supplies us with the more familiar parousia, which means the actual,

personal, presence of the Lord.

Peter, it will be remembered, emphasized that which he called 'present

truth' in 2 Peter 1:12, which had in view the Coming of the Lord as the day -

star of Old Testament prophecy (2 Pet. 1:16 -21).  That phase of truth was

'present' or, as we sometimes say, 'obtained' for the dispersion for whom he

wrote.  In the same sense the 'laid up' hope of the Mystery was 'present', or

'obtained', for those to whom Paul ministers in these prison epistles.  This

is 'the present truth' for us, and just as Peter prayed that his hearers

might be established in the present truth, so likewise Paul prayed (Col.

1:28).  What we do well to remember is that a redeemed Israelite, called

under the dispensation ministered by Peter, could not be 'established' in

truth that belonged to members of the One Body; it would not be present truth

to him.  And just in the same way, the members of the One Body cannot be

established in truth outside that which is present to them, but only in that

which has to do with the high calling of the Mystery.

The apostle expands this idea of 'present truth' in the same chapter.

After claiming the ministry of the One Body as something very exclusively his

own, by reason of a dispensation given to him by God, 'even the mystery'

hitherto hidden from the ages and generations, he proceeds:

'But now is made manifest to His saints (see "all saints" in 1:4): to

whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this

mystery (see Eph. 1:18: "The hope of His calling, the riches of the

glory of His inheritance in the saints"), among the Gentiles (see Col.

1:6: "Unto you and all the world"); which is Christ in (among) you, the

hope of glory' (Col. 1:26,27).

The very fact that, in spite of the setting aside of Israel, and in

spite of the cessation of supernatural gifts, Christ could be preached 'among

the Gentiles' necessitated some basis other than that given in earlier

Scriptures.  For, where, apart from the Mystery epistles, can we find warrant

for going with a message of supernatural grace and glory to Gentiles,

independently of Israel, the New Covenant, and the promises made to Abraham?

Neither Israel, the New Covenant, nor the promises to Abraham enter into the

gospel and hope of the church which is His Body.

The third chapter contains a further statement concerning our hope:

'When Christ, Who is our life, shall be made manifest, then shall ye

also be made manifest with Him In Glory' (Col. 3:4 author's

With this passage we should read Titus 2:13.

Colossians 3:4 and Titus 2:13 have two features in common which are

specially connected with the hope of the Mystery.

The first is the word 'appearing'; the second the word 'glory'.  In

Colossians 3:4 'appear' in the original is phaneroo, and in Titus 2:13 it is

the cognate word epiphaneia.  Before Acts 28 Paul uses the two words parousia

and apokalupsis ('coming' and 'revelation') when speaking of the Lord's

Coming, using epiphaneia once when speaking of the 'brightness' of the