<p>24:27&nbsp;<i>For as the lightning comes from the east and is seen even to the west</i>- This is the &quot;lightning&quot; and earthquake associated with the return of Christ when His people, natural and spiritual, are at the nadir of persecution and tribulation (Rev. 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18). Lightning doesn&rsquo;t do as described here. The reference is therefore to the Old Testament manifestation of lightning as part of the Cherubim, which flashed with lightning (Ez. 1:4,14). Ezekiel saw the Cherubim depart from the temple (24:1 has alluded to this already), go Eastward to the mount of Olives and then mount up to Heaven (Ez. 10 :19; 11 :22,23). This is why &ldquo;the Glory&rdquo;, the lightning of the Cherubim chariot, was seen as returning to the Mount of Olives &quot;by the way of the east&quot; into the temple (Ez. 43:2-4).&nbsp;</p><p>The Lord had earlier used these very same words in Lk. 17:20-24: &quot;The Kingdom of God comes not with observation it wouldn't be as if a series of signs were fulfilled and people could see the Kingdom of God inching nearer over the decades. Nor shall they say 'Look here' or 'Look there' this is Mt. 24:23 &quot; 'Look here' or 'Look there'&quot;. For the Kingdom of God a title of Messiah is amongst you... They shall say to you in the final tribulation, 'See here' or 'See there' this again is Mt. 24:23,26; go not after them, nor follow them Mt. 24:26 &quot;Go not forth... believe it not&quot;. For as the lightning that lightens out of the one part of Heaven and shines unto the other part under Heaven, so shall also the Son of Man be in His day... they shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man&quot;. The connection would suggest that as the Lord stood amongst them, He was the Son of Man in His day. Those who accepted Him as Messiah were accepting His 'coming' to them. For those who did not, and who argued about whether or not He fulfilled all the prophecies they were analysing &quot;with observation&quot;, He would 'come' unmistakably, but in judgment.</p><p><i>So shall the coming of the Son of Man</i>&nbsp;<i>be</i>- No more doubt can be allowed that the&nbsp;<i>parousia</i>&nbsp;is visible and not invisible. The Lord is here specifically warning against any idea that His&nbsp;<i>parousia</i>&nbsp;is somehow invisible. Jehovah's pseudo-Witnesses and preterists need to take this far more seriously. The point must be driven home that&nbsp;<i>parousia&nbsp;</i>always&nbsp;refers to the physical presence of a person.&nbsp;&nbsp; There is another Greek word frequently translated 'coming' which is more flexible in meaning, but&nbsp;<i>parousia</i>&nbsp;means 'a literal being alongside', and is always used in that way:-<br />-&nbsp; &quot;As the lightning cometh out of the east... so shall also the&nbsp;<i>coming</i>&nbsp;(<i>parousia</i>) of the son of man be&rdquo; (Mt. 24:27).<br />-&nbsp; &quot;The day that Noe entered into the ark... the flood came... so shall also the coming of the son of man be&quot; (:38,39).</p>