the tyranny of Imminency

The above photo is one of many that I found which depict, in some cases, literally scores-of-thousands of people in Nazi-era Germany saluting their ideological master, Adolf Hitler ~ whose ideas enslaved the masses of Europe and set the world on fire.  Millions died in the titanic struggle to liberate Europeans from the tyranny which Hitler's ideas spawned.  Yet, it was neither Hitler's concept of Aryan superiority nor his vision of the Third Reich, which alone held captive the minds of the German people.  But those ideas of Hitler's were inculcated and enforced at the point of a gun by a cadre of privileged partisans called, the SS: Hilter's paramilitary "protection squadron."


Tyrannical ideas always require to be supported by tyrannical means.  Whereas, truth not only is capable to stand on its own; truth, moreover, has the power to set free.

It is not hyperbole, to say that the doctrine of Imminency is a tyrannical idea and that it has required tyrannical means to perpetuate that idea.  Tyrannical is defined thus: "exercising power in a cruel and arbitrary way."

The doctrine of Imminency is both a cruel idea, as it also is arbitrary ("based on random choice or personal whim, rather than on any [right] reason or system").

First, it is arbitrary.  Because, neither was it derived from any proper exegesis of Scripture nor can that doctrine be substantiated by Scripture; rather, that doctrine is "based on random choice or personal whim."  Nevertheless, the doctrine of Imminency is purported to be a true doctrine of Scripture.  Therefore, second:

The doctrine of Imminency is cruel.  Every idea which holds sway over anyone's mind and which, idea, misleads in order as it also conceals important truths of Scripture, is cruel.  The doctrine of Imminency is particularly cruel, in that it conceals and denies the knowledge of life-giving truths, from multitudes of people.

What are those life-giving truths which the doctrine of Imminency conceals and denies?  It is the revelation of Scripture which explains in considerable detail a constellation of specific events and circumstances that must occur prior to the Rapture ~ the understanding of which things is meant to give great hope and comfort to that generation of Christians that shall be enabled, through God, to discern those things, in order as they occur, as being the very signs of Christ's soon return at the Rapture.

Third, the doctrine of Imminency is perpetuated by tyrannical (cruel and arbitrary) means.  Throughout Western countries, at least, channels of mass communication (excluding the Internet), used for preaching and teaching the Bible, are almost exclusively controlled by individuals in privileged positions.  Even most individual churches are tightly controlled by a pastor or other minister.  It is rare, indeed, to discover amongst the churches any forum for open discussion related to the doctrines of Scipture.  Of course, I understand the importance of protecting "the flock" from exposure to false teaching.  But is the Church so weak, with regard to a knowledge of Scripture, that pastors dare not risk exposing their congregants to any differences of opinion involving the meaning of the actual text of Scripture?  If that is the case, then who is to blame for such Biblically illiterate and spiritually weak congregations, but those pastors themselves?

More than three-quarters of a century ago, Nazi-era Germany was filled with professedly Christian churches ~ most of whose parishoners, during a span of nearly twenty years, their right arm became over-developed compared with their left arm.  As if there were no widespread precedent in modern history, involving tyrannical ideas and practices amongst churches.

We are now living in the midst of the full-blown Apostasy.  Several decades ago, Leonard Ravenhill rebuked the modern Church, saying: "We are a million light-years away from Apostolic Christianity!"  The pulpit (Where does such a thing appear in Scripture?) has become, for most Protestant ministers, what the "Chair of St. Peter" is to the Pope in Rome: from whence, when the Pope speaks, he is claimed to be the Oracle of God.  Neither comments nor questions are solicited or tolerated, when the pulpit is occupied.  At other times, perhaps, there may be private discussions here and there amongst churchgoers ~ whenever that does not interfere with "the program."  Or, else, some closeted discussion may sometimes occur in a classroom setting.  But open discussion and godly debate involving Biblical doctrine, in the context of the assembly of the saints, is practically unheard of, today.  

The doctrine of Imminency ~ which, strange to say, is not readily recognized as such by most churchgoers, is nevertheless ubiquitous; though, not amongst all churches (for, there are relatively few churches that have any real interest in Bible prophecy or the Rapture).  But amongst the vast majority of churches that do have any such interest in Bible prophecy studies, the doctrine of Imminency is almost always presented in some form or another as a barrier to dissuade from studying and seeking to understand the signs of Christ's return, as those are given in Scripture.  And what more important subject is there for contemporary Christians to understand, than to obtain true knowledge regarding the time of Christ's coming?  If such knowledge were unimportant, then why does it have as prominent a place in Scripture as it does?

I have attempted, especially throughout the past three years or so since my book was published, to communicate with a number of well-known (and some not so well-known) Bible prophecy teachers, regarding the subject of the soon-coming Rapture.  In nearly every case, those with whom I tried to communicate professed to believe in a pre-Tribulation Rapture (a few others of them believe in a pre-Wrath Rapture).  Yet, it seemed that every one of them also believes in the doctrine of Imminency.  In every case ~ that is, in the case of the few who did not reject me "out of hand," whereas they were wont to talk about how that it appears we may now be living in the "last days," yet, none appeared willing to consider that the Bible provides us with a specific set and sequence of events which serves as a virtual countdown to (very near) the time of the Rapture.  Evidently, they could not get past the stumbling block of Imminency, in their own thinking.

In my last essay (here), I wrote the following:

"There is another factor which I never perceived before I started writing this essay, nor have I ever heard it mentioned, namely: If the doctrine of Imminency were a true doctrine of Scripture, then we who are now living could have no possible way of knowing that the Rapture may not already have occurred."

Yesterday, however, it occurred to me that I have come across that idea before.  In Second Thessalonians, the apostle Paul addressed that very question, namely: How can we know that the Rapture may not already have occurred?  Apparently, the Christians at Thessalonica were deeply troubled by the thought that the Rapture had already occurred and they were then about to suffer the horrors of the "day of the LORD," about which the Old Testament has a great deal to say.  But Paul comforted their minds, by assuring them that the Rapture could not have already happened.  What proof of that did Paul give them?  He wrote:

"...that day [the day of the LORD] shall not come, except there come a falling away [Apostasy] first, and that man of sin be revealed..." (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

In other words,  Paul assured the Church that they had not missed the Rapture ~ and they could be certain that was the case, because, there were certain events which must first occur  (before that the Antichrist would appear; moreover, Paul had well instructed the churches, concerning the fact that the Church would not have to endure the Tribulation).

How may we, today, convince anyone else that the Rapture may not have already occurred?  (If we simply assert, as evidence, the fact that we are still here, then we make ourselves the measure of truth.)  No, there is a "more sure word of prophecy," by which we may know ~ and prove ~ that the Rapture has not yet occurred.

But that entails the acknowledgement of the fact that the Bible explicitly reveals certain events and/or circumstances as pre-conditions to the Rapture.

Do you know what those "signs" are?  And are you capable to teach others how to discern how near we are to the coming of the Lord?