The daily headlines seem to scream in unison, "It won't be long now." Something is going to happen that will shake the nations. That "something" will be sudden, dramatic, and irreversible.
Tragically many Christians today no longer even know what they believe about Bible prophecy. This is due in large part to three reasons:
1. A number of pastors are not teaching prophecy.
2. There have been many false alarms in the past few decades.
3. Unqualified teachers offer sincere but faulty opinions.
Some believe prophecy is a negative message. They would rather teach and preach on how to live stress-free, walk in favor, and overcome anxiety. These types of sermons certainly can help. However, when 27 percent of the Bible is prophecy, we must not ignore it in our pulpits lest we fall short of preaching the whole counsel of God's Word. As Paul said, "For I did not keep from declaring to you the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).
The doctrine of the imminent coming of Christ for His church was once the bright and blessed hope of the church (see Titus 2:13). Christians actually believed that at any moment Christ could take them to heaven. Imminent means "inevitable, looming, about to occur at any moment."
Today the doctrine of imminence has often become the target of ridicule and jokes from the "more intellectual scholars" who pity those who still believe that Christ is coming for them. Replacement theologians argue that those who teach and believe the doctrine of imminence are teaching simple escapism. Jesus instructed His followers to "watch always and pray that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen" (Luke 21:36b)
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