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Introduction
In his letter to the Hebrews, Saint Paul
referred to this physical reality as a "copy and shadow"
of the heavenly, or spiritual realm. (Heb. 8:5) The
Bible makes clear that life does not cease with the
death of the flesh. Indeed, most major religions hold
the concept that a person's soul continues on after his
or her physical body passes away. Where a person's soul
goes to dwell is determined by the quality and character
of his or her life on earth, especially the quality of
faith and depth of love.
Up to the present, the realms of heaven and hell have
been divided, separated by the same barriers of
religion, nationality, race and culture that have
divided people on earth. This is because people on the
other side continue with the same prejudices and
limitations they had on earth. However, in the Last
Days, when God establishes His Kingdom, there should be
unity in heaven as well as on earth: "The Lord shall be
one and His name be one" (Zech. 14:9) and "The kingdoms
of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His
Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever." (Rev.
11:15)
The testimonies that follow describe how leaders of
diverse denominations and religions, even atheists, are
gathering at conferences in heaven to study the truth of
God and commit themselves to supporting the providence
of this age. They are humbling themselves before the one
true God and Jesus' work at the Second Coming. Readers
can glimpse the unfolding process that is unifying the
heavenly realms.
Acts 2:17-21 reveals that in the last days, "I will
pour out My Spirit on all flesh, your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy and I will show wonders in the
heavens and in the earth." This teaches us that the
Spirit will move gifted individuals to have visions of
the spirit world, showing people on earth the wonders of
heaven. At a time when religious conflict seems rampant,
this vision of the gathering of heaven's forces united
as one mind under the one God and Creator of heaven and
earth comes as a welcome message of hope
The Cloud of witnesses Audio Library
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Introduction
Above all, this is a testimony to the
work of Jesus at the Second Coming of Christ. Jesus'
supreme sacrifice at Calvary and the atoning blood of
the cross grants us the redemption of sins. His
resurrection was victory over death, hell, sin and the
grave for all eternity. Of this there is no dispute. Yet
few articles of the Christian religion are more divisive
than doctrines of the Second Coming.
Many premillennialists believe Christ will return "in
the air" to collect the faithful and one thousand years
later establish his Kingdom on the earth. Others with a
post-millennial view believe Christ will come only after
the millennial reign. Still others don't accept the idea
of a millennial Kingdom at all. In matters of
eschatology, many Christians of good faith have agreed
to disagree.
Is it possible that our generation is the one that is
to welcome the Second Coming? When we study the "signs
of the times" in Matthew 24, we can recognize their
fulfillment, one by one, in our time. Notably, "And this
gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole
world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end
will come," is commonly seen as being fulfilled during
the 20th century.
Many Christians are comforted by the prediction in
Matthew 24:30 that Jesus will return on the clouds.
However, at his first advent also there were those who
predicted that Christ would come in the "clouds," based
on Daniel chapter 7. Of course, we know that Jesus was
born on the earth and did not float down out of the sky.
Yet the prophecy in Daniel can be regarded as having
been fulfilled in Jesus' advent if we take "clouds" to
be symbolic. Thus, John 3:13 reveals that Jesus "came
down from heaven." Hebrews 12:1 describes a "cloud of
witnesses," the spiritual aggregation of Old Testament
saints who hoped for their reward in Christ. Jude 14
likewise reports of Enoch's prophecy that Jesus would
come with "thousands and thousands of holy saints." This
was the spiritual "cloud" upon which Jesus came. The
same circumstance will occur at the Second Coming: "The
armies of heaven were following him, riding on white
horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean."
(Rev. 19:14) Indeed, their testimony is contained in the
following pages. This is their testimony: that Christ at
the Second Coming is born on earth, just as Jesus was at
the first coming. He is born on earth, that he might
fulfill the hope of the Lord's Prayer, "Thy kingdom
come, thy will be done on earth."
The Cloud of witnesses Audio Library
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