Christ return doesn't start out with rainbows and sunshine but rather a gloomy downcast. When Jesus ascended to heaven the whole world did not SEE him. Only his faithful followers did. Then he also said to the crowds: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, at once you say, ‘A storm is coming,’ and it happens.'" (Luke 12:54)
For just as the lightning comes out of the east and shines over to the west,
so the Presence of the Son of man will be. (Matthew 24:27) Clouds and lightning represent a storm like condition or situation does it not? This is the
epipháneia that is now intensifying.
2015 epipháneia (from 1909 /epí, "on, fitting," which intensifies 5316 /phaínō, "show forth, appear") – properly, a
fitting manifestation (
literally, "an epiphany"). [
2015 (
epipháneia) is the root of the English term, "epiphany."] Usage:
appearing, manifestation, glorious display.
The Greek word for Presence is
Parousia.
Strong's Concordance
parousia: a presence, a coming
Original Word: παρουσία, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: parousia
Phonetic Spelling: (par-oo-see'-ah)
Definition: a presence, a coming
Usage:
(a) presence, (b) a coming, an arrival, advent, especially of the second coming of Christ.
HELPS Word-studies
3952 parousía (
from parōn, "be present, arrive to enter into a situation") – properly,
coming, especially the
arrival of the
owner who alone can
deal with a situation (cf.
LS).
3952 (
parousía) is a "technical term with reference to
the visit of a king or some other official, 'a royal visit' " (Souter) – "hence, in the NT, specifically of the
Advent or
Parousia of Christ" (
A-S).
[
3952 (
parousía) is "used in the east as a technical expression for the
royal visit of a king, or emperor. The word means literally 'the being beside,' thus, 'the personal presence' " (K. Wuest, 3,
Bypaths, 33).]
Are you starting to SEE a pattern? Behold, he cometh with the clouds; and every EYE shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)
Notice that those who SEE him are mourning? How can this be? Because of the storm like situation that is going on today. The Greek word for See is
horaó.
Strong's Concordance
horaó: to see,
perceive, attend to
Original Word: ὁράω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: horaó
Phonetic Spelling: (hor-ah'-o)
Definition: to see,
perceive, attend to
Usage: I see, look upon,
experience, perceive, discern, beware.
HELPS Word-studies
3708 horáō – properly,
see, often with
metaphorical meaning:
"to see with the mind" (i.e. spiritually see), i.e. perceive (
with inward spiritual perception).
Christ first presence was in the flesh. Christ second presence is in the spirit. So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living person.”
The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45)
Today, God's Kingdom is crushing all of Satan's earthly governments that he offered up to Jesus. Are the governments fragmenting and breaking off into little pieces? (Daniel 2:44) The pummeling of the earth will indeed intensify. It takes faith to perceive these things. Jesus encouraged his faithful followers, "But as these things start to occur, stand up straight and lift up your heads, because your deliverance is getting near." (Luke 21:28)