IN THE LAST TRUMP
Greek Words to Be Studied Carefully
In this chapter I
will consider some Greek words that refer to the coming of our Lord. These words are
very forceful with reference to the time element of the Coming, and are all applicable
to the Glory Coming and Revelation of the Lord.
Before I became convinced that there
will be only one phase of the Second Advent, I searched the Scriptures from the
view-point of these Greek words many times without satisfaction. I felt that surely if
there were two phases of the Second Advent it would be revealed. It is certainly true
that these words are very revealing, but of one coming and not two.
APOKALUPTO
"Apokalupto" is a combination
of two words. "Apo" which primarily means, from. It also means, to loose;
liberate; ransom; remove; etc. "Kalupto" means, to hide; conceal; cover;
throw a veil over; etc. The two words together mean, to uncover, reveal; disclose;
distinctly declare; to be discovered in true character; to lay open what has been
veiled or covered up.
This word is used in II Thess. 2:3, 6,
and 8 having reference to the revelation of the man of sin in his true character. The
true character of the man of sin will be veiled over (covered up) at the time he makes
the covenant with the Jews. It is when he breaks the covenant, causes the Jewish
sacrifices to stop, and stands himself in the temple claiming that he is God that he is
unveiled in true character.
The word is also used many times of
Christ. Rev. 1:1, "The revelation of Jesus Christ."
Again in I Pet. 1:7, "That the trial of your faith, being much
more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found
unto praise and honor and glory at (in) the appearing (revelation) of Jesus
Christ." Peter is consoling those who are persecuted and tried by
encouraging them to look toward the revelation of Jesus Christ at which time they will
be rewarded. Mark that they are not told to look toward some secret, pre-revelation
coming of Christ. Many teach that the resurrection, rapture, rewarding of the saints,
and the marriage of the Lamb will take place before the revelation of Christ. If such
were true, the saints would have been encouraged to look eagerly toward that time and
not to the revelation. The Greek word translated "appearing" is actually
"revelation." It has already been proven that the judgment seat of Christ is
after He comes in glory (Matt. 16:27; Mark 8:38; and Luke 9:26); and after He begins to
reign (Rev. 11:15-19).
I Pet. 1:13 speaks with the same voice
as verse 7. "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober,
and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of
Jesus Christ." The saints are told to maintain a posture of eager
expectation of the revelation of Christ, not some appearing prior to that time. This
looking for the revelation of Christ is for the benefit of all the saved (faithful
especially). I call attention to this because some will be inclined to think that maybe
the faithful would be taken out before this time. There will indeed be an exceeding
great distinction made between the faithful and the unfaithful rightly enough, but that
distinction will not be made until the revelation of Christ in glory.
I Pet. 4:13 tells us to rejoice when we
are partakers of Christ's sufferings, "that in the revelation of his
glory" we may be glad also with exceeding joy. Here Peter again looks forward to
the revelation of Jesus Christ for the rewarding day. The sufferings resulting from the
bitter trials of the faith of many have many times been almost unbearable, yet, because
they esteemed "the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures of Egypt," they shall receive that cherished reward in the
revelation of the glory of Christ.
I Cor. 1:7 says, "So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming (revelation) of
our Lord Jesus Christ." With reference to the words "waiting
for," A. T. Robertson says, "This double compound is late and rare outside of
Paul (I Cor. 1:7; Gal. 5:5; Rom. 8:19, 23, 25; Phil. 3:20), I Pet. 3:20; Heb. 9:28. It
is an eager expectancy of the second coming of Christ here termed revelation like the
eagerness in "prosdechomenoi" in Titus 2:13 for the same event. As if that
attitude of expectation were the highest posture that can be attained here by the
Christian (F. W. Robertson)." You will observe that the church at Corinth was not
admonished to wait for a secret coming, but "the revelation of
our Lord Jesus Christ." The day of the Lord (revelation of the Lord) should
not overtake us as a thief, I Thess. 5:4. Observe the reference to the "day of the Lord Jesus Christ" in verse 8. These two verses teach
us that the "revelation of Christ," "the day of the Lord," and "the day of
Christ," all occur at the same time; and it is that time that the saints
are to be eagerly expecting.
The same Greek word is used in Luke
17:30. It is at the revelation of the Son of man that God's people are going to
realize that they have either saved their lives or lost their lives; when one is taken
and the other left. It is with a view to the revelation of the Son of man that we need
to remember Lot's wife whose affections were back in Sodom; making sure that our
affections are set on things above and not on the "stuff" in the house, to
the extent that our leap will be toward the Lord and not toward the "stuff"
(jewels, clothing, bank account, etc.). The resurrection, the rapture, and the judgment
seat of Christ, all take place at the revelation of Christ.
We find some very revealing and
comforting teachings from the words of Paul in II Thess. 1. As a servant of the Lord
whose sufferings mounted exceedingly, he was well able to comfort others who were
joyfully, but sometimes faintingly, bearing the reproach of Christ. Concerning such
tribulations, he said, "Which is a manifest token of the
righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for
which ye also suffer; seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation
to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus
shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. In flaming fire taking vengeance
on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from
the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be
admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that
day."
The words "when
the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven," are actually, "in the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven." It is at the
time of the revelation of Christ that God will "recompense
tribulation to those who trouble the saints." It is at this same revelation
of Christ that the troubled saints are going to rest. There are at least eight things
of special note in these verses which I will give as follows:
(1). These saints were undergoing
severe "persecutions and tribulations" (verses 4-5).
The tribulations of these saints, and the relationship of such tribulations to the
return of the Lord, provided one of the occasions for the writing of the second epistle
to the Thessalonians.
(2). It is God's righteous judgment
that the saints should undergo such sufferings in order to be "counted worthy of the kingdom of God" (verse 5). This harmonizes
with Acts 14:22.
(3). It is also God's righteous
judgment to "recompense tribulation" to those who
troubled the saints (verse 6), which will take place at the time of the revelation of
Christ as the seventh verse shows.
(4). The saints will rest "when the Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty
angels" (verse 7). The apostle gives no encouragement to the saints to look
for some earlier coming of the Lord than the revelation. The passage is most clear that
in the revelation of Christ the saints will "rest"
and receive their reward from their sufferings. This makes it necessary to understand
that there will be no rest for the troubled saints on earth until the revelation of
Christ. This further necessitates that the resurrection and rapture is at the time of
the revelation. Of course, the saints are at rest in heaven at the present time,
therefore, it is necessary to understand that this rest entertains the resurrection,
rapture and glorification of the saints. At the present time the nations have the upper
hand and are troubling the saints, but in the revelation of Christ the saints will be
set at rest from the persecutions of the nations, and the time of trouble for the
nations will have come.
(5). The revelation of Christ is
unquestionably world-wide. All who have not obeyed the gospel will receive this
revelation of wrath. This is therefore the time when Christ begins to reign over the
earth for one thousand years.
(6). The wrath of God and Christ upon
those who have troubled the saints will come at the time of the revelation of Christ
from heaven (verses 7-9). It is necessary to associate this fact with all the
scriptures dealing with the wrath of God. The vials of wrath (Rev. 15 and 16) must
follow the revelation of Christ. This "recompense" of tribulation upon those
who have troubled the saints comes at the time of the revelation of Christ, not before
that time. How beautiful is this harmony of the Word!
(7). All those who have not obeyed the
gospel will be punished with everlasting destruction at this time (verses 7-8). This
means that there will not be one lost person left upon the earth to proceed through the
Millennium. There will be lost people on the earth soon after this time, but they will
be born to saved people who enter the Millennium in physical bodies. Other scriptures,
such as Isa. 13:9; Matt. 13:41-45; Matt. 25:31-46; Jude 14-15; etc., may be studied for
additional proof that all lost people will be removed from the earth at the beginning
of the Millennium.
(8). Christ will be glorified in the
saints also at the time of the revelation of Christ from heaven (verse 10). The word
"when" of verse 10, translated from the Greek word "HOTAN," is very
specific, and is joined also to the revelation of Christ in verse 7. Thus the saints
were again encouraged to look for the revelation of Christ, and not toward some coming
prior to that time.
Now let us carry the discussion into II
Thess. 2:1-3 for a moment. It is clear from verse 2 that these saints were somewhat
troubled relative to the approach of the "day of Christ" (Lord -- Greek).
These first two verses of chapter 2 also make it clear that the time when the saints
are gathered together to the Lord is at the time that the day of Christ begins. We have
just seen from I Cor. 1:7-8 that the "revelation of Christ," "the day of
the Lord," "the day of the Lord Jesus," and "the day of the Lord
Jesus Christ," all take place at the same time. It is quite needful that the
student of the Word study carefully these two chapters in light of such thoughts.
The spirits of the dead saints come
with the Lord from heaven (I Thess. 4), while the bodies of the same saints leave the
graves and ascend to meet the Lord in the air to be reunited with the spirits (I Thess.
4). The living saints also from around the globe will circle the earth to meet the Lord
high above Jerusalem, where they are soon met by the remnant of Israel who have been
kept in hiding by God through the reign of the Anti-Christ.
EPIPHAINO
"Epiphaino"
is also a composite word. "Epi" means, upon; over; above; before; etc.
"Phaino" means, to bring forth into the light; to cause to shine; to show; be
bright or resplendent; etc. The two words together mean to shine upon; to shed light
upon; to make clearly manifest; etc. It may add to our understanding if we think of
this word as shining a spotlight upon something. When a light is turned on, our
attention is not only called to the light but also to other things around about us
which the light manifests. When a spotlight is turned on, our attention is especially
called to whatever object it shines upon. When Christ shines upon something it means
that He will manifest the true character, quality, etc., of that thing. Thus this word
signifies the judgment of whatever is shined upon.
The word is used in II Thess. 2:8;
"and shall destroy with the brightness (shining upon) of his
coming." Christ will destroy the Antichrist by putting him in the
spotlight. When Christ shines upon the Antichrist He will manifest to all, the true
character, quality, power, weakness, and complete destruction of the Antichrist. The
Antichrist will be revealed to the saints and the Jews when he breaks the covenant in
the midst of the week, but Christ will do a double first-class job of revealing him to
all the world when He comes in glory. Christ will not only bring out the true character
of the Antichrist, but will manifest his doom also. The Antichrist will be revealed in
the midst of the week as the destroying one, but the shining upon of Christ shall
reveal him as the one being destroyed.
Paul used this word "shining
upon" again in I Tim 4:14 by charging Timothy to keep a specified "commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing (shining
upon) of our Lord Jesus Christ." Paul did not speak of a
secret coming, but of the shining upon of our Lord Jesus Christ. The word
"Epiphaino" speaks of judgment, and such can be seen from each of these
references. The reason Paul used the word here is because Christ will determine whether
or not Timothy has followed the charge Paul was giving in this verse.
Again in II Tim 4:1 Paul says,
"I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ,
who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing (shining upon)
and his kingdom." Here Paul charges Timothy with reference
to three things: (1). The fact that Christ shall judge the living and the dead; (2).
The fact that Christ shall shine upon him; (3). And the fact that the kingdom of Christ
shall come. All three of these shall take place at the same time. The forward look is
not toward a secret coming, but to the glorious shining upon of Christ.
Paul says in II Timothy 4:8 that there
is a crown of righteousness laid up for all who love the appearing (shining upon) of
Christ. The word "shining upon" is used here because the element of rewards
which requires judgment is significant. By this spotlight appearance, Christ will
determine whether or not we have fought a good fight, finished our course, and kept the
faith; and He shall reward us accordingly. The time of rewarding the saints is
associated with the "shining upon" and the "revelation" with the
same force and it is necessary for us to understand that these two words deal with the
same time element.
In Titus 2:13 we are also admonished to
be "looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing
(shining upon) of the great God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ." The word is also used in Acts 2:20: "that
great and notable (shining upon) day of the Lord."
PHAINO
"Phaino"
(meaning given in Ephphaino). The word is sometimes used referring to the brightness of
the sun, moon, stars and other lights (Rev. 1:16; 8:12; 18:23; 21:23; etc). One can get
a blessing out of reading II Sam 23:4 and Ps 89:36-37 with this thought in mind.
Jesus said that as the lightning comes
out of the east, and "shines" even to the west; so shall also the coming of
the Son of man be (Matt. 24:27). This set a good precedent in the usage of this word in
relation to the Lord's coming. The context demands that this is the only coming of
the Lord. Our Lord said for us never to heed the false claims of false prophets that he
has made, or will make, a secret appearance somewhere, for His coming will be clearly
manifested to all with no possibility for anyone being in doubt when it happens.
Col 3:4 says, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear (shine) then shall ye also appear (shine) with him in
glory." This again refers to the glory coming of Christ. Observe that the
saints will shine WITH Christ in glory. What is the extent of this shining? It is to
the whole earth. This is what is meant in Jude 14-15 and the many related passages.
I Pet. 5:4 says, "And when the chief shepherd shall appear (shine) ye
shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." Peter again puts the
judgment seat of Christ at the glory coming. When Christ shines in glory the saints
will be received up into His presence and then they will shine with Him in the presence
of all the earth.
Observe also I John 2:28, "And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear
(shine), we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his
coming." I John 3:2 follows the same thought; "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear (shine) what
we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear (shine), we
shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." Both of these last
scriptures encourage us to look for the glory coming of our Lord. The force of the
language is that we shall not go up until the glory coming. The glory coming is both
for the saints and with the saints. These two verses, as well as I Pet. 5:4, deal with
the receiving of rewards and therefore must be associated with the "shining
upon" and the "revelation," both of which speak of the same time
element.
PAROUSIA
"Parousia"
is also a composite word. "Para" means, beside; from beside; near; at; by;
etc. "Eimi" means, to be; to exist; etc. The two words together mean, to be
beside; to be present; body presence; etc. It carries the force of a lingering presence
over a period of time; a short period, or maybe a longer period.
II Thess. 2:8 says that the Antichrist
will be destroyed by the shining upon of the body presence of our Lord. At one time I
believed that Christ would destroy the Antichrist immediately at His coming, but such
is not true. Christ begins to shine upon the Antichrist at the same time He begins to
reign, and continues to do so through all seven vials, then casts him into the lake of
fire at the consummation of the battle of Armageddon which is under the seventh vial.
This phase of the body presence of our Lord embraces the entire period of God's
wrath particularly (1335 days, Dan 12:12), and, of course, from that time on throughout
the Millennium.
The word "Paraousia" is used
four times in Matt. 24, and is quite revealing when studied in the light of the whole
chapter as well as the individual contexts. It is used first in verse 3 when the
disciples asked, "and what shall be the sign of they
coming?" (body presence). The next time the word is used is in verse 27
where Jesus compared His body presence to the lightning. We should quickly catch the
connection of the "body presence" with the "shining" of the Lord.
The body presence of the Lord is compared to the clearly manifested presence of
lightning. The third and fourth times this word is used in Matt. 24 are in verses 37
and 39 in connection with the wrath of God which came upon the whole earth during the
days of Noah. The flood did not come secretly some 3 1/2 or 7 years before it was made
public to all the world. As the flood was observed and experienced by all the earth, so
will the body presence of the Lord be observed and experienced by the earth.
This word (Parousia) is used four times
in I Thessalonians where it is also quite revealing when associated with other clear
facts related to the Coming. It is first used in 2:19 concerning the crown which the
faithful witnesses of the Lord will receive at the coming of the Lord. Here the body
presence is associated with the rewarding of the saints which, as we have already seen,
takes place "in the revelation of Christ," "the day of
the Lord Jesus Christ," "the shining upon," "the shining,"
"the last (seventh) trump," etc.
The other three places the word is used
in I Thessalonians are in 2:13; 4:15; and 5:23. The same truths are forcefully
conspicuous in all four of these passages. The saints will be sanctified wholly (body,
soul, and spirit) and presented "Unblamable in holiness before
God, even our Father, at the coming (Parousia) of our Lord
Jesus Christ." This also speaks of the judgment seat of Christ and rewards
which take place at the same time that the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of
our Lord (Rev. 11:15-19), at which time the saints will rest with Christ as He (with
and through them, and the angels) rewards tribulation to the inhabitants of the earth
(II Thess. 1). Since the "parousia" is the time of the receiving of rewards,
then we must associate it with the "shining upon," the "shining,"
and the "revelation;" and the result is that we have the same time element in
each.
We find the word "parousia"
used three times in II Thess. 2. It is used once of the Antichrist in verse 9, and used
twice of Christ in verses 1 and 8. Paul says that the "body presence" is the
time of our gathering together to the Lord (verse 1), and that it is by this same
"body presence" that Christ "shines upon" the Antichrist to destroy
him. It is quite necessary to associate the "parousia" of II Thess. 2 with
the "apokalupto" of II Thess. 1:7; and also the "epiphaino" of II
Thess. 2:8. We must associate it also with "the day of Christ" of II Thess.
2:2; and with the "shining" of the Lord in I John 2:28.
I ask that James 5:7-8; II Pet. 1:16;
II Pet. 3:4; and I John 2:28 also be studied in the light of the comments already given
concerning the holy presence of the Lord. Peter used the word especially in connection
with the coming kingdom of Christ into which we will enter abundantly, or, "so as
by fire;" depending upon whether or not we have added the virtues and built with
the proper materials (II Pet. 1:1-16; I Cor. 3:9-15). The entrance into the kingdom
will not be until the seventh trumpet, for not until then will the kingdoms (singular
in the Greek) of this world become the kingdom of Christ (Rev. 11:15-19). Christ will
not judge His saints, nor the kingdoms of this earth, until the time these kingdoms
become His kingdom.
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