In this article we discuss the Greek word παρουσία and show that it refers to one event: the coming of the Lord Jesus at the end of this age.
[#G3952] παρουσία (parousía): coming, arrival; presence
Contrary to what the pre-tribbers claim, there is one parousia, not two.
The Parousia in the Bible
The following are all the Bible verses where the word parousia is used in reference to the return of Jesus Christ.
[Matthew 24:3] As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
[Matthew 24:27] As the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
[Matthew 24:37-39] As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
[1 Corinthians 15:22-24] As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
[1 Thessalonians 3:12-13] May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
[1 Thessalonians 4:15] This we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
[1 Thessalonians 5:23] May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[2 Thessalonians 2:1] Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him…
[2 Thessalonians 2:8] Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.
[James 5:7-8] Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. … Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
[2 Peter 1:16] We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
[2 Peter 3:4] They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
[2 Peter 3:11-12] Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
[1 John 2:28] And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
The most straightforward interpretation is that the word parousia in the above verses refers to the same event. Nobody who reads these verses without their pre-trib glasses on would ever come to the conclusion that there are two parousias. There is not even one verse to suggest that.
Two Parousias?
However, according to the pre-tribulation doctrine, there are two parousias, two comings of the Lord: a secret one before the tribulation, and a visible one after the tribulation.
In the following verses, the pre-tribbers claim that parousia refers to the Lord’s secret coming “for His saints” before the tribulation.
[Matthew 24:37-39] As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood … so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
[1 Corinthians 15:22-23] As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
[1 Thessalonians 4:15] This we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
In these verses, however, the they claim that parousia refers to the Lord’s visible coming “with His saints” after the tribulation.
[Matthew 24:27] As the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
[2 Thessalonians 2:8] Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.
But such a distinction is arbitrary. Indeed, Matt 24:27 does refer to Jesus’ visible return after the tribulation, but so does Matt 24:37-39, since the context is clearly “immediately after the tribulation of those days” (Matt 24:29), as we saw in a previous chapter. What about these verses? They are obviously written to the church. Which of the two comings does parousia refer to here?
[1 Thessalonians 5:23] May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[1 John 2:28] And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
In the above verses Jesus is obviously coming for His saints. That shouldn’t be too controversial. But that’s also the case in the following verses, which are written to the church, just like the above verses:
[1 Thessalonians 3:12-13] May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
So which coming is this, pre-tribbers? The pre-trib or post-trib one?
These verses are also written to the church, and show that when Jesus comes for His saints, the church, He also comes with His saints. This is one and the same event. The Bible doesn’t contradict itself.
No distinction between a pre-trib coming “for the saints” and a post-trib coming “with the saints” exists in the Bible. Such a distinction only exists in the minds of the pre-tribbers.