Last Thursday evening at our Bible study, I shared my thoughts on the doctrine is Imminency. The Blessed Hope of all Christian believers is that Jesus Christ is going to come again, as taught in this Scripture passage:
But, is the doctrine of Imminency speaking of Jesus Christ's Second Coming in glory - or is it speaking of another event?
"Bill,if not His Second Coming, then exactly what event is Imminent?" Glad you asked.
First, let's define Imminent. In the secular dictionary we find: Imminent: an adjective meaning "likely to occur at any moment; impending"
Where do we find the doctrine of Imminency taught in the Bible?
Jesus is teaching us that since no one can know when He is going to come to gather, Rapture, His church - we must be ready at all times. For He will come when we do not expect Him, i.e., "like a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Is this calling Jesus Christ a thief? Of course not, it is a comparative analogy. For example, a thief will not come into your home when you are awake and aware - he will come in the night when you are asleep.
In the same way, Jesus Christ will come for His church at a time when we do not expect Him. For that reason we must always be spiritually awake and aware - so that we are not surprised, but instead we should always be ready to welcome Him.
The "Day of the Lord" can be viewed as a period of time, i.e., such as the full period of the End Times. Or it can be viewed as a specific day, i.e., the day when Christ will come to gather, or rapture, His church from earth. Both are valid interpretations and the correct meaning is defined by the context of that specific Scripture verse or passage. In this context, it is referring to the PreTribulational Rapture of the church.
Biblically all this means that Jesus Christ's coming for His church is IMMINENT. It means that He can appear at any time, any moment, to take His church, His worldwide body of believers, into heaven, i.e., the Rapture of the church. It could happen as I am writing this blog (if you are reading my blog, then the Rapture did not happen yet), it could happen tomorrow, next month, next year, or it may not happen for many years. But one thing we do know, for we have His promise - the Rapture will happen! The big question is: When?
Prophecy is obviously important to God. Otherwise why would 30 percent of the Bible (one third of the Bible), Old Testament and New Testament, contain prophecy? Prophecy is important to God and it should be important to us - for it validates the Bible as the sole source and full authorityfor our Christian faith, our Christian life, and our eternal salvation.
Prophecy is not found in any of the sacred books of the world religions. Prophecy is found only in the Bible. And of the 1817 prophecies found in the Bible - all except those telling of the End Times have been fulfilled. To date, no Biblical prophecy has failed to be fulfilled, as validated in both religious and secular writings. Fulfilled prophecies are the absolute proof that the Bible is the Written Word of God.
Since prophecy is so important to God and is the true validation of our Bible - then why do many pastors and churches not teach prophecy? Why do some pastors even go to the extreme and denigrate prophecy and the teaching of prophecy? Is it because prophecy frightens them - or because they spiritualize prophecy, viewing it only as mythical allegories in many liberal theology churches? Or do they just not believe God and His prophecies?
This is an excerpt from Rick Warren's book "The Purpose Driven Life" published in 2002 which caused many churches and Bible study groups to lay aside the Bible for 40 weeks (close to a year) and study his book instead:
Notice that Rick Warren follows his common practice and quotes from a paraphrase and not from the Bible. His quote above is from the Living Bible. The Living Bible is an English version of the Bible created by Kenneth N. Taylor and first published in 1971. Unlike most English language versions of the Bible, The Living Bible is a paraphrase.
According to Kenneth Taylor he wrote a paraphrase of the Bible so that it could be understood by children (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Living_Bible). A paraphrase is nothing more than a commentary - not the Word of God, but the words of man. In his books Rick Warren frequently quotes from paraphrase Bibles, i.e., commentaries, such as the Message and the Living Bible paraphrase commentaries.
In his book Rick Warren has taken a Scripture passage which has nothing to do with prophecy - and twisted it to help him deny prophecy.
Let's look at the real intent of that Scripture passage. In the Bible we read of Jesus' traveling toward His destiny with the cross in Jerusalem:
In His teachings and parables during His earthly ministry, Jesus often used examples taken from agriculture, for that was their way of life at that time. We see an agricultural example used in this Scripture passage. And, from David Guzik's commentary on Luke 9, we read:
Throughout the Bible all prophecy is effectively pointing toward one event - the Glorious Second Coming of Jesus Christ to establish His Millennial Kingdom on earth for 1000 years. After that 1000 year Millennial Kingdom on earth, He will take His own into eternal life in the presence of God. The design, purpose, intent, and ultimate goal of all Scripture - is to bring all who will, into the family of God (2 Peter 3:9), and into His eternal presence. And prophecy is pointing us all toward that day when He will come again, His Second Coming, which will be triggered by the Imminent Rapture of His church seven years earlier.
Often in Scripture, some event must happen before a prophecy can occur, i.e., in Daniel 9:24 the Messiah had to be cut off (crucified) before the Holy Spirit would come into all believers in the Upper Room, indwelling those 120 disciples, and beginning the church age. In Daniel 9:27 the Antichrist must sign a false peace covenant with the nation Israel before the seven year Tribulation can begin.
That seven year period, the Tribulation, is God's time to bring the remnant of His chosen people, Israel, back into His family. That is the main purpose of the Tribulation, to bring the remnant of Israel into the family of God:
And the Tribulation must happen before Christ will come again, His Second Coming in Glory. Only one event, or prophecy, is remaining to be the gating factor for those End Time prophecies to be fulfilled - the Imminent Rapture of the church. The PreTribulational Rapture will start the End Times clock ticking.
What is the gating factor for the Imminent Rapture of the church? There is nothing left, no signs, no prophecies, which must occur before the Rapture. Does that mean that the Rapture is going to occur in my lifetime? I cannot say and neither can anyone else. We just know that it can happen at any moment - for there is nothing left which can hold it back. Are YOU ready?
When the Jewish nation of Israel was reborn in 1948 - that was the last gating prophecy which had to occur before the Rapture of the church. There are no more prophecies pending before the Rapture. What does that mean? Is the Rapture going to happen very soon? No one knows, nor can anyone know, the time of the Rapture. Keep in mind what Jesus Christ told us in Matthew 24:36, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Prophetically, nothing more has to happen before Christ comes in the air, i.e., in the clouds, to Rapture His church before the Tribulation begins.
Some folks will say that His Second Coming is a two-phase event. Not true. These are two totally different events, seven years apart. Actually there are three events which mark the End Times: the Rapture - the Tribulation - the Millennial Kingdom on earth. At the end of those three separate events, He will create the New Heaven, New Earth, New Jerusalem, and then He will escort all believers (from Adam down to the last soul saved during the Millennial Kingdom) into Eternity, into the eternal presence of God - on the New Earth and in the New Jerusalem.
So, the doctrine of Imminency is not speaking of Christ's Second Coming. Instead it is speaking of His coming in the clouds (not to earth) to take His church into heaven. Those believers who have died in Christ and we who are still alive -"shall be caught up " to meet Him in the clouds where we will be given our immortal body like His (1 John 3:2) and then He will lead us into heaven.
And, in the final words of that 1 Thessalonians passage we are promised:
Could you find comfort if you and your loved ones were going to live through the 7 year Tribulation, or even a part of it? In other words, can you find comfort in suffering and seeing your loved ones suffer? Not really! Yet we CAN comfort one another because we KNOW that all believers will be taken out, caught up, raptured - before the Tribulation begins.
One last thought on the Imminence of the PreTribulation Rapture: Why is it that those who support other Rapture theories, i.e., MidTrib Rapture (3 1/2 years into the Tribulation) - PreWrath Rapture (5 1/2 years into the Tribulation) - PostTrib Rapture (after the Tribulation) often become vehement in their attacks on the PreTrib Rapture and we who believe it?
We do not say that we believe in a PreTribulational Rapture of the church and a PreMillennial Second Coming of Jesus Christ - because that belief will give us eternal life. A true believer is saved and will spend eternity in the presence of God - regardless of the End Times scenario that person believes. We are saved "by grace through faith" alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) - and our eschatological beliefs have no effect on that salvation.
However, our "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1) is most definitely affected by our eschatological beliefs. How can a person have true "peace with God" in our Christian walk - if we believe that we, and our loved ones, will have to suffer the horrors of the seven year Tribulation before we can see our Lord in heaven?
To all my Christian brethren, let us enjoy discussing these non-essential Christian doctrines and teachings, i.e., baptism time and method, eschatological events and timing, etc. - without allowing those discussions to bring animosity and division into the body of Christ, our churches. In such discussions we all grow and mature in our knowledge of God's Word, which is His desire, for those discussions can lead us into a deeper study of our Bible and our Christian faith.
So, let's share, talk, discuss, even agree at times to disagree - but let us remember that all believers are members of the body of Christ - and He is the Head.
In closing, to my non-believing Friends, let me share a thought with you. I read this today in the daily devotional (October 15, 2005) of Our Daily Bread published by RBC Ministries: "It is never too soon to accept Christ - but at any moment it could be too late!" Think about that, your next breath could be your last breath on this earth, in this mortal body.
Yet, if you are still breathing - use that breath to ask Jesus Christ, "Lord, remember me in Your kingdom" - and I promise He will reply, "Today, or soon, you will be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:42-43).
That, my Friend, is the true comfort spoken of in1 Thessalonians 4:18.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
Titus 2:11-13, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."
But, is the doctrine of Imminency speaking of Jesus Christ's Second Coming in glory - or is it speaking of another event?
"Bill,if not His Second Coming, then exactly what event is Imminent?" Glad you asked.
First, let's define Imminent. In the secular dictionary we find: Imminent: an adjective meaning "likely to occur at any moment; impending"
Where do we find the doctrine of Imminency taught in the Bible?
Jesus Himself tells us in Matthew 24:36, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only."
He tells us in Matthew 25:13, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."
And in Luke 12:40, "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
Jesus is teaching us that since no one can know when He is going to come to gather, Rapture, His church - we must be ready at all times. For He will come when we do not expect Him, i.e., "like a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Is this calling Jesus Christ a thief? Of course not, it is a comparative analogy. For example, a thief will not come into your home when you are awake and aware - he will come in the night when you are asleep.
In the same way, Jesus Christ will come for His church at a time when we do not expect Him. For that reason we must always be spiritually awake and aware - so that we are not surprised, but instead we should always be ready to welcome Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:2, "For you yourselves know perfectly that the Day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night."
The "Day of the Lord" can be viewed as a period of time, i.e., such as the full period of the End Times. Or it can be viewed as a specific day, i.e., the day when Christ will come to gather, or rapture, His church from earth. Both are valid interpretations and the correct meaning is defined by the context of that specific Scripture verse or passage. In this context, it is referring to the PreTribulational Rapture of the church.
Biblically all this means that Jesus Christ's coming for His church is IMMINENT. It means that He can appear at any time, any moment, to take His church, His worldwide body of believers, into heaven, i.e., the Rapture of the church. It could happen as I am writing this blog (if you are reading my blog, then the Rapture did not happen yet), it could happen tomorrow, next month, next year, or it may not happen for many years. But one thing we do know, for we have His promise - the Rapture will happen! The big question is: When?
Prophecy is obviously important to God. Otherwise why would 30 percent of the Bible (one third of the Bible), Old Testament and New Testament, contain prophecy? Prophecy is important to God and it should be important to us - for it validates the Bible as the sole source and full authorityfor our Christian faith, our Christian life, and our eternal salvation.
Prophecy is not found in any of the sacred books of the world religions. Prophecy is found only in the Bible. And of the 1817 prophecies found in the Bible - all except those telling of the End Times have been fulfilled. To date, no Biblical prophecy has failed to be fulfilled, as validated in both religious and secular writings. Fulfilled prophecies are the absolute proof that the Bible is the Written Word of God.
Since prophecy is so important to God and is the true validation of our Bible - then why do many pastors and churches not teach prophecy? Why do some pastors even go to the extreme and denigrate prophecy and the teaching of prophecy? Is it because prophecy frightens them - or because they spiritualize prophecy, viewing it only as mythical allegories in many liberal theology churches? Or do they just not believe God and His prophecies?
This is an excerpt from Rick Warren's book "The Purpose Driven Life" published in 2002 which caused many churches and Bible study groups to lay aside the Bible for 40 weeks (close to a year) and study his book instead:
If you want Jesus to come back sooner, focus on fulfilling your mission, not figuring out prophecy.
It is easy to get distracted and sidetracked from your mission because Satan would rather have you do anything besides sharing your faith. He will let you do all kinds of good things as long as you don't take anyone to heaven with you. But the moment you become serious about your mission, expect the Devil to throw all kinds of diversions at you.
When that happens, remember the words of Jesus: "Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God." ("Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren, page 286)
Notice that Rick Warren follows his common practice and quotes from a paraphrase and not from the Bible. His quote above is from the Living Bible. The Living Bible is an English version of the Bible created by Kenneth N. Taylor and first published in 1971. Unlike most English language versions of the Bible, The Living Bible is a paraphrase.
According to Kenneth Taylor he wrote a paraphrase of the Bible so that it could be understood by children (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Living_Bible). A paraphrase is nothing more than a commentary - not the Word of God, but the words of man. In his books Rick Warren frequently quotes from paraphrase Bibles, i.e., commentaries, such as the Message and the Living Bible paraphrase commentaries.
In his book Rick Warren has taken a Scripture passage which has nothing to do with prophecy - and twisted it to help him deny prophecy.
Let's look at the real intent of that Scripture passage. In the Bible we read of Jesus' traveling toward His destiny with the cross in Jerusalem:
Luke 9:61-62 (nkjv), "And another (another disciple) also said, 'Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.' But Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'"
In His teachings and parables during His earthly ministry, Jesus often used examples taken from agriculture, for that was their way of life at that time. We see an agricultural example used in this Scripture passage. And, from David Guzik's commentary on Luke 9, we read:
No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God: In plowing a field in that day, a farmer kept the rows straight by focusing on an object in front of them, off in the distance (such as a tree). If the farmer started to plow, and kept looking behind, he would never make straight rows and do a good job plowing. In our Christian life, we keep our eyes on Jesus in front of us, and never take our eyes off Him.
Throughout the Bible all prophecy is effectively pointing toward one event - the Glorious Second Coming of Jesus Christ to establish His Millennial Kingdom on earth for 1000 years. After that 1000 year Millennial Kingdom on earth, He will take His own into eternal life in the presence of God. The design, purpose, intent, and ultimate goal of all Scripture - is to bring all who will, into the family of God (2 Peter 3:9), and into His eternal presence. And prophecy is pointing us all toward that day when He will come again, His Second Coming, which will be triggered by the Imminent Rapture of His church seven years earlier.
Often in Scripture, some event must happen before a prophecy can occur, i.e., in Daniel 9:24 the Messiah had to be cut off (crucified) before the Holy Spirit would come into all believers in the Upper Room, indwelling those 120 disciples, and beginning the church age. In Daniel 9:27 the Antichrist must sign a false peace covenant with the nation Israel before the seven year Tribulation can begin.
That seven year period, the Tribulation, is God's time to bring the remnant of His chosen people, Israel, back into His family. That is the main purpose of the Tribulation, to bring the remnant of Israel into the family of God:
Daniel 9:24. "Seventy weeks are determined For your people (Israel) and for your holy city (Jerusalem), To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy."
And the Tribulation must happen before Christ will come again, His Second Coming in Glory. Only one event, or prophecy, is remaining to be the gating factor for those End Time prophecies to be fulfilled - the Imminent Rapture of the church. The PreTribulational Rapture will start the End Times clock ticking.
What is the gating factor for the Imminent Rapture of the church? There is nothing left, no signs, no prophecies, which must occur before the Rapture. Does that mean that the Rapture is going to occur in my lifetime? I cannot say and neither can anyone else. We just know that it can happen at any moment - for there is nothing left which can hold it back. Are YOU ready?
When the Jewish nation of Israel was reborn in 1948 - that was the last gating prophecy which had to occur before the Rapture of the church. There are no more prophecies pending before the Rapture. What does that mean? Is the Rapture going to happen very soon? No one knows, nor can anyone know, the time of the Rapture. Keep in mind what Jesus Christ told us in Matthew 24:36, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Prophetically, nothing more has to happen before Christ comes in the air, i.e., in the clouds, to Rapture His church before the Tribulation begins.
Some folks will say that His Second Coming is a two-phase event. Not true. These are two totally different events, seven years apart. Actually there are three events which mark the End Times: the Rapture - the Tribulation - the Millennial Kingdom on earth. At the end of those three separate events, He will create the New Heaven, New Earth, New Jerusalem, and then He will escort all believers (from Adam down to the last soul saved during the Millennial Kingdom) into Eternity, into the eternal presence of God - on the New Earth and in the New Jerusalem.
So, the doctrine of Imminency is not speaking of Christ's Second Coming. Instead it is speaking of His coming in the clouds (not to earth) to take His church into heaven. Those believers who have died in Christ and we who are still alive -"shall be caught up " to meet Him in the clouds where we will be given our immortal body like His (1 John 3:2) and then He will lead us into heaven.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up (in Greek,"harpazo" - in Latin, "rapiemur" - in English transliterated to "Rapture") together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."
And, in the final words of that 1 Thessalonians passage we are promised:
1 Thessalonians 4:18, "Therefore comfort one another with these words."
Could you find comfort if you and your loved ones were going to live through the 7 year Tribulation, or even a part of it? In other words, can you find comfort in suffering and seeing your loved ones suffer? Not really! Yet we CAN comfort one another because we KNOW that all believers will be taken out, caught up, raptured - before the Tribulation begins.
One last thought on the Imminence of the PreTribulation Rapture: Why is it that those who support other Rapture theories, i.e., MidTrib Rapture (3 1/2 years into the Tribulation) - PreWrath Rapture (5 1/2 years into the Tribulation) - PostTrib Rapture (after the Tribulation) often become vehement in their attacks on the PreTrib Rapture and we who believe it?
We do not say that we believe in a PreTribulational Rapture of the church and a PreMillennial Second Coming of Jesus Christ - because that belief will give us eternal life. A true believer is saved and will spend eternity in the presence of God - regardless of the End Times scenario that person believes. We are saved "by grace through faith" alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) - and our eschatological beliefs have no effect on that salvation.
However, our "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1) is most definitely affected by our eschatological beliefs. How can a person have true "peace with God" in our Christian walk - if we believe that we, and our loved ones, will have to suffer the horrors of the seven year Tribulation before we can see our Lord in heaven?
To all my Christian brethren, let us enjoy discussing these non-essential Christian doctrines and teachings, i.e., baptism time and method, eschatological events and timing, etc. - without allowing those discussions to bring animosity and division into the body of Christ, our churches. In such discussions we all grow and mature in our knowledge of God's Word, which is His desire, for those discussions can lead us into a deeper study of our Bible and our Christian faith.
So, let's share, talk, discuss, even agree at times to disagree - but let us remember that all believers are members of the body of Christ - and He is the Head.
In closing, to my non-believing Friends, let me share a thought with you. I read this today in the daily devotional (October 15, 2005) of Our Daily Bread published by RBC Ministries: "It is never too soon to accept Christ - but at any moment it could be too late!" Think about that, your next breath could be your last breath on this earth, in this mortal body.
Yet, if you are still breathing - use that breath to ask Jesus Christ, "Lord, remember me in Your kingdom" - and I promise He will reply, "Today, or soon, you will be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:42-43).
That, my Friend, is the true comfort spoken of in1 Thessalonians 4:18.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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