Christ will come for the Church when the Body of Christ is complete—no one knows when that will be.
The Body of Christ is being filled one believer at a time, and when the last person is in place, God will deliver the Church from the earth and Christ will come for His own. Scripture gives no time frame, so Christ's coming is imminent but cannot be dated. After the Church is removed, God resumes His prophetic program with Israel.
Romans 11:25 — This verse reveals the trigger: when the fulness of the Gentiles has come in, Israel's blindness ends and the Church age is complete.
1 Corinthians 15:23 — This identifies Christ's coming specifically for those who are His, which is the event in question.
Scripture reveals that a partial blindness has happened to Israel, and it will last only 'until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.' This indicates that God's Gentile-focused work has a completion point. Paul also speaks of a coming of Christ for 'they that are Christ's,' promising that every believer will be raised in his own order after Christ the firstfruits. Second Thessalonians adds that the mystery of iniquity is already at work, but the one who restrains must be taken out of the way before the Wicked one is revealed. Luke's Gospel likewise speaks of the times of the Gentiles being fulfilled, showing that God has a set limit on this present period.
Les Feldick teaches that Christ will come for the Church when the Body of Christ is complete. Believers are being added one at a time, and when the final person is in place, the Body is complete and God will deliver it from the earth. Using Romans 11:25, Les explains that this completed Body of Christ becomes the 'until' of that verse: after God has finished His work with the predominantly Gentile Body, He will turn again to the Jew and bring in the seven-year tribulation. Les stresses that no one knows when this will happen. The church age has lasted 1,900 years and there is no time frame, only imminence. He rejects anyone who sets a date for Christ's return as a false teacher. He also emphasizes that before God can resume His dealings with Israel, the church must be removed, because God does not deal on both sides of the fence at the same time. After the Church is gone, the Antichrist will appear and Israel will enter the tribulation period.
Les says there is no time frame because God's time clock stopped when Israel was dispersed. Christ's coming is imminent—He may come before the day is over, but it may also be years down the road. Whoever sets a date should be cast off as a false teacher.
Once the Church is complete and raptured, the Antichrist makes his appearance and the world goes into seven years that are predominantly God's dealing with Israel. Israel will go through the tribulation before enjoying the blessings of Christ's return.
God does not deal with the Church and Israel at the same time. Since the church is predominantly Gentile and Israel is in dispersion, the Gentile Body must be removed from the scene before God returns to Israel for the final seven years. After the tribulation, Christ will return to set up His Kingdom, and raptured believers will return with Him to rule and reign.
Romans 11:25 calls this the fullness of the Gentiles. Les identifies the fullness of the Gentiles as the Church-age believers, while Luke 21 speaks of a different group of Gentiles—the unbelieving world. As soon as God completes His work with the Gentile Body of Christ, He turns to the Jew.
Old Testament Did Not Predict the Church
Les explains that the Old Testament program never considered the outcalling of the Church; because Israel rejected her King, God raised up Paul to call out the Body of Christ primarily from among the Gentiles.
Completion of the Body of Christ
Believers are coming into the Body one at a time; when the last person is in place, the Body is complete and God will deliver it from the earth, after which He turns back to the Jew.
No Date Setting; Church Removed Before Tribulation
Scripture gives no ability to set a date, and before God begins the tribulation with Israel, the predominantly Gentile church must be removed.
God Deals with One Group at a Time
Because the church age is the period of Gentile dealing while Israel is in dispersion, the Gentile Body must be removed before God resumes His final seven years with Israel.
Church Taken Out Before the Final Seven Years
When the church is complete, God takes it out just before the final seven years prophesied in the Old Testament, enabling Him to finish where He left off with Israel.
Church Taken Out So God Can Resume His Program with Israel
God pauses the prophetic program during the church age; when the Church is taken out, God picks up where He left off with Israel, and after the tribulation Christ returns to set up His Kingdom.
Imminent Return with No Time Frame
When Israel was dispersed, God's time clock stopped and the church age started with no set length; Christ's coming is imminent—it may happen today or years from now, so no one should set a date.
Tribulation Begins When the Church Is Gone
Immediately after the Church is gone, the Antichrist appears and the seven years begin, during which Israel is the focus and their blindness falls away; Romans 11's fullness of the Gentiles is the Church-age believer, while Luke 21 describes the unbelieving Gentiles.
Romans 11:25: For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
This is the key verse Les uses to show that the completion of the fullness of the Gentiles triggers the end of Israel's blindness and the rapture of the Church.
1 Corinthians 15:23: But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
Paul speaks of a coming of Christ specifically for those who are His—the Body of Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:7: For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
Les references this after explaining that as soon as the Church is gone, the Antichrist will appear.
Luke 21:24: And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Les contrasts the fullness of the Gentiles (Church-age believers) with this other group of unbelieving Gentiles.
No. Les says that before God can pick up and begin the tribulation with the nation of Israel, the church has to be removed. He emphasizes that the church is predominantly Gentile and that God does not deal with both Israel and the Church at the same time.
No. Les says there is no time frame and no one knows when Christ will return. He may come before the day is over, or it may be years down the road. Anyone who sets a date should be regarded as a false teacher.
It refers to the completion of the Body of Christ, made up primarily of Gentiles. When the last person is in place, the Body is complete, God takes the Church out, and then He turns His attention back to Israel.
Watch the Teaching: What Triggers the Rapture? Romans 11:25 Explained Verse by Verse