The Any-Moment Rapture Model: Is it Really Biblical?
In Part 1 of this two-part series, I will describe the Any-Moment rapture model defined by adherents of pretribulationism. The reader will be introduced to a clear, unambiguous understanding of this theological concept that is prevalent in many Christian
circles.
circles.
In Part 2, I will explain why being aware of this concept matters and propose instead the Any-Generation rapture model I believe represents a more plausible and biblical understanding of our attitude in expecting the return of Jesus.
‘Perhaps Today!’
“Perhaps today!” is a common exclamation heard in many Christian circles. A version of this is found in the popular hymn:
Jesus may come today
Glad day, glad day!
And I would see my friend;
Dangers and troubles would end
If Jesus should come today
Many – including myself – grew up in a tradition hearing “Jesus could come today,” as well as the similar exclamation “Jesus could return at any moment.” We were told we needed to confess our sins before we fell asleep each night, lest Jesus come back that evening as we slept. Many Sunday School lessons taught that Jesus is “always at the door,” which was understood to mean He could open the door at any moment.
This looming axiom of an imminent return is intended, successfully or not, to prepare believers to meet Jesus. This “any moment” return has come to be defined as imminence. Itinerant evangelists preached imminence for decades at revival meetings, youth conferences, camps, and retreats.
George Eldon Ladd observed:
The idea of the restraining influence of the imminent, “any-moment” coming of Christ, as frequently interpreted, suggests that the highest motive for Christian conduct and for separation from the world is that of fear. Since the Lord may come at any moment, I do not dare to do some things I would like to do and might otherwise do, lest He come and catch me.1
Some may object that Ladd’s comment is a bit overstated. Regardless, it captures a sentiment found within many Christian circles. To be sure, fear is not a bad thing
in itself, for the Bible uses it to warn people to “fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Jesus and the New Testament writers frequently warned their audiences not to become complacent during Jesus’s delayed return, lest the Day of the Lord come upon them suddenly (Matthew 24:42-25:30). (Another motivator for Christians to live holy, of course, is meet-ing the One who saved us from sin and eternal death.)
The ordinary teaching of an “any-moment rapture” has been engrained in the psyche of American Christianity for more than a century. It has been repeated often enough that it is unquestionable. However, we should stop to think what it really means, or if it’s true. The belief in the so-called “any-moment” rapture is usually found, though not exclusively, within churches that hold to the theology of pretribulationism. It is held by many evangelical churches, denominations, Christian colleges, seminaries, and missionary agencies.
For many churches, pretribulationism and imminence are obligatory within their statements of faith, appended by a couple of proof texts. For many, denying or challenging imminence is tantamount to denying the virgin birth. This belief is
often placed as a first-tier article in their statements of faith alongside the deity of Christ, the inspiration of Scripture, and the Gospel itself.
I do not intend to denigrate such churches and their members. I know godly people in those churches who love the Lord deeply. It is so deeply rooted in evangelicalism, especially British and American circles, that many Christians who have never experienced direct connection with pretribulation circles have been influenced by it to one degree or another.
But is it true? Did Jesus and the biblical authors teach pretribulationism and imminence? Sometimes we need to be jolted by such basic questions, requiring us to step back from our generational traditions and examine these questions afresh in light of Scripture. As Christians, we should not be afraid to do this. If it is God’s truth, then opposing God’s truth is in vain:
[I]f this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God (Acts 5:38-39).
If a long-held belief is challenged and found to be true, we can be more confident than we were in the first place, and that is a good thing. But if we never challenge a traditional belief that may be false, we will continue to believe it, not learning that it is false. It is biblically imperative to examine what we believe. The Bible teaches that
we need to be like the Bereans, who were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so (Acts 17:11; see also 1 Thessalonians 2:13).
We can have attachments to particular biblical teachings we learned from our youth, which is not a bad thing in itself. Perhaps our heroes of the faith hold to pretribulationism, or our pastors and family members do. We must not fall into the erroneous (fallacious) mindset that we must not question our heroes out of the fear that “if they are wrong on imminence, on what else are they wrong?” No one consistently has perfect doctrine. If your pastor or spiritual hero is wrong, that does not mean you should begin to doubt everything they have taught you. The situation is not either/or, as if these mentors and heroes must be perfect in every doctrinal point or they are wrong on every point.
We must possess the maturity to distinguish emotional attachments to traditions from those teachings that genuinely express God’s truth. We need to frequently examine our traditional beliefs with prayer, reliance on the Holy Spirit, and biblical study. “Prove [examine] all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). After all, don’t
we want to believe what is true? It is our spiritual mandate.
We want to be faithful to the truthful intent of God’s Word and to build up the faith and vigilance of Christians for the return of Christ. The Bible clearly teaches Jesus is coming back personally, visibly, and bodily (see John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Hebrews 9:28; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 1:7). But is it true that “Jesus could come today”?
Defining Pretribulation Imminence
One of the key terms associated with pretribulation theology is imminence. I will define this term so that we do not talk past one another. There are variations of this term that theologians use interchangeably: imminent, imminency, and any moment. Another expression is “secret coming” or “secret rapture.” Do not confuse these terms with the theological term immanence, which refers to God’s dwelling presence among His creation, in contrast to transcendence, in which God is also separate from His creation. In addition, imminence should not be confused with the term eminence, which means “fame” or “recognized distinction within a certain sphere of activity.”
In everyday language, the term imminence is used in a general sense of something that could happen soon. For pretribulationists, however, there is a narrower, more technical definition. It is not simply that Jesus’s return may be soon or impending; rather it is that no prophesied events must intervene before the return of Christ to rapture His saints.
By return, holders of this view mean the Rapture, not the second coming. In their framework, they disconnect the Rapture from the Second Coming by the seven
years that make up Daniel’s 70th Week, which they consider to extend over the same space or time [be coextensive] as God’s wrath.
In other words, the Rapture will occur immediately before the seven-year period begins, while, they claim, the Second Coming will occur at the end of the seven-year period. Pretribulation eschatology contends there will be a seven-year interim (or to use their term, “Tribulation period”) which will take place between the present Church Age and the Millennium– Christ’s 1,000-year Kingdom. During this period, traditional pretribulationism maintains God works only with Israel and not the Church, and therefore infers the Church must be raptured before God resumes His program with Israel.
Related to this foundational presupposition, pretribulationism teaches the Rapture is signless and unannounced. This view holds that the Bible does not predict any intervening prophetic events will occur before the Rapture; hence, it can happen
“at any moment.” If even a single predicted event occurs before the Rapture, according to this view, then Christ’s return can no longer be considered imminent.
In their interpretive framework, the Bible does not prophesy a single sign or event that must occur before the Rapture. Some events “may” happen before the Rapture (for instance, the reestablishment of the nation of Israel), but no predicted events must happen. The rapture of the Church, therefore, is not conditioned upon any signs or events. Signs “were given to the nation of Israel,” it is believed, and not to the Church. Therefore, pretribulation interpreters conclude that Christ can return today, this hour, or in the next moment.
The belief in imminence is the sine qua non – something absolutely essential –
for many pretribulation theologians. For example, Mark Hitchcock, asserting the heart of pretribulationism, states, “the strongest and probably the simplest reason is what is often called imminence” (Could the Rapture Happen Today?, 119).
Noted pretribulation exponent John F. Walvoord writes, “For the most part, scriptural evidence for imminence today is equivalent to proof of the pretribulation viewpoint” (The Rapture Question, Rev. ed., 73). He further states, “For all practical purposes, abandonment of the pretribulation return of Christ is tantamount to abandonment of the hope of His imminent return” (75).
The following are statements from seasoned pretribulation interpreters on defining imminence:
Charles C. Ryrie:
“An imminent event is one that is always ready to take place. Pretribs recognize that something may happen before an imminent event occurs, but they do not insist that anything must take place before it happens; otherwise, it would not be imminent” (Come Quickly, Lord Jesus, 22, emphasis his).
J. Dwight Pentecost:
“To the church no such signs were ever given. The church was told to live in the light of the imminent coming of the Lord to translate them in His presence. … The doctrine of imminence forbids the participation of the church in any part of the seventieth week” (Things to Come, 203–204).
John Walvoord:
“There is no teaching of any intervening event. The prospect of being taken to
heaven at the coming of Christ is not qualified by description of any signs or prerequisite events” (The Rapture Question, Rev. ed., 73).
John MacArthur:
“There are no other events that must occur on the prophetic calendar before Christ comes to meet us in the air. He could come at any moment” (“Is Christ’s Return Imminent?”, 12).
Richard L. Mayhue:
“One cannot have imminency in regard to the Rapture, if there are precursors” (“Bible’s Watchword,” 83).
Robert L. Thomas:
“By common consent imminence means that no predicted event will precede the coming of Christ” (“Imminence in the NT,” 204).
Mark Hitchcock:
“First, imminency means that, from the human perspective, the Rapture could occur at any moment. Other events
may take place before the Rapture, but no event must precede it. …
Second, imminency means that the Rapture is a signless event. …
Third, imminency means that the Rapture is certain to happen, but not necessarily soon” (Could the Rapture Happen Today?, 119–20, cf. 155, emphasis his).
These pretribulation interpreters
consistently agree that imminence requires no intervening prophetic events taking place before the Rapture. In short, they believe there are no signs to look for, so it can happen “at any moment.”
But the question must be asked: “Are they correct?” Our admiration and respect for these men of God should not preclude us from asking this crucial question. Does the Bible really teach an imminent, any-moment rapture? Or, does it teach that
the Rapture of the Church could occur in any generation subsequent to specific prophecies being fulfilled?
In Part 2, I will introduce the
Any-Generation rapture model that I believe represents a more plausible and biblical understanding of our posture in expecting the return of Jesus – and why
it matters.
1 George Eldon Ladd, The Blessed Hope: A Biblical Study on the Second Advent and the Rapture (Grand Rapids: MI: Eerdmans, 1956), 144.
“Perhaps today!” is a common exclamation heard in many Christian circles. A version of this is found in the popular hymn:
Jesus may come today
Glad day, glad day!
And I would see my friend;
Dangers and troubles would end
If Jesus should come today
Many – including myself – grew up in a tradition hearing “Jesus could come today,” as well as the similar exclamation “Jesus could return at any moment.” We were told we needed to confess our sins before we fell asleep each night, lest Jesus come back that evening as we slept. Many Sunday School lessons taught that Jesus is “always at the door,” which was understood to mean He could open the door at any moment.
This looming axiom of an imminent return is intended, successfully or not, to prepare believers to meet Jesus. This “any moment” return has come to be defined as imminence. Itinerant evangelists preached imminence for decades at revival meetings, youth conferences, camps, and retreats.
George Eldon Ladd observed:
The idea of the restraining influence of the imminent, “any-moment” coming of Christ, as frequently interpreted, suggests that the highest motive for Christian conduct and for separation from the world is that of fear. Since the Lord may come at any moment, I do not dare to do some things I would like to do and might otherwise do, lest He come and catch me.1
Some may object that Ladd’s comment is a bit overstated. Regardless, it captures a sentiment found within many Christian circles. To be sure, fear is not a bad thing
in itself, for the Bible uses it to warn people to “fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Jesus and the New Testament writers frequently warned their audiences not to become complacent during Jesus’s delayed return, lest the Day of the Lord come upon them suddenly (Matthew 24:42-25:30). (Another motivator for Christians to live holy, of course, is meet-ing the One who saved us from sin and eternal death.)
The ordinary teaching of an “any-moment rapture” has been engrained in the psyche of American Christianity for more than a century. It has been repeated often enough that it is unquestionable. However, we should stop to think what it really means, or if it’s true. The belief in the so-called “any-moment” rapture is usually found, though not exclusively, within churches that hold to the theology of pretribulationism. It is held by many evangelical churches, denominations, Christian colleges, seminaries, and missionary agencies.
For many churches, pretribulationism and imminence are obligatory within their statements of faith, appended by a couple of proof texts. For many, denying or challenging imminence is tantamount to denying the virgin birth. This belief is
often placed as a first-tier article in their statements of faith alongside the deity of Christ, the inspiration of Scripture, and the Gospel itself.
I do not intend to denigrate such churches and their members. I know godly people in those churches who love the Lord deeply. It is so deeply rooted in evangelicalism, especially British and American circles, that many Christians who have never experienced direct connection with pretribulation circles have been influenced by it to one degree or another.
But is it true? Did Jesus and the biblical authors teach pretribulationism and imminence? Sometimes we need to be jolted by such basic questions, requiring us to step back from our generational traditions and examine these questions afresh in light of Scripture. As Christians, we should not be afraid to do this. If it is God’s truth, then opposing God’s truth is in vain:
[I]f this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God (Acts 5:38-39).
If a long-held belief is challenged and found to be true, we can be more confident than we were in the first place, and that is a good thing. But if we never challenge a traditional belief that may be false, we will continue to believe it, not learning that it is false. It is biblically imperative to examine what we believe. The Bible teaches that
we need to be like the Bereans, who were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so (Acts 17:11; see also 1 Thessalonians 2:13).
We can have attachments to particular biblical teachings we learned from our youth, which is not a bad thing in itself. Perhaps our heroes of the faith hold to pretribulationism, or our pastors and family members do. We must not fall into the erroneous (fallacious) mindset that we must not question our heroes out of the fear that “if they are wrong on imminence, on what else are they wrong?” No one consistently has perfect doctrine. If your pastor or spiritual hero is wrong, that does not mean you should begin to doubt everything they have taught you. The situation is not either/or, as if these mentors and heroes must be perfect in every doctrinal point or they are wrong on every point.
We must possess the maturity to distinguish emotional attachments to traditions from those teachings that genuinely express God’s truth. We need to frequently examine our traditional beliefs with prayer, reliance on the Holy Spirit, and biblical study. “Prove [examine] all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). After all, don’t
we want to believe what is true? It is our spiritual mandate.
We want to be faithful to the truthful intent of God’s Word and to build up the faith and vigilance of Christians for the return of Christ. The Bible clearly teaches Jesus is coming back personally, visibly, and bodily (see John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Hebrews 9:28; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 1:7). But is it true that “Jesus could come today”?
Defining Pretribulation Imminence
One of the key terms associated with pretribulation theology is imminence. I will define this term so that we do not talk past one another. There are variations of this term that theologians use interchangeably: imminent, imminency, and any moment. Another expression is “secret coming” or “secret rapture.” Do not confuse these terms with the theological term immanence, which refers to God’s dwelling presence among His creation, in contrast to transcendence, in which God is also separate from His creation. In addition, imminence should not be confused with the term eminence, which means “fame” or “recognized distinction within a certain sphere of activity.”
In everyday language, the term imminence is used in a general sense of something that could happen soon. For pretribulationists, however, there is a narrower, more technical definition. It is not simply that Jesus’s return may be soon or impending; rather it is that no prophesied events must intervene before the return of Christ to rapture His saints.
By return, holders of this view mean the Rapture, not the second coming. In their framework, they disconnect the Rapture from the Second Coming by the seven
years that make up Daniel’s 70th Week, which they consider to extend over the same space or time [be coextensive] as God’s wrath.
In other words, the Rapture will occur immediately before the seven-year period begins, while, they claim, the Second Coming will occur at the end of the seven-year period. Pretribulation eschatology contends there will be a seven-year interim (or to use their term, “Tribulation period”) which will take place between the present Church Age and the Millennium– Christ’s 1,000-year Kingdom. During this period, traditional pretribulationism maintains God works only with Israel and not the Church, and therefore infers the Church must be raptured before God resumes His program with Israel.
Related to this foundational presupposition, pretribulationism teaches the Rapture is signless and unannounced. This view holds that the Bible does not predict any intervening prophetic events will occur before the Rapture; hence, it can happen
“at any moment.” If even a single predicted event occurs before the Rapture, according to this view, then Christ’s return can no longer be considered imminent.
In their interpretive framework, the Bible does not prophesy a single sign or event that must occur before the Rapture. Some events “may” happen before the Rapture (for instance, the reestablishment of the nation of Israel), but no predicted events must happen. The rapture of the Church, therefore, is not conditioned upon any signs or events. Signs “were given to the nation of Israel,” it is believed, and not to the Church. Therefore, pretribulation interpreters conclude that Christ can return today, this hour, or in the next moment.
The belief in imminence is the sine qua non – something absolutely essential –
for many pretribulation theologians. For example, Mark Hitchcock, asserting the heart of pretribulationism, states, “the strongest and probably the simplest reason is what is often called imminence” (Could the Rapture Happen Today?, 119).
Noted pretribulation exponent John F. Walvoord writes, “For the most part, scriptural evidence for imminence today is equivalent to proof of the pretribulation viewpoint” (The Rapture Question, Rev. ed., 73). He further states, “For all practical purposes, abandonment of the pretribulation return of Christ is tantamount to abandonment of the hope of His imminent return” (75).
The following are statements from seasoned pretribulation interpreters on defining imminence:
Charles C. Ryrie:
“An imminent event is one that is always ready to take place. Pretribs recognize that something may happen before an imminent event occurs, but they do not insist that anything must take place before it happens; otherwise, it would not be imminent” (Come Quickly, Lord Jesus, 22, emphasis his).
J. Dwight Pentecost:
“To the church no such signs were ever given. The church was told to live in the light of the imminent coming of the Lord to translate them in His presence. … The doctrine of imminence forbids the participation of the church in any part of the seventieth week” (Things to Come, 203–204).
John Walvoord:
“There is no teaching of any intervening event. The prospect of being taken to
heaven at the coming of Christ is not qualified by description of any signs or prerequisite events” (The Rapture Question, Rev. ed., 73).
John MacArthur:
“There are no other events that must occur on the prophetic calendar before Christ comes to meet us in the air. He could come at any moment” (“Is Christ’s Return Imminent?”, 12).
Richard L. Mayhue:
“One cannot have imminency in regard to the Rapture, if there are precursors” (“Bible’s Watchword,” 83).
Robert L. Thomas:
“By common consent imminence means that no predicted event will precede the coming of Christ” (“Imminence in the NT,” 204).
Mark Hitchcock:
“First, imminency means that, from the human perspective, the Rapture could occur at any moment. Other events
may take place before the Rapture, but no event must precede it. …
Second, imminency means that the Rapture is a signless event. …
Third, imminency means that the Rapture is certain to happen, but not necessarily soon” (Could the Rapture Happen Today?, 119–20, cf. 155, emphasis his).
These pretribulation interpreters
consistently agree that imminence requires no intervening prophetic events taking place before the Rapture. In short, they believe there are no signs to look for, so it can happen “at any moment.”
But the question must be asked: “Are they correct?” Our admiration and respect for these men of God should not preclude us from asking this crucial question. Does the Bible really teach an imminent, any-moment rapture? Or, does it teach that
the Rapture of the Church could occur in any generation subsequent to specific prophecies being fulfilled?
In Part 2, I will introduce the
Any-Generation rapture model that I believe represents a more plausible and biblical understanding of our posture in expecting the return of Jesus – and why
it matters.
1 George Eldon Ladd, The Blessed Hope: A Biblical Study on the Second Advent and the Rapture (Grand Rapids: MI: Eerdmans, 1956), 144.
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