Blessed Bible

APPENDIX A Listing of Every Scripture in which the Greek Word Parousia Occurs

The following is a listing of every scripture in which the Greek word parousia occurs. (It is correctly translated presence in this listing): "What shall be the sign of thy presence?" Matthew 24:3 "So shall also the presence of the Son of Man be." Matthew 24:27, 37, 39 "They that are Christ's at his presence." 1 Corinthians 15:23 "What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye, presented before our Lord Jesus Christ at his presence?" 1 Thessalonians 2:19 That "he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 3:13 "We which are alive and remain unto the presence of the Lord shall not precede them which are sleep." 1 Thessalonians 4:15 "Be preserved blameless unto the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thessalonians 5:23 "Now we beseech you, brethren, by [respecting] the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him." 2 Thessalonians 2:1 "Then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to naught by the manifestation [epiphania] of his presence." 2 Thessalonians 2:8 See R.V. "Whose presence is after..." 2 Thessalonians 2:9 "Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the presence of the Lord." James 5:7 "Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the presence of the Lord draweth nigh." James 5:8 "The power and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:16 "There shall come in the last days scoffers [in the church], walking after their own lusts [desires], and saying, Where is the promise of his presence." 2 Peter 3:3, 4 "And hasting unto the presence of the day." 2 Peter 3:12 "When he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his presence." 1 John 2:28 "For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." 2 Corinthians 10:10 "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Philippians 2:12 "I am glad of the presence of Stephanas…" 1 Corinthians 16:7 "God…comforted us by the presence of Titus; and not by his presence only…" 2 Corinthians 7:6,7 "Through my presence again with you…" Philippians 1:26, Marshall's Greek Interlinear

APPENDIX B Origin and Scriptural Evaluation of "The Seven-Year Tribulation" Theory

Many hold the "seven-year tribulation theory, which briefly states is this: Christ secretly returns to earth to "rapture" the church and takes them to heaven. This will be followed (not necessarily immediately) by seven literal years of tribulation during which the "man of sin" enters upon the world's stage. At the close of the seven years, Christ returns publicly with the church ("every eye shall see him"), destroys antichrist and the false prophet and begins his Millennial Reign. There are variations of the "seven-year tribulation" theory. Some feel Christ gathers the church at the middle of the seven years and call their concept the "mid-tribulation rapture." Others hold that the church is taken after the tribulation and refer to their concept as the "post-tribulation rapture." The "seven-year tribulation" theory has its roots in dispensationalism which in turn originated, not in historic Protestantism, but in the 1800's with J.N. Darby, the leader of the major segment of Plymouth Brethren, a wonderful group of people, but hardly representative of historic Protestantism. Even more disconcerting is that Darby revived the counter-reformation views of a Spanish Jesuit named Ribera. A basic concept of the Reformation was that Papacy as a system was the Antichrist and that much of the book of Revelation was having its fulfillment during the history of the church. In 1590 Ribera published a commentary on the Revelation, as a counter-interpretation to Protestantism, in which he applied all but the earliest chapters of Revelation to the end time and that Antichrist would be a single evil person (not a system) who would rule the world for three and a half years during the end time. Darby claimed that all the events from the sixth to the nineteenth chapters of Revelation occur during a "seven-year tribulation." However, nothing in the book of Revelation say or even hints that the seven seals are loosed, the seven trumpets sounded and the seven plagues poured out during a seven-year period. A seven-year period is not even mentioned in the book Revelation. To be sure, a 3½-year period is mentioned. However, nowhere is it indicated to be half of a seven-year period. It can be easily proven from Scripture that the 3½ years occur before the tribulation. (See the section "Daniel Chapter 7" in Chapter VI). Therefore, the reformers such as Wycliffe, Luther, Calvin, Wesley believed the 3½ years or 1260 days were symbolic of a 1260-year period which began before their time and extended to the "time of the end." The "seven-year tribulation" concept rests solely on an inconsistent application of Daniel 9:24-27, which speaks of a seventy-week period determined upon the Jewish people. Seventy weeks equals 490 days. All agree, upon the basis of Ezekiel 4-6-a day for a year-that this seventy weeks equals not 490 literal days, but 490 years. Again, there is unanimity that the 69 weeks of Daniel 9:25 marks a period from a decree issued in Nehemiah's day to the first advent of Christ. Verse 26 states that "after" the 69 weeks "shall Messiah (Christ) be cut off." Verse 27 shows that "in the midst of the [70th] week he [Christ] shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." Christ's death abolished the necessity of the further offering of typical sacrifices by Israel's priesthood. Note well that Daniel 9:26 states "after" the 69 weeks "shall Messiah [Christ] be cut off." The Hebrew word achor means after. It does not mean in or during. Yet those who advocate the seven year tribulation say that Messiah was cut off in or during the 69th week. This is a mis-translation of verse 26 which plainly states "after" the 69 weeks Christ would be cut off. The 70th week is after the 69 weeks and verse 27 clearly shows it is in the midst of the 70th week that Christ died. Therefore the seven-year period of the 70th week is not left over until the end of the Christian age. And thus the seven-year tribulation concepts falls. The historic position of Protestantism for 300 years since the Reformation has been that the 70th week immediately followed the 69 weeks and was fulfilled with the death of Christ "in the midst" (middle) of it. In the 19th century, dispensationalists came along and said, "Not so, there is a parenthesis between the 69 weeks and the 70th week. This gap is the period between the first advent and the rapture. Then, they say, "The 70th week, seven years, begins to count. And the 'he' of Daniel 9:27 is not Christ, but anti-christ, and the seven years of the 70th week is the 'seven-year tribulation' during which Chapters 6-19 of Revelation are fulfilled." The mere fact that this gap is purely an assumption, not founded on Scripture, seem to matter little to the seven-year dispensationalists.

APPENDIX C Every Scripture in which the Word "See" Occurs Relative to Seeing at His Second Advent

Matthew 24:30, 31 "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." As has been shown in Chapter V, Matthew 24:30-31 cannot be taken literally. The following is a Scriptural analysis of the symbols in this highly figurative passage.

Heaven and Heavens
Isaiah 34:2-5, 8, speaking of the destruction during The Day of The Lord, states that "all the host [multitude] of heaven shall be dissolved…and shall fall down…for my sword shall be bathed." (Verses 4 & 5) The literal heavens do not contain a multitude of people. But the people in the symbolic heavens {the corrupt religious systems) will be punished {symbolized by his sword drenched in blood) by the returned Lord. Joel 2 describes The Day of the Lord. Verses 9-11 speak of a great army that causes the earth to "quake" and the heavens to "tremble." Literal heavens do not tremble before an army, but revolutionary forces will terrify and overthrow the nominal church heavens. The heavens of Joel 2:10 must be the same as in our text of Matthew 24:29-31, for in the heavens of both scriptures the sun and the moon are symbolically darkened.

Clouds
Joel 2, a parallel scripture to Matthew 24:29-31, reveals that clouds, symbolize trouble. In Joel 2:1, 2 there is reference to the "clouds" that become distressingly ominous in the early dawn of the Lord's new day. "A day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains; a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations." It will be noted from this that the "clouds" which appear in the early dawning of the day of the Lord's presence really consist of "a great people and a strong," the like of which has never before been known. This is evidently a reference to the uprising of armed forces so tremendous that civilization will crumble and fall under the impact of the revolutionary struggle they will precipitate. These clouds of trouble are even now visible.

Angels
The word "angel" in the Greek, aggelos, literally means "messenger." Often it refers to the angelic host, but it can just as appropriately refer to any messenger of God. For example, the returned Christ is symbolized by an angel that binds Satan for the 1,000 years (Rev. 20:1-3).

Trumpets
The word "trumpet" is used in Scripture to symbolize a proclamation of truth. In the context of speaking the truth clearly, Paul said, "If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?" 2 Corinthians 14:8 Again Joel 2 parallels Matthew 24:30, 31 and reveals the symbolic meaning of this trumpet. From verse 1 we learn that it is a proclamation of truth that warns the people of The Day of The Lord. In Zephaniah 1:14 and 16, The Day of The Lord is spoken of as the "day of the trumpet," in which a warning of truth is given "against the fenced cities, and against the high towers [vested interests of the present evil world]." This trumpet in Matthew 24:31 is evidently the same as the "last trump" of 1 Corinthians 15:52 and the trump of God in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, since all three are related to the return of Christ. This trumpet is symbolic of a great proclamation of truth at Christ's return.

Four Winds
Revelation 7:1 speaks of winds from the four corners of the earth that, when loosed, result in great destruction. Loosing of four winds would produce a whirlwind, which is another symbol used in scripture (Jer. 25:32; Isa. 66:15-16) to describe the final and severest phase of the "time of trouble" (Dan. 12:1). Now that we have determined from parallel scriptures the meaning of the symbols in this highly figurative passage, Matthew 24:29-31 becomes easily understood. In answer to the disciples' query on the signs of his presence (Matthew 24:3), Jesus listed a number of events that have always been true of history; "wars and rumours of wars"; "nation shall rise against nation"; famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes." Then Jesus said "all these are the beginning of sorrows [or tribulation]." There are no unusual events. They are common to history. Then in Matthew 24:29 he says "Immediately after the tribulation of those days [the common tribulation of history]" something is going to happen in the heavens. "The powers of the heavens shall be shaken." Drastic changes will rock the nominal church heavens. "The sun [the gospel sun] shall be darkened, and the moon [Mosaic Law] shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven." The Gospel (New Testament) and the Mosaic Law (Old Testament) were always under attack from those outside the church. evelation 12:1 shows the sun and the moon have always been the sustaining power of the woman, the true church. But the phenomenon of our time is that the Bible (Sun and Moon) is under attack from modernist within the church who deny the divine inspiration of Scripture. {A survey taken among delegates to the National Council of Churches revealed that over one third could not state they had a firm belief in God.) Stars can symbolize either faithful or unfaithful teachers. These "stars" which "fall from heaven" represent false teachers who gravitate from a spiritual to an earthly ministry on a political and social level. Indeed, the powers of the heavens are shaking. The battle between the fundamentalist and modernist has sorely rent the church heavens. The God-is-dead theology was but one example of this shaking. Since Vatican II, Catholicism is also being sorely rent. Verse 30, "And then [after the tribulation of those days] shall appear the sign [Greek, semeion, evidence] of the Son of man in heaven." One of the first evidences of Christ's parousia, presence, will appear in the nominal church heavens. It is the darkening of the sun and moon, and the fall of the stars. When we see a wholesale attack by leaders in the churches on the divine inspiration of the Bible, and ministers falling from a spiritual condition to a political or social gospel, then we know that Christ has returned. From Joel 2:9-11, we saw that it is agnostic revolutionary forces that are shaking the heavens. Indeed, their philosophies have influenced theologians to reject the Bible and degenerate to political battle. This was reflected in the recommendation of the Conference on Church and Society (Detroit, 1968) that the churches should support violence if necessary to achieve social change. These revolutionary philosophies are also shaking the earth. Revolution has been on the march since the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. Revolutionary and counter-revolutionary forces erupted into World War II. Then followed the Communist takeover of one third of the world. The flame of revolution spread throughout Africa and Asia as oppressed nations threw off the yoke of colonialism. We are witnessing the black revolution, the sex revolution, the youth revolution. No wonder the Luke account (Luke 21:25, 26), when speaking of the shaking of the heavens, adds, "Upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves [the restless and lawless elements] roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth [society]; for the powers of heaven [nominal church] shall be shaken." The roaring sea and waves symbolize the restless masses of humanity (Isa. 57:20), curbed but not full restrained, by the laws and regulations of society. Everyone has heard some of this "roaring," with occasional stormy outbreaks dashing like tidal waves against the earth (social order) and seeking to swallow it up. Restrained for a time, these waves are gathering weight and force; and, as prophetically shown, it is only a question of a few years until all the mountains (kingdoms) are "carried into the midst of the sea," in anarchy. Psalm 46:2 In this connection Matthew 24:30 says, "all the tribes of the earth mourn" as they "see" the Son of man coming in the clouds [trouble] of heaven," (and "earth," Luke). This unprecedented trouble has caused all mankind to mourn. They are experiencing the world shattering before them. Mankind sees the clouds-trouble. Many even discern these drastic changes as birth pangs that must precede a new world order. As the trouble intensifies, they will begin to discern the Son of man in the clouds of trouble and recognize that the "great tribulation" will give birth to the Kingdom of Christ on earth. While the heavens (nominal churches) of Matthew 24:29 are experiencing a great shaking, verse 31 shows a harvest work in progress. "And he [Christ] shall send his angels [messengers]with a great sound of a trumpet [truth], and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven [nominal churches] to the other." Zephaniah 1:14, 16 reveals that "the day of the Lord' is also "a day of the trumpet." This rules out a literal trumpet that sounds momentarily, and confirms a symbolic trumpet of truth that sounds for a period of time. Matthew 24:31 describes a great gathering of the elect, the church (1 Pet. 1:2), that is accomplished by a proclamation of truth (trumpet) during Christ's presence. This is a reference to the harvest work at the end of the Gospel Age which is described in detail in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43). Here Jesus says that the angels are the reapers that gather the wheat (faithful Christians). Reapers do not refer to spirit angels, but to the Lord's people who engage in the harvest work. Matthew 9:38 Since tares look like wheat, the lesson is that the angels (messengers of the returned Lord) will do a separating work, not between the church and the world, but in the nominal church, the present "heavens." This work is represented under various symbolic descriptions-it is the gathering of the wheat from the tares into the barn (Matt. 13:30); it is the gathering of the good fish into baskets and the casting of the unsuitable fish caught in the gospel net back into the sea (Matt. 13:47-49); it is the gathering of his jewels (Mal. 3:17); it is the calling of "my people" out of Babylon (Rev. 18:4); it is the midnight cry to the virgins, which separate the wise from the foolish (Matt. 25:6); and, in this prophecy, it is the gathering of the "elect" from all the non-elect of Christendom, from the four winds-from every quarter. We are not to expect spirit angels to appear with wings and to fly through the air blowing a great trumpet, and here and there catching away some of the saints-no more than we are to expect to become literal fish and to be put into literal baskets, or literal grains of wheat to be put into a literal barn. The angels or messengers used by our Lord in this harvest gathering will be such messengers as he has used in his service throughout this age-earthly servants, begotten of his holy Spirit, "new creatures" in Christ Jesus. This "gathering of his elect [the church] from the four winds" means that this gathering will be accomplished before the four winds are completely loosed and become a whirlwind. The harvest work will be completed before the whirlwind, or final feature of the time of trouble, takes place. Also, the elect are gathered "from one end of heaven to the other," that is, out of all the nominal churches. The harvest work of Matthew 13 and Matthew 24:31 is the same work of Revelation 18:1-4, where we have already seen that the returned Christ gathers his faithful people out of Babylon (heavens, nominal churches), and provides them with a rich spiritual feast of present truth. Thus we wee that by rightly dividing the word of Truth-comparing the symbols of Matthew 24:29-31 with symbols in parallel scriptures- the Bible becomes its own interpreter.

Revelation 1:7