IMMINENCY: Fact or Fiction?
  by Greg Alston


The term "Imminency," as used in theological circles, means that Christ could return at any time (prior to the 7-year Tribulation) to catch His church off the earth and that no signs or events must precede the Rapture. Does the Bible really teach the doctrine of "Imminency?"  How can the Bible teach that certain conditions must be present before end-time events can take place while at the same time say Christ could have come for His church at any time during the past 2,000 years?  Is this not a contradiction? I think so and, therefore, it is important that we take a closer look at this doctrine called "Imminency." 

Certain scriptures seem to support an "any moment" catching away, i.e., "So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:7) and "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20). In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Paul even implied that he expected Christ to come during his lifetime when he wrote, "Then WE which are alive and remain shall be caught up..." Other passages, indicating that He will come at a time that we don't expect Him, are also used in support of the doctrine of Imminency.  A careful study of such passages, however, reveal that these scriptures speak to the backslidden and/or unwatchful Christian (Matthew 24:45f, Revelation 3:1-5, etc.).

The apostle Paul received special insight and revelation concerning last days' events. Peter attests to this by recording that Paul's teachings were often "hard to understand" (2 Peter 3:16). Although both the Rapture and the Resurrection are mentioned in the Old Testament (Psalm 27:5, Isaiah 26:19, Daniel 12:2), Paul was given further detail concerning these events (1 Corinthians 15:50f and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). In his second letter to the Thessalonians, he even specified the order of events (2 Thessalonians 2).  In spite of his increased revelation, Paul did not have a complete understanding of the last days because neither full understanding of the book of Daniel, nor the book of Revelation, were available to him.  He was hindered in his understanding because of the following statement: "But thou O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Daniel 12:4). Daniel 8:19 and 12:9 corroborate the fact that most of the end time scenario will not be known until "the time of the end," meaning just before it takes place. Because Daniel's visions were still "shut up," Paul did not have access to the vital information contained in the book.  As a result, Paul's teaching on end-time events could not possibly be comprehensive.  The eighth through the twelfth chapters of Daniel reveal the exact time duration to the first coming of Christ and the specific events surrounding the second coming of Christ.  Had Paul been privy to this information, he would not have said (or believed) that Christ could come in his lifetime (which Paul apparently felt was possible). The doctrine of Imminency is undone by the book of Daniel because it tells us that Christ will not return until certain specific events come to pass in the last days (Daniel 8:17). Since Paul did not understand the visions of Daniel, he thought that Christ could come "at any moment."

    As an unbeliever, Saul (prior to becoming Paul) did not understand the sayings of Jesus concerning the last days.   Throughout his ministry Paul had very little contact with the apostles (Galatians 1:16-2:1), and it is not improbable that he was ever informed of the contents of Jesus' discourse on Olivet which, among other things, revealed the demise and rebirth of the nation of Israel. The rebirth of the nation of Israel (Matthew 24:32, Joel 1:7) was the primary sign of the last days.  Not only was Paul unaware of the "fig tree" prophecy, but he probably never knew of the impending demise of the nation, having died before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.  Neither did Paul have Jesus' expanded vision of end-time events, which were later recorded in the Book of Revelation. The Lord did not provide this eschatological detail until thirty years after the death of Paul in AD 66.  Without the aid of the last book of the Bible, Paul was certainly limited in his ability to know when the end would be.  Without the knowledge of WHEN the end would be, Paul could only assume and "hope" that the return of Christ would happen "soon" or "imminently." This may have been Paul's conclusion, but is it the Bible's teaching?  After telling us in Luke 17 that His coming would be as in the days of Noah and Lot, Jesus reminds us that Lot went out (type of the pre-tribulation Rapture) on the very day of Sodom's destruction (Luke 17:29).  This indicates that the Rapture will immediately precede Daniel's 70th week. So also with Noah; he entered the ark of safety just seven days before the flood came, "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days when the Son of Man is revealed" (Luke 17:30).

Hypothetically speaking, if the Rapture would have occurred 500 years ago (which Imminency allows), we who are now alive would be forced to enter the Great Tribulation, because we missed the Rapture.  In light of Revelation 3:10 and 1 Thessalonians 5:9, this cannot possibly be so.  Would we be deprived of ever receiving a glorified body, since we missed the resurrection?  Many ancient Rabbis and Church Fathers, including Barnabas, Irenaeus and Justin Martyr, wrote that Christ would establish His kingdom on earth after 6,000 years of human history.  Hosea 6:1-3 implies that Christ's second coming will be 2,000 years (two days according to 2 Peter 3:8) after His first coming.  And specific Bible passages prove that Christ came precisely 4,000 years after Adam.  The Rapture, being an end-time event, cannot occur any time; it must be assigned to the period which closes out the sixth day (6,000 years according to Psalm 90:4).
In Matthew 25:6-10, we learn of another event that precedes the Rapture. It is the "midnight cry" that is heard just before the arrival of the bridegroom. If an argument could be made in support of Imminency, it would have to be restricted to the period of time which follows the "cry" of Matthew 25:6. Arguably, one could say that the Rapture becomes imminent after the midnight cry is heard.  I am inclined to say (but not dogmatically) that God, as He has consistently done in the past, will continue to unfold major prophetic events at His "appointed times" (Leviticus 23).  Acts 2:1 verifies that these appointed times include the Church, which like the gentile prophet Enoch, was born on the Jewish feast of Pentecost. Genesis 8:4,13 indicate that God kept these appointed times long before Israel came into existence.  The day of the Rapture is certainly known by God/Jesus, for all end-time events are pre-determined by Him (Zechariah 14:7, Acts 17:31) and disclosed to us by His Spirit (John 16:12-15, Luke 2:26) - if we desire, or believe, we can know (Luke 11:9-13). The Church came into existence at an appointed time (Acts 2:1) and, like Enoch, will depart at the appointed time. This disallows the capricious doctrine of "Imminency."  The Rapture is "pre-trib" (Isaiah 26:19-21, 2 Thessalonians 2:6,7, Revelation 3:10) but it has not always been "imminent."  It certainly was not imminent throughout Church history, for it is clearly an event set to occur in the last days only (Matthew 24:38-40, Daniel 12:1,2). 
  
  
click here for   Watchman G’s Videos
elijfire2003@yahoo.com