The glorious Bride and apostate Church
There never has been and never will be in the whole of human history a more vital and urgent task than for the Church of Jesus Christ to prepare for the return of her Bridegroom King. It’s time for the Church to once again rediscover her eschatological hope and her belief in the imminent return of Jesus; to once more become anchored in the glorious rewards of the age to come and convinced that she’s going to be the final generation alive at his coming.
It was this hope and belief that caused the first Christians to journey with a sense of urgency, to live like aliens and strangers, to become a subversive and counter cultural community, to work tirelessly to see others saved and to give their lives for the cause. It shaped their priorities, influenced their decisions and defined who they were, what they did, and how they did it. Armed with good news and a message of eternal hope, they turned the world upside down.
Tragically, when Christendom became the religion of the Roman Empire in Constantine’s day, the Church became a celebrated insider. The popularity of the religion was in inverse proportion to the Church’s yearning for Jesus to return; indeed, the following centuries are littered with popular deceptions the Church adopted, and her prophetic cutting-edge was all but lost.
Up until now the Church has never regained her early vibrancy and power, but we believe that within the lifetime of people living today, a glorious, pure and spotless Bride will emerge on the world stage - a living organism, the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament. She will have grown and built herself up in love, as each part does its work (Eph 4:16).
Refined in the fires of the coming persecution, she’ll move in a measure of victory, power and authority, not seen since the days of the apostles. She’ll overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of her testimony; not loving her life so much as to shrink from death (Rev 12:11).
She’ll give her allegiance to none but Christ, and having attained to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph 4:13 and Eph 5:25-27) she will manifest the unity that Jesus prayed for (Jn 17:23) and complete the task of taking the Gospel to every ethnic group. In so doing she will open the way for his return.
The Church’s finest hour will then have arrived.
However, we’re not there yet. This glorious reality still lies ahead and we still journey toward it. And the journey ahead will not be easy, far from it. We have before us, we believe, a few more years of struggle and suffering before the glorious Bride will be seen.
Nevertheless, we’ve entered a new season in salvation history and the events leading up to the return of Jesus are accelerating and coming into sharper focus as we begin to experience the beginning of birth pains. And as any mother will tell you, birth pains increase with regularity and intensity the nearer you get to the birth. We can be sure therefore that a time of great distress and suffering is approaching; indeed, the Bible says as much (Mt 24:21).
In the not too distant future, the world’s hatred of Christians will reach its zenith, its high point. Jesus said we will be hated by all nations, at which point the faithful Church in every nation will suffer persecution of the most grievous kind. In our opinion, in view of this persecution, the Church will of necessity once again become an underground and illegal movement.
This will call for great courage, perseverance and relinquishment on the part of the saints. Many believers, including leaders, will be imprisoned and killed for their faith. Jesus tells us that even family members will turn against one another.
Indeed, without God’s intervention, the Bible tells us that no one would survive; but for the sake of the elect - those who remain faithful - those days will be cut short (Mt 24:21-23). This will call for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus (Rev 14:12).
In any event, what the enemy plans for evil, God will work together for good. And just like the faithful Church in China today, the future underground Church will explode with spiritual life and experience both spiritual and numerical growth. Many will be saved in that day and great miracles, signs and wonders will take place; as the darkness increases so too will the light.
Since our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph 6:12) we must not expect a battle free of casualties.
Our foe is nothing if he is not fierce and formidable. When the story of the Church’s finest hour is told, as it will be in the age to come, not only will they tell of great heroism, of God’s wonderful provision and his many interventions on behalf of his people, but they will also tell of those who shared in the sufferings of Christ and gave their lives.
Not only this, but at the same time and with great sadness, they will say that the Church’s finest hour coincided with the Church’s darkest hour, when untold numbers of Christians abandoned the faith, and betrayed and hated one another. They will tell of false prophets, savage wolves who did not spare the flock, who distorted the truth and led many astray into deception (Mt 24:9-13 and Acts 20:29).
It’s a story of the glorious Bride and the apostate Church.
We have the privilege of being part of this story. The consummation of the age is upon us. The glorious return of Jesus is on the near horizon and we need to prepare our hearts so that we will not be found wanting in that day.
Yes, troubles await us, but this is not a doom and gloom message! It's one of great hope and expectation for those who long to experience the literal presence and intimacy of the Lord. It’s only a message of doom and gloom for those who’ve fallen in love with the world.
Now is not a time for business as usual or to be found sleeping. It’s not a time for frivolity or the superficiality of the ‘bless me mentality.’ It’s above all a time to prepare practically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually for what lies ahead.
The Lord looks for those who will stand in the gap - prophetic forerunners. He’s calling his Church to battle readiness – raising men and women with the anointing of the men of Issachar (1 Ch 12:32).
He reminds us in advance that when these terrible things begin to take place, not to be fearful, but to realise that he is at the very door, our redemption is near and soon we’ll see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory (Luke 21:27-28).
The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ (Rev 22:17)
There never has been and never will be in the whole of human history a more vital and urgent task than for the Church of Jesus Christ to prepare for the return of her Bridegroom King. It’s time for the Church to once again rediscover her eschatological hope and her belief in the imminent return of Jesus; to once more become anchored in the glorious rewards of the age to come and convinced that she’s going to be the final generation alive at his coming . . .