GOD COMING DOWN TO JUDGE, RESCUE, BLESS...

God COMING DOWN to judge, rescue, bless...

by  Tuese Ahkiong

Scripture describes God in apocalyptic language coming down to earth for various reasons but not in physical form.  Apocalyptic language is a genre like poetry, wisdom, narratives, historic accounts, prophecy.  It is highly expressive, symbolic, exaggerated language describing an event in very figurative terms; it is not to be taken literally.  Throughout Scripture apocalyptic language is employed to describe events in history in which God comes down to judge, confuse, rescue, bless...  This is not to be taken literally as dispensational premillennialist would teach.  It is to be taken according to the apocalyptic genre.  An excellent case of God coming down not physically but apocalyptically is David’s rescue from Saul in 2 Samuel 22:7-11 and Psalm 18:7-13. 

1.     Genesis 11:5-8 AND THE LORD CAME DOWN TO SEE THE CITY AND THE TOWER, WHICH the children of man had built. ⁶ And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, LET US GO DOWN AND THERE CONFUSE THEIR LANGUAGE, SO THAT THEY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER'S SPEECH.” ⁸ So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.

2.     Genesis 18:20 ” And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21 I WILL GO DOWN NOW, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. “

3.     Exodus 3:8 ” AND I AM COME DOWN TO DELIVER THEM out of the hand of the Egyptians.. “

4.     Deuteronomy 33:2 " And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and HE CAME WITH TEN THOUSANDS OF SAINTS: FROM HIS RIGHT HAND WENT A FIERY LAW FOR THEM. "

5.     II Samuel 22:7 " In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears. 8 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth. 9 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. 10 HE BOWED THE HEAVENS ALSO, AND CAME DOWN; AND DARKNESS WAS UNDER HIS FEET. 11 AND HE RODE UPON A CHERUB, AND DID FLY: AND HE WAS SEEN UPON THE WINGS OF THE WIND. “

6.     Psalm 18:7 “ 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. “

7.     Psalm 47:5  GOD HAS GONE UP WITH A SHOUT, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

8.     Psalm 50:3 " OUR GOD SHALL COME, AND SHALL NOT KEEP SILENCE: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him."

9.     Psalm 96:13 before the Lord, FOR HE COMES,
    FOR HE COMES TO JUDGE THE EARTH.
HE WILL JUDGE THE WORLD IN RIGHTEOUSNESS,
    AND THE PEOPLES IN HIS FAITHFULNESS.

 

10.   Psalm 97:5  THE HILLS MELTED LIKE WAX AT THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

 

11.   Psalm 144:5 "BOW THY HEAVENS, O LORD, AND COME DOWN: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. "

12.   Isaiah 31:4 " For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall THE LORD OF HOSTS COME DOWN TO FIGHT FOR MOUNT ZION, AND FOR THE HILL THEREOF. “

13.   Isaiah 64:3 " When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, THOU CAMEST DOWN, THE MOUNTAINS FLOWED DOWN AT THY PRESENCE. "

14.   Isaiah 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. "

15.   Hosea 8:1 Set the trumpet to thy mouth. HE SHALL COME AS AN EAGLE AGAINST THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.

16.   Micah 1:3-4  For, behold, THE LORD COMETH FORTH OUT OF HIS PLACE, AND WILL COME DOWN, and tread upon the high places of the earth.  ⁴ And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.

 

The writers of the Old Testament used powerful symbolic language to describe God’s many actions: deliverance, rescue, judgment, blessing, presence….  The New Testament writers inspired by the same Holy Spirit to stay consistent did not differ in using apocalyptic language to describe Christ’s return in the first century generation (70 A.D.).

see my article "The Son of Man Coming on the Clouds of Heaven took place in 70 A.D."

More reads:

WHAT IS MEANT BY THE MOON TURNING TO BLOOD, sun darkening, STARS FALLING TO EARTH, sky being rolled up….!??

http://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-moon-turning-to-blood-does-bible.html

A great example of Apocalyptic Language from Psalm 18

https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2014/09/does-god-have-nostrils-example-of.html?m=1

Another Example of Apocalyptic language.

https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2014/09/another-example-of-apocalyptic-language.html?m=1

In the Bible, THE STARS FOUGHT- apocalyptic language. https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-stars-fought.html?m=1

DOES GOD HAVE NOSTRILS? https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2014/09/does-god-have-nostrils-example-of.html?m=1

THERE WERE NUMEROUS DAYS OF THE LORD. https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-day-of-lord-by-tuese-ahkiong.html?m=1

The Son of Man Coming on the clouds of heaven took place in 70 A.D.

http://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-son-of-man-coming-on-clouds-of.html

CLOUD COMINGS. https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2014/09/cloud-comings-in-bible.html?m=1