WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMETH, SHALL HE FIND FAITH ON EARTH?
WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMETH, SHALL HE FIND FAITH ON EARTH?
In Luke chapter 18, the Lord is talking about a judge who did the right thing for a widow, not because it was right, but because she cried to him day and night.
In verses 7 and 8, Jesus continues like this:
7 “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though He bear long with them?
8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”
When will His elect be crying to Him night and day? No doubt, during the tribulation they will. The ones who didn’t take the mark of the beast will be suffering, but clinging to the Lord.
But, Our Lord seems to have a melancholy thought after this. I can picture Him pausing, looking far off passively, lovingly, and sadly, then saying, with sorrow evident in His voice, ..paraphrased…”but, when I come back, how many will I find crying to me, and how many will have fallen for the antichrist’s deception?
This is a rhetorical question that Jesus is asking, because, of course, He knows how many will fall for the deception, and how many won’t.
In previous parts, I have shown you the scriptural proofs that Christ will come back for His church after the tribulation.
Now, lets look at the verses that people use to show the pre trib doctrine:
Matthew 24:36-51
“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
Let’s stop and look at verse 39.…they were living as usual, because remember, in the tribulation, the ones who take the mark of the beast will be happy, prosperous, and have enough to eat. But, note in verse 39 it says that when the flood came, they were taken away….not Noah and his family!!! The evil ones were swept away by the flood. Noah and his family were kept safe. This is not speaking of the rapture, it is speaking of judgment for the ones who worshipped the beast.
Let’s go on….
40 “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”
When we study Scripture, we should never use modern translations, but get as close as possible to the original language. When we do this with these verses, we find that the original Greek text translates “taken” as “received”. Again, this is not speaking of the rapture, but of the decision of some people to worship the beast. They will do this of their own accord, they will not be forced to do it. The antichrist will be so wonderful, and appear so Godly, many will think he is Christ, and he will say that he is. He will be handsome, full of light, with a drawing personality…full of love and compassion, and he will know all the scriptures of God’s love. Many will think he is Christ coming back for His church, and will worship him voluntarily, taking the mark, and dooming themselves to hellfire forever.
So, Jesus says:
42 “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.”
Let’s stop there….Jesus says we don’t know what hour, or what “watch” He will come.
It isn’t right to assume that He means He will be earlier than we think. What if He means He will be later? There are many verses in the Word about the Lord “tarrying” or His coming delayed. Why? Because He knew this false doctrine would be set in the Church, and people would be expecting Him before, when He isn’t coming until after. They will think He is “tarrying” or “delayed” when actually, He is just on time. They just believed the lie. Many will lose their faith and fall for the antichrist because they didn’t “love not their lives unto death”…didn’t give their lives in trust to the Lord.
Jesus isn’t a thief breaking up houses!!!! He wouldn’t call Himself a thief!!!! No! Verse 43 is saying that satan, the thief, is coming to break up our souls…to cause us to worship the beast, and doom ourselves. Jesus is saying that if we would be watching His Word, we will know that He is coming in a later watch, and we would recognize satan behind the beast, and not fall for the deception.
44 “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh“
In such an hour as you think not….later, rather than the deception of before the tribulation. We will then prepare ourselves to meet the antichrist with the Spirit of God,
Instead of being vulnerable on our own.
.45 “ Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.”
Jesus is speaking of the servant who could discern that the antichrist was not Jesus, because he prepared by “ putting on the mind of Christ” by submitting to Him in his life to the point of looking to Him for his very next thought. … Living in the Spirit, relying on the Holy Spirit for guidance and faith. In and of ourselves, we can easily be deceived,. We are no match for satan. That’s why we need to be in a constant state of repentance and emptying of ourselves so we are totally living in Him. We need to constantly pray for discernment of false spirits and doctrines, which will greatly increase, and study scripture with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and not with our minds alone. Revelations tells us that those who are killed during the tribulation rule with Christ during the mellinium. This is to what He is referring.
Now, let’s look at the servant who did not do these things:
48 “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
The people who have their minds set on Christ coming before—of taking us out of our problems…have not submitted their very lives to Our Lord. They submit to a point, but they love their lives too much to trust the Lord with them.
We often read the story of Peter walking on water, and sinking. There is much more to this than Peter’s lack of faith. When he saw Jesus wasn’t within arms reach, he realized he could drown. He trusted Jesus, but not with his life…when Jesus got back in the boat, He sadly said, “oh ye of little faith”….He meant much more than Peter’s failure to trust Him on the water. Jesus was looking far into the future…when many in His Church would do the same thing. They would trust Him just to a point, but when their lives were at stake, their faith would fail. They would trust false doctrines that would give them a false sense of security—-that Jesus is some kind of a divine “Scotty” from Star Trek, to “beam me up’ when the tribulation comes. This is a man-sanctioned satanic doctrine that grieves the heart of Our Lord and will cause many to be thrown in the fires of hell….verse 51 above…where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
The antichrist beast will be so beautiful, and his prophet will do fantastic miracles. People will be healed, he will cause fire to fall from heaven, simulating the return of Christ. From our point of view, he will do things that will look like God’s doing, and he will be so sweet and heavenly, that all will be drawn to him….except those who have prepared themselves, knowing that Christ will not come until after the “falling away” and the “man of perdition”….both of which Jesus talks about happening at the same time…see Matthew 24 again. He makes it very clear.
Jesus said, “see, I have told you”, and He surely has….will you listen?
:
Live in the Light of Our Lord 