It is one thing to fall asleep out of weakness, but it is another to be lulled into slumber by the very voices meant to keep us awake. Today, the denial of the Lord’s imminent return is not a fringe error—it is mainstream. The Church is being systematically taught to sleep, robbed of the very expectancy that Scripture commands.
Mocking, Scoffing, and the Spirit of This Age
Peter warned us plainly:
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 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. (2 Peter 3:3–4)
This prophecy is fulfilled before our eyes. From pulpits, prophecy is caricatured and those who take God’s Word literally are mocked as “prophecy nuts.” Others, under the guise of “balance,” urge believers to avoid the book of Revelation, dismissing it as little more than frightening symbols. This is not harmless opinion—it is the fulfillment of apostolic warning.
The Doctrines That Numb the Church
The Church’s watchfulness is being undermined by specific, identifiable errors:
- Preterism: This teaching claims that the prophecies of Revelation were fulfilled in AD 70. If true, there is nothing left to watch for. The Church is told to look backward, not forward, and the hope of Christ’s appearing is emptied of power.
- Dominionism: Here, the Church is told it must conquer the world and establish the Kingdom before Christ can return. This pushes His coming far into the future and redirects our focus to earthly efforts and achievements, not heavenly hope.
- Denial of the Rapture: Many now deny the biblical doctrine of the “harpazo”—the catching up of the saints to meet the Lord. Paul revealed this as our blessed hope, our salvation, our comfort. Those who reject or confuse the rapture with the Lord’s open return teach believers not to expect Him at any moment, stripping away the urgency and comfort God intended.
In every case—whether through open mockery, revisionist theology, or outright denial—the result is the same: the Church is taught not to watch.
What Is Lost When Watchfulness Is Abandoned
When the expectation of Christ’s imminent return is removed, something essential dies. Jesus Himself warned of the consequences:
But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:48–51)
This is not a theoretical danger. When believers are taught that “the Lord is not coming anytime soon,” the inevitable result is spiritual decline: watchfulness is lost, holy living erodes, separation from the world vanishes, and even abuse and worldliness creep in among the saints. The Church becomes indistinguishable from the world it was called out of. This is not a secondary issue—it is a direct assault on the conscience, on our inheritance, and on the very motivation for holy living.
The Power and Necessity of Imminent Expectation
The New Testament does not use the Lord’s return as a peripheral doctrine. It is the chief motivator for sobriety, hope, and separation from the world. The secret coming of Christ for His saints—the rapture—is not a speculative curiosity; it is the wellspring of comfort, rejoicing, and holy anticipation. To deny or delay this hope is to rob the Church of its God-given means to remain awake.
When the expectation of His imminent return is present, believers rejoice, are comforted, and remain watchful. This is not escapism—it is obedience to the covenantal promise. It is the only safeguard against spiritual sleep in a world bent on slumber.
The Unavoidable Consequence
Let us be clear: if we accept the errors of mocking, Preterism, Dominionism, or the denial of the rapture, we do not merely lose a point of eschatology—we lose the very thing that keeps the Church awake. We lose the power to live as sons, to walk in our inheritance, to maintain a conscience cleansed by hope. The line is sharp: either we watch, or we sleep. Either we hold fast to the finished work and the promise of His appearing, or we drift into the decay that always follows unbelief.
The Lord’s imminent return is not a negotiable doctrine. It is the dividing line between a Church that is awake and a Church that is asleep. To abandon it is to abandon the very means God has given to keep us holy, hopeful, and ready. Let the Church beware: to be taught not to watch is to be taught to die. Let us recover the expectation of His coming—our comfort, our motivation, and our hope.
