The Meaning of the Word Parousia, by Moses Hull

 

From The Christs of the Past and Present 1901

The second coming of Christ, of course refers to the first. Christ once came in the person of Jesus, enabling him to do good works and to say many good things, so he will come in the person of others enabling them to do wonderful works and say wonderful words.

If I have been right thus far in my expositions, the coming of Christ does not refer to the personal advent of some person, but to the presence of a power. The word “coming” generally signifies "presence,” or “manifestation.” There are several words used in the Greek Testament, which are so rendered into English as to make some who have not studied much on the matter, believe in the personal, that is, the bodily return of the man of Nazareth. No idea could be more wild or farfetched. One of the words used in this connection is the word parousia, and signifies not, "coming," but presence.

It would require more space than I have at command to refer to every place where this word occurs in the Greek Testament. It is generally wrongfully rendered "coming.” It occurs several times in Matt. xxiv, and is always rendered "coming." In verse 3, the disciples are, by our rendering, made to ask, “What shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world?” What they really did ask was: “What shall be the sign of thy presence and of the end of the age?"

The same word is wrongfully rendered coming in verse 37, which says: “As the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." Verse 39 says: "And knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be." In each of these instances the original word is parousia, and signifies, presence, not coming.

Modern Adventism has interpreted the text to signify “What shall be the sign that your coming is not very far in the future?" The fact is, they wanted to know the sign of the presence of this power, known as mediumship.

In I Cor. xv. 25, Paul says, "Those that are Christs at his coming." The word rendered at, in that instance is the Greek word en, and should be rendered in; the word rendered coming is the word parousia, and should be rendered, not "coming," but presence. The true rendering would be, “Those of the anointed in his presence.” The word parousia is rendered presence in a few places. In II Cor. x. 10, his bodily presence is weak." In that instance, it would not do to say, "his bodily coming is weak."

In Phil. ii. 12, Paul says: "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence (parousia) only, but now much more in my absence (apousia) work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."

It would make rather bad work to render the word parousia coming, or the word apousia going away in that instance.

In II Pet. i. 16, Peter speaks of the power and coming of our Lord. If you would read what Peter said instead of what the translators made him say, you would read as follows:

“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty"