Article How Could Jesus Have Returned Invisibly?

[Ray Faircloth]

How Could Jesus Have Returned Invisibly?​

Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) seems to have been the first to propose the idea that Jesus would return and rule as “invisible to mortals.” In 1856, the Lutheran minister Joseph Seiss spoke of an invisible parousia or presence, followed by a visible manifestation. After Jesus had failed to visibly return in 1874 as expected by C.T. Russell his associate B.W. Keith directed Russell’s attention to the idea that Jesus must have returned invisibly. This was in line with the then newly popular two-stage view of Jesus’ coming as espoused by many denominations of the time. Later Russell changed the date of the return from 1874 to 1914. The teaching of an invisible return of Jesus does not mean that he has been literally but invisibly on the earth since 1914, but rather that, in the teaching of the Watchtower Organization, he still appears to sit at God’s right hand in heaven and ‘comes’ in the sense that he has turned his attention to the executing of God’s judgments on the nations.

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Jesus Was Already Spiritually Present​

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Of the several mistakes with this Watchtower teaching, one fact that is missing is that Jesus has been spiritually present with his disciples right from the time he was taken to heaven. As he said: “I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things” (Matt. 28:20). This was fulfilled when he sent “the spirit of the truth” (verse 17) which is “the spirit of Jesus” (Acts 16:7). This is also God’s spirit. However, Jesus promised to also physically and literally return.

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Jesus Is Only in Heaven for a Certain Time as​

Christians Await His Literal Return from Heaven​

Contrary to the Watchtower teaching that Jesus will never return to earth the Scriptures show that he will be in heaven only for a certain time as when Peter shows that:

“...Heaven must hold this one [Jesus] within itself until the times of restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21).

In fact, Christians must, “wait for [God’s] Son from the heavens” (1 Thess. 1:10) and know that, “Our citizenship exists in the heavens, and we are eagerly waiting for a saviour from there” (Phil. 3:20). Clearly, Christians are waiting for Jesus’ physical return as he said he literally would.

Jesus Does Not Return for an Invisible Presence​

Certainly, “presence” is one of the possible meanings of the Greek term parousia as when an ordinary person turns up in a particular location. However, it is Adolf Deismann who originally showed that parousia has a technical meaning when a dignitary (king etc.) is coming to visit a township i.e., an official visit. So parousia then refers to the “coming” of that person as meaning their entire visit including their journey to the place—as someone could say “the king is coming.” So, with Matthew 24:3 the context, especially “the sign of your parousia” indicates that “the king” i.e. Jesus is on his way—he is approaching and not actually there present yet—he has not fully arrived. Indeed, the first indicator is “when you catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation...” (Matt. 24:15) then the great tribulation (24:21), then all goes dark (24:29), and then “they will see the sign of the son of man appearing in the sky” and finally “they will see the son of man coming on the clouds...” (Matt. 24:30). All of this makes one notable sign, after which Christians are caught up to meet Jesus in the air as he continues his descent (1 Thess. 4:16-17). Only at this point can we say he is fully present. So parousia means “coming as king” in Matthew 24:3 as N.T. Wright renders it in his New Testament version. Parousia simply does not mean that invisibility is involved. Indeed, Jesus comes like “lightning” which is also accompanied by thunder; so that Jesus’ return will be visible and loud.

A Literal Physical Return of Jesus​

In Watchtower thinking, there has been a misunderstanding of the meaning of some of the verbs used regarding Jesus’ return or second advent. However, other verbs used in this regard make it clear that Jesus will physically return to earth as he said, “…hold fast to what you have until I come” (Rev. 2:25). Jesus also stated that, “the Son of man is to come (Gk erchesthai) in the glory of his Father with his angels” (Matt. 16:27) and:


“I will come (Gk erchomai) again and will take you to myself” (John 14:3 ESV). Or “will receive you home to myself” (NWT).


However, the word “home” is not in the original Greek and many other Scriptures show that this is not a promise to take them to heaven. So, unlike Jesus’ spiritual presence his literal return would be visible because it would be “in the glory of his Father.” Such glory is only glory if it is seen. Also, if a person says that he will return it usually means coming back to the place that he is about to leave. This is clearly the case with these sayings of Jesus.

Jesus’ Return Will Be in Person​

In spite of the Watchtower’s denial, Jesus’ visible personal return to earth is a very clearly stated teaching of the Scriptures:


“And after he [Jesus] had said these things, while they were looking on, he was lifted up [from the Mount of Olives vs. 12] and a cloud caught him up from their [the disciples] sight. And as they were gazing into the sky while he was on his way, suddenly two men in white garments stood beside them, and said: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus who was taken up from you into the sky will come in the same manner as you have seen him going into the sky” (Acts 1:9-11).


Quite wrongly, the Watchtower Society teaches that the phrase “in the same manner” refers to the point where Jesus passes beyond the cloud and beyond their vision and therefore becomes invisible. But this is not what is said in verse 11. What the disciples actually saw was Jesus’ initial physical ascent from the Mount of Olives and toward the cloud. His return will be “as you have seen him going into the sky,” so that “the same manner” must mean: as they physically saw him so he will return and so it must involve a physical descent back to the ground. In fact, Hebrews 9:28 even speaks of “…the second time that he appears (Gk ophthesetai = ‘made visible’ KIT)...”

In the teachings of the Organization, it is mistakenly assumed that in the Scriptures ‘clouds’ are figurative for invisibility. However, reputable Bible commentaries make it clear from the Scriptures that ‘clouds’ are figurative for God’s presence (note the cloud in the Exodus experience and also the one which hovered over the tabernacle). So, as God’s representative Jesus’ being caught up in a cloud after “he was lifted up” pictures God’s presence as represented by him. Furthermore, verse 9 does not say that Jesus became invisible at this time, but simply that he went beyond “their sight.”

NOTE: the angels’ question of: “why do you stand looking into the sky?” is asked for the purpose of encouraging the disciples to get on with accomplishing Jesus’ mandate (vs. 8) of witnessing rather than peering into the now empty sky.

The Prophesied Physical Return of Jesus​

Several times in the Hebrew Scriptures Jehovah is stated to return to his people in the future. An example of this is the time-of-the-end prophecy in Zechariah that: “In that day his [Jehovah’s] feet will stand on the mount of the olives, which faces Jerusalem” (Zech. 14:4). However, as Jehovah’s representative it will actually be the feet of Jesus that once again stand on the Mount of Olives from where he had much earlier ascended to heaven. Certainly, Jesus showed that he would be back on the earth at a future time by describing entirely physical, tangible conditions of his presence, such as: “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom” (Matt. 26:29) and “I make a covenant with you, just as my Father has made a covenant with me, for a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones to judge the 12 tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:29, 30. See also Matthew 19:28). These are obviously descriptions of future physical events with a tangible Jesus’ being in the Kingdom with his tangible disciples. Indeed, “The idea of a Messianic banquet is reflected in verse 30” says The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 8, p. 1028. We will now look at further evidence that Jesus comes right back to the surface of the earth.

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[LeeB]

There is only one time Jesus was on Earth again after his ascension and that is when he met Paul on the road to Damascus. This was not a second advent but a choosing of a man for a special assignment of Apostle to the gentiles. Jesus was not invisible to Paul as the glory of Christ blinded him but others present saw nothing Only heard a sound. The second advent is very public and noisy and all eyes will see him.