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Found in Luke’s Gospel, in the twenty-first chapter are these four verses:
25 “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress
among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26 People will faint
from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the
heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with
power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise
your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” [NRSV]
There are many who see this as a prophecy that has both been fulfilled and is still unfulfilled. Because these verses follow Jesus having told his disciples that the beautiful and magnificent Temple of Jerusalem – Herod’s Temple – would be torn down, with no stones left unturned, these words are then applied to that historic fact. That makes Jesus be truly prophetic [as judged by some ‘true prophet’ calculator used, for measly men and women to determine]. Because no one can verify “the Son of man coming in a cloud,” that part of the prophecy is placed in the ‘we believe because Jesus said it, so wait until later’ category of prophecy.
Here are my breakdowns of these four verses. I divide the Greek text into segments, based on punctuation marks. I also use bold type to denote wherever the Greek word “kai” is used, as that is a marker word [like punctuation], which should always be read as an alert to the reader to look for importance to follow that marker. I then follow each verse of Greek with a viable English translation, listed by word segments. In that, it is important to see how a viable translation [based on the scope of use each word allows in translation into English] differs from the above NRSV translation.
After I present these basic facts of the text written [Greek] and the text of translation, I will then add some interpretative views, especially highlighting the use of metaphor (such as “sun, moon, stars, clouds”) that is often missed.
Verse 25 [Greek]
Kai esontai semeia en hēliō , kai selēnē , kai astrois ; kai epi tēs gēs synochē ethnōn en aporia , ēchous thalassēs kai salou ,
Verse 25 [English]
Most Importantly [a capitalized "Kai"] there will exist signs among sun ,
importantly moon ,
importantly stars ;
importantly on the basis of this ground anxiety of people on doubt ,
rumor sea importantly a swell ,
Verse 26 [Greek]
apopsychontōn anthrōpōn apo phobou kai prosdokias tōn eperchomenōn tē oikoumenē ; hai gar dynameis tōn ouranōn saleuthēsontai .
Verse 26 [English]
no longer breathing of mankind from reverence importantly with expectation of these to be
coming this people inhabiting earth ;
these indeed abilities of them heavenly ones will be shaken .
Verse 27 [Greek]
kai tote opsontai ton Huion tou anthrōpou erchomenon en nephelē , meta dynameōs kai doxēs pollēs .
Verse 27 [English]
importantly at that time will they experience this Son of someone mankind coming within
cloud ,
in company with marvelous works importantly the unspoken manifestation of God [Yahweh]
of many .
Verse 28 [Greek]
archomenōn de toutōn ginesthai , anakypsate kai eparate tas kephalas hymōn , dioti engizei hē apolytrōsis hymōn .
Verse 28 [English]
of that coming to pass now of you here to happen ,
you have been raised importantly you have lifted up these heads of yourselves ,
on this account comes near this redemption of yourselves .
Analysis
In verse 25 I left the translation that says “signs.” That helps one when the word “stars” comes up. Still, the word “semeia” can equally mean “indications,” which means “signs” do not need to be exterior to oneself. In that, the word “estonai” is “third-person plural future mediopassive indicative of εἰμῐ́ (eimí)” [Wiktionary], which means “there will be” is a future statement about those souls that consist of a “living” being [a self], the meaning of “eimi.” The Greek word “eimi” is the first person word that states “I am, I exist.” Therefore, the “signs” or “indications” are personal, relative to being alive; and, being alive (with a functioning brain) means the "signs" or "indications" are symbolic statements that are received from without and processed within.
It is also important [the use of “kai” repeated] to see the cyclic nature of the sun [a yearly orbit of the earth around it] and the moon [a lunar month of time]. The use of “stars” is then a symbolic statement of the sun and moon traveling through the “signs” of the zodiac. This reference is then a grand statement of the constant motion of life, which is cyclic. What goes around comes around. In the parable of a fig tree that follows these verses, the cycles of the seasons are relative to this repetition found in nature. Thus, Jesus predicted the axiom of astrology: As above, so below; which means things repeat, thus they are naturally predictable.
That hint of astrology means the astrological symbolism of the “sun” is “ego” and self-expression, while the symbolism of the “moon” is the changing “emotions” one feels. Still, as one-word statements, the “sun” is an “indication” of how one projects outwardly, while the “moon” is how one reflects the light of others shown upon oneself. The “stars” are then distance influences that twinkle, but are only visible in the darkness. As metaphor, Jesus is the "sun" that shines the light of truth. A disciple is then one emotionally led by the light shone upon it by Jesus. The "stars" are then the leaders of the Temple of Jerusalem, who twinkle as if they know some things, but none of their light reflects upon those who look up to them.
When the element of change is seen in the regular motions of the solar system, Jesus then said [importantly] that what goes around always comes back around, which is the cyclic nature of birth and death. From that known end, ‘doubt” springs from the “anxieties” of what happens to a soul when one’s dead body of flesh is returned to the “ground.” The “doubt” is based on a “sea” of “rumors,” where the vastness of the unknown is reason for all conjecture as to what happens when one dies. The Pharisees believed souls just milled about in Sheol [something akin to Purgatory, I guess], until the Messiah would come [maybe on a cloud?] and holler out, “Okay fellas, time to go to heaven. Everyone on the bus [or cloud]!” The Sadducees believed death ended everything, meaning they did not believe a soul existed. The same “rumor sea” is still around today, with the new Christian churches promising, “Everyone goes to heaven!”
It is all enough to make a head “swell.” Still, the importance that needs to be seen is a great rise in the rumor sea coming in the future. The Jews would act irrationally from an emotional surge against the Romans, causing their loss of a precious building and what little place on the earth they could call home. Once Christianity became a “sea” that grew so large is spread around the world, doubts then raised their ugly heads in a new tidal wave that brought destruction to that which had been built by Saints. To be truly "Christian," one's soul must truly be "Anointed" by Yahweh, done by a great outpouring of His Spirit.
Because verse 25 does not end with a period mark, verse 26 is a continuation of the line of thought brought up in verse 25. With verse 25 ending with importance placed on “a swell,” verse 26 then takes this to a new phase that tells of a great collapse in religion. The word “apopsychontōn” can even be read as death [meaning "die"], because “breathlessness” is a statement that “mankind” is “no longer breathing.” When the breath of life is understood to be a soul, a lack of “reverence” is a change in “mankind” that does not give credit to Yahweh as the source of all souls. Without that “breath of life” recognition, then the word translated as “reverence” becomes “fear.” The death of faith, replaced by “fear,” says “mankind” has become influenced by worldly desires, where “breathlessness” means no longer being able to amass things to bring comforts into one’s life. Without the breath of Yahweh leading one's soul, that "breathlessness" causing the "fear" is that which leads a soul to be influenced by the demons of death.
This flow of words then inserts “kai,” stating an importance factor that differentiates between “reverence” and “fear” as being the “fear” of reincarnation [not the "reverence" of redemption for salvation]. When “people inhabiting the earth” is understood to mean souls in bodies of flesh, the “expectation” should then be a realization that a return to the material realm, not released to be an angel of Yahweh, means the children will not be taught “reverence” – and thus how to be saved – because they will be taught to “fear breathlessness,” with the “expectation” being to grab as much as they can now, so a legacy will be left behind when they “die.”
The presence of Moses led the Israelite people to live up to that name [“Israel” means those “Who Retain Yahweh as His elohim”]. Joshua led them to make a decision to serve Yahweh or serve other gods; and, they chose to live up to the name Israel. David led them to serve Yahweh as His extensions on the earth; but everything went downhill after David died. Thus, by the time Jesus prophesied the future, it was to repeat a cyclic nature that deals with the “abilities of them heavenly ones,” which are souls married to Yahweh, becoming His elohim [“heavenly ones” from “ouranōn”]. That process “will be shaken” or “cast down,” as the ruling elite of Jerusalem were incapable of passing on how that took place, because they had never been souls married to Yahweh. This would repeat after the advent of Christianity, as people will always turn to doubt, no longer breathing the truth for others beyond them to follow. It is easier to lean on another for a promise of salvation, than it is to do the works that save one's soul. Therefore, the cycle is souls work and teach their children to also work, until this system collapses from lack of interest, brought on by doubts.
Following a period mark ending verse 26, verse 27 begins a new statement that is relative to these coming changes. It should be noted that the first word in this new line of thought is not capitalized. It is “kai,” written in the lower-case. That introduction to a new line of thought says this is important. That importance is directed to a future time that will come, contrary to the religious world of the Jews having been “shaken.” Here, Jesus said, “at that time will they experience this Son of someone mankind coming within cloud”. Knowing that Jesus is speaking to his disciples, in the privacy of the setting on the Mount of Olives, if he were speaking about himself, as a physical entity, he could have said, “then yours truly will ride down to earth on a cloud.” Because he did not make that “self” indication, he is talking about “then, when or at that time” in the future the “shaken” world will experience a soul-moving experience. The capitalization of the Greek word “Huion” – “Son” – must be read as a divinely elevated statement about a “Son” of Yahweh, which is not limited to Jesus [see Abraham, Moses, the judges, Samuel, David, Elijah, all the prophets, to see the trend here]. Thus, "Son" is a statement of "anyone," as "someone" chosen by Yahweh.
The Greek preposition “ton” is the “genitive singular of τίς (tís)” [Wiktionary], where “tis” means, “someone, anyone.” In the genitive case, it implies possession, denoted by the addition of the word “of,” such that the “Son” is “of someone, anyone,” not only Jesus, per se. The specificity of “mankind” [as a generality that includes women and men in the mix] means a divine “Son” of Yahweh will again return to the earth, in the form of a “man” [or woman], in “anyone” or “someone” whose soul is married to Yahweh [His elohim].
When Jesus would refer to himself as “Son of this man” [mistranslated as “Son of man,” making three words act as one], that says the “Son” is eternally the soul of Jesus – a Yahweh elohim. In whoever that soul exists, there is the "Son" of Yahweh, in the flesh of "mankind." At that time, while Jesus was living in the flesh, he was the “Son of this” flesh his soul animated, which was one “man” of all “mankind.” When Jesus spoke then, on Mount Olivet, he was prophesying a time when his soul would return as “the Son,” but it would not be his old body of flesh coming. He was predicting his soul coming into “someone” who was an ordinary body of flesh in “mankind.” That one [one of many] would be then Jesus reborn, as his soul resurrected within one’s own soul [the one married to Yahweh].
Now, when Jesus said his soul would be “coming within a cloud” that does not mean a physical “cloud” – water molecules vaporized into those fluffy white and gray things that float in the sky. Because a soul is invisible – a spirit – the meaning of “cloud” is metaphor. That means “coming within a cloud” is saying it will be obscured and unseen. The meaning is a soul coming to merge with another soul, which also is unseen, as souls are spiritual, not physical. Internet storage these days is called sending data to “the cloud,” but few people would actually think they could go retrieve their data from a physical “cloud.”
Insert caption where the white spot obscures the face: "Your face here"
This arrival of the soul of Jesus, to be resurrected within those ordinary souls in flesh that submit fully to Yahweh, they will miraculously change. Not only will Jesus be reborn within them; but they will be capable of “marvelous works.” This ability makes one be Jesus again raised in a body of flesh, but nobody will recognize him as having returned [that “cloud” again]. The importance of this divinely raised presence of the “Son” will be “the unspoken manifestation of God [Yahweh];” and, it will not just be in one risen Lord Jesus, but the possession “of many.”
Jesus then told his disciples they would be the first wave of this divine possession [excluding Judas Iscariot]. He told them, “of that coming to pass now of you here to happen ,” adding “you have been raised.” The exclusion of Judas Iscariot was based on him keeping his own self-worth and self-value as an equal to Jesus – both big brains in bodies of flesh. Judas placed all his bets on his own abilities, as he probably was a great memorizer of all Jesus’ sayings. Unfortunately for him, his “head” [where the big brain abides] had not been “lifted up” divinely, so his thoughts were not led by Yahweh. The other disciples [hard as it was for them, being of lesser brains] had sacrificed their wills to that of Jesus, who spoke for the Father, as the Father was in him. By becoming ‘blank slates’ mentally, their “heads had been raised,” through self-sacrifice based on faith.
Jesus then concluded these four verses by telling his disciples [sans Judas], “on this account comes near this redemption of yourselves.” This says the only way to find “redemption” of all past sins, thereby being capable of earning eternal life of a soul beyond the death of a body of flesh, is through receipt of Yahweh’s Spirit [in divine marriage] and being reborn with the soul of Jesus leading one’s way to salvation [the meaning of “Jesus” is “Yah[weh] Saves”]. Thus, the future prophesied by Jesus can be boiled down to this: “After I have died, been buried, then resurrected, I will then be seen by you guys only. I will look real, but I will be a divine spirit – the Yahweh elohim that my soul is – and I will teach you some things (call it pre-programing to “Receive the Spirit” completely). Then, after I float away from sight, you all [not including Judas I.] will suddenly become me, as my soul merged with each of your souls; and, you each will then speak as me to the world.”
The whole movement of Christianity was, is, and can only be by those souls who have surrendered themselves unto Yahweh, as His wives in marriage. The only purpose of marriage is to bring forth a child. Jesus’ soul being resurrected in all of Yahweh’s wives [each individually, all the same] is the purpose of a soul being joined with Yahweh's Spirit. Thus, Jesus returned the day after he ascended. There is the complete fulfillment of this prophecy. There is nothing new to wait for; but each new soul born into flesh must forever repeat this cycle of natural predictions.
Once Jesus became a soul released from his flesh – a Yahweh elohim freed to possess those who sacrificed self to become saints – the first true Christians were born on Pentecost Sunday (way back when). The word “Christian” means one who is a “Christ” [not someone who says he or she believes in Jesus]. A “Christ” is the “Anointment” of a soul by Yahweh. That “Anointment” comes with the divine union, when Yahweh will enter one’s heart [a.k.a. a soul] and write His Covenant of marriage on the walls therein. That cleansing will allow His Son to return into flesh, merging with a submitted and committed soul, a wife of Yahweh. Therefore, Jesus has returned many thousands of times over, since then; and, this continues to this day.
Jesus defined a "church" ["ekklesia" or "ἐκκλησία"] as being "For where two or three are assembled in my name, there am I in the midst of them." This does not mean build another temple and call it a house of god and then say, "Jesus lives here." Jesus lives in Saints, whose souls have married his Father, bringing forth him as the high priest in each individual, whose body of flesh is the true temple. When two or more temples of Yahweh come together, so different looking bodies of flesh all say, "Hey Jesus reborn!" to one another, that is a true "church." It is "Christian" because all those gathered together [an assembly, or synagogue] are in the name of Jesus, each a Christ of Yahweh, thus cleansed to be temples with His Son the high priest [call him a Lord if you will]. A "church" gathers together at the three times a year Yahweh commanded His children to gather in His name: Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot. The rest of the time, Jesus spends his time resurrected in new flesh in ministry, looking for lost sheep that want to return to the fold and marry their souls to Yahweh. A cycle that must be repeated, or the End Times really are that.
The problem becomes when big brains stop thinking that divine marriage is possible, much less the expectation of that. Thus, the warning of Jesus should send a very cold chill down the spines of all pretending to be Christians, when they are really pagans at heart, worshiping every known god under the sun and moon and stars.