T h e   

                       S e c o n d   C o m i n g 

                           P r i n c i p l e 



                   Why the Second Coming of Christ 
                       Is Not Going To Be Jesus!

                                  ***

                           It Will Be A Man 
                  In The "Spirit and Power" of Jesus




                         by James L. Stephens

                             January 1989
                         Revised, August 1989



                  T A B L E   O F   C O N T E N T S  

  I. The Second Coming Principle - Introduction...................1

 II. Principle of Second Coming applied to
     the Second Coming of Elijah:.................................1
     
     A.  Prophesy at the birth of John the Baptist................2
     B.  Jesus testifies John the Baptist is Elijah...............3
     C.  Jewish people did not believe that 
           John the Baptist was Elijah............................3
     D.  John himself did not believe he was Elijah...............3
     E.  John the Baptist did not fulfill 
           the prophesy concerning Elijah.........................4
     F.  John the Baptist in the end doubted
           Jesus was the Messiah..................................4
     G.  Was John the Baptist saved?..............................4
     
III. The Principle of Second Coming 
     applied to Jesus's Second Coming.............................5
     
     A.  Prophesies of a man coming in the spirit 
           and power of Jesus.....................................5
     B.  Prophesy of the birth of a man-child.....................7
     C.  The Purpose of Christ's second coming will be 
           physical redemption and the establishment of 
           God's Will and Kingdom on earth........................8
     D.  Interpretation of the supernatural prophesies............8
     
          1.  Lightning, sword, breath, fire are all 
                symbols for the new understanding of God's 
                Word, God's truth that will be revealed...........9
          2.  Earth, moon, and stars symbolize the 
                parent figures and their children................10
          3.  Heaven and sky when used as symbols mean 
                a holy place.  Likewise, the symbolic 
                earth means evil place...........................11
          4.  Clouds symbolize many believers or "crowds" 
                of spiritually high people.......................11

 IV.  Conclusion.................................................12



         T h e   S e c o n d   C o m i n g   P r i n c i p l e 

        Why the Second Coming of Christ Is Not Going To Be Jesus!
                                  ***
           It Will Be A Man In The Spirit and Power of Jesus


                              Section I.

Introduction

    What is the meaning behind "second coming" in the Bible?  God 
created human beings with an original purpose to be in His image and 
likeness.  But man fell.  Subsequently, salvation became necessary.  
God's salvation history advances forward by the faithfulness of 
chosen individuals, families, tribes and nations.  If God's 
providence which is centered on certain chosen individuals is not 
completed to the full extent God intends, then others must be chosen 
at a later time in the same position and responsibility.  

    Thus a "second coming" is a continuation of the original mission 
by another person that God chooses to carry on the same 
responsibility.  One example is the three families of Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob.  All three were "one" in the Bible because it took these 
three generations to lay the foundation for Israel.

    The principle of "second coming" that is used by God can be most 
clearly seen in the example of the second coming of Elijah.  We will 
look at this first to give us a clue to understanding the Second 
Coming of Christ.

                              Section II.

Principle of Second Coming applied to the Second Coming of Elijah:

    The clearest case of a second coming in the Bible is the case of 
the second coming of Elijah.  In the last paragraph of the Jewish 
scriptures, the Old Testament, the Jewish people were told to expect 
Elijah to return.

Mal. 4:5        "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that 
                great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.

Mal. 4:6        He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their 
                children, and the hearts of the children to their 
                fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with 
                a curse.  *

* (NOTE: All scriptures are taken from the New International Version)

    The common Jewish understanding of this scripture was to expect 
the return of the same Elijah from 800 years B.C. who had ascended 
into the sky.  They are still today waiting for his return (at least 
in tradition) regarding it as a precursor to the messiah's coming.


Second Coming Principle, page 2


A.  Prophesy at the birth of John the Baptist

    The following verses refer to the birth of John the Baptist.  
They also explain God's mission for John, clearly stating that he 
came in the "spirit and power" of Elijah.

Luke 1:16-17    Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to 
                the Lord their God.  And he will go on before the 
                Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the 
                hearts of the fathers to their children and the 
                disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make 
                ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Luke 1:76-77    And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the 
                Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to 
                prepare the way for him, to give his people the 
                knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of 
                their sins.

John 1:6-9      There came a man who was sent from God; his name was 
                John.  He came as a witness to testify concerning 
                that light, so that through him all men might 
                believe.  He himself was not the light; he came only 
                as a witness to the light.  The true light that gives 
                light to every man was coming into the world

Mark 1:2-8      It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my 
                messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way-a 
                voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way 
                for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'  And so 
                John came, baptizing in the desert region and 
                preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness 
                of sins.  The whole Judean countryside and all the 
                people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their 
                sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River  
                John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a 
                leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and 
                wild honey.  And this was his message: "After me will 
                come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose 
                sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.  I 
                baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with 
                the Holy Spirit.

Luke 3:3-6      He went into all the country around the Jordan, 
                preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness 
                of sins.  As is written in the book of the words of 
                Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the 
                desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight 
                paths for him.  Every valley shall be filled in, 
                every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads 
                shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.  And 
                all mankind will see God's salvation.'


Second Coming Principle, page 3


    John the Baptist was born amid prophesies indicating he would 
have the spirit and power of Elijah and he would do the same things 
that Elijah was foretold to do when he returned (i.e. prepare people 
to believe in Jesus and to be saved).

B. Jesus testifies John the Baptist is Elijah.

    Jesus himself testifies on several occasions that John the 
Baptist was the expected Elijah.  This thus demonstrates the second 
coming principle.  A second coming is another person who has the same 
spirit and power and will act and do the same things in principle 
that the first coming did.

Matt. 11:10-11  This is the one about whom it is written: 'I will 
                send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your 
                way before you.'  I tell you the truth: Among those 
                born of women there has not risen anyone greater than 
                John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom 
                of heaven is greater than he.

Matt. 11:14-15  And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah 
                who was to come.  He who has ears, let him hear.

C. Jewish people did not believe that John the Baptist was Elijah.

    Unfortunately, the Jewish people did not understand the principle 
of second comings.  Jesus' words in Matt. 17:11 clearly show that the 
people did not believe that John the Baptist was Elijah.

Matt. 17:10-13  The disciples asked him, "Why then do the teachers of 
                the law say that Elijah must come first?  Jesus 
                replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore 
                all things.  But I tell you, Elijah has already come, 
                and they did not recognize him, but have done to him 
                everything they wished. In the same way the Son of 
                Man is going to suffer at their hands.  Then the 
                disciples understood that he was talking to them 
                about John the Baptist.

D. John himself did not believe he was Elijah.

    Even more unfortunate, John the Baptist shows by his words that 
even he didn't understand that he was Elijah.

John 1:19-21    Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of 
                Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he 
                was.  He did not fail to confess, but confessed 
                freely, "I am not the Christ.  They asked him, "Then 
                who are you?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not." 
                "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No.


Second Coming Principle, page 4


E. John the Baptist did not fulfill the prophesy concerning Elijah.

    The New Testament indicates that John testified to his experience 
of seeing the spirit descend on Jesus, however he never went about 
"making the way straight" for Jesus.  This is one major reason that 
the Jews could not accept Jesus as the messiah, because there was no 
Elijah.

    In fact, John the Baptist testifies to Jesus only in the Gospel 
of John (1.29-42).  The Synoptic Gospels; Matthew (3.16-17), Mark 
(1.9-11), and Luke (3.21-22), do not mention that John testified to 
Jesus at all.  Even in John's Gospel, the Baptist testifies to Jesus 
only twice and just two disciples are influenced to follow Jesus.  
This can hardly be considered fulfilling the prophesies of Malachi 
4:6, Luke 1.16, Luke 1.76 or Mark 1.2 (see pages 1-2).  In fact, the 
curse described in Malachi 4:6 came upon Israel, indicating John the 
Baptist did not fulfill the prophesied mission for Elijah's return.

Mal. 4:6        He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their 
                children, and the hearts of the children to their 
                fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with 
                a curse.

F. John the Baptist in the end doubted Jesus was the Messiah.

    At the end of his life John the Baptist clearly does not know if 
Jesus is the Lord.  Jesus' reply in Matt. 11 is a rebuke of John the 
Baptist for his faithlessness.

Matt. 11:2-6    When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he 
                sent his disciple to ask him, "Are you the one who 
                was to come, or should we expect someone else?  Jesus 
                replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear 
                and see:  The blind receive sight, the lame walk, 
                those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the 
                dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the 
                poor.  Blessed is the man who does not fall away on 
                account of me.

G. Was John the Baptist saved?

    Jesus even indicates that John the Baptist did not make it into 
the kingdom of heaven because he called him "less than the least" who 
entered.  John was destined to be the greatest man ever.  And he was 
on course, up until the time he met Jesus.  We can only guess why 
John fell away from his initial faith in Jesus as the coming Lord.  
Probably Jesus did not fulfill John's expectations.  Maybe he 
expected the Lord to come from the sky.  Maybe he expected him to be 
a powerful warrior.  Jesus was the son of a carpenter, even an 
illegitimate son, and his own relative.  

    In all probability his failure to follow Jesus cost him his own 
salvation and made Jesus' way much more difficult.


Second Coming Principle, page 5


Hebrews 10:36   You need to persevere so that when you have done the 
                will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

John 12:26      If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I 
                am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves 
                me, the Father will honor him.

Matt. 10:22     All men will hate you because of me, but he who 
                stands firm to the end will be saved.

Matt. 11:11     I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there 
                has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; 
                yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is 
                greater than he.

Matt. 11:12     From the days of John the Baptist until now, the 
                kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and 
                forceful men lay hold of it.

    Jesus says John is less than the least in the kingdom which he 
defines in Matt. 5:19-20 and indicates his difficulty since the days 
of John.

Matt. 5:19-20   Anyone who breaks one of the least of these 
                commandments and teaches others to do the same will 
                be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever 
                practices and teaches these commands will be called 
                great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you 
                unless your righteousness surpasses that of the 
                Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, you will 
                certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.


                             Section III.

The Principle of Second Coming applied to Jesus's Second Coming:

    If this is the principle that God will use for the second coming 
of Jesus, then what should we expect will take place?  

    We can predict that the "Second Coming" of Jesus will be a man in 
the spirit and power of Jesus who will act and do the same things 
that Jesus would do.  That man will be anointed by Jesus and then he 
must suffer through many trials and tribulations, as did John, but he 
must remain faithful to the end.

A. Prophesies of a man coming in the spirit and power of Jesus.

    In the Book of Revelation, Jesus speaks several times about "the 
one who overcomes".  Jesus will write on him a "new name" (Rev. 2).  
This person with the name "no one knows but himself" will be called 
"Faithful and True", "Word of God", and "King of Kings, Lord of 
Lords" (Rev. 19:7-16).  He will lead the armies of heaven and rule 
the nations with an iron scepter.  This person will have the same 
authority as Jesus, but clearly he will be a different person.  Jesus 
will be the one who anoints this man and gives him the authority.


Second Coming Principle, page 6


Rev. 2:7        He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says 
                to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give 
                the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in 
                the paradise of God.

    He is a man to replace Adam who was barred from the tree of life. 
(Gen. 3:24)

Rev. 2:17       He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says 
                to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give 
                some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a 
                white stone with a new name written on it, known only 
                to him who receives it.

    The white stone is Jesus, (Matt. 21:42, Mark 12:10, Acts 4:10-12, 
and I Peter 2:4-8).  He who overcomes will a man with a "new" name.

Rev. 2:26-29    To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I 
                will give authority over the nations.  'He will rule 
                them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to 
                pieces like pottery'--just as I have received 
                authority from my Father.  I will also give him the 
                morning star.  He who has an ear, let him hear what 
                the Spirit says to the churches.

    The "morning star" is Jesus (Rev. 22:16) and he will give his 
authority to this man.

Rev. 3:12       Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple 
                of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write 
                on him the name of my God and the name of the city of 
                my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out 
                of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him 
                my new name.

Rev. 3:21       To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit 
                with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down 
                with my Father on his throne.

    Jesus will give him a seat on his throne and share his position 
and authority.

Rev. 14:14      I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and 
                seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with 
                a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his 
                hand.

Rev. 19:12      His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are 
                many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one 
                knows but he himself.

    This new man will be wearing a crown.

Rev. 19:11      I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a 
                white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. 
                With justice he judges and makes war.


Second Coming Principle, page 7


Rev. 19:13      He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name 
                is the Word of God.

    He will be anointed by the blood of Jesus and will speak the Word 
of God.  He will be called "King of Kings".

Rev. 19:14      The armies of heaven were following him, riding on 
                white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and 
                clean.  Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with 
                which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them 
                with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the 
                fury of the wrath of God Almighty.

Rev. 19:16      On his robe and on his thigh he has this name 
                written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Rev. 22:16      "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this 
                testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the 
                Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.

B. Prophesy of the birth of a man-child.

    Revelation also speaks of the birth of a man child which is not 
commonly interpreted to be a literal baby.  However, let us remind 
ourselves that most of the Jews 2,000 years ago expected the "Son of 
Man" to come on the clouds in great glory (Daniel 7:13).  Very few 
looked for a child (Micah 5:2).  We cannot rule out the possibility 
that God may act in the same way that he did 2,000 years ago.

Rev. 12:1       A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman 
                clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet 
                and a crown of twelve stars on her head.  She was 
                pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to 
                give birth.

Rev. 12:4       His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky 
                and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in 
                front of the woman who was about to give birth, so 
                that he might devour her child the moment it was 
                born.

Rev. 12:5       She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule 
                all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child 
                was snatched up to God and to his throne.

Rev. 12:17      Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off 
                to make war against the rest of her offspring--those 
                who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony 
                of Jesus.

    This male child is not Jesus but another man to rule the 
nations.  Jesus may even have hinted at this in John 16:20-25.

John 16:20-22   I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while 
                the world rejoices.  You will grieve, but your grief 
                will turn to joy.  A woman giving birth to a child 
                has pain because her time has come; but when her baby 
                
Second Coming Principle, page 8


                is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy 
                that a child is born into the world.  So with you: 
                Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again 
                and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your 
                joy.

John 16:25      Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is 
                coming when I will no longer use this kind of 
                language but will tell you plainly about my Father.

C.  The Purpose of Christ's second coming will be physical redemption 
    and the establishment of God's Will and Kingdom on earth.

    The salvation that we are awaiting at the Second Coming of Christ 
needs to be a physical redemption and the establishment of the 
Kingdom of God on the earth.  

Romans 8:23     Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first 
                fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait 
                eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of 
                our bodies.

Hebrews 9:28    So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins 
                of many people; and he will appear a second time, not 
                to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are 
                waiting for him.

I Peter 1:5     Who through faith are shielded by God's power until 
                the coming of the salvation that is ready to be 
                revealed in the last time.

Matthew 6:10    Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it 
                is in heaven.

Acts 15:16      After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen 
                tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore 
                it.

    God's original ideal for Adam and Eve (i.e. true manhood/true 
womanhood, ideal marriage, procreation of sinless children) must 
still be pioneered on earth by the coming Advent.  After Jesus' 
crucifixion, celibacy was deemed the highest virtue, but clearly God 
could not intend this to be the eternal standard.  The Second Advent 
will come to replace Adam and fulfill God's ideal for him, i.e. be 
fruitful, multiply, and have dominion (Gen. 1:28).  Therefore he must 
marry a second Eve and multiply descendents.

D. Interpretation of the supernatural prophesies:

Daniel 7:13     "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.


Second Coming Principle, page 9


    There are many expectations of the second coming of Jesus but 
almost all of them are of a supernatural appearance very similar to 
the incorrect expectations at his first coming 2,000 years ago.  If 
God's principle of second coming determines that it will be another 
man in the flesh with the spirit and power of Jesus, then today's 
Christians are in danger of being the "second coming" of the Jews of 
2,000 years ago who failed to recognize Jesus as the Christ.

    If the return of Christ will be in the same manner as he came 
2,000 years ago, then what is the meaning of the numerous prophesies 
of a supernatural return?  As this paper is already too long, I will 
very briefly interpret the symbolism of the last days and present a 
more thorough examination in another paper.

1.  Lightning, sword, breath, fire are all symbols for the new 
    understanding of God's Word, God's truth that will be revealed.

    At the Second Advent, much new truth will be revealed and old 
truth will be clarified as never before.  

John 16:12-13   I have much more to say to you, more than you can now 
                bear.

I Cor. 13:12    Now we see but a poor reflection; then we shall see 
                face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know 
                fully, even as I am fully known.

I Cor. 13:9-10  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when 
                perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

I John 3:2      Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we 
                will be has not yet been made known.  But we know 
                that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we 
                shall see him as he is.

    The Bible uses many symbols for God's truth, for example: 
lightning, sword, breath, and fire.

Ephes. 6:16-17  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, 
                with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows 
                of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and 
                the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Luke 12:49      "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I 
                wish it were already kindled.

Jer. 23:29      "Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, "and 
                like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces.

Hosea 6:5       Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I 
                killed you with the words of my mouth; my judgments 
                flashed like lightning upon you.

II Thess. 2:8   And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the 
                Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his 
                mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.


Second Coming Principle, page 10


    The prophesies of the second coming of Christ that use these 
symbols refer to the new understanding of truth Christ will bring.

2.  Earth, moon, and stars symbolize the parent figures and their 
    children.

    The interpretation for the meaning of the symbols of earth, moon, 
and stars can be found in Genesis 37:9-10.

Gen. 37:9-10    Then he had another dream, and he told it to his 
                brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, 
                and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were 
                bowing down to me.  When he told his father as well 
                as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, 
                "What is this dream you had?  Will your mother and I 
                and your brothers actually come and bow down to the 
                ground before you?

    When truth comes, darkness passes away.  Therefore, evil and 
falsehood will be destroyed.  Old truth will be superseded.  
Therefore, all the things that the Bible says will be destroyed in 
the last days are symbolic.  What will actually be destroyed is old 
truth, partial truth, faithlessness, sin, hell, etc.

Matt. 24:29     "Immediately after the distress of those days 'the 
                sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its 
                light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the 
                heavenly bodies will be shaken.'

    At the time Jesus came on the earth, the parental figures (sun 
and moon) were Moses and the Hebrew scriptures and the children 
(stars) were the Israelites.  Jesus brought new and stronger light, 
dimming the Old Testament in comparison.  The Jews who clung to their 
interpretations of Moses and scriptures did not unite with Jesus, 
thus "falling from heaven", falling into faithlessness.  

    At the "second coming", the person chosen by Jesus will be given 
new truth and understanding by Jesus about himself and the Bible that 
will be a brighter light than denominational theologies of today.  
Thus the current understandings of Jesus and the Holy Spirit (the 
father and mother:sun and moon of the New Testament) will dim as this 
new light of understanding from Jesus shines.  

Isaiah 60:19    The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will 
                the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD 
                will be your everlasting light, and your God will be 
                your glory.

Rev. 12:1       A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman 
                clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet 
                and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
                
                (Her foundation is Jesus, the New Testament, and the 
                saints.)


Second Coming Principle, page 11


    And the Christians (the New Testament "stars" or children) stand 
in danger of being "falling stars" if they do not unite with Jesus' 
newly revealed truth brought by the man that Jesus choses.

Matthew 7:20    Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.  "Not 
                everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the 
                kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of 
                my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on 
                that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your 
                name, and in your name drive out demons and perform 
                many miracles?  Then I will tell them plainly, 'I 
                never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!

3.  Heaven and sky when used as symbols mean a holy place.  Likewise, 
    the symbolic earth means evil place.

    Clearly the words "heaven" and "earth" are used both in a literal 
way and in a symbolic way in the Bible.  Heaven can mean the literal 
sky or it can mean a spiritual place of holiness.  Earth can be the 
literal soil or a spiritual place of evil and hell.

John 6:38       For I have come down from heaven not to do my will 
                but to do the will of him who sent me.

John 3:31       "The one who comes from above is above all; the one 
                who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and 
                speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from 
                heaven is above all.

John 8:23       But he continued, "You are from below; I am from 
                above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

    Just as Jesus Christ could say that he came down from heaven and 
yet be born on earth through a woman's womb, this anointed "second 
coming" of Christ could also say he "came from heaven" (God, Jesus) 
while being born on earth.  

4.  Clouds symbolize many believers or "crowds" of spiritually high 
    people.

    Clouds in the Bible may be literal, but they also have the 
symbolic meaning of "many people" or "crowds", particularly "crowds 
of believers".  Water is often used in connection with a purification 
process.  In baptism, people go under the water as sinners and come 
out purified.  Thus clouds are people that have been purified.  The 
Old Testament prophesies the messiah will come on the clouds.  In the 
Gospels Jesus is constantly met by and surrounded by crowds, thus 
fulfilling that Old Testament prophecy.

Hebrews 12:1    Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great 
                cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that 
                hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let 
                us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.


Second Coming Principle, page 12


Mark 13:26      "At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in 
                clouds with great power and glory.

Jude 1:12       These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating 
                with you without the slightest qualm--shepherds who 
                feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, 
                blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit 
                and uprooted--twice dead.


                              Section IV.

Conclusion

    In conclusion, if you are looking for the second coming of Jesus, 
don't look to the sky only, but look for also Christ's second coming 
to be a man surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, people who are like 
saints.  You will know them by their fruits (Matt. 7:20).  Look also 
for a man speaking the truth of God far deeper than anyone in 2,000 
years and knowing Jesus better than anyone else in the world.  Look 
for a man with authority like Christ who will be about building the 
kingdom.  Look for a man with the "spirit and power" of Jesus.