The Second Advent of Jesus Christ

Reasoning
The
Scriptures
The Lord's Second Coming Viewed

From Scripture And Reason
1
A treatise on the Invisible Presence Doctrine
of Bible Students and Jehovah's Witnesses.
By
Y.R.Dinakaran & M.S.Mariadas
The Mysore Bible Students Association
Yearaganahalli, Mysore
Inquires: Chambers#1887, Wesley Road,
Mandi Mohalla, Mysore
98804-63727, 98867-70848
Email: dinudatruthseeker@gamil.com
 Copyright 2007 – M.S.Mariadas
2
Reasoning The Scriptures
Index
Subject Page No
1. The Lord's Second Coming Viewed

From Scripture and Reason 3
2. Our Lord’s Parousia Epiphania and Apokalupsis 8
3. Irrelevant Proofs for Parousia 14
4. The Parable of the Fig Tree 33
5. Parousia is it Gradual? 35
6. Behold I Come as a Thief 38
7. Parousia: Visible or Invisible? 41
8. Appendix 53
3
The Lord's Second Coming Viewed

From Scripture And Reason
A ll Christians who are students of the Bible know that there is ample testimony therein
to the wonderful truth of the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They are
also agreed that at His second advent all His faithful followers will be gathered unto Him.
Not all appreciate the further revelation that Christ's coming again is related to His first
advent as cause to effect. When He first came He "gave Himself a ransom for all" and His
return is in order to bring to all mankind, through the instrumentality of the Kingdom which
He shall then set up over the world, the blessings of life which His death secured for all.
The fulfillment of the Eternal Purpose of God is associated with our Lord's Return and
that is why much prominence is given to the subject in the Holy Word. This divine purpose
concerns every member of Adam's race and the destinies of all his sons and daughters living
and dead - are involved in its final outcome.
This article, specially prepared by The Mysore bible Students Association is submitted
not as representing a united and final agreement on all details connected with Our Lord's
Return. It is confessed that there are many matters associated with this important event
which are obscure, and upon these it would be both unwise and improper to dogmatize. All
that is herein written is an attempt to present the matter in a general way, our desire being to
advance towards a clearer view of this vital subject.
Perhaps the most defining difference between all Christians and the ABS♠ and the
Watchtower view of the Lord’s return is the manner of his arrival and presence. The ABS
belief is that he arrived invisibly in 1874 (Watchtower in 1914) and has been carrying on the
work of tearing down the world systems and preparing the last members of his bride. The
pivotal point of this contention is the Greek word Parousia. It is well known that this word
in its simplistic sense means ‘presence.’ Let’s look at the definitions given by some well-
known Bible scholars.
Dictionary Definitions of Parousia
• Vine's, page 200-201
Parousia - lit., "a presence," para, "with," and ousia, "being" (from eimi, "to be"),
denotes both an "arrival" and a consequent "presence with." For instance, in a
papyrus letter a lady speaks of the necessity of her parousia in a place in order to
♠
Associated Bible Students
3
attend to matters relating to her property there. Paul speaks of his parousia in
Philippi, Phil. 2:12 (in contrast to his apousia, "his absence;" see ABSENCE).
Other words denote "the arrival" (see eisodos and eleusis, above). Parousia is used
to describe the presence of Christ with His disciples on the Mount of
Transfiguration, 2 Pet. 1:16. When used of the return of Christ, at the Rapture of
the Church, it signifies, not merely His momentary coming for His saints, but His
presence with them from that moment until His revelation and manifestation to
the world. In some passages the word gives prominence to the beginning of that
period, the course of the period being implied, 1 Cor. 15:23; 1 Thess. 4:15; 5:23; 2
Thess. 2:1; Jas. 5:7,8; 2 Pet. 3:4. In some, the course is prominent, Matt. 24:3,37; 1
Thess. 3:13; 1 John 2:28; in others the conclusion of the period, Matt. 24:27; 2
Thess. 2:8.
• Thayer's, page 490
parousia ... the coming, arrival, advent ... of a return ... the future, visible,
return from heaven of Jesus.
• A Greek-English Lexicon, page 635
Coming, advent as the first stage in presence.... The official term for a visit of a
person of high rank, esp. of kings and emperors visiting a province.
Matthew’s Use of the word Parousia

Matthew’s use of parousia seems very odd when comparing to the parallel accounts
of Mark & Luke. Why would he choose this parousia as opposing to erchomai (see
Definition Table)? There could be at least 2 very good reasons. Matthew was not just
interested in telling an account of Jesus’ life but also helping us see him from a particular
point of view. He was interested in showing Jesus as the King. For more information on this
point please see the provided references.1 2 3 For those who are familiar with this view of
Matthew it is no surprise that he would pick the word for coming as described in The
Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol. 2, page 898:
"Parousia means, on the one hand presence. ... Technically the noun is used
for the arrival of a ruler a king, emperor, ruler... The corresponding
adventus ... The cities of Corinth and Patras struck advent coins
commemorating the visit of Nero. ... The noun parousia denotes generally
presence and arrival." (Bold added for emphasis)
1
See ‘The Gospel of Matthew’ by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Fleming H. Revell publishing
2
See ‘The Four Views of Christ’ by Andrew Jukes.
3
See “Jesus as King’ by Andrew Weekms, http://www.cqlcorp.com/fbs/pages/amw/matthew.htm
4
This is the perfect choice for describing Jesus' coming. The accounts in Mark and
Luke use the standard word for coming. Later we will go into more detail about the word
Parousia.
In regard to our Lord's return, "presence" (parousia) pre-supposes that an arrival has taken
place and it is seen from the above definitions that both of these ideas are in the one word
"parousia". Sometimes when parousia is used, "presence" may be emphasized but not to the
exclusion of the idea of "arrival". Sometimes "arrival" is the intended and primary meaning.
Paul was glad of the parousia (i@e., arrival) of certain brethren (I Cor. 16: 17) and he was
comforted by the parousta (arrival) of Titus (2 Cor. 7: 6). They, no doubt, remained with Paul
and thus their parousia (arrival) extended to "presence". But nobody would suggest they
were already present unseen and subsequently revealed.
Parousia is translated "coming" 22 times in the New Testament (A.V.) and we shall examine a
number of these occurrences in the course of a consideration of its use and meaning.
Other Uses of parousia in the NT

In order to understand the use of parousia, we must look at how it is used
throughout the NT instead of only dwelling with its use in Matthew 24. The point to be
made is that parousia is not strictly used as "presence" but also as "arrival." The dictionary
definitions presented in the previous section are good (arrival and subsequent presence.) But,
as will be easily shown, the word can mean both "presence" as well as strictly "arrival."
Instance of parousia meaning "Arrival and Subsequent Presence"
1 Corinthians 16:17 - I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus

and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was
lacking from you. (NIV)
I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and

Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have
supplied. (KJV)
Meaning: Paul was glad that these brethren arrived and stayed with the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 7:5-7: For when we came into Macedonia, this

body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn--
conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts
the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not
only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given
him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow,
your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than
ever.
5
Meaning: Paul was harassed by conflicts and fears but God comforted him by the arrival and
presence of Titus. When he arrived he comforted Paul by telling him of the Corinthians' concern.
Instance of Parousia meaning "Arrival"
Philippians 1:24-26: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh [is] more needful for
you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with
you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more
abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
Meaning: Paul, if he abides in the flesh, will make the Philippians joy great when he comes
to them again.
It is necessary, however, to make reference also to some other Greek words which have
been brought into juxtaposition with Parousia in discussions and in writings on this subject of
our Lord's Return should be also be defined. The words are "APOKALUPSIS", translated
variously in the Authorized Version, "appearing," "coming", "manifestation,” "revel-ation,"
and "EPIPHANEIA” translated "appearing" and "brightness.
Dictionary Definitions of Epiphania
1. Vines Dictionary
Appear, Appearing:
Eng., "epiphany," lit., "a shining forth," was used of the "appearance" of a god to men, and
of an enemy to an army in the field, etc. In the NT it occurs of
• the advent of the Savior when the Word became flesh, 2Ti 1:10;
• the coming of the Lord Jesus into the air to the meeting with His saints, 1Ti 6:14; 2Ti
4:1,8;
• the shining forth of the glory of the Lord Jesus "as the lightning cometh forth from
the east, and is seen even unto the west," Mat 24:27, immediately consequent on the
unveiling, apokalupsis, of His Parousia in the air with His saints, 2Th 2:8; Tts 2:13.*
[* From Notes on Thessalonians, by Hogg and Vine, p. 263.]
• Notes:
o Phanerosis, akin to A, No. 4, "a manifestation," is used in 1Cr 12:7 and 2Cr
4:2.
o For phaneros, wrongly translated "may appear," in 1Ti 4:15, AV (RV, "may be
manifest," not mere appearance), See MANIFEST.
o Emphanes, akin to A, No. 5, "manifest," is used in Act 10:40 and Rom 10:20.
See MANIFEST, OPENLY.
o For adelos, "which appear not," Luk 11:44, See UNCERTAIN.
2. Strongs # G2016:- an appearing, appearance, brightness,
6
3. Thayer's,
Greek ἐ%ιφάνεια (epiphaneia) an Appearing, Appearance often used by the Greeks of a
glorios manifestation of the gods
Dictionary Definitions of Apokalupsis
1. Lexicon Results for apokalypsis (Strong's G602)
• laying bare, making naked

• a disclosure of truth, instruction
o concerning things before unknown
o used of events by which things or states or persons hitherto withdrawn from
view are made visible to all
• manifestation, appearance
2. Vines Expository Dictionary Results for Apokalupsis
Appear, Appearing:
lit., "an uncovering, unveiling" (apo, "from," kalupto, "to hide, cover"), denotes "a
revelation, or appearing" (Eng., apocalypse). It is translated "the appearing" in 1Pe 1:7, AV
(RV, "revelation"). See COMING, MANIFESTATION, REVELATION.
Revelation:
• "an uncovering" (akin to apokalupto; see above), "is used in the NT of

• the drawing away by Christ of the veil of darkness covering the Gentiles, Luk 2:32;
cp. Isa 25:7;
• 'the mystery,' the purpose of God in this age, Rom 16:25; Eph 3:3;
• the communication of the knowledge of God to the soul, Eph 1:17;
• an expression of the mind of God for the instruction of the church, 1Cr 14:6,26, for
the instruction of the Apostle Paul, 2Cr 12:1,7; Gal 1:12, and for his guidance, Gal
2:2;
• the Lord Jesus Christ, to the saints at His Parousia, 1Cr 1:7, RV (AV, 'coming'); 1Pe
1:7, RV (AV, 'appearing'),13; 4:13;
• the Lord Jesus Christ when He comes to dispense the judgments of God, 2Th 1:7;
cp. Rom 2:5;
• the saints, to the creation, in association with Christ in His glorious reign, Rom 8:19,
RV, 'revealing' (AV, 'manifestation');
7
Our Lord’s Parousia Epiphania and Apokalupsis
T he main assertion by Pastor Russell is that the three Greek words (parousia, epiphania,
and apokalupsis) are used by NT writers as a gradual progression which reveals Jesus
return from an invisible phase known only to his saints to a revealing to the world in
general (though not visibly). To see if this assertion is true, it should be a very simple matter
when investigating the NT writings. Simply put, we should see no interchangeability of these
words. For instance, when speaking of Jesus' revelation to the world, only epiphania and
apokalupsis should be used, whenever the church is the subject of Jesus' return, only
parousia should be used. Here are some supporting quotes from Pastor Russell:
"These Bible students call our attention to the fact that the Bible
distinctly differentiates between the parousia of Christ and His Epiphania, at
His Second Coming. The word parousia signifies presence, without in
any sense of the word indicating that the presence is visible. The word
Epiphania signifies the revealing of one who is already present. These Bible
students claim that in the end of this Gospel Age Christ will be present,
invisible to men, during a period of forty years, doing a work especially in His
Church--rewarding the faithful, as shown in the parables of the Pounds and
the Talents, and receiving the "wise virgins," as in the parable of our lesson.4
The Scriptures indicate that the Gentile governments will receive from their
own peoples their first notice that their lease of power has expired. The
people will take note of the sign of the Son of Man in the heavens. The
judgments of the Lord will begin to be manifest in the world, and will run
counter to many of their interests. This manifestation of His presence is
Scripturally called the Epiphania, the shining forth, the revealment, of
the King of Glory. "He shall be revealed in flaming fire, taking vengeance on
them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ." (`2 Thessalonians 1:7- 10`.) As a result, the nations of earth will be
broken to pieces like a potter's vessel.--`Psalm 2:8,9`.5
At what time the Lord's people will be taken beyond the veil the Lord has not
fully indicated. But we have the assurance that when He shall appear, be
manifested--when His Epiphania shall occur--we shall be with Him, we shall
be like Him and see Him as He is. He will not begin His great work of
establishing the Kingdom until the Church shall be with Him.6
4
Reprints of Zion's Watchtower, pg. 5523
5
6
8
Our Lord's <parousia> and the gathering of the elect, we understand, has
been in progress since October, 1874. It will continue until all of the "elect"
shall have been gathered and glorified. In one sense our Lord will continue to
be present as the world's King to the conclusion of the Millennial Age; but his
<parousia,> in the sense of secrecy of presence, will terminate when, as the
Scriptures declare, "He shall be <revealed> in flaming fire (judgments), taking
vengeance on all who will not obey the Truth," but enlightening and
revivifying all who will hear and, to the extent of their opportunity, obey his
message. The <parousia> is to the Church and for the Church only.
The <epiphania> or <apokalupsis> of the Lord in power and great
glory is not to the Church nor for the Church, but to the world and for
the world. "When he shall thus appear we also shall appear with him in
glory," the Apostle declares. --`Col. 3:4`."7
"Now, in the harvest time, he is present to gather the sleeping ones and to
further test and perfect "us who are alive and remain." The High Priest is
doing no work outside of the "holy" of the antitypical Tabernacle. His
presence is unknown to the world. Soon Bridegroom and Bride will be
ushered into the presence of the Father in eternal glory. The "marriage supper
of the Lamb" will be celebrated, and then Bride and Bridegroom, Head and
members complete in glory, will come forth to bless the world. That
crowning day of joy to the Church will be followed by our Lord's
<apokalupsis> and <epiphania.> To the world he shall be revealed in
flaming fire of the time of trouble, but nevertheless with power and great
glory, "and all his saints with him.""8
Now let us give the premise of linear use of these words a thorough examination. Identifying
our many words as verbs or adverbs may sound silly, but it is helpful in understanding why
authors choose the words they do.
Whenever we find a word coming in the English bible it is understood that it means Parousia
in like manner when we come across words like appearing or appearance it means the Greek
word certainly must be Epiphania and with Revelation it is from the Greek word
Apokalupsis.
The view has been advocated that these three Greek words relate to different stages or
periods of our lord's Return, that parousia (presence) takes place first, known only to a few,
and that apokatup-sis and epiphaneia are later stages. Now our reasoning is Do the Greek
words "parousia," "epiphania," and "apokalupsis" represent three different time stages
of the Lord's second presence OR are they all speaking of one event ?, while using the
proper Greek words that are dictated by Greek grammatical requirements as used in their
7
8
9
sentence structure by which the thought is given? The understanding which commends itself
to us, however, is that all three expressions relate to the Lord's arrival and that in referring to
it as one great event, they are used interchangeably according to the particular aspect the
inspired writer has in mind.
To illustrate what has just been asserted, the following Scriptures should be read very
carefully
Parallel accounts interchanging the words
Matthew 24:39 and they LUKE 17:30 "It will be just

knew nothing about what like this on the day the Son
would happen until the of Man is Apokalupto.
flood came and took them
all away. That is how it will
be at the parousia of the
Son of Man.
Here we have a parallel account of the flood of Noah (Luke also adds the Sodom analogy)
that describes the same event using two different words. We can conclude that parousia is
equal to apokalupto, the root of apokalupsis.
Parousia Epiphania Apokalusis all relating to on same event
• Jas. 5:7 - "Be patient, therefore, brethren unto the coming (parou-sia) of the Lord."
• 1 Pet. 1:13 - ". . . hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the
revelation (apokdupsis) of Jesus Christ."
• Tit 2: 13. "Looking for ... the glorious appearing (epiphaneia) of ... our Saviour
Jesus Christ
In each of these references, attention is directed to the one event, the return of our Lord,
and particularly as it bears upon the saints’ cessation from toil and suffering and the
receiving of their reward, notwithstanding that three different words in the original language
are used respecting the one event. To emphasize this point still further, let us note first what
is to take place at the "appearing" of our Lord. In the following texts "appearing" is
translated from epiphaneia: -
• 1 Tim. 6: 14(13) - "That thou keep this commandment without spot,

unrebukeable, until the appearing (EPIPHANIA) of our Lord Jesus Christ."
The saints are to be faithful until His appearing.
• 2 Tim. 4: 1 – “I charge [thee] therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who
shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing( Epiphania) and his kingdom;
10
The quick and the dead shall be judged then.
• Tit 2: 13. "Looking for ... the glorious appearing (epiphaneia) of ... our Saviour Jesus
Christ
The Church is Expecting to participate in this event
• 2 Tim. 4:8 - "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but to all them that love
his appearing (EPIPHANIA)."
The crown of righteousness shall be given to the faithful then.
But it has also to noted that the same things transpire at the Parousia of
our Lord.
Now let us see what is to take place when Our Lord is going to be “Revealed” In
the following texts "Revealed " is translated from Apokalupsis: -
• 1 Peter 1:7 - These have come so that your faith--of greater worth
than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved
genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is
revealed (apokalupsis).
We are judged worthy at his revelation.
• 1 Peter 1:13 - Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-

controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when
Jesus Christ is revealed (apokalupsis).
We receive our reward at Jesus' revelation.
• 1 Peter 1:5 - who through faith are shielded by God's power until the
coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed (Apokalupto) in
the last time.
Our salvation occurs at Jesus' revelation.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:7 (8)- and give relief to you who are troubled, and to
us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed
(apokalupsis) from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
Our relief comes when Jesus is revealed when he comes with his
powerful angels
• 1 Peter 4:13 “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings;

that, when his glory shall be revealed (apokalupsis), ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy.
11
We will be glad and joyful when Jesus revealed with his splendid glory
• 1 Peter 5:1 ‘The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder,
and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that
shall be revealed(apokalupsis):
We will partake in the Glory when Christ is Revealed
• 1 Cor 3:13 “Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall
declare it, because it shall be revealed (apokalupsis) by fire; and the fire shall
try every man's work of what sort it is.
Jesus is revealed by fire at his coming
• 1 Cor.1:5-7 "That in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all
knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed to you; so that ye come
behind in no gift, waiting for the coming (APOKALUPSIS) of our Lord Jesus
Christ."
The Church is waiting for the coming i.e. for the apokalupsis of Christ
(this is the only verse were coming is translated as apokalupsis)
Epiphania Parallel Parousia
2 Thes 2:8 “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall
consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness
(EPIPHANIA) of his coming (PARAOUSIA)
Among other words used of the Lord's Return is phaneroo (STRONGS #G5319) which means
to appear or to make manifest.
• 1 Pet. 5:4 - "When the chief Shepherd shall appear (phaneroo) ye shall receive a
crown of glory."
• Col. 3:4 - "When Christ shall appear (phaneroo) then shall ye also appear with Him.”
Its use in conjunction with parousia in. I Jno. 2: 28 shows that He appears to all His
people at His arrival (in the same way that they will appear with Him as in Col. 3: 4). “That
when He shall appear (phaneroo) we may not be ashamed before Him at His coming
(parousia)."
In a similar way apokalupsis and epiphancia parallel Parousia, and each interprets the other.
Believers are to be Paul's hope and crown of rejoicing in Christ's parousia (1 Thes. 2:19); to
look for rest and release in the apokatupsis (2 Thes. 1: 7); to receive a crown at His epiphaneia
(2 Tim. 4: 8) at the time when He appears (phaneroo) (I Pet. 5: 4). They are looking for the
12
parousia (2 Pet. 3:12), the epiphaneia (Tit. 2:13), and waiting for the apokalupsis (I Cor. 1:7) of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Epiphaneia is associated with parousia in 2 Thes. 2:8, phemeroo with
parousia in I Jno. 2:28, and apokatupsis with parousia in Matt. 24:27 and Luke 17:30 as can be
seen by a comparison of these two parallel accounts.
Thus we see that these words are but kindred terms to describe one and the same
great future event. For His glorious revelation, for His shining forth, for His divine
manifestation, for the arrival of the King, we still hope and wait and pray
It would seem unreasonable that the Apostle Paul ,Peter, John and Matthew would use
words that are said to represent different stages of time of the Lord's second presence when
they were instructing and admonishing different members of the church to watch for the
Lord to return at which time they are to be taken up together with him. The "parousia" is
said by some to be the first stage in time (which occurred in 1874 - now more than 133 years
in the past) and it is to be followed next by the "epiphania," and later by the "apokalupsis"
stage. If this was so and the Lord was to return at the "first stage" - Parousia and raises first
the members of his church "who are dead in Christ" (1 Thes.4:16), THEN:
Why would the Apostle Paul tell Timothy to keep the commandment spotless until the
"epiphania," the second stage, of our Lord Jesus Christ's second presence, if those who "are
dead in Christ" are raised to be with the Lord when he returns at the "parousia," the first
stage ?
Why would the Apostle Paul tell the Corinthians to be enriched in knowledge and utterance
so that they will be furnished as they wait for the "apokalupsis," the third phase of Jesus'
second presence, when he tells Timothy to do so until the "epiphania," the second stage of
his second presence ?
Why would the Apostle Paul tell the Thessalonians to keep their hearts blameless unto the
"parousia," the first stage of Jesus second presence, when he tells Timothy to keep the
commandment spotless until the "epiphania," the second stage of his second presence ?
Why would the Apostle Paul tell the Colossians that when the Lord appears (phaino) then
they will appear (phanio - the second stage of Jesus' second presence) with him in glory, if
they are to be raised and glorified at the "parousia," the first stage of his second presence ?
Why would the Apostle Paul tell Titus that we should live soberly, righteously, and Godly in
this present world while looking for the "epiphania," the second stage of the Lord's second
presence, if they are to be raised and glorified at the "parousia," the first stage of his second
presence?
Explanation: These scriptures would contradict one another if they are interpreted to refer
to three different stages of time, but they do agree with each other from the viewpoint of
being interchangeable when looked at as being ONE EVENT that would occur at the same
13
time. It would seem reasonable then that different Greek words were used to satisfy the
sentence structure of the grammatical requirements by and in which the thought was
presented and to express different shades of meaning in respect to the ONE EVENT.
Summary of the Greek Words

As we can easily see, the words are used interchangeably depending on the
grammatical structure of the sentence. To make a case for a progressive revealing of
Jesus' invisible presence is barely implicit in nature and has too many inconsistencies
to hold as a necessary doctrinal stance. Before Proceeding further to predict different
dates of our Lord’s second advent , the above logical, factual and reasonable
questions must be answered in full by wanting to make sense the "progressive
revealing of Jesus' invisible presence:"
Irrelevant Proofs for Parousia

Introduction
"One deceit needs many others, and so the whole house is built in the air and must soon
come to the ground." -- Baltasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom
"A Composite Sign of Many Parts"
A fable from India tells of six blind men from Hindustan who went to see an elephant. The
first one touched its side and said: "Bless me! but the elephant is very like a wall!" The
second one touched its tusk and said: "An elephant is very like a spear!" The third touched
its trunk and said: "The elephant is very like a snake!" The fourth reached out and felt its
knee and said: "It is clear enough the elephant is very like a tree!" The fifth touched its ear
and said: "This marvel of an elephant is very like a fan!" The sixth seized its tail and said: "I
see the elephant is very like a rope!" The six blind men disputed long and loud about what an
elephant was like, but no one gave a correct description. Incomplete information did not
give a complete picture.
A similar problem arises when it comes to identifying the sign of Christ's return. In response
to his disciples' question: "What will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of
the system of things?" Jesus answered: "Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against
kingdom; and there will be great earthquakes, and in one place after another pestilences and
food shortages." (Matthew 24:3; Luke 21:10, 11) But when only these things are cited as
proof that Christ returned in 1874 or in 1914, people object: "Oh, we've always had wars,
famines, pestilences, and earthquakes!" And they are right. Many Bible Students suppose and
claim that the matter referred in Mathew24: 1-14 are proofs for Christ’s Invisible Presence but
careful and critical analysis exhibits that Mathew 24:1-14 are NOT the PROOFS for the
Invisible presence rather it is only warnings cautions for the faithful watchers.
14
The Two Questions in Matthew 24
As every Bible Student knows, the first place to turn in the Bible to understand Jesus' return
is Matthew the 24th chapter. The reason for this is the Greek word Parousia. In this
wonderful chapter, a great amount of detail is laid out before our eyes. Unfortunately, many
broadly different interpretations are given from its wondrous contents. In order to
understand this chapter, the very premise of its existence must be explored or the
interpretation built upon it is suspect. So, why did Jesus give us all these details? It stems
from 2 questions asked by the disciples.
If we are to understand Jesus words, we must understand that he is answering two very
specific questions asked by his disciples. The first question, “when will these happen…” is
an answer to their awestruck response of gazing at the temple.
Verse 1 - Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his
disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.
Jesus responds to their misplaced affection by saying in verse 2:
"Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not
one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown
down."
The key to understanding why the Bible Students (Particularly Russellites) Interpretation is
incorrect is that the position never takes into account the first question asked of the
disciples. When would the temple be destroyed? Russellites launch right into a Second
Advent interpretation without giving any biblical rationale. Given that fact that Luke 21
applies the context solely to the destruction of Jerusalem, this is indeed hard to fathom.
Luke 21 states plainly:
5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple

was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to
God. But Jesus said, 6 "As for what you see here, the time will
come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of
them will be thrown down." 7 "Teacher," they asked, "when will
these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are
about to take place?" 8 He replied: "Watch out that you are not
deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, `I am he,'
and, `The time is near.' Do not follow them. 9 When you hear
of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things
must happen first, but the end will not come right away." 10
Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom
15
against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines

and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great
signs from heaven. 12 "But before all this, they will lay hands
on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues
and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and
governors, and all on account of my name. 13 This will result in
your being witnesses to them. 14 But make up your mind not to
worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will
give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will
be able to resist or contradict…
Clearly Luke applies these verses to the destruction of Jerusalem. Matthew’s account is
simply combining the two separate accounts (Luke 17 & Luke 21/Mark 13 :1- 5) for
simplicity sake. It is hard to imagine a biblical basis for drawing the conclusion that Matthew
24:1-14 should be applied to the Gospel age. What is the basis for telescoping items in this
context? For example, the interpretation of “being delivered to the synagogues” is used as a
gospel age application based on Matthew's account. All of Luke's account clearly takes place
at or near the destruction of Jerusalem.
Here are two examples from Pastor Russell’s writings, which take these verses in Matthew
and apply them to the gospel age:
"Our Lord's reply in `verses 1 to 14` covers the entire Gospel age; and his
words in `verses 15 to 22` have a double application --literally to the close of
the Jewish age, and figuratively to the end of this Gospel age, of which the
Jewish age was a shadow. `Verses 23-26` contain words of warning against
false Christs, and in `verse 27` he reaches their question regarding his
<Parousia>, and declares [properly translated], "as the bright shining [the
sunlight] cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall the
<Parousia> [the PRESENCE] of the Son of man be." The sunlight becomes
present instantly, yet noiselessly; and it is first discerned by those who are first
awake."9
And also:
"Altogether, there have probably been fifty or more false Christs, male and
female, and many of them undoubtedly demented--possessed of evil spirits.
But none of these, nor all of them together, can be said to have "deceived
many." Yet it is against the kind which "<deceive many>" that our Lord
cautions us here, and again, later on in his prophecy, in which connection we
will examine particularly the antichrists which have deceived many.
The History of Eighteen Centuries Briefly Foretold
9
The Time is at Hand, Page 160 (Bold and Italics added for emphasis)
16
--`Matt. 24:6-13`; `Mark 13:7-13`; `Luke 21:9-19`--
"And ye shall hear of wars and rumors [threats, intrigues] of wars: see that ye
be not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there
shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these
are primary sorrows." `Matt. 24:6-8`
Thus briefly did our Lord summarize secular history, and teach the
disciples not to expect very soon his second coming and glorious Kingdom.
And how aptly: surely the world's history is just this--an account of wars,
intrigues, famines and pestilences--little else. Our Lord separates the history of
the true Church and states it with similar brevity, thus:
"Then [during that same period, the Gospel age] they shall deliver you up to be
afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations [peoples] for my
name's sake. And then [during that same period] many shall be offended…"10
This kind of reasoning falls dangerously close to the saying that ‘The Bible is a fiddle for any
tune may be played upon it.’ Is there some other Biblical passage that would support this
interpretation, to allow anyone to ignore the disciples’ first question and to draw such a
conclusion about Matthew 24:6-13?
The reason for bringing this apparently faulty interpretation is to point out other baseless
reasoning in Matthew 24. Before we go on to the Parousia, we must consider one of the
“firm evidences” brought to bear that Jesus must have returned; his predicted earthquakes.
Remember that the earthquake scenario belongs to the destruction of Jerusalem. But if the
reader is not convinced of this, there is other evidence to disregard the earthquake evidence
thoughts that will be presented later.
So the context of Matthew 24 indicates exactly the opposite of what the Watch Tower
Society & Generally Bible students claims. In response to the question: "What will be the
sign of your presence....?" Jesus answered: "Look out that nobody misleads you.... You are
going to hear of wars and reports of wars.... For these things must take place, but the end is
not yet. For nation will rise against nation...." So Jesus was warning his disciples not to be
misled by events such as wars, and he gave this warning before he answered their question
about the sign. Verses 7 through 12, which the Society interprets as being part of Jesus'
description of the sign of his coming, are logically and textually part of his warning about
things that could mislead the disciples, and contain descriptions of potentially misleading
events that would occur before the end. Only after this warning and description, during
which Jesus says nothing about a sign, does he say in verse 14, "and then the end will come."
It is not until verse 30 that Jesus actually describes the sign the disciples asked about. So
Matthew 24:4-12 is not Jesus' statement of how to recognize the "sign," but of how not to be
misled about things some might be inclined to think of as a "sign."
10
The Battle of Armageddon - Page 467 (Bold and Italics added for emphasis)
17
Jesus' explanation might be rephrased thus: "Since wars, famines, earthquakes and other
troubles will regularly characterize man's history in the future, as they have in the past, such
things should not be understood as signs of my coming and of the end of the age." He
probably said this because of the Jewish apocalyptic writers of his day, who were predicting
the Messiah's advent along with many calamities, signs and portents including war, famine,
pestilence and earthquakes. The disciples may have had such things in mind when they asked
Jesus about the "sign," and he attempted to straighten out their thinking.
MATTHEW 24 MARK 13 LUKE 17 & 21

1 Jesus left the temple and 1 As he was leaving the 21:5 Some of his disciples
was walking away when his temple, one of his disciples were remarking about how
disciples came up to him to said to him, "Look, the temple was adorned
call his attention to its Teacher! What massive with beautiful stones and
buildings. stones! What magnificent with gifts dedicated to God.
buildings!" But Jesus said,
2 "Do you see all these 2 "Do you see all these 21:6 "As for what you see
things?" he asked. "I tell you great buildings?" replied here, the time will See when
the truth, not one stone Jesus. "Not one stone here not one stone will be left on
here will be left on another; will be left on another; another; every one of them
every one will be thrown every one will be thrown will be thrown down."
down." down."
3 As Jesus was sitting on 3 As Jesus was sitting on 21:7 "Teacher," they asked,
the Mount of Olives, the the Mount of Olives "when will these things
disciples came to him opposite the temple, Peter, happen? And what will be
privately. "Tell us," they James, John and Andrew the sign that they are about
said, "when will this asked him privately, to take place?"
happen, and what will be 4 "Tell us, when will these
the sign of your Parousia, things happen? And what
and of the end of the age?" will be the sign that they are
all about to be fulfilled?
These parallel accounts illustrate the importance of the point that when the disciples asked
their question they were not asking about some far-off future event. Rather, they were asking
about the destruction of the temple, and they did not have in mind some invisible presence,
but a visible advent. Jesus took no steps to change their understanding. This is verified by
the way the account in Mark 13 frames their question about the "sign," which clearly refers
to the destruction of the temple only. It certainly is impossible to think that they needed
some "sign" to convince them that the temple had been destroyed or that its destruction was
taking place. They wanted some indication in advance of that event. The New English Bible
shows clearly this is the intent in its rendering of Mark 13:4:
'Tell us,' they said, 'when will this happen? What will be the sign when the fulfillment of all
this is at hand?'
18
Most English bibles render Mark 13:4 and Luke 21:7 something like "what will be the sign
when these things are about to occur." This goes along with the point that, since the disciples
did not know in advance that Jesus' Parousia would be invisible, they could not have been
asking about a sign that would allow recognition of such an invisible presence. They wanted
a sign of when things were about to occur.
Irrelevant Proofs for Wars
"Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom." (Matthew 24:7)
World War I began in 1914 with 28 nations involved, 14 million people killed. World War II
followed with 59 nations involved, 50 million people killed – Awake Magazine –Jehovah’
Witnesses
As shown above, this is a misapplication of Jesus' words, because he was warning against
precisely this interpretation of events. The Society has often said that Matthew 24:7 points
especially to world war. That the scripture does not do so can be seen by considering verse 6
together with verse 7: "You are going to hear of wars and reports of wars.... For nation will
rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom." Since, as the May 1, 1975 Watchtower said
on page 274, "Jesus' expression 'nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom' also
had a first-century application, so it is not limited to world wars," the verses apply equally
well to all wars. Therefore the Society cannot say that Jesus predicted world wars, although he
may have had it in mind. As stated earlier, understanding Jesus' words of verse 4, "Look out
that nobody misleads you" as a warning not to interpret the common misfortunes of
humanity as a sign of his coming, avoids these difficulties.
As to the war of 1914-1918 being the first "world war," note what several historians say. The
War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713) was "the first that can be called a 'world war,'
because it involved the overseas world together with the leading powers of Europe." The
Seven Years' War (1756-1763) "was to a greater degree than the War of the Austrian
Succession [1740-1748] a world war" which "came to embrace all the four continents of the
world and all the great oceans." The American War of Independence (1775-1783) turned
into a general global conflict:
.... what had started as an American revolution against England had exploded into a
worldwide war. French and Spanish fleets fought the British in the English Channel, the
West Indies and Gibraltar. The Spanish captured West Florida. Russia, Denmark, Sweden
and Prussia joined to break England's blockade on France and Spain. Holland, too, ran naval
stores to France, and supplied America so abundantly from the West Indies that England
declared war on her. Their two navies fought to a standstill in the North Sea. England's line
of ships and men was now stretched thin to circle the globe. [Irving Stone, Those Who Love,
Doubleday & Company, New York, 1965, pp. 311-2]
The Napoleonic Wars (1792-1815) began right after the French Revolution and comprised
the fourth world war that began in the 18th century. One world history book said:
19
It is convenient to think of the fighting from 1792 to 1814 as a 'world war,' as indeed it was,
affecting not only all of Europe but places as remote as Spanish America, where the wars of
independence began, or the interior of North America, where the United States purchased
Louisiana in 1803 and attempted a conquest of Canada in 1812. [Palmer & Colton, A History
of the Modern World to 1815, fifth edition, New York, 1978, pp. 382-3]
With regard to the wars that followed the Napoleonic wars another historian said:
None of these, however, was a world war of the type of those of the first fifteen years of the
nineteenth century [the Napoleonic wars during 1801-1815] which had involved not only all
Europe but in a lesser degree every continent of the globe. [Cyril Falls, A Hundred Years of
War, London, 1953, p. 161]
From the above quotations it is evident there is leeway in saying just what a "world war" is.
The wars described involved mostly Europe whereas other areas were ancillary. World War I
was similar:
However, all in all, it can be said that the war in theatres outside Europe was of minor
strategical importance. The 1914/18 war was essentially a European war. It came later to be
called a 'world war' because contingents from many parts of the British empire served in
Europe, and because the United States joined the Entente Powers in 1917. But in reality,
since the role of sea power was mostly passive, this was less a 'world war' than some
previous conflicts such as the Seven Years' War.... Whereas the 1914/18 war could hardly be
called a world conflict, there can be no such thought about the war brought on by Hitler in
1939. [Viscount Montgomery, A History of Warfare, pp. 470, 497]
With regard to the actual number of countries involved in World War I, the most that can be
said to have been involved in some way is 33, not the 28 Awake! stated. But many of these
played only a minor role, so the number of active participants is more like fifteen.
What about the death toll from World War I? Did it exceed that from any previous wars?
The answer depends on what is included. Are only soldiers counted, or civilians as well?
What about auxiliary things like disease related to war? Awake!'s figure of 14 million appears
to include 9 million direct battle related deaths plus 5 million civilian casualties, and is
reasonable. As to whether this exceeded the death toll of previous wars, note the following
historical information:
The conquest of Northern China in 1211-1218 by Genghis Khan is estimated to have cost
18 million Chinese lives. The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) was an international conflict
involving about 10 nations and is estimated to have killed about 2-3 million soldiers.
However, in Germany alone, some 7-8 million civilians were killed, and figures are not
available for civilians killed elsewhere. In 1644 the Manchus invaded China and in the
ensuing conflict an estimated 25 million were killed. In the Napoleonic Wars some 5-6
20
million died. The Taiping Rebellion in China (1850-1864) was a civil war in which anywhere
from 20 to 40 million died. The higher figure is given in the March 22, 1982 Awake!, page 7.
What is the point? This: The war which has come to be called World War I was neither
greater nor more destructive than many previous wars. That honor goes to World War II, so
any claims about great wars ought to consider 1939 or 1945 as being special, not 1914. Of
course, the Society will have none of that.
The most that can be said is that World War I was the most destructive "world war" up to
that time in terms of raw numbers of deaths. However, on a percentage basis, some previous
world wars were equal or greater. Assuming 14 million killed in World War I and a world
population of 1.8 billion, we get a death rate of about 780 per hundred thousand of total
population. With a world population of about 900 million around 1810, the death rate of the
Napoleonic Wars works out to about 600 per hundred thousand. Assuming an equal number
killed outside Germany in the Thirty Years' War, and a world population of 500 million in
the 17th century (see Awake!, Sept. 8, 1967, p. 4), the death rate is about 4000 per hundred
thousand. Which of these should be considered the "greatest" war?
So, World War II was the most destructive war of all time by any measure, and World War I
was about equal to the most destructive wars up to then. Other data show that overall, wars
in the 20th century are comparable to those in the 17th through 19th centuries, and so there
has been no particular change, certainly not since 1914. Two statements by historians of war
indicate this:
We must be careful to remember that this hypothesis has not really been confirmed, and that
there may actually be no trend at all. Unlikely as it sounds, there may have been no
significant change over time in the incidence of peace and war and in the casualties of
violence. Peace and war may occur about as frequently and last as long as they ever did;
casualties may also be very comparable to what they have always been. [Francis Beer, How
Much War in History: Definitions, Estimates, Extrapolations and Trends, Beverly Hills, 1974, pp. 46-
7]
Is war on the increase, as many scholars as well as laymen of our generation have been
inclined to believe? The answer would seem to be a very unambiguous negative. Whether we
look at the number of wars, their severity or magnitude, there is no significant trend upward
or down over the past 150 years. Even if we examine their intensities, we find that later wars
are by and large no different from those of earlier periods. [J. David Singer and Melvin
Small, The Wages of War 1816-1965, New York, 1972, p. 201]
Whatever claims or counterclaims may be made, one thing is clear: Jesus' statement about
wars has been fulfilled -- but not just in the 20th century or just since 1914. It has come true
in every generation since his day and up through the present. He made a simple statement that
there would be wars and rumors of wars, with nation rising against nation and kingdom
against kingdom. This has happened repeatedly throughout human history. Adding anything
21
to Jesus' words is pure speculation. The Watchtower Society's attempts to limit Jesus' words
to only the 20th century are a failure, because its claims are contradicted by the
overwhelming evidence of history
Irrelevant Proofs For Earthquakes
"There will be great earthquakes." (Luke 21:11) Earthquakes after 1914 -- consider a few
major ones. In 1915, in Italy, 32,610 lives lost; 1920, China, 200,000 killed; 1923, Japan,
143,000 killed; 1939, Turkey, 32,700 killed; 1970, Peru, 66,800 killed; 1976, China, 240,000
(some say 800,000) killed; 1988, Armenia, 25,000 killed. [G93 3/22 7]
As we have seen, there is no basis for concluding that the early part of Matthew 24 should
apply to the gospel age or the Lord’s return. So much is made of proofs of Jesus’ invisible
presence regarding the increase of earthquakes and wars. But given the real context, these
events apply to the time of Jerusalem’s destruction and not any other time period.
Putting that aside, scientific studies of earthquakes on the perceived rise is directly due to the
communication advances in the 19th and 20th centuries. In reality, the rate of earthquakes has
not risen in the last 2 millennia 11 12 13 and has, in fact, decreased since the early part of our
century. The burden of proof must be scientific and driven by data collected. We can't draw
the conclusion that the frequency of earthquakes is on the rise just because we hear about
them more easily than in previous centuries. If any are going to use this text as proof that
Jesus has returned because earthquakes have increased, then the evidence must be shown
from the data collected. The WTS has attempted to use data to prove that earthquakes have
indeed increased but have grossly misused the available data and distorted the facts.14
Here is a quote from the National Earthquake information Center - World Center A for
Seismology:
"Are Earthquakes Really on the Increase?

We continue to hear from many people throughout the world that earthquakes are on the
increase. Although it may seem that we are having more earthquakes, earthquakes of magnitude 7.0
or greater have remained fairly constant throughout this century and, according to our
records; have actually seemed to decrease in recent years.
A partial explanation may lie in the fact that in the last twenty years, we have
definitely had an increase in the number of earthquakes we have been able to locate each
year. This is because of the tremendous increase in the number of seismograph stations in
11
"Most certainly, there has been no increase in the seismic activity of the Mediterranean during this century. Quite the contrary, in the Eastern
Mediterranean the activity of this century has been abnormally low when compared with that of the 10th-12th and 18th centuries." – Professor N.
N. Ambraseys in a private letter to Carl Olof Jonsson
12
"I feel strongly that the seismicity has been stationary for thousands of years. . . . Excellent geological evidence for the stationarity has been
obtained by Prof. Kerry Sieh of Caltech, for the San Andreas fault." – Seismologist Keiiti Aki, professor at the Department of Geological
Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles in a private letter to Carl Olof Jonsson
13
For a full treatment on the subject, see Signs of the Last Days – When? By Carl Olof Jonsson and Wolfgang Herbst, Commentary Press, P.O.
Box 43532, Atlanta, GA 30336. 1987
14
ibid.
22
the world and the many improvements in global communications. In 1931, there were about
350 stations operating in the world; today, there are more that 4,000 stations and the data
now comes in rapidly from these stations by telex, computer and satellite. This increase in
the number of stations and the more timely receipt of data has allowed us and other
seismological centers to locate many small earthquakes which were undetected in earlier
years, and we are able to locate earthquakes more rapidly. The NEIC now locates about
12,000 to 14,000 earthquakes each year or approximately 35 per day. Also, because of the
improvements in communications and the increased interest in natural disasters, the public
now learns about more earthquakes. (italics added for emphasis)"15
Fig. A - Number of Earthquakes Greater than 7.0 from 1900-1995

Total 1900-1995 = 1921 events = 20 per year (average). Statistics were compiled from the
Earthquake Data Base System of the U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake
Information Center, Golden CO
Professional seismologists are unaware of any difference in the number of earthquakes

before or after 1914, and the Watch Tower Society nor the Russellites cannot or will not cite
any who agree with their claims. If one looks at typical listings of earthquakes one may find
that there appears to have been a large increase in earthquakes in the 20th century compared
to prior centuries, but this seeming increase is due to three things: (1) Old records are
incomplete. (2) Modern seismographs began to be systematically installed around the world
in 1897, and a major effort was completed in the early 1960s to upgrade seismograph
stations around the world with the latest automatic recording equipment. (3) It takes a great
deal of effort to obtain reasonably complete earthquake listings, and most seismologists who
write popular books containing such listings are unwilling to invest the time. So any seeming
increase in earthquake activity is due to a lack of complete records and to worldwide
instrument monitoring since 1897. Modern records include earthquakes far out to sea, which
would have passed unnoticed in earlier times
15
http://gldss7.cr.usgs.gov/neis/general/handouts/increase_in_earthquakes.html
23
Earthquakes seem to occur pretty much at random, so there can be major statistical
fluctuations in frequency. For example, the two decades prior to 1914, from 1894 through
1913, had a total of 57 quakes of magnitude 8 and up, while the 73 years from 1914 through
1986 had 105 such quakes. That means on average twice the number of large quakes
occurred per year in the 20 years before 1914 as in all the years since. When all earthquakes
from magnitude 7 and up are checked for those years, one decade is statistically
indistinguishable from any other.1 A plot of the number of earthquakes occurring in a given
year versus time looks very much like a stock market chart. Like such a chart, if the time
period under examination is short enough, trends can seem to appear. In 1986, one
seismologist wrote, "There are indications that worldwide seismic activity -- if expressed in
terms of earthquakes with magnitude 7 or over -- has decreased steadily in the time from the
beginning of the 20th century until now."2
Irrelevant Proofs for Pestilence
"In one place after another pestilences." (Luke 21:11) As World War I ended, some 21
million people were felled by the Spanish flu. Since then, heart disease, cancer, AIDS, and
other pestilences have killed hundreds of millions. [G93 3/22 7]
"And no bells tolled and nobody wept no matter what his loss because almost everyone
expected death.... And people said and believed, 'This is the end of the world.'" -- An Italian
chronicler writing on the effects of the Black Death in the 14th century. [Quoted in April 8,
1988 Awake! p. 3]
Note that Jehovah’s Witnesses Awake! Magazine Includes heart disease and cancer among
the pestilences of our time. But this is grasping at straws because heart disease and cancer are
not "pestilences." The use of any word depends on its generally accepted meaning. In
English, "pestilence" implies a rapidly spreading epidemic disease such as smallpox or
bubonic plague. The Greek word loimos, translated in Luke 21:11 as "pestilence," means a
"deadly infectious malady" according to Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words. The
Society's Bible dictionary Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 1, page 617, gives the definition of
"pestilence" as: "Any rapidly spreading infectious disease capable of attaining epidemic
proportions and of causing death." The Bible uses other words when speaking of diseases in
general as opposed to pestilences.
Obviously, cancer and heart disease are not pestilences, even according to the Society's own
Bible dictionary, so Awake! is dishonest in claiming they are. The argument is grasping at
straws because the writer is reduced to claiming diseases that used to be those of old age are
"pestilences." The main reason cancer and heart disease are prevalent today is that the
advances of medicine since the end of the 19th century have reduced "pestilences" so greatly
that many more people live to be old enough to die from age related diseases rather than
infectious diseases. This is shown by the drastic decrease in child mortality in the more
developed countries in the 20th century.
24
It can even be argued that by calling cancer and heart disease "pestilences," the writer of
Awake! shows he knows very well that true pestilences have decreased since 1914. This is
true because if all diseases can also be termed pestilences, then any change in what diseases
people generally die from will have almost no effect on the death rate due to disease. This is
simply because if people do not die of a pestilence in youth they will die of another disease
in old age. Cancer and heart disease tend to be diseases of old age. Therefore, interpreting
Jesus' statement about pestilence as referring to disease in general results in nothing
measurable and is of no value as a sign.
The fact is that, because of medical advances, epidemic disease plays a minor role in the 20th
century compared to what it did in earlier times. While AIDS has become notorious in the
1980s, even it doesn't very well fit the definition of pestilence since it mostly attacks people
who engage in avoidable forms of behavior. Pestilence in the Biblical sense strikes everyone
equally and without warning, and AIDS has certainly not been evident for most of the 20th
century. Some other true "pestilences" have lately been increasing, but most epidemic
diseases are simply not something the average person lives in fear of.
This contrasts greatly with times past. In 542-543 the "plague of Justinian" killed some 100
million people. In the 14th century the Black Death killed an estimated 75 to 125 million
people in six years -- about one-sixth to one-fourth the population of the known world.
Some cities and villages were virtually depopulated. Because so many were killed, many
historians have called the Black Death the most lethal disaster in recorded history short of
the Flood. One historian noted:
The impact of the Black Death, the greatest ecological upheaval, has been compared to that
of the two world wars of the twentieth century. To a degree this is true. But the Black
Death... wrought even more essential change.... The effects of this natural and human
disaster changed Europe profoundly, perhaps more so than any other series of events. For
this reason, alone, the Black Death should be ranked as the greatest biological-environmental
event in history, and one of the major turning points of Western Civilization. [Robert S.
Gottfried, The Black Death, 1983, p. 163]
Nothing even remotely like these plagues has occurred in the 20th century. While the
Spanish flu killed some 21 million people in 1918, that was only about one-hundredth the
world's population. If the Society's claims about pestilence were correct, surely we would
now see the worst pestilences of all time and live in constant fear of them.
Irrelevant Proofs for Food Shortages
"There will be food shortages." (Matthew 24:7) The greatest famine in all history struck
after World War I. Another terrible one followed World War II, and now malnutrition
affects one fifth of the world's population. Annually, some 14 million children die from
malnutrition. [g93 3/22 7]
25
The greatest recorded famine of all time... struck China between 1878 and 1879.... Estimates
of the number of Chinese who died in that famine vary from 9 to 13 million. [The Watchtower,
April 15, 1983, page 3]
It seems as if the left hand does not know what the right is doing in the Society's writing
department. The question begs to be asked, does either hand know what it's doing at all?
But, even the 1983 Watchtower is incorrect. The Chinese famine of 1849 took nearly 14
million lives, and the famine that struck India in 1769-1770 may have killed tens of millions.
It should be noted that there is a great difference between the gross food shortages, or
famine, implied by the Bible writer, and malnutrition. There are very many people earth wide
who are malnourished in the sense they don't receive enough of the right type of food, but
there are far fewer that are actually starving and fit the term used by Matthew. In times past
nearly everyone was malnourished in some way. Vitamin deficiencies such as caused rickets
and scurvy were nearly universal, and this situation has been rectified only in the more
developed nations. This is clearly not what the Bible writer referred to. Rather, he was
talking about acute catastrophes of famine. This sort of famine has occurred all throughout
human history, so the point is whether acute famine is much worse in the 20th century than
in previous ones.
As with the claim of pestilence, it is not difficult to show that famines have decreased greatly
in the 20th century compared to prior ones. Four famines struck China in 1810, 1811, 1846
and 1849, and killed at least 45 million. Cannibalism was reported to be rampant. All told,
some 100 million people starved to death in China alone in the 19th century. What about the
20th century? In 1958-1961 a severe famine struck China, in which anywhere from 8 to 30
million died. Perhaps another 5 million in China have died in the 20th century. So China,
whose population in the 20th century is more than double what it was in the 19th, has
experienced significantly less famine in both absolute and relative terms in the 20th century.
In almost every country of Europe and the Americas, famine became almost unknown by
the mid-20th century. In much of the rest of the world it is the same as it has always been.
The most severe famines in nearly every part of the world occurred before 1914. While
malnutrition is certainly a problem and famines still occur, the situation was well described in
1975 by one food expert: "We might be inclined to deduce from the pictorial evidence of
famine that we have seen recently on television, in newspapers, and in magazines that the
world is more prone to famine now than it used to be. But the evidence is clearly to the
contrary.... There has been a rather substantial reduction in the incidence of famine during
the past century." For this reason, when famine does strike it is big news.
Irrelevant Proofs for Lawlessness
"Increasing of lawlessness." (Matthew 24:12) Lawlessness has run wild since 1914; today
it is exploding. Murders, rapes, robberies, gang wars -- they dominate the headlines and fill
the newscasts. Politicians rip off the public, teenagers carry guns and kill, and schoolchildren
26
prey on one another. In many areas it is not safe to walk the streets even in daytime. [G93
3/22 7]
A late secular paper of some note said that crimes were becoming so frequent that they, in
their weekly issue, could only make a statement of them, not having room for particulars....
we are now living in a time when crime and corruption have assumed prodigious
proportions. [May, 1882 Zion's Watch Tower]
There is no question that lawlessness abounds today. The question is whether it is any worse
than in any other time period, or does it just seem that way? People often look wistfully back
at the 19th century and wish that conditions were as peaceful and crime-free today. But
notice what the May, 1882 Zion's Watch Tower had to say, which is quoted in part above:
The word teaches that "in the last days" (of this age) "evil men and seducers shall wax worse
and worse" (2 Tim. 3:1,13); but their wise men tell us the world is growing better and better,
and yet a late secular paper of some note said that crimes were becoming so frequent that they,
in their weekly issue, could only make a statement of them, not having room for particulars.
It is a fact, not an assumption, but a solemn fact, that we are now living in a time when crime
and corruption have assumed prodigious proportions, not only in the lower grades of society,
but in what are called the upper grades. Even all the machinery of church and state seems to
be so rotten that many are exclaiming, without knowing that their utterances are the
fulfillment of the spirit of prophecy: "I don't know what we are coming to!" Thus already
their hearts are beginning to "fail them for fear, and for looking after those things which are
coming on the earth." Luke 21:26.
No sane man today, unless he is trying to sustain a creed, fails to see (recognize) that thrones
stand unsteady, and that throughout the world there is a feeling of distrust among all classes;
there is "perplexity." Luke 21:25. Verily, the foundations of the earth do shake. But it is only
the beginning of God's "controversy with the people." Plain as these things seem to those who
are looking, yet the "wise" (?) men say "peace and safety." [p. 6; pp. 352-3 Reprints]
"All things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." 2 Peter 3:4.
So even at its very foundation the Watchtower Society was claiming

fulfillment of scriptures such as Matthew 24:12. Such scriptures are so broadly
applicable that they can hardly be used to pinpoint any time period.
To put the issue into better perspective, note what historian Barbara Tuchman wrote:
After absorbing the news of today, one expects to face a world consisting entirely of strikes,
crimes, power failures, broken water mains, stalled trains, school shutdowns, muggers, drug
addicts, neo-Nazis, and rapists.... This has led me to formulate Tuchman's Law, as follows:
27
"The fact of being reported multiplies the apparent extent of any deplorable development by
five-to tenfold." [A Distant Mirror, page xviii]
As usual, the Russellites and Watch Tower Society gives no supporting data, and in
particular, makes no comparison of current to past crime figures. Apparently the reader is
assumed to agree and no further discussion is needed. This implicitly relies on the typical
reader's ignorance of historical context. An exception in a past discussion is found in
Reasoning from the Scriptures, which on page 237 states:
A leading criminologist says: "The one thing that hits you in the eye when you look at crime
on the world scale is a pervasive and persistent increase everywhere. Such exceptions as
there are stand out in splendid isolation, and may soon be swamped in the rising tide." (The
Growth of Crime, New York, 1977, Sir Leon Radzinowicz and Joan King, pp. 4, 5)
This sounds very impressive until you read the context from which the quotation was taken.
The book discusses the increase in crime of the last few decades. The authors nowhere state
that this increase is unprecedented in history. Commenting on the theory proposed by certain
modern criminologists that "there is not more violence about, but that we are much more
sensitive to violence than were our less civilized ancestors," the authors said:
That is all very well if the comparison goes a fair way back.... A longer view, peering into the
middle ages, or even the eighteenth century, might well give more substance to the theory.
With all our crime, our society as a whole is more secure, less savage, than theirs.... The mere
fact that towns had to be walled, that castles had to provide refuge for the surrounding
villagers and their belongings, that travelers had to take their own protection with them bears
witness to the constant threat of brigands as well as the needs of warfare. Indeed the two
would often be hard to distinguish. [ibid, pp. 10-1]
Some studies of long term crime have shown that it is cyclical: it rises for awhile and then
falls. This is the general pattern of human society. Nearly everything imaginable goes up and
goes down. So it is today. The difficulty in recognizing such patterns is that the cycles usually
occur over several generations, so the pattern is hard to see from the perspective of a single
lifetime. Some countries such as the United States have experienced a crime wave in the last
few decades while in others crime has decreased. From about the mid-1930s to the mid-
1950s crime decreased in the United States and other areas, while in other places it increased.
Actually, the 20th century is rather unusual in one way. In the past, crime rates have gone up
drastically in times of famine and plague. This is only natural considering what famine and
plague do to societies. But in the 20th century famines and plagues have been far less severe
worldwide than ever before. One might, therefore, expect the crime rate to go down. Since it
is staying at close to long term historical levels, there seems to be a decoupling of crime from
famine and plague. This would take some explaining, although seen in a long-term historical
context it may be just another statistical fluctuation.
28
There is good reason for understanding Jesus' words at Matthew 24:12 as applying, not to
the world as a whole, but to professed Christians. Jesus described what would happen to his
followers in Matthew 24:9-11:
Then people will deliver you up to tribulation and will kill you, and you will be objects of
hatred by all the nations on account of my name. Then, also, many will be stumbled and will
betray one another and will hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and mislead
many.
In this context of religious events Jesus immediately says:
And because of the increasing of lawlessness the love of the greater number will cool off.
With no difficulty at all this "lawlessness" can be understood to mean the religious
lawlessness described at Matthew 7:23 and 23:28: "Get away from me, you workers of
lawlessness," and "in that way you also, outwardly indeed, appear righteous to men, but
inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." Matthew 13:41 says that the angels would
"collect out from his kingdom all things that cause stumbling and persons who are doing
lawlessness." So it is not possible to say with certainty exactly what is meant by "the increase
of lawlessness." Scripturally alone it could apply to the world in general or to professed
Christians. The facts of history indicate it applies to Christians.
Irrelevant Proofs for Anguish of Nations
"Anguish of nations, not knowing the way out... Men become faint out of fear and
expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth." (Luke 21:25, 26) Crime,
violence, drug addiction, family breakups, economic instability, and unemployment -- the list
is long and growing. One prominent scientist wrote: "We will eat fear, sleep fear, live in fear
and die in fear." [G93 3/22 7]
The nations are perplexed, and are preparing for a terrible struggle; huge engines of war are
being multiplied by land and sea; millions of men are under arms, and still their numbers are
increased, while the people are becoming desperate and alarmed. [Three Worlds, 1877, C. T.
Russell and N. H. Barbour]
As far back in history as anyone can find, end-times proclaimers have applied this scripture
and the parallel ones in Matthew and Mark to their own day. The first publication that
detailed what has become the Society's end-times chronology, Three Worlds and the Harvest of
this World, published in 1877 by C. T. Russell and N. H. Barbour, as shown earlier, used the
application. Similarly the September, 1879 Zion's Watch Tower said, on page 26 of the Reprints:
Today every civilized nation is in dread, and Nihilism, Communism and Socialism, are
household words, and we see "men's hearts failing for fear and for looking after those things
coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven (governments) shall be shaken." Luke xxi. 26.
29
Again we find a scripture that sincere Christians find very applicable to their own day. If
these scriptures can have such flexible interpretations, of what value are they in trying to
establish a Bible chronology?
But can these applications of Luke 21 really be what Luke is talking about? Do we now see
great numbers of people actually becoming "faint out of fear?" Yes, people worry about
things, but the fear of crime, war, disease or any other calamity seldom produces more than a
sense of unease. There is little of the extreme agitation Luke writes about. There is a strong
sense of universal panic in Luke's words. The parallel account at Matt. 24:30 shows this
clearly:
And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the
earth will beat themselves in lamentation.
As already pointed out, the Society misapplies Luke 21:25, 26 the same way it misapplies the
rest of Luke 21 and the parallel passages in Matthew and Mark. The context of the quoted
scripture shows that in verses 20-24, Luke first writes about the destruction of Jerusalem,
and then in verse 25 begins describing the special sign the disciples had asked him about to
begin with:
Also, there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations, not
knowing the way out because of the roaring of the sea and [its] agitation, while men become
faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth; for the
powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory.
So it is the actual sign of the Son of man appearing in the heavens immediately before his
manifestation before the whole world that produces the fear and agitation. The sign is so
unmistakable that everyone on earth can see it, and it terrifies them. It cannot be the
ordinary occurrences -- war, earthquakes, etc., that Jesus is talking about, because he had
already warned the disciples that those ordinary calamities would continue to occur as usual,
and they should not be bothered by them.
The above discussion was written in the spring of 1993 and is based on the work of earlier
commentators. At the District assemblies of 1993 the Society did a complete about-face on
its understanding of the above quoted scriptures and essentially agreed with the conclusions
of the above discussion. Here are a few relevant statements from the talk "Tell Us, When
Will These Things Be?"
The Gospel passages in Matthew, Mark and Luke combine with Revelation 17 through 19 to
shed considerable light on what will soon occur. At God's fixed time the great tribulation
will begin with an attack against the world empire of false religion, Babylon the Great. This
will be particularly intense against Christendom, which corresponds to unfaithful Jerusalem.
It will be immediately after this phase of the tribulation that there will be "signs in sun and
30
moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations," as Matthew 24:29 and Luke 21:25
describe.
In what sense will the sun be darkened, the moon not give light, the stars fall from heaven
and the powers of heaven be shaken? Doubtless, in the early parts of the great tribulation,
many luminaries -- prominent clergymen of the religious world -- will have been exposed
and eliminated by the ten horns mentioned at Revelation 17:16. No doubt the political
powers, too, will have been shaken up. Could there also be frightening events in the physical
heavens? More than likely, yes. And far more awe-inspiring than those described by
Josephus, as occurring near the end of the Jewish system. We well recall that in ancient past
God displayed a power to cause such cataclysmic events and effects.
At this point all three gospel writers use the word tote to introduce the next development.
"Then," -- tote, -- "the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven." Since World War I
Jesus' true disciples have discerned the composite sign of the invisible presence, while most
people have not recognized it. So Matthew 24:30 points forward to a further sign appearing,
that of the Son of man, and all nations will be compelled to take note of it. Upon Jesus'
coming with the clouds of invisibility, as Revelation 1:7 states, opposing humans worldwide
will have to recognize that coming, because of the supernatural demonstration of his kingly
power.
Matthew 24:30 uses tote once more, to introduce what comes next. The nations, sensing the
consequence of their situation, will beat themselves and lament. They will recognize that
their destruction is imminent.
Irrelevant Proofs for Persecution
"People will lay their hands upon you and persecute you." (Luke 21:12) Starting in
1914 and through the years, Jehovah's Witnesses have been cruelly arrested, falsely
convicted, mobbed, and thrown into Hitler's concentration camps by the thousands, where
they were tortured, many killed, some brutally by beheading. In other lands, both in
dictatorships and in democracies, their work of witnessing to Jehovah and his Kingdom has
been banned and the Witnesses thrown in jail. All of this in fulfillment of Jesus' words for
the last days. -- Matthew 5:11, 12; 24:9; Luke 21:12; 1 Peter 4:12, 13.
The Watchtower Society always presents a negative image of professed Christians, even of
those other than Jehovah's Witnesses who are now experiencing persecution for their faith.
In this way Jehovah's Witnesses are led to believe that persecution is unique to them. We
don’t see any exclusive persecutions started form 1874 or in 1914, persecutions were right
from the beginning of the Gospel age and will be thru out the end of the age, Persecution in
the plan if God has never been restricted to a particular period or age. But Surprisingly! No
Russellite Will comment on the above verse, it is because that no bible students have been
persecuted or imprisoned neither in 1874 nor in 1914 – Interesting isn’t it!!!
31
Irrelevant Proofs for Preaching of the Good News
"This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth."
(Matthew 24:14) What good news? The good news of Christ's Kingdom ruling from
heaven, for that was the question put to Jesus that produced his prophecy of the composite
sign of that event. It has been preached by Jehovah's Witnesses since 1914. Four thousand
were doing it in 1919, over four million by 1990, and in 1992 in one month 4,472,787. Bible
literature was distributed in some 200 languages in 229 lands. Never before has this feature
of the composite sign been fulfilled. [g93 3/22 8]
[With reference to Matthew 24:14,] this witness has already been given. In 1861, the Bible
Societies' reports showed that the Gospel had been published in every language of earth; not
that all earth's myriads had received it. No; not one in a hundred of the twelve hundred
millions have ever heard of the name of Jesus. Yet it has fulfilled the text -- it has been a
witness to every nation. We understand that the object of the present witnessing is "To take
out a people for His name." [Zion's Watch Tower, July, 1879, p. 4 Reprints]
In the 1897 book The Battle of Armageddon C. T. Russell wrote, on page 568:
This witness has already been given: the word of the Lord, the gospel of the Kingdom, has
been published to every nation of earth. Each individual has not heard it; but that is not the
statement of the prophecy. It was to be, and has been, a national proclamation. And the end
has come! "The harvest is the end of the age," our Lord explained. (Matt. 13:39)Verifying
whether these aspects of Matthew's account have been fulfilled by Jehovah's Witnesses
hinges entirely on the question, Are the doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses the truth? If they
are not, then they are lost in the sea of the teachings of” Christendom." The claim that
Christ's kingdom has been ruling from heaven was not made beginning in 1914, so Jehovah’s
witnesses claim is a blatant misrepresentation. C. T. Russell believed Christ was ruling from
heaven since 1878, and the Society retained that belief until 1922. J. F. Rutherford salvaged
as many of Russell's doctrines as he could, and gradually abandoned the rest. The move of
the beginning of Christ's heavenly rule from 1878 to 1914 was part of the salvage operation.
But is this what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 24 ? Was he referring to the end of the
age or to the destruction of Jerusalem? If we go by logic alone, it would indeed be proper to
consider the quotes above as being correct. But if we can find a scripture that would apply
the preaching of the gospel to the beginning of the Gospel age then we can put aside the
argument presented in the Scripture Studies. Consider Romans 10:15-18:
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written,

how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of
peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith,
Lord, who hath believed our report?
32
17 So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word

of God.
18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound
went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of
the world.
Paul asserts that in his own day that the gospel had indeed gone unto the ends of the earth,
well before the destruction of Jerusalem! And again in Romans:
1:8 - First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all,
that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
Colossians 1:6 - All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit
and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day
you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth.
Colossians 1:23 - if you continue in your faith, established and

firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is
the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to
every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have
become a servant.
Obviously there is enough evidence in the scriptures that the whole world had been
preached to. Apparently the phrase was meant in a general sense and not the literal sense as
we could apply it. Who are we to argue with Paul?
The Parable of the Fig Tree Matthew 24:32-33
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet
tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh:
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is
near, [even] at the doors. (KJV)
This verse is a very important one in identifying the ABS position regarding where we are in
the stream of time. This verse in Matthew 24 has been interpreted by Russellites as Jesus
pointing to a time when Israel would begin to be restored as a nation. Quoting Pastor
Russell:
Ever since that time, the Jews have been desolate and blighted as a nation.
But there is a promise that this blighted fig tree shall again become a living
tree--a living nation. They are to be restored to Divine favor, after their
"double" of disfavor has been fulfilled. [See STUDIES IN THE
SCRIPTURES, Vol. 2, pp. 217-230.] This "double" we understand has been
33
accomplished, and this is the meaning of the great awakening now among the
Jews, and of the great Zionist movement.
Speaking of the time of His Second Advent and of the nearness then of the
Kingdom, Jesus said, "Learn a parable of the fig tree: When her branch is yet
tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near; so ye in like
manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even
at the doors." (`Mark 13:28,29`.) The Jewish nation has been having a long
winter time. But the spring time of this nation is now at hand. We already see
this fig tree putting forth leaves. So we see that the lesson of the blighted fig
tree was not merely a lesson for an hour, but a lesson to all the Lord's people
from that time even until now.16
It is not the intent of the author to discredit the interpretation of the Fig Tree as
representing Israel. Perhaps it is. However, we must examine the context of Jesus' words and
see if he is really making a point of the rebirth of Israel or just using a simple word picture to
help the disciples understand when he would be returning.
The first consideration should be the question of whether or not it was Jesus' intent to
identify the fig tree as the nation of Israel. The answer can be, maybe. Jesus had cursed the
fig tree a few days before and identified it as Israel's lack of fruitage. But it is a tenuous
position to insist that is the implication of Jesus words. Consider Revelation 6:13:
And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree
casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
Is the point that the fig tree represents Israel or is it a word picture to help us envision the
falling of the stars of heaven? Obviously, applying this verse to Israel would not be
appropriate. Could it be that in Matthew 24, Jesus is just creating a word picture for us?
Draw your own conclusion. Looking in Romans we can emphatically conclude that the olive
tree (Romans 11:11,17-19) represents Israel. But there are no other direct scriptures
indicating that the fig tree represents Israel in Matthew 24. The argument is implicit and
therefore, can not be considered absolute.
Another point to consider is Jesus statement of “ye shall see all these things…" The question
we should ask is "what are these things?" Jesus is referring to the previous verses:
24:29-30 - Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall

the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and
the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens
shall be shaken: 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
16
34
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. (KJV)
It is if he is saying, "When you see the tribulation of those days, the sun darkened, moonlight
being blocked, etc. then you shall know that I am about to reveal myself. I will reveal myself
not just to you but to the whole world. It is not to say you will know that I am present
because of the rebirth of Israel but I am about to arrive when you see the signs I just
mentioned previously.”
Even if the conclusion is that Israel is the fig tree is correct, one should not conclude that it
proves that he is present but that he is about to arrive. The "flood" is about to hit the earth
(verses 27-38.)
Parousia is it Gradual ?
Matthew 24:27 - For as the lightning goes forth from the east
and shines to the west, so shall be the coming of the Son of
man - Darby Translation
Luke 17:24 - For the Son of Man in his day will be like the
lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end
to the other
Much has been made over the lightning as described in Matthew 24, and rightly so. Does the
word for lightning (astrape) in this context mean lightning or simply, bright shining? The
center of the argument is the fact that in Matthew’s account, Jesus uses the word ‘east.’ One
can interpret this as the rising (bright shining) of the sun. The fact that Jesus mentions the
‘west’ would seem to indicate that it would show the path of the sun, but why would Jesus
use a path for lightning when in fact, lightning is so unpredictable? To get the full import of
this argument we quote from Br. Russell:
"Our Lord furnished us a most beautiful illustration of the manner in

which his presence will be revealed, when he said, "As the bright-shining
emerges from the east, and illuminates even unto the west, so will be the
<presence> of the Son of man." (`Matt. 24:27`) That most translations of this
verse are faulty in using the word lightning, where sunlight is meant, is evident; for
lightning flashes do not come out of the east and shine unto the west.
They just as frequently come from other quarters, and rarely, if ever, flash
clear across the heavens. The Lord's illustration, and the only one which will
comport with his words, is the sun's brightness, which does invariably emerge
from the east and shine even unto the west. The Greek word <astrape>, here
35
used, is thus shown to be improperly translated in this text, and also in the
account of the same words by `Luke (17:24)`. Another instance of the use of
this word <astrape> by our Lord is found in `Luke 11:36`, where it applies to
the brightness of a candle, and in the common version is rendered "bright-
shining."
Incorrect ideas of the manner of our Lord's coming and revealing, firmly fixed
in the minds of translators, led them into this error of translating <astrape>
by the word "lightning." They supposed that he would be revealed suddenly,
like a flash of lightning, and not gradually, like the dawning sunlight. But how
beautiful is the figure of sunrise, as illustrating the gradual dawning of truth
and blessing in the day of his presence."17
Here, Pastor Russell presents only two interpretations, the sun and the lightning that travels
from one side of the sky to the other. Are either of these interpretations correct? First we
must deal with the concept of the sun.
As Pastor Russell points out in this and other of his writings, the word astrape must be
translated according to the setting. In Luke 11:36, the illustration of the candle demands
‘bright shining.’ In other accounts, the setting demands that it be translated lightning:
Luke 10:18 - He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Bright Shining would not make a great deal of sense here. The picture is suddenness of his
fall.
Revelation 4:5 - From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of
thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of
God.
Lightning must be used in this and other places in Revelation.
What about Matthew and Luke’s account of Jesus’ words? Why would not Jesus say, “As the
sun (Helios) shines (astrape) from the east even unto the west…” Would this not be a better
illustration of the sun? What does this passage really mean then?
The Real Meaning of Matthew 24:27
A third rendering of this account is usually never discussed. The lightning in this text is not
meant to illustrate its own travel from the east to the west. It is meant to show that lightning
in the east lights up even the western sky. The NIV translation of Luke’s account renders
this perfectly!
17
The Time is at Hand - Study 5 - Manner of the Second Advent Pg. 155-156 (italics and bold added for emphasis)
36
Luke 17:24 - For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes
and lights up the sky from one end to the other.
Various Translations of Matthew 24:27 depicts more light
• For as the lightning lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man
comes.- New Living Translation © 1996 Tyndale Charitable Trust
• For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the
coming of the Son of Man.- New International Version © 1973, 1978, 1984
International Bible Society
• "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will
the coming of the Son of Man be.- New American Standard Bible © 1995 Lockman
Foundation
• For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west;
so shall be the coming of the Son of man. - American Standard Version 1901 Info
• For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even to the west; so shall
also the coming of the Son of man be. - Noah Webster Version 1833 Info
All the above translations convey that the lightning which cometh out of east can
also seen in West (ASV) or the Lightning comes from the east will Flashes even unto the
west ( NASB) or the Lightning lights up the Entire Sky (NLT). If sun light is meant in the
above context does not it would be ridicule to say that the sun light when rises in the east
will be also seen in west , How can sun light can be seen in the west if the sun rises on
east?, would not one part of the earth be in dark (west) when sun rises on the other part i.e.
east !
The idea is that all can see the sky lit up from a flash of lightning, unless of course you are
sleeping and not watching for it. The lightning fits in with all the other accounts of our
Lord’s return showing suddenness and terror for those who are not awake but certainly not
gradual.
Behold I Come as a Thief 1 Thes 5:2
The arguments about Jesus having to arrive invisibly have some implicit scriptures to
possibly support them. But the argument can just as easily be turned around to defend a
37
visible presence as well. Such is the case with the analogy of the "Thief in the Night." The
argument for the invisible presence is a simple one, with which all Russellites are familiar
with. Here is one example from Pastor Russell:18
"These scriptures plainly state and illustrate the manner of the Lord's coming.
They show that he will be present unseen, doing a work of which the world
for a time will be entirely unaware. His arrival must therefore be in a quiet
manner, unobserved, and entirely unknown to the world, just "as a thief"
would come, without noise or other demonstration to attract attention."
As previously stated, if this were the only scripture that define how our Lord would return,
we could make a case for an invisible presence. But we can easily make a case for a visible
one, as well. The thought is that Christians must not be caught up in the cares of this world
(e.g. sleeping), but must be active and looking for his appearing in the clouds. Jesus states
this nicely in Matthew 24:43-44:
"But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at

what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept
watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you
also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an
hour when you do not expect him."
The idea is shown that the owner of the house (any individual member of his body) must
keep watch so the thief (Jesus) doesn't take us by surprise when he arrives, for he will
erchomai (come) at an unanticipated hour, an hour that can't be known.
So, as we can see, there is no definitive or explicit interpretation of the thief in the night but
must be considered together with the subject as a whole. Jesus chooses this illustration to
impress the suddenness of his arrival. There will be no going back to fix things we should
have done before. It will be too late.
In 1 Thes. 5:2 Paul writes to the brethren that he has no need to tell them about the time
aspect for they knew to a "nicety" (the meaning in the Greek), not the hour of Christ's
coming, but were aware of the uncertainty and suddenness of it, "as a thief in the night." No
thief comes gradually, present unseen and subsequently revealed. Thessalonians were not in
darkness therefore that the day of the Lord would overtake them as a thief. Others would be
ensnared because not watching.
As The Days of Noah - Matthew 24:37-39 & Luke 17:26-30
To continue, however, in Matthew 24, Jesus further replies to the question about the sign of
His coming that prior to His return there will be general indifference towards it and
18
The Time is at Hand, pg. 144
38
ignorance of its approach. Read very carefully these words which occur in verses 36-39: "But
of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But
as the days (time -Weymouth) of Noah were, so shall also the coming (Parousia) of the Son
of man be. For as in the days (time - Weymouth) that were before the flood they were eating
and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming
(Parousia) of the Son of man be."
The days of Noah before the flood are the basis of our Lord's illustration. Just as then they
knew not until the flood came so shall there be the same lack of knowledge before the
arrival of the Son of man. Conditions prior to the arrival of the flood are compared with
those which shall precede the arrival of the Son of man. There was a lack of knowledge on
the part of men generally before the flood and this will find its parallel in the days preceding
the Lord's coming. The parallel be it noted, is not between conditions after the flood had
come and conditions after the Lord's arrival but, as has been said, the parallel is between
preceding conditions in both cases. Thus the sign of His coming concerning which Jesus was
asked, is something which precedes the event and not something that indicates it has already
taken place, the real meaning of the question being shown by a comparison of the three
accounts in the Diaglott translation:- "What will be the sign of thy presence and of the
consummation of the age?" (Matt. 24: 3). "What will be the sign when (all - Mark) these
things are about to be accomplished" (Mark 13: 4; Luke 21:7)?
The flood came suddenly and unexpectedly when they knew not, and so will be the Parousia
of the Son of man. There was no reason to proclaim or prove the flood was present. They knew,
and so shall the Parousia of the Son of man be. The figure in Luke 17 of the fire from
heaven on Sodom is equally expressive of the sudden and unexpected nature of this event.
If we are to take an equal comparison of Noah and Jesus, then the people of Noah’s time
must not have been aware of Noah. Obviously, this does not make a lot of sense. Taking the
analogy to the fullest extent and Jesus’ invisible presence were only known to the faithful at
this time, then no one other than Noah's family should have been aware of Noah’s presence.
We should also consider contrasting the analogy of Sodom and Gomorrah with the analogy
of Noah’s day. Is this an analogy of Jesus' invisible presence? Nothing in these verses can be
used to make a comparison to an invisible presence. The comparison is the suddenness of
these cities destruction. God came upon those cities suddenly with his entire wrath. God
came upon all the people in Noah’s day suddenly with the flood. Jesus will come upon the
ungodly immediately upon his arrival. It is the simplest and most consistent way to read all
the accounts of his arrival.
It is interesting to note here that a careful comparison of the two parallel accounts in Matt.
24: 37-39 and Luke 17: 26-30 will reveal that the days of Noah, the conditions prevailing,
and the coming of the flood on the same day he entered the ark are in Matthew referred to
39
the Parousia (vv 27, 37, 39) whereas the identical details are applied in Luke to the apokalupsis
(v.30). In the same connection, Matt. 24: 40, 41 and Luke 17: 35, 36 should be compared as
well. In both cases the coming is swift, unexpected, and definitely fixed. On a certain day,
there will be a swift Parousia with a swift apakalupsis, for "behold, I come quickly."
“I COME QUICKLY" (SPEEDILY) REV 3:11
Why is this stressed so often in the New Testament and what purpose is there in so swift a
coming? (Rev 2:5, 16; 3:1; 11:14; 22:7, 12, 20) The Word Quickly translated from the Greek
word tachu (Strongs #G5035) which means quickly, speedily without delay. He comes as the
lightning, instantaneously, not gradually as the sunrise. As swiftly as the flood of Noah, as
suddenly as the fire from heaven on Sodom, shall he His arrival; as swiftly, as unexpectedly,
and as surely on a definitely fixed day as the "selfsame" days of Noah and Lot. He shall
descend, and in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the saints shall ascend to meet Him,
and mortality shall be swallowed up of life.
“Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping” Mark 13:36, one of Our Lords parable related to his
second coming also throws light of his coming suddenly and unexpectedly this verse
hammers the doctrine of Gradual and progressive Parousia , Matt 24:36 states that there is
an appointed DAY and an HOUR for the Parousia of the Son of Man, this again hammers
the gradual revelation and appearing of Christ, It is the intention of our heavenly father for
some good reason the appointed DAY and HOUR should be concealed. Thus it is
scripturally proved that the Parousia of the Son of Man will not be in stages nor revealed
gradually but quickly, suddenly and swiftly at an appointed Day and HOUR
The reasons for this sudden arrival may be many. The Lord would have His people
watching, praying, alert and expectant. There has been too much intellectual watching.
Because we do not know the hour, we are charged to watch, not that we may know
beforehand of the hour, but that when the hour comes we may be found faithful, not
sleeping, not drunken, not smiting our fellow-servants. Our watching is for the purpose of
keeping our garments, being accounted worthy, and not being ashamed when He arrives.
There is no force nor meaning to us in these injunctions to watch, and to be ready, not
knowing the hour, if the Lord has already arrived and has been present over an uncertain
and prolonged period. Such a belief militates against all thought of watching and tends to
stifle- the blessed hope. Christ's first great work when He comes will be to gather together
His elect unto Himself, every one of them, from the winds of heaven, and from the graves
of earth, that they may receive crowns of glory, and enter into the joy of their Lord at the
marriage supper of the Lamb. Then shall they see His face. He who testifieth these things
says, "Surely I come quickly." "Then beloved as you are expecting this, be eager to be found
by Him unspotted and un- blemished, in serene assurance" (2 Pet. 3:14 - Moffatt).
"TILL HE COME"
Speaking of the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, which Jesus instituted just before His
crucifixion, the Apostle says that as long as we keep this memorial, we proclaim the fact of
the Lord's sacrificial death "till He come." That Jesus would not expect His disciples to
40
continue still to dc, this in remembrance of Him after He had come again, would seem
obvious, and as we carry on in obedience to this command to keep the feast, we are doing so
in memory of One who is still absent.
The apostle Paul wrote of those "who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord,"
those who shall not sleep but shall be changed; but he did not say that they must still
observe this feast until they each individually go to be with the Lord. On the contrary he
states as the specific objective and time limit of this ceremony, "for as often as ye eat this
bread and drink this cup ye do show the Lord's death till he come" (1 Cor. 11:26).
Our Lord’s Parousia: Visible or Invisible

Every Eye Shall See Him
One of the biggest contentions that is made by believers in the invisible presence is
that the Greek word for ‘see’ in the context of Matthew 24 and Revelation 1:7 would better
be translated as discern. This translation helps keep the invisible nature of Jesus presence
intact. Here is a seemingly impressive reference from an ABS booklet19 that summarizes well
the ABS position:
"These four scriptures (John 14:19, 1 Timothy 6:16, Acts 22:6-8 and 11-14, Luke
17:20) show that the glorified Christ will not and cannot be seen at his return.
Yet Revelation 1:7 and Matthew 24:30 seem to indicate that all mankind will
see the returned Lord. Will this be by literal sight or by mental perception (as
for example, when we say, "I see [understand] what you mean")? As
Christians, we cannot afford to base our conclusions upon one set of
scriptures that do not fit with our views. We must accept the challenge: "Study
to show thyself approved unto God…rightly dividing the Word of Truth."
The only valid way to ascertain the correct view of any Biblical doctrine is to
collate all the scriptures on a given subject and then rightly divide them, that
is, harmonize them. Only then can we be sure of the correct understanding.
When all the scriptures on a given subject are brought together, they will
harmonize. They will not contradict….
Now, for a consideration of the other set of scriptures (Matt. 24:30-31 and Rev. 1:7),
which speak of all mankind seeing the returned Lord. Are they literal or symbolic? In
both texts, the Greek word translated "see" is optanomai. The following definition is
from An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words by W. E. Vine:
OPTANOMAI—to see; used a) objectively, with reference to person or thing
seen, or b) subjectively, with reference to an inward impression or a spiritual
experience or a mental occupation.
19
New Brunswick Bible Student Publications, "I Will Come Again"
41
Thus we see optanomai can mean either literal sight or mental perception. The
following are examples of how the Greek word optanomai is used in Scripture to
denote mental understanding…
Three more examples of optanomai are found in the following:
Revelation 19:10—"And he said unto me, See [optanomai] thou do it not."

Matthew 24:4—"…And they said…see [optanomai] thou to that."
Matthew 24:24—"…I am innocent…see [optanomai] ye to it."
These scriptures reveal that the Bible does use optanomai, translated "see" in Matthew
24:30-31 and Revelation 1:7, in a symbolic sense to denote mental understanding."
(Italics and Bold added for emphasis)
On the surface, a student may be easily convinced of the asserted thoroughness of this
presentation on the Greek word optanomai. But a deep investigation into its use throughout
the Bible and especially in the context of Matthew 24 is imperative to get its correct
meaning. While the aforementioned booklet does not lie about the definition of optanomai, it
would be an incorrect assumption to believe that ‘discern’ would be the best translation
throughout the Bible.
Consider how familiar the word optanomai sounds to the English language. When you go to
get your eyes checked, to whom do you go? The Optometrist, of course! The major
definition optanomai is born out in our own language. If we want to optanomai better, we go to
the Optometrist. Even so, we must get a broad Biblical view to best understand the major
meaning of the word.
Optanomai is used 57 times in the NT and without any uncertainty; almost all have to be
translated as seeing with the literal eye! To be sure that we have the complete view, the
following section lists every scripture where optanomai appears in the NT.
All uses of optanomai in the New Testament
Matthew 5:8 Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Matthew 17:3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with
him.
Matthew 24:30 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.
Matthew 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you,
Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming
in the clouds of heaven.
Matthew 27:4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And
they said, What [is that] to us? see thou [to that].
42
Matthew 27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but [that] rather a
tumult was made, he took water, and washed [his] hands before the multitude, saying,
I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye [to it].
Matthew 28:7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead;
and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told
you.
Matthew 28:10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that
they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
Mark 9:4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking
with Jesus.
Mark 13:26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great
power and glory.
Mark 14:62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right
hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Mark 16:7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into
Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
Luke 1:11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right
side of the altar of incense.
Luke 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Luke 9:31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should
accomplish at Jerusalem.
Luke 13:28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you
[yourselves] thrust out.
Luke 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power
and great glory.
Luke 22:43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
Luke 24:34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
John 1:50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee
under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
John 1:51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see
heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not
the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe,
thou shouldest see the glory of God?
John 16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall
see me, because I go to the Father.
John 16:17 Then said [some] of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he
saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye
shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?
John 16:19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them,
Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me:
and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?
43
John 16:22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your
heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
John 19:37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they
pierced.
Acts 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible
proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the
kingdom of God:
Acts 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat
upon each of them.
Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my
Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your
young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Acts 7:2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory
appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt
in Charran,
Acts 7:26 And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would
have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to
another?
Acts 7:30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the
wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.
Acts 7:35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge?
the same did God send [to be] a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which
appeared to him in the bush.
Acts 9:17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his
hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, [even] Jesus, that appeared unto thee in
the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be
filled with the Holy Ghost.
Acts 13:31 And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from
Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
Acts 16:9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of
Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.
Acts 18:15 But if it be a question of words and names, and [of] your law, look ye [to
it]; for I will be no judge of such [matters].
Acts 20:25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching
the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
Acts 26:16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this
purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast
seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
Romans 15:21 But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and
they that have not heard shall understand.
1 Corinthians 15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
1 Corinthians 15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of
whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians 15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
44
1 Corinthians 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due
time.
1Tim 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was
manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Hebrews 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them
that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man
shall see the Lord:
Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that [our] brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he
come shortly, I will see you.
1Joh 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we
shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall
see him as he is.
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they
[also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even
so, Amen.
Revelation 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen
in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and
thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Revelation 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed
with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve
stars:
Revelation 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great
red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Revelation 22:4 And they shall see his face; and his name [shall be] in their foreheads.
Can there be any question that optanomai has direct ties to physical sight? Can an honest
student draw a different conclusion? If this look at the word is not convincing enough,
there is still one more factor to be considered in its use. If we can find another Greek
word in the NT that is roughly translated as ‘mental perception’ then we might be further
convinced that optanomai signifies literal sight. Better still would be if a different word is
used as ‘discern’ in the Great Prophecy context. Indeed as we will see, this is the case.
There are four other Greek words that are translated ‘see’ in the NT. IN fact, all 4 of the
5 words are used in the Matthew and Luke accounts, and sometimes in the same verse.
Two of the words, eido and Horao are used extensively in the context and sometimes in
the same verse. So, let us examine the uses of these words in our context first.
Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour Horao no [man], no,
not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
In other words, no man can discern the day and hour.
45
Matthew 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars:

horao that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come
to pass, but the end is not yet.
In other words, take heed that you are not troubled.
When ye therefore shall eido the abomination of desolation,

spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,
(whoso readeth, let him understand:)
In other words, when you discern abomination of desolation...
Matthew 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall eido all these

things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors.
In other words, when you discern all these things...
Here are the other uses of these words in the context:
Mark 13:29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see (eido) these

things come to pass, know that it is nigh, [even] at the doors.
Luke 17:22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come,
when ye shall desire to see (eido) one of the days of the Son of
man, and ye shall not see (optanomai) [it].
Luke 17:23 And they shall say to you, See (idou) here; or, see
(idou) there: go not after [them], nor follow [them].
If these words were not used in the context of Our Lord’s great Prophecy, then we would
have a slight chance of interpreting optanomai as ‘discern.’ But, given the fact that other
words are chosen by the writers to show discernment, there is absolutely no basis for
drawing the conclusion that optanomai means ‘discern.’ Looking further at optanomai, we
can easily discern that the writers want us to know that the world as well as Jesus’ followers
will visibly see him when he returns. Consider all the uses of these words in the prophecy to
help mold your own answer to the use of optanomai the 22nd verse of Luke 17:
Luke 17:22-23 And he said unto the disciples, "The days will
come, when ye shall desire to see (eido) one of the days of the
Son of man, and ye shall not see (optanomai) [it]." And they
shall say to you, "See (idou – Behold in the second person)
46
here; or, see (idou) there:" go not after [them], nor follow
[them].
Matthew 24:30 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 (optanomai) the Son of man coming in the
clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mark 13:26 And then shall they see (optanomai) the Son of
man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
Mark 13:29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see (eido) these

things come to pass, know that it is nigh, [even] at the doors
Lastly, bringing your attention back to the ‘I Will Come Again’ booklet, the argument is
employed that the use of optanomai when used as “see ye to it” does not mean to literally
see. But in fact, that is a wrong conclusion. If someone tells you to see to a task, (as Pontious
Pilot tried to do the Jews) you are literally seeing that your own hand does it. To try to
divorce literal sight from this phrase is not an especially convincing tactic.
“The World Seeth Me No More…”
Another argument against a visible return of Jesus is interpretation of John 14:19

which says:20
Yet a little while and the world seeth me no more;

but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
Now that we have covered the definitions of ‘seeing’ and ‘discerning’ in the previous section,
all we need to do is see if the word optanomai is used here. To no surprise, the word is
optanomai. How could it be if Jesus wanted the disciples to know that the world would view
him with the literal eye? The word used by John here is theaomai, which means both to see
with the eye and to take view of, or perceive . Jesus wants to impress on his disciples that
they shall see him not because they will look upon him but that he will live in them. We see
Jesus now even though the world cannot see him. That is the point Jesus is impressing on
the disciples and upon us.
The Son of Man

An often-overlooked fact in the context of Matthew 24 is that Jesus chooses the phrase "Son
of Man" when describing his return.
20
For more information on John 14:19 see Appendix A
47
Matthew 24:27 - For as lightning that comes from the east is

visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of
Man.
Matthew 24:30 - "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will
appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn.
They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky,
with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:37 - As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at

the coming of the Son of Man.
Matthew 24:39 - and they knew nothing about what would

happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is
how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
Matthew 24:44 - So you also must be ready, because the Son of

Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
The short of it is this: Jesus wanted his listeners to understand that he was not just sent as a
Son of God to redeem the world but that he is also a son of man. As all Bible Students
agree, Jesus was fully man and the title, "Son of Man" hammers this point home. Now if
Jesus has returned as an invisible Spirit, would not another title be more appropriate? He
emphasizes six times to the disciples that he is returning in the form of man. While this
argument is not explicit in nature, it certainly is much more than mildly implicit, is it not?
"SIMUTANEOUSLY CAUGHT AWAY"

As we have seen, the saints cannot claim to be aware of the Lord's arrival having already
taken place and at the same time admit they have not yet been gathered to Him. These ideas
are incompatible in the light of what the Divine Word teaches upon the matter. If we con-
sider carefully Paul's words in 1 Thes. 4:13-17 we shall see that it cannot be held as scriptural
that after the Lord has returned any of His faithful people will continue to remain in the
flesh. Their hope and immediate "change" are linked with His return. "Our citizenship is in
heaven from whence also we look for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall transform
the body of our humiliation that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body."
The Thessalonian brethren were concerned about some of their number who had already
died, asking When the Lord comes, what will be their position? 'Paul explains that the "alive
and remaining" ones at the Lord's return will not take precedence over those who have died.
The dead will rise (rise, not ascend, be it noted) first. Then the living shall be "caught up"
together with those who were dead. Thus neither living nor dead take precedence but are
caught away together.
48
The Greek word rendered "caught up" means to snatch or take away by force. Christ
uses it in John 10:28, 29. "None is able to pluck them out of my hand" and it is translated
"take by force" in John 6- 15 and Acts 23: 10; "caught up" in 2 Cor. 12:2, 4 and "caught
away" in Acts 8:39. But before this snatching away occurs, the dead in Christ are to rise first.
This passage does not read that the dead in Christ "ascend first." The word "ascend",
carries an entirely different meaning in the Greek from the one used for "rise". Jesus rose
from the dead, but did not ascend until forty days after. The dead in Christ rise, in the sense
of being awakened first. They are then, at the same time, together with the living, snatched
away in the clouds, attracted by the magnetic power of the Spirit to their Lord and Head,
gathered together unto Him.
Some may object that God does not work in this way and that it is too sensational. But
faith will accept what is so plainly stated in the Word. If Enoch was translated that he should
not see death; if the Spirit of God caught away Philip from one place and conveyed him
miles away; the same power can and will work this mighty miracle at the arrival of the Son of
man. "One shall be taken and the other left." The word "taken" here means "to take
alongside" or "to receive". It is translated "receive" in the words, "I will come again and
receive you unto myself." Jesus will take or receive to Himself, one; the other will be left. At
the same moment of time in different parts of the earth; night in one place, early morning in
another, broad daylight elsewhere, from every kindred and tongue and people and nation,
one shall be taken and the other left. For the ones taken it will be a change from mortality to
immortality, these bodies of our humiliation changed and made like unto His glorious body,
to be forever with the Lord in an eternity of life, joy an blessing.
In the phrase "caught up together with them," the words "together with" mean
"simultaneously" or "at the same time with" - See Marshall's Greek Interlinear New
Testament, the "Amplified Version" and the older "Emphatic Diaglott" by Benjamin Wilson.
Much has been written contrary to this plain teaching of Paul, but the fact remains that the
two classes -"dead" and "alive and remaining" -- go together. Jesus uses the same expression
in Matt. 13:29 translated "with." "Lest while you gather up the tares you root up also the
wheat with ("together with") them. Here it means "at the same time with" as in 1 Thes. 4:17.
The teaching that our Lord has already come explains that the dead in Christ were
raised when He came and entered immediately into the presence of the Lord, the living ones
who remain being changed one by one as they die, this process covering a period of many
years. This interpretation of "caught up together with" is said to be illustrated 1) the use of
the expression in the parable where the wheat and tares would be (in certain circumstances)
gathered up together but not all it the same moment of time. This fails to illustrate the point,
however, as the simultaneous gathering of a handful of wheat and tares sufficiently
demonstrates the parallel catching away of living and dead at one and the same moment, a
fact which is plainly denied in the foregoing teaching that the dead alone are raised at the
arrival of Jesus.
49
Our Lord's words: "There shall be two in one bed; two shall be grinding together;
two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left" (Luke 17:34-36), are
bereft of point or meaning if those who "remain to His coming" just die individually and
separately in the usual manner, and are not taken together.
In this connection, Paul's words in 1 Cor. 15:51, 52 - a matured and further explanation
of what he had written in the Thessalonians - must be given due weight: "Behold I show you
a mystery (secret). We shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump." Paul's "together with" (at the same time with) in 1
Thes. 4 must be understood in harmony with his "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye"
in 1 Cor. 15.
That this expression: "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye," has a collective and
not merely an individual application is shown by the concluding statement "the dead
(collective) shall be raised incorruptible and we (the living-collective) shall be changed."
This passage teaches that there will be a class - those remaining alive unto the Lord's
coming - who will not die but will be changed out seeing death. "We shall not all sleep", says
the Apostle. Though “sleep" is used so frequently as a simile of death, it is urged that here it
particularly means "remain in sleep" and does not imply that we shall not fail asleep.
However, the same Greek word "koimao", though in a different tense, is used in Acts 13:36
of David falling asleep and being laid with his fathers, where it obviously means in plane
language that he died and was buried.
In the same way in 1 Cor. 15:51, 52, Paul is plainly saying, "We not all die." He refers to
two classes "the dead shall be raised incorruptible" and "we (not dead) shall be changed" and
is speaking, in harmony with his remarks in 1 Thes. 4, of those who are alive and remain.
They are to be caught away with the resurrected dead in Christ.
We are aware that much stress has been laid on the words in Rev. 14:13 "Blessed are the
dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from
their labors; and their works do follow them." Some understand from this Scripture that
when the Lord came the dead saints were glorified and that since then (the "henceforth" of
this text) each saint as he has died has been immediately changed without remaining in death
as did those who died before the Lord came. This is, -as we have seen, at variance with
Paul's teaching in 1 Thes. 4 that the dead and living saints; are "caught up together." Verse
12 in Rev. 14 is surely a reference to the general experience of the saints during the Gospel
Age when their patient endurance was tried to the utmost and particularly in the days of
Papal persecution. In this context, verse 13 is to them a beatitude and an added word of
comfort that their death under persecution would be blessed, be a rest from toil and certainly
not for them the end of all.
The immediate appearance of the harvest vision adds emphasis to the fact that their reward
is near at hand in spite of the terrible conditions through which they have passed. It indicates
the near approach of the lord as in Rev. 16:15 "Lo, I come as a thief." From the time of their
death henceforth they rest from their sufferings (as did those in Rev. 6:11) but their works
50
follow them as treasure laid up in heaven. This principle is illustrated in 1 Tim. 5:24, 25. In a
particular sense the works of the Reformation martyrs followed them in the fruitage that
resulted, in contrast with the apparent cessation of the work of those who had died before
them.
IT IS NOT SCRIPTURALLY REASONABLE
Would it be possible that the Lord Jesus could have returned to this earth and that we
should not know indubitably of the fact? "Ye are not in darkness that that day should
overtake you as a thief," says the Apostle. Yet we find that there are large numbers of
Christians to be found who cannot believe this is a fact, and therefore are in darkness on
this matter.
Must we therefore logically assume that they are not children of light, and have no
part with Christ? This would mean that true Christians are to be found only among those
who profess to believe that the Lord has invisibly returned. Has the time of Christ's arrival
been revealed exclusively to some Christians only, or may we not rather judge these claims
by their limitations?
If in these latter days, the great danger exists of not believing that Jesus is present
even after He has returned, would not Jesus have warned His disciples in Matt. 24 of such
risk? Yet though He warned them that many false prophets should arise and deceive many,
he did not even imply that a true one, to whom careful heed should be given, would
announce "Lo! Here is Christ". Neither did He give the slightest warning against the
possibility of some of His disciples being deceived into believing he had not come when He
had come. The consistent note of warning to them was in the opposite direction, to discredit
and not to believe such claims, to beware of deceiver-, who would say He had returned
when He had not. The simple reason given for this was that Christ's coming would be an
obvious matter, not a problematical question.
"WATCH, THAT YOU MAY BE READY"

In harmony with the foregoing understanding our Lord's further words in verses 42 & 4-
4 (Matt. 24) are significant: "Watch therefore for ye know not what hour your Lord doth
come." "Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man
cometh." These words become meaningless and have never had any application to us if the
Lord arrived before most of us were born.
To emphasize the need for watching, because of ignorance of the time of His return,
even by His followers, and the consequent need for patient endurance during a seeming
delay, Jesus gave the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. He concluded that parable with
the words: "Watch therefore for ye know neither the day nor the hour" (Matt. 25: 13). The
wise (the watchers) in this story had through foresight provided against the contingency of
possible delay, by having oil in their vessels as well as in their lamps. Their reserve of oil was
the evidence of their preparedness -- they were ready to meet the bridegroom when he came.
51
It is important to realize that the watching to which our Lord refers has less to do with
watching signs of the times than with a dutiful concern regarding our own walk and conduct
before Him, an alertness to hear His voice and to do His will in all things. This is outlined
clearly in Jesus' words in Luke 21:34-36: "But take heed to yourselves lest your souls be
weighed down with self-indulgence and drunkenness or the anxieties of this life and that day
come upon you suddenly, like a failing trap; for it will come on all the dwellers on the face of
the whole earth. Beware of slumbering; at all times pray that you may be fully strengthened
to escape from all these coming evils and to take your stand in the presence of the Son of
Man" (Weymouth's translation).
Peter's words in 2 Pet. 3: "Where is the promise of His coming (Parousia)?" have
been used to show that such a question would not be asked unless the Lord were already
present, had already come. However, the context shows that this quotation means that the
scoffers are saying, "What has become of the promise that He will return? We see no
changes." But to this Peter answers that just as at the flood they were ignorant of an
imminent dispensational change, so will it be in the end of this present dispensation; and that
although men will speak of delay, this is a factor which is unknown in the divine
arrangements.
Another repeated warning against deception on this matter is emphasized by the

events Jesus relates in Matt. 24, which He refers to as unimpeachable proofs of His absence.
The extraordinary thing is that those very events are produced as proofs of His presence,
when they are specifically given as proofs of His absence or to indicate that He would be
near, even at the doors. He who was so careful in warning His disciples against the dangers
of being deceived into believing He had come again when He had not, would most certainly
have warned them against the danger of being deceived into believing the very opposite had
such a thing been possible.
The Scriptures indicate that in the day of His arrival, it will be impossible to say or to
think that He is not present, or to be deceived in the matter. The whole point and purpose
of watching is not that we may know, but that we might be ready when He comes, prepared
to meet Him at His arrival, and unashamed before Him in His presence.
52
Appendix
Appendix A
Does John 14:19 Prove the Return of Christ Will Be Invisible?
John 14:19 is before us: ‘Yet a little while and the world beholds me no more.’ It is suggested by
some sincere Bible students that this remark by Our Lord proves the Parousia of the Son of
Man is invisible. Of course, we need to compare the context as well as other related verses
dealing with the subject of the Return or Arrival of Christ. First, consider the context. The
previous verses set the subject at hand: ‘Shortly you will behold me no longer; and again, shortly you
will see me. . . I shall not leave you as orphans. I am returning to you.’ (John 14:16, 18) Is it possible,
and fair to state, that Jesus may be referring to his appearance after his resurrection? John
14:21 infers the same: ‘I shall love him and manifest myself to him.’ This word "manifest" is the
Greek EMPHANISO and is variously rendered: manifest, make apparent, disclose, show,
reveal. This same word group occurs in the Gospel of John after Our Lord is resurrected.
Note John 21:1, ‘After all of this, Jesus manifested himself to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He made
the manifestation in this way.’ Would this not seem to confirm that John 14:19 is talking about
that period following the Resurrection and before the Ascension?
Peter reveals this truth at Acts 10:40, 41, ‘God raised up Jesus the third day and granted him to
become manifest not to all the people but to witnesses previously appointed by vote.’ Paul agrees with this,
for he writes to the Corinthians: ‘After he was seen by upward of five hundred brothers.’ (1
Corinthians 15:6) Thus, it seems fair to conclude that John 14:19 is talking about the
appearances of Jesus between his resurrection and ascension.
Did Our Lord ever appear to unbelievers in the world following his resurrection? Paul says,
yes. 1 Corinthians 15:7 reports: ‘But last of all Jesus was also seen by me.’ Is it fair to ask: in what
state was Paul when the Lord appeared to him? As part of the world? Judging from the three
accounts of Paul’s experience on the Damascus road we would have to answer that someone
in the world did see the glorified Lord after his ascension. Regarding this Paul reminds the
Corinthians: ‘Have I not seen the Lord?’ (1 Corinthians 9:1) However, we ask our sincere Bible
student: What did Jesus Our Lord say elsewhere regarding his Parousia? Would it be visible or
invisible?
Did Jesus clearly state that his Parousia would be visible or invisible?
Read the following and ask yourself how the Our Lord made it clearer: ‘And people will tell
you: "See there!" and "See here!" Do not follow them! For as lightning flashes from under heaven to another
part under heaven, so the Son of Man will be. . . So, it will be when the Son of man is unveiled. ... I tell you:
in that night two will be on one bed; one will be received home and the other abandoned. There will be two
grinding at the same mill; one will be received home and the other abandoned. ... For just as lightning arrives
from the East and shines until the West, so the Parousia of the Son of Man will be... And then will appear
in the atmosphere the Sign of the Son of Man and all the tribes of the earth will lament in grief. They will see
53
the Son of man arriving on the clouds of the atmosphere.’ (Luke 17:23, 24, 3, 34, 35; Matthew 24:27,
30)
How does this seem to read to you? In all fairness, reading the prophecy as it is presented
without severe manipulation? Will mankind on the globe at the time of the Parousia not "see"
this foretold Return? Do not all tribes lament in grief at the same time because they do "see"
something? Our Lord’s example of two cases alive at his Coming, one at sleep and one at
work, would seem to argue this Appearing occurs within a single day when its day on one
side of the earth and night on the other. Compare Mark 13:35 where this time may be within
any of four time periods: late afternoon, midnight, cock-crowing, or sunrise. This would
compress the possibilities within a twelve-hour period!
For these reasons we cannot view John 14:19 as proof of an invisible Return of Christ.
The above should offer a strong bias that the Parousia is visible to the world in general and
that John 14:19 does not prove an invisible Return but rather is dealing with those private
appearances of the Lord following his resurrection and before his ascension.
Appendix B
Who is the "Only Potentate" of 1 Timothy 6:16?
In defending the position regarding an invisible Parousia when the King Messiah returns, the
following was offered. Please see a response from those who believe in a "visible" return of
Christ.
INVISIBLE PAROUSIA: As in Bible study on all topics, each passage using 'see' or 'look'
should be interpreted in harmony not only with its immediate context, but also in a way that
does not conflict with other inspired testimony. 1 Tim. 6:14-16 bears on the intended
meaning of Revelation 1:7. Whether it should be "his times" (about the manifestation of
"our Lord Jesus Christ") or "its times" (see Marshall Interlinear, the times of "the
appearing"), that which will be shown and identified is the same:
VISIBLE PAROUSIA: Without addressing "each passage using 'see' or 'look'" -- nor
indicating the context of these verses -- an attempt is made to rely on one major text -- 1
Timothy 6:14-16 -- as proof that all these unstated verses are to be understood as referring
to some symbolic seeing or mental discernment.
Before addressing 1 Timothy 6:14-16 we wish to comment on Revelation 1:7 mentioned in

passing above. We have not employed Revelation 1:7 as proof of a visible return of King
Messiah because we do not believe it is to be applied that way. We believe Revelation 1:7 --
"Look! (Jesus) is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him" -- amounts to a praise-
hymn combining two texts: Daniel 7:13 and Theodotion's version of the Septuagint at
Zechariah 12:10. Compare John's own application at John 19:37.
54
INVISIBLE PAROUSIA: "The blessed and only Potentate, the King of the [ones] reigning
and Lord of the [ones] ruling, the only [one] having immortality, inhabiting light
unapproachable, whom no one of men saw nor can see,"<>
VISIBLE PAROUSIA: 1 Timothy 6:16 present an interesting problem. Indeed, two

problems: a) to whom is the verse addressed; and, b) how are some of the phrases to be
understood. It is be no means "clear and simple." The contextual phrase begins in 1 Timothy
6:13, "I am laying a charge upon you -- in the sight of The God (the One generating alive
everything) and of Christ Jesus (the one who testified a fine confession before Pontious
Pilate) -- to observe the commandment, spotless and irreprehensible, until the Appearing of
our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Timothy 6:13-15)
In these verses there are two persons: a) The God; and, b) Jesus Christ. Now one of these
will one day Appear and he is identified as Jesus Christ. The word Appearing comes from
the Greek EPI-PHANEIAS and is used often with regard to those appearances after his
resurrection (John 21:1) and that future Appearing identified with his Parousia. (2
Thessalonians 2:1, 8; 1 John 2:28-3:2) This word is variously rendered: KJV: appearing;
MOF: appearance; RHM: forth shining; NOR: until our Lord Jesus Christ shall make his
appearance. From this it seems clear of the two persons mentioned above one is going to
make an appearance.
Now, in 1 Timothy 6:15 one of these two is described: " ... which (Appearing) the Happy
and Only Potentate [MOF: only Sovereign] -- the King of those ruling as kings and Lord of
those ruling as lords (the one alone possessing immorality, dwelling in unapproachable light,
whom no one among men saw nor is able to see) -- will show [NASB: will bring about;
NEB: will bring to pass; PME: the final denouement of God] at his own appointed times."
Now brother Rice suggests this "Happy and Only Potentate" is Jesus Christ. Note the
following:
INVISIBLE PAROUSIA: ... is Jesus Christ our Lord. ("Kings" and "lords" used in this
passage are words differently numbered, with different meanings, than those plurals used in
Revelation 17:4 and 19:16). All other kings reigning and lords ruling are human fleshly
potentates or fictional deities of human imagination, and thus all lacking eternal life. The
Father is here excepted (otherwise the comparison implies that Jesus lacks immortality).
Jesus is he of whom the Apostle affirms "no one of men ... can see."
VISIBLE PAROUSIA: The context has suggested that one of the two persons named will
Appear. This would infer that the "Only Potentate" is God Himself and some translations
capitalize He and Him to indicate this. Is The God of our Lord the "only Potentate" in the
absolute sense? The Greek is MONOS DYNASTE and is no where ever applied to Jesus
Christ.
It is true the title "King of kings and Lord of lords" is used of Jesus as shown above.
However, the title in Timothy is slightly different: "The King of those ruling as kings and the
55
Lord of those ruling as lords." Yehowah is described in a similar fashion in Deuteronomy

10:17. Judging from Psalm 110:1 and Revelation 11:15 the Father is King and Lord of Jesus
Christ. (Psalm 136:3)
That it is not actually clear that these phrase refer to Jesus is shown by the rendering in the
New Jerusalem Bible: " .. who at the due time will be revealed by God, the blessed and only
Ruler of all, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, who alone is immortal, whose home is
in inaccessible light, whom no human being has seen or is able to see: to him be honour and
everlasting power. Amen."
There a couple of interesting problems, however. First, in what way is The God "the only
one having immortality"? This is cleared up if we view the "kings" and "lords" as human
kings and lords. If we change the meaning to fit Jesus we still have the same problem. For if
Jesus "is the only one having immorality" then we leave out God. So in either case the kings
and lords must be viewed as those lesser than divine. For Paul makes it clear that both The
God and the Risen Christ possess immortality.
Next, is it true that the Risen Lord can be characterized by the phrase, "no one among men
saw nor is able to see"? How could Paul himself make such a statement applying to Jesus
when he himself claims: "Have I not seen our Lord?" (1 Corinthians 9:1) Did not Paul also
stated that others saw the Risen Lord? (1 Corinthians 15:6-8)
Now can it be said regarding The God of Jesus that "no one among men saw nor is able to
see"? This is evident from Exodus 33:20, John 1:18, John 5:37, and 1 John 4:12.
Based on the above the "only Potentate" will Himself show the Appearing of Jesus Christ
who must of that necessity be visible. Never is Jesus described as The God is in 1 Timothy
1:17, "King of the Ages, incorruptible, invisible, Only God -- honour and glory into the Ages
of the Ages. Amen." Another occasion where Paul prays concerning God.
INVISIBLE PAROUSIA: To interpret "... every eye shall see him" (Revelation 1:7) to mean
literal sight would be in direct conflict with 1 Timothy 6:14-16. I view that as clear, simple
Bible teaching on the topic raised in Bro. Mark Miller's last post. If it is not so viewed by
others, I shall continue to respect my dear devoted brethren in Christ.
VISIBLE PAROUSIA: To clarify matters here, as above, we would not apply Revelation 1:7
to the Return of Christ. However, if I were, as many do, it would in no way be "in direct
conflict with 1 Timothy 6:14-16."
I suspect that others will see that this is not "clear, simple Bible teaching," but an attempt to
use a text which is not applied to Jesus Christ as though it were. JWs follow the same line of
reasoning.
56
INVISIBLE PAROUSIA: Perhaps there is further testimony that will be helpful.

"Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though [if indeed] we have
known Christ after [according to] the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more."
Since Jesus never lived to the flesh, or according to fleshly interests, I understand the
reference to flesh refers to His nature as God's son living in the earth in a flesh and blood
body. If we His faithful followers are to know him in flesh ever again henceforth no more, it
is not with reason that any could say that Jesus will be seen again by the unbelieving world. I
consider this clear, simple Bible teaching. It would not surprise me if all you dear brethren
would also so consider it.
VISIBLE PAROUSIA: It is unclear why this text would be resorted to since we would
essentially agree that neither we nor mankind will ever know Christ after the flesh now. His
flesh and blood he sacrificed once for all.
That Jesus will not be "seen again by the unbelieving world" is made clear and simple by
Our Lord himself: "Then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves (in grief) and they
will see [Greek: OPSONTAI] the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of the Sky with
power and great glory." (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27) Can anyone reasonable
argue that the Lord does not state that he as the Son of Man will be seen by all the grieving
tribes of earth? It plainly says they will.
The scriptures never say a holy human being can never see God, it is understood from the
logic a sinner can never and ever see almighty God, God intends all mankind be holy as he is
to behold him, there is indeed sufficient testimony from the scriptures that any human being
holy can see the almighty God Jehovah himself - Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for
they shall see (optonomai)God. The verse implies that any that are pure in heart can see
God. Job and David declared by faith that they indeed will see Jehovah Job 19:26, Psalms
17:15; 16:9, 11. There is a possible chance for mankind to see Jehovah after the completion
of the 1000 year rule, we don’t know in what manner and way Jehovah will manifest to the
world so that the pure in heart can behold him yet the scriptures assure that Job, David and
many more holy beings will get an opportunity to see the face of God – Rev 22:3.
Now our reason is when the only potent Immortal God can be seen by the ancient worthies
How is it that Jesus Christ can’t be seen? When the scriptures are plain clear as crystal “every
eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail
because of him. Rev 1:7
It is asserted by many Bible students that hence Jesus Christ now a Divine being possessing
Immortality can’t be seen by the world, our logic tells us that if angels had the power to
materialize, why would not one with a higher position be able to do so if he wished, as
Jesus (immortal at this time) did to the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus. There is
much we don't know and will not know about what heavenly beings can do on this side
of the veil. But whatever it is will be according to God's will.
57
Appendix C
“The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:” – Luke 17:20, Does this verse
proves the Invisible Presence of our Lord?
As verse 20 relates, near the end of His ministry the Lord "was demanded of the Pharisees when
the kingdom of God should come." Notice that the Holy sprit has Luke say that the Lord "was
demanded" of them. This is something the Pharisees did out of dishonesty of heart and not
with sincerity of inquiry at all. They did not make this demand as ones who genuinely
believed "the gospel of the kingdom." They did not believe that it was truly "at hand,"
having been persuaded by both the preaching and the evidential signs of the kingdom and
"signs of the times" that had been given. Honesty was not what was behind their "demand."
Instead, their "demand" was part and parcel of their continuing scorn, ridicule, and denial
that the climactic stage in Israel’s program actually had arrived and that the "kingdom of
God" therefore really was "at hand."
The Pharisees made this demand in the same scornful and scoffing vein as when they
tempted the Lord and "desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven." And they
did this in the same vein as when they had earlier on denounced John the Baptist.
It was therefore a hypocritical and scornful "demand" based primarily upon their firm refusal
to honestly deal with the evidence that had been set before them. However it was also based
upon their own preferred ideas as to how they thought the "kingdom of God" should come.
And these preferred ideas carried more weight with them than the testimony of God’s word.
In fact, what they preferred to think caused them to reject the overwhelming testimony that
God gave to them.
In connection with this the Pharisees thought that the "kingdom of God" should come with
great pomp and circumstance, and with great fanfare feast Rom 14:17, and that they would
be able to observe it as such. This is again affirmed by the meaning of the Greek word
translated for Observation is παρατήρησις paratērēsis (Strong's #G3907 G3907 ) for which we
quote the definition from the Vines Expository dictionary under the title
Observation, Observe:
"attentive watching" (akin to paratereo, "to observe"), is used in Luk 17:20, of the
manner in which the kingdom of God (i.e., the operation of the spiritual kingdom
in the hearts of men) does not come, "in such a manner that it can be watched
with the eyes" (Grimm-Thayer), or, as AV marg., "with outward show."
The Lord, however, was well aware of this. In fact, He took their misconception to task
earlier on when He reproved the people for not responding properly to John the Baptist.
58
24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the
people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed
shaken with the wind?
25 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they
which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts. (Luke 7:24-
25)
It was the contrary teachings of Israel’s apostate leadership, headed up by the Pharisees that
taught the people that if John was the true herald of the kingdom he would have been
"gorgeously apparelled." To their way of thinking God’s herald of the kingdom should
naturally ‘look the part.’ That is, he should look like a royal emissary in dress, conduct, and
ministry. He should at least rival, if not outdo, those in "kings’ courts." This, however, was
only the imaginative and preferred ideas of the Pharisees. The prophets described the herald
of the kingdom and his ministry in no such terms.
Again, the Lord was well aware of the Pharisees’ preferred ideas. He knew with whom He
was dealing and what was behind their "demand."
The Lord’s Response
Now the Lord’s response to the Pharisees’ "demand" takes all of this into account and is also
consistent with all of it. Hence the Lord responded by first of all saying, "The kingdom of
God cometh not with observation." In so doing He reproved their misconception of how
they thought the kingdom should be coming, which was based upon their own imagined and
preferred ideas as Paul stated in Rom 14:17.
Therefore the kingdom wasn’t coming with the "observation" and the prestigious sorts of
signs the Pharisees looked for. Likewise when the Lord went on to say, "Neither shall they
say, Lo here! or, lo there!" He reproved any idea that it would be the way they imagined in
the future either. No one was going to come to them in the future and tell them to ‘Look
here’ or ‘Look there’ and so have them observe the kingdom coming with the pomp and
circumstance with which they thought it should come.
The Jewish Pharisees also anticipated a Messiah who would free them from the Roman yoke
and restore the kingdom of Israel. They completely misunderstood the reason Christ came.
He did not come at that time as the conquering King of kings; He came as the sin-bearer of
the world. The Pharisees misunderstood this purpose and so asked the question cited in the
above paragraph. We notice Jesus' answer. He said the Kingdom of God would not come
by "observation." Notice, the marginal rendering is "with outward show." Keep in mind;
the Jews were continually looking for a sign. Jesus told the Pharisees that the Kingdom
of God would not come in any physical manner that would allow them to observe its
development gradually or stealthily. Rather, when the Kingdom of God comes, it will
be sudden and dramatic (Math 24: 27, 30; Rev. 11:15).
59
Some better translation of Luke 17:20
• "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; - New American
Standard Bible
• "The Kingdom of God does not so come that you can stealthily watch for it. -
Weymouth Translation
• "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; - Revised Standard
Version
• “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, English Standard
Version
• The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable;- Holman NT
• The kingdom of God cometh not with narrow watching; - Rotherham
All the above translations suggest that the Kingdom of God will not come in an earthly
manner so that we may observe its signs and developments gradually rather it will be
unexpected, unobserved, sudden and spectacular filled with heavenly glory! Let the Kingdom
come soon
Another line of Comment
The scripture "the kingdom of God cometh not with observation" in Luke 17: 20, 21 is
applied to the Second Advent. But we forget that Jesus at this point is speaking of the
kingdom in its embryonic state and not the kingdom in its glorious state at his Second
Advent. The Pharisees and the Jews expected the Messiah to set his kingdom during his first
advent itself. In fact Jesus was doing just that, but, in the hearts of the people then. This was
not to be with outward show or pomp, but within the hearts and minds of the people-
"behold the kingdom of God is within you". It was this kingdom, which he said was "at
hand" at the beginning of his ministry. It was the same kingdom that "suffereth violence"
and which the "violent take it by force" and the kingdom to which we are already translated
into- Col.1: 13.
But what Jesus said here does not apply his glorious Kingdom that is to be set up at his
Second Coming. Then he will come as the king of kings along with mighty hosts of angels to
rule the world. That part of the kingdom is certainly going to be something to be observed.
Else why should he say that it is to be like the lightning or that every eye should see him
coming in great power and glory?
He that hath my word let him speak my word faithfully. . .” -Jeremiah 23:28
60

The Second Advent of Jesus Christ

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

The Second Advent of Jesus Christ

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Second Advent of Jesus Christ

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Reasoning

The Lord's Second Coming Viewed

1. The Lord's Second Coming Viewed

2. Our Lord’s Parousia Epiphania and Apokalupsis 8

3. Irrelevant Proofs for Parousia 14

4. The Parable of the Fig Tree 33

6. Behold I Come as a Thief 38

7. Parousia: Visible or Invisible? 41

The Lord's Second Coming Viewed

Dictionary Definitions of Parousia

• Vine's, page 200-201

• Thayer's, page 490

• A Greek-English Lexicon, page 635

Matthew’s Use of the word Parousia

Other Uses of parousia in the NT

Instance of parousia meaning "Arrival and Subsequent Presence"

1 Corinthians 16:17 - I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus

I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and

2 Corinthians 7:5-7: For when we came into Macedonia, this

Instance of Parousia meaning "Arrival"

Dictionary Definitions of Epiphania

2. Strongs # G2016:- an appearing, appearance, brightness,

Dictionary Definitions of Apokalupsis

1. Lexicon Results for apokalypsis (Strong's G602)

• laying bare, making naked

2. Vines Expository Dictionary Results for Apokalupsis

• "an uncovering" (akin to apokalupto; see above), "is used in the NT of

Our Lord’s Parousia Epiphania and Apokalupsis

Parallel accounts interchanging the words

Matthew 24:39 and they LUKE 17:30 "It will be just

Parousia Epiphania Apokalusis all relating to on same event

• 1 Tim. 6: 14(13) - "That thou keep this commandment without spot,

The quick and the dead shall be judged then.

• 1 Peter 1:13 - Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-

• 1 Peter 4:13 “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings;

Epiphania Parallel Parousia

Summary of the Greek Words

Irrelevant Proofs for Parousia

"A Composite Sign of Many Parts"

The Two Questions in Matthew 24

Jesus responds to their misplaced affection by saying in verse 2:

5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple

against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines

The History of Eighteen Centuries Briefly Foretold

--`Matt. 24:6-13`; `Mark 13:7-13`; `Luke 21:9-19`--

MATTHEW 24 MARK 13 LUKE 17 & 21

Irrelevant Proofs for Wars

Irrelevant Proofs For Earthquakes

"Are Earthquakes Really on the Increase?

Fig. A - Number of Earthquakes Greater than 7.0 from 1900-1995

Professional seismologists are unaware of any difference in the number of earthquakes

Irrelevant Proofs for Pestilence

Irrelevant Proofs for Food Shortages

Irrelevant Proofs for Lawlessness

So even at its very foundation the Watchtower Society was claiming

In this context of religious events Jesus immediately says:

Irrelevant Proofs for Anguish of Nations

Irrelevant Proofs for Persecution