I need to talk with you today about something called imminence. Perhaps you have heard people who believe in the pretribulation rapture say that the rapture is imminent. Or perhaps you haven’t heard that. Either way is OK. But I believe that it’s important to know about imminence so we’re going to talk about it today. There is a Biblical definition of imminence, at least a definition that can be derived from the Bible. Many Bible teachers, theologians, and Saints of the past - going back many centuries - have considered the Second Coming of Christ to be possible at any moment. Many of these Saints had no detailed understanding of the Second Coming and many did not believe in the pretribulation rapture. Some did not even believe in a rapture at all. Yet some were quite solid believers. They just didn’t have revelation from the Holy Spirit about the rapture. But many believed that Christ’s return could occur at any moment and that is very important. Was this a belief in imminence, however? Or at least let me ask, was this a belief in imminence as we will define it in this message today? I don’t know if we can answer that definitively. But that’s OK. We’ll see those saints in heaven and we can ask them then if we want to. But for you and me, we’ll talk about it now and I hope to show you the value of that. And we will define imminence shortly, folks.
But before we define imminence, I’d like to make sure that you understand that the Second Coming of Christ can be viewed as having two parts - first the rapture which happens when Jesus snatches believers and resurrected saints up to meet Him in the clouds to take them back to heaven with Him, and then, second, after the 7 year Tribulation, the return of Christ to earth (to the Mount of Olives), which is the actual Second Coming of Christ to terra firma, to the earth, at which time He rescues the Jewish Nation, judges the world, and sets up His Messianic or Millennial Kingdom which He will then rule from Jerusalem. Many great theologians and believers in Christ of the past, those who took the Scriptures literally, didn’t understand that there is a pretribulation rapture nevertheless they believed that Messiah’s Second Coming could occur at any moment. The great British preacher Charles Spurgeon was such a man.
So, what is the definition of imminence, as we will use the word and concept here? Imminence refers to an event that first, could occur at any time, second, has no preconditions attached to it, and third, is not necessarily going to occur soon. It is as if this event is hanging over our heads and could fall upon us with no advance warning at any time. Is this concept of imminence based on New Testament Scriptures? Yes! I will give you several examples that demonstrate imminence in the context of the Second Coming of our Messiah. The first example is:
Titus 2:13 (NKJV) looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
The Greek word for looking for in this verse is prosdechomai and it means to look for, to wait for, to expect. The tense of this Greek verb is the present tense which means continuous action; the waiting and looking-for is non-stop. The Apostle Paul is saying in this verse that he is continuously waiting for and expecting the Son, but he mentions no time frame for the Son’s return, no preconditions for the coming of the Son, and he never said that the Son was coming soon although He was obviously yearning for that. By the way, this verse could not be about a post-tribulation rapture because Paul would not be continuously waiting in hope knowing that he would have to go through the seven year Tribulation first.
The second example is:
1 Thessalonians 1:10 (NKJV) and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
The Greek word for wait in this verse is anamenō and it means to wait for, to await, to expect. It is also a verb in the present tense. So, again Paul is saying in this verse that he is continuously waiting for and expecting the Son, but he mentions no time frame for the Son’s return, no preconditions for the coming of the Son, and he never said that the Son was coming soon. And this verse too could not be about a post-tribulation rapture because Paul would not be continuously waiting for that, knowing that he would have to go through the seven year Tribulation first. Paul is actually stating in this verse that he is waiting for deliverance from the wrath to come. Paul is not waiting to enter a time of wrath which is what the Tribulation is.
The third example is:
Hebrews 9:28 “28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”
Eagerly wait for is the translation of the Greek verb apekdechomai. The verb is again in the present tense and again indicates continuous waiting. The author is continuously waiting for the Messiah’s return. This would not be the case if he had to go through the seven year Tribulation first.
Now it’s important to realize that the Apostle Paul knew all about the Second Coming including the rapture. He was with the Lord in heaven where he received surpassingly great revelations, he wrote both letters to the Thessalonian Church, and he also taught the Thessalonians, in person, for several weeks. So, consider this: if anything in the future (future to Paul’s time) had to come before the rapture or was a required condition for the rapture to happen, Paul would have known that, and he would have said so. THAT is why he wrote the verses that I’ve given you above as examples of imminence in the manner that he did. And these verses are not the only examples. The only thing Paul was not told was WHEN the Second Coming was going to occur. But he knew that it was imminent. Verses like these is where the concept of imminence comes from. This is not necessarily obvious or easy to grasp but I hope that the Biblical concept of imminence is more understandable to you now.
As we discussed in the last podcast, the rapture is not present in the synoptic gospels. But is imminence present in the gospels and if it is what does it mean and what is the implication?
Now, I want to give you a few verses from Matthew and Mark that, at least to me, sound like verses that are talking about imminence, at least with only a superficial hearing of them. But it is most important that we understand the context of each of these verses in order to know if they are describing Biblical imminence. Before I quote the actual verses, I want to remind you that these verses all follow after this verse:
Matthew 24:29 (NKJV) "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
So the verses that I will now quote all refer to a time after the Tribulation. Here are the verses:
Matthew 24:36 “36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
This verse is clearly referring to the coming of Jesus after the Tribulation. He is coming then in judgement. This coming requires something else to come first: the Tribulation. Therefore, although at the present time – October 3, 2023 – we cannot know when this event will occur, this event does not qualify for imminence because the Tribulation must come first.
Matthew 24:42 “42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.”
This verse refers to the same event as the above verse refers to (Matthew 24:36). Therefore, imminence is not described here either. Again, Yeshua is coming in judgement. This is not the rapture of the Church, which is a blessing and a deliverance from the wrath to come.
Matthew 24:44 “44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Same thing. This is after the Tribulation. No imminence is described in this verse. He is coming in judgement.
Matthew 25:13 “13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”
This verse is spoken by Jesus as part of the parable of the ten virgins. There is no reason to believe that Matthew 25 is not continuing the description of the judgement that is coming at the end of the age, after the Tribulation, described in Matthew 24. Therefore, this verse also requires something to come before it namely the Tribulation. Imminence is not in this verse. Judgement is.
And finally:
Mark 13:32–33 “32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.”
This is like the verses in Matthew (verses 24:36, 42, 44) that we just quoted. These verses are about judgement. The Tribulation must come before these two verses in Mark. Imminence is not here.
So, at the present time, today, October 3, 2023, these verses which describe the Second Coming of the Messiah, are not about the rapture even though it is easy to become confused about this because, right now, we cannot know when the Second Coming is going to be. Once the Tribulation begins, we will know when the Second Coming will be. It will be seven years from the start of the Tribulation. But right now, we can’t know when that will be.
These verses then do not describe imminence and have nothing to do with the rapture. The rapture which happens before the Tribulation is an imminent event.
So, what’s the big deal about all of this?
For one thing, don’t you want the assurance of hope? Aren’t you glad – and more then glad, in fact ecstatic – that you, if you are a believer, will not be going through any part of the Tribulation? I’m definitely ecstatic about that! Maybe I’ll go to be with the Lord before the rapture occurs – that’s OK with me! – but maybe I won’t. I want to pray like the early believers did and I want to greet my fellow believers with “Maranatha – Come, Lord Jesus!” And, yes, that verb Come – erchomai - is in the present tense signifying continuous action. Yes, Lord Jesus! Come!
And for a second thing, isn’t it a great joy to rightly divide the word of God? It’s a great joy for me to be able to understand verses or passages in the Bible that often confuse people and to be able to clear up that confusion! I hope I’ve done that today. If not, please let me know. I think that the Lord is pleased when we understand His word better!
So, let’s close with a prayer:
To my Father in heaven, and to my Savior, Yeshua, and in the power of the Spirit of God, the Ruach HaKodesh – the Holy Spirit – thank you so much for teaching us and encouraging us! And most of all, thank you for saving us. And please bless these dear people who are reading or listening. Please give them the same excitement and joy that you’ve given me. And if any of them don’t know you, please quicken their hearts so that they can be saved and be blessed by all of this. In Yeshua’s name I pray. Amen.
Is Imminence Present in Matthew 24 and 25 and Does it Matter?