What is Imminence?
Doctrinal Perspective in Eschatology
By Brandon Zeider, Carol Bernard, and Paul Bernard
Throughout Scripture, we read about Christ's "imminent" return, but what does this mean? The Doctrine of Imminence (not to be confused with the Doctrine of Immanence) is a significant concept in eschatology that refers to the belief that Christ's return could occur at any moment, without warning or prerequisite events. In English, 'imminent' means "likely to happen at any moment; impending" but the Greek word "tachinos" can also mean "swift or quick." Either way, this word should give some sense of urgency regarding events that are expected to occur.
The doctrine of imminence has been interpreted in various ways throughout church history, with different theological traditions emphasizing different aspects of Biblical teaching. The following is a brief overview of the most common positions.
THE PRE-TRIBULATION VIEW
Proponents of Pre-tribulation premillennialism strongly emphasize imminence, arguing that Christ could return at any moment to "rapture" the church before the tribulation period. They point to passages like 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and Titus 2:13, which describe the "rapture" and Christ's return as a "blessed hope," while citing verses such as Matthew 24:42-44 and Mark 13:33-37 to emphasize the need for believers to be watchful and ready. This perspective maintains that no prophesied events must still occur before Christ's return for His church.
THE POST-TRIBULATION VIEW
Those holding a post-tribulation perspective believe that while Christ's return remains imminent in the sense of certainty, some prophesied events (particularly the tribulation) must occur first. One such example is the "rebellion" and the appearance of the "man of lawlessness" in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, and, as mentioned above, the tribulation in Matthew 24. They interpret passages about watchfulness differently, suggesting that believers should be alert to signs indicating the approaching end.
THE HISTORICAL VIEW
Many throughout church history, including Augustine, have interpreted 'imminence' as referring to the certainty of Christ's return rather than its potential to happen at any moment. They emphasize passages like 2 Peter 3:8-9 that speak of God's timing being different from human timing.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
The varying perspectives on imminence reflect different approaches to harmonizing Biblical passages about both watchfulness and prophesied end-time events, with each tradition seeking to be faithful to Scripture. Despite these differences, all perspectives on imminence agree on its practical purpose: to motivate believers to live with a sense of urgency in mission, while remaining watchful. Jesus' words in Matthew 24:42-44 about staying watchful, and Paul's statement in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 about believers "not being in darkness" emphasize that, regardless of theological position, we should live with an awareness that He could return within our lifetime.
In Matthew 24:3-8 and Mark 13:4 we read that the disciples ask God how we will know when the times are near. We know his response - that no one knows the day of the Lord except the Father (Matthew 24:36), however, we know that Jesus is still coming, perhaps very soon. Romans 8:19-25 uses the analogy of childbirth and the "pains of childbirth" to let us know it is near. Just as parents expectantly await the birth of their baby, we should be poised in expectancy as we see the coming of the Lord drawing close.