Story Views
Now:
Last Hour:
Last 24 Hours:
Total:

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.

Parousia – from Outline of Biblical Usage(Blue Letter Bible Greek Dictionary)

1.      presence

2.      the coming, arrival, advent

1.      the future visible return from heaven of Jesus, to raise the dead, hold the last judgment, and set up formally and gloriously the kingdom of God

lit., “a presence,” para, “with,” and ousia, “being” (from eimi, “to be”), denotes both an “arrival” and a consequent “presence with.” For instance, in a papyrus letter a lady speaks of the necessity of her parousia in a place in order to attend to matters relating to her property there. Paul speaks of his parousia in Philippi, Phl 2:12 (in contrast to his apousia, “his absence;” see ABSENCE). Other words denote “the arrival” (see eisodos and eleusis, above). Parousia is used to describe the presence of Christ with His disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration, 2Pe 1:16.

When used of the return of Christ, at the Rapture of the Church, it signifies, not merely His momentary “coming” for His saints, but His presence with them from that moment until His revelation and manifestation to the world. [In other words – His final arrival as opposed to His “first” arrival as God With Us.]

In some passages the word gives prominence to the beginning of that period, the course of the period being implied, 1Cr 15:23; 1Th 4:15; 5:23; 2Th 2:1; Jam 5:7, 8; 2Pe 3:4. In some, the course is prominent, Mat 24:3, 37; 1Th 3:13; 1Jo 2:28; in others the conclusion of the period, Mat 24:27; 2Th 2:8.

The word is also used of the Lawless One, the Man of Sin, his access to power and his doings in the world during his parousia, 2Th 2:9. In addition to Phl 2:12 (above), it is used in the same way of the Apostle, or his companions, in 1Cr 16:17; 2Cr 7:6, 7; 10:10; Phl 1:26; of the Day of God, 2Pe 3:12.

  

—————————————-

In other words – the Greek word parousia - used for the “coming of our Lord” – is used in the context of His ultimate “appearing” or His “final arrival” or an “arrival” that was greatly and finally anticipated because it was promised. This is how the word is used in biblical context – throughout.

Now let us examine the contextual use of parousia in Paul’s revelation to the church at Thessalonica. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 we find these words:

15            According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming [parousia – final arrival] of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

16        For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

17        After that, [afterthe parousia – the final appearing of Christ to the world!] we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together  [raptured] with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

18            Therefore encourage each other with these words.

But, just in case one is still not convinced; this is not the only place in the letters to the Thessalonians where Paul uses the word parousia.  Observe the other three uses of the word – in the same letter and context:

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? ^G3952

To the end  [at Jesus final coming!] he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming ^G3952of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming ^G3952of our Lord Jesus Christ.

NOTE: Why would Paul pray that our body would be preserved unto the coming [parousia] at the end, if we had been raptured/resurrected/changed into our glorified bodies seven years earlier – as the pre-rapture teaching espouses?

Also, note that in Paul’s second letter to the same church – he states the following:

1            Concerning the coming [parousia – final appearance] of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, [the rapture – it is the same thing he says in 1 Thessalonians 4:13!]we ask you, brothers,

2          not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.

3          Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed,the man doomed to destruction.

How could it be any clearer once one knows the linguistic context and the scriptural context?  The rapture occurs AFTER the antichrist is revealed to the world. Then Jesus “reveals” Himself and comes [parousia] to take His church. There is no pre-trib rapture taught here – or anywhere else in the Bible – from a contextual viewpoint. It just is not there.

Additionally, we are not aware of a single instance of a scholarly definition (lexicons, dictionaries, commentaries, etc.) of the word parousia before the early 1900’s, and the advent of the Scofield Reference Bible, where parousiawas ever translated (in reference to Jesus’ coming) as anything other than His final appearance at the time of the end – on the Lord’s Day.

The plain biblical truth is that throughout the Bible it is declared that Jesus would come twice to earth. Once as the Word that became flesh – God With Us – the incarnate Christ of God. The second time is when He returns as the Lion of Judah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is at this parousia that the Bible plainly reveals the rapture will occur. This is what the contextual interpretation of the Bible says. There really is no other way around it.

 
Book’s website – HERE
Facebook page – HERE
Order – HERE

[Carl's new book reveals how all of the first 5 trumpets have already happened and the 6th is in the process of coming to pass right now - before our very eyes. Carl pulls from over 25 years of research and uses military, journalistic, MSM, scientific, historical, and contextual biblical resources.  YOU MUST GET THIS BOOK]