The doctrine of immediacy says that there is nothing that needs to happen before the Lord returns to take His elect to be with Him. Our Lord could return for us immediately, at any moment. This is a doctrine held by many Pre-Tribulationists. One resultant benefit that is seen to flow from this doctrine is a state of urgency concerning salvation because at any moment we could find ourselves before the judgment seat of our Lord.
We don’t need this doctrine, however, to maintain this urgency. Scriptures
like the Parable of the Rich Fool support it just as well:
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God (Luke 12:16-21).
We should never lose sight of the fact that no amount of time has
been guaranteed to us and we could at any moment be required to stand before
our Lord. Accidents, disease, wars, violence, and natural disasters can
all swiftly place us before our Lord. Sometimes babies in their cribs just
stop breathing. Even young athletes in their prime, for no apparent reason,
have simply crumpled to the ground when God has called them to stand before
Him. No, an imminent rapture is not required to be urgent about salvation.
We are never more than a heartbeat away from heaven.
But what does the Lord say about His immediate return? Throughout His
ministry, Jesus continually dealt with the fact that the Jews expected
the immediate establishment of the Messianic Kingdom. In response to this,
Jesus told them that He would be going away.
11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return (Luke 19:11,12).
The passage continues on to tell the story of the talents. A reminder
that our Lord expects us to produce fruit while we wait for Him.
John also deals with this subject in his gospel. Peter had asked the
Lord what would happen to John. Jesus answered, “If I will that he tarry
till I come, what is that to thee?” From this a rumor spread that the Lord
would return before John died. In his gospel John refuted this assumption.
20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?
24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true (John 21:20-24).
I further submit that the entire epistle of Second Thessalonians
was specifically written to deal with the problems brought about by an
assumption that the Lord’s return is imminent. The first chapter introduces
the subject. We saw earlier that the second chapter provides teaching on
when the Rapture will occur. It specifically says that the Desolating Sacrilege
must occur first. The third chapter deals with the practical problem of
those who have become disorderly, thinking that there is no longer a reason
to work because the Lord’s return is imminent. The solution is to stop
feeding them and let God’s natural laws take their course. When they become
hungry, they will go back to work.
Will Christians experience God’s wrath?
One mid-tribulation rapture position, the Pre-Wrath position, is based
on the following verse in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians:
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thes. 5:9).
This is then put together with the first place the word wrath is
found in Revelation:
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand (Rev 6:16,17)?
And voila, we have the rapture. The first weakness of this argument
is that it doesn’t deal with the scriptures that tell us when the rapture
will occur. The second is that it doesn’t take into account the context
in which the word wrath is used in 1 Thes. 5:9. As we noted when we studied
this passage above, wrath here is set in opposition to salvation. We therefore
should understand it to mean the wrath of God that will consign unsaved
mankind to eternal damnation, not to the temporal discomforts of God’s
wrath that will be poured out on the earth during the tribulation.
Will Christians experience God’s wrath? No! But we certainly may experience
persecution, wrath, and even martyrdom from the enemies of our souls.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved (Matt. 24:8-13).
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time (Rev. 12:7-12).
Many portions of scripture could be quoted here to show that God
is able to protect us in times of trouble. I will quote only one:
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee (Psalm 91:7).
But we must remember that while our view is primarily temporal,
God is primarily concerned with our status for eternity.
10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
19 In your patience possess ye your souls (Luke 21:10-19).
From our temporal view, I’m sure we would say that if we are killed
a lot more than a hair of our head has perished. But from God’s eternal
view, because of the resurrection, He knows that even if we are martyred
for Him not a single hair of our heads will be lost from eternity. Because
it is true that God’s elect are not destined for the wrath of eternal damnation,
but we have been saved from the consequences of sin and are destined for
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
This has been section 14 of A New Scriptural Investigation into the Timing of the Rapture
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