Jesus promised that the elect would have a place “prepared” for them when Jesus returned to heaven. John 14:2-3 ... So why would he prepare a place in heaven for them if he is coming back to the earth in person?
Because Jesus stated, "if I go away ... I will come again. So Jesus prepares the place for them first, than later he returns. Do you actually think Jehovah has mansions in heaven? The universe is God's home or house, and this earth is His footstool. He has one part of his great family on the angelic plane, we don't know how many; he has another part of his family that are seraphim and cherubim, and we don't know much about them. He has other parts of the spiritual family that the apostle Paul seems to refer to, but we don't know what these distinctions are; it's not revealed; but merely that there are different orders or grades of our heavenly Father's family on the spirit plane.
The church is to be on the spirit plane. Then he has also another part of his family of the human kind. Now he's made provisions for all of these different families. He had already made provision for the angels; they have their plane, their status, their condition, assigned to them. So God has provided for mankind; the earth was made for man. But now there's a new thing; Jesus came and called a church, and that church with himself is to constitute a new creation, and there was no place for a new creation; it was to be an entirely new creation. So Jesus, who was the first-born of this new creation, when he ascended up on high left us word that if we would be faithful as his members he would go before us and prepare a place for us, and he tells us what place it will be, that it will be a place in the divine nature. Peter says God has given us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these--by these promises working in us to will and to do God's good pleasure--we might become partakers of the divine nature. All who become partakers of the divine nature will have that place in the Father's mansion that is next to the Father's abode--the Father, the Son, the church, and then all other orders under those.
So he prepares a place for them, but before they can enjoy that place, they have business to attend too, and that is joining the Lord Jesus in reconciling mankind back to God as it was in the garden before the fall, but first they must deal with Satan and his minions, and where is Satan? In the earth's atmosphere, where Jesus returns too and where the Church joins him. Hope that makes sense to you.
None of the chosen rulers and priests need to be physically present to rule mankind. The Kingdom is in heaven...it’s subjects are on earth. (Rev 21:2-4)
True, logically so, BUT ... Jesus says "I go .... I will return". Acts 3:21 tells us that Jesus remains in heaven until the times of restitution, that is when the Kingdom is to be established. Again, he has to do battle with Satan and the fallen angels, how does he do that from heaven? Can he just snap his fingers and they're gone? Abyssed? I'm sure he can, but that's not what the scriptures tell us. Even your Revelation book says Jesus does battle against Satan and hurls him to the vicinity of the earth, and now he must return to that same vicinity to bind him.
Jesus’ “parousia” is his “presence”.....he is “present” ruling his disciples and has been for over 100 years,
True, Jesus did tell his disciples, before he left that "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (aionos age), and, "I go to prepare a place for you, ...and will come again and receive you." (Matt. 28:20; John 14:2,3) But let's not confuse the two verses. Let's look at an example; One friend says to another as they're going their separate ways, "Remember, I will be with you through all your journey". How? Certainly not in person; for they went in opposite directions. The idea was that in love, and thought, and care one for another, they would not be separated. In a similar yet fuller sense, the Lord has always been with his Church, his divine power enabling him to oversee, direct and assist them, from first to last. But we're considering, not our Lord's presence with his body members in this figurative sense, but the manner of his second personal presence and appearing, "when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired in all them that believe in that day."
The apostle Paul made a clear distinction between his “presence” and his “absence” in Philippians 2:12...
“Consequently, my beloved ones, just as you have always obeyed, not only during my presence [pa·rou·siʹai] but now much more readily during my absence, [a·pou·siʹai] keep working out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Well, we're not discussing the Apostle Paul. But since you did, let's look at that verse in its entirety.
"So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."
In other words, when Paul was in Philippi, the brethren diligently listened, and he could see their responses. Now, in his absence, he desired that they continue in obedience. He wanted them to realize that although he was absent, God was present with them. Their diligence to serve God should persist whether or not Paul was physically there. They should serve not only with fear and trembling lest they lose their crown but also as if being in the presence of God. “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it” (Heb. 4:1).
Someone’s “presence” is not the same as their “coming”.....you can see that someone is present even if you did not see them arrive.
The word translated “presence” in verse 12 is the Greek
parousia. This usage in context is an excellent example of why it's correct to say the “presence of the Lord,” as opposed to his “return.” Parousia means “being present.” The fact that the opposite meaning is given here further qualifies parousia; namely, “presence” and “absence” are opposites, and the two words occur in the same verse. 14 “For it is God who works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure” (verse 13 paraphrase). The Philippians were not to be dependent on Paul or on any other personality for salvation because God was present with them and worked in them.
Yes, but they do not have to be in physical form. The devil and his demons have been confined to the earth since Jesus began ruling (Rev 12:7-12)....can you see them? No! But you can see the impact that they are having on the world of mankind.....”just like the days of Noah”....violence and immorality are rife.
I never said Jesus or his elect will be in physical form, I said Jesus return is personal, meaning he returns personally to the earth's atmosphere. Again Jane, that is where Satan and the fallen angels dwell. They are invisible to the human eye, but not the mind's eye,
As a spirit, Jesus (as well as his elect) can be in both realms, God has observed us from his heavenly vantage point since the beginning, but he does not have to be on earth to guide and direct the disciples of his son...he does so by means of his powerful spirit.
You're missing the point Jane. Yes, Jehovah is omnipresent. But remember, Jehovah has NEVER stepped foot on earth, "no man has seen God at any time." (John 1:18). Jehovah never had a first advent, and he's never had a second advent. If Jesus said, "I am with you always" then he never left, he's always been with them, but that isn't what the scriptures tell us. "If I go, I will come again". If his first advent was a personal one, wouldn't it make sense that his second advent would also be a personal one?
