Parousia: The New Testament Doctrine of Our Lord's Second Coming [Paperback]

J. Stuart Russell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1999

Raises issues important to not only eschatology but also to the debate over Scripture's credibility.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Although I do not agree with all the conclusions of The Parousia, I highly recommend this well-organized, carefully argued, and compellingly written volume. It is one of the most persuasive and challenging books I have read on the subject, and has had a great impact on my thinking. -- Kenneth L. Gentry Jr.

One of the most important treatments of biblical eschatology available today. The issues raised in The Parousia are vitally important not only for eschatology, but also for the debate over the credibility of sacred Scripture. -- R. C. Sproul

From the Back Cover

Did Christ already return?

In the days surrounding their Lord's crucifixion, Jesus's disciples wondered, "When will Christ return?" This vexing question is still asked and still provides much speculation today. It is explored in countless end times books and films and debated in churches and Bible schools.

But what if the second coming already happened?

In this important but neglected nineteenth-century study, author and pastor J. Stuart Russell argues persuasively that Christ's parousia (second coming) was the center of a great cluster of significant events in first-century Jerusalem, including the close of the Jewish economy, the judgment of Israel, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the resurrection of the dead.

First published in 1878, The Parousia was esteemed by contemporaries who may have agreed or disagreed with Russell's conclusions but nevertheless had utmost respect for his exegetical method, his illumination of difficult passages of Scripture, and the popular level on which the book was written.

Pastors, students of the Bible, and anyone suspicious of the current media focus on the end times will treasure this well-reasoned and hope-filled book.

J. Stuart Russell (1816-1895) pastored the Congregational church in Bayswater, England, from 1862 to 1888. He earned a master's degree from King's College, University of Aberdeen, which also honored him with a doctor of divinity degree after The Parousia appeared. He also wrote Nonconformity in the Seventeenth Century.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 598 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (February 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801077257
• ISBN-13: 978-0801077258
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #492,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Solid Defense of Biblical (Preterist) Eschatology, September 7, 2001

By 

Christopher C. Alsruhe (Baltimore, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Parousia: The New Testament Doctrine of Our Lord's Second Coming (Paperback)

This book attempts to look at every verse in the New Testament which refers to the coming, the Second Coming, of Jesus Christ. It actually comes up a bit short in doing so, but probably approaches at least 98% of the verses. Russell thoroughly shows by the historical contexts, the persons written to, and the Greek that it is impossibe for the Second Coming to be other than a first-century event. How can one refute the Greek texts, such as in 2 Tim. 4, which says "who is about to judge." Why don't the translators translate that 9-letter word which means "about" in the sense of "immediacy," "at the door"? Why do they leave it out completely? Is it because they insist on their own views over truth? Evidently, for Russell shows that there is no way to understand the Second Coming outside the first century when one takes the Greek as it is written, and written to the first-century believer.

There are two errors in Russell's book that does not contradict the final conclusion of the book. Russell's dealings with 1 Thess. 4:17 and Rev. 20 indicate a need for more thinking. These verses, though still misunderstood among preterists today, are coming to better light in how they fit the preterist view.

The 1000 years in the Greek is literally the 1000s years, referring not to a time period, but to an earlier non-time reference. In Rev. 7 & 14, the 144,000 is actually 144,000s and the the 12,000 references are 12,000s. In other words, the period of time in Rev. 20 is not a 1000 years, but the 1000s years, the term 1000s being a qualitative rather than quantitative description of the period of reigning: it was the years of the reign of the thousands earlier defined in chapters 7 & 14 of Revelation. That reign was between 38 and 40 years.

Russell also fails to link 1 Thess. 4:17 with some other important references in 1 Cor 15 and 2 Cor. 5:1-4. The activity of this verse is not something that happens as a group, but something that happens to every believer as they die, and this verse concerns those who die after 70 AD versus verse 16 which refers to what happened in 70 AD to saints who had died up to 70 AD at the SEcond Coming of Christ.

Nevertheless, this book is a must read for anyone who truly takes the revealed truth of scripture seriously and puts truth above tradition, feelings, popularity, etc. Read this and DeMar's "Last Days Madness," and then try to figure out how anyone can believe "left behind" theology. It's because the truth as so competently revealed in this and DeMar's book is being deliberately hidden from the people by the sensationalists, the false prophets who continue to predict, fail, and rewrite their false predictions.

Any person sincerely looking for biblical truth in the area of eschatology will have to face this book and DeMar's book. To refuse to do so would be to deliberately ignore important historical and foundational hermeneutical documents that are critical to making sure we are letting the Bible interpret the Bible. But I'm sure there are many of a certain group who would rather be "left behind" than face these matters openmindedly.

Russell's and DeMar's books are THE extra-biblical standards available today that must be faced, and they are irrefutable concerning the fact that the Second Coming is past, if one remains true to scripture.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jesus is here with us today!, January 16, 2001

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V. Vaduva (OH United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Parousia: The New Testament Doctrine of Our Lord's Second Coming (Paperback)

After reading this book for the second time, I had to come back here and udpate my review. I wish there could be an option to give this book 100 stars, but unfortunately, that is not possible.

Every Christian caught in the "Rapture fever" should consider reading this book with an open mind, and with the Bible in the other hand, while putting the other "end of the world" books down.

The Parousia appears to be THE authority on eschatology. Russell provides excellent biblical support for every single one of his arguments, and he is succesful in proving that the second coming of Jesus already took place in 70 AD, when the Jewish temple and jewish religious system was destroyed, to allow the creation of a "new heaven and a new earth" for us Christians. Some of Russell's biblical arguments are:

- Malachi 4:5 where the coming of Elijah is predicted and Matthew 11:4 where Jesus tells the disciples that John the Baptist was the Elijah that was to come

- Matthew 24 and Luke 21, passages that clearly discuss two events (the destruction of Jerusalem and the coming of the Son of Man) taking place at the same time

- Matthew 24:34 where Jesus says in plain terms that all the things he described will take place during that generation

- Matthew 10:23 where Jesus tells the disciples that they will not finish going through the cities in Jerusalem before his coming will take place.

Russell's book is the best resource, and the authority on the subject, unlike other christian fiction books with no basis in reality or scripture.

The Bible was written for plain people, to be understood by plain and uneducated people. Christians do not need a theology professor with a PHD or a highly educated preacher to explain to them what Revelation is all about. Like Russel did, the Bible should be read for what it is, from a historical perspective. When a reader does that, the Bible will all make sense, without the aid of theologians and hyperactive, "armaghedon" bent preachers. When John wrote Revelation and sent it to the "seven churches of Asia" he did not bundle the letter with a 10,000 page commentary to help them understand it, yet the readers knew exactly what John was writing about! This book is a MUST BUY for every christian! Also highly recommended from amazon.com is Josephus Flavius: The Wars of the Jews, an excellent addition to The Parousia!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eschatology at its best, August 27, 2003

By 

"connections12" (Macon, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parousia: The New Testament Doctrine of Our Lord's Second Coming (Paperback)

This is the most amazing and scholarly work on eschatology I have ever read (and I've read many). J.S. Russell received his Master's degree at the age of 19 (when most of us are either graduating high school or just starting college).

He has such a reverence for the Word of God over tradition. He never forces the text and seems to refute every other angle imaginable.

This is a MUST read for any serious student of the Bible.