@creatr, your application of the Greek is exactly what has happened. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, God had a body of believers for the first time in history that were organized in a decentralized manner, which is how his kingdom functions. Ever since then, there have been elements at work to make the Church into a centralized institution. Paul refers to this as the mystery of iniquity (2 Thess. 2:7). This is why all the reformers of the sixteenth century referred to the pope as the antichrist, the man of lawlessness, as he was the head of a centralized religious institution claiming to be the Church. His office "appeared from the midst," just as Paul and John warned such power seekers would do (Acts 20:30, 1 John 2:19).
It is the re-emergence of the Church as a decentralized body of believers, cleansed of power seekers, that provides a context for Christ to appear the second time "from the midst," as it is written:
"Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them. And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD. And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it." Jeremiah 30:18-24.
Thank you, friend @timothyb, for your encouraging comments. I greatly appreciate being reminded of these other supporting scriptures. It has been a while since I have studied this all in depth, but I've come back to it for the sake of my "Curmudgeon's Bible" series.
One of my concerns, however, is this:
Jesus warned us not to believe it in the context of his second coming.