Can the Lord return this year?

Can the Lord return this year? I love believing that He might. But not everyone sees it the same way. In fact some stridently oppose the idea.

Yeas ago, I joined an online premillennial, pretribulational rapture group. At the time I leaned towards the posttribulational view. I was there mainly for the fellowship. Though I remained skeptical of the pretrib rapture, it didn’t bother me that these people encouraged each other with the hope that the Lord might come for His church at any time. I mean, why would it?

Nevertheless, I noted that some folk were determined to disparage pretribulationism, and question the integrity (both biblical and personal character) of those who taught and held to it. It was almost as if the pretribbers were being coerced into feeling guilty. Their zeal seemed akin to the Jehovah’s Witnesses doorknockers. I wish I could bring that same desire to my gospel witness!

More recently I spotted an online interaction in a non-pretrib group. One of the women had had a discussion with a pretribber who’d posed a vexing question, challenging her position. She went to the group for help, and finally appeared relieved when supplied with possible responses.

I was perplexed. Think carefully now: why wouldn’t anyone accept possibly being wrong and trade it for the joy that the Lord could return sooner than they’d imagined? It’s as if a person’s prewrath-posttrib rapture view is a sort of medal to be proudly hung on their chest.

How sad!

Comfort of Christ’s return for His own

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And 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. John 14:1-3

The more I looked into the arguments, the more I became convinced that the pretrib rapture view was most consistent; and the more joyful I became. My joy wasn’t derived from the desire to avoid great tribulation (though I do desire it); it was the notion that Christ might come today, and I want to be with Him.

Among several other things, one key element for me was identifying the distinction between Israel and the church, especially in the Olivet Discourse. That helped me sort out the prerequisite premillennial events and the Second Advent, from Christ’s return for the church.

I was helped along the way by sober men who reasoned with Scripture. They weren’t wild-eyed prophecy teachers (depending on John Darby) peddling pretrib rapture books to the gullible. I took some convincing. And it was a long deductive process.

But here I am today.

Can the Lord return this year? Yes, I believe He can.