109 - Doctrine of Imminency

Doc. of Imminency; 1 Cor. 15:50-52

1 Corinthians 15:50 ^NASB "Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." Paul begins this statement with the verb phemi [fhmi], present active indicative. It simply means to say something orally or in writing. It is different from the normal word that we would expect, lego [legw], to speak or to say; and it has to do with providing a fuller explanation of a statement. He is expanding on something he has already said. He is addressing believers. The terms "flesh and blood" is simply an idiom for the body, this present body—sarx [sarc] and haima [a(ima]. This is a basic idiom for our present flesh.

The word "inherit" here is the aorist active infinitive of kleronomeo [klhronomew]. The aorist active infinitive is tied to a present active indicative of dunamai [dunamai] which is translated "cannot" in most versions but should be understood as "is not able." It is not possible for flesh and blood to inherit the kingdom of God. So we have to ask what the word "inherit" means. The kingdom of God is the status of incorruption. Inherit is one of those words that is not understood in isolation, and one of the most important things to understand in Bible study is that there are times when a word really gains its significance in a whole phrase. There are only five passages in Scripture where this concept is used, and it always is used in conjunction with the phrase "kingdom of God." It is never just "inherit the kingdom." So this excludes from our understanding that this is just a sort of idiom for entry into heaven. That is especially how amillennialists will take this. If inherit the kingdom of God simply means getting into heaven, then indicates entry point into heaven means just that before we can go into heaven we have to get a new body. But there is more to it than that and we discover this when we look at the other verses that use this terminology.

These other verses are Matthew 25:34 ^NASB "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world'." 1 Corinthians 6:9,10 ^NASB "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor {the} covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:21 ^NASB "envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Ephesians 5:5 ^NASB "For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God."

With the exception of Matthew 25:34 three of those passages all deal with the same type of issue. Note Ephesians 5:5 ^NASB "For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." This verses is the only place that adds "Christ" to the phrase. That verse is parallel in its content to Galatians 5:21 which lists work of the flesh and that those who practice such things cannot inherit the kingdom of God. There is the same kind of thing in 1 Corinthians 6:9. As soon as we add "Christ" as in Ephesians 5:5 it is clear that we are talking about the Millennial kingdom, the period that comes after the second coming of Christ. So in the Millennial kingdom there are those who don't have an inheritance because they commit certain sins. For example, "If I am envious." Let's translate that into modern English: "If I am materialistic." His is a tough one for modern society to avoid where every time we turn on television they are throwing things at us that we ought to buy and ought to have and like to have. But inheriting the kingdom doesn't have to do with entering the kingdom or entering heaven, it has to do with inheritance. As we have seen from our definition of klhronomew it means to inherit or to possess, and there is a difference between possessing the kingdom and being in the kingdom in the same way that in the Old Testament inherited the land but not everyone who was in Israel was an heir. There were some in Israel who lived there but they did not have property. For example, there was no tribal land designated for the Levites. They were in the ;and but they did not have a possession in the land. There were others, Gentiles, foreigners who lived for generations in Israel but they were not part of a tribal group so they did not have a possession or inheritance for them. There are going to be those in the Millennial kingdom that are heirs of the kingdom and participate in all the rights and privileges and ruling and reigning in the kingdom, and there are others who are going to be present in the kingdom and experiencing a certain level of blessing by their presence, but they are not going to be heirs of the kingdom.

So when we look at those passages we realize that this phrase "inherit the kingdom" has to do with possessing and being an heir in the future Millennial kingdom. It is not heaven, it is that future thousand-year rule and reign of Christ on the earth.

We need to address Matthew 25:31-34, a part of a series of parables that Jesus is using to describe certain aspects of the last days in the end times. ^NASB "But when the Son of Man [title for Jesus Christ taken from Daniel chapter 7] comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world'." What we are talking about here is the Tribulation judgments that separate believers from the unbelievers among the survivors, and it only deals with gentiles, it is not related to Jews. What kingdom are we talking about here? The Millennial kingdom.

Notice something here. Put yourself in the place of the sheep. You have been through the Tribulation and have managed to survive. What kind of body do you have? You have a mortal, corruptible body. This is the sheep judgment and as soon as you are separated off with the sheep, what does Jesus say to you? "Come… inherit the kingdom." And you have a mortal body. What are you going to do? You are going to marry, have children. What is the problem? 1 Corinthians 15 says flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Is this a universal principle? 1 Corinthians 15 is in a specific context, it is talking to believers, "brethren," v. 50. The "brethren" in 1 Corinthians 15:50 are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who are members of the church. Who is involved in Matthew 25 judgments? Members of the church? No, they are Gentile believers in the Tribulation period. So we have to recognize that 1 Corinthians 15:50 is not a universal principle saying that if you go to heaven you have to have a new body. It is talking about entering into the kingdom of God and inheriting the kingdom of God in relation to church age believers. Matthew 25 is talking about inheriting the kingdom in relation to Gentile Tribulation believers. Paul is talking about a principle that applies only to church age believers.

Then he introduces a new doctrine: 1 Corinthians 15:51 ^NASB "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed." "Mystery" is the Greek word musterion [musthrion] which means a previously unrevealed truth. This is new doctrine, church age doctrine which was not revealed in the Old Testament. Sleep is a euphemism for the believer's body going into the grave to await a resurrection. It is only used in relation to believers in the New Testament. It is not talking about soul sleep, this is what happens to the physical body. Some believers in the church age will not die physically, some will be taken to be face to face with the Lord at the Rapture. But all of us will be changed, every believer will have to go through this transformation. The next verse describes this transformation.

1 Corinthians 15:52 ^NASB "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." The word moment is the Greek word atomos [a)tomoj] from which we get our word "atom." In Greek thought it was the smallest possible indivisible particle. This would apply in time to the smallest possible indivisible portion of time. It happens so quickly it is almost immeasurable in terms of time. The twinkling of an eye is the Greek word rhipe [r(iph] and it referred to the rapid movement of the eye. It isn't the blinking of an eye, it is the rapid movement of the eye from one thing to another.

What is the last trumpet? There are a lot of different trumpets mentioned in the book of Revelation and prophecy. This is not talking about the last trumpet of Revelation. There are many different trumpets that are blown in Scripture. This is the last trumpet at the end of the church age; it is what culminates the church age. Then we are told that the dead will be raised incorruptible so that all believers who have died physically will receive a new incorruptible body, "and we shall be changed."

The parallel passage to this is in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 ^NASB "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of {the} archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." Believers are gathered up together to meet the Lord in the clouds. This doesn't happen on the earth. At the second coming Jesus returns to the earth; at the Rapture for the church age believers He is in the clouds and we meet Him in the air and will always be with the Lord. One reason we know that the Lord doesn't come down to the clouds, pick up the believers and then continues to the earth is because in John 14:1 Jesus says that He is going to His Father where there are many mansions, "that where I am you may be also." Where He is is in heaven, not on the earth. Furthermore, before we can have the wedding ceremony with the Groom there has to be a purification, and the purification of church age believers takes place at the judgment seat of Christ, because Revelation 19 says that when we return with Him we are clothed in white garments which are the righteous deeds of the saints. We don't get those garments until after the judgment seat of Christ, so there is no time there for the Rapture to take place at the end of the Tribulation. So the trumpet that is blown is the last trumpet indicating the end of the present church age, and that can happen at any moment.

This coming of Christ at the Rapture is said to be imminent. From the early days of the church believers have thought that this is imminent, it could happen at any time. What is meant by imminent is that no prophecy has to be fulfilled before Jesus comes back. We are not looking for something to happen first. We are looking for the blessed hope which is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. No prophecy needs to be fulfilled before the Rapture takes place. As far as the church goes that is the next thing on the prophecy scene. However, that is not to say that some prophecy might be fulfilled before the Rapture takes place. What do we mean by that? The Rapture is not contingent on anything else happening. However, there are some thing that might be fulfilled before the Rapture takes place in relation to setting the stage for the Tribulation. For example, the Old Testament teaches very clearly that there are two distinct returns of Jews to the land. The first is a return in unbelief; the second is a return in belief. What we are witnessing right now is a return in unbelief, and that has been going on since before 1948. Fulfilments of prophecy from the Old Testament are not necessary for the Rapture. Israel can return in unbelief a thousand years before the Rapture takes place, it doesn't mean it is around the corner because the Rapture is imminent, i.e. there is no sign related to the Rapture whatsoever, it can happen at any moment. This is the belief of the church from the earliest days.

Clement of Rome wrote: "Of a truth, soon and suddenly shall His will be accomplished, as the Scripture also bears witness, saying, 'Speedily will He come, and will not tarry. And the Lord shall suddenly come to His temple, even the holy one for whom you look." He took those passages as teaching imminency.

Ignatius of Antioch in his letter to the Ephesians wrote: "The last times have come upon us. Let us therefore be of a reverent spirit in fear of the longsuffering of God that it tend not to our condemnation. For either let us either stand in awe of the wrath to come or show regard for the grace which is at present displayed, one of two things." He understood that the last times are come upon us, it is imminent, and we need to be ready.

Irenaeus around 165-170 AD in "Against Heresies" said: "And therefore when in the end the church shall be suddenly caught up from this, there shall be Tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither shall be." He understood that it was sudden, it could happen at any moment.

Imminency

1)  Definition: It means at any moment. It doesn't mean the soon coming of Jesus but the any moment coming of Jesus. The Oxford English dictionary defines the word "imminent" as something that is hanging overhead, constantly ready to befall or overtake one, or close at hand in its incident. It is certain that it will occur—Jesus is returning—but it is uncertain when it will occur. It is not contingent on any other event; we don't look for something else.

2)  The doctrine of imminency is important to understand the pre-Tribulational return of Jesus Christ at the Rapture. If all of the things that are going to take place in the Tribulation must take place before Jesus comes back, then it is not imminent, it can't happen at any moment. The Rapture is the resurrection of all dead church age believers and the removal of all living believers from the earth at the end of the church age, before the Tribulation begins.

3)  The purpose for the doctrine of imminency is to keep each believer in a constant state of expectancy. We are looking, we are waiting, we are watching, we are hoping for the return of Jesus Christ that we might be ready and prepared and not be ashamed at His coming.

4)  Believers are to look to the blessed hope. We are to look for the saviour: Hebrews 9:28; Titus 2:13. We are promised a reward for those who look for His coming, a special crown. We are to watch for the saviour: 1 Thessalonians 5:6; Luke 12:37. We are to wait for the saviour: 1 Corinthians 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 1:10.

5)  No prophecy between the baptism of the Spirit and the Rapture means that the Rapture is imminent; it could occur at any time.

6)  While the Rapture is imminent, the second advent is not. Before the second advent occurs there are many prophecies which must occur.

7)  The resurrection of the church is totally beyond our control because resurrection is the Lord's victory. In Philippians 3:11 Paul says: ^NASB "in order that I may attain to the resurrection [e)canatasij = removed out from] from the dead." Whether Paul dies first or not is irrelevant, he will be raptured. So the out-resurrection of the church is part of that victory that Jesus Christ gives us over death, 1 Corinthians 15:57.

Important Scriptures on the Rapture

2 Peter 3:3, 4 ^NASB "Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with {their} mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For {ever} since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation'." They question whether he will come.

John 14:1-3 ^NASB "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. 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." He is going to take us to that place He has prepared for us which isn't on earth, it is in heaven.

Revelation 22:12 ^NASB "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward {is} with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done."