CHAPTER TWO
THE RAPTURE
In 1973 Robert Gundry, a posttribulationists, wrote that "by common consent imminence means that so far as we know no predicted event will necessarily precede Christ’ coming." Some posttribulationists have responded to the doctrine of imminence by claiming that all the intervening signs have already occurred, and thus the final Parousia can occur at any time. Others deny that the Bible teaches imminence in any sense. Most posttribulationists prefer to redefine "imminence" along the lines adopted by Douglas Moo, who objects that the term does not necessarily mean "any moment," but rather that it simply means the return of Christ "could take place within any limited period of time." This article follows the more strict definition and discusses Bible passages that teach or strongly imply that Christ's return for the church can occur at any time without any predicted intervening signs or events.
Criteria for Imminence
How is one to know for certain whether a passage teaches the imminence of the rapture, when no rapture passage gives a specific temporal designation? Four criteria may be suggested, any one of which indicates imminence: (1) the passage speaks of Christ's return as at any moment. (2) The passage speaks of Christ's return as "near,"4 without stating any signs that must precede His coming. (3) The passage speaks of Christ's return as something that gives believers hope. The passage speaks of Christ's return as giving hope without relating it to God's judgment of unbelievers. Based on these criteria, many passages on the Second Comingdo not teach imminence. Matthew 24-25, for example, describes Christ's return as delivering the elect from the midst of tribulation and death, and thus those chapters do not prove imminence. Likewise Thessalonians and Revelation fail to speak of imminence, since both depict eschatological events that include signs for Christ's return. However, seven New Testament passages do clearly teach the imminent return of Christ.
Passages on Imminence
JOHN 14:1-3
"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:3 is the only verse in the Gospels that is commonly accepted by contemporary pretribulationists and posttribulationists alike as a reference to the rapture. When Jesus said, "If I go," He was not speaking only of His death and resurrection. His going "to the Father" (v. 12) included a departure in totality (cf. Acts 1:9-11). His next statement, "I am coming again" {πάλιν έρχομαι is a futuristic present meaning "I will come again"). When Christ returns, He will take believers along with him. Twice in verses 2 and 3 Jesus discussed what He will do in his "Father's house"—He will "prepare a place" for believers. Sometime after that has been accomplished, He will then "come again" and "receive" (παραλήμψομαι, "I will take to myself) them to Himself.10 Where will He take them? He said He will take them "where I am." But where exactly is that? Two clues help answer the query. Jesus' talking about "preparing a place for them" in heaven is irrelevant (even worthless) information if He did not intend to take them there. The foregoing context thus requires the conclusion that He intends to take them to heaven—where He "will be" (ειμί is also a futuristic present here). Second, Jesus then said, "You know the way where I am going" (v. 4). Unless Jesus was being intentionally devious, it must be assumed that He was still speaking of heaven. In fact, following Thomas's question about the way (v. 5), Jesus candidly stated that no one is able to go "to the Father" except through Him (v. 6), Christ's promise that believers will ultimately (and always) be with Him—wherever that is—so that the promise should not be understood as necessarily implying a rapture "to heaven."11 In this view the rapture will occur at the same time as Christ's coming to the earth, so that the words "where I am" would refer to His being on the earth during the millennium, not in heaven.
Christ spoke of the rapture as an antidote to their fears and as a great hope and encouragement in light of His soon departure to heaven.12 Jesus made no mention of suffering or judgment from which the rapture might rescue them, nor did. He mention that any signs must precede the rapture. Jesus' words spoke directly of a reunion of the apostles with their Lord, which will issue in an eternal "at-home-ness" with both Jesus and God the Father.
Thessalonians 1:9-10
"For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come." Thessalonian believers had participated or would participate in all of them. First, when Paul visited them with the gospel, they "turned to God from idols”. Second, they were now serving "a living and true God". Third, one day Jesus will appear out of heaven and rescue them "from the wrath which is to come" 
.
What "wrath to come" is this? Since Christ's appearance "out of heaven" is later described in 4:15-17 as the rapture, this "coming wrath" must be the same wrath described in 5:3, 9, God's wrath in the future Tribulation. Indeed, the fact that 1:10 calls it a "coming wrath" implies that the "rescue" is related to Christ's return. In what sense will believers be rescued from this wrath? Paul wrote that they will be rescued "from," "out of," or "away from" the coming wrath. The UBS4 text, following three Alexandrian manuscripts, reads 
. It is argued by Wallace that the internal proof supports as original the reading 
, 15 which implies that Christ will keep believers "away from" wrath that is coming.
What "wrath to come" is this? Since Christ's appearance "out of heaven" is later described in 4:15-17 as the rapture, this "coming wrath" must be the same wrath described in 5:3, 9, God's wrath in the future Tribulation.14 The general context of both Thessalonian epistles is the Day of the Lord, or God's judgment 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.
In what sense will believers be rescued from this wrath? Paul wrote that they will be rescued "from," "out of," or "away from" the coming wrath. The UBS4 text, following three Alexandrian manuscripts, reads εκ της όργης. It is argued by Wallace that evidence strongly supports as original the reading άπό τής οργής, 15 which implies that Christ will keep believers "away from" the wrath that will be coming. "On all fronts the internal evidence is decidedly in favor of άπό. There are many good reasons why a scribe would change άπό to έκ, and virtually nothing to argue in the other direction.
To answer the question, 'Which reading best explains the rise of the others(s)?' άπό must be judged as the obvious originator of έκ. This writer would give άπό and Α-rating on internal probability. “Even apart from the strength of the άπό reading, the statement points to a deliverance before wrath begins. The attempt by many nonpretribulational expositors to interpret this wrath as God's final judgment identifies the point. The aim is to show that salvation by Christ provides a present deliverance that will keep believers "out of the final wrath and judgment of God makes it necessary that one interpret the deliverance as total. If the same explanation of έκ or άπό is used with regard to the believer's deliverance from the coming eschatological wrath (the Tribulation, as depicted in 1Thess. 5), the present passage must be viewed as providing strong evidence for Paul's belief in an imminent rapture. Some say that the participle which names Jesus as the One who rescues (τον ρνόμενον) believers (since it is a present tense) should show deliverance from God's general (non-eschatological) wrath. However, this misunderstands both the relevance of the tense of the articular participle and the meaning of close connection between the future deliverance and the fact that the object of the deliverance is a wrath which itself is still "coming." In any event 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 seems to function as Paul's "apostolic kerygma. In any event 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 seems to function as Paul's "apostolic kerygma,"
Thessalonians 1:9-10
"For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come."
Three time periods are described here, and the Thessalonian believers had participated or would participate in all of them. First, when Paul visited them with the gospel, they "turned to God from idols," means they answered to Christ by faith and were born again. Second, they were now serving "a living and true God" as they waited for Christ to return from heaven. Third, one day Jesus will appear out of heaven and rescue them "from the wrath which is to come" {έκ τής οργής• τής ερχόμενης). What "wrath to come" is this? Since Christ's appearance "out of heaven" is later described in 4:15-17 as the rapture, this "coming wrath" must be the same wrath described in 5:3, 9, God's wrath in the future Tribulation.14 The general context of both Thessalonian epistles is the Day of the Lord, especially that aspect of God's judgment 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. In what sense will believers be rescued from this wrath? Paul wrote that they will be rescued "from," "out of," or "away from" the coming wrath. The UBS4 text, following three Alexandrian manuscripts, reads εκ της όργης. Wallace, however, argues that the internal evidence strongly supports as original the reading άπό τής οργής, 15 which implies that Christ will keep believers "away from" the coming wrath. "On all fronts the internal evidence is decidedly