Definition
Parousia (Greek: παρουσία, literally “presence” or “being alongside”) is the New Testament term for the coming or presence of the glorified Christ. Classical dogmatics has read the parousia as a single future event: the visible, bodily return of Christ at the end of history (Matt. 24:27; 1 Thess. 4:16-17). In this corpus Warnock and Jones both move beyond the single-moment reading, distinguishing multiple phases or dimensions of the parousia.
Usage in the Corpus
George Warnock
Warnock challenges the common assumption that the parousia is exclusively a future physical event. He grounds his re-reading in the word’s own meaning: “The word commonly translated ‘coming’ in the New Testament is ‘parousia,’ which signifies ‘presence,’ or ‘being alongside.‘” He then distinguishes two dimensions: “it is clear as we consider all the Scriptures on the subject, that the Lord’s coming is a spiritual visitation in the midst of His people, as well as a literal and bodily visitation.” His key evidence is 2Pet. 1:16-17, where Peter describes the Transfiguration as the “parousia” of Christ — even though Christ was already physically present. The first dimension of the parousia is the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles: Christ reveals himself through the Spirit in his overcoming people. The second is the future visible appearing for every eye: “True, there shall come a day when the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea; when every eye shall see Him.” [Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Ch. 14]
Stephen Jones
Jones connects the parousia to his two-works eschatology. Christ’s first coming was as the Lion of Judah to secure throne rights; his return is as Joseph: “Jesus came as the Lion of the tribe of Judah the first time, in order to secure His throne rights as the Messiah. He comes the second time to the tribes of Joseph in order to secure His birthright, which is His Kingdom.” For Jones the parousia is not a momentary event but a lengthy transitional process; the Pentecost Age ended in 1993, and the parousia of the Tabernacles Age unfolds gradually toward the Sabbath Millennium. [Jones, Secrets of Time, Ch. 14-15]