Before I went to bed, I was listening to “Come, Jesus Come,” sung by CeCe Winans. That song seemed so timely after all the news coming out of the Middle East.
That took me back to Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians; a letter that is full of praise and cheer, encouragement and thanksgiving for young converts who were models to all believers in the way they embraced Christ and were walking in their faith.
While there is no condemnation of sin or correction of wrong doctrine in this letter, there is a small clarification Paul needs to make along with a simple warning. The clarification is about what has become known as the “Parousia” or the “Coming of the Lord.” The warning is simple – always remain alert.
The word “Parousia” in the Greek simply means “presence with” and indicates an arrival. Paul used it for the first time in the New Testament in this letter in 2:19: “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes (parousia)?” and he uses it again in 3:13 “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes (parousia) with all his holy ones.” [NLT]
While the word “Parousia” may also be used to denote the “presence with” or arrival of others, in the New Testament it became the standard word for the Second Coming of our Lord.
Hopefully today!
Come, Jesus Come!