Revelation 1:7: 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.

The Book of Revelation unveils the glorified Jesus Christ at his Second Coming,¹ but the details of that event are frequently misunderstood.² John uses the word behold³ in this verse to command the attention of his readers as he introduces the Second Coming as a major theme of the Revelation.⁴ After a brief introduction to the Second Coming in Revelation 1:7-8, John adds a crescendo of detail throughout the remaining visions.⁵ Modern scriptures provide additional details that are frequently rooted in, and supplemental to,⁶ John's prophecies.⁷ Events leading up to the great and dreadful day of the Lord⁸ are like milestone markers called the signs of the times.⁹

At the Second Coming, Christ cometh with clouds.¹⁰ The clouds symbolize his presence¹¹ and glory,¹² as well as the multitude of angels dressed in white that will accompany him.¹³ This refers specifically to Christ's coming in clouds of glory to the mount of Olives¹⁴ from whence he ascended in like manner just forty days after his resurrection.¹⁵ 3½ years before Christ appears to the Jews on the mount of Olives in Jerusalem, he will privately appear to a great gathering of saints at Adam-ondi-Ahman for his coronation.¹⁶ After his private and secret (sacred) appearance at Adam-ondi-Ahman,¹⁷ Christ will make three public appearances which constitute the whole of his Second Coming. He will first appear suddenly at the temple of Zion in Independence, Missouri, probably at the time of its dedication.¹⁸ Christ will next appear to the Jews on the mount of Olives¹⁹ before making his third general appearance in all the world.²⁰ These three public appearances collectively constitute the Second Coming.²¹

Christ's glory will be manifest during all three of his Second Coming appearances so that every eye shall see him.²² The eye-witnesses will include the saints dressed in white (like clouds) that descend with him.²³ The wicked people on earth will also see him, but these kindreds of the earth (tribes)²⁴ shall wail, which mean to beat or cut oneself.²⁵ The wicked will mourn²⁶ for their sinful state²⁷ and for the inevitable judgments that will be inflicted upon them because of him.²⁸

The eye-witnesses to Christ's Second Coming will also include the spirits of the dead,²⁹ including those also which pierced him.³⁰ That is, the disembodied spirits of the people that crucified the Savior almost 2,000 years ago shall be witnesses to his Second Coming.³¹ This phrase may also refer to living descendants of the same Jews that called for Christ's blood to be upon them and upon their children.³² The living Jews that see Christ when he descends upon the mount of Olives shall mourn for their own rejection of him.³³

John confirms the truth of all the statements in Revelation 1:7 with a double affirmation of their certainty, saying: Even so. Amen.³⁴ John made this emphatic affirmation in both Greek and Hebrew.³⁵

Revelation 1:8: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

After Christ's Second Coming was announced in Revelation 1:7, Christ now identifies himself with a name-title that is used repeatedly in scripture,³⁶ saying: I am Alpha and Omega.³⁷ This expression appears twice at the beginning and twice at the end of the Revelation.³⁸ The same declaration is found in scriptures revealed since the Lord's resurrection,³⁹ and in two stone carvings on the exterior of the Salt Lake Temple.⁴⁰

Christ alone bears the title of Alpha and Omega,⁴¹ the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.⁴² He was the first begotten spirit of the Father in the premortal spirit world in heaven,⁴³ and he was the last (and only) begotten of the Father in the flesh.⁴⁴ Christ performed the infinite atonement when he died as the first and last great sacrifice of a God⁴⁵ for all his creations from first to last.⁴⁶ All things center in Christ⁴⁷ and are therefore circumscribed by the two bookends of Alpha and Omega.⁴⁸ The faith and hope of all creation first began with Christ in the premortal existence,⁴⁹ and he is the end or finisher of their faith.⁵⁰ The work that Jesus Christ (Jehovah)⁵¹ began as Alpha during the grand council in premortality⁵² he will finish as Omega at the end of the earth.⁵³

Alpha and Omega expresses Christ's timeless and infinite existence.⁵⁴ This meaning is expressed in the phrase that Christ is the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come.⁵⁵ The words also indicate that he is the Almighty,⁵⁶ with all power and glory to reign on this earth when his work as the Alpha and Omega is complete.⁵⁷