Tag Archives: Rapture

April 25, 2026

Prophetic Understanding of Matthew 24

By The Paleofundamentalist

Introduction

The words of the Lord Jesus Christ recorded in Matthew 24 are known as the Olivet Discourse. This discourse has been understood by theologians in a variety of different ways. Preterism views all of it, or at least everything except the Second Advent (i.e., Matthew 24:30), as history that occurred in the first century in association with the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Historicism views it as prophecy that is being fulfilled during the present Church Age, such that some of it is history now fulfilled, while some of it remains yet to be fulfilled prophecy. However, Dispensationalism correctly understands the Olivet Discourse to be entirely unfulfilled prophecy that relates to the future 7-year Tribulation period also known as the 70th Week of Daniel (Daniel 9:27).

The Olivet Discourse was given by Jesus in response to the questions of His disciples, after Jesus mentioned the destruction of the Temple (v. 2), “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (v. 3). The answer to these questions as they applied to the destruction of the Temple is recorded in Luke 21:21-24; the answers to the questions related to “the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world” are recorded in Matthew 24:4-30. The key to the proper interpretation of Matthew 24:4-30 is the understanding that this is a concise exposition of events that are to take place during the 70th Week of Daniel (i.e., the 7-year period that immediately precedes the Second Advent; Daniel 9:27), which is greatly expanded by the Apostle John in Revelation 6-19. As the 70th Week of Daniel has not yet begun, the events described by Jesus in Matthew 24 are prophecy that will be fulfilled in the future after the rapture of the Church.

Correlation of Events in Matthew 24 and Revelation 6-19

This view is supported by the correlation of similar events described in Matthew 24:4-30 with those in Daniel 9:27 and Revelation 6-19. Matthew 24:15 makes reference to “the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet”, which occurs “in the midst of the week” according to Daniel 9:27. Thus, Matthew 24:15 marks the middle of the 7-year Tribulation, such that those events that precede v. 15 relate to the first half of the Tribulation, and those events that follow v. 15 relate to the second half of the Tribulation. The Seal judgments that begin the Tribulation in Revelation 6 find clear analogs in Matthew 24:4-14. Namely, 1) the false “Christ” in Matthew 24:5 correlates with the revelation of the Antichrist at the 1st Seal judgment; 2) the “wars and rumors of war”, “for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” in Matthew 24:6-7 correlates with the 2nd Seal judgment which will “take peace from the earth”; 3) the “famines” in Matthew 24:7 correlate with the 3rd Seal judgment which describes hyper-inflation and a scarcity of food; 4) the “pestilences” in Matthew 24:7 correlate with the 4th Seal judgment in which “death” is brought upon the earth in a variety of ways, including “with the beasts of the earth”; and 5) the persecution and martyrdom of believers “for [Christ’s] name’s sake” in Matthew 24:9 correlates with “the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held” associated with the 5th Seal Judgment. Further, the preaching of “the gospel of the kingdom … unto all nations” in Matthew 24:14 would seem to correlate with the ministry of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists sealed in Revelation 7:1-8. As understood from the chronology in the Book of Revelation, these are all events that take place during the first half of the 7-year Tribulation and are described in Matthew 24:8 as “the beginning of sorrows”.

As already noted, “the abomination of desolation” in Matthew 24:15 marks the midpoint of the 7-year Tribulation. Following that, the Jews “which be in Judea” are warned to “flee into the mountains” in Matthew 24:16-20, which correlates to “the woman” (i.e., Israel) fleeing “into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God (i.e., Selah-Petra), that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (Revelation 12:6); these 1,260 days represent the second half of the 7-year Tribulation during which the Antichrist attempts to destroy the Jews. This period of time is described as “the great tribulation” in Matthew 24:21, “such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be”, which correlates with Daniel 12:1. This period concludes with “the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (i.e., the 2nd Advent) in Matthew 24:30, which correlates with Christ’s coming to earth in Revelation 19:11-16 (Cp., Daniel 7:13-14). While even many Dispensationalists are tempted to put some (or all) of the events in Matthew 24:4-14 (i.e., the first half of the Tribulation), such as “wars and rumors of wars”, “earthquakes in divers places”, and the world-wide preaching of “this gospel of the kingdom” (often erroneously conflated with the gospel of grace), into the present Church Age, the clear correlation of these events with those during the Tribulation make that interpretation untenable.

The Parable of the Fig Tree (vv. 32-34)

Though there are several difficult interpretive issues that remain in Matthew 24 following the straightforward chronology of prophetic signs given in vv. 4-30, only the Parable of the Fig Tree will be addressed in this article. To begin, it should be asserted that the basic elements of this “parable” are clearly understandable. First, knowing that the Gospel of Matthew specifically targets Jews as its audience, the “fig tree” should be understood to be a Jewish symbol. Second, the “fig tree” used as a Jewish symbol represents the nation of Israel (Cp., Matthew 21:19; Luke 13:6-9). Third, since the first mention of “fig” occurs when Adam and Eve make aprons of “fig leaves” in an attempt to cover their nakedness exposed by their sin (Genesis 3:7), “fig” carries the connotation of an attempted self-righteousness, which is the national sin of Israel (Romans 10:3). Fourth, Jesus’ cursing of the “fig tree” that was found to be without “fruit” (Matthew 21:19; Luke 13:9) was a symbolic foreshadowing of the nation of Israel being subjected to the ultimate “curse” of the Mosaic covenant, which is dispersion from the Promised Land (Leviticus 26:32-39; Deuteronomy 28:63-68), coincident with the subsequent Church Age. Thus, in the parable when the “fig tree” is said to “putteth forth leaves”, it is a picture of the dispersed nation of Israel beginning to reform in the Promised Land. It is reasonable to take this to mean that the reestablishment of Israel as a Jewish nation in the Promised Land, which occurred in 1948, is in some sense a sign that the beginning of the Tribulation is “near, even at the doors” (v. 33).

What is less clear, however, is how to interpret v. 34, “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled”. Many have attempted to use this phrase as a formula, which by assuming the duration of a “generation” have attempted to calculate either the rapture, the start of the Tribulation, or the 2nd Advent. Early on, a “generation” was taken to be forty years (Numbers 14:33), which resulted in much anticipation with the approach of the year 1988; but after nothing occurred in 1988, speculation concerning the length of a generation transitioned to seventy, or eighty (Psalm 90:10), or one hundred (Isaiah 65:20), or even one hundred and twenty years (Genesis 6:3). In all likelihood, however, “this generation” is not intended to be used in a numerical formula to date any particular aspect of the return of the Lord.

A better understanding is likely that all the sign-events described in Matthew 24:4-30 will be observed by a single “generation”, which is consistent with the understanding that all of the events occur during the 7-year Tribulation period (and also implicitly supports the negative assertion that none of these events occur during the Church Age). Thus, the rebirth of the nation of Israel in the Promised Land is a sign that the Tribulation is indeed “near, even at the doors”, but with no specific time duration intended. Hence, the admonition to “Watch, therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (v. 42) is appropriate.

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November 19, 2025

The Translation of Enoch and the Rapture of the Church

By The Paleofundamentalist

In His Olivet Discourse, Jesus said, “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matt24:37). The Flood of Noah is a type of the coming Tribulation period (i.e., Daniel’s 70th Week). Noah and his family, who endured the judgment of the Flood on earth, but were Divinely preserved through it, are a type of the nation of Israel; Israel will endure the judgment of the Tribulation on earth, but will be Divinely preserved through it (Zech13:8-9; Rev12:6,14). In contrast, the translation of Enoch from earth to heaven (without dying; Gen5:24; Heb11:5) is a type of the pre-tribulational rapture of the Church (1Thess4:15-17; Rev4:1-2); the Church will be supernaturally removed from the earth before the judgment of the Tribulation begins (Luk21:36; 1Thess1:10; Rev3:10). In the translation of Enoch prior to the Flood, only a single person was removed from the earth; in the rapture of the Church prior to the Tribulation, the singular Body of Christ (i.e., the “one new man”; Eph2:15) will be removed from the earth (1Cor12:27; Eph1:22-23). Note also that Enoch was supernaturally translated from the earth to heaven, whereas Noah had to build an Ark according to God’s revealed specifications in order to be saved from the Flood; this comports with the fact that the Church will be raptured according to grace, whereas Israel was required to keep the Law delivered by God through Moses (Cp., Jn1:17).

Note that there was a gap of time between the translation of Enoch and the beginning of the “days of Noah”; from the translation of Enoch to the birth of Noah was 69 years. Since the “days of Noah” correspond typologically to the Tribulation, this observation is consistent with the expectation that there will be a gap of time between the rapture of the Church and the beginning of the Tribulation (i.e., the rapture is not the event that begins the Tribulation; cf. Dan9:27). However, to conclude that there will be 69 years between the rapture of the Church and the beginning of the Tribulation is almost certainly pressing the type too far; whereas the Flood was a type of the Tribulation, it lasted only slightly more than a year (not 7 years), and the “days of Noah” were 950 years (Gen9:29).

While the 69 year gap between the translation of Enoch and the beginning of the Flood likely has no literal connection to the gap of time between the rapture of the Church and the beginning of the Tribulation, it may yet be found to have a typological significance.

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October 31, 2025

How Soon is “Shortly”?

By The Paleofundamentalist

The Book of Revelation opens, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass…” (Rev1:1a). The remainder of the book is a revelation of the details concerning the coming Rapture of the Church, the 7-year Tribulation period (i.e., Daniel’s 70th Week), the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom on this earth. When the Lord Jesus revealed these things to John the Apostle at the end of the 1st century, he said these were events that “must shortly come to pass”. To date, they have not come to pass, and almost two thousand years later we still await their fulfillment (to the scoffing of the world; Cp., 2Pet3:3-4).

Preterists connect the “shortly” of Revelation 1:1 with “this generation” of Matthew 24:34 and insist that the events of the Book of Revelation had to have occurred within the lifetimes of the Jews who were alive at the first coming of Christ. Clearly, that understanding of “shortly” cannot be valid, as the second coming of Christ did not occur in the 1st century in any literal sense. Thus, “shortly” did not mean within one generation. The question, therefore, remains, “How soon is shortly”?

The beginning of an answer to this question is found in the very passage in which the Apostle Peter warns of second coming scoffers who would arise “in the last days” (2Pet3:3-4). He goes on to conclude, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2Pet3:8; Cp., Ps90:4). The point is that God’s experience of time is not the same as ours, and this truth is observed throughout the scriptures.

Consider the following examples:

  • “I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over the Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed” (Deut4:26). The LORD spoke these words through Moses c. 1400 BC. The first dispersion of the Jews from the Promised Land, the Babylonian exile, occurred c. 600 BC, followed by the Roman Diaspora in 70 AD. Thus, “soon” in this context meant at least ~800 years into the future, and perhaps ~1,500 years.
  • “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither like the green herb” (Ps37:1-2). This psalm of David would have been written c. 1000 BC. The judgment of the wicked occurs at the Great White Throne, which takes place at the end of the Millennial Kingdom. Thus, “soon” in this context meant at least ~4,000 years into the future.
  • “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2Cor4:17). Here, the Apostle Paul characterizes the lifetime of a person (i.e., 70-80 years; Ps90:10) as “a moment”. In Psalm 90:10, a man’s life is said to be “soon cut off”.
  • “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen” (Rom16:20). The Apostle Paul spoke these inspired words in the 1st century. Depending on one’s understanding, the defeat of Satan will either come at the second coming of Christ, when Satan is bound in the bottomless pit (Rev20:1-2), or at the end of the Millennial Kingdom, when Satan is cast into the lake of fire (Rev20:10). Thus, “shortly” in this context meant at least ~2,000 years into the future, and perhaps ~3000 years.

Thus, when the Lord Jesus Christ told the Apostle John that the events of the Book of Revelation “must shortly come to pass” (Rev1:1), the fact that they were yet ~2,000 years into the future was entirely consistent with the way in which God characterizes time, from His perspective, throughout the scriptures (Cp., Hos5:15-6:2).

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August 31, 2024

The Pre-Trib Rapture is the Sign

By The Paleofundamentalist

To the question of His disciples, “And what shall be the sign of thy coming” (Matt24:4), Jesus responded with the Olivet discourse (Matt24:4-41; Mk13:5-37; Luk17:26-37) in which He gave an expanded recounting of Daniel’s 70th Week (Dan9:27; which would be greatly expanded by the Apostle John in Revelation 6-19).  This recounting, as recorded by Matthew and Luke, ended with an allusion to a mysterious disappearance.  Jesus said, “I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed [i.e., night]; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.  Two women shall be grinding together [i.e., morning]; the one shall be taken, and the other left.  Two men shall be in the field [i.e., afternoon]; the one shall be taken, and the other left” (Luke 17:34-36).

Dispensationalists have long disputed the proper understanding of Matthew 24:36-42 and Luke 17:26-37 which relates a future event in which a multitude of persons around the world instantaneously disappear.  On its face, this event would seem to correlate with the Rapture of the Church (cf. 1Cor15:51-52; 1Thess4:13-17), yet the majority of Dispensationalists, especially those adhering to the revised Dispensationalism of Walvoord, Ryrie, and Pentecost, have argued that the Rapture of the Church has no logical place in Jesus’ Olivet discourse.  Rather, the Olivet discourse pertains only to the nation of Israel and has nothing to do with the Church, which at that time had not yet been revealed.  While it is admitted that the birth of the Church had not yet taken place, nor does Jesus refer to it by name, He most certainly referred to its Rapture at the end of the Olivet discourse.

Jesus’ Olivet discourse is not about the Church; rather, it is a message to the nation of Israel.  But its subject concerns the “sign” for which the nation of Israel should “watch” (cf. Matt24:42; Mk13:33-37) in order to know that the second “coming” of Christ is near (cf. Matt24:4).  While Jesus gave numerous signs throughout the discourse (e.g., “wars and rumors of wars”, “pestilences”, “earthquakes”, “the abomination of desolation”, and “false Christs, and false prophets”), He concluded the discourse with the ultimate “sign”; it is the “sign” that precedes all the other signs, and one which cannot possibly be missed by the nation of Israel (and the world), which is the unexpected, sudden, and instantaneous disappearance of a multitude of persons all around the world.  It awaited the writings of the Apostle Paul to fully reveal the doctrine concerning the Rapture of the Church which ends the parenthetical Dispensation of Grace, a temporary pause in God’s prophetic program for the nation of Israel, but the Lord Jesus most certainly pointed to the event as the “sign” to the nation of Israel that the return of Christ was drawing near.

The moment after the Rapture of the Church, no believer will remain on earth.  And yet, 144,000 Jews will be converted and used by God to evangelize the whole world during the Tribulation (cf. Matt24:13; Mk13:10; Rev7:1-17).  How are these Jews converted?  Might not the sudden disappearance of millions of people around the world, for which Jesus exhorted the nation of Israel to watch, be the “sign” that triggers the conversion of the 144,000? Maranatha!

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February 14, 2021

Why Were the Thessalonians Shaken?

By The Paleofundamentalist

The second chapter of Paul’s second epistle to the Thessalonians is a mighty tour-de-force polemic for the pre-tribulational nature of the rapture of the Church.  It has long been recognized that the Restrainer of 2 Thessalonians 2:7 is the Holy Spirit, and that His removal before the Antichrist is revealed (i.e., before the Tribulation begins) necessitates the rapture of the Church due to the Spirit’s indwelling of the Body of Christ as a temple in the present dispensation (1Cor6:19).  It has more recently been recognized that the “falling away” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 (KJV; Greek, apostasia) that also must occur before the Antichrist is revealed is in context better understood to be a departure (i.e., the rapture of the Church).  However, even without these clear and powerful witnesses, a pre-tribulational rapture of the Church is a necessary inference from Paul’s opening to the chapter in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2.

FIGURE 1. Timing of the Rapture in the Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib,
Pre-Wrath, and Post-Trib Views.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:1, Paul introduces the subject of the chapter as “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him”.  The subject is a single event, since the first substantive clause is articulated and the second is not, being connected by an epexegetical kai in the Greek text (i.e., the Granville Sharp rule).  Paul’s subject is that particular “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” which involves “our gathering together unto him” (cf. Jn14:1-3; 1Thess4:13-18). Thus, the subject of the chapter is the rapture of the Church.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:2, it is revealed that the Thessalonians had become “shaken in mind” and “troubled”, apparently as a result of a “letter as from us” (i.e., a letter alleging to be from the Apostle Paul, which was in fact a forgery). Their alarm was caused by the fact that the letter asserted that “the day of the Lord” had begun. The remainder of the chapter presents an iron-clad polemic for why that could not possibly be the case. However, one must ask why this news so disturbed the Thessalonians; why were the Thessalonians shaken?

In 2 Thessalonians 2:5 Paul reminds the Thessalonians that he had previously instructed them concerning this subject. Indeed, Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians discusses the rapture in every chapter (cf. 1Thess1:9-10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:13-17; 5:1-11). Presumably Paul had taught them when the rapture would occur relative to the coming 7-year Tribulation (i.e., the day of the Lord; 2Thess2:2). If he had taught them that the rapture of the Church would occur mid-trib, pre-wrath, or post-trib (i.e., any view that sees the rapture of the Church as occurring at some point during the Tribulation; see FIGURE 1), there is no reason for the Thessalonians to be “shaken” or “troubled”. There would be no inconsistency between those rapture views and the counterfeit message alleging that the Tribulation had begun. Rather than causing them to be “shaken”, such news would be cause for excitement and anticipation, since it would mean that their rapture was necessarily drawing near. However, if Paul had taught the Thessalonians that the rapture of the Church would occur before the Tribulation begins (i.e., pre-trib), then it is easily understandable why news that it had begun would be so troubling; if true, it would mean either: 1) that Apostle Paul’s previous teaching was untrue, or 2) the rapture of the Church had already occurred, and they had been left behind.

Only a belief in a pre-trib rapture as taught to the Thessalonians by the Apostle Paul explains why they were so “shaken” and “troubled” by the counterfeit message that the day of the Lord (i.e., the Tribulation) had begun. No other rapture view would have troubled the believers at Thessalonica. Properly understood, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 is a powerful witness to the fact that the Apostle Paul taught that the rapture of the Church would be pre-trib!

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January 2, 2021

Dispensationalism’s Necessity of a Pre-Tribulational Rapture

By The Paleofundamentalist

A proper dispensational understanding of the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15) absolutely necessitates a pre-tribulational Rapture of the Church.

What is the Church? The Church is being formed during the present Dispensation of Grace and is comprised of all who believe, whether Jew or Gentile, who are subsequently baptized into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). Furthermore, the Church is not (the nation of) Israel, or any other nation, but a unique body comprised of believers from all nations. However, if the Church is present on earth during the Tribulation period (i.e., the 70th Week of Daniel; Daniel 9:27), all who believe during the Tribulation must become members of the “Church”. If this is to be the case, there can be no “saved” nation of Israel or Gentile nations present on earth at the end of the Tribulation to enter the Millennial Kingdom.

Utter confusion results if the Church is present on earth during the Tribulation. But thanks be to God, who has promised to remove the completed Church, the Body of Christ, at the Rapture (e.g., 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; Revelation 3:10). During the Tribulation, the Church will be wed to Christ in heaven (Revelation 19:7-8), and those on earth who believe and endure to the end make up the “saved” nations who enter the Millennial Kingdom at the second coming of Christ.

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April 26, 2020

The Answer to Preterism

By The Paleofundamentalist

“Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” (Matthew 24:34)

Based on this verse, Preterists conclude that the 70th Week of Daniel must have occurred within the lifetime of those hearing this prophecy spoken by Jesus; thus, it took place in the 1st century and is a past event from our present point of view. Matthew 10:23 and 16:28 present similar challenges that are resolved within Preterism by placing the fulfillment of prophecy in the 1st century AD.

However, the tension created by Matthew 24:34 is not resolved by conceding that its prophecy was fulfilled in the past. Such a solution creates more problems than it solves, since it is self evident that the 2nd Coming of Christ (as described in the Bible) did not occur in the 1st century. Rather, the tension is revolved by the two-fold recognition of:  1) the contingent nature of the Kingdom, and 2) the mystery nature of the Church (Age).

A study of this issue, titled Answer to Preterism, has been added under Biblical Studies.

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February 20, 2016

Not Apostasy, But Rapture!

By The Paleofundamentalist

Paul’s second epistle to the Thessalonians was written as a response to a query that church had sent to the Apostle. The Thessalonians were troubled by a letter they had received, purportedly from Paul (but actually a forgery), alleging that they had entered into “the day of the LORD” (2Thess2:2). They were troubled by this since Paul had previously taught them that the rapture of the Church would happen before the outpouring of God’s wrath during the Tribulation period (1Thess4:13-5:9); if this allegation were true, and the day of the LORD had indeed begun, that meant the believers in Thessalonica had been left behind! It should be noted that the believers in Thessalonica were undergoing intense (albeit local) persecution (1Thess3:2-4), so that it was no doubt tempting for them to believe that the Tribulation had begun.

Paul’s reply was to immediately remind them of what he had previously taught them (2Thess2:5); namely, that the Antichrist cannot even be “revealed”, which begins the Tribulation (Dan9:27), until after an event he calls “the falling away” (2Thess2:3). The Greek noun translated “falling away” is apostasia, transliterated as ‘apostasy’ in some English versions. The correct translation of apostasia is ‘departure’; exactly what kind of departure is in view depends upon context, and can just as likely mean a physical departure as it does a departure from the faith (i.e., apostasy). It is interesting that all English translations before the KJV rendered apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 as “departure”, whereas the KJV and most subsequent translations render it “falling away” or something which similarly implies the ‘departure’ is religious in nature. There is nothing in the context of 2 Thessalonians 2, however, that demands (or even suggests) that the departure to which Paul refers be non-physical.

Furthermore, in the Greek text there is the definite article in conjunction with apostasia, so that the best translation is not “a falling away”, but “the departure”. The use of the definite article means that Paul is referring to a specific event that he expects is already known to the Thessalonians. Since Paul’s first epistle to them included the most detailed revelation of the rapture of the Church in the N.T., and in fact mentions the rapture in every chapter (1Thess1:9-10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:13-17; 5:1-11), while not one reference to a religious apostasy or departure from the faith occurs, context demands that the specific departure to which Paul refers is the rapture. The context of 2 Thessalonians 2 also supports this, since the rapture, referred to as “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him”, introduces the chapter (2Thess2:1). Thus, the evidence is overwhelming that the departure Paul holds out as necessarily taking place before “the day of the LORD” and the revealing of the Antichrist is the rapture of the Church. Thus, 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is the most explicit teaching of the Pre-Trib rapture in the Bible.

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August 30, 2015

Signs of the Second Coming

By The Paleofundamentalist

“And what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch.” (Mark 13:32-37)

The Lord Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees for failing to recognize the signs of His First Coming (Matthew 16:1-3). Obvious signs they should have recognized included: 1) the virgin birth in Bethlehem (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 1:26-35; 2:1-14), 2) prophesied Messianic miracles (Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:16-21), and 3) Daniel’s prophecy of the 69 Weeks which gave the very day Messiah would present himself to Israel (Daniel 9:25; Luke 19:41-44).

During His ministry at His First Coming, Jesus taught there would also be signs that precede His Second Coming (Matthew 24:3ff; Luke 21:25-28). For these signs (Mark 13:4), Jesus commanded us all to “Watch” (Mark 13:32-37).

A new study titled Signs of the Second Coming has been added under Biblical Studies.

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January 10, 2014

A Picture of Imminence

By The Paleofundamentalist

“Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord . . . for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh . . . behold [He] standeth before the door.” (James 5:7-9).

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines imminent as “ready to take place; especially [as] hanging threateningly over one’s head”.  An imminent event is one that could occur at any moment; it is not, however, an event that is necessarily near, nor one that must occur soon.  In the New Testament, the coming of the Lord is an event that is portrayed as being imminent.  Such a portrayal has led to the recognition that the Rapture of the Church, in which the Lord comes in the clouds to gather believers to Himself and return to heaven (John 14:2-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), is to be distinguished from the 2nd Coming and must take place before the start of the Tribulation period (i.e., Daniel’s 70th Week, the seven-year period that immediately precedes the 2nd Coming).  The coming of the Lord to rapture the Church is an imminent event; the coming of the Lord to establish His millennial kingdom on earth is not.

Because the New Testament teaches that the coming of the Lord is imminent, the rapture must take place before the Tribulation begins.  The New Testament teaches that the day of the Lord’s coming cannot be predicted (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32) and may happen at any moment (Philippians 4:5; James 5:7-9); for this reason believers are exhorted to be ready and watching for it at all times (Matthew 24:44; Mark 13:33; Luke 12:40; 21:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Peter 4:7; Revelation 22:20).  This is the precious doctrine of the imminent return of Christ.  Imminency does not mean that the return of the Lord will occur soon, but that it can occur at any time.  Even the Apostle Paul in the first century, when teaching on the rapture, always counted himself as one who would be included in it—he taught (and believed) it could occur during his own lifetime (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:17).

For imminency to be true, there can be no event prophesied in Scripture that must occur before the coming of the Lord.  For this reason, when the New Testament speaks of the imminent coming of the Lord, it cannot have the 2nd Coming of Christ (which happens at the end of the 7-year Tribulation period) in mind.  We are at least seven years away from the 2nd Coming (Daniel 9:27), so there is no sense in which it can be imminent.  Thus, when the New Testament speaks of the imminent coming of the Lord, it must refer to the Lord’s coming to rapture the Church (John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17); but the rapture is only imminent if it is to take place before the Tribulation begins.

The picture of the Lord’s coming used by James is that of the Lord standing at the door (James 5:9).  Such a word picture very effectively communicates an important aspect of the rapture; namely, that the event is imminent in the sense that no preceding event has to happen before the rapture can occur.  If I were standing at your door, I could knock on it at any time.  The fact that I am at your doorstep does not mean I will immediately knock on your door, or that I will knock on your door in the next seven seconds, or seven minutes, or seven hours, or seven years, or even during your lifetime, but I could and I might; there is nothing else that has to happen before the conditions are in place for me to knock on your door.  If you know I am on your doorstep, you must live in constant expectation that I might knock on your door at any moment.  Contrast this with your expectation if you (who live in America) knew/believed that I was presently on vacation in Australia.  There is no way I can immediately knock on your door, nor can I do so in the next seven seconds, or seven minutes, or seven hours.  A non-trivial series of events would have to happen first, which takes a finite amount of time, before I can be standing on your doorstep with the possibility of knocking.  This is how believers should understand the coming of the Lord to rapture the Church.  It is an event that is imminent, but not necessarily near.

Many Christians today believe the return of the Lord is drawing near.  Of course, there have been many times in the past when Christians believed the coming of the Lord (i.e., the 2nd Coming) was near, and they were wrong.  As we look back on those times, we realize that it was not correct to say that the Lord’s 2nd Coming was near, since the geopolitical conditions necessary to initiate the Tribulation were not in place.  Nevertheless, the coming of the Lord in the event of the rapture could have taken place at any of those times, since the pre-tribulational view of the rapture recognizes there to be an undefined period of time between the rapture and the start of the seven-year Tribulation period (during which time God could have rapidly moved things into place).

What we observe today is God moving things into place in a more gradual way.  As we see the geopolitical landscape developing precisely as the Bible speaks of the time of the Tribulation period, we have objective reasons to believe that the return of the Lord may indeed be drawing near.  But Daniel’s 70th Week has not yet begun (Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3), so the 2nd Coming of Christ cannot take place for at least seven years.  That being said, the conditions appear ripe for the Tribulation countdown to begin.  Knowing that the rapture of the Church will take place before the Tribulation begins, we also realize that the time of the rapture may be very near.  Regardless, the rapture of the Church has always been imminent!

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