The Problem With the Pre-Tribulation Theory and the Doctrine of the Imminent Return of Jesus Christ

One of the primary stumbling blocks for people when it comes to considering anything other than a pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church is the idea taught as doctrine concerning an unheralded, at any moment, with no predetermined or discernible signs, return of Christ. Or the Doctrine of Imminence. That doctrine can only be validated by taking things out of the context of their Scriptural setting and viewing them one by one. Let’s look at the Olivette Discourse in Matthew 24 where Jesus spoke the words “But of that day and hour knoweth no man.”

Most doctrinal ideas that come from this chapter are derived by segmenting the chapter into small bits of information rather than looking at the entire flow of the conversation. Let’s look at the whole thing as a conversation starting with the three part question asked by the disciples. “When shall these things be?” and “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

They ask for a sign of His coming, but Jesus begins with a whole list of things that that will take place that are not to be taken as signs at all. They are just the normal course of events in a corrupt and fallen world. Wars, famines, earthquakes and false christs. These are not the sign that the disciples asked for.

Next, He tells them that the gospel will be preached to all the world. This is not the sign of His return, but it will precede the sign.

After that, speaking to Christians in general, but to those Christians in Israel in particular, He tells them that when they see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, it’s time to leave town. This is not the sign of His return, but will also precede that sign.

In verse 21 He begins to explain that the troubles of this time will be so great that no living person would survive except for the fact that God is going to cut it short. He goes on to warn Christians that messiahs will multiply to deceive, but the only place to look for the real Christ will be in the sky like the sun rising from the east to the west, and more particularly in the clouds of heaven lighted by His glory.

In verses 29-30 Jesus finally gets around to the signs. The first sign is the sign of His coming. He declares that the skies will go completely dark. The sun, the moon and the stars will all temporarily stop shinning in reverence to the coming King. The darkened sky is the sign that He is finally coming. But it does not stay dark for long, because Jesus will soon light up the sky with His glory. Verse 30 says that all the world will see His appearing and mourn because they see the SIGN of the Son of Man coming in the clouds. And what sign is this? Jesus is the sign of the end of the world. It’s not a very happy sign because all the world knows that it’s time to suffer for all of their evil deeds, and so they mourn.

But wait! In the very next verse Jesus is sending His angels to gather up His New Testament elect, “born-again Christians,” whether of Jewish or gentile descent. This is the blessed hope; the glorious appearing of Christ; the Rapture. (Titus 2:13) It is the last day; the day of the Resurrection of the dead. (John 6:39-54, John 11:24) The day that the dead rise first (out of their graves) and then are caught up together with those who are alive and remain. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) This is the day when we who are alive will be changed (not disappeared) in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump, even as the dead are raised to life again. (1 Corinthians 15:51-54) It’s the last day, but what a day of rejoicing for those who are awaiting Jesus’ return. In Verse 13 Jesus said that those who endure to the end would be saved. This is that end to which all who are alive must endure. The last day.

Now you may be saying, “But I thought His return was like a thief in the night, and nobody would know the day or hour.” Just read the next couple of verses. Jesus says that just like when a fig tree starts to bud you know that summer is near, so likewise, you will know that the hour of His return is near when you see all these things come to pass. What things? The Abomination in the temple. The flight of Messianic Jews from Jerusalem. The time of Great Tribulation. Jesus said that He would come immediately after the Great Tribulation. “But doesn’t the Bible say that Christians are supposed to be gone before the Tribulation? Aren’t we supposed to escape the wrath to come?”

No to the first question and yes to the second. The Tribulation and the Wrath of God are two different series of events. The disciples did not ask for a detailed expose’ of the Wrath of God, they asked for signs leading up to the end of the world. The Tribulation will come at the very end of the world after the gospel has been preached and all mankind will have a short time to weigh the truth of the gospel against the reality of the torment of Satan that is happening all around. Multitudes in the Valley of Decision. When it’s time, God will call a time-out in order to remove His people from His soon coming wrath. Satan, the anti-Christ, his followers, and sinners in general cause the Great Tribulation, which includes persecution of the saints, but after the saints are gone God is going to repay them with wrath. *

Verse 36 is where Jesus finally says that no man knows the day or the hour. Does that mean that we just ignore all of the other things that Jesus just said we would see come to pass prior to the end? Absolutely not! It just means that God has never disclosed that date to anyone. Not even in secret Bible codes. But He has revealed to us the things that precede that day so that when it approaches we will know. 1 Thessalonians 5:2 says it will come as a thief in the night, but verse 5:4 says that we are not in darkness that it should overtake us as a thief. Is that double talk? No! He is simply saying that the world will be caught off guard, but the Church will not. That brings us to the days of Noah.

In verse 37 we begin to see that it will be like the days of Noah. So what were the days of Noah like? Noah was born less than two centuries after Adam died. Mankind had existed a little more than one and a half millenniums when God approached Noah concerning the flood. He was 500 years old. (Genesis 5:32-7:4) God saw that every thought of mankind was evil and He told Noah to build an ark because He was going to flood the earth. Noah did not know the day or the hour, but as the completion of the ark drew near he knew that the time for the flood was drawing closer also. When Noah was 600 years old the ark was completed. (Genesis 7:6)

For one hundred years Noah built that enormous ark, which was a sign of the flood to come. 2 Peter 2:5 calls Noah a preacher of righteousness. Who did he preach to? The animals on the ark? No! He preached to those around him. The population of the earth was likely still concentrated around the Middle East and Noah probably had some line of communication with all who were alive. So what was he preaching? Repent! The day of judgment is near. Commit yourselves to do righteousness lest you perish in the flood. Did anybody listen? Surely they heard his words, and that big boat was probably the butt of many jokes, but verse 39 says they “knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” They knew it was coming, but they did not believe, so they ignored it. Likewise, at the end of the world everyone will know that the end is approaching but many will be so self-willed and alienated from God that they will not take it to heart at all. (Romans 1:28-32) To those it will be like a thief in the night.

Back to Noah. In Genesis 7:4 God told Noah that he had just seven more days before the floods came. Now he had the day­just one more week to go­but he did not have the hour. Does this contradict what Matthew 24:39 tells us about them knowing not until the flood actually came and took them away. No. It only reflects the reality of the difference between a heart that is submitted to God and one that is not. Noah knew that the flood was coming and he was ready. The others also knew, but did not take it to heart. They were not watching. The ark “raptured” Noah up to the heavens, delivering him from the destruction below.

The last four verses of Matthew 24 sum things up, not only for sinners, but for those Christians who think that they can live anyway they want and get away with it. “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delays his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Revelation 3:3 agrees. “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

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