By Tim Warner - Revised 05/2002
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Imminence
John Walvoord, and many other pre-trib writers, claim that the concept of "imminence" is the cornerstone of the pre-trib rapture doctrine. To them, pre-trib stands or falls on "imminence."
Webster's defines "imminent" as, "ready to take place; especially: hanging threateningly over one's head." Central to the pre-trib "imminence" understanding is that nothing is hindering the rapture, and no prophesied event intervenes before the rapture. If any prophesied event must necessarily take place before the rapture, then it could not be said that the rapture was "imminent" until after that prophesied event was fulfilled.
Pre-tribbers attempt to use statements by Jesus, Paul, James, and Peter, to support the idea that the rapture is "imminent" by the above definition.
"Imminence" According to Jesus
Matthew 24
Taken out of context, these verses might appear to teach an "any moment" rapture. The problem is, the context proves Jesus was speaking about His coming "immediately after the tribulation" [vs. 29-31]. These verses must be interpreted within the general chronology of Matthew 24. The disciples had asked Jesus about the signs of His coming, [vs. 3]. Jesus gave a lengthy discourse, outlining the entire age and various signs until His coming in glory after the tribulation. He placed the gathering together of His elect after the tribulation, [vs. 31]. Then he gave the parable of the fig tree as an illustration, showing them HOW they were to watch for the signs.
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Jesus was quite clear that "watching" meant looking for the fulfillment of all of the previously mentioned signs, and that all of the prophesied signs He had just listed must occur BEFORE His coming would be "imminent."
Jesus followed this with, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man," and, "Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." Jesus could not possibly be speaking of a "signless coming," because He had just given them many signs for which to watch!
Verse 33 above most definately refers to an "imminent" coming, which Jesus described as "near, even at the doors." A better description of "imminence" could not be given! But, look at the qualifying statement! He said, "when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." The coming of Christ for His elect is "imminent" ONLY AFTER the signs Jesus gave come to pass. Are "all these things" listed earlier in verses 4-29 prophesied events? Most certainly! Have they ALL come to pass? No! Of course not. Therefore, the coming of Jesus is NOT "imminent" yet! It will be "imminent" at some point in the future, after these things are fulfilled. But, not until then.
This begs the question, what things was Jesus speaking of when He said, "when ye shall see all these things?" The answer is found in the previous verses, in fact, the entire discourse. They are, the wars, earthquakes, famines, the abomination of desolation, and the cosmic signs. Once ALL these things occur, THEN we can know that Jesus' coming is "imminent" (near, even at the doors). Since Jesus limited "imminence," and confined it to the period AFTER the specific signs are fulfilled, we have no right to claim that Jesus taught an UNCONDITIONAL kind of "imminence" for His coming (as pre-tribbers attempt to do). To infer a "signless" coming from a passage that is filled with signs, and instructions to watch for those signs, is to do violence to the text!
Some pre-tribbers claim that the phrase "all these things" in verse 33 does not refer to the previously mentioned signs, but to the budding of the fig tree in verse 32. They interpret the "fig tree" parable as refering to Israel becoming a nation in 1948. However, this is no better for their view, because it then places the return of Israel to the land as a precondition for this "imminence." In other words, in that scenario Jesus' coming could not be "imminent" until after 1948. That would mean all of the other statements in the New Testament used by pre-tribbers to support "imminence" could NOT really mean that Jesus' coming was imminent when they were written! After all, the Jews could not return to the land until AFTER they were driven from it. That did not occur until AD70, years AFTER Paul wrote all of his Epistles, the same Epistles that are alleged to support this idea of unconditional "imminence." If those passages did not mean that Jesus' coming was "imminent" in the first century BEFORE Jerusalem was destroyed, they do not teach "imminence" now!Furthermore, the parable of the fig tree has nothing whatever to do with Israel becoming a nation. It is clear from the parallel passages in both Mark 13 and particularly Luke 21:29-31, that the "fig tree" parable is simply an illustration. Luke wrote, "And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." In the same manner they could know that summer was near by watching for the budding of the fig trees (and all the trees), so too could they know when Jesus' coming was "near, even at the doors" by watching foe the fulfillment of "all these things."
Another thing that is usually ignored in this discourse is verse 14. Jesus clearly stated that the Gospel must be published among ALL NATIONS before He would return. This is the same Gospel He sent these same men out to preach, ie, the Great Comission. The Gospel was not published among all nations even by the death of John, the last Apostle. Neither has this been completely fulfilled even today! How then could Jesus' coming have been seen as "imminent" by the Apostles who wrote the New Testament? It is not possible. They looked for the fulfillment of the various signs and worked diligently toward preaching the Gospel to all nations. They hoped it would come in their lifetimes. But they did not teach that Jesus' coming for the Church was "imminent" in the first century.
In verse 43 Jesus used a parable that was borrowed by Paul, Peter, and mentioned again by Jesus in Revelation. Jesus used the analogy of a "thief in the night" to illustrate what will happen to those who do not watch for the signs.
Matt 24:43-44
Pre-tribbers use this verse more than any other to infer "imminence." But, is that what Jesus taught? Isn't the context still His coming "immediately after the tribulation?" Isn't Jesus still speaking to the very same disciples that He had just told to watch for a host of signs that occur during the tribulation? We saw already that Jesus taught a CONDITIONAL kind of "imminence" that depended on FIRST watching for a series of signs that must be fulfilled prior to His coming being "imminent." This follows the previous statement in verse 33, that we could know that Jesus' coming was "near, even at the doors" after we see "all these things." It is very apparent Jesus had not changed His subject from His post-trib coming (in verses 29-31) to some alleged pre-trib coming not even hinted at in the text! Notice that the very same people (refered to as "ye," "you," and "yourselves" in verses 3-31, who were given signs to watch for before and during the tribulation) are also the people to whom the "thief in the night" parable is addressed. The same people were told of the signs, and that after they observe the fulfillment of these signs they could know Jesus' coming for them would be "near, even at the doors." So, the kind of "watching" that Jesus was speaking of included the concept of previous signs, and refers specifically to the post-trib coming in vss 29-31. Had the owner of the house watched, the thief wouldn't have surprised him. In the same way, Jesus taught His disciples to be watching for the signs of His coming, so as not to be surprised when He comes.
It is obvious that the point of Jesus' warning is that believers not be caught by surprise by His coming for them. With the pretrib kind of "imminence," it is simply impossible NOT to be surprised by Jesus' coming! If no prophecied event must necessarily precede Jesus' coming, and if it is over "in the twinkling of an eye" before we could realize what happened, just what is there to watch for that will prevent us from being surprised by the "thief in the night?" Yes, watching, according to Jesus, implies being always in a state of readiness for His coming. But it also implies having a keen knowledge and awareness of the fulfillment of the signs that Jesus prophesied. That is the whole point of the parable of the fig tree in vss. 32,33.
"Imminence" According to Paul
1 Thess 5:2-5,6
Paul interpreted Jesus' parable for us. Jesus will come in judgement "as a thief" upon the lost. They will be destroyed suddenly at His coming. They will be utterly surprised (as the man not watching for the thief in Jesus' parable). But His coming will NOT be "as a thief" for believers, because we know the signs of His return, and will be watching. Paul's statement in verse 4, "ye brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief," indicates that watching Christians will NOT be surprised by Jesus' coming. It will NOT be "as a thief" for those who are watching. Not being "in darkness" because we are watching implies we will have some knowledge when Jesus' coming is "near, even at the doors." This passage shows that Paul interpreted Jesus' words just as we have, and NOT as pre-tribbers do.
II Thess 2:1-3
These verses plainly say that Jesus' coming FOR us is NOT imminent YET. At least two prophesied events must occur first, the apostasy and the revelation of the Man of Sin. Both of these things are drawn from the Olivet Discourse, in the same order (cf. Matt. 24:9-15). It is easily apparent that Paul is refering his readers to Jesus' words in the Olivet Discourse.
Some pre-tribbers appeal to modern translations which render the last part of verse 2, "as that the Day of the Lord has come," rather than the KJV's, "as that the day of Christ is at hand." Two points must be addressed here. First, if the reading "Day of Christ" is the correct reading, then there is no question that the rapture follows the apostasy and the Antichrist, because the phrase "Day of Christ" most definately refers to the rapture in Phil. 1:10 & 2:16. If "Day of the Lord" is the correct reading, then we should refer you to our article The Day of the Lord does not Include the Tribulation which proves conclusively that the Day of the Lord is the day of Christ's coming AFTER the tribulation. It is NOT the entire tribulation, as pre-tribbers claim. Therefore, the mere fact that Christians are watching for the "Day of the Lord" as the day of "our gathering together unto Him," shows that Paul is speaking of the post-trib advent.
Secondly, the words "is at hand" (meaning "imminent") in the KJV, are translated "has come" in some modern translations. But this is a bad translation. According to Greek scholar, A.T. Robertson, (who used modern versions with this rendering), the phrase "is at hand" in the KJV is the correct rendering despite modern versions' mistranslation. Here is Robertson's comment.
"as that the day of the Lord is now present (wv oti enesthken h hmera tou kuriou). Perfect active indicative of enisthmi, old verb, to place in, but intransitive in this tense to stand in or at or near. So "is imminent" (Lightfoot). The verb is common in the papyri. In #1Co 3:22; Ro 8:38 we have a contrast between ta enestwta, the things present, and ta mellonta, the things future (to come). The use of wv oti may be disparaging here, though that is not true in #2Co 5:19. In the Koiné it comes in the vernacular to mean simply "that" (Moulton, Proleg., p. 212), but that hardly seems the case in the N.T. (Robertson, Grammar, p. 1033). Here it means "to wit that," though "as that" or "as if" does not miss it much. Certainly it flatly denies that by conversation or by letter he had stated that the second coming was immediately at hand. "It is this misleading assertion that accounts both for the increased discouragement of the faint-hearted to encourage whom Paul writes #1:3-2:17, and for the increased meddlesomeness of the idle brethren to warn whom Paul writes #3:1-18" (Frame). It is enough to give one pause to note Paul’s indignation over this use of his name by one of the over-zealous advocates of the view that Christ was coming at once. It is true that Paul was still alive, but, if such a "pious fraud" was so common and easily condoned as some today argue, it is difficult to explain Paul’s evident anger. Moreover, Paul’s words should make us hesitate to affirm that Paul definitely proclaimed the early return of Jesus. He hoped for it undoubtedly, but he did not specifically proclaim it as so many today assert and accuse him of misleading the early Christians with a false presentation." (Robertson, A.T., Word Pictures, 2 Thess. 2:3)
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 actually settles the whole "imminence" question. Paul corrected the Thessalonians' mistaken excitement that Jesus' coming could be at any moment. He reminding them that Jesus' coming for them was not yet "imminent." He chastised them for supposing that it was "at hand." He refered them back to Jesus' statements in the Olivet Discourse, that two major signs must precede His coming, the great apostasy (Matt. 24:9-13) and the coming of the Man of Sin (Matt. 24:15). Paul's teaching here is in perfect harmony with Jesus' teaching in Matt. 24:32,33. Only after we see "all these things," can we know that His coming is "near, even at the doors."
Some claim that Paul used certain Greek words that require an "any moment" anticipation of the rapture. For example;
Phil 3:20
The Greek word translated "look for" is "apekdechomai." Some pre-tribbers insist that it means "imminent" in the sense of occurring at "any moment." However, that is not the biblical meaning. Paul's terminology does NOT require imminence (in the sense of "any moment.") He merely taught believers to eagerly await Christ's return with expectancy and anticipation. "Apekdechomai" is a compound of "apo" (#575 - away from) and "ekdechomai" (#1551 - to await). It means to await something (at a distance) with anticipation. But it does NOT mean it could occur at any moment, or was threatening to occur at any moment, without any prior signs. In fact, most Bible translations render this "wait for" rather than the KJV's "look for." In the other occurences of this word in the KJV, it is almost always rendered "wait" as well. In Rom. 8:19 it is used regarding the creation awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God. The restoration of the creation is post-trib. And we all agree that certain prophesied events must occur before this restoration of the creation. Also, the same word is used in 1 Pet. 3:20, regarding God's waiting in the days of Noah while Noah was building the ark.
1 Pet 3:20
Surely, the flood was not "imminent" all the while Noah was building the ark! Yes, it most surely was going to happen. And Noah and family most surely anticipated, waited for, and looked for, the day when the flood would come. They did not know when it would come. But, they were fully aware that certain things had to happen first. They had to finish the ark, and stock it with supplies and animals! And they knew beyond a shadow of doubt that the flood would not come until after these things were done. This is precisely the kind of anticipation and expectancy that Paul taught concerning the rapture, using the very same Greek word. And it is exactly what he taught explicetly in 2 Thess. 2:1-3.
Some pre-tribbers also point to Phil. 4:5, "the Lord is at hand," as proof that Paul taught an "any moment" kind of expectancy. The Greek word in question is "eggus." It does not necessarily mean "imminent" in the sense of "any moment." It simply means "near" either in distance or time. Paul could have meant that the Lord is close by. This is how the NASB and NIV render this verse. Even if Paul was referring to nearness of time, "eggus" still does not require an "any moment" kind of "imminence." It is the same word used in the following verses.
Matt 26:18
Here, Jesus was referring to His crucifixion as being 'at hand.' Could it occur 'at any moment?' No, Jesus first had to eat the Passover with His disciples, be betrayed by Judas, etc. Was Jesus aware that these things must happen before he was crucified? Sure. 'At hand' does not imply 'any moment.' Here is another example:
John 11:55
In this case, John said the Passover was "at hand," and went on to mention the trip to Jerusalem, (which took at least several days). Was the Passover threatening to occur "at any moment?" No! They all knew that Passover was on the 15th of Nisan! This verse is simply John's way of saying that the time of the Passover was fast approaching, and getting rather close. It is his way if saying that the attention and anticipation had now turned toward the approaching Passover. But, the important point here is the Greek word "eggus" does not imply uncertainty about the time. Quite the contrary, in both cases above it refers to an event about which the exact time was known! And in neither case does it indicate that no other known event could occur first! Quite the contrary. In both cases those in question knew that other things must occur first.
Since these same Greek words are used by Paul of Christians' anticipation of the rapture, and since Paul clearly and unmistakably wrote that two specific things must occur before "our gathering unto Him" in 2 Thess. 2:1-3, Paul simply did not teach the kind of "imminence" that pre-tribbers teach.
"Imminence" According to Peter
2 Pet 3:3-10
Peter wrote almost exactly the same statement that Paul wrote in 1 Thess. 5:2, "the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." Paul was clearly speaking of the day for which Christians were watching, ie, the rapture. Both Peter and Paul were refering their readers back to Jesus' parable of the "thief in the night" in the Olivet Discourse. Jesus was speaking of His coming to gather His elect "immediately after the tribulation" (Matt. 24:29-31&43). By their citing Jesus' parable, they both implied that the rapture was post-trib, and that the signs Jesus spoke about are inherently linked to our watching for the "thief in the night."
One of the most important points from 2 Peter 3, is that the very same coming of Christ that was threatening the scoffers with sudden destruction is what Christians are awaiting. It is extremely difficult to imaging that Peter's reference to the Day of the Lord coming as a "thief in the night" as a pre-trib rapture.
"Imminence" According to James
Here James used a parable of a farmer, patiently awaiting the time of harvest. Is this a picture of an "any moment" coming with no prior signs? Does a farmer expect the harvest "at any moment" during the entire year after planting? The parable explains how we are to watch. A farmer knows that there is an appointed time for the harvest, after the crop has matured. James refers to his awaiting the rainy season before harvest. In Israel, there were two main rainy seasons, and the two harvests followed these rainy seasons. Farmers never harvested their fields until after the rains. Hence, the rains in this parable are signs that must come prior to Christ's coming. So, in James' exhortation, while the coming of the Lord is drawing nigh (fast approaching) it is not "imminent" in the sense that nothing needs to occur first. If there are signs (rains) prior to the harvest for the farmer in James' parable, so too are there signs prior to Jesus' coming, before it can be considered "imminent."
"Watching" for Jesus' coming inherently includes watching for the signs Jesus gave in Matthew 24. The same could be said of all of the commands to watch. If Jesus could tell His disciples to "watch" for His coming "immediately after the tribulation," and yet that coming be preceded by a host of signs, pre-tribbers cannot rightly claim that other commands to "watch" imply an "any moment" coming.
"Imminence" According to John
This is the final time in Scripture that Jesus' parable of the "thief in the night" is cited. These verses prove that Jesus' coming "as a thief" is in reference to His post-tribulation coming. The context of this beatitude is immediately before Jesus comes in glory to destroy the Antichrist. It is the final warning to believers who are watching the unfolding of the signs during the tribulation. It is located in the chronology of Revelation between the 6th and 7th vials. The 7th vial is the fall of Babylon, and the coming of Christ at Armageddon.
The pre-trib concept of "imminence" completely misses the point of Jesus' statements in Matt. 24. It imagines the subject of the "thief in the night" parable is a pre-trib coming, when no such coming is hinted at in the text, and the context undeniably has Jesus' post-trib coming in view. The pre-trib idea of "imminence" ignores Paul's statement in 1 Thess. 5, that Christians will NOT be surprised by Jesus' coming, and that it will NOT be "as a thief in the night" for those of us who are watching. This simply cannot fit a pre-trib scheme. The pre-trib idea of "imminence" twists Paul's words in 2 Thess. 2:1-3, where he flat out said that Jesus' coming for us is NOT imminent yet. And, the pre-trib idea of "imminence" turns a blind eye to Revelation 16, where the "thief in the night" parable is most certainly used as the final warning for believers in the tribulation, that Jesus' coming is becomming "imminent."
If, as John Walvoord and other pre-trib writers claim, unconditional "imminence" is the cornerstone of pre-tribulationism, then pre-trib is clearly left WITHOUT its chief cornerstone! The Bible simply does not teach that Jesus could come at any moment. His coming is only "imminent" AFTER the series of signs Jesus gave come to pass.
Another point often overlooked by pre-tribbers is Jesus' prophecy of Peter's death. John was the only one to record this prophecy in the closing chapter of his Gospel. John wrote His Gospel AFTER the destruction of Jerusalem and after Peter had been martyred in Rome. John was probably the only living Apostle at the time. It is apparent that John wrote this to squelch the rumor among the Churches that Jesus would return before John died.
John 21:17-24
Since John made it clear that there was a rumor among the brethren that he would live to see Jesus' coming, and since this same rumor was based on Jesus' prophecy of Peter's death, it is obvious that the early Christians knew that Jesus' coming was not "imminent" until after Peter died. Therefore, when all of Paul's, Peter's, and James' epistles were written, Jesus' coming could NOT have been "imminent" at the time! Consequently, none of the statements in these epistles meant that Jesus' coming was "imminent" to those to whom they were addressed! How then can pre-tribbers argue from these same statements that Jesus' coming is "imminent?" Have they changed their meaning after they were written and received by the early Church? Pre-trib "imminence" is simply an untenable position!
Pre-tribbers frequently claim the statements in the New Testament, about Christians "looking for" Jesus' coming, indicate His coming must be imminent. In their thinking, we could not "look for" Jesus' coming if we knew certain things must occur first. However, this is simply not so. An expectant mother is "looking for" the birth of her child. Yet she is keenly aware that there is labor to endure before she can hold her little one in her arms. Why is it so hard for pre-tribbers to comprehend that we (post-tribbers) could be "looking for the blessed hope?" What pre-tribbers fail to realize is the words used in the New Testament regarding our expectancy of Christ's coming imply an eagerness and longing. It is with eager anticipation that we await the coming of the Lord, because we long to see Him. We do NOT eagerly await the tribulation, the Antichrist, the mark of the Beast, or the plagues, because those things are not the focus of our hope! Our focus is on Christ and His glorious appearing! We look beyond those things to the one in whom we place all our hopes! That we must go through a short period of tribulation first is as inconsequential to our "looking for" Him as the labor is to the expectant mother. It is a matter of perspective. Ask any post-tribber if He is "looking for" the return of Jesus, and he will tell you that he most certainly is! It is pre-tribbers who try to spin the language so as to deny us this "blessed hope." Well, we will not be denied! We are going to go right on eagerly expecting Jesus to come, anticipating His coming with joyful hope, all the while knowing that there are some "birth pains" to be endured before the birth. Our focus is on Jesus! Hence, we are "looking" for our Savior. This kind of "looking" with eager anticipation is clearly intimated by Peter regarding the new heaven and new earth! Yet no pre-tribber would suppose that this is "imminent."
2 Pet 3:12-14
If first century Christians could be "looking for" the "new heaven and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness," why cannot post-tribbers be "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ," (Titus 2:13)?
Also see our article Knowing the Day & Hour for a discussion of how and when we can and will know the time of Jesus' coming.
The foundational Scriptures used to support an "any moment" rapture come from the Olivet Discourse, particularly the parables that follow the sequence of events outlined by Jesus.
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore, be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
(KJV)
Paul used the same analogy to show how we should watch, actually pointing the Thessalonians back to Jesus' "thief in the night" parable.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief...
6 Therefore, let us not sleep as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
(KJV)
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away FIRST, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
(KJV)
20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
(KJV)
20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
(NKJ)
18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
(KJV)
55 And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.
(KJV)
Peter also refered his readers to Jesus' parable of the "thief in the night." Yet, the context indicates he was referring to Christ's post-trib coming.
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
(KJV)
James 5:7-8
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
(KJV)
Revelation 16
15 Behold, I come as a thief, Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?
24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.
(KJV)
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
(KJV)