God’s Clouds – Introduction
God’s Clouds – Introduction.
“God thunders marvelously with His voice; He works wonders that we cannot understand.
He commands the snow, ‘Fall to the ground!’ And the downpour of rain, His mighty downpour of rain…
He loads the clouds with moisture and scatters His lightning-clouds…
Listen to this, O Job, and pay attention! Stand still and ponder the wondrous works of God;
Do you have any idea how God controls the storms, and causes the lightning to flash from His clouds?
Do you understand how the clouds are balanced in the sky, floating in the air, which are miraculous works of Him who is perfect in wisdom and skill? (Job 37:5-6, 11, 14-16).
Clouds truly are wondrous, and miraculous, and one of our Creator’s greatest inventions. Each cloud we see in the sky is unrepeatable, completely unique and always changing. They can be dark and forboding, or light and joyous. They can pour down upon us light rain or heavy rain, a blizzard of snow or postcard snowflakes, driving hail or frozen ice. They can strike the earth with dramatic lightning or be a sun-drenched fluffball. Clouds can be practically luminous and filled with sunlight or monstrously dark without any light at all. It’s no wonder clouds have captured the imagination of poets, artists, pretty much all of mankind since the beginning, for they are just hanging there in the sky between heaven and earth, somehow floating and perfectly balanced in midair, above the earth yet still near us as well. Hopefully the science of clouds we now know will not remove the unpredictable mystery and glorious wonder of clouds. As author John Ruskin put it, “You may take any single fragment of any cloud in the sky, and you will find it put together as if there had been a year’s thought over the plan of it – a picture in itself. You may try every other piece of cloud in the heavens, and you will find them everyone as perfect, and yet not one in the least like another.” (The True and the Beautiful, 1858).
Clouds in Nature. Yes, in many ways, we have discovered the science of clouds. We know now that they are formed when water evaporates from the earth’s surface (oceans, lakes, rivers, even from plant life), and this invisible water vapor rises into the atmosphere that is cool enough to condense back into either liquid water droplets or ice crystals. Clouds then become more visible as they attach themselves to microscopic floating dust particles. In low-lying clouds, rain falls whenever a large collection of water droplets develops. In higher-lying clouds where the air is colder, snow falls whenever the ice crystals collect into a larger mass. Those powerful and fascinating thunderclouds form whenever those dark dust particles are attached to both liquid water droplets and large ice crystals at the same time.
Fun Facts about Clouds. A cloud is made up mostly of dry air, while droplets and crystals make up only a small percentage of the cloud formation; water vapor rising from the earth during evaporation is considered a gas; clouds float in midair because the rising air below them is heavier and denser than the cloud itself; the overall weight of a cloud is mind-boggling, with those adorable little puffballs we like to see actually weigh many tons, with the larger clouds weighing in at more than a million pounds; fog and mist are both considered as clouds full of tiny water droplets that are lower than 50’ from the ground. Scripture records the presence of clouds right from the beginning in Genesis 2:5-6, “The fields were barren and empty, because Creator God had not sent the rains to nourish the soil or anyone to tend it. In those days, a cloudy mist rose up from the ground to blanket the earth, and its water vapors irrigated the land.”
Clouds in the Middle of the Water Cycle. Mysteriously, the water cycle began even before creation! “… The earth was without form and empty, and the deep, raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in complete darkness. The watery depths were shrouded in total blackness. And the Spirit-Wind of God hovered over the surface of the watery depths, sweeping over the face of the deep.” (Genesis 1:2). Every ancient society had its own creation story, and one common part of each story is that the pre-created world was one vast, mysterious ocean of waters, a “primeval sea.” The world before creation was not nothingness, because it had this deep abyss of water that was formless, chaotic, lifeless, endless water. In ancient days, one couldn’t imagine anything more empty and formless than that.
God’s’ Recycling Program. Scientists now have determined that water is actually between 4.5 to 5 billion years old. Water is now officially older than our sun, and at least as old as our solar system! What’s even more astounding is that the water we swim in and drink is the same water from all those billions of years ago! God has created water to exist in a continuous loop between the earth and the atmosphere, a divine water recycling system, that simply recycles the same water over and over again. God has designed a water cycle that brings water to the earth through precipitation (rain, snow, dew, moisture), which is then evaporated into the sky, condensing into clouds, which then causes precipitation to fall to the earth once again to support all of life. In its various forms as ice, rain, vapor, and liquid water, there is evidently no need to create new water. Over 90% of the water that is evaporated into the atmosphere returns to earth in precipitation. So, in other words, the water we hold in our hands is the same water from almost 5 billion years ago! The waters of creation are with us to this day, yet still remain fresh and essential to the world. The water droplets and ice crystals that are in our clouds today could very well have been present at creation.
Quite a Follow-Up Thought. Japanese artist Makota Fujimura has proposed something wonderful, in the sense of full of wonder and awe… Noting that water has been constantly recycled for countless centuries, perhaps even since the dawn of time, he asks if the very tears of Christ are being recycled right now, at this moment: “Jesus’ tears are still with us. Physically in the air. We breathe them every day. Thus, in my studio, I paint with Jesus’ tears. I pretend that the very waters I use in my studio are literally Jesus’ tears. All of us should be connected deeply to the mysteries of the tears of Christ. Archaeologists have discovered that in biblical times, there were things that we now call “tear jars.” Tears were so coveted that people kept them in a jar. Jesus’ tears were not collected. They dropped one by one onto the hardened ground of Bethany and Gethsemane. They evaporated into the air, and they are still with us today. We can collect them by faith today. Our institutions, and our lives, should be made up of these jars of tears. This is the miracle of the intuitive, to invoke the mystery which no analysis can tap into. Jesus’ tears were ephemeral and beautiful. His tears remain with us as an enduring reminder of the Savior who weeps.”
On the Water Cycle as an Object Lesson. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as rain and snow fall from the heavens and can’t go back once they’ve fallen, but water the earth and soak into the ground, bringing forth life and giving growth to the plants, providing seed for sowing and bread for eating, so is my word that goes forth from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish that which I have purposed, and prosper in that for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:8-11). Continuing with God’s theme in 55:7 of compassion and pardon, Isaiah discusses God’s love cycle in relation to the natural water cycle. God’s word of love going forth from His mouth is His promise of mercy and forgiveness. God promises that, just as rain and snow bring life and fruitfulness to the earth, His love comes down from heaven and aims to soak into the fertile ground of man’s repentant heart. God’s love for man is not a futile exercise. His love will not return to Him empty. But it will bring the proper praise back to Him on the throne. God’s love has a purpose, it will prosper mankind. The love cycle: God drenches mankind with His word of love; life and growth naturally follow; the new life that springs from God’s love will result in fruitfulness; Mankind will respond and bring back to God praise and adoration and faithfulness. God’s love will accomplish its purpose in the heart of man, and that’s a promise to all who turn to God in repentance. God’s word of forgiveness will bring new life and vitality to those who turn to Him.
Clouds in Scripture. Clouds are considered as meaningful visual aids throughout the Bible, symbols that can represent everything from: mankind’s unpredictable existence: “The reality is you have no idea where your life will take you tomorrow. You are like a misty cloud that appears one moment and then vanishes the very next moment.” James 4:14); fickle thinking: “These false teachers I’m talking about are nothing but dried-up springs, clouds of mist that are driven this way and that by fierce winds.” (2 Peter 2:17); the mystery of God: “He rode upon a heavenly cherub, flying; He soared swiftly on the wings of the wind. He placed darkness around Him like a canopy and made His home in dark watery clouds of the sky.” (2 Samuel 22:12), as well as “God is exalted, beyond all knowing, for He draws up drops of water, distills the rain from the mist which pours down from the clouds, dripping a sky full of water over the whole of humanity. It is beyond comprehension, the fanning out of the clouds, the crashing thunder from His cloudy pavilion.” (Job 36:26-29); the power and greatness of God: “The Eternal Yahweh reigns powerful over all; let the earth sing for joy; let the distant islands celebrate; Clouds and deep darkness encircle Him; righteousness and justice are the bedrock of His rule.” (Ps. 97:1-2); God’s judgments: “O! How could the Lord surround Zion in a cloud of His anger, as if He has cast the beauty of Israel down from heaven to earth!” (Lam. 2:1); Impending destruction: “Look, you can see Him coming in the distance, like a cloud on the horizon, like a whirlwind, His chariots of destruction will descend on you.” (Jer. 4:13), and this: “The day of the Eternal is closing in! It is a day of dark clouds and gloom that foreshadows the doom of the nations.” (Ezek. 30:3); poetic descriptions of God: “His way is in fierce winds and storms; the clouds are dust beneath His feet.” (Nahum 1:3), and this: “The Lord will come winging in to Egypt, riding a swiftly moving cloud making her idols quake” (Isaiah 19:1), or this: “Your upper chamber is built on beams that lie in the waters overhead, and you make the clouds your chariot; You are held aloft by the wind.” (Ps. 1034:3).
Clouds as Theophanies. From the Greek words “Theo” (God) and “phaino” (to appear), a theophany is when God announces Himself in a visible form, and He makes a temporary appearance on earth for reasons of His own. A theophany is God’s temporary visible manifestation to remind us of His permanent presence in the world. A theophany is when God stoops to us in gracious self-revelation in a form that we can experience through our senses. Theophanies, though, are preliminary, because they anticipate the ultimate theophany in the incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Theophanies in the Hebrew Bible were God’s temporary appearances, but in Jesus we see the fulfillment of theophany, a permanent appearance of God on earth. Examples of cloud theophanies include the pillar of a fiery cloud at the Red Sea, on Mt. Sinai, and accompanying the Israelites through the wilderness, as well as the divine cloud in the Tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem. In Daniel’s vision in chapter 7, he saw the Son of Man arriving in clouds. And Ezekiel recorded this dramatic epiphany announcing God’s arrival, “I looked up, and I saw a ferocious and stormy wind coming from the north – a monstrous cloud filled with the constant dance of lightning, surrounded by a glowing, all-encompassing light.”” (Ezek. 1:4). The New Testament has many profound cloud theophanies, especially regarding Jesus, including His Transfiguration (Matt. 17:5), His Ascension (Acts 1:9), and His Second Coming (Matt. 24:30, 26:64, Rev. 1:7). Evidently, according to 1Thessalonians 4:17, all believers alive and dead “will be snatched up together into the clouds to meet the Lord, which is how we, the resurrected, will be with Him forever.”.
Radiant Clouds in Shekinah Glory. This is another way to think about the Divine Presence, the appearance of God’s glory that dwells on earth, which implies God’s nearness, closeness, God’s with-ness to us. Shekinah is understood in Judaism, and then adopted by Christianity, to be the “uncreated light, fire and luminous cloud” that became visible when God made an appearance on the earth. God’s Shekinah glory announced His presence. Shekinah glory is not the full inner essence of God’s Being, since God is an invisible Spirit who “dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Tim. 6:16). But instead, God’s Shekinah is the “out-raying” of that source of Light, like the sunbeams coming directly from the sun through the divine cloud. We can’t even look directly at the sun, but we can see and feel and get the benefits of the sun though its rays. The Shekinah is the sunbeam from the “Father of Lights.” Isn’t it wonderful that the palmist exclaims that “Yahweh God is the sun!” (Ps. 84:11). Shekinah has been described as when the Omnipresent One becomes localized, when the Invisible One becomes visible. Shekinah is God’s visible glory pulsating outwards from the spiritual energy of God’s Being, the flowing out of light from the “consuming fire” of God’s essence. (Ex. 24:17).
There will be forthcoming articles, blog posts, that will begin with the rainbow cloud of the Noah Covenant, funnel cloud (whirlwind) in Job, the clouds associated with Moses and Yahweh, the interesting cloud with Elijah, the luminous clouds associated with Jesus, and the cloud scenes in St. John’s Revelations.