Is The Rapture Imminent?

Is the rapture really imminent? For many teachers of end-times prophecy this issue is of utmost importance. First of all, we must figure out what they mean when they say that the rapture is imminent? The word imminent means likely to occur at any moment. If you light a firecracker and put it in your pants pocket, then you can be sure that an injury is imminent. If that is what the prophecy teachers meant by imminent then I would agree. The rapture, as part of the second coming of Christ, is not only likely to occur, it will happen. It is imminent. It is to be expected. Jesus said He would come again.

But that is not the concept that is meant when they teach the imminent return of Christ to rapture the Church. What they mean is this – the rapture could happen at any moment, totally unexpectedly. No signature event will precede the rapture. It will be a great big surprise when it occurs. Not a surprise that it will happen, but the timing can sneak up on you at any moment.

This concept is not Biblical, although they would like to suggest that it is. It is part and parcel to a greater doctrine, that the rapture will happen before a misconstrued Great Tribulation. All the prophetic events of Revelation are contained in that seven-year period, they say, so there will not be any events that precede and portend the rapture. It could happen at any time since it is not dependent on any precedent.

But that is not at all what Paul suggests in writing to the Thessalonians. They feared that the Lord had returned and they had been left out, somehow. It seems that there was a false teaching circulating, as though from Paul himself, saying that “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him” had already occurred (2 Thes 2:1-3). Please take note that the coming of the Lord and the gathering of the saints, the rapture, is one and the same event in Paul’s mind. But more importantly, Paul goes on to say, in verse three, that the rapture will not occur until after the man of lawlessness is revealed. Clearly, the “antichrist” will not be relegated to the Great Tribulation. He will be revealed for all the world to see before we Christians are caught up. Furthermore, the great rebellion which he will mastermind will also precede the rapture. That is speaking of the rise of jihadist Islam, the upheaval of nations, and the beginning of Armageddon. So, the rapture is not a total surprise, we have a pretty conspicuous timeframe leading up to the coming of the Lord.

My brother knows that I write about prophecy, though I don’t think he bothers to read much of what I write. He, like most Christians, is unwilling to seriously consider re-examining prophecy and challenging the prevailing interpretations. But he did ask me a question that is worth considering, “You’re not planning to set a date for the return of Jesus, are you?” My answer to him was this: “Not a date and time, but I can give you some pretty precise indicators. God is not one to pull surprises. He makes it very, very clear what He is going to do, and when He is going to do it. He has always been that way.”

Consider the extensive list of events that need to happen before the return of Christ and the gathering of the saints. The seventh beast must be deposed by the eighth beast (Rev 17), in other words, America must be destroyed (Dan 7:11). The sixth trumpet warning must be fulfilled, which is the buildup to and the beginning of the battle of Armageddon. Led by the man of lawlessness, the ten-nation Arab coalition will begin their attack on Israel. With America out of the picture, there will be no one to restrain them. Once that war has begun, we can expect Jesus to return to defend Israel and subdue and slay his enemies. We will be able to anticipate when Jesus will return -- on the Feast of Trumpets (most likely), after Israel has been invaded. That’s when the saints will be gathered, when the rapture will occur.

I don’t see imminence in that scenario. God is very clear in prophesying exactly what is going to happen, step by step, one event after another, to fulfill His righteous judgment. And to fulfill his promise, as well, of salvation and redemption of those who dearly love Him.

Whenever the writers of the NT encouraged the readers to live in expectancy of Christ’s return, they were exhorting them to live with a deep and abiding belief and hope in the eternal plan of God. He was not exhorting them to live in fear of being caught with their hand in the cookie jar when Jesus unexpectedly returns. He was exhorting them to live in hope. The dead in Christ will be resurrected, and saints who will still be alive will be caught up with them. Eternal glory is our hope, not an any-moment, unexpected, imminent return of Christ.