Studying the end times is one of the best ways to gain insight into Jesus’ brilliant leadership, discover what He cares most about, and come to love His methods, ways, and divine activities. As we we grow in a fascination with Him that helps our love for Him grow as well… 

He wants us to fully participate with what He is doing on the earth without fear or resistance. He wants to win our hearts with complete loyalty to His plans. As He does, He lovingly prepares us to engage in what He is doing with complete confidence and trust in His leadership… In this process, fascination with Him moves our hearts from disobedience to obedience, disagreement to agreement, and passivity to participation… 

The more we understand Jesus’ leadership in the end times, the more fascinated with Him we become… When our hearts are connected to and fascinated by the end of the story, we realize that our own small lives have cosmic significance. This shift in perspective changes everything. 

We should study the end times to prepare our hearts and minds for what is to come. If we are prepared, we will run with Jesus with confidence when hell itself breaks loose on the earth, not away from Him in terror or offense as many will do. "People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken." - Luke 21:26 NLT

The best way to prepare for the coming storms is to fully embrace a life of knowing Jesus better, accomplished by spending more time with Him and in His presence… Only when we become grounded in Him in a way that produces confidence, trust, and stability in us, will we have strength and courage to stand steady when everything else is crumbling around us… As we prepare, there is a secret agenda Jesus has for each of us stirring and boiling deep in His heart. His plan is for each of His believers to actively serve and point the lost and stumbling to Him in those days. He doesn’t desire for us to simply survive or escape the end times, but for us as His close and loyal friends to lead confused, scared, and broken people to safe ground and salvation in the midst of raging storms… Preparing for coming storms is really about learning to prepare others [for the sake of our children, our friends, our loved ones, our neighbors].

When Jesus comes, He will bring His reward with Him. "Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds." - Revelation 22:12 NLT   Those who have been faithful in their given charge in this age will receive the fullness of their reward in the age to come, when Jesus rules the nations of the earth. To be faithful in our given charge requires knowing what our charge is. Cultivating intimacy with Jesus and reading the Word of God will help us discover what our charge is… 

Faith given in our hearts leads to salvation, but from that moment forward, we are judged and evaluated according to our works. "...Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve." - Revelations 2:23 NLT. These works that matter to God are diligence and obedience to the gospel, which causes meekness and humility to grow within us… 

We choose at the moment of salvation to join a heavenly family. We then choose what we will do for the rest of lives as part of this family… While He will judge us according to our works, He is working within us to “will and to do according to His good pleasure." "For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." - Philippians 2:13 NIV. Our part then, is to live life continually saying “yes” to the grace of God by faith. 

The Scriptures are filled with references to the end-time plans of God. The powerful theme that runs consistently through them all is the certainty of God’s victory… We know God’s intimate involvement and power to set the course of history towards His desired outcome; an outcome clearly proclaimed in His Word, and it will never be in doubt… 

Far more amazing is the parallel theme: The certainty of our victory… The breathtaking part involves the weak, the broken, the struggling, and the small. Christ’s power, wisdom, and love all work together to bring His leaning Bride into the deepest place of love through the least severe means… 

The incomparable leadership of Jesus orchestrates His victory over darkness. He will do this while simultaneously empowering and helping the Church to walk victoriously in the power of His love during the most dramatic time in history.