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There are several expressions in the New Testament that describe the return of Jesus. The purpose of this study is to highlight these expressions and to show that they refer to the same event. The book of Hebrews says, “He (Jesus)
will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28). Jesus appeared the first time when He was on earth. When He returns it will be His second appearance. Here is a list of the major expressions in the New Testament that describe Jesus’ return:
I.
He will be “REVEALED” (apokalupsis).
II. He will be caused “TO APPEAR” (phaneroo).
III. He will put in an “APPEARANCE” (ephiphania).
IV. He will be “SEEN” (Orao).
V. He will “COME” (erchomai-elthein) BACK.
VI. He will “COME DOWN” (katabaino) from heaven.
VII. He will be “PRESENT” (parousia).
These different expressions do not indicate that the Lord will return in different ways or at different times. Rather, each of them describes a different aspect of Jesus’ return. The quotations from the Bible that are used in this study are taken from the New International Version of the Bible (NIV). Although the NIV is highly readable, it does not always translate Greek terms consistently. This, of course, is confusing to anyone who is trying to study Biblical expressions. In order to avoid confusion, I have supplied (in parentheses) a transliterated form of the Greek words for Jesus’ return. We will look now at each of these words and at the verses in which they are used.