If, as so largely held among evangelical Christians, this event is now an any-moment possibility, there must have been a point or occurrence in the history of Christendom which gave that possibility commencement. An examination of the program of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church as predicted and presented in the New Testament provides conclusive evidence against such any-moment possibility.

In the first place, it was impossible for the Lord Jesus Christ to return from heaven to receive His Church between His ascension and the Day of Pentecost, because He had straightly instructed His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Holy Spirit, which they did, and Who was accordingly given. Those disciples, therefore, did not then expect their Lord to return at any moment.

Secondly, it was equally impossible for that Return to take place between Pentecost and the completion of the New Testament Scriptures which the Lord had purposed for the establishment and direction and edification and service of His Church on earth. Christ promised that He would give these additional Scriptures, His words of description covering the Gospels, the Acts, the Epistles and the Apocalypse; and they would be given from Himself through the inspiring ministry of "another Comforter," the promised Spirit. Therefore, the coming of the Lord from heaven was not an any-moment possibility for the Church during the period of the Apostles who were the inspired penmen of the Holy Spirit.

Thirdly, during this period of the completing of the Scriptures, the Apostles died. Peter and Paul both testified in the Scriptures they wrote that they expected death and not the Lord’s Return during their lifetimes, though they both cherished in their hearts "that blessed hope," which Paul described as "the appearing of the Glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ." Moreover, the canon of Scripture was not complete until about twenty years later than Paul’s last letter in which he testified, "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand," and, in contrast with the imminence of his own death, he looked forward and onward to "that day" of Christ’s "appearing" when he, in company with all who loved it, would receive reward. Paul himself "loved His appearing" though in the same sentence he looked for death! Therefore an any-moment Coming of Christ was never a possibility to the Apostles themselves.

Fourthly, it was likewise impossible for the Lord to return at any moment between His ascension when He gave the missionary commission, for which the enduement of the Spirit was given at Pentecost, and the world-wide missionary witness of the Church; for He had commanded that the Gospel should be preached to every creature, among all nations, to the uttermost part of the earth; and with the commission He gave the assurance of His spiritual presence with them "all the days even until the consummation of the age." The word "until" allows of no interruption in the succession. How could the Lord Jesus Christ remove His people away from the earth at His Second Coming at any moment before the consummation of the age when He had promised His presence with them by His Spirit as they prosecuted their missionary witness in the earth continuously until that consummation? Therefore, an any-moment Coming of the Lord for His saints is impossible at least "until" the end of the age.

Fifthly, our Lord, upon His ascension, took His seat on the right hand of the Majesty on high. He "ascended up far above all heavens that He might fill all things." The Scripture was fulfilled, addressed to Him, which said: "Sit Thou at My right hand until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool." And our exalted Lord is "from henceforth expecting until His enemies be made His footstool." Now, our Lord Himself, in agreement, of course, with the testimony of the Scriptures, declared that this subjugation of His foes would take place at the end of the age, until which time the Church, while in a hostile world and suffering for her Lord, would continue her witness hearing. Then, at the consummation, will "He come to be glorified in His saints and to be admired in all them that believe in that day." Which day? "When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance." This double "until," securing the corporeal presence of the Lord Jesus on the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, and His spiritual presence with His saints on earth, precludes any possibility of an any-moment coming until He returns in power to make His foes His footstool. Consequently, there is no point in the history of the Church and the Divine program as revealed in the Bible which warrants the any-moment expectancy of Christ’s Second Coming until the end of the age.

Sixthly, the testimony of the prophetic Scriptures is clear beyond question that the consummation of the age will follow upon the fulfillment of certain conspicuous events which are to be observed by Christ’s disciples as signs of the approaching end and the arrival of the Day of the Lord. He even forewarned His disciples—disciples whom He addressed as differentiating them from the Jewish nation and associating them with the Christian Church; disciples to whom He gave the Church Ordinances and the Church’s missionary orders—not to expect His return before those "signs" had taken place. He pointed out the dual fact that the Church could indeed be certain of the season in which His return was to be expected—"When ye shall see these things, then know that He is nigh, even at the doors"; but the Church must remain uncertain as to the set time—"Ye know neither the day nor the hour."

Conclusion: History witnesses that an any-moment expectation of Christ’s return has been mistaken hitherto. The Scriptures indicate that, till now, we have no more warrant to expect Christ’s return at any moment in our time than the Apostles had in theirs. But when the predicted events of the end-time shall take shape, by which we "see the day approaching," and "know that our redemption draweth nigh"; and when the age is about to reach her consummation, and "he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry," then, perhaps, at any moment, that is, in the four watches of that "Day," the Church might expect her Lord, and so it is written of that time and to the saints then living and waiting, "Watch ye, therefore, for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning."