Parousia

The word parousia is borrowed from the Greek; it means “presence” or “arrival.” It is used in Christianity to refer to the coming of Jesus; the word is also commonly used in the Christian Bible. [Page 969]In I Corinthians 16:17, Paul writes of the parousia of several Christians to Corinth. In II Corinthians 7:6, Paul writes of the parousia of Titus to Corinth. These two passages refer to people who are coming to Corinth. But the word is also used to denote a time in the future when Jesus will come back to earth, as in Matthew 24:27, 37, and 39 and I Thessalonians 2:19, for example.

The timing of Jesus's parousia has caused debate. Christians who lived soon after Jesus believed that his parousia was imminent. I John, which many scholars believe was written in the 90s CE, states, “Dear children, this is the last hour.” Revelation 1:3, also written in the 90s, states: “Blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” As time passed and Jesus did not return, Christians nevertheless continued to anticipate his arrival. Among the most famous of the predictors was William Miller, who predicted that Jesus would return in 1844. Many Christians in the 19th century believed him. After Jesus failed to return, some formed the Christian denomination the Seventh-Day Adventists. Currently, some Christians believe that the parousia of Jesus will occur in their lifetimes.

Over time, Christians have debated the nature of Jesus's coming: Some link it with the “rapture,” or Second Coming of Jesus. These events are not synonymous. The rapture is best described in I Thessalonians 4:16, 17: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven … and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” At this parousia, Jesus will not come to earth but will call Christians to him while suspended in the air.

The Second Coming of Jesus is recorded in Matthew 24 and Revelation 19:llff. This event forecasts Jesus's coming to earth with a resultant battle against the forces of evil. The result of this battle will be a victory for Jesus, and Christians will rule in peace with Jesus. The amount of time that Christians will spend in peace with Jesus is debated, with some believing that this will last forever and others believing it will last for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4).

Not all Christians believe that the parousia of Jesus will be a physical one, or even one in some future time. Some Christians believe that the events spoken of in Matthew 24 and the Book of Revelation have already occurred, that they were referring to persecutions meted out by the Romans. Others believe that these events are not meant to be taken literally but refer instead to spiritual phenomena and situations.

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