The Rapture Is Closer Than Most Christians Realize
What the Bible Says About the Timing, and Why Right Now Looks Different From Any Other Moment in History
| Britt Gillette Nov 3 |  |
While the rapture of the church has always been imminent, we can now say it’s “soon” – much closer than most Christians realize.
Why do I say this?
Because, based on events we observe in our day and time, the Bible says we’re on the cusp of the seven-year Tribulation and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
And that means the rapture of the church is even closer.
So what does it mean to say the rapture is “imminent” and “soon?” Let’s define these terms and look at what the Bible says.
The Definition of “Imminent”
According to Dictionary.com, this is the definition of “imminent” 
Despite the conventional wisdom, “imminent” does not mean the same thing as “soon.” An event can be imminent and still take place at some far away point in time.
As the definition above states, “overhanging” is an excellent way to think about the imminence of the rapture.
It can occur at any moment, but it doesn’t have to happen in the next moment.
The Bible Says the Rapture is “Imminent”
According to the Bible, the rapture has been imminent since the first days of the church age. The rapture is a sign-less event – meaning it could happen at any moment.
Nothing has to precede it.
And that means it could happen in the next minute, a year from now, or well into the future.
If this weren’t true, then the return of Jesus could never be called an imminent event.
But that’s exactly what Jesus calls it.
In the parable of the master and the servant, Jesus said the master will return unannounced and unexpected:
“But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced and unexpected,” Matthew 24:48-50 (NLT)
In the parable of the ten bridesmaids, Jesus said:
“Keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.” Matthew 25:13 (NLT)
He also said He would come like a thief in the night “when least expected”:
“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” Matthew 24:42-44 (NLT)
All this tells us something.
If the rapture of the church has no preconditions, no signs which precede it, and arrives unexpectedly, then it must happen prior to the seven-year Tribulation.
This Means the Rapture Occurs Prior to the Tribulation
Over and over, Jesus taught He could return at any moment with no precondition.
But this is only possible with a pre-Tribulation rapture.
If the rapture occurs in the middle of the Tribulation or at the end, it can NOT be “imminent.”
In such a scenario, His return can’t come suddenly, at any time, or be a surprise. A mid-Tribulation or post-Tribulation rapture would require some (or all) of the Tribulation events to occur before His return.
Once these earthshattering events take place, the return of Jesus will no longer surprise anyone.
This fact alone makes it impossible for the rapture to occur after the Tribulation begins.
Remember, when asked about His return, Jesus said it will be like the days of Noah:
“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.” Matthew 24:37-39 (NLT)
People will be eating, drinking, working, and feasting right up until the moment Jesus returns.
Everything will seem normal. No one will suspect a major event like the rapture of the church is about to happen.
However, this can’t be true during or after the Tribulation.
Remember, each of the following events will take place during that time:
- Global war (Revelation 6:4),
- Global famine (Revelation 6:6),
- Widespread death (Revelation 6:8),
- Stars falling to the earth (Revelation 6:13),
- A rain of hail and fire mixed with blood (Revelation 8:7),
- A five-month global plague of locusts (Revelation 9:3-5),
- The death of one-third of the earth’s people (Revelation 9:15),
- No rain for three and a half years (Revelation 11:6),
- Rivers and oceans turned to blood (Revelation 11:6),
- A global plague of sores (Revelation 16:2),
- The death of everything in the sea (Revelation 16:3),
- The transformation of all rivers and springs to blood (Revelation 16:4),
- Scorching fire from the sun (Revelation 16:8),
- Global darkness (Revelation 16:10),
- A global earthquake so great islands and mountains disappear (Revelation 16:20), and
- A terrible hailstorm with 75-pound hailstones (Revelation 16:21)
If all those things happen, do you really believe the world will go on as if nothing unusual is taking place? Could the rapture possibly surprise anyone under conditions like those?
I don’t think so. People will catch on. Even the most ardent atheist would expect Jesus to return at that point.
Again, Jesus said, “No one knows the day or hour of my return” (Matthew 24:36). Yet, the Book of Revelation says the Second Coming will occur exactly 2,520 days after the Antichrist confirms a covenant with Israel (Revelation 11:3, 12:6).
So when Jesus says no one knows the day of His return, He’s talking about the rapture of the church, not the Second Coming.
Throughout the Bible, Jesus tells us to be alert and ready for this event. Why? Because it’s imminent – it can happen at any moment.
Jesus said He’ll come when least expected (Matthew 24:44), so keep watch (Matthew 24:42). Again, if the rapture takes place during or after the Tribulation, what would you keep watch for?
You would keep watch for the events of the Tribulation.
But the Bible doesn’t say to fix your eyes on end times events. It doesn’t say to eagerly await the coming of the Antichrist, the mark of the beast, or a global government. The Bible says to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). It says to eagerly await His return (Philippians 3:20).
And if it’s the Tribulation events we’re watching for, then how could Jesus arrive unannounced or unexpected at that point?
He couldn’t. It’s impossible to simultaneously believe in imminence and a mid-Tribulation or post-Tribulation rapture.
All that said, the rapture is more than just an imminent event – one that could happen at any moment. It’s an event that will happen soon.
How can I be so sure? Because that’s what Jesus tells us.
The Definition of “Soon”
According to Dictionary.com, here’s the definition of “soon”
By this definition, “soon” means an event will happen “within a short period of time” or “promptly.”
While this isn’t an exact measurement of time, it’s not an open-ended, infinite amount of time either.
It has an expectation attached to it, one of immediacy.
And Jesus said we should expect Him “soon.”
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The Bible Says the Rapture is “Soon”
Jesus Himself said we should expect His return in the near future.
When the disciples came to Him and asked, “What signs will signal you return and the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3), Jesus described a number of signs to look for. Then, He said:
“So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!” Luke 21:28 (NLT)
Here, Jesus is talking about His Second Coming at the end of the seven-year Tribulation. The rapture is a sign-less event, so the signs He’s pointing to are signs of the end of the age and His return to rule over the earth – not the rapture of the church.
I believe these signs include more than just the signs Jesus cited in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, but all the signs the prophets pointed to as well.
If we take the entirety of God’s Word into account, we’ll soon recognize the emergence and convergence of those biblical signs of the Second Coming are taking place right now.
This is unique to our generation.
Here are just a few of the signs we see:
- The restored nation-state of Israel (Isaiah 11:12),
- Jewish control of Jerusalem (Luke 21:24),
- The Gospel spreading to the ends of the earth (Matthew 24:14),
- Emerging “mark of the beast”-like technologies (Revelation 13:16-17),
- The ability to view global events in real-time (Revelation 11:9),
- Israel as “an exceedingly great army” (Ezekiel 37:10),
- A rising Gog of Magog alliance (Ezekiel 38-39),
- A trend toward global government (Revelation 13:7),
- Denial of the signs (2 Peter 3:3‐4),
- And more…
You can read more in-depth about these signs in “17 Signs of the Second Coming: Why We’re on the Cusp of the 7-Year Tribulation and the Return of Jesus Christ…”
The Rapture Is Closer Than Most Christians Realize
Because of the emergence and convergence of the signs of the Second Coming, the rapture of the church is much closer than most Christians realize.
Paul repeated what Jesus said when He likened His return to a thief:
“For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.” 1 Thessalonians 5:2 (NLT)
Does this mean we can’t know anything about the timing of the Lord’s return?
No. Far from it.
Those who cite this verse as evidence we can’t know conveniently forget to mention the verses that follow (emphasis mine):
“But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.” 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 (NLT)
For much of the world, the arrival of Jesus will come as unexpectedly as a thief in the night. But for born-again believers who are paying attention, His arrival will NOT be a surprise.
If we can see signs of the impending seven-year Tribulation drawing near, then we know the rapture of the church is close.
The Bible is clear – born-again believers will be raptured before the Tribulation.
The Bible describes the Tribulation as God’s wrath (Zephaniah 1:15).
Yet the Bible says God will not pour out His wrath on us:
“For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NLT)
Furthermore, Jesus promised to keep His church from the Tribulation – “the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world”:
“Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.” Revelation 3:10 (NLT)
The signs are all around us – emerging and converging in our time.
Jesus was clear about what this means.
He’s coming, and He’s coming soon!
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