"The peals of Thunder" or "Thunders" are the Voice of the returned Christ (the Judge)...

By Jonas Sarabai

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice (the voice of the Prince of Peace), and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” (John 10: 14-20).

Job 37 New International Version (NIV)

37 “At this my heart pounds
    and leaps from its place.
2 Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice,
    to the rumbling that comes from 'his mouth' (the prophet of the Judge)
3 He unleashes 'his lightning' (Note# the punishment executed by the mighty angels of God as according to prophesied messages of God) beneath the whole heaven
    and sends it to the ends of the earth.
4 After that comes the sound of his 'roar' (Note# the judgment messages delivered by the mouths of God on earth)
    he thunders with his majestic voice.
When his voice resounds,
    he holds nothing back.
5  God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways;
    he does great things beyond our understanding.
6 He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’
    and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’
7 So that everyone he has made may know his work,
    he stops all people from their labor.
8 The animals take cover;
    they remain in their dens.
9 The tempest comes out from its chamber,
    the cold from the driving winds.
10 The breath of God produces ice,
    and the broad waters become frozen.
11 He loads the clouds with moisture;
    he scatters his lightning through them.
12 At his direction they swirl around
    over the face of the whole earth
    to do whatever he commands them.
13 He brings the clouds ('the angels') to punish people,
    or to water his earth and show his love.

14 “Listen to this, Job;
    stop and consider God’s wonders.
15 Do you know how God controls the clouds
    and makes his lightning flash?
16 Do you know how the 'clouds' (the angels) hang poised,
    those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?
17 You who swelter in your clothes
    when the land lies hushed under the south wind,
18 can you join him in spreading out the skies,
    hard as a mirror of cast bronze?

19 “Tell us what we should say to him;
    we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.
20 Should he be told that I want to speak?
    Would anyone ask to be swallowed up?
21 Now no one can look at the sun,
    bright as it is in the skies
    after the wind has swept them clean.
22 Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;
    God comes in awesome majesty.
23 The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;
    in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.
24 Therefore, people revere him,
    for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?"

Psalm 29

A psalm of David.

1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,

    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

    worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters (Note# The word "waters" means "many nations")

    the God of glory thunders,

    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. (Note# The phrase mighty waters mean 'mighty empires,' mighty kingdoms or even the nowadays mighty nations' like America, China, Russia and Euro).

4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;

    the voice of the Lord is majestic.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars (Note# The word cedars represents 'leaders' or 'kings');

    the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,

    Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord strikes

    with flashes of lightning (Note# there are assigned mighty angels who are ready to execute the Judge's wills upon the leaders/kings on earth).

8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;

    the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks (Note# The Lord's Voice is sovereign over the rises and falls of the leaders of the nations)

    and strips the forests bare.

And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood (Note# Either it is a prophesied catastrophe or a war, the word "flood" may suggest divine sovereignty over all tragedies on earth including the prophesied 'wars' as in Isaiah 9: 7-9);

    the Lord is enthroned as King forever.

11 The Lord gives strength to his people;

    the Lord blesses his people with peace (Psalm 29: 1-11, ,NIV).

Simple Note#

    Thunder is associated with the Voice of the Judge (God). It is not associated with the Prince of Peace. Such word ('thunder') would only be associated with Yahweh (the King and the Judge) and the returned Christ (the Judge who judges in equity).  Thundering voice of the Judge is not necessarily to be interpreted as if a prophet of God would be hearing the literal thundering sound of the Divine Spirit. The voice of the Judge is revealed as 'thunder' because it is specifically referring to the divine messages that coming from the Judge. It is incorrect to say that the voice of the Prince of Peace is thundering, because "thunder" is only associated with the Voice of the Judge like Yahweh and the returned Christ on earth! The word "thunder" in the Scripture, as according to the Spirit of Prophecy, means the messages of Judgment/punishments proclaimed by the prophets (' the mouths of God on earth). Thus, ''thunder" means the Voice of The Judge who  dispenses Justice on earth. The 'mouth' of God means His servants, the prophets, on earth. Therefore, thundering voice of God means the Judgment's messages which were pronounced by the prophets.

    Thus, we won't be hearing the literal real thundering or roaring sounds, but oftentimes, we would be merely hearing judgements and punishment from God delivered by His 'mouths' on earth. His 'mouths' would be his servants, the prophets.  The second Advent of Christ is, definitely, always associated His Voice as "thunders." Throughout, the book of the Apocalypse written by St.John, the words "thunders or peals of thunder" would be specifically referring to the proclaimed messages of the divine Judgment and divine punishment. The phrases which say "Voice  of the Lord that thunders" would mean the Divine messages whose 'name' is the just Judge.  When the prophets pronounced the divine judgement, we would not hear the vocal voice  of the prophets like the thundering sounds. The messages of Judgment which originated from the Judge which made it classified as the thundering voice of God. "Thunders" were oftentimes pronounced by the "mouths" of God (the true prophets of God).

1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.3 And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; 4 and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God.5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of thunder, loud noises, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake (Revelation 8: 1-5, Note# thunder= the judgement messages from the 'mouth of the Judge's (the prophets)).

3 The Lord is slow to anger and of great might,and the Lord will by no  means clear the guilty.

His Way is in   whirlwind and storm,and the clouds are the dust of his feet. (Nahum 1: 3).

Why would the way of the Judge on earth is in Whirlwind??

    Note# While the way of the Prince of Peace is the altar on earth, the way of the Judge is up to be distinguished, as in the Whirlwind and storms. And yet, the Spirit of the Prince of Peace is exactly 'the same,' as the Spirit of the Judge. Though somehow differentiated with their priority of mission respectively, both names of the spirits are having the same divine attributes. They remain as 'One' in the Spirit.  'Slow to anger" is one of the proclaimed 'name' of God in Exodus 34: 5-7. All divine missions on earth are flowing from the very immutable Nature of the Divine Spirit (the immutable divine attributes or immutable divine 'name'). Thus, the Lord's name is the rock of our salvation!! The proclaimed name in Exodus 34: 5-7 is the Immutable name of God. It is inseparable with the divine attributes. Thus, it is the origin of all divine missions (the Covenanted names of God). The Altar is the Way of Peace between the Prince of Peace and mankind on earth. The rites of the altar and the death of the Lamb of God are the tangible wills of the name of God as proclaimed by the 'name" in Exodus 34: 5-7.  However, the "Way" of the Returned Christ on earth would be "in the Whirlwind and Storm." And a whirlwind would surely be accompanied by the spiritual phenomenons like the peals of thunders and the peals of lightnings!!!

The Judge's Way on earth is always in the 'whirlwind.'. Such is the language of the Spirit of Prophecy.

    Nonetheless, we know in part, but God knows the whole matters. My intention is not to teach the readers; Solomon said that knowledge is imparted from the mouth of God. However,  it is the Spirit that teaches us the knowledge of the Holy One: the gift of Understanding.  "34 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31: 34). This prophecy was specifically referring to the Israelites, however it was still applicable to all professing Christians who were born in Christian family.
                             

The 'SIGN' of the presence of the Spirit of  the Judge on earth could be distinguished as seen in the spiritual visions. He (the Judge) is seen, as "in the Whirlwind," with the pillar of Light in the middle of the Whirlwind which is the Consuming Fire. It was prophetically sang by David in Psalm 18: 6-14. Christ prophesied that His Second Advent is associated with the ''Sign" on earth i.e. the "Lightning" as in Matthew 24: 27. We knew that 'the lightnings' are always accompanying the Whirlwind and the Storms.

There are three spirit's realms, in which, the signs of the presence of the Judge could be seen in a spiritual vision, either during a wide awake vision or a vision in the dream (dream dreams). The realms are in 'heavens,' in the 'sky' and on 'earth.' The "signs" must be seen in a spiritual vision. It could not be seen by the naked eyes.  We could not perceive the deeper spiritual meanings of the written words in the Scripture, unless the word has to be unfolded by the 'Light.' (see Psalm 119: 130 as reference).