Those Who Remain
Will He Really Find Faith On The Earth?
Issue of Concern: There will be some disciples of Jesus Christ who endure to the Rapture event.
The Word of God clearly teaches many will be martyred for their commitment to Jesus Christ during the days just prior to His glorious return to earth. The Scriptures also clearly teach there will be some who survive until the Final Trumpet Rapture. The following suggests only one account of many.
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Mercy loved Jesus Christ so much. From a very young age she had been brought up hearing about and seeing demonstrations of the love of the Lord Jesus. While her loving parents were gone (they had remained faithful and were among the ones privileged to have been martyred for their Lord), Mercy held their memories dear. Joel was also one of those faces who kept reappearing during the unannounced fellowship gatherings Mercy had so grown to love.
He was an older man—almost twenty years Mercy's senior. In fact, he grew to be one Mercy looked to as an earthly father figure. Joel in turn, loved the opportunity to daddy her, for he had lost his little daughter only three years prior during the days when the global system first began enforcing the mark of the new one world alliance. Because of this, he tried to visit her as often as opportunity allowed. He loved her, too.
As they gathered one evening, the pastor read the following account:
“One day Jesus told His disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up. ‘There was a judge in a certain city,’ He said, ‘who was a godless man with great contempt for everyone. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, appealing for justice against someone who had harmed her. The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she wore him out. ‘I fear neither God nor man,’ he said to himself, ‘but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’ Then the Lord said, ‘Learn a lesson from this evil judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end, so don’t you think God will surely give justice to His chosen people who plead with Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will grant justice to them quickly! But when I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have faith?” (Luke 18:1-8 ; New Living Translation; emphasis ours)
“I know some teach that Jesus Christ won’t find faith on the earth at His return,” the pastor said by way of response to the reading, “but I Thessalonians 4 and other passages clearly teach to the contrary. The emphasis of our Lord’s teaching here in Luke 18 is clearly stated in the text: Appeal for constant prayer and endurance! And that is indeed what, to date, we have been graced with—that to which He’s called each and every one of us. We are to be faithful to Him and endure to the end, whatever and whenever that may be. We have all seen awesome acts of God during this great time of trouble. He has allowed us to ..."
At that, those in the room, present for the gathering that morning, found themselves being caught up, actually flying toward a great host. Remembering the bedtime stories of her folks, Mercy knew she was experiencing the Rapture event. And sure enough, moments later she was in the clouds with her parents, alive and well … to say the least! But something else happened, something that she had not anticipated. The glory of the Lord Jesus was such that both she and her parents, and everyone gathered for that matter, were bowing in awe before Him. You see, while they had so longed to be in each other's presence, the majesty of the LORD of lords was such that all attention was diverted. The brilliance of Jesus Christ was glorious, no, more than that, He was beyond words can ever express.
Shortly thereafter, they then, now in the presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords, watched as the Bowls of Wrath began descending on the inhabitants of the earth—those who did not receive the love of God in Christ Jesus but instead had received the mark of the beast. Awful, yes, but the holy justice of God was being delivered, so they said not a word.
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The analogy of Scripture is so important. We must accept the whole counsel of the Word of God. Scripture interprets Scripture. As we look forward to that day when the Plan of Almighty God is complete and we are issued into eternity, may we remember what our Lord has commissioned us to be: those faithful stewards in these days immediately preceding His Son’s glorious return. Whether we are martyred or remain until the time when God’s people are gathered up; whether we die a natural death or as a result of the atrocities of the days of the end, may we press on and so endure to the end in such a way that honors the One who alone is worthy of all glory and praise.