“I am with you always …” (Matt. 28:20, NKJV)
In further explaining the seventeenth characteristic of the corporate spirit or mantle of Zerubbabel, namely that it enables you to reign, now, we reached the following important verse in the previous teaching, in 2 Tim. 4:8, of Paul’s words to Timothy: “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” This is not the so-called once-off second coming that people are expecting at the end of times, but instead is various appearances within which Jesus manifests Himself!
While we are here it is perhaps a good idea to again look at a few core ideas around the appearance of Jesus.
Firstly the word parousia, which strictly speaking means presence. In Scripture Jesus often promises, despite the fact that He will leave (John 8:21; 14:12 & 28; 16:16; 17:11), that He will be with us/them. Therefore He makes this strong statement in John 14:18: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” Another statement, made by Jesus in Matt. 18:20, renders the parousia an everyday, enduring reality: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Even the guarantee in Matt. 28:20, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age,” establishes the understanding of his presence EVEN IF HE IS NOT PHYSICALLY VISIBLE.
In Thayer’s lexicography he also mentions that parousia means “the coming, arrival, advent 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,” which is actually a theological and dogmatic interpretation of the concept, and not what the word strictly speaking means.
One tends to accept the definitions in such specialised reference books as 100% correct, without considering that the person compiling it is writing from a very particular worldview, and this theologically tinges the concepts. For instance, Bakers Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology starts off their definition of parousia by noting that “The Second Coming of Christ (a phrase not found in the Bible) …” Why then link the Greek word to a concept that is not found in the Bible? The editor for instance notes that this word is “a word fairly common in Greek, with the meaning ‘presence’”, but then qualifies it by saying “it is applied to the Coming of Christ”, later acknowledging that “This word for Christ’s Second Coming passed into the early Patristic literature … , but its use in this sense is not invariable.” Again later: “in modern theology it means invariably the Second Coming”. That the definition is theologically loaded is obvious.
This state of affairs means that definitions found in popular dictionaries can at times lean towards an inaccurate, so-called theological meaning of a core Biblical concept. To illustrate – The Free Dictionary, a website that lists popular (and respected) dictionaries under their different lexical entries, firstly notes under parousia this correct entry from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: “Greek parousiā, presence, Parousia, from parousa, feminine present participle of pareinai, to be present.” This is followed by an entry from Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary: “the coming of Christ on Judgment Day”! Then we find an entry from specialist dictionary -Ologies & -Isms, which notes that “the coming of Christ on Judgement Day. Also called Second Advent, Second Coming.” You’ll see that there is no longer any reference made to presence as such. Lastly, the internet-based, widely used WordNet 3.0 Thesaurus simply states “the reappearance of Jesus as judge for the Last Judgment”. It is frightening that inaccurate theology so easily slips into the broad consensus of a concept.
Thus – nowhere in Scripture does parousia mean coming or second-coming. Parousia is the inner-unfolding presence of God within you, the inward apocalypse. The word enveloping encapsulates it perfectly, as presented by Webster: “Inwrapping; folding around; covering or surrounding on all sides, as a case or integument.” Parousia is a reality of the past, present and future.
The second important word in this context that we have written about a lot in these teachings, is the word apokalupsis. In the original Greek this word means “to take the cover off, to uncover, unveil, reveal or disclose”. Obviously there is then something specific that needs to be revealed or disclosed. Obviously that thing/matter needs to be present, or it is impossible for it to be made public! Jesus is unveiled to us, and we are unveiled as the Christ identity. This is not an event that can be experienced by our senses, as “the Lord is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:17) is not experienced by our senses, and the kingdom WITHIN us (Luke 17:21 – “nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”) does not come with visible signs (Luke 17:20). The invisible presence of Jesus, his parousia, will in the time to come grow increasingly more frequent, as apokalupsis becomes increasingly manifest. It is as Bobby van Jaarsveld sings in his song ‘Yashua the Messiah’: “I can’t wait till the world sees You.”
Thirdly, the word epiphaneia. The Greek lexicon dictionary, Thayer, defines it as “an appearing, appearance”, His appearance or appearances.
The parousia is the reality of His presence in believers, although it is not visible, and thus veiled. The apokalupsis is unveiling or revealing to render visible the parousia of Jesus’s identity WITHIN ME. The epiphaneia is the manifestation or shining forth or recognizing of His identity in the believer, “the brightness (epiphaneia) of His coming (parousia)” (2 Thess. 2:8). The RYLT-NT-translation translates it correctly as: “the manifestation of His presence”.
Because his epiphaneia or appearances are not available to our senses, it makes it very difficult for believers – they need to hold onto the promise of sonship in faith, onto His concealed, secret workings. Isa. 45:15 states it in no uncertain terms: “Truly You are God, who hide Yourself …” Or how beautifully Prov. 25:2 spells it out: “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” May we, as 1 John 3:2 notes, “see Him as He is”, and not only as He was!
- Selah: Explain these three concepts to someone.
- Read: 2 Chr. 7-12.
- Memorise: 2 Chr. 9:3.
