Will Jesus Find Faith on the Earth When He Returns?
"Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8b).
You can't have faith without the truth of God's Word holding final authority in your life. Faith is based on the truth and authority of the Scriptures. The end of your faith is when you begin doubting the Word of God, and it stops carrying authority in your life. The end of your faith is when you no longer live by the Word of God. Multitudes of professing Christians in the church system today have departed from the real faith. Many no longer even believe the Scriptures are inspired of God.
Eye-Opening Statistics
A few years ago in another national poll on Christianity in the churches of America these telling statistics were revealed.
Studies showed that even though 79 percent of those who actually attend evangelical churches find their faith "very important", only 36 percent of them actually believe that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life. What? That one is hard to believe. The slightly larger majority believe that many religions can lead to eternal life. And these are church members.
The drop in percentages among mainline churches is even more telling. Only 14 percent believe that Jesus Christ exclusively provides the only way to eternal life, while 83 percent think many religions lead there. Only 22 percent of this group even believe that the Bible is fully inspired while another 28 percent believe that it is just a book written by men, not the word of God. Compare this to evangelical churches, where only 7 percent do not believe the Bible is a divinely inspired book.
The great tragedy and deception is that many think they can be Christians while rejecting the Word of God and every major doctrine and practice of the true Christian faith.
The most disturbing trend, however, is in America's 18-35 group. While some polls show roughly 9 in 10 Americans still maintain belief in a god or gods, the trend of religious young Americans is toward a conglomeration of varied religious beliefs, including atheism. A 2010 USA survey revealed that 72 percent of the nation's young people identify themselves as "more spiritual than religious."
Furthermore, with an increasing majority of younger Americans accepting evolution as fact, Christianity for many under 35 is becoming a watered-down hybrid version of Eastern philosophy and biblical teachings. This trend among our young people towards being "spiritual but not religious" points further to the declining belief and practice of Christian doctrine and the embracing of a broader relationship with all other religions and beliefs.
This explains most of the above statistics, doesn't it?
Falsehood is increasing at an alarming rate in our land. The true word of the Lord is becoming rare, and there is a famine of it. It is the reason God led me to write on The Real Salvation, The Real Gospel, The Real Jesus and The Real Spirit of Revival. Readers think these books are radical, but they're really not. It's just that we've had the watered-down version of the gospel for so long that these books seem radical. They are normal. They are filled with truth. When falsehood slips in, the plain, unadulterated truth seems radical. The day is upon us now when truth must be trumpeted loud and clear.
The prophet Isaiah lamented a defiled nation submerged in injustice, oppression, sin, and falsehood.
"Justice is turned backward, and righteousness stands far off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey" (Is. 59:14-15).
Without truth, there is no justice, righteousness or equity. He who stands for truth in this evil day will be the object of abuse, criticism, or ridicule. They will be as prey that are hunted and killed.
Doubt: Satan's Greatest Weapon
Satan's greatest weapon is disseminating doubtful reasonings into humanity as he did at the beginning, which led to man's fall.
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God said, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the garden; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You will not eat of it, nor will you touch it, or else you will die.' " Then the serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! For God knows that on the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:1-5).
Notice how Lucifer, now Satan, deceived Eve. He made her doubt the Word of God by making these three core statements:
"Has God said, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?"
"You surely will not die!"
"You will be like God."
Jesus said that Satan is a liar and the father of lies. "He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44).
Notice the progression of Satan's fatal suggestions:
First, he injected doubt into Eve's mind through deception concerning what God had said.
Secondly, he then outright denied to Eve's face what God said.
Thirdly, he deified man and told her that she would be as God.
Therein those three statements lay the deification of man: the gradual dethroning of God and the exaltation of man.
First, Eve began to doubt the absolute authority of the Word of God. Unless the Bible becomes the basis and authority of our total belief system, we will give place to lies, heresies and doctrines of demons. Satan asked Eve a question that amounted to: "Did God really mean what He said?" That subtle questioning of God's Word then turned into a bold contradiction of it: "You surely will not die." And finally, it ended with a false promise: "You will be like God."
It was when Adam and Eve acted on Satan's subtle suggestion that sin was birthed. Then with sin came death, sickness, disease, poverty, hatred, strife and suffering. It all began in Lucifer's heart and was then injected into God's first creation before being passed on throughout every generation.
The fall of man started with doubt. Doubt always brings death. Faith always produces life.
"For what does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness'" (Rom. 4:3).
The greatest heroes of the faith have always been those who believed the Word of God (Heb. 11). Don't be a part of the apostate church and the unbelieving world. Do not be deceived by the devil's chicanery and subtle lies. Rise up, resist the devil's lies and stand strong in the truth of God's Word.
When Jesus returns, let Him find faith in you.
Bert M. Farias, revivalist and founder of Holy Fire Ministries, has authored several books with an emphasis on helping to restore the true spirit of Christianity in the Church today, including the newly released, Passing on The Move of God to The Next Generation and the highly sacred book, The Journal Of A Journey To His Holiness. An anointing of fire marks his ministry with frequent demonstrations of the Spirit and power of God. He ministers interdenominationally and cross-culturally in nations, churches, conferences, on the streets and in homes. He and his wife Carolyn also host The Holy Ghost Forum – a school of the Spirit. Follow him at Bert Farias and Holy Fire Ministries on Facebook and @Bertfarias1 on Twitter.
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