PAROUSIA
(The act of arrival and The subsequent Presence )
The
word Parousia was used by the Greeks to show not only the arrival but the
actual stay or subsequent presence. The focus then is not upon arrival, but the
events which follow the arrival. Author, Israel P. Warren DD of Portland Maine,
wrote in His book [The Parousia]
1879 in pp. 12-15 "We often speak of the second advent,
the second coming, etc., but the Scriptures never speak of a second Parousia..
Whatever was to be it's nature, it was something peculiar, having never
occurred before and being never to occur again. It was to be a Presence differing from
and superior to all other manifestations of Himself to men, so that It's designation should properly
stand by Itself, without any qualifying Epithet other than the article,
"The Presence".
"From this view of the word it is
evident, that neither the English word coming, nor the Latin Advent, is the
best representative of the word. They do not conform to It's etymology; they do
not correspond to the idea of the verb from which It is derived; nor could they
appropriately be substituted for the more exact word,
"Presence". In the cases where
the translators used the latter, nor is the radical <root> of them the
same.
"Coming" and "Advent"
give most prominently the conception of an approach to us, motion toward us;
"Parousia" That of being with
us, without reference as to how it began. The force of coming or advent
ends with arrival; that of Presence
begins with the arrival. Coming and advent are words of motion whereas Presence shows rest. The space of time covered by the action of
coming or advent is limited, it may be momentary; that of Presence is
unlimited. Had our translators done with this technical word
"Parousia" as they did with "Baptisma" transferring it
unchanged, or if translated using It's exact etymological equivalent,
"Presence" and had It been well understood, as It then would have
been, that there is no such thing as a second "Presence,"' I believe
that the entire doctrine would have been different from what it now is. The phrases,
"second advent," and "Second coming," would never have been
heard. The church would have been taught to speak of the "Presence"
of the Lord, as that from which It's hopes were to be realized, whether in the
future or at the remotest period, that under which the world was to be made
new, A resurrection both Spiritual and corporeal should be attained, and
justice and everlasting awards administered,"
As
we examine the scriptural usage of this word Parousia, we shall take all 23
scriptures where this word appears and show the relevancy to the word presence
and how the scripture applies to this hour. After all, brother Branham said in
[Shalom]
pp. 223, "All the New Testament speaks of this hour."
[Matt
24:3] "And as He sat in the mount of Olives, The disciples came unto Him privately,
saying, tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Thy
Parousia ( presence) and of the end of the world?" The question asked was what shall be the
sign of thy presence. They did not know of a first coming much less a second
coming. They were asking when shall your presence be made openly known? When
will you come forth and manifest your presence to men? This is the very same
question that Jesus' own brothers asked Him in [John 7:1-13] but Jesus refused
to answer them for they didn't believe Him anyway. He told them to go to the
feast by themselves, He then later went secretly, not wanting to show Himself
openly.
Brother
Branham said in his message entitled:
[Revelation of Jesus Christ] pp.
106 12-04-60 "Oh, how the last age and the coming of the Lord was covered up to the
apostles! They asked the question, but only one lived to have the revelation;
and still he didn't understand it, because the history was not yet made." So as you can see, it is
essential to see the Word manifested in order to receive the correct
interpretation of it. Author J. B. Rotherham of
He continued "The Parousia,... is still in the future, and may
therefore be enshrouded in a measure of obscurity which only fulfillment can
clear away: It may in fine be both a period, more or less extended, during
which certain things shall happen, an event, coming on and passing away as one
of a series of Divine interposition's."
Brother Branham also said, "God is His own interpreter and He interprets His Word by bringing it to
pass." And since we have had a
prophet come in this Hour with "Thus Saith the Lord" and has declared
the presence of Christ among us, we can rest in knowing we have the correct
interpretation of the Word.
[Matt
24:27] " For as the Lightning cometh
out of the east and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the parousia of
the son of man be." We see here
presence and not coming. Lightning that cometh is but a flash, but in this
example he says it will lighten the whole earth. Not just a quick flash off in
the horizon but from east to west representing total enlightenment. The
lightning that comes from east to west encompasses space and time, as presence
shows not only arrival but a space of time that deals with His presence. In
fact the word cometh here is a word that signifies to spread abroad. Not just a
flitter, but a full encompassing light. Brother Branham said, " My ministry is to declare Him, that He is
here." So we are looking at 2 things; a declaration of Christ and
notification that He is here.
This
scripture also tells us that Christ's Great Presence will bring forth great
light that will lighten the whole earth. In the Gospel of [John 1:4-5], we read: "In Him was Life; and the Life was the Light
of men.. And the Light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it
not. "So we see that the Presence of Christ at His first coming
brought forth illumination, and if, "He
is the same Yesterday, Today and forever", then
the
sign of His glorious presence here among us again will have to be truly
vindicated by an illumination that will be received by those whom it was meant
for and rejected by those in darkness.
For
more on this illumination please see the Epiphanaea
section.
[Matt
24:37] " But as the days of Noah
were, so shall also the Parousia of the Son of Man be. By using the plural "days", he's telling you it
will be a period of time more or less extended. Not just the instant of
arrival. What took place in Noah's day that will repeat again? A message of
salvation and judgment went forth. Salvation for those who will enter in, and
judgment to those who will not.
[Matt
24:39] " And knew it not until the
flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the Parousia of the Son of Man be." Again
we see by this example of the floods coming upon the people and the washing away. This washing away was
the result of the forty day period of rain which washing away did not happen at
the first sign of rain or the first rain drop. This also tells us that they
knew it not until it was too late. We know that God had a prophet on the scene
preaching a message of [Warning then
Judgment] for nearly 120 years, but which was rejected by all except a few,
leaving nothing but judgment for those who refused that message.
[I
Cor 15:23] " But every man in his
own order: Christ the first-fruits; afterwards they that are Christ's at His
Parousia." Here he is speaking of order, the first will be last and
the last first. A coming forth by an order. Therefore, it is not instantaneous
but is brought forth through a process of time whether concentrated or
extended. Order also signifies authority and headship which are certainly
indicated here by this scripture.
We
know also that the Parousia involves a
shout, a voice and a trumpet. And we are told by brother Branham in the Rapture
message that the voice is the resurrection. And brother Branham taught us that
their will be an order to the resurrection. From the [Seven Church Ages]
5/11/54 he said, "He that was first
will be last. ..That's the order of the resurrection. I won't know nobody in
the generation before me or the generation after me. I'll know those in the
generation with me. Every generation will come successively as it went down."
[I
Thes 2:19] " For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not
even ye in the sight of our Lord Jesus Christ at His parousia." If
this scripture means only that we come into His sight, then we must ask
ourselves, "At what point do we enter into His sight? Does not "sight indicate presence?"
Now,
Presence is not determined in inches or feet, but in "view of." I do
not have to be touching to be in the presence of, but merely in reach of
whether by viewing or hearing. As we come closer together, our sight becomes
clearer and clearer and our understanding of what we see becomes more defined.
Then from what point does the act of arrival become presence? Either way, deals
with space and time.
[I
Thes 3:13] " To the end He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness
before God, even our Father, at the Parousia of our Lord Jesus Christ with all
His saints." Does the establishing of our hearts have to wait for his
2nd coming, when we meet Him bodily in the air? Or is there to be a ministry
that will make ready a prepared people for the Lord. Do we wait for His 2nd
coming to become a holy people or is the process in operation now. If we must
wait until the meeting in the air, then we will already have a glorified body
before this condition of holy and blameless can occur? If the scripture speaks
of our hearts being established, then how can we wait until the meeting in the
air. Brother Branham taught us that we take the condition of our hearts here,
into that other dimension. So our hearts have got to be changed on this side of
the resurrection. After all, if this scripture places the establishing of the
hearts at the time we meet Christ in the air, then we must also place Malachi 4
where the hearts of the children are established, at the same time.
Does
one become established in a moment in the twinkling of an eye? Or is it a
process? Then being a process it
involves a space of time. [Ephesians 1:4-5]
tells us that "we were chosen
in Him to be holy and without blame in His presence." Then it tells us
that in order for this to happen He predestinated us to it. In other words, He
selected us to it and then prepared the way for it to happen.
The
whole process of our predestination deals with a space of time which we do not
know the length or span. We see Him as He is, and we begin to see ourselves for
who we really are. The transforming power of the Light will always bring seed
into manifestation of what it Truly is. [For more detail on how this process
develops, please refer to the section on the Phaneroo]
[I
Thes 4:15] " For this we say unto
you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the
Parousia of the Lord shall not hinder
them which are asleep." Now if we take this verse by itself, we leave
a big question. How can we hinder those which are asleep. But verse 16 answers
our question when it says, "For the
Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Arch
Angel, (Chief Messenger), and with the trump of God." Then the dead
shall be raised.
Therefore,
the dead are not brought with Him but are raised as a result of the "voice" as brother Branham
said in the [Rapture] message. There are three things that happen with His
descent. 1: The Shout which is the Message. 2: the Voice which is the
resurrection. 3: The Trump which is the catching away.
[I
Thes 5:23] " 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 Parousia of our Lord Jesus Christ." Just until His act of arrival? Or unto His
presence. The word unto here is used the same as into and signifies a
preservation that last's right up to and including the time of the very
Presence of Jesus Christ. "Until" would signify that it takes you up to the point of
and you go no further, whereas "unto" involves not only up to, but
"in to". So we shall always remain holy and blameless in His
presence.
[II
Thes 2:1] " Now we beseech you, brethren, by the Parousia of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our
gathering together unto Him." He
must arrive and be present in order for this scripture to make sense. How do we
gather unto Him if He is not here. This does not say that we gather together
and then He comes. He must first be here and then we gather to Him, otherwise
we would be gathering together unto someone or something else and not unto Him.
It
is not dealing with His act of arrival but his presence and one of the characteristics
of His presence. We do not do the gathering. [Malachi 3:17 and Matthew 3:12]
tells us that He will do the gathering. There is to be a gathering to Him. [ Q
& A #4] pg. 243 - 244 "The Bride
won't be gathered from one place, it'll be gathered from all over the
world." So one of the
identifiable characteristics of His Parousia is this gathering. Then where will this gathering together be?
Into His presence. And He is the Vindicated Word.
[II
Thes 2: 8-9] " And then shall that
wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His
mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His Parousia. Even him, whose
Parousia is after the working of Satan
with all power and signs and lying wonders," It is not just the act of arrival that
destroys the workings of Satan, but it is the Word of God that defeats him
always. Jesus showed this in the wilderness experience where he was tempted by
Satan but defeated Satan by the Word. So it is not just the arrival or second
coming that does this but The Word of God which renders Satan impotent. As in
nature, most life forms that are parasitic in nature can not take direct light.
Direct
sunlight will destroy fungi, bacteria and all sorts of parasitic life forms.
Even amongst cancer patients use light or radiation treatment to kill whole
areas of infection. Satan is the greatest parasite of all. He does not create
but has only perverted down through the ages.
[II
Peter 3:4] " And saying, where is
the promise of His Parousia for since
the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of
the creation." The very fact
that this speaks that "all things continue" shows it is dealing with
a period of time. Another point to consider is that this speaks of a promise
that is associated or brought about by the Parousia. Not specifically that the
Parousia is "the" promise, though we know that it is. But just as
Paul say's in [Galatians 2:20] that we "live by the faith (of) the Son of God."
So, too, we see here that the scripture says that the scoffers will say,
"where is the promise (of) His Parousia. There are definitely promises
associated with and are brought about by the Parousia of our Lord Jesus
Christ. We shall examine these more in detail in the Doxa section.
[James
5: 7-8] " Be patient therefore,
brethren, unto the Parousia of our Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the
precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until He receive the
early and latter rain. Be ye patient; stablish your hearts: for the Parousia of
the Lord draweth nigh."
Here
the scripture is dealing with a harvest condition and speaks of the Lord's
personal presence as that of a husbandman waiting for the fruit to mature. Now
the question is this, if the husbandman is waiting for the fruit to get ripe,
why does it yet speak of His presence as something that must take place in the
future. The answer is very simple, as husbandman you tend the fruit, but you
also harvest it. He's here to harvest his crop of children, His wheat, and with
patience which in itself indicates a period of time more or less extended.)
[I
John 2:28] " And now, little
children, abide in Him, that when He shall Appear, we shall have confidence,
and not be ashamed before Him at His Parousia." The Appearing has to do with this
presence. This Appearing is a Word which means a great shining forth or a
revealing of that which has not been revealed. Hence a Presence bringing forth
a disclosure, not merely an act of arrival. You will also notice that this
great disclosure brings us into a condition of confidence without shame. Now
confidence is something that must build up, it does not come by some magical hocus
pocus, but by trial and victory, trial and victory. Character is not gift, character
is a victory. So too confidence must be learned which again signifies
enlightenment and time.
[Phil
2:12] " Wherefore, my beloved, as ye
have always obeyed, not as in my Parousia only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Notice the application here. Paul is
contrasting his presence with his absence.
This scripture shows examples of Parousia as presence so plainly that
one would really have to grasp at straws
to make the word Parousia anything other than
presence.
[II
Peter 3:12] " Looking for and
hasting unto the Parousia of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall
be dissolved, And the elements shall melt with fervent heat?" Again this is dealing with a series of
events which constitute more than a mere act of arrival, but a presence
bringing forth a series of events. And remember, when the people spurn mercy,
there is nothing left but judgment. From [ Will the Church go Through the
Tribulation] 1-9-58 he said, "He has
come now in mercy, revealing Himself to the church. It's being laughed at and
scoffed at. The next time He reveals Himself, It'll be in judgment on the world
and the nations that forgot God and sinned their day of grace away."
[II
Peter 1:16] " For we have not
followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and
Parousia of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty."
Simply
put; Peter, James and John when brought up to the mount with Jesus where Jesus
was transfigured before their very eyes, were not witnesses of a coming but of
a presence. And this also shows that power [to vindicate] and presence, go hand
in hand when concerning the Lord Himself.
[I
Cor 16:17] " I am glad of the
Parousia of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking
on your part they have supplied." Now if he is speaking of their
arrival only, what did their arrival supply the people? It was the efforts made
while they were there that was able to supply
or help the people and minister to their needs. The parousia or presence of
the Lord on it's own will not do one thing for you. It is the manifestation or
unveiling of Himself that "Supplies all our needs." Over 5 Billion
people are on earth today, and what is Gods' presence doing for them? It is no
different than at His first coming where
He was in the world and the world was made by Him and the world knew him not.
They grow more ungodly as each day passes.
[II
Cor 7: 6-7] " Nevertheless God, that
comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the Parousia of Titus. And not by his Parousia only, but
by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your
earnest desire, your morning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced
the more." Again we see here
that it was not Titus arrival but his presence to the people and His ministry
to them while there. In fact Paul said, It is not his presence that brought
this comfort but what he did while being present.
[II
Cor 10:10] " For his letters, say
they, are weighty and powerful; But his bodily Parousia is weak, and his speech
contemptible." Paul is saying
that His bodily presence may be weak, but if language means anything, how could
his bodily coming be weak? That would not make any sense.
[Phil
1:26] " That your rejoicing may be
more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my Parousia to you again." Again, is Paul speaking about his act of
arrival only? Or is He speaking of his presence with the people and what takes
place while he is there.