太二四27 闪电怎样从东边发出，直照到西边，人子来临也要这样。

　　　　　30 那时，人子的兆头要显在天上，这地的各族都要哀哭；他们要看见人子，带着能力和大荣耀，驾着天上的云而来。

　　〔马太二十四章二十七节〕的“来临”，原文是“巴路西亚”（parousia），意即“同在”，和腓立比二章十二节的“同在”同字。主再来，就主对信徒而论，就是祂与信徒同在。主这个同在……是从大灾难之前，得胜者被提……的时候，就开始了，直到大灾难末了，主降临向世人显现出来的时候。……在这一段的时间里面，主先后都来将信徒提去与祂同在。就信徒而论，是信徒被提；就主自己而论，是主来与信徒同在（圣经要道卷六，一六四四至一六四五页）。

　　Matt. 24:27 For just as the lightning comes forth from the east and shines to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

　　30 And at that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the land will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

　　The Greek word translated “coming” in Matthew 24:27 is parousia, and it literally means “presence.” The same word is translated as “presence” in Philippians 2:12. To His believers the Lord’s return will involve His presence with them. The Lord’s presence will begin before the great tribulation, when the overcoming believers are raptured, ... and last until the end of the great tribulation, when the Lord will descend to reveal Himself to the world…. During this time the Lord will rapture the believers into His presence at different times. With respect to the believers, His coming involves their rapture to His presence; with respect to the Lord, His presence involves His coming to the believers. (CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 4, “Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Volume 6,” p. 599)

　　从主在大灾难前，头一次提去得胜信徒的时候起，主的“巴路西亚”就开始了。……从那时起，主的“巴路西亚”，就是主来临的同在，最少再过了三年半，才“显现”出来。这个显现，圣经称作主“巴路西亚（同在）的显现〔epiphaneia，依皮反尼亚〕”〔帖后二8〕。所以主的再来，有一段时间是“巴路西亚”（同在），有一个时候是“依皮反尼亚”（显现）。……所以帖后二章称作“巴路西亚〔来临〕的依皮反尼亚〔显现〕”。

　　我们如果不明白〔巴路西亚〕这个字的意思所指着的来临，乃是一段时间的同在，我们就不能明白，为什么主的再来，那个来的时间是那样长，从大灾难前就开始来，一直来到大灾难末了，最少有三年半之久。同时，我们也就不能明白，为什么圣经有的地方说主再来的光景是在大灾难之前的，有的地方说主再来的光景是在大灾难末了的。

　　圣经给我们看见，主的再来乃是实在的来，乃是祂亲自从天降下，向人显露出来。祂这个来，就祂对信徒而论，乃是一段时间的同在，开始于大灾难之前，完成于大灾难末了。……到大灾难末了，祂这个来临的同在就显现出来，也就是祂来到地上，向人显现出来了。所以祂的来临，在开始的时候是隐藏的、秘密的，在末了的时候就是显明的、公开的。

　　主再来〔其中一面〕的情形，要像夜间的贼一样，……是隐藏的，是秘密的。〔主再来隐密的一面，发生在大灾难开始前，与祂在大灾难末了的显现无关。〕

　　〔虽然〕主再来〔隐密的一面〕是除了那些儆醒等候的人，没有人能看见的。……圣经又说，主再来的情形，要像闪电一样，是……公开的，是人人都能看得见的〔太二四27、30〕。这……乃是说到主再来的两面情形。……一面是隐藏的、秘密的，一面是显明的、公开的。秘密的一面，就是“巴路西亚”；公开的一面，就是“依皮反尼亚”。……隐密的一面，是只有那些爱祂、儆醒等候祂来的得胜信徒，……才能有分的。公开的一面，是所有的人都能看见，所有的信徒都能有分的（圣经要道卷六，一六四五至一六四九页）。

　　参读：圣经要道，第六十题；在神圣三一里并同神圣三一活着，第四章。

　　The Lord’s parousia will start when the Lord raptures the overcomers to heaven to be with Him before the beginning of the great tribulation. Beginning at this time, the Lord’s parousia, that is, His coming, will last for three and a half years until His appearance is manifested. This manifestation..., or appearance, is what the Bible calls the manifestation (epiphaneia) of His coming (parousia) [2 Thes. 2:8]. The Lord’s return involves a period of time, the parousia (coming), and a point in time, the epiphaneia (manifestation)….Therefore, 2 Thessalonians speaks of the epiphaneia of His parousia.

　　If we do not understand that this word parousia refers to His coming over a period of time, we will not understand why the Lord’s return begins before the great tribulation but does not consummate until the end of the tribulation, a period of three and a half years. We will also be unable to understand why some places in the Bible speak of the Lord coming before the great tribulation, and other places speak of His coming after the great tribulation.

　　The Bible shows that the Lord’s second coming is an actual coming and that the Lord Himself will descend from the heavens to be manifested before men. His coming with respect to His believers involves a long period of time, the time of His presence, which begins before the great tribulation and ends at the end of the great tribulation…. At the end of the great tribulation, the coming of His presence will be manifested when He comes to earth to appear to men. His coming is hidden and secret at the beginning and manifested and open at the end.

　　One aspect of the Lord’s second coming involves a coming that is hidden and secret, like the coming of a thief in the night. The hidden and secret aspect of the Lord’s second coming occurs before the beginning of the great tribulation; it is not related to His manifestation at the end of the great tribulation.

　　Although there is a secret and hidden aspect of the Lord’s coming, which will be seen only by those who are watchful, the Bible also speaks of His coming as lightning across the sky, which will be seen openly by everyone [Matt. 24:27, 30]…. These portions speak of two different aspects of the Lord’s second coming: the hidden, secret aspect and the manifested, open aspect. The hidden aspect is His parousia, and the open aspect is His epiphaneia….Only watchful, overcoming believers who are waiting for Him will participate in the hidden aspect. All the world will see the open aspect, and all believers will participate in it. (CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 4, “Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Volume 6,” pp. 599-602)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 4, “Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Volume 6,” ch. 60; CWWL, 1983, vol. 1, “Living in and with the Divine Trinity,” ch. 4