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​​The Church Triumphant?

Will the church enter the end times as the church defeated?  Modern theology poses the church as a conquered organization when the Messiah returns.  We have misinterpreted passages such as Luke 18:8 (When the Son of Man comes will He find faith on the Earth?)  and Matthew 24:16 (Let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains) indicating that the church will be downtrodden by unbelievers.  Believers will be severely oppressed during the last days but we will not be defeated!  We will be the church triumphant! The trials and persecutions we will face will be trials to exhibit and bolster our faith. 
 
One of the crucial aspects of this conversation is the placement of the rapture in relation to the return of the Messiah.  Theologies are categorized by their position of the rapture.  Most of my life I have been one of the strongest proponents of a pre-tribulational rapture (the rapture occurs before the seven year tribulation).   I took obscure passages (from the original Greek and Hebrew) and defended my position.  I knew it had a few points I could not defend to make mesh with the rest of my theology.  I will address the topic of the rapture in another article. 
 
Regardless of your position on the rapture, your understanding of the church’s condition in the end times is the basis of your behavior now.  What should we believers be doing in these last days?  Let me pose the question another way.  If you knew the Messiah were returning in the next ten years what would you do?  Some people would borrow all the money they could and indulge themselves in this world.  This is not what we should be doing!
 
In Luke 19:13 Jesus tells a story of a nobleman who had to leave town on business so he left his servants in charge of his business until he returned.  His command was “Occupy till I come.”  The interpretation of this story is clear in the context.  Jesus is telling His disciples to keep busy doing His work until He returns.  The Greek word translated “occupy” in the KJV is translated in other versions as “conduct business” or invest.  I feel the KJV translation is the best.  The idea of the original Greek word is more than just invest or conduct business. The word has the idea of thriving in work and production.
 
This idea is consistent with the cultural mandate of Genesis 1:28.  God told Adam to be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, and subdue it.  We often take this command as simply to reproduce but the four-part command refers to more than that.  God tells His children to ​reproduce, become a powerful people, fill the earth, and harness creation.  This is God’s plan for His people.  His plan is for His people to thrive.  He wants the church to flourish in the end times; even if she is being persecuted. 
 
The church in the end times will be much like the Early Church.  The believers in the Early Church were persecuted and hated by the world yet the church thrived in spite of the persecution.  They said serving God was more important than houses and possessions.  The Roman government put that bold statement to the test.  The early believers said God was more important to them than their friends or family.  That statement was put to the test also.  The world found that the early believers’ faith was real.  Thousands believed in Jesus the Messiah because the believers in the Early Church displayed a faith that was real.  The faith of the church will be tested in like manner in the last days.
 
We say God is real but do we really believe it?  Do we believe He can deliver us from any trial?  Do we believe He is coming back soon?  If His imminent return were a reality to us then we would not be consumed with possessions and pleasure.  If we really believe we will see Him soon then we will consume ourselves with doing His work while we can. God promises to empower the church to do His work.  Now is the time to thrive!
 
“I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  - Matthew 16:18
 
© Dr. Steven L Smith 2016
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