The Imminency of the Rapture

The doctrine of imminency is super important to understand.  It’s the understanding that the rapture could happen at any time.  Nothing else has to happen in prophecy in order for the trumpet to blow today.  “But Dennis, the Gospel has to be preached all over the world before Jesus can come, and since that hasn’t happened I’m not listening for the trumpet at all!”  Yes the Gospel will be preached over the whole world and the 144,000 Jewish witnesses released AFTER the rapture will complete that.  Did Paul think Jesus could come at any moment?  He sure did!  And now after 2000 years with every Tribulation prophecy set up like Chess pieces on a board, we should be lifting up our heads every day saying “Come Lord Jesus!”

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Imminency. It tells us we live on the edge of eternity. The Rapture might happen at any moment.

However, as the moments become days and then weeks, months, and years, we struggle to maintain our eager anticipation of Jesus’s appearing. Many of us wonder how much closer we will get to the start of the Tribulation before He comes for us. We see so many biblical signs of the end times and yet we wait and wait. I know it’s not easy, not at all.

The silence in most churches regarding our “blessed hope” makes our expectation all the more difficult to maintain. On top of that, many of our Christian friends and family members believe it’s irrational to regard the Rapture as something that might happen anytime soon or even in our lifetime. Many in our churches think we are crazy for believing that there is such a thing as the Rapture or a seven-year Tribulation.

In spite of the long wait and scoffing that comes my way, I remain convinced that imminency is not only incredibly important for today, but also an essential aspect of our walk with the Savior.

I say this for a variety of reasons.

Imminency Copies The Expectancy Of The New Testament Saints

When we view the Rapture as something that can take place at any time, we imitate the expectations of the New Testament saints. Just a cursory sampling of verses from the epistles confirm that they lived sense of imminency:

• “For the coming of the Lord is at hand” (James 5:8).
• “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20, LSB).
• “So that you are not lacking in any gift, eagerly awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ” 1 Corinthians 1:7, LSB).
• “For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven” (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).
• “He who bears witness to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20).

Early in his ministry, Paul believed that the Rapture might happen in his lifetime (1 Thessalonians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 15:52). How is that possible apart from believing it could happen at any moment?

We also see this any moment expectation of Jesus’ return for His Church reflected in The Didache, a short document from the early church. Scholars believe its words date back to the first century AD, but believe someone around AD 300 first compiled then into its current form.

 https://harbingersdaily.com/why-knowing-the-imminency-of-the-rapture-is-so-critical-for-believers/