One of the philosophical claims of spiritual importance made by those supporting the Pre-Tribulation rapture view, is that it causes Christians to look at each moment as possibly their last. Jesus Christ could return at any moment, so they claim. Because of that, we should be living each moment for Christ. While we should live each moment for Christ, the need for an imminent rapture has never been the reason.
One thing that has been evident to mankind since his creation is that life is fragile and fleeting. Job, writing perhaps as early as 2000 B.C., penned that in the hand of the Lord is "the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind". (Job 12:10) This after watching his family killed in a day. To our point, Jesus, in Luke 12:16-20. "The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do, because I don't have room to store all of my harvest and goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast many goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry. But God said unto him, fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then who shall all of your goods belong to after you are gone?"
Jesus was warning of the danger of taking comfort in wealth, but also warning that everyone's life in this world is one breath away from being over. It is foolish to assume our future. We don't need the false teaching that Jesus could return at any moment to warn us to hold life as the most precious gift of all.
James, the brother of the Lord tells us in James 4:13-14 again to take care and not assume tomorrow belongs to us. "Go now, you that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas you know not what tomorrow holds. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, then vanishes away." While James could be talking about any one of us and the way we tend to make plans without God, the warning is sobering. This led to the habit of many in the early church of saying, "we will go there tomorrow, God willing", or "if God wills". The Arabic people continue this custom today in many countries, although it's normally used by them as an excuse for being late, or not showing up at all.
The point is, the idea of an imminent rapture is theologically redundant. The Lord may require our souls of us at any time, or our alotted time on this earth may simply be up. There will come a day, not long after the unleashing of the fourth horsemen (Death and Hades), that we those believers still living will anxiously look for the return of our King. However, until that time comes, I can confidently say, Jesus Christ is not coming back tonight, or tomorrow. However, my soul might still be required by the Lord. Until the next post, God willing....
