord prophesied in like terms, Mat 26:64; viz. those who were His murderers, whether the Jews who delivered Him to be crucified, or the Romans, who actually inflicted His death. That the meaning must not here be generalized to signify all who have by their sins crucified the Son of God afresh, is plain from the consideration that this class, , are taken out from among the which precedes, whereas on that supposition they would be identical with it; for we all have pierced Him in this sense), and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn at Him (i. e. their mourning shall be directed towards Him as its object: in fear for themselves in regard to the consequences of his coming: similarly , Joh 13:28. The account to be given of the meaning in ref. 2 Kings, , is in fact the same, the circumstances only making the difference. In Zec 12:10, both meanings are united.

The prophecy is in allusion to Mat 24:30; and its sense, that all, even the holiest of men, shall mourn at the visible approach of that day. But as Bengel well remarks, there will be then two kinds of mourning: pr terrore hostili, and pr terrore pnitentiali. The former will prevail in the impenitent and careless world; the latter even in the comforted and rejoicing church. The holiest saint when that Presence is manifested, in the midst of his Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us, will personally feel with St. Peter, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. The whole is an adaptation and amplification of the words of Zechariah, l. c. See Vitringas note. But we must not adopt his notion, taken up also by Hengst., Venire dicitur Christus to nubibus cli, quoties gloriam majestatemque suam in singularibus grati, severitatis et potenti su effectis demonstrat, et se ecclesi quasi prsentem exhibet: for thus we confuse and indeed stultify the whole of this solemn announcement. The certainty of Christs revealing Himself to his Church in mercies and judgments needed no such asseveration as is here used: but the certainty of His great personal second coming did and still does; being the one fact which the world and the church alike are disposed to lose sight of). Yea, Amen (both these words are used in ref. 2 Cor. as forms of ratification. The former is Greek, the latter Hebrew: and both together answer to the Thus saith the Lord of the prophets: , . , , . Andr[7] in Catena). I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, He that is and that was and that is to come, the Almighty (by whom are these words spoken? Certainly as they here stand, with , and , they must be understood as uttered by the Eternal Father. And similarly we find Him that sitteth on the throne speaking in ch. Rev 21:5 ff. In our Rev 1:17, and in ch. Rev 22:13, it is our Lord who speaks. Nor need we be surprised, that He who is of one essence with the Father should assert of Himself the same eternal being as the Father. This need not lead us to force the reference of any passage, but each must be ruled by considerations of its own context. Schttgen gives examples of the Rabbinical usage of ab Aleph usque ad Tau, to signify completely, entirely: and of the word being a name of the Shechinah, because it comprehends all the letters. The . was a correct gloss, from ch. Rev 21:6, Rev 22:13).

[7] Andreas, Bp. of Csarea in Cappadocia, Centy. VI.

answers in the LXX to the Hebr. also to . See note on Rom 9:29.

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Rev 1:7. [14] ) namely, . He who is to come, cometh. His glorious advent at the last day is meant.-, pierced) The Saviour and Judge both exhibited Himself, and will exhibit Himself, with most evident marks of the nails and spear in His raised and glorified body. Then the disdain and reproaches of His enemies, especially of the Jews, which He for so long has borne and still bears with wonderful long-suffering, will be for ever refuted.-, shall wail) without doubt through fear, as of an enemy, or even through a feeling of penitence in the case of some.

[14] , to Himself) that is, to Jesus Christ.-V. g.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

Chapter 3

Christ the coming King

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Rev 1:7

Here is an announcement worthy of attention, admiration, and investigation. Behold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so. Amen. John is not describing the pompous parade of some earthly despot. He is talking about the glorious appearance of the great God who is our Savior. He is proclaiming the second advent of the King of kings in his glory. That same Jesus whom the disciples saw ascending into heaven shall come again. The God-man who now rules all things from his lofty throne in heaven is coming to this world again.

Behold, pause, look, consider this great fact. The finger of inspiration points to this momentous event, and says, Behold, he cometh! These words should sound like a terrifying alarm in the heart of every unbeliever; but they are words of joy, comfort, hope and peace to every child of God. Your trials may be heavy. Your temptations may be many. Though your heart now aches, both with affliction and with sin, you have reason to be of good cheer. All your troubles are temporary. Do not look upon them as though they will last forever. Behold, he cometh! And I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Rom 8:18).

Having shown us what Christ has done for us in Rev 1:5-6, John here encourages us to live in expectation of the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again in power and great glory. Though Christ’s second coming is not the central theme of the Book of Revelation, Yet it constitutes a real source of comfort for afflicted believers. It is the hope of believers and the consternation of the enemies of the church (William Hendriksen). Therefore, John gives us this picture of Christ the coming King.

Who is coming

The One who is coming is the One John has just described, Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten from the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth…him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father. He is the One who came in humiliation as the Son of Man. Two thousand years ago the Son of God came into this world as a man. In order to redeem his people, he took manhood into union with himself and dwelt in human flesh. Everything associated with the earthly life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ was humiliation (Php 2:5-8; 2Co 8:9). He was born in Bethlehem in a cow stable! He lived in poverty and sorrow. He was tempted in all points like as we are. His disciples, his followers, were the despised riff-raff of society: publicans, fishermen, harlots, and beggars.

This One who is coming is the One who suffered and died as the sinner’s Substitute at Calvary. In dark Gethsemane, our Savior’s agony was so great that he sweat blood. His heart broke within him as he anticipated the shame he must suffer to redeem us. There he was arrested like a common thief in the dark of night. The Lord of glory was beaten, mocked, and led through the streets of Jerusalem in a procession of humiliation and sorrow. Then he was stripped naked, nailed to a wooden cross, and hung up to die by the hands of wicked men. All of this he voluntarily endured because he had come into this world to die in the place of chosen sinners (Rom 5:6-8; Gal 4:4-5).

As he hung upon the cursed tree, the Lord Jesus Christ was made to be sin for us (2Co 5:21; 1Pe 2:24). He suffered all the vengeance and wrath of almighty God in our place (Gal 3:13). He died under the curse of God’s holy law, satisfying all the claims of the law’s justice against us, so that God might be just and yet justify the ungodly (Rom 3:24-26). Then he was buried in a borrowed tomb.

This One of whom John says, Behold, he cometh, is the Christ of God who now reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords. Though he lived as the man of sorrows and died as the sinner’s Substitute under the wrath of God, he is yet alive! On the third day after his death he arose triumphant over death, hell and the grave. Forty days later the crucified Christ was exalted. He ascended back into heaven, took his seat upon the throne of universal monarchy and was crowned with glory and honor. There he reigns as King supreme for evermore (Act 2:36). This One who is coming is Christ the King. He is not coming to be king. He is coming as King! Christ the King is coming to put an end to all rebellion in his empire. And all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed (Isa 45:24). The Lord Jesus Christ who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God, is coming again. Behold, he cometh!

What should our attitude be with regard to Christ’s coming

We should look upon the second coming of Christ as a matter of fact. John does not say, He will come some day, or He will come soon, or even, He may come at anytime. He says, Behold, he cometh! His language is in the present tense. He seems to have caught a glimpse of Christ coming even as he was writing. He speaks of it as a matter of fact, a present reality, not as a distant hope. He who came in humiliation to suffer is coming in power to conquer. He who came to redeem is coming to gather his redeemed ones. This is not something to be embraced as a prophetic theory in the development of a sound eschatological creed. It is a fact to be seen with the eye of faith and anticipated in the believing heart.

The Word of God speaks plainly and constantly about Christ’s glorious second advent (Jud 1:14; Job 19:25; Dan 7:13-14; Act 1:11; 1Th 4:16; 1Pe 5:4; 2Pe 3:10; Joh 14:3). Our Savior gave us perpetual reminders of his second coming in the ordinances of the gospel. Every time a believer confesses faith in Christ by believer’s baptism, we are taught to look for Christ’s second coming. The new convert goes down into the watery grave as one crucified with Christ and rises up out of the water as one risen with Christ in the new birth, living in hope of the resurrection at the Lord’s coming (Rom 6:4-6). As often as we sit around the Lord’s Table with God’s saints and take the bread and wine, we are vividly reminded that Christ is coming (1Co 11:24-26). Though that is a blessed ordinance, it is only a temporary thing. We will cease to celebrate the Lord’s Supper when our Lord who has gone away returns.

We should always look upon Christ’s second coming with immediate interest and anxious expectation. I fear that our thoughts about Christ’s second coming are too much like the scoffer’s words. Though we might never say the words, Where is the promise of his coming, I am afraid we live too much as those who do not expect it to happen. That should not be! John says, Behold, he cometh! He will be here so soon that John puts it in the present tense – He cometh! He means for us to understand that Christ is already on his way back to this world.

Do not imagine that our Lord delays his coming, or that he is simply waiting in heaven to return at the appointed hour. Everything he is doing in providence and grace he is doing in preparation for his glorious advent. We get uneasy because he has been gone for two thousand years; but he does not calculate time as we do. To him one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day (2Pe 3:8). By that measurement he has only been away for two days! He went away on business for his beloved bride (Joh 14:1-3; Joh 16:7). As soon as his business is done, as soon as everything that has to be done is done, he will return. His bride may fret and worry, but he knows what he is doing. He will not be moved with passion. He is faithful. He dwells in the leisure of eternity and in the serenity of sovereignty. He is not limited by time and space. He will accomplish his work. Then he will return.

From the very moment that he went away, the Lord Jesus has been coming back again. Everything is moving toward that end. Behold, he cometh! He is on his way! Every hour brings him nearer. Soon he shall appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation. Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. At the time appointed, Christ will appearA We should await our Savior’s coming with patience and anticipation. The grace of God teaches us to be always looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ (Tit 2:13). Looking for the glorious appearing of Christ, be patient in trial (1Pe 1:7), diligent in service (Act 1:10-11), and always watchful. Live upon the tiptoe of faith, looking for Christ to appear.

How will the Lord Jesus Christ appear

John says, Behold, he cometh with the clouds. John Gill tells us that this denotes the grand and magnificent manner in which he will come, making the clouds his chariots…and the visibility of his coming. When our Savior comes, he will make a glorious, climatic appearance. He comes with the clouds,’ that is with glory (Dan 7:13; Mar 14:62; Rev 14:14; Eze 1:4-28) and with anger, wrath, judgment (Zep 1:15; Psa 97:2). The Bible knows nothing about the invisible or secret second coming. Nowhere is this taught. On the contrary, ‘every eye shall see him (William Hendriksen). When Christ comes, everyone will know it!

In the wilderness, the presence of the Lord was known by the visible pillar of a cloud by day and of fire by night. The cloud was the sure token of God’s presence. Even so, every eye shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Mat 24:30). Christ will come with great majesty. The King of Glory shall descend from heaven with clouds of angels and of saints at his side. All the forces of nature will announce his arrival. The archangel will shout, the trump of God will sound, the thunder shall announce him, the lightening shall dance before him, and the clouds will be his chariot. As God came down upon Sinai in clouds and thick darkness to give the law, so shall the God-man descend in final judgment.

His coming with clouds also implies the power with which he shall appear. His strength is in the clouds. He once came as a tender plant, a root out of dry ground, robed in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger; but now he comes with clouds, robed with the tapestry of heaven’s throne, in power and great glory. Certainly, the clouds represent the terror of his judgment. All believers shall be caught up together with him in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air (1Th 4:17). But, to those unbelieving rebels who remain upon the earth, those clouds shall be signs of horrifying wrath and judgment (Psa 97:1-6), as clouds filled with justice, vengeance, and anger. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming with clouds of unparalleled splendor. To his saints, this is glorious. To his enemies, this will be terrifying (1Th 5:2-10; 2Th 1:6-10).

What will happen when Christ comes again

It is evident that Christ’s coming will be a literal appearance. It is true, Christ comes to his people spiritually in grace, in providence, and at death. But John is talking about the literal, bodily, visible coming of the Son of God to this earth the second time. Child of God, you will see your Savior with the very same eyes with which you read these words, for at his glorious appearance there will be a general resurrection (Joh 5:28-29; 1Co 15:51-58; Job 19:25-26).

At his coming, the Lord Jesus Christ will be seen of all men. Every eye shall see him. Every child of Adam, both the living and the dead, shall see the God-man face to face. Your eyes and mine shall look upon him. In that day, we will look on him, nothing and no one else but him. Nothing else will be of any significance. Every believer shall look upon him with satisfaction and delight (1Jn 3:2).

They also which pierced him shall see him. Pilate and Judas, Herod and Caiaphas, the Jews and the soldiers, all shall see him. Indeed, all who have pierced him by enmity, rebellion and unbelief shall see him. When our Lord appears the second time, an overwhelming horror shall engulf the world. All kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. In the last day, as in this present day, God’s elect in the world will be few. However, in that great day, Christ will conquer his enemies. Every knee shall bow before him and every tongue shall confess that he is Lord (Isa 45:23-24; Php 2:9-11). Then every unbeliever, every rebel will wring his hands in fear, scream in terror, and their hearts will convulse with horror before the wrath of the Lamb (Rev 6:14-17). What do God’s people say to these things? Even so. Amen! Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O Lord (Psa 97:8). Our hearts rejoice at the prospect of Christ’s coming, his triumph over all his enemies, our complete salvation, and the ultimate , universal revelation of our Savior’s glory.

Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible

he cometh: Rev 14:14-16, Psa 97:2, Isa 19:1, Dan 7:13, Nah 1:3, Mat 24:30, Mat 26:64, Mar 13:26, Mar 14:62, Luk 21:27, Act 1:9-11, 1Th 4:17

and every: Rev 22:4, Num 24:17, Job 19:26, Job 19:27, Job 33:26, 1Th 1:10, 1Jo 3:2, Jud 1:14

and they: Psa 22:16, Zec 12:10, Joh 19:34, Joh 19:37, Heb 6:6, Heb 10:29

and all: Rev 6:15-17, Rev 18:15-19, Mat 24:30, Luk 23:28-30

Even So: Rev 18:20, Rev 19:1-3, Rev 22:20, Jdg 5:31, Psa 68:1

Reciprocal: Gen 45:3 – for they Exo 19:9 – Lo Psa 98:9 – for he cometh Psa 104:3 – maketh Son 3:11 – behold Isa 25:9 – it shall Isa 35:4 – behold Jer 4:13 – Behold Zec 12:12 – the land Mal 3:2 – who may abide Mat 17:5 – behold Mat 25:10 – the bridegroom Mat 25:31 – the Son Mar 9:7 – a cloud Luk 9:26 – when Luk 17:30 – General Luk 19:12 – and Joh 16:11 – judgment Joh 21:22 – If Act 1:11 – shall Act 3:20 – General Act 10:42 – that it 1Co 4:5 – until 1Co 11:26 – till Phi 3:20 – from 1Th 2:19 – at 1Th 4:16 – the Lord 2Th 1:7 – when 1Ti 6:14 – until 2Ti 4:1 – at 2Ti 4:8 – that love Tit 2:13 – the glorious Heb 9:28 – he appear 1Pe 1:7 – at 1Pe 4:13 – when 1Pe 5:4 – appear 2Pe 1:16 – coming 1Jo 2:28 – when Rev 2:25 – till Rev 10:1 – clothed

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Rev 1:7. Behold is a call to attention because something of great importance is about to be said. He cometh with clouds. The two men in white apparel (Act 1:9-11) announced the same thing, and .lesus also made the announcement before leaving the earth (Mat 24:30 Mat 26:64). Every eye shall see him. The fact that the writer next specifies the executioners of Christ as among those who shall sec him proves that it will not be restricted to His faithful followers. That explodes the arrogant heresy taught by a group of materialists that Jesus came but that only they have seen Him, and that is because they are Jehovah’s Witnesses. All kindreds shall wail because they will realize that Christ has come to judge the world. But John and all other faithful servants will not wail because they will “love His appearing” (2 Timothy 4 : S). That is why lie exclaims even so, A men; both terms mean virtually the same in effect.

Comments by Foy E. Wallace

Verse 7

(4) The ominous announcement.

1. “Behold he cometh with the clouds”–Rev 1:7.

The reference here is not to the second advent, or return of Christ, but to the coming events about to be delineated, as in the Lord’s reply to Caiaphas, the high priest in Mat 26:64 : “Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” This high priest would live to see the event here foretold, the fulfillment of which occurred in the figurative coming of Christ in the destruction of Jerusalem, as previously foretold in Mat 24:1-51, and centuries before by the prophet Zechariah in chapter 14. The prophet referred to the destruction of Jerusalem as “the day of the Lord,” and in Mat 24:1-51 Jesus designated it as his coming. And Jesus told Caiaphas that he would live to witness it. The words behold he cometh are an announcement of warning, a call to expectancy, an alert to the impending developments.

The added expression “with the clouds” is not to be literally taken for a material display of his bodily presence. In the description of God’s judgment on Egypt, in Isa 19:6, the prophet said: “Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt.” Also, in Eze 38:16, the prophet said that the latter days God would come up against Israel “as a cloud to cover the land.” And in Mat 24:30, Jesus describes the events in the destruction of Jerusalem as “the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” This is precisely what Jesus told Pilate that he should see, and it is the meaning of Rev 1:7, pointing to the destruction of Jerusalem.

2. “And every eye shall see him”–Rev 1:7.

Both the impact and the import of the occurring events would be of universal knowledge. The siege and fall of Jerusalem would be known to the entire population of the Roman empire both Jewish and pagan.

3. “And they that pierced him”–Rev 1:7.

The act and the fact here declared refer not merely to the Romans who wielded and thrust the sword into the Lord’s body on the cross, but also to the Jews who, through the officials of their nation, had performed the deed. The truth of this statement is affirmed by the officials of the Jews themselves in Mat 27:25, and it is confirmed by the apostle Peter in Act 2:23.

4. “And all the kindreds (tribes) of the earth shall wail because of him”–Rev 1:7.

The families of the Jews all over the Roman world are here mentioned. The Gentiles were never referred to as tribes; the tribes belonged to the Jews, who were dispersed into every part of the earth. Yet the events foretold of what would happen to their city and their nation, in Jerusalem and Judea, would become known wherever they were scattered, and all the Jews in every part of the earth would wail over this calamity. They would all mourn over the ruin of their city Jerusalem, and for the destruction of their system of Judaism, and for the overthrow of their theocracy in the demolition of their temple, and for the termination of their Jewish state-their national distinction and existence.

And they would wail (or mourn) because of him, for it was in fulfillment of the fearful woes that he had pronounced against Jerusalem and which were figuratively ascribed to his coming.

This piercing and mourning were the subjects of the prophecy of Zec 12:9-11; Zec 14:1, described as “the day of the Lord.” The quotation of the first reference is made in Joh 19:37. These scriptural applications show that the fulfillment of the coming with the clouds in Rev 1:7 was accomplished in the events of the fall of Jerusalem. These fulfilling events, at and after the destruction of Jerusalem, have unmistakable bearing on the contents of Revelation, and the period to which it belongs.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Rev 1:7. The third part of the Salutation follows, closely associated with that Redeemer to whom the doxology of the second part had been addressed. The thought of Jesus is not exhausted by the mention of what He had done. Another great truth is connected with Him,that He will come again, to complete His victory, and to be acknowledged by all in His glory and His majesty.

Behold, he cometh with the clouds. May it not be that these clouds are not the mere clouds of the sky, but those clouds of Sinai, of the Shechinah, of the Transfiguration, of the Ascension, which are the recognised signs of Deity? This is the coming prophesied of in Dan 7:13 and Mar 14:62 (also of Mat 26:64, though a different preposition is there used); and in both cases, it ought to be strictly observed, it is a coming to judgment.

And every eye shall see him, not the eyes only of those who shall then be alive upon the earth, as it would thus be impossible to explain the mention of those who pierced Him, but the eyes of all who, in any age and of any nation, have rejected His redemption (cp. what is said below on the meaning of the word see).

Even they that pierced him. The reference is undoubtedly to Joh 19:34; Joh 19:37, and to Zec 12:10 (cp. note on Joh 19:37); and this, combined with the facts, that in the passage of the prophet the Jews are the representatives of the whole human race; that it was a Roman soldier, not a Jew, though at the instigation of the Jews, who pierced the side of Jesus as He hung upon the cross; and that the relative employed is not the simple but the compound relativewhosoeveris sufficient to show that the persons referred to are not the Jews only, but they who in any age have identified themselves with the spirit of the Saviours murderers. The reader ought not to pass these words without remembering that the piercing of the Saviours side is spoken of by St. John alone of all the Evangelists, nay, not only spoken of, but that too with an emphasis which shows how deep was the importance he attached to it (Joh 19:34-37). A clear trace of the importance of the fact in the writers mind is likewise presented to us here.

And all the tribes of the earth shall wail over him. It is important to notice the word tribes, the same word as that applied to the true Israel in chaps, Rev 5:5, Rev 7:4-8, Rev 21:12. The tribes of Israel are the figure by which Gods believing people, whether Jew or Gentile, are represented. In like manner all unbelievers are now set before us as tribes, the mocking counterpart of the true Israel of God. They are the tribes of the earth, i.e not the earth in its merely neutral sense, but as opposed to heaven, as the scene of worldliness and evil. Thus in Mat 24:30-31, all the tribes of the earth are distinguished from the elect. In neither of the two clauses, then, now under consideration have we any distinction between Jew and Gentile. The same persons are thought of, numerically and personally, in both. The distinction lies in this, that, according to a method of conception common in the Apocalypse, the same persons are looked at first under a Jewish, and next under a Gentile, point of view. The Yea which follows seems to be the testimony of the Lord Himself to what had just been told of Him (comp. chap. Rev 22:20). The Amen is the answer of believers to the statement made.

We have still to ask, In what sense shall all see and wail? The latter word must determine the interpretation of the former. Is this a wailing of penitence or of dismay? or is it both, so that the wailers embrace alike the sinful world and the triumphant Church? We cannot suppose the same word used to denote wailings of a kind so entirely distinct from and opposite to one another; and the following additional reasons appear to limit the wailing spoken of to that of the impenitent and godless:(1) This is the proper meaning of the word, and it is so used in chap. Rev 18:9. (2) Such is also its meaning in that prophecy of our Lord upon which the Apocalypse is moulded (Matthew 24). (3) It corresponds with the idea of the tribes of the earth, which do not include the godly. (4) Throughout this book the godly and ungodly are separated from each other. There is a gulf between them which cannot be passed. If this be the meaning of the second clause, that of the first must correspond to it, and the seeing must be that of shame and confusion of face. The whole sentence thus corresponds with the object of the book, and the coming of Jesus is described as that of One who comes to overthrow His adversaries and to complete His triumph.

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

These words are a majestic description of our Saviour’s coming to judgment; they are ushered in with a note of attention and admiration, Behold! which denotes also the truth and certainty of his appearance, and upbraids us likewise for our natural backwardness to believe, mind, and meditate upon, the coming of Christ; we are too much guided and governed by sense: what we see nothing of, we believe little of; therefore St. John here begins with a note of incitement in the word, Behold! It follows, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they which pierced him.

This was fulfilled, 1. When Christ came by the Roman armies to destroy Jerusalem, by taking vengeance on his murderers, when his crucifiers might discern that those heavy and direful judgments were inflicted on them for their crucifying Christ, and persecuting Christians.

But, 2. It will be more eminently and universally fulfilled at the general day of Judgment, when Christ will come riding upon the clouds, as in a triumphant chariot, and all human eyes shall then see him; his persecutors and despisers, particularly, beholding him, but not all alike: such as pierced him, but repented, whose hearts were afterwards pierced for their piercing of him, these at that day shall see Christ with astonishing joy, though they put him to bitter sorrow; the death of Chirst has procured mercy for those whose cruelty did procure his death: but as for such as pierced him, but never repented, but such as pierced him in his person, or in his members, they shall also see him to their sorrow, and shall wail, or take on heavily, because of him; that is, because they must be judged by him.

Lord! how will the sight of a pierced Saviour then pierce their souls with sorrow, with vexation of heart, and anguish of spirit! To behold Christ with an eye of sense then will be very grievous to them that do not behold him with an eye of faith now; see him they shall, they must; but alas, they had rather be covered with mountains and hills falling upon them, than thus behold him!

Observe farther, How St. John closes this description of Christ’s second coming, with a pathetic option on his own and the church’s behalf, in the last words of the verse–Even so, Amen; intimating, that the saints, or church of God, do expect and believe that assuredly it will be so, and do also earnestly desire and pray that it may be so.

Learn hence, That Christ will undoubtedly come to put an end to the sufferings of his afflicted church, and to punish his and their persecutors; with whose coming the saints are well pleased, and do earnestly desire and long for it; behold, he cometh, Even so, Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament

Rev 1:7. Behold In this and the next verse are the proposition and the summary of the whole book. He cometh Jesus Christ. Throughout this book, whenever it is said He cometh, it means his glorious coming. The preparation for this began at the destruction of Jerusalem, and more particularly at the time of writing this book, and goes on without any interruption, till that grand event is accomplished. Therefore it is never said in this book, He will come, but, He cometh. And yet it is not said, He cometh again. For when he came before, it was not like himself, but in the form of a servant. But his appearing in glory is, properly, his coming; namely, in a manner worthy of the Son of God. And every eye Of the Jews in particular; shall see him But with what different emotions, according as they had received or rejected him! And they who have pierced him They, above all, who pierced his hands, or feet, or side. Thomas saw the prints of these wounds, even after his resurrection. And the same, undoubtedly, will be seen by all, when he cometh in the clouds of heaven; and they that condemned him shall be arraigned at his tribunal. And all the tribes of the earth The word tribes, in the Revelation, generally means the Israelites; but where another word, such as nations, or people, is joined with it, it implies likewise, (as here,) all the rest of mankind. Shall wail because of him For terror and pain, if they did not wail before by true repentance; even all who have rejected his government and opposed his interest, shall lament the fatal opposition, by which, instead of prevailing in the least against him, they have only effected their own destruction. In this verse is prefixed the great moral, which the whole book is designed to illustrate; namely, that though there should be great opposition made against the cause and kingdom of Christ, yet it should be utterly in vain, and his kingdom should triumph in the most illustrious manner, so that all who opposed it should have the greatest reason to mourn. And as this series of divine prophecy begins, so it ends with this sentiment, and with the joyful consent of his faithful servants to this glorious truth, which should fill the enemies of Christ with both terror and dismay. Yea, amen This refers to, every eye shall see him. He that cometh saith, Yea; he that testifies it, Amen. The word translated yea is Greek, amen is Hebrew; for what is here spoken respects both Jew and Gentile.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

HE COMES WITH CLOUDS Rev 1:7

While the Laodicean Church of the present day is busy in her ice-cream suppers and strawberry festivals, the Lord is coming in a cloud, to take up His sanctified bride, and spew these lukewarm professors out of His mouth. Jesus says, in his sermon on the judgments, that the last days of the Antediluvian world symbolize the winding up of the present dispensation. Wickedness increased so fearfully, and the Antediluvian Church apostatized so awfully, that only one preachers family survived the spiritual wreck. So here we see the whole Church, along with the wicked world, swept away by the devouring Deluge. To a superficial observer, that looks hard. But dont you know it was full of mercy? The world had become so wicked, and the Church had fallen and literally united with the world, as at the present day, that there was no hope but for each succeeding generation to get worse and worse, and drop into hell as they come and go. Hence it was signal mercy on the part of the Almighty to put an end to that awful trend into hopeless damnation, and start a new order of things, in which the rainbow of heavenly hope would again span the world. The whole Book of Genesis teaches one great lesson; i.e., that man is a failure. He failed in Eden. He failed in the Antediluvian Ages. He failed in post-diluvian times. He is fast proving an utter failure in the Gospel Dispensation. The Church is a human organization. Therefore, it has proved a failure in every age and dispensation. While Genesis shows up mans failure, beginning in Paradise and winding up in Egyptian slavery, Exodus reveals that God is a success under all circumstances. So rest assured you will never do any good till you find out that you are a total failure, and fly to the bosom of God, who alone is a perfect success. Just as the Antediluvian world deteriorated morally and religiously to the end, so with the post-diluvian world. At present there is only one Christian in the world for every one hundred and fifty inhabitants. What an awful harvest hell is constantly reaping! What a signal mercy on the part of the Almighty to interpose and arrest this cataract of damnation There is but one way to do it, and that is to destroy them, as in case of the Flood, as only one now and then will repent, and the perpetuity of the present state of things would only conduce to augment the appalling tide of wholesale damnation.

Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament

Verse 7

With clouds; that is, in majesty and power. The dark cloud bringing thunder, lightning, and tempest, in its train, is an appropriate symbol of terrible majesty.

Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament

1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every {e} eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

(e) All men.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

3. The theme 1:7-8

These verses contain the first prophetic oracle of the book. The only other one in which God speaks is in Rev 21:5-8.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

"Behold" (Gr. idou) indicates special divine intervention. This verse summarizes the main features of the revelation to follow. It is in this sense the key verse in the book.

"The theme of the book is the ultimate victory of Jesus Christ over all enemies and the establishment of His earthly kingdom." [Note: Harris, p. 175. See also Ladd, p. 14; and Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, 2:568.]

Jesus Christ will return physically to earth as He ascended into heaven (Rev 1:4; Rev 1:8; Rev 2:5; Rev 2:16; Rev 3:11; Rev 4:8; Rev 16:15; Rev 22:7; Rev 22:12; Rev 22:20 [twice]); Act 1:9-11). "Every eye" of those alive at His second coming will see Him (Mat 24:30; cf. Num 11:25; Psa 104:3; Isa 19:1; Dan 7:13; Zec 12:10-14). "Those who pierced Him" evidently refers to Jews particularly (Zec 12:10; Zec 12:12; Zec 12:14; cf. Joh 19:37). [Note: See Kenneth G. C. Newport, "Semitic Influence in Revelation: Some Further Evidence," Andrews University Seminary Studies 25:3 (Autumn 1987):249-56.] Another possibility is that these people stand for Jesus’ enemies. [Note: Ladd, p. 28.] Representatives from all tribes on earth then will mourn (wail) because then the earth will be in rebellion against Him (cf. Mat 24:30). These tribes represent all human beings, not just Jews. [Note: See Smith, p. 44; and Thomas, Revelation 1-7, pp. 78-79.]

This great text announces the climactic event in Revelation, namely, the return of Jesus Christ to the earth at His second coming (Rev 19:11-16). [Note: See Mark L. Hitchcock, "A Critique of the Preterist View of Revelation and the Jewish War," Bibliotheca Sacra 164:653 (January-March 2007):89-100, for a rebuttal of the preterist interpretation of this verse.] All that intervenes between this verse and Rev 19:11-16 leads up to that event. This verse does not refer to the Rapture as is clear from what John said will happen when it takes place. The Second Coming is a public gradual manifestation, but the Rapture will be a secret instantaneous calling (1Co 15:52).

"The promise combines Dan 7:13 with Zec 12:10 . . . Daniel 7 provides a key focus for John throughout the whole book (there are no fewer than thirty-one allusions to it)." [Note: Johnson, p. 422.]

"Even so, amen," provides firm assurance that the coming of Christ will happen as prophesied in this verse.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)