Intro to the End Times is a series walking through some of the key themes of the story of Jesus’ return from a historic premillennial perspective, with special focus on knowing the heart of Jesus as we partner with God through the most dramatic chapter of human history.

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In this series on the end times, I’ve spent the past few posts taking a break from the main storyline to talk about some of the positive things that the church is experiencing, like protection, prayer, and revival. In this post, we’ll look at the church’s unique message to carry during this time.

Forerunners Preparing the Way

Throughout Scripture, in every transitional generation, God has raised up messengers to proclaim what’s coming. As Amos 3:7 says, “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.” He’s really into partnership, and His desire is that we would lean in close to hear His voice, so we can spread the message of what He’s doing.

The end times are no exception. As we discussed early in this series, God wants His people to understand the end times. The unbelieving world that hasn’t been listening to the Word will be surprised as by a thief in the night, but as 1 Thessalonians 5:4 says so clearly, “You are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.” He wants us awake, aware, and partnering with Him to release His purposes on the earth.

Forerunners of Jesus’ First Coming

In the generation of Jesus’ first coming, God raised up prophetic voices to announce what He was doing.

• Simeon had been waiting for years for the Messiah, and God had promised he would see Him in his lifetime. He met Jesus as a baby in the temple, and prophetically declared who He was as God had shown him. (Lk. 2:25-35)
• Anna was a prophet, intercessor, and worshipper who lost her husband early in their marriage, and spent the next 60ish years of her life in the house of the Lord. After Jesus came to the temple as a baby, she declared the message of His coming to anyone who would listen. (Lk. 2:36-38)
• John the Baptist was especially anointed to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy of “one crying in the wilderness, ‘prepare the way of the Lord.'” (Lk. 3:4, Is. 40:3)

Though their message was rooted in Scriptures about the coming Messiah, it required additional prophetic insight to say, “NOW is the time.” In other words, they weren’t just called to proclaim the Word of God as it had been written for thousands of years; they were called to discern the season and apply the Word to declare that ancient prophecies were actively being fulfilled in their day. They were on the cutting edge of a move of God that irrevocably shifted all of  human history.

Forerunners of Jesus’ Second Coming

The coming of Jesus in the sky to establish His kingdom on earth is the most dramatic transition in all of human history. Before that final moment, He wants to mobilize believers as messengers to declare who He is and what He’s doing. This is His kindness and mercy to not leave the earth without a witness.

• Daniel prophesies of “wise ones” (or “maskilim” in Hebrew) in the end times who know the heart of God and are able to explain what He’s doing to others.

“the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. And the wise among the people shall make many understand”
Daniel 11:32-23

“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
Daniel 12:3

“And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.”
Daniel 12:10

• Jeremiah prophesies of ones who “stand in the council of the Lord” to get clarity of what’s on His heart as He’s releasing judgment, and promises that there will be ones in the end times who understand it clearly.

“For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and to hear his word …The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his heart. In the latter days you will understand it clearly.”
(Jeremiah 23:28-20, see also 30:23-24)

• Isaiah prophesies of those who proclaim the “good news” to Israel, and this gospel is simply “Behold your God!” announcing that He’s coming as a warrior and a shepherd.

“Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news… say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’ Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might and his arm rules for him… He will tend his flock like a shepherd”
(Isaiah 40:9-11)

What Are We Saying?

When the disciples asked Jesus about the signs of His coming, Jesus gave them several very specific things to watch for, and then said, “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) When we proclaim the “gospel of the kingdom,” it’s much more than the simple message of personal salvation. The gospel of the kingdom says, “THE KING IS COMING! He’s going to shatter everything that opposes Him and establish His kingdom forever!”

Here are a few of the central emphases of the forerunner message:

1. Jesus is Coming
   First, He’s coming back for real! There will be many scoffers who say it’s not real (2 Pe. 3:3-4), but we’re called to be bold about this truth- He IS gonna split the sky and take over the world, and the clock is ticking.
2. He is a Bridegroom, King, and Judge
   In the drama of the end times, Jesus’ heart is most fully on display as a bridegroom with passion for His bride, a king who rules in power, and a judge who will not tolerate wickedness. All three are true at the same time.
3. Deception is Coming
   When Jesus teaches about the end times, He mostly emphasizes coming deception that will incredibly persuasive (Mt. 24:3-4), both from the antichrist himself and from the escalating culture of wickedness that precedes him. We must be anchored in the Word to stand firm.
4. Jesus is Bringing Righteous Judgment
   In the midst of God’s judgments, we declare that His ways are “just and true” (Re. 16:7). It won’t be a popular message, but we agree with Him as He does whatever it takes to cleanse the earth and bring righteousness.
5. The Bride Must Be Ready
   As “friends of the bridegroom” like John the Baptist (Jn. 3:29), we call the church to live radically abandoned with all our hope in His appearing. We must be ready with oil in our lamps (Mt. 25:1-13), anchored in these truths and ready to be faithful even unto death (Re. 2:10).

How Does a Forerunner Live?

Forerunners have understanding of what God is doing before it’s obvious to everyone else. They often seem deluded or obsessive to the rest of the world. Noah must have sounded like a crazy person for decades, building a giant boat in his front yard and talking about a global flood, years before people had ever even seen rain. John the Baptist certainly didn’t seem very “balanced” or rational out there in the wilderness, wearing camel hair and eating locusts!

So here’s my first piece of advice: accept that your lifestyle will seem extreme to others, even many in the church. (You may enjoy the book Nazirite DNA by Loe Engle – check out my review.)

With that in mind, here’s the lifestyle I’m talking about: throw yourself headfirst into living the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7). Im summary, here are the main lifestyle themes we are to walk out:

• Pray daily
• Fast weekly
• Do justly
• Give extravagantly
• Live holy
• Lead diligently
• Speak boldly

Forerunners must spend lots of time studying the end times straight from Scripture, while soaked in a lifestyle of prayer and fasting. Think of it as a journey, not a destination. There are 150 chapters in the Bible that are specifically focused on the end times, and we’ll never finish mining truth from them!

Finally, don’t forget to aggressively embrace humility. It’s easy to get an elitist mindset about the forerunner calling, especially when you’re new to it. Kill that thing with fire every chance you get. Remember that your job is to be a friend of the bridegroom and point people to Jesus, not yourself. Pride is counterproductive to going anywhere in God. Take every opportunity to go low, even when you feel hurt and misunderstood. God sees.

Are You a Forerunner?

When I did my house of prayer internship in 2012, the question I was carrying in my heart was, “Is the forerunner thing real, and is it for me?” Over my months of Bible study and prayer room time, God spoke to my heart through His word that it was indeed real, and it was indeed for me.

The invitation to be a forerunner messenger isn’t restricted to a chosen few, but open to all. Anyone can hear the invitation to know and proclaim His heart related to His return and say yes to it. Of course, God is still sovereign and it’s true that He strongly emphasizes the forerunner ministry to some while He seems to have different priorities for others, but anyone who finds their heart drawn toward this message is more than welcome to say yes to it.

If you’re reading this and feeling a desire well up within you to be one who will “prepare the way of the Lord”, to understand and declare the message of His coming- that’s the Holy Spirit. It’s not your flesh, and it’s not the devil. God is nudging you to position yourself to be a faithful witness of His story in the days to come.

You can say yes. Be one of “those who are wise” who will “prepare the way of the Lord.”