Finding Jesus in the Bible…So We Can Follow Him in Life
Bible Reading Plans
- Plan One: New Testament Only
- Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
- Plan Three: New Testament + History
- Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3
Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.
Extras
Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute
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(Today’s Reading)
The Implications of the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact
(Book Installment 38)
The Scope of the Second Coming
Chapter 3 – Themes of the Second Coming
Coming (Presence) (continued)
A couple of other Greek words are used to convey the Lord’s coming, but they are used with less frequency and focus than “parousia.” The first is “erchomai,” literally meaning “to come” or “to go.” It is a more general word for movement toward a destination. The other is “epiphaneia,” literally meaning “appearance,” “manifestation,” or “shining forth.” Rather than simply conveying the act of coming, it emphasizes the glory or the effect of the coming.
This brings us back to “parousia” as the primary defining word for Jesus’ Second Coming. Unlike the English word “coming,” this Greek word carries a broader meaning than simply “arriving.” Parousia literally means “presence” – being with someone. It’s formed from “para” (meaning “beside”) + “ousia” (meaning “being”). So, at its root, “parousia” emphasizes a coming that results in presence, not just the moment of coming itself. Thus the Second Coming was not merely an instantaneous event but a decisive arrival that ushered in an enduring presence. In other words, the Second Coming had lasting effects – eternally lasting effects. We need to let these eternal truths thoroughly permeate our minds. Otherwise, we’ll fall back into living like we used to live – like the Second Coming didn’t happen and Jesus isn’t present.
Therefore, when we think “Second Coming,” let us think ” The Parousia,” which means the “arrival-and-presence” or the “coming that results in being present.” And as we continue to unpack the themes of the Second Coming, let us keep in mind that these themes are not just about a single moment of coming, but equally about a presence that continues…forever. And that presence always includes…today. Jesus in His Second Coming is the eternal fulfillment of God’s promise to never leave us or forsake us.
Revelation
One of the most overlooked themes of the Second Coming is its purpose to reveal. Consider how strongly the following verses – individually and collectively – make this point.
Luke 17:30 “It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.”
2 Thessalonians 1:7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,
1 Peter 1:7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 4:13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
Notice from these verses that the revelation in the Second Coming centered on Jesus Himself – the who, the revelation being the what. The traditional view of the Second Coming reduces all these promises to mean Jesus reappearing in the flesh – albeit a flashy flesh – for all the unbelievers as well as believers to witness firsthand. But that view does a great disservice to the revelation the Lord and His apostles had in mind. That revelation is understanding of Jesus, not the physical appearance of Jesus.
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