Strong Faith

"...when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"  Luke 18:8

This statement by Jesus should grab every believer's attention.  The return of Christ is the great hope of the church, but Jesus questions if He will return to any who have kept their faith.  Something bad must have happened to the church, for Jesus to have asked this question.  What is going to happen to the church before Jesus returns?

In Mark 13:12 and 13 Jesus gives us a glimpse into that time, "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.  You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved."  

Here we are given a clearer picture of what will be going on before Jesus returns.  Severe, deadly persecution against Jesus followers is going to break out.  Hatred for Jesus will cause the rising up of non-believing family members to turn against believing family members.  A brother who hates Jesus will turn on a brother who loves Jesus.  A father who hates Jesus will turn on a child who loves Jesus.  Children who hate Jesus will turn on parents who love Jesus.  The hatred will be so severe, that non-believing family members will turn believing family members over to be killed.

Do any other scriptures shed light on what times will be like before Jesus returns?

Let's take a look at Matthew 24:12.  Here Jesus says, "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold."  

Anarchy is going to grow and the putting of Jesus and others first is going to go by the wayside.

The very next verse is the same as Mark 13:13 - "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved."

Now it makes sense for Jesus to ask that question, doesn't it?  Hatred for His followers is going to grow so severe, that family members are going to turn on family members and have them put to death.  His followers are going to be killed.  Jesus said in Matthew 24:10 that "at that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another."  Many who once claimed to follow Jesus will deny the faith and turn on those with genuine, hang-in-there-till-death, faith.

Mark 13:19 is very specific to the severity of those coming days, "...those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will."  

Beloved, it is going to be bad.  Worse than the Jewish holocaust.  This will be the wrath of Satan against Jesus and His children.  It will start with Israel, then spread to the church.  (Rev. 12 - Especially verse 17.)  The slaughter against the true believers in the church is going to be unprecedented and many are going to fall away from the faith.  In Mark 13:20 Jesus said that "unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days."  Matthew put it this way - "Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short."  Mt.  24:22

His return is going to cut off the days of persecution against His children, or none of His children would be alive at His return.

How do we build strong faith for that time and for any tribulation that we encounter?  How do we grow the kind of faith that will endure to the end, when Jesus returns, or that will not waiver in the face of death for the sake of His name?

We spend every day in the Word, immersing ourselves in the mighty, wonderful, massive, all encompassing character and plan of God.  When we know the character of God and His plan - peace and strength and endurance will grip the hearts of His children. And those of His children who are alive and remain and endure to the coming of Jesus, will all be caught up together, to meet the Lord in the air, and He will bring with Him those who kept their testimony, and did not love their life more than Jesus, but were willing to die for Him, because He loved them so greatly - with His life and death on a cross.