By B. David Mobile, DMin
When the clouds gather over the Church, our instinct is often to look for shelter. We want escape, ease, and calm. Yet Scripture consistently prepares believers not to run from the storm, but to stand through it. The Christian life was never meant to be storm-free—it was meant to be storm-proof.
In my recent doctoral research at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, I explored how eschatology informs sanctification, preparing believers to endure persecution with unwavering faith. That study became the foundation of my forthcoming book, The Coming Storm: Building Persecution-Proof Faith in the Church.
What I discovered through both study and ministry is that our hope in Christ’s return is not meant for speculation—it’s meant for transformation. When the Church loses her eschatological center, she becomes spiritually fragile. When she remembers that Christ is coming, she becomes courageous.
The early Christians didn’t debate timelines; they lived with expectation. Their hope in the appearing of Christ shaped their holiness, their worship, and their willingness to suffer for truth. That’s what I call eschatological sanctification—hope that purifies the heart and prepares the Church to stand when culture turns hostile.
We live in a generation increasingly uncomfortable with suffering and increasingly uncertain about the future. Yet the same promise that sustained Polycarp at the stake and Bonhoeffer in prison still sustains us today: the Lord is coming, and His reward is with Him. (Revelation 22:12)
The storm is coming. It may arrive as persecution, rejection, or cultural collapse. But the Church’s hope is not in avoiding the storm—it is in standing firm within it. The goal is not escape, but endurance; not comfort, but faithfulness.
My prayer is that The Coming Storm helps the Church recover that kind of readiness. Because when we live with our eyes fixed on Christ’s return, holiness ceases to be optional—it becomes our lifeline. (Titus 2:13)
“The storm will come; Scripture guarantees it. But so will the King, and His coming will vindicate every act of faithfulness.”
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