BE ALERT! THE “PAROUSIA” IS NEAR - Introduction - 'Word From Above' 2016/2018/2021

INTRODUCTION

BE ALERT! THE “PAROUSIA” IS NEAR

“Parousia” is a future event to occur in mid-heaven, in the firmament above the earth; it is the unique Presence of Jesus Christ to His elect, when the elect will be received and gathered by Him in a sudden Rapture. Then, Jesus in His Parousia will be visible to the elect in His glorious eternal tabernacle [the heavenly body of Resurrection], in which the elect also will be changed into the same heavenly tabernacle as He is.

Parousia [Gr. παρουσία “Parousia”] = Para + ousia;

para - preposition / prefix means to be next to, by one’s side, nearby, adjacent with;

+ ousia means Christ’s being there, His presence to us in His manifestation;

Para's antonym to prep. / prefix apo- distant, apart, separated;

• PRESENCE = parousia = para + ousia

• ABSENCE = apousia = apo + ousia

Needless to say, we have been aligned with the teaching of the Word to be in one accord on the question on His Parousia timing. The exact “day and hour” of Jesus’ Parousia is to remain unknown, but not ignore the abundance of prophetic utterance in so many chapters about the season before His coming. “But concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need that anything be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord, like a thief in the night, in this manner He comes: [Gr. οὕτως ἔρχεται ‘outos erkhetai’]” (1 Thess. 5:1-2).

English translations have transposed the adverb “in this manner” from its right place in the text that is supposed to be following, and by placing it early in the sentence, produced an incorrect dangerous teaching.

Herein, see page 15, “In this manner He comes:” (1 Thess. 5:2), this unrefined error is resolved and is corrected to the right teaching: the Day of the Lord should not come like a thief in the night to the Christian believer! We need to know how to overcome the tribulation times near or about “the day and the hour,” and we must learn how to give up the physical earthly amenities for the sake of our spiritual survival.

A whole series of teachings concerning the last days is the doctrine called in Greek ἐσχατολογία, ‘eschatology.’

How should we be deterred from the Word of God, as to deny learning all that is addressed to “us” or to “me,” and “you?” Scripture mainly speaks to us as disciples in the second person – or a prophet / writer might include himself in a statement in the first person, as Paul and James related with the believers in verb first plural, for example,

“For if we discerned ourselves, we wouldn’t be judged” (1 Cor. 11:31), “... my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment. 2 For in many things we all stumble” (Jam. 3:1,2). But to others outside the faith we must simply discern the Scripture relates in the third person, as verbs by the pronoun “they” or “them” refers to people in the world, not to those in the faith. For example, “they were, in the days before the flood, eating, and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, till the day Noah entered into the ark ... they did not know till the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be at the Parousia of the Son of man,” (Matt. 24:38,39).

See, ‘they did not know’ and ‘took them’ are wide-ranging phrases, reaching out beyond the people of God. Jesus gives us warning advice in prophecy directly in distinctive caring words also in standard symbolism in parables:

“When you see” (Matt. 24:15);

“And then” (Matt. 24:30);

“Watch ye therefore” (Matt. 24:42);

“Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you do not know the Son of man

will come” (Matt. 24:44).

[Here, “come” means His intimate ‘Parousia’ presence, and not His coming to be seen by every eye in the world]. We should keep ourselves spiritually awake diligently studying the prophetic Word to receive the accurate and complete information God has detailed in chronological order.

See Chapter SEVEN-YEAR OVERVIEW page 179;

then, all we need to do is watch the events unfold one after the other holding on to our faith, before we reach His Parousia. The Lord’s Parousia will not be when He comes for all the people, nations and tribes in the world to be seen by everyone’s eye. It is the Lord’s Presence with His people, only with those He chose, the elect. These verses make this clear.

John 14:2-3,

2 “In My Father’s household there are many dwellings. If it were not so, would I have told

you that I go to prepare a place for you?

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will receive you unto

Myself, that where I am you may be also.”

2 Thess. 1:9b-10,

“...of facing the Lord and of the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints and to be in awe astonishing among all of them who have believed, because you believed the testimony which we brought unto you -on that day.”

Heb. 9:12,

“So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation [for a bodily salvation in a new body for our eternal tabernacle] without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

In earlier years a church leader might have said, ‘we should not waste time in eschatology, those things of the future would not serve our present needs.’ But that reasoning cannot apply any longer; our studies today are right on things of prophecy we are living right now. What a blatant disobedience would be to miss the sense of urgency with regard to all that is going on! Sadly, most teachers of our day misread the situation and stay in their neutral camps. And that will be their downfall. Their indifference will be the case for “the bad servant who is saying, ‘my Lord does delay to come’ ...” Luke 12:45, Matt. 24:48 In Luke 12:45 we read, “But if that bad servant may say in his heart, my Lord does delay to come; and should begin 1 to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunk; 46 The Lord of that servant will come in a day when He is not expected [because of not having searched, not looking for], and at an hour when he is not aware, and will 2 cut him in two, and will 3 appoint him [his portion] with the hypocrites [and the unbelievers]. 47 And that servant, which knew his Lord’s will, and prepared not [himself], neither did according to His will, shall 4 be beaten with many [the stripes mean suffering in the Great Tribulation]. 48 But he who did not know, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall 4 be beaten with a few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom they 5 have committed much, the more they will ask of him” (Luke 12:45-48; or Matt. 24:48-51).

EXPLANATIONS:

1 to beat the menservants and maidens – Gr. verb τύπτω, “tupto” to smite, harm, wound, tread on their conscience; it is a spiritual beating and it is used also in 1 Cor. 8:12, “11 ...he that is weak is destroyed [perishes], the brother for whose sake Christ died. 12 and thus, sinning in regard to the brethren, and smiting [wounding, harming, treading on] their weak conscience -- in regard to Christ you sin” (1 Cor. 8:11,12).

will 2 cut him in two – Gr. verb διχοτομέω, “dhikhotomeo” to cut the person off from the believers in the Lord; apart from the group that is the body of Christ received at His Parousia, Presence = will cause the person to be cut off and miss the Rapture.

will 3 appoint him his portion with the hypocrites [unbelievers] – Gr. verb τίθημι, “tithemi” to set, assign, appoint, determine; Jesus will place him into the other group, with those who will go through the Great Tribulation.

shall 4 be beaten with many [stripes; in the Great Tribulation] – Gr. verb δέρω, “dhero” to beat, scourge, as to tear off the skin; it is a physical beating and it is used also in Acts 5:40, “40 and when they had called the apostles unto them,

4 having beaten them they charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them.” By the physical beating on the human skin here we realize that this punishment on many thoughtless, irresponsible, unprepared Christians, will occur on the earth after having missed the event of the Rapture, they will have to go through the Great Tribulation, and not “in the outer darkness” as in the case of the unbelievers; in that case it says, “but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30).

they 5 have committed much [have given in charge to], the more they will ask of him – Gr. verb παρατίθημι, “para-tithemi” to place by him, put in charge of, entrust to him; Jesus will place him into the other group, with those who will go through the Great Tribulation.

There is more to analyze concerning this. We should avoid those who discourage us from studying the prophetic Word assuming it is unnecessary; and tell them, ‘if you listen to them, you will be confused and deceived when you will face tribulation days you did not expect.’ Then according to 2 Thess. 2:9 “Satan’s operations with all power and signs and lying wonders,” doing amazing things can cause many to be lost. On this perplexity, we say, ‘my Lord does delay to come’ ...” Luke 12:45, Matt. 24:48, the Bible warns us again with the five unwise virgins.

It is the same exact situation in which we may “become drowsy and sleep, because 5 the Bridegroom is tarrying...” In that parable, all ten virgins were ready to meet the Bridegroom, and if He [Christ] would come when they waited for Him [at an earlier Rapture] the door would have been open, the Lord would have approved their entrance in the wedding feast. But the Lord’s Parousia, the Rapture, was delayed and the darkness was allowed to come first, before His appearance to them. This is the part we need to learn and bring to light. The Bible says, 6 all slumbered and were sleeping – had the virgins known the Lord allowed the darkness, through the prophetic Scriptures, they would normally rest in faith and confidence that the Lord will help them overcome the coming obstructions and bring them to victory.

A clear knowledge of how these things are coming is vital. It is in the Lord’s plans to allow the night to be used as His “Crisis,” a test for all virgin Christian souls. Every committed believer, must be carrying extra oil to overcome the end-time adversity. This is what the oil signifies in this parable. It is the inside information from prophecy that precisely explains what will happen around us and how to keep and sustain our faith strong, not to be caught off guard in any of Satan’s traps.

See THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS page 248 how we must come to this conclusion. [Also refer to the Ten Judgments in previous Book One, in chapter titled, A. Preferment / Judgment /Harvest for Justifying and Rewarding the Righteous; B. Judgment to the Unrighteous –in chronological order.]