Chapter
Verse
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Revelation 1:7

ESV Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
NIV "Look, he is coming with the clouds," and "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him"; and all peoples on earth "will mourn because of him." So shall it be! Amen.
NASB BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.
CSB Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. So it is to be. Amen.
NLT Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him — even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen!
KJV Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
NKJV Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

What does Revelation 1:7 mean?

In this verse John looks forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ. It is important not to confuse the second coming with the rapture. The rapture occurs when Jesus comes in the sky and catches up Christians from the earth to be with Him. The rapture is a secret event, in the sense that only those who are saved will see Jesus. On the other hand, the second coming is a public event. John declares that every eye will see Jesus at the second coming.

Also, the tribes of Israel will have undergone a national revival when Jesus comes again. There is no mention of such a revival before the rapture. John recalls what Zechariah had prophesied about Israel's revival when Jesus comes to earth again. Zechariah 12:10 prophesies, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn." Likely, John remembers what the angel told him and the other apostles when Jesus ascended into heaven. The angel promised that Jesus would come again in the same way as He went into heaven. Then, Jesus ascended in a cloud from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:11–12), and at His second coming He will return in the clouds to the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4; Matthew 24:29–30).

John's joyful anticipation of Jesus' return to earth caused him to exclaim, "Even so. Amen" (Revelation 1:7). We, too, should eagerly anticipate the second coming, because Jesus will reign over the earth, and we will reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12).
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