The parousia theory states that Christ will come to earth and deal with his enemies for 3.5 years. Some believe that Christ is already on earth, others that He will come. Let’s see if this teaching is true.

What is parousia?

• The Greek παρουσία (parousía) comes from the verb παρεῖμι (pareimi, „to be with, to be present”). Literally, it means „being near, being present,” and in a broader sense: „arrival, appearance, arrival.”

• In the context of the topic under discussion, it refers to the arrival of Christ on earth.

Where did the number 3 ½ years come from?

The theory of the parousia speaks of 3.5 years. This is the period of time that Christ is said to have spent on earth. The term 3.5 years has its equivalents throughout the Bible. The number 3.5 appears in many prophecies and almost always denotes the same period of time, namely: time-times-half a time, 1260 days, 42 months:

1. time, times, and half a time (Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 12:14),

2. 42 months (Revelation 11:2; 13:5),

3. 1260 days (Revelation 11:3; 12:6),

4. half a week – 3.5 (Daniel 9:27),

5. 3.5 days – death of the prophets (Revelation 11:9–11),

6. no rain for three and a half years – Elijah (1 Kings 17:1; James 5:17).

Let’s look at the entire verses.

1 a – “A time, times, and half a time” – this formula appears in Daniel 7:25; 12:7:

“And the ten horns – out of this kingdom will arise ten kings, and after them another will arise, different from the former ones, and will subdue three kings. He will speak words against the Most High and will torment (oppress / oppress / oppress), and will intend to change times and law; and the saints will be delivered into his hand until a time, times, and half a time” – Daniel 7:24-25.

„And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river. And he lifted up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, saying, ’For a time, times, and half a time.’ All these things shall be accomplished when the power of the destroyer of the holy nation is finished.” – Daniel 12:7

1b – “A time, times, and half a time” – this formula appears in the Book of Revelation. The woman’s flight into the wilderness lasts 1,260 days (Rev. 12:6). The following verses indicate that the 1,260 days are: “a time, times, and half a time” (Rev. 12:14):

“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that there they may feed her for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.” – Revelation 12:6.

“And the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, to her place, where they would feed her for a time, times, and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.” – Revelation 12:14.

• Time is a number: 1, Times are a number: 2 , Half a time is: ½.

Total: 3 ½ times.

• 3 ½ years is 42 months, or 1,260 days.

2 a – The temple court will be trampled for 42 months:

„But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations (Gentiles). And they will trample the holy city underfoot forty-two months” – Revelation 11:2.

2 b – The beast’s reign is 42 months:

„And they worshiped the dragon, because he had given power to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast? Who can make war with him?’ And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and authority was given to him to act for forty-two months.” – Revelation 13:4-5

3 a – The activity of the two witnesses is 1260 days:

“And I will give [authority, power] to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth” – Revelation 11:3.

3 b – The woman in the desert for 1260 days, or 3.5 times:

“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, that there they might nourish her for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.” – Revelation 12:6.

4 – Half of Daniel’s seven/week is 3.5:

„And He will establish a covenant with many for one seventh, and in the middle of the seventh He will abolish the sacrifice and the grain offering. And on the wing of abomination will stand the destroyer until the end; and what is determined will be poured out on the destroyer.” – Daniel 9:27

5 – death of two witnesses for 3.5 days:

„And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. And people of all peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will look on their dead bodies three and a half days, and will not suffer their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.” – Revelation 11:7-9

Is there a text that directly states that Christ’s presence on earth will last 3 ½ years?

No. The verses with the number 3 1/2 years describe the events mentioned above.

The descriptions of Christ’s return (Matthew 24:30-31; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 19:11-16) depict the arrival, destruction of enemies, and the millennial reign, so we have the following prophecies:

• 42 months of the beast’s rule,

• the end of this period is the second return of Christ,

• the first judgment,

• the destruction of enemies and the millennial reign of Christ.

Nowhere do the verses state that Christ will remain visibly on earth ONLY for 3 1/2 years; on the contrary, His reign is eternal (Dan. 7:14; Rev. 11:15).

The Bible does use the symbol 3 1/2 years, but it refers to the period of tribulation before Christ’s coming.

The number 3 1/2 refers to „a time, times, and half a time,” as well as 1,260 days and 42 months. It always describes a period of tribulation limited by God—it does not describe the length of the Messiah’s reign.

There are also no verses in the Bible that indicate Christ’s coming during the reign of the 10 kings.

The Lord’s Day

In the first chapter of the Revelation of John we have some interesting information:

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet” – Revelation 1:10.

On the Lord’s Day, John receives a revelation of the prophecies. One interpretation of this verse is that John saw prophecies that would occur on the Lord’s Day, when Christ would come to earth. The following verses also tell us about that day:

“For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord is coming like a thief in the night.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:2.

“And the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent fire, and the earth and the works that are in it will not be found.” – 2 Peter 3:10.

The Lord’s Day is the day of Christ’s coming to earth. John writes, „I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day/on the day belonging to the Lord.” These words gave rise to the theory that John’s revelation would be fulfilled on the Lord’s Day, that is, when Christ returns to earth.

Note that John does not say, „all this happens on one Lord’s Day,” but that he found himself in the spirit in the vision that God showed him.

The prophecies John received concern not only future times. In Revelation, we have information about the world’s past and the present in which John lived. For example, the description of the seven churches/assemblies. We have prophecies concerning the future, namely, the thousand-year reign of Christ, God’s judgment, the New Heaven, and the New Earth.

The prophecies of Revelation do not occur in 3.5 years. Taken as a whole, they encompass time not only from the first century, but also from the first empire, Egypt, into eternity, so they cannot be contained within 3.5 years.

Let us remember this verse, which explicitly states that Christ comes to earth twice. He has already been once, and will come again after the reign of the beast:

“So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who eagerly wait for Him” – Hebrews 9:28.

Where did the doctrine that the Parousia would last 3 1/2 years come from? Who spread this?

• Nelson H. Barbour and Charles Taze Russell considered the 70th „week” of Daniel 9:24-27 to be symmetrically divided:

◦ the first 3 1/2 years = Christ’s public ministry,

◦ the second 3 1/2 years = His future activity after His return.

• In their book Three Worlds and the Harvest of This World (1877), they declared that the invisible parousia began in 1874 and would end with a „harvest” in the spring of 1878 (exactly 3 1/2 years).

• The chronology was popularized in the magazines Herald of the Morning and Zion’s Watch Tower.

• After the lack of expected events in 1878, Russell extended the „harvest time” to 40 years (1874–1914) and later abandoned the concept of a 3 1/2-year presence. Let us also look at the verses that say that the coming of Christ is linked to the resurrection after the period of human rule:

„But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: as Christ the firstfruits, then those who are Christ’s at His coming.” – 1 Corinthians 15:20–23.

„For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17.