COMING
Just as a postscript to a previous paper, “AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOE”, the greek word for “coming”, in Math. 24/3, 27, 37, 39, is, “PAROUSIA”, and means, “a being present, a coming to a place, presence, coming or arrival.
“A technical term used for the coming of Christ )Math. 24/3; 1 Cor. 15/23; 1 Thes. 2/19; 2 Thes. 2/8; 2 Pet. 3/4; 1 John 2/28); the Son of Man (Math. 24/27, 37, 39); the Lord (1 thes. 3/13; 4/15; 5/23; 2 Thes. 2/1; ja. 5/7, 8; 2 Pet. 1/16); the day of God (2 Pet. 3/12). The term “parousia” refers to the Second Coming of the Lord, BUT, THE SECOND COMING IS NOT JUST ONE EVENT TAKING PLACE AT A PARTICULAR TIME. RATHER IT IS MADE UP OF A SERIES OF EVENTS. We can understand which event is referred to only by a careful examination of the context in which the terms “parousia” or “erchomai” to occur.
The comings of the Lord spoken of prior to His death and resurrection may be distinguished as follows:
(A) His coming
after His death to confirm the faith of His disciples. In this instance
“proaxo”, the fut. Tense of the verb “proago, to lead or go before, is used
(Math. 26/32; Mk. 14/28). In John 16/16 “opsesthe”, the fut. Tense of the verb
“horao”, to see, or “optanomai”, to see
with one` physical eyes, is used.
(B) His coming to enter into a closer spiritual fellowship with His disciples. As the Risen One, He was to return to them and to abide with them continually (John 14/16-22) manifesting His presence through the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, and thereby guiding, teaching and sustaining them by His grace working in their hearts (John 14/16, 17; 15/26; 16/14). In this sense the Lord Jesus regarded His coming again as a vital experience to be shared by all believers in later generations. He thereby signified His abiding presence in the hearts of believers and corporately in the Christian church.
(C) His coming to remove His disciples from their toils and struggles on earth and to take them to the place He would prepare for them in His Father`s house (John 14/2, 3, “that where I am, there ye may be also”). This is what is referred to as the “parousia” of the Lord in 1 Thes. 4/15. This coming is going to be startling and unexpected. The Lord will come to raise the dead in Christ, to transform the living who have believed, and to take them all to be with Him (1 Cor. 15/50-54; 1 Thes. 4/13-17). This will constitute the Day of Christ or the Day of the Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 5/5; 2 Cor. 1/14; Phil. 1/6, 10; 2/16; 2 Thes. 2/2). Simultaneously, however, there will begin a time of great suffering for those unbelievers who are alive at the time of the “parousia”. This is called the Day of the Lord (Is. 2/12; 13/6, 9; Ez. 13/5; 30/3; Joel 1/15; 2/1, 11, 31; 3/14; Amos 5/18, 20; Obad. 1/15; Zeph. 1/7, 14; Zech. 14/1; Mal. 4/5; Acts 2/20; 1 Thes. 5/2; 2 Pet. 3/10). The phrases “that day” or “the day” or “the great day” occur more than seventy-five times in the OT. All these passages speak of the period of the Tribulation and include judgments that extend OVER A PERIOD OF TIME PRIOR TO THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD JESUS (which itself constitutes another time of His coming). Zech. 14/1-4 makes it clear that the events of the Second Advent are included in the program of the “Day of the Lord”. 2 Pet. 3/10 appears to include the entire millennial age within this period.
(D) The coming of the Lord at the end of the seven-year tribulation period is what the Lord describes in Math. 24/15-22, 32-34; Mk. 13/14-23, 29, 30 (cf. Luke 19/41-44; 21/20-23, 32, 33; 23/28-30). The judgment of the Lord is designated as a specific coming by the verb “elthe”, the aor. Subjunctive of “erchomai” indicating that this specific coming is prior to the final judgment of the world. This coming is also called “apokalupsis, revelation (Ro. 2/5; 8/19; 1 Cor. 1/7; 1 Pet. 1/7, 13; 4/13) and “epiphaneia”, manifestation (2 thes. 2/8; 1 Tim. 6/14; 2 Tim. 1/10; 4/1, 8; tit. 2/13). This is going to be the Last Day and will bring about the termination of the existing order of things.
THUS THE COMING OF THE LORD OR HIS “PAROUSIA” CONSISTS OF SEVERAL COMINGS WHICH ARE IN REALITY STAGES OF A CONTINUOUS PROCESS”. Quote Zodhiates Complete Word Study New Testament.
The purpose for this postscript to “As it was in the days of Noe”, is basically to explain that the word “coming” in the scriptures in question actually means any manifestation of His presence in the form of The Holy Spirit, AS WELL AS REFERRING TO HIS ACTUAL SECOND COMING: THEREFORE, WE CANNOT ATTRIBUTE THE USE OF THE WORD “PAROUSIA” (COMING) IN MATH. 24/3, 27, 37, 39 TO LITERALLY MEAN HIS “SECOND COMING”.
(Think about this, how about His “coming” in the above scriptures for the purpose of “tereo”, to guard, keep an eye on, watch diligently, keep in safety, protect, preserve His choice, “Eklektos”, His “Elect”, the “faithful ones”, “the few”, “the Holy Remnant”, “from the hour of temptation that is to come upon the whole world to try them that dwell therein”).
Bevan Kluver,
Straight Talk Ministries,
Ph/Fax 07 55452874,
“speaking the truth in love, in the spirit of meekness, earnestly contending for the faith;”
HELPING HIM PREPARE A BRIDE WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH:
HATING EVEN THE GARMENT SPOTTED BY THE FLESH:
Footnote: Dr Zodhiates notates the following: [SIMULTANEOUSLY, HOWEVER, THERE WILL BEGIN A TIME OF GREAT SUFFERING FOR THOSE UNBELIEVERS WHO ARE ALIVE AT THE TIME OF THE “PAROUSIA”].
This statement attesting to the pre-tribulation theory, (doctrine), that believers are going to be taken out of the world BEFORE THE GREAT TRIBULATION:
Straight Talk Ministries does not concur with this doctrine; we find no scripture to validate such, actually, quite to the contrary: And we have yet to experience any leadership anywhere who can prove, (by scripture, according to Holy Divine Writ), that believers are not going through the great tribulation: As a matter of fact, if you peruse Straight Talk papers, you will find we go to quite some lengths to disprove the “pre-tribulation rapture theory” as heresy, and, we believe succeed in doing so.
ALL THIS APART FROM THE FACT, THAT LOVING FATHER HAS NOT SHOWN ME, OR SAID ANYTHING WHICH WOULD TELL ME CONTRARY TO WHAT WE HAVE PENNED, AS A MATTER OF FACT, IT WAS HE WHO SHOWED US THE DOCTRINE WHICH WE ATTEST TO CONCERNING THE “UPWARD CALL”.
Again, the above
paper is not to dispute the time of the “upward call”, IT IS TO DEMONSTRATE
THAT THE WORD “COMING” IS NOT JUST REFERRING TO ONE EVENT FROM THE SON OF GOD,
BUT MANY SUCH REVELATIONS OF CHRIST TO HIS BELOVED.