The Rise of the Last Days Church

“Then He also said to the multitudes, ‘Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, “A shower is coming”; and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, “There will be hot weather”; and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?’” Luke 12:54-56

One advantage of being around the church for a long time (that would be me) is that you see certain trends emerge again and again. One of those recurring trends is the resurgence of a focus on the rapture, often accompanied by the setting of dates.

Many Christian leaders from the baby boomer generation—those who were ten to fifteen years ahead of me—believed the rapture would happen in their lifetime. Most of them have now gone on to heaven.

I don’t fault them for their sense of urgency; after all, it motivated them to spread the gospel. But I did find myself somewhat troubled by the “let's hurry this along” mindset, only because I felt the church had so much more to become and fulfill.

To be fair, there is a tension here. On the one hand, we have the promise of His coming, for which we all should be ready. On the other hand, we know that any delay in His return means more time for others to be saved.

So much emphasis has been placed on how Jesus will come as a thief in the night, but let’s look at the totality of what Paul says to the Thessalonians, where some were causing confusion concerning the Lord’s coming. This is a good example of how, in our current day, people are confused in the same way because the whole truth is not being taught.

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1–6)

As we can see from this passage, we will not be surprised at His coming. The rapture will not come until the church is ready. When we see the church through the eyes of the bride, this makes perfect sense. The Lord is already speaking to those called to get her ready.

Now, there is one caveat in Scripture where Jesus tells the church at Sardis—who appeared to be alive but in fact was spiritually dead—that if they did not make a change, He would come to them as a thief in the night. The implication is that, in their current state, they would not be able to accurately discern the times concerning His coming. But He does not leave them uninformed as to their condition and what change is needed.

Are we living in the last days? Yes. Are we in the last of the last days? Yes, I believe we are, but I’m not putting a timeline on it. But here’s the bigger question: What should we be doing right now? What should we be discerning in this time? Should we be looking to the skies for the rapture?

When Jesus ascended, the angel said, “Why do you stand here gazing into heaven? He will return in the same way He left.” The implied meaning is: get to the mission at hand until He comes back, and stop the sky-gazing.

Didn’t Jesus tell us to be watchful—as did Paul? Yes. But watchfulness implies readiness. Gazing, on the other hand, implies motionless fixation on one thing. Jesus also told us, “Blessed is the servant who, when his Master returns, finds him doing the work he was assigned.”

Let me just be bold and answer the question. We should be looking to the emergence of the last-days church—and discerning the role you and I are called to play in it.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 4 about a church—the body—coming into the full stature of a mature man, walking in the fullness of Christ. The call going out today is for the bride—the church—to get herself ready for the coming of the Bridegroom, but also to move into a highly functioning body while we are still in the earth. This will bring in the great harvest with the increase of laborers who will fill the earth.

Here is what the Lord gave in this regard:

The next move of God will be unlike anything we’ve seen before.
It will not come through one man—or even a chosen few.
It will not begin with a single meeting or event.

This will be an equipping revival, coming through revelation and impartation. It will be stewarded by those who will raise up the church into the fullness of the Ephesians 4 body:

• An army carrying the full expression of Jesus.

• An army fully dressed in the armor of God.

• An army walking in the unity of the Spirit.

This will be the church of the last days—one possessing more than words, a church moving in power. An unstoppable spiritual army.

We are not in darkness. We are sons and daughters of the day. This is the time for the church to step into her identity as both bride and body—longing for the Bridegroom’s return while equipping laborers for the harvest. The rapture will come in God’s perfect timing, but until then, the Spirit is calling the last days church to maturity, unity, and power.