Has anyone read Rolf Furuli's book, The Role of Theology and Bias In Bible Translation -- With a Special look at the New World Translation of Jehovah's Witnesses? I found it somewhat interesting that one of his few complaints with the NWT, is that people ought to be able to make an informed choice; he then sites the removal of important information regarding Christ's parousia in the latest large print edition of the NWT. The original version (the large print dark green Bible, published in the early 1960's), mentions Deissmann's alternative data for parousia being used with the sense of "arrival" in extra-Bibleical papyri (see pp. 279-282).
It is also interesting to compare what Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary has to say on this:
Parousia, lit., "a presence," para, "with," and ousia, "being" (from eimi, "to be"), denotes both an "arrival" and a consequent "presence with."
Therefore, does the simple English word "presence" really convey both an "arrival" and a consequent "presence with"? However, one of the arguments raised by Furuli, is Matt. 24:37, 39, where he strongly asserts that because parousia is equated to "the days of Noah" and not "the day of Noah," this "strongly suggests the durative "presence" rather than "coming" (see p.218).
With this interpretation, however, many religious organizations figure that Christ has already arrived, has an invisible presence, discernable only by his disciples. Then, during his "presence," he'll finally come with some kind of a visible manifestation to the world, as an executioner of God's judgements. For example, if I understand this correctly, the Catholic view is that Christ returned invisibly since 70 C.E., began his parousia then, and subsequently has been running the Catholic Church down to this day. Of course, JW's currently believe that his invisible presence began in 1914 (previously, 1874), and Jesus is invisibly running their Church (Organization) from that time onward.
However, let's take a look at this passage in Matt. 24:37-40. As it reads in the NWT:
36 “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be. 38 For as they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; 39 and they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken along and the other be abandoned; 41 two women will be grinding at the hand mill: one will be taken along and the other be abandoned. 42 Keep on the watch, therefore, because YOU do not know on what day YOUR Lord is coming."
Now, let's replace the Greek word parousia, with Vine's expanded definition.
36 “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For just as the days of Noah were, so the ["arrival" and a consequent "presence with"] of the Son of man will be. 38 For as they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; 39 and they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away, so the ["arrival" and a consequent "presence with"] of the Son of man will be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken along and the other be abandoned; 41 two women will be grinding at the hand mill: one will be taken along and the other be abandoned. 42 Keep on the watch, therefore, because YOU do not know on what day YOUR Lord is coming."
Since verse 37 starts with the preposition "for," what follows is undoubtedly an explanation of verse 36, of a single event, which occurs at some "day and hour nobody knows." Noah wasn't given any dates when the flood would come, was he? And like Noah and people living during that time, "nobody knows" when Christ's parousia, or ["arrival" and a consequent "presence with"], will take place. For this reason, the "days of Noah," are assocated with Christ's parousia.
This can be clearly seen in the next two verses. In verse 38, "the day (singular) that Noah entered into the ark," is associated with Christ parousia. Finally, verse 39, where the word parousia occurs yet again, describes how Christ's parousia, or ["arrival" and a consequent "presence with"], will take place as an event, namely, like "the flood."
Rather than supporting the notion that there's some invisible parousia, discernable only by Christ's disciples, whereby they can somehow calculate the date of its beginning, Jesus simply tells his followers to "keep on the watch," because "nobody knows" the day and hour. Finally, we notice that in the concluding section, continued emphasis is placed on being prepared, because Christ's parousia will come when least expected, even for those "taken along" or saved.