Could Jesus Come Today? —Imminence without Date-Setting
Maranatha!
The earliest Christians greeted each other with a one-word prayer: Maranatha—written in Greek letters as μαραναθά but kept in Aramaic (1 Corinthians 16:22). It likely reads maraná thā’ = “Our Lord, come!” (imperative), though some parse marán athá = “Our Lord has come.” The church lived with lips and lives tilted toward the sky. Not panic. Not predictions. Expectation. That’s imminence—Christ may call His Church at any moment.
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John 14:1–3 — “I will come again and take you to Myself.”
Commentary: Jesus promises a personal retrieval to the Father’s house.
(“I will come… I will receive you”) grounds comfort now, not after surviving global wrath. Imminence fits the pastoral tone of “Let not your hearts be troubled.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 — “The Lord will descend… the dead in Christ will rise… then we… will be caught up (ἁρπάζω, harpazō).”
Commentary: A sudden snatching up—voice, shout, trumpet—followed by a meeting “in the air.” Paul anchors hope and present encouragement (v.18) in the nearness of this event.
Titus 2:13 — “Our blessed hope—the appearing of the glory…”
Commentary: Hope that purifies the present loses force if Antichrist and known markers must arrive first. The church looks for a Person, not a timeline.
James 5:8–9 — “The coming (παρουσία, parousia) of the Lord is at hand (ἤγγικεν, ēngiken)… the Judge is standing at the door.”
Door-imagery signals nothing left in between. James presses patient holiness precisely because the Lord’s approach is near.
1 Thessalonians 1:10; — “Wait for His Son from heaven… God has not destined us for wrath.”
The church’s posture is continuous waiting, and its appointment is salvation, not eschatological wrath.
Revelation 22:7, 12, 20 — “Behold, I am coming quickly (ταχύ, tachy)… ‘Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!’”
Threefold “quickly” cultivates urgency, and The Spirit-taught response is Maranatha.
Philippians 3:20 — “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior.”
“Await” (ἀπεκδεχόμεθα) is a strained-forward waiting. Imminence fuels identity and ethics (3:20–21; 4:1).
Luke 12:35–40 — “Stay dressed for action… the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Jesus ties watchfulness to unpredictability. If known precursors remained, watchfulness would become countdown, not readiness.
2 Thessalonians 2:6–7 — “The Restrainer… until he is out of the way.”
The man of lawlessness is presently restrained; his unveiling awaits the removal of that restraint.
1 John 3:2–3 — “We shall be like Him… everyone who has this hope purifies himself.”
Imminent hope sanctifies. Expectancy isn’t escapism; it’s engine for holiness.
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Ten Short Reasons Imminence Fits Scripture
1.Watch (Matthew 24:42–44).
2.At hand / at the door (James 5:8–9).
3.Blessed hope now (Titus 2:13).
4.Thief in the night for the world; awakened saints aren’t surprised (1 Thess 5:2–6).
5.Not destined for wrath (1 Thess 5:9).
6.Maranatha prayer of the early church (1 Cor 16:22).
7.Personal retrieval promise (John 14:3).
8.Distinguishes our gathering from the Day of the Lord (2 Thess 2:1–2).
9.Restrainer before unveiling (2 Thess 2:6–7).
10.Holiness + mission intensified (Rom 13:11–12)
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Shepherding Admonition
Reject September 23 “rapture date” claims.
— Jesus: “No one knows the day or the hour.” (Matthew 24:36; cf. Acts 1:7)
— Date-setting violates Scripture, injures witness, and confuses imminence with a clock.
— Lamps lit, hearts clean, eyes up. (Luke 12:35–40).
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Live If Jesus Could Come Today
Pursue holiness (1 John 3:3).
Hold steady in comfort (John 14:1–3).
Abound in gospel work (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Pray “Maranatha” (Revelation 22:20).
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Be a watchman. Keep your lamp trimmed, your hands to the plow, your heart uncluttered, and your eyes on the clouds. “Surely I am coming quickly.” “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”