| What I intend to do here is to examine to what degree theBible teaches that the Rapture of the church is imminent. First, a definition of imminence as applied to the Rapture is in order.[1] In 1973, Robert Gundry wrote that "bycommon consent imminence means that so far as we know no predicted event will necessarily precede the coming of Christ."[2] John Sproule countered in 1974 thatimminence is better defined as the belief that "Christ can return for HisChurch at any moment and that nopredicted event will intervene before that return."[3] I have no reason to quarrel with eitherdefinition.
Someposttribulationists have responded to the doctrine of imminence by claimingthat all the intervening signs have already occurred, and thus the finalParousia can indeed occur at any time. Others attempt to deny that the Bible teaches imminence in anysense. Most would prefer to redefineimminence along the lines adopted by Douglas Moo, who objects that the termdoes not necessarily mean "any moment," but rather only that the return ofChrist "could take place within anylimited period of time."[4]
Inthis paper I will follow the more strict definition, and will view any Biblicalpassage which teaches or strongly implies that Christ's return for the churchcan occur at any time without any predicted intervening signs or events asevidence for the imminence of the Rapture.
Criteria forImminence
But how is one to know for certain whether a specificpassage teaches the imminence of the Rapture, when no Rapture passage is givena specific temporal designation? Iwould propose four criteria, any of which would indicate imminence:
(1) The passage speaks of Christ's return as at anymoment.
(2) It speaks of Christ's return as near, withoutgiving any signs preceding his coming.
(3) It speaks of Christ'sreturn as something that gives believers hope and encouragement, withoutindicating that these believers will suffer tribulation.
(4) It speaks of Christ'sreturn as giving hope without relating it to God's judgment of mankind.
Based on these criteria, many Second Coming passagesfail the test. Matthew 24-25, forexample, describes Christ's return as delivering the elect from tribulation anddeath, and does not prove imminence. Likewise 2 Thessalonians 2 and Revelation 19 fail to speak of imminence,since both depict eschatological chronologies which include signs for Christ'sreturn (although 2 Thessalonians 2:1, a reference to the Rapture, couldarguably be separated from the rest of the chapter). Even Revelation 3:10 might fail to meet these criteria,since it speaks of a keeping "out of the time of testing," which, it is arguedby many, indicates a deliverance from tribulation that is alreadyoccurring. I will proceed insteadto passages that are commonly put forth as clearly teaching imminence.
John 14:1-3
1 "Do not let your heart betroubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 "In My Father's house are many dwellingplaces; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a placefor you. 3 "If Igo and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself,that where I am, [there] you may be also. (NASU)[5]
John14:3 is the only passage in the Gospels that is commonly accepted bycontemporary pretribulationists and posttribulationists alike as a reference tothe Rapture. I take it as evidentthat when Jesus says, "If I go," he is not merely speaking figuratively of hisdeath or resurrection. He refersto a literal departure, in which he went bodily from earth to heaven (cf. Acts1:11). His next statement, "I amcoming again" (pavlin e[rcomai -a futuristic present = "I will come again"),[6]must likewise refer to a literal and bodily return from heaven, not a coming ofChrist to individual believers in death[7]or in the person of the Holy Spirit. Again, many posttribulationists agree with pretribulationists on thispoint.[8]
WhenChrist returns, he will take believers to be with him forever. Verse 2 clearly refers to heaven as "myFather's house." The closeconnection between the "dwelling places" and the Father's house almostcertainly locates the "dwelling places" in heaven.[9] In verses 2 and 3, Jesus twicediscusses an activity which he will carry out in his "Father's house"-he will"prepare a place" for believers.[10] Sometime after that has beenaccomplished, he will then "come again" and "receive" (paralhvmyomai - "I will take to myself") them "tohimself." Where will he take them? He will take them "where I am" (o{pou eijmiV ejgwV). But where exactly is that?
Thereare two clues to the answer to this question. First, Jesus' double reference to "preparing a place forthem" in heaven is irrelevant (even worthless) information if he does notintend to take them there when he "takes" them to himself. The foregoing context thus virtuallycompels us to conclude that he intends to take them to heaven-where he "willbe" (eijmiV is also futuristichere). Second, Jesus' next statementis "and where [o{pou] I amgoing, you know the way." UnlessJesus is being intentionally devious, we must assume that he is still speakingof heaven. In fact, followingThomas' question about the way (v. 5), Jesus candidly states that no one isable to go to the Father except throughhim (v. 6).
ThusChrist will go to heaven (his ascension), then return literally and bodily toearth for his people, and take them literally to heaven with him (at theRapture) to "be with him." Someexegetes object that since the word "heaven" is not in the passage, theemphasis of the text is on Christ's promise that believers will ultimately (andalways) be "with him"--wherever that is--so that the promise should not beunderstood as necessarily implying a Rapture "to heaven."[11] This would allow the Rapture to occurat the same time as Christ's coming to the earth, so that "where he is" is onthe earth during the Millennium, not in heaven. As shown above, this explanation makes a mess of thepreceding context, as well as the conversation that follows it.
Now,what does all this have to do with the question of the imminence of theRapture? In the preceding context,the apostles have begun to show signs of fear as a response to Jesus'statements about his coming departure. In answer to a question from Peter, Jesus said, "Where I go, you cannotfollow Me now, but you will follow later," to which Peter replied, "Lord, whycan I not follow You right now?" (13:36-37).
This led Jesus to begin the current discussion with thestatement, "Do not let your heart be troubled." Christ here clearly speaks of the Rapture as an antidote totheir fears and as a great hope and encouragement in light of his comingdeparture to heaven.[12] There is no mention of suffering orjudgment from which the Rapture may rescue them, nor are any preceding signsmentioned. It appears to bepresented purely as a reunion of the apostles with their Lord, which issues inan eternal "at-home-ness" with both Jesus and his Father.
In addition, assuming a premillennial eschatology, thispassage cannot refer to Christ's Second Coming to the earth, since at that timeChrist will rule on earth rather than return to heaven with his people. In fact, on the occasion of the SecondComing, no one is depicted as going from earth to heaven.[13] The events depicted in Matthew 25 andRevelation 20 are not possible in John 14:1-3, and no intervening event such asa time of tribulation is even hinted at.
1 Thessalonians1:9-10
9 For they themselves report about uswhat kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idolsto serve a living and true God, 10and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, [thatis] Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.
Threetime periods are described here, in all of which the Thessalonian believersparticipated. First, when Paulvisited them with the gospel, they "turned to God from idols"; that is, theyresponded to Christ by faith and were born again. Second, they were now serving "a living and true God"(rather than the idols and false gods they formerly worshiped) as they waitedfor Christ to return from heaven. Third, one day Jesus would appear out of heaven and rescue them "fromthe wrath which is to come" (ejkth'" ojrgh'" th'" ejrcomevnh").
What "wrath to come" is this? Since Christ's appearance "out of heaven" is later describedin 4:15-17 as the Rapture, this "coming wrath" must be the same wrath describedin 5:3, 9, which is the wrath of the eschatological Tribulation.[14] The general context of bothThessalonian epistles is the Day of the Lord, especially that aspect of God'sjudgment that precedes and leads up to Christ's second coming. Indeed, the fact that 1:10 calls it a"coming wrath" implies that the "rescue" is related to Christ's return.
Inwhat sense will believers be rescued from this wrath? Paul says that they will be rescued "from," "out of," or"away from" the coming wrath. TheUBS4 text, following three Alexandrian manuscripts, reads ejk th'" ojrgh'". Daniel Wallace, however, argues thatthe internal evidence strongly supports as original the reading apoV th'" ojrgh'",[15]which implies that Christ will not only rescue believers "out of" the comingwrath, but will also keep them "away from" that wrath. To quote Wallace,
On all fronts the internal evidence is decidedly in favor of ajpov. There are many good reasons why a scribe would change ajpov to ejk, and virtually nothing to argue in the otherdirection. To answer the question,"Which reading best explains the rise of the others(s)?", ajpov must be judged as the obviousoriginator of ejk. This writer would give ajpov an A- rating on internalprobability.[16]
Evenapart from the strength of the ajpovreading, the statement points to a deliverance before wrath begins. The attempt by many non-pretribulational expositors to interpret thiswrath as God's final judgment illustrates the point. To say that the point of this passage is to show thatsalvation by Christ provides a present deliverance that will keep believers"out of" the final wrath and judgment of God makes it necessary that oneinterpret the deliverance as total and complete. In other words, the saved will not be touched at all byGod's final wrath.[17] If the same explanation of ejk or ajpovis used with regard to the believer's deliverance from the comingeschatological wrath (the Tribulation, as depicted in chapter 5), the presentpassage must be seen to provide strong evidence for Paul's belief in animminent Rapture.
Toobject that the participle which names Jesus as the one who rescues (toVn rJuovmenon) us, since it is apresent tense, must denote a current, progressive deliverance from God'sgeneral (non-eschatological) wrath misunderstands both the relevance of thetense of the articular participle and the meaning of the final participle (th'" ejrcomevnh","coming"). The participle rJuovmenon may be considered timelesswith the force of a substantive.[18] As F. F. Bruce puts it, "the participleplays the part of a nomen agentis, 'our deliverer'" (as in Romans 11:26,oJ rJuovmeno" is usuallytranslated "the Deliverer").[19] On the other hand, the presentparticiple here could be futuristic, making it equivalent to the phrase ajpoV th'" mellouvsh" ojrgh'"("the coming wrath") in the preaching of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:7; Luke3:7). The closing participle, th'" ejrcomevnh", seemsclearly to be futuristic. Thiswould allow a close connection between the future deliverance and the fact thatthe object of the deliverance is a wrath which itself is still "coming."
Inany event, 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 seems to function as Paul's "apostolickerygma," imparted to the infant church while Paul was still inThessalonica. It serves as a"summary of the eschatological teaching Paul had given, which finds itsexpansion and further explanation in 4:13-5:11,"[20]to which we now turn.
1 Thessalonians5:4-9
4 But you, brethren, are not indarkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons oflight and sons of day. We are notof night nor of darkness; 6so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep dotheir sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of [the]day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as ahelmet, the hope of salvation. 9For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through ourLord Jesus Christ
Paulbegins this section by assuring his readers that they know "the times and theepochs" (5:1) and do not need any new information on the subject from him. They know "very well" (accurately), forexample, that "the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night" (5:2). The wrath of that day is the same asthat of 1:10, described here as coming as suddenly and unexpectedly as "laborpains on a pregnant woman" (5:3, NIV). Unbelievers ("they") will not escape.
Thatthe "destruction" described in verse 3 is that of the Great Tribulation as awhole and not the "day of vengeance" accompanying Christ's second coming (2Thess. 1:7-9) or God's later judgment of the lost (Rev. 20:11-15) is indicatedby the fact that those who will suffer this destruction are quoted as saying,"Peace and safety," just before the calamity suddenly and violently comes uponthem. It is unthinkable thatpeople could be saying near the end of the Tribulation or during the outpouringof heavenly signs (Rev. 6-19) or at the time of God's final judgment anythingresembling "peace and safety."[21] Men's hearts will "faint from fear"during the Tribulation (Luke 21:25-27), and there is no reason to think thatthose who "will not escape" will find Christ's judgment any more comforting.
Beginningin verse 4, Paul contrasts the situation of the believer with that of theunbeliever, inserting the pronouns "you" and "we" (5:4-5). As Paul Feinberg puts it, "The day ofthe Lord will overtake the unbelievers as a thief in the night because of theirgeneral moral state, which is spoken of as night, or darkness. Believers, on the other hand, will notbe surprised as they are of light and the day."[22] In addition, the contrast between the"you" of verses 1-2, 4-5, and the "they" of verse 3 ("they shall not escape")strongly implies that the church willescape, and that is one reason Paul has no need to discuss the "times andepochs" of the Rapture (5:1).
Thesecontrasts are followed in verses 6-8 with exhortations to be alert and sober(self-controlled), living in faith, love, and a confidence in salvation, sincethis is the lifestyle that is fitting for the day (cf. Rom. 13:12-13). Drunkenness and sleep characterize thenight, but alertness and soberness are needed in the daytime (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8).[23] Then in verse 9 Paul reaffirms the factthat God has not destined believers to suffer this eschatological wrath, butrather have been appointed to obtain salvation through Christ. This salvation is further defined inverse 10 as including an eternal "living together" with Christ, thus showingthat it is parallel to the "rescue" of 1:10 and the "catching up" (rapture) of4:17 ("thus we shall always be with the Lord").
Accordingto verse 2, it is the "day of the Lord," not specifically the destruction, thatwill "come as a thief in the night." The destruction will be the evidence of the "day." This day of the Lord is apparently aliteral period of time which stretches through the millennium to the newheavens and the new earth (2 Pet. 3:7-13). It is this period of time that will begin in the night, likea thief. Both night and day areperiods of time. The church, Paulsays, is not of the night, but of the day (verses 4, 5, 8). Day and night cannot exist at the sametime in the same way or in the same place. But here one group (the church) is always of the day, andthe other group (unbelievers) is trapped in the night and destined to sufferGod's eschatological wrath.[24] It is certainly possible to see the dayand night as representing "coexisting spiritual conditions." But to say that the day of the Lordwill come upon the church that is of the day in the same way and at the sametime that it will come upon unbelievers as in the night would seem tocontradict the Paul's specific declaration that it will come "as a thief in thenight" and to make his counsel to stay alert, watchful, and sober practicallyworthless.[25]
Itseems evident that Paul presents salvation here as an alternative to the wrathwhich is manifested by the Tribulation. The purpose of this salvation is that believers will "live with Christ"(suVn aujtw'/ zhvswmen, 5:10),which therefore has exactly the same results as the Rapture in chapter 4 (suVn kurivw/ ejsovmeqa, 4:17). Even the words of encouragement andcomfort ("therefore encourage one another--parakalei'teajllhvlou"--and build up one another," 5:11) are identical withthose in 4:18 ("therefore comfort one another--parakalei'teajllhvlou"--with these words"). Paul clearly teaches that a Rapture will occur and that itwill include all living believers (1 Thess. 4:17; 1 Cor. 15:51). The fact that in 1 Thessalonians 5 Pauldescribes the Rapture as part of the outworking of the salvation which willdeliver the church from God's eschatological wrath (the Tribulation) shows thatfor Paul the means of saving the church from the wrath of the Tribulation (orday of the Lord) is specifically the Rapture.
According to Matthew 24 and Revelation 6 and 13, believers onearth during the Tribulation will experience extreme suffering andmartyrdom. Nothing further can bedone to someone to injure him than to take his life. Martyrdom is therefore the supreme result of the wrath ofGod's enemies which during the Tribulation will be part of God's wrath upon theearth. But martyrdom cannot bethought of as delivery or "rescue" from the coming wrath. If the church finds itself in theTribulation, then at least some of the church is not delivered, since they willbe martyred. This seems contraryto the clear teaching of 1 Thessalonians 1:10 and 5:9, where no exceptions tothe rescue are indicated or implied. The promise of deliverance by Rapture is for the entire church. It is also worth noting that believerswho find themselves in the Tribulation and who are kept faithful until deathwill thereby be "delivered" from denial or apostasy, but this is not the wrathspoken of here. A faithfulChristian may be delivered during the Tribulation from his own weakness, butnot from the "wrath." Paul'spromise is that the church will be actually and literally delivered from the comingwrath.
Iconclude, then, that Paul's exhortation to the Thessalonians to "watch and besober" (5:6) is unrealistic and his promise that the church is not appointed towrath (5:9) is misleading if the Rapture is not imminent.
1 Corinthians 1:7
7 so that you are not lacking in anygift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ
InRomans 8:23, as Paul attempts to show that the Christian's coming glorificationis something that far outweighs the suffering he will experience in this life,he declares that believers "groan" within themselves as they "eagerly await"the "redemption of their bodies." Two verses later, he explains that they "eagerly await" this hope withperseverance. This verb, ajpekdevcomai ("await eagerly orexpectantly," "look forward eagerly"[26]),found also here in 1 Corinthians 1:7, is always used of Christian hope in theNew Testament,[27]and Pauluses it only in eschatological contexts.[28]
Whydo the Corinthians need to be reminded, in the midst of a thanksgiving focusingon their wealth of spiritual gifts, that they are eagerly looking forward tothe revelation or "unvealing" (ajpokavluyi")of Christ? Gordon Fee suggeststhat they had an "overrealized eschatological understanding of theirexistence," connected to their experience of tongues.[29] Paul, however, is probablyforeshadowing his later warning that the day is coming when the very spiritualgifts on which the Corinthians have centered their Christian existence willcease and be put aside when (or by the time that) "the perfect comes"(13:10). As Paul will say there,
8 Love never fails; but if [there are giftsof] prophecy, they will be done away; if [there are] tongues, they will cease;if [there is] knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in partand we prophesy in part; 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11When I was a child, Iused to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when Ibecame a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but thenface to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I alsohave been fully known. 13But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these islove. (1 Corinthians 13:8-13)
The "perfect" (toV tevleion) presumably has something to do withChrist's return for the church and his ushering in of a new (glorious) kind ofexistence for them, in which believers will know him and his will perfectly andcompletely. As Fee puts it, "atthe coming of Christ those gifts now necessary [perhaps better, useful] forthe building up of the church in the present age will disappear, because 'thecomplete' will have come."[30] Paul intends in 1:7 to refocus theirexpectation on Christ, rather than on themselves and their (temporary) gifts(cf. also 1:17-18, 30-31; 2:2). This indicates that 1:7 has in view an imminent Rapture, "eagerlyexpected" at any moment, on which believers should focus their expectation.
Theword ajpokavluyi" at timesrefers to either the Rapture (1 Pet. 1:7, 13; 4:13) or the second coming (2Thess. 1:7; Rom. 8:19).[31] Here, where no signs are mentioned, animminent Rapture is not only possible but most likely. The underlying concept of "seeing" anunveiled Christ as he really is coincides well with such clear Rapture passagesas 1 John 3:2, where it is said that the church "will see him even as he is."
Titus 2:13
13 looking for the blessed hope and theappearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.
Atthe outset in Titus 2:13 it is appropriate to ask why Paul describes Christ'sreturn as "the blessed hope" (thVnmakarivan ejlpivda). Giventhat the term makavrio" hasa basic meaning of "happy,"[32]and that the article thvn ismost likely fulfilling either a par excellence("in a class by itself") or a monadic ("one of a kind") function,[33]Paul's terminology here strongly implies that "the blessed hope," as theChristian's ultimate hope, is the Rapture presented as a totally positive andjoyful expectation.
Somepretribulationists interpret this passage as referring to the second coming ofChrist rather than the Rapture, because of Paul's use of the word ejpifavneia (appearing). However, all four uses of the term inthe Pastoral Epistles (1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; Titus 2:13) present theappearing of Christ as a joyous expectation apart from signs or tribulation andthus refer to the Rapture.
Othershave related this event to Christ's posttribulational second coming because itstates that Christ's appearing will be a "glorious appearing," which can onlybe the manifestation of an exalted and glorious Christ to the entire world (cf.Matt. 16:27; 19:28; 24:30; 25:31). It must be noted, however, that although the world will not see Christ'sglory until his second coming, the church will experience his glory when itmeets him in the air (Rom. 5:2; 8:18, 30; 1 Cor. 15:43; Phil. 3:21; Col. 1:27;3:4; 1 Pet. 5:1; 1 John 3:2; Jude 1:24). This "glory" may be either an attributive genitive ("gloriousappearing") or a subjective genitive (the glory "appears"). Either way, there is nothing in thepassage that restricts this appearing to Christ's second coming.[34]
Thefact that in Titus 2:13 Paul exhorts believers to look for the Rapture as the"happy," blessed hope (confident expectation) for the church, without anymention of preceding signs or tribulation, strongly implies the imminence ofthis event-that it can occur at any time. The argument by some that the context of this passage makes anyreference to signs inappropriate is weak,[35]since Paul could easily have introduced the idea of tribulation and persecutionand watching for signs as he spoke of the "present age," just as Jesus did inMatthew 24. The exhortation to"watch" or "look" for what is the hope par excellence of the church loses its significance if it may notarrive "at any moment."[36]
1 John 3:2-3
2 Beloved, now we are children of God,and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears,we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has thishope [fixed] on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
Inseeking to motivate Christians to purify themselves from sin and lawlessness(cf. 3:4-11), John reminds his readers that when Jesus appears (fanerwqh'/), they will become justlike him. This is the Christian'shope, and everyone who has this hope in Christ and his return will purifyhimself now (in progressive sanctification) so that he may grow into the purityof Christ (cf. Rom. 8:29).
Ifone expects important guests to arrive at one's home momentarily, one may bebusily engaged in cleaning the house and making every possible preparation fortheir arrival-perhaps with great eagerness which results in a strong focus on"purifying" the house and making it ready. If the guests call to cancel the visit, however, thepreparations cease and the motivation for improvement is lost. The hope is realistic and motivationalin proportion to its imminence.[37] While it is certainly true that aChristian has other motivations for purification and obedience than simply theimminent hope of the Rapture, it must be admitted that the exhortation forChristians to purify themselves in light of Christ's return is most significantif his coming is imminent. As JohnWalvoord puts it, "The teaching of the coming of the Lord for the church isalways presented as an imminent event which should occupy the Christian'sthought and life to a large extent."[38]
In1 John the connection between an expectation of Christ's return and thepurification of the believer's life has already been hinted at in 2:28 (abidingin Christ for confidence and lack of shame when he appears). Now in 3:2 John establishes a sequenceof events: (1) he will appear, (2)we will see him just as he is, and (3) we will be like him. Taken together, these three points area description of the essential elements of the Rapture. The phrase ejaVn fanerwqh'/ ("when/if he appears") is exactly thesame as that used to describe Christ's coming for believers in 2:28, andalludes to Jesus' coming to glorify the church. At the moment of Christ's appearing, all genuine believerswill become or be revealed to be "like him"-to be entirely conformed to thelikeness of God's Son. "Thecomplete transformation of the Christian into the likeness of Jesus awaits themoment of seeing him 'as he really is.'"[39]
Butsuch a character-changing vision of Christ cannot be isolated from individualChristian responsibility here on earth. There are practical implications here and now because of the imminenceof that future vision. The hopefor the future is an incentive to purity of living in the present. This purity is shown to involve therejection of sin in the verses that follow. Keeping pure is endeavoring to stay free from sin(3:3). The hope of becoming likeChrist when he appears should inspire Christlike character now. And it will, especially if that hoperemains truly imminent, as this passage presents it.
Revelation 22:7, 12,20
7 "And behold, I am coming quickly.Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book." 12 "Behold, I am comingquickly, and My reward [is] with Me, to render to every man according to whathe has done. 20 He whotestifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen.Come, Lord Jesus.
Threetimes in Revelation 22, Christ promises that he is coming quickly (ijdouV e[rcomai tacuv).[40]The word tacuv" is an adjective meaning "quick" or"swift." The form tacuv, a neuter singular, is used asan adverb, with two major types of meanings: (1) "quickly, without delay," and (2) "soon, in a shorttime."[41] The meaning generally proposed for theoccurrences in Revelation is "quickly." The major problem, of course, is that if we take Christ's promisesliterally, it appears that he was off the mark when he said he was coming back"quickly," or else he had an unusual view of the meaning of the word. Commentators differ widely in how theyattempt to resolve this difficulty. Some speak of a "foreshortened perspective on the time of the end."[42] Others say that John should not be heldto the standards of a systematic theologian, and was simply attempting to"motivate his audience to respond to Christ immediately and properly in thelight of his soon and sudden return."[43]
Mostlikely the promises relate to the Rapture as imminent and ready to occur "atany moment." The word tacuv suggests the suddenness ofChrist's coming whenever it occurs. A related promise in Revelation is found at 16:15: "I am coming like a thief." G. K. Beale suggests that the idea of a"swift, unexpected appearance" is included, especially with respect to the"possibility that Jesus could come at any time."[44] The promises thus assume imminence, andthe probability of a reference to the Rapture is strengthened by the referenceto Christ's rewards in 22:12 (based on works, as at the judgment seat ofChrist-2 Cor. 5:10-11).
Conclusion
Thesepassages which promise the Rapture of the church all either teach, imply, orallow for imminence as an event that can occur "at any moment." The purpose of most of these passagesis to encourage believers concerning the hope that awaits them, or to motivatethem to pursue holiness in anticipation of seeing Christ soon. As Paul Feinberg notes, "there is nomention of any signs or events that precede the Rapture of the church in any of the Rapture passages. The point seems to be that the believer prior to this eventis to look, not for some sign, but the Lord from heaven."[45]
NOTES
[1] A large number of twentieth-century works on theRapture use the term "imminency" instead of"imminence." However,most recent works use "imminence" and dictionaries seem to prefer"imminence," so this paper uses the latter term.
[2] Robert H. Gundry, The Church and the Tribulation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973), p. 29. More recently, Wayne Grudem has defined"imminent" to mean that "Christ could come and might come at any time" (Systematic Theology [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994], p. 1096, n. 7).
[3] John A. Sproule, In Defense of Pretribulationism (Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books, 1980), p. 12. John Walvoord has also called Gundry'sdefinition untenable for pretribulationists (The Blessed Hope and the Tribulation [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976], p. 71).
[4] Douglas J. Moo, "The Case for thePosttribulation Rapture Position," in Three Views on the Rapture (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), p.208.
[5] The updated New American Standard version willnormally be used throughout this paper.
[6] According to Robert Gromacki, "The choice of thepresent tense rather than the future in a prophetic context probably implies anever-present possibility of fulfillment, or imminency" ("The ImminentReturn of Jesus Christ," Grace Theological Journal 6 [Fall 1965]: 18).
[7] The idea that Christ "comes" to believersat the time of their deaths is actually not found in Scripture at all.
[8] Moo, "Case," p. 178.
[9] Ibid., p. 247, n. 9.
[10] Craig Keener sees these "dwelling places"as "rooms" in the new temple (Ezek. 44:9-16), "where onlyundefiled ministers would have a place"; he then interprets the referencefiguratively as "being in Christ, where God's presence dwells" (cf.John 2:21; 14:23) (IVP Bible Background Commentary-New Testament [Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993], p.299). A more likely culturalbackground can be found in the fact that fathers and soon-to-be-married sonsnormally added small apartments ("dwelling places" or insulae) to their homes so that they could join together inan ever increasing expanded family.
[11] Douglas J. Moo, "Response" to PaulFeinberg, in Three Views on the Rapture, p. 100.
[12] Contrast Jesus' counsel to those present on earthduring the Tribulation to flee from persecution (Matt. 24:15-22).
[13] Cf. John F. Walvoord, The Rapture Question (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1957), p. 76.
[14] Cf. William K. Harrison, "The Time of theRapture as Indicated in Certain Scriptures-Part I," Bibliotheca Sacra 114/456 (October 1957): 319.
[15] Daniel B. Wallace, "A Textual Problem in 1Thessalonians 1:10: Ekth'" *Orgh'" vs. *ApoVth'" *Orgh'"," BibliothecaSacra 147/588 (October 1990): 478.
[16] Ibid., p. 478.
[17] Leon Morris, The Epistles of Paul to theThessalonians, TNTC (Grand Rapids:Eerdmans, 1956), p. 42; cf. D. Edmond Hiebert, The Thessalonian Epistles (Chicago: Moody, 1971), p. 75.
[18] Hiebert, The Thessalonian Epistles, p. 72.
[19] F. F. Bruce, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, WBC (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1982), pp. 19-20.
[20] Wallace, "Textual Problem," p. 479.
[21] Cf. Walvoord, The Blessed Hope and the Tribulation, p. 117.
[22] Paul D. Feinberg, "The Case for thePretribulation Rapture Position," in Three Views on the Rapture (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), pp. 53-54.
[23] Bruce, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, pp. 111-112.
[24] Walvoord puts it this way: "The implication is quite clear that believers are in adifferent time reference, namely, that they belong to the day that precedes thedarkness" (The Blessed Hope and the Tribulation, p. 117).
[25] The concepts suggested here are elaborated in greaterdetail by Harrison, "The Time of the Rapture," pp. 320-321.
[26] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida, Greek-EnglishLexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1988), 1:296.
[27] BAGD, 2nd ed., s.v. "ajpekdevcomai," p. 83.
[28] Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to theCorinthians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,1987), p. 42, n. 36.
[29] Ibid., p. 42.
[30] Ibid., p. 646.
[31] As Sproule notes, the term ajpokavluyin is not a technical term that refers only to theSecond Coming (In Defense of Pre-Tribulationism, p. 18).
[32] BAGD, 2nd ed., s.v. "makavrio"," p. 486.
[33] See Daniel Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond theBasics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,1996), pp. 222-224, for descriptions and other examples.
[34] Cf. Walvoord, The Rapture Question, p. 157.
[35] Cf. Gundry, The Church, pp. 36-37.
[36] As Earl Radmacher says, "If . . . there arespecific prophesied signs, in reality we would not be looking for the Savior atany moment but instead should be watching for the revelation of the Man of Sin,the Great Tribulation, etc." ("The Imminent Return of the Lord,"Chafer Theological Seminary Journal4.3 [July 1998]: 20).
[37] Ibid.
[38] Walvoord, The Rapture Question, p. 81. Gleason Archer suggests that a comparison of this passage withRevelation 19:7-8, 14 proves that by the time Jesus leaves heaven for earth athis second coming the church will have been raptured, purified, and glorified,and have joined Christ's armies (dressed in white clothing) for his victoriousreturn to earth ("The Case for the Mid-Seventieth-Week RapturePosition," in Three Views on the Rapture (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), pp. 119-120.
[39] Stephen S. Smalley, 1, 2, 3 John, WBC (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1984), p. 147.
[40] The word tacuv,"quickly," is also used of Christ's coming in 2:16 and 3:11.
[41] BAGD, 2nd ed., s.v. "tacuv"," p. 807.
[42] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, NICNT, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), p.404.
[43] Robert W. Wall, Revelation, NIBC (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1991), p. 263.
[44] G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation, NIGTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 1135.
[45] Feinberg, "Case," in Three Views on theRapture, p. 80.
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