When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8
When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? This question may be rhetorical in nature as some will have faith in the true God and some will have faith in the person who says he is god. Yes men and women will have faith but the question is in whom?
What is faith and what does faith have to do with Christ’s coming? For the most part Christians are looking forward to the day we are delivered from this world. By faith we are anticipating his return could take place at any moment. On the other hand the world is not concerned with his coming and have their fingers crossed hoping that they are worthy of going to heaven.
While they hope they will go to heaven they are refusing to seek a sure way to get there. They don’t want to hear about God and when they do they reject it for another day. Some say the gospel of Jesus Christ is foolishness but the bible says that fools despise wisdom and discipline. (Proverbs 1:7) Sad but true one needs reverence for God to gain the knowledge of God’s wisdom that preserves the life of its possessor (Ecclesiastes 7:12).
God has been open to the whole world making his inspired word available to every man regardless of their native language.
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17
The eyes of men are not on spiritual matters and they have closed their ears to the truth. Otherwise the Bible says they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them (Matthew 13:15). When men refuse to listen to their creator they follow the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. The bible tells us to recognize our creator so we may obey him.
Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say. Isaiah 28:23
The world is not aware of the schemes of the devil but the god of this age is moving them to resist the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The bible says the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers do the light and glory of the gospel cannot be seen (2 Corinthians 4:4). For this reason the gospel is hidden from those who are perishing.
In a time of war both sides make every effort to destroy the weapons that can be used against you. As human beings we wage war with weapons that destroy the life and things of this world. Christians wage a spiritual war from their knees by crushing every lie or imagination that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. We stand on the principle that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's.
God in his majestic power and grace has allowed us to participate in his divine nature. He has given us a number of promises so we may live a life of godliness and have the peace of God. These promises rescue us from being corrupted by a godless world and those with a depraved mind. This knowledge was never meant to be kept to ourselves but shared with the world that is perishing.
Grasp this idea, God also loves the people who are influenced by Satan to wage war against the gospel of Jesus Christ. By the same token those blinded by the god of this age are not waging war against Christians because they serve the God of creation. The lost of this world have their minds focused on the things of this world and they are not aware they are rejecting the salvation through Jesus Christ. Why, they are ignorant of the gospel and its importance in the overall picture concerning their life.
“When I found out” are the words a large number of recent converts use in their first testimonies. Because people rejected the gospel they are destroyed from lack of knowledge and that lack of knowledge will be the reason why they perish. At the same time there are some who throw the truth to the ground because they prefer to believe the lie.
Satan lost the battle in heaven and was cast to the earth. The life as we know it will change rapidly when the devil is cast to the earth and recovers from defeat. Being where the chosen men and women of God reside in addition of being enraged Satan choses to annihilate the things of God and the people who serve him. His attention will be directed at the children of God and he will set out to destroy them. Jesus said.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
Jesus spent three and a half years destroying the works of the devil. Being the counterfeiter he is he will spend the same amount of time attempting to destroy the works of Jesus Christ. To counter the attacks of Satan Paul reminds us to put on the whole armor of God so you may be able to stand your ground on the day of evil. (Ephesians 6:13)
The day of evil will come to Christians when those we love among our friends and relatives will hand us over to those waging war against the saints of God.
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10
For ten days the bible says the rulers and authorities of the evil day will persecute and threaten you with a cruel death. This is another weapon of the devil for he has held the world in slavery with the fear of death (Hebrews 2:15). With death looming over you do not be anxious about your defense for God himself will teach you what to say.
Christians live by faith not by sight but the world lives by the things they can see and put their hands upon. Satan will set up an idol in the temple of God for mankind to worship and he will not say please. He will enforce the worship of the lie “the idolatrous thing” and produce signs and wonders to prove his deity.
Combatting the lie is more about knowing the truth and how things were designed to actually happen. By the same token the world believes the heavens and the earth was created by a supreme being we call God. We believe God designed the earth and planned how the earth realm would operate under his rule. The glory of faith is the belief in the truth and in the person of Jesus Christ. Ultimately faith demands you to personally stand with God in the day of evil.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
There are a number of Christians that say they are fully committed to God and whatever happens will remain true to God. Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy and that means he will apply his character to our beliefs and assure us we will die unless we worship him. Are we strong enough to spiritually withstand Satan’s threats? When we think about what has been foretold regarding the end times because it is not our plan to die in the service of God. Therefore, will Christ find faith when he returns?
Copyright © 2013 Godlythinking All rights reserved