The Parousia As Mentioned In The Bible

By Janet Thomas


The Christian Bible has so many references as to how the world will end and be reborn anew following the return of Jesus Christ. The Greek word for coming is known as the Parousia and this is the term often used to signify the second coming of Jesus Christ. Now, there are two possible events that this would refer to and both are found in the Bible.

Now, one of the more interesting things about this event is that it may refer to two instances wherein Jesus returns to earth. With that, it is actually a vague event that may be up for interpretation. These two possible events refer to the rapture event and the actual second return of Christ to the throne.

With regard to the rapture, one can first take a look at Thessalonians chapter four wherein it states that Christ will come to earth and bring the people who are dead in Christ. This refers to the believers who have kept their faith in the Lord. During this period, the believers will already ascend to Heaven while the ones who do not will be left behind.

As per the verse, the Lord will descend from heaven accompanied by an archangel. From there, he will bring the believers into the Heaven and start the seven years of tribulation. The seven year tribulation marks the start of various wars, famine, pestilence, and death while the antichrist will assume control over the earth.

Satan is not mentioned in this seven year tribulation if one would read Thessalonians but the antichrist would be referenced. For those who do not know, the antichrist would be the leader of the world during the seven years of tribulation. The antichrist will try to convince people not to believe in God and would impose suffering onto believers.

This refers to the first time that Christ will come to earth. The other possible event would be the return of Christ on earth in order to wage war against all the enemies of Heaven and to finally bound Satan to hell. This is the time of the big heavenly war which will result in Armageddon but eventually will result in the new world under God.

Of course, there are many references to Satan if one will read about this return of Christ which can be found in Revelations. In the final battle, the Devil will have gathered an army to oppose God but heaven will still end up victorious. From this final battle, the Devil will finally be cast back into hell and bound again for all all eternity while earth experiences peace.

The thing about interpreting the return of Jesus Christ is that it can refer to two separate events from the Bible that are somehow connected with each other. So when talking about the actual return, one would have to ask himself exactly what return he or she is really talking about. It would refer to either the rapture, which is the first return of Christ without him setting foot on earth or the actual return where the Messiah will do battle with the Devil.




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