God's "Chariots"
Psa 68:17 says God has “thousands of thousands of thousands” of “chariots”!
Psa 68:17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of “angels” (<08136 "shin-awn", meaning “myriads”, or "untold numbers". The Hebrew word for “angel” is not here) : the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
The "Holy Place" refers to Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Law, and saw God "face to face, as one man speaketh to another", Ex 33:11, Numb 14:14, Deut 5:4, and 34:10.
"Shin-awn", "myriads", is from the root <08132> meaning to "change", or "alter", so could be twenty thousand, even thousands of “changing ones").
The next verse, Psa 68:18, refers to Jesus, at His ascension, removing the Old Testament saints from the earth and taking them to the third heaven:
Psa 68:18 "Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them".
The inference here is that it took "twenty thousand, even thousands of “myriads” of God's "chariots" to take all the Old Testament saints to heaven.
We see one in the Book of Ezekiel:
Eze 1:1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God (Elohim).
Verse 3, "The Word of the LORD" (Yahweh) spoke to Ezekiel.
Verses 4-28 describe a flying craft, ver 22 and 26-28 a clear “crystal” “canopy” with the "Voice of the "Almighty" - "El Shaddi" likeness of the “LORD” (Yahweh) under it, and the Lord spoke to Ezekiel. Also see chapter 10, where the Lord
In Eze 3:23, he calls it “the glory of the Lord”, and it had landed “in the plain” and he walked out there to it.
In Eze 10:15, Ezekiel calls it a “living creature”, and sees it land and take off, and in ver 20, it was UNDER the God of Israel.
In Eze 40:2, Ezekiel RODE in it!
In Eze 43:1-4 it meets Ezekiel again, flying in from the East.
The Septuagint calls it a “chariot” in Eze 43:3, the “chariot that I saw by the river Chebar”!
We see one in 2 Kings 2:11&12, where Elijah is carried up into heaven in one and the prophet Elisha RECOGNIZED it:
In 2 Kings 2:11&12, Elijah was carried up into heaven – alive – in what is called “the chariot of Israel”:
2 Kings 2:11&12 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.
Psa 18:6-19 (a record of God’s chariots fighting for the children of Israel)
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
--- Hab 3:8, Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation? (Again, God’s chariots fight for the children of Israel)
--- Isa 66:15, For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. (Again, God’s chariots fight for the children of Israel)
--- Jer 4:1-14 Ver13, Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled. (God’s chariots AGAINST the children of Israel)
I am convinced that everywhere we see someone riding in a “cloud” in the Bible, it is one of the “chariots of God”.
GOD'S "CHARIOTS" IN THE NEW TESTAMENT:
There are two Greek words translated "cloud" in the New Testament, "nephos", a shapeless formless "blob", could be a "cloud" of men or water vapor.
The second word is "nephele" , the “cloud”, in the New Testament, that we see men riding in. The Greek word “nephele”, meaning “an object in the sky of definite size and shape”.
Twice, "nephele" is a "cloud" in the sky, the shape of which tells men about the weather patterns.
All the rest of the "nepheles" in the NT have someone is “riding” in them. In these cases, do we think it’s “water vapor”? I think it is a “chariot of God”!
In the New Testament, the verb concerning the “cloud”, “nephele” is “active voice”, producing the action, and the person riding in it is a passenger.
23 times in the N.T., “nephele” is used to describe a divine mode of transportation. Some quick examples:
--- Matt 24:30, Jesus describes the Second Advent, and, sure enough, He says the people of earth shall see the Son of Man coming in “THE (articular) NEPHELES of Him, genitive plural” (THE CHARIOTS OF HIM, OUT FROM HEAVEN - the reader should ALREADY KNOW about these particular “nepheles”), out from heaven.
--- Luke 9:34-36, Moses & Elijah fly over in one, land on the Mount of Transfiguration, talk to Jesus about the detail of His work on the Cross (ver 31) get back in it and fly away. (Matt 17:5, the voice came from "THE nephele OF HIM", genitive and articular).
--- Luke 21:27 Jesus, at the Second Advent, Jesus coming in a “nephele” with power and great glory.
--- Acts 1:9-11, Jesus ascended to heaven in a “nephele”. The Greek verb “hupolambano” is active voice, meaning that the “nephele” produced the action:
Acts 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up (passive voice); and a cloud received (“hupolambano”, active voice) him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up (passive), behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; (angels)
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up (passive) from you into heaven, shall so come IN LIKE MANNER (in a nephele) as ye have seen him go into heaven.
--- 1 Cor 10:1&2 The "pillar of cloud" that led Moses and the children of Israel through the Red Sea called "THE NEPHELE" - "articular", and "Christ", "the anointed One", was in it, as it followed them through the Red Sea!
--- 1 Thess 4:16 & 17, the Rapture of the Church. We are caught up in “nepheles” to meet Jesus “in the air” below the highest mountaintop.
--- Rev. 1:7 We return with Jesus at the Second Advent in “THE nepheles OF HIM (articular, genitive, plural)”. Again, the Greek article “the” indicates that the reader should ALREADY KNOW ABOUT “THE NEPHELES OF HIM” that we return in!
--- Rev 11:12, The two Tribulational witnesses (I believe Moses & Elijah) ascend to heaven in “THE nephele”. The Greek article “the” indicates that the reader should ALREADY KNOW ABOUT ”THE NEPHELE” that they flew off in.
I expect to see tremendous "UFO" activity, and a "seven year peace pact" being negotiated with Israel and the Arabs when it is time for us to go Home in the Rapture.
1 Thess 4:13-5:7 Rapture and peace pact.
--- STRONG DELUSION:
2 Thess 2:1-13 “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. (someone wrote a fake letter to the Thessalonians saying that they had missed the Rapture and were now in the Tribulation, and signed it “Paul”.)
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away (Greek “THE DEPARTURE” = the Rapture) first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth (Allows) will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: (UFOs and peace plan (1 Thess 4:14-5:4) would do it)!
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth”.