Jesus the Cloud Rider

Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Revelation 1:3

Revelation is a book full of references to the Jewish Scriptures — the TANAKH, the Christian Old Testament. John seems to assume that his readers have a high level of biblical literacy, and certain passages of Scripture will be brought to mind when reading this book.

I am convinced we cannot fully understand the book of Revelation without constantly turning back the pages of the Bible. I also believe that everything affirmed in the New Testament exists — even if in an incomplete and ambiguous form — in the Old Testament.

The description of Jesus in the introduction of Revelation is very revealing of who John believes Jesus is. I’ve written before about the divinity of Christ, looking at three aspects:

1. that Jesus saw Himself as divine,
2. that the apostles saw Jesus as divine,
3. that the Old Testament does not demand an interpretation of Jehovah as a monolithic unity, allowing room for an understanding of Jesus’ divinity. In this article I want to focus on the description John gives of Jesus at the opening of the book of the “Revelation of Jesus Christ”.

Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Rev 1:7-8

Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Rev 1:12-18

Jesus, the cloud rider #

Revelation says Jesus is coming with the clouds. What clouds are these? In the Old Testament, it is the God of Israel who rides the clouds and comes to save his people.

There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides across the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty.

Deut 33:26

It is Jehovah who manifests Himself on Mount Sinai in a thick cloud ( Exo 19:9 ). It was the LORD who guided His people in the wilderness with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night ( Exo 13:21 ). John now applies this same imagery to the Messiah. Jesus is, like YHWH, the One who comes on the clouds.

Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.

Mat 24:30

It is striking that “Son of Man” is one of Jesus’ most frequent self-designations. In Daniel 7, the “Son of Man” comes with the clouds to receive the kingdom.

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Dan 7:13-14

The Son of Man is enthroned with divine honor. Serving Him is equivalent to worship. John is identifying Jesus with this heavenly figure who takes the role of God in judgment and eternal governance.

Every Eye Will See Him #

The prophets speak of the “Day of the Lord,” when God Himself will go forth ( Zech 14:3 ) and save His people from the nations gathered against Jerusalem. The parallel with Zechariah 12 is undeniable. John wants this prophecy to be brought to the reader’s mind.

On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem […] “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land will mourn, each clan by itself

Zech 12:8-12

John tells us that the One who was pierced — Jesus — will be seen by the inhabitants of Jerusalem on the “Day of the Lord.” Each family will mourn, recognizing the pierced king, just as they mourned Josiah who was pierced by an arrow in the valley of Megiddo ( 2 Chr 35:23 ). The same God who was pierced in Zechariah is now identified with Jesus.

The First and the Last #

Now we are confronted with a declaration full of divine names: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” ( Rev 1:8 ). At first, we might think this refers to God the Father. However, Jesus clarifies by saying: “I am the First and the Last” ( Rev 1:17 ), directly echoing Jehovah in the Old Testament.

In Isaiah, God declares: “I am the first and I am the last, and besides Me there is no god” ( Isa 44:6 ; cf. isa 48:12 ). This was an exclusive claim of YHWH. Lest there be any doubt, at the end of Revelation we read: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” ( Rev 22:13 ). The speaker is Jesus (v. 16).

The lines between God the Father and God the Son become more blurred, challenging simplistic interpretations. John is not merely presenting Jesus as divine — he is presenting Him as fully sharing the identity of the God of Israel. This tension led to major theological debates in the early Church. Heresies like Arianism (Jesus as a created being), Docetism (Jesus wasn’t human), Nestorianism (a human Jesus inhabited by God), and Modalism (Jesus as a “mode” of God) were all rejected. Trinitarianism emerged as the response, supported by passages like Isaiah 48:16, where God says:

Listen to me, Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last. […] Come near me and listen to this: “From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret; at the time it happens, I am there.” And now the Sovereign Lord (1) has sent me (2), endowed with his Spirit (3)

Isa 48:12, 16

A Radiant Man #

Another clear reference in this introduction to Revelation is Daniel 10. The parallel is undeniable. A being of the same kind that appeared to John appeared to Daniel. Is this Jesus?

I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.

Dan 10:5-9

This radiant being, clothed in gold, with a glowing face and feet, eyes of fire, and a voice like a multitude — is he a glorious messenger of God, or God Himself? The effect he has on Daniel is identical to what John experiences: no strength left, face to the ground. Other prophets had similar experiences — Gen 17:3 , Ezek 1:28 .

John wants us to remember Daniel. And perhaps he wants us to read Revelation with the prophecies of Daniel in mind, especially chapters 10 to 12.

Voice of Many Waters #

John describes Jesus’ voice as “the sound of many waters” ( Rev 1:15 ). This imagery immediately evokes Ezekiel, who describes the glory of God entering the temple:

And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. […] and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

Ezek 43:2-5

By identifying Jesus’ voice with this image, John is showing that the glorious presence of the Lord who will dwell in the restored temple is the presence of Jesus. The One with the voice of many waters is God alone.

Ezekiel 40–48 speaks of a future temple, the place of God’s dwelling with His people. Jesus is that divine presence, the voice that comes from the east and fills the earth with glory. Revelation begins with Jesus in the midst of the lampstands — symbols of the churches — and will end with God and the Lamb being the temple and light in the New Jerusalem.

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.

Rev 21:22-24

The Living One #

Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Rev 1:17-18

After all the glory and majesty — eyes of fire, feet of bronze, voice of many waters — Jesus approaches with a touch and a word: “Do not be afraid.” This expression was used when God called the patriarchs: Abraham ( Gen 15:1 ), Isaac ( Gen 26:24 ), Jacob ( Gen 46:3 ). Now, the same God comforts John.

Jesus conquered death, and holds the keys of death and hades. Death no longer has the final word. Hell is no longer an inescapable destiny. Jesus reigns!

Just as YHWH comforted the patriarchs with promises for the future, Jesus’ declaration is a comfort to all who fear the future, tribulation, or death. Our Savior lives. And the One who lives forever holds the destiny of all in His hands. The book of Revelation will show judgments and catastrophes, but it begins with this certainty: Jesus reigns over life and death. He lives forever.

I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse

Rev 19:11

Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the LORD.

Psalm 68:4

Jesus is the living God. He is YHWH the cloud rider.