Manner of Christ’s Coming
Manner of Christ's Coming.—Christ's coming will be literal, personal, visible, as Mr. Hibbard has clearly shown in an article on another page. The shout of millions and the sound of trumpet from the sky, the tumult of earth, the wails of the doomed, and the commotion of the elements will attend that great event. Yet there are those who believe Christ's second coming is a secret coming, to snatch away in secret silence the elect, or the bride, with whom He will come afterward, and be revealed. These teachers have confused terms relating to the different phases of His coming, and made them represent different comings. Here are three terms which are applied to His second advent, which are made to mean different events, and not different phases of the same event: (1) Parousia, which means personal presence; (2) Apocalipsis, meaning revelation, disclosure; (3) Epiphany, meaning forthshining, glory, brightness. The first refers to the coming of the same Jesus, "the Lord Himself," without regard to His appearance. He shall come, and not a substitute. His personal presence will be with His people. The second makes plain the fact that He will appear for all that He really is, the Son of God, the Conqueror of sin, the Lifegiver. The third shows that this personal presence of our Lord, this revelation of all that He is, will be in overwhelming glory and brightness. Therefore we read that the wicked will be "destroyed by the brightness of His coming,"—the epiphany of His parousia, the forthshining of His presence. 2 Thess. 2:8. In a former epistle the apostle reveals that at the "coming," the presence, or the parousia of the Lord there will be heard the voice of the Archangel, the shout of the Triumphant One, the sound of the trumpet. For a fuller discussion of the subject, see "The manner of Christ's Coming," Bible Students' Library, No. 124. Price one cent.