Clouds...

Recently a brother directed my attention to Acts 1. In verses 9 - 11 we have the ascension of our Lord into glory. It says He was 'lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.'

It then recounts two men in white clothing standing by who ask, 'Why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.'
That's what it says.
Now, it could be said, that today many continue to 'look into the sky.' We look to see His coming. We consider ourselves to be 'those who eagerly await Him.' [Hebrews 9: 28]
Let's look at that verse,

'...so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.'

Acts 1: 11 and Hebrews 9: 28 both speak of a second coming and the teaching of the church has, for centuries, been that this is future. So we spend our lives looking into the sky looking for this coming and anticipating that this will be the day we receive His glory. His first coming was a sin bearing coming, we understand that, but, I ask you, can it really make sense that this 'second coming'  that brings the fullness, the wholeness of 'sozo' salvation, without reference to sin because the sin question has been dealt with, really takes 2000 + years to be? Really?

As I have thought on these things my meditation has gone to the tabernacle. I love to consider the tabernacle, it is such a beautiful picture of Christ concealed. When I say tabernacle, I also think temple, because effectively the temple is just a static tabernacle. The tabernacle was the mobile version, the temple the static version.

Now, the tabernacle has many things but I just want to see this. In the Holy place, at the entrance to the Holy of holies stood an altar, the Altar of Incense. On this altar incense was burnt perpetually. It was one of the priest's jobs to burn incense there perpetually. It would have put up quite a cloud of smoke. Before this altar was the veil, through the veil was the Holy of holies and the Ark of the Covenant, which was beneath the mercy seat and over the mercy seat were two cherubim and between their outstretched wings dwelt God. Glory dwelt here.

Now I have a lot to say about the veil but maybe I'll do that another day.
This is about clouds.

Jesus was taken up, and a cloud received Him.
The two men in white asked, 'Why are you looking into the sky?'
They said, 'He will come again as you have seen Him go.'
That is, He will be revealed coming through the cloud. The cloud will part, move aside, whatever, and He will come.
At the crucifixion of Jesus the veil got torn in two. I am certain it was hastily repaired but too late. Glory had come out.
You see, I believe, that while it is true that the torn veil gave us Hebrews 4: 16 access it is eminently more impactful and wonderful that the torn veil released glory.
Glory could now come out and be seen because the sin question had been dealt with. Glory came out to the Holy place, came out to where the priest's served and we are all priests if we believe in Jesus.
It is really interesting that in Revelation 21: 1 as John sees the new heaven and earth there is no sea. You see the tabernacle and temple was basically three sections, outer court, Holy place and Holy of holies. The outer court was also called the Gentiles court.
Glory was released at the torn veil and came out, there is no sea because there is no need for an outer court in the new temple, for in Christ all who believe, Jew and Gentile, become one, 'a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession...' [1 Peter 2: 9]
So as glory came out a new heaven and new earth was created.

Now what about clouds?
The veil was repaired. But forty years on all was destroyed. The Romans burnt the temple down. The altar of incense cloud of smoke was removed by fire and intense heat, despite the legal eagles of the day being determined to retain it.

What am I saying? It is this. We spend our days looking into the sky, looking for His coming but I believe great things lie in this truth - He has already come. He has already come as His glory has come through the clouds. As the altar of incense burnt the last vestige of law was made obsolete [Hebrews 8: 13] and He has come to His new dwelling place, no temple required for YOU are His dwelling place, heaven and earth are united perfectly (read John 17: 22 - 26) in YOU.

'Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?' [1 Corinthians 6: 19]

There is one other thing that we need to just consider here. In Matthew 24 Jesus is speaking about things that concern the destruction of the temple. We read these words and apply Jesus' day and future day almost willy nilly. Some parts we place in the future in our teaching, and some we give to the day in which Jesus was speaking but how can that be? Jesus was answering a question from His disciples about the temple as they looked upon it. The things He was saying referred to the temple, and its destruction in AD 70. And remember Jesus Himself said, 'Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.' [Matthew 24: 34] Wow! Interesting, don't you think?

But what is the practical application?

Can you imagine the change if we stopped looking so fervently into the sky for our salvation to come but instead walked in the truth of the glory of Christ in us. What change would this make in our lives? As a more knowledgeable man than me said recently, 'Right believing produces right living.' So, how would our 'living' change if we believed that we already have His glory.

You see, I am convinced that His glory is not some future aspiration but a present possession that we haven't appropriated, so we don't live in its truth.

As I contemplated these immense things I asked the Holy Spirit to show me something that I could see of this and He showed me two things.

'And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number; to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets, and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on any one of these. And also the people in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits; and they were all being healed.' [Acts 5: 14 - 16]

'And God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.' [Acts 19: 11 - 12]

I don't ask you to believe me, convincing you isn't me job, that is the Holy Spirit's job.
But think, and ask Him to show you, glory came out through the cloud.
Imagine that glory appropriated by right believing producing right living...
Oh, what LIVING that would be!
I think I might call that 'abundant life.'