Matthew 24
"27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. "
This is generally taken to mean that the second coming of Jesus Christ will be sudden and unexpected, like lightning. It occurs to me that lightning does not come from the east and shine to the west, it comes from any direction but usually from above, and towards any direction. So I'm wondering if this verse is actually talking about the sky becoming light in the east as dawn approaches. As the rising of the sun gets nearer the sky gradually lightens, from the east towards the west, then the sun appears.
If this is what this verse means, then the second coming of Christ won't be a surprise or unexpected, but His coming will be apparent to all, before He actually gets here. I'm not referring to the removal of the Church in what is usually called the rapture.
"27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. "
This is generally taken to mean that the second coming of Jesus Christ will be sudden and unexpected, like lightning. It occurs to me that lightning does not come from the east and shine to the west, it comes from any direction but usually from above, and towards any direction. So I'm wondering if this verse is actually talking about the sky becoming light in the east as dawn approaches. As the rising of the sun gets nearer the sky gradually lightens, from the east towards the west, then the sun appears.
If this is what this verse means, then the second coming of Christ won't be a surprise or unexpected, but His coming will be apparent to all, before He actually gets here. I'm not referring to the removal of the Church in what is usually called the rapture.