Is Imminency Biblical?

One of the fundamental truths of historic Christianity is the belief that God is one God in three persons, that is, a trinity. However, the word "trinity" never occurs in Scripture. But the concept of God being a trinity is taught in a number of passages (see Matthew 28:19 for one example). The same is true for the doctrine of imminency. The word is never actually used in Scripture but the concept is taught in a number of places. This is clearly the case when Peter and James use the term 'at hand' in their writings about the return of Christ.

In I Peter 4:7, Peter says that "the end of all things is at hand". The term "at hand" or "near" means more specifically "to approach" or "draw near". When used in the perfect tense, it means "to come near". It indicates that the person or event is already in position to arrive and the arrival can be at any moment. It does not mean something is necessarily going to happen soon. If so, then Peter was wrong about "the end of all things".

To avoid this problem, some attempt to limit what Peter is saying here to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD or some other past event, but there is nothing in the immediate context to limit the all encompassing terminology. The "end of all things" can only be the end of this planet as we know it, including the return of our Lord to bring this about. And James addesses the Lord's coming using the same term in James 5:8.

In this verse James explicitly says, "the coming of the Lord is at hand." This is the same verb, same perfect tense use of the verb. James is telling us to be patient and take heart because the Lord's coming is ready, that is, it can happen at any time. Not necessarily soon, or quickly, but at any time.

The doctrine of imminency may not fit with everyone's eschatological system but it is definitely taught in Scripture. The rap that imminency is an obstacle to holy living is unbiblical and illogical. Peter urges his readers to live soberly in prayer, love, hospitality and service knowing that the end of all things is at hand (I Peter 4:7-10). The truth is that if someone truly believes the return of Christ is imminent, there cannot be a greater incentive for holy living, logically speaking. If the return of our Lord is sometime in the future and we are going to have plenty of signs and warnings, we can live however we want now, and repent later. But if the Lord could return today, we need to be ready and stay ready.

This post is not an argument for a particular view of the rapture or a specific perspective of the millennium. I simply want to point out that the doctrine of imminency cannot be denied, and that may cause us to rethink other end time issues as well.