The Christian's Guide to Preparing for the Apocalypse

Our English word agent comes from a Latin term meaning “to do.” It refers to someone who does the bidding of another, who is authorized to act on another’s behalf, like an ambassador. When the Bible says, “We are ambassadors for Christ,” it means we’re licensed to work on behalf of our Lord (2 Corinthians 5:20). We’re His agents; and since we’re living in the Last Days, we’re God’s special agents as we preach the message of a returning King.

I believe we’re living on the crest of the times. We’ve watched the rising tides of history pushing forward, coming closer, foaming, and starting to crest. The Middle East is wracked with terrorism, regional violence, endless war, and proliferating nuclear armaments. Around the world, we’re witnessing a moral collapse exceeding anyone’s expectations. The global Church is growing rapidly, but so is global persecution. These are the days of Noah on overdrive because of the technological advances that both assist us and threaten us.

You and I are on a mission. We are God’s agents in the World of the End.

The Apocalypse is coming. But even during the Great Tribulation, God will have boots on the ground. From now until then, you and I are on a mission. We are God’s agents in the World of the End. God uses His people to accomplish His work and His will.

We can face our times with either despair or determination. It is tempting to despair when we feel like we’re buckled into a car hurtling down a mountain with no brakes. The daily headlines bring us disturbing stories of military threats and moral decline. But Jesus predicted all this, and God wants us to stand firm, to be biblical optimists, to be zealous evangelists, and to represent Him as His agents and emissaries in this world.

The Bible talks of this in 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, when the apostle Paul wrote:

The love of Christ compels us…. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…. [God] has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.… We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Based on this passage, we can identify four assignments to carry out until Christ returns.

Be a New Person in Christ

First, we must be born again. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” There are many good causes that people find fulfillment in supporting. Celebrities lend their names to a host of interests. Philanthropists donate their fortunes to humanitarian crusades. But God’s agents are the ones who can change both time and eternity, and we must be born again.

God’s agents can change both time and eternity, and we must be born again.

As a young man, John Wesley sailed to Georgia to engage in religious and humanitarian works, but he faltered. He wrote these words in his journal on the voyage home: “I went to America to convert the Indians; but, O! who shall convert me?” Shortly afterward, Wesley was born again and set the world on fire. He sparked a revival that swept across England. It reformed the morals of his nation, led to tremendous evangelistic and humanitarian ministries, and likely saved England from the kind of terror that occurred across the Channel during the French Revolution.

God wants to transform your heart through Christ. That’s the first step of being His agent on this planet.

Be Compelled by His Love

Having been reconciled to God through the blood of Christ, we become agents of reconciliation. The love of Christ compels our heart, and we want to reach others. One man who grasped this was Griffith John (1831-1912), a Welsh missionary to China. He once told a group of college students why he pursued his work with such passion, saying, “The love of Christ to me, personally, constrains me to live to Him and for Him. He died for me; and I will die for Him. He lives for me; and I will live for Him. I will work for His sake; I will suffer for His sake. There is nothing I would not do to please Him.… All I can do is to lay myself on the altar and say: ‘Lord Jesus, take me as I am, and use me for Thine own purpose and glory. The love of Christ constraineth me.’”¹

When we encounter anger, arrogance, and vanity, it’s tempting to respond with disdain. Instead, let’s envision a world needing a message of reconciliation. Let’s lay ourselves on the altar for Christ’s purposes and glory, compelled by His love.

Let’s envision a world needing a message of reconciliation. Let’s lay ourselves on the altar for Christ’s purposes and glory, compelled by His love.

Be an Ambassador for Christ

In what practical ways, then, can you and I share the love of Christ today? How does Christ plead with the world through us? Sometimes it’s with unspoken acts of kindness. Sometimes it’s by supporting others engaged in specialized ministries. We often find service within the tasks and programs of our local churches. But at some point, every ambassador and agent needs to speak up. Paul used the word pleading.

The Meloon family, which has been manufacturing powerboats since 1925, is known for their vibrant Christian witness. One of the brothers, Ralph Meloon, printed his testimony on business cards and tracts so that he could freely distribute it. Once, after flying to a conference in tourist class, Ralph was asked by his friend Van Thurston why he didn’t fly first class where he could rest and feel better. “Oh,” Ralph replied, “There’s only twelve people up front. There’s 100 in the back. I can walk up and down those aisles and give out tracts all day.”² And he does.

God has commissioned each of us to walk the aisles of this world and share our testimony about Christ’s love and power.

Be the Righteousness of the King

In a filthy world, personal holiness must reinforce our constraining love and compelling message. In a polluted culture, we must strive to keep ourselves pure. “He [God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). It’s our privilege to do what the world neglects and to refrain from doing what the world does. The Bible tells us to come out from among them and be separate. Is any habit in your life hindering your witness today? Agents live differently from others. Everything centers on our operation, our assignment, and the glory of Him who sends us.

Is any habit in your life hindering your witness today?

Make sure Christ is your personal Redeemer. Let His love grip your heart. In these perilous days, think of yourself as His agent. Preach the Word however, wherever, and whenever you can. And live a life of righteousness for Him as an example to everyone watching. We’re here to be busy until He comes, to do His work, to warn of the coming Apocalypse, and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. We are agents of the Last Days—preaching a returning King. There’s no more exciting task, and there’s never been a more urgent time.

¹ Rev. Griffith John, “Motives in Foreign Missions,” in The Intercollegian, Volumes 25-29, published by Young Men’s Christian Associations of North America (New York: The Bancroft, 1902), 198.

² James Vincent, Parting the Waters (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1997), 171.