Genesis 6:5-6 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Luke 17:26-27 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Luke 18:7-8 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?
Here in the 21st century since Christ’s death and resurrection, (yes, the world’s timeline is still divided by that great act, whether it is labelled BC/AD or BCE/CE), the days are darkening. Not darkening in the sense of daylight hours or nighttime hours, but darkening in the sense of societal imminent collapse. Global economics teeter on the edge, governments around the Arab world, Mediterranean, and parts of Asia are now in disarray while certain religions run amuck as other religions change their belief structures in attempts to give in to secular cries of intolerance. Unrest is growing among the younger generations and even seniors are being caught dealing drugs to pay their bills. Indeed, we are seeing increasing levels of violence and evil imaginations being carried out in ever-increasing levels of horror and shock that a mere human could come up with such awful devices.
Yet with this rise of darkness, is the attitude that life carries on as well. In spite of the evil growing around us, people are still socializing, still sharing meals, still getting married, as if oblivious to what is going on around them save for what they observe on TV, via the radio, magazine covers and the Internet. North America particularly, and perhaps the whole of western civilization, is looking more and more like that of Ancient Rome brought into the modern era. Sensationalized news now gives villain profiles, showcases gruesome video of crimes committed, splatter blood-stained images across the screen or the front page, and people lap it up! No longer do we gather in the collosium to watch as Christians are fed to the lions and criminals fight with gladiators. No, we gather in theatres, around television sets, and sit at our computer screens being sure to comment and flame whoever does not agree with us!
But in the midst of all this, can God look through the earth and when He sees you, claim that you have found favour with Him? Can you say that you have found favour in the eyes of the Lord? Is your faith strong?
Christ said in Matthew 24:12-14 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Now contrary to what many missions organizations will have you believe in modern times, a look back through history since Christ’s resurrection reveals that all nations have indeed heard the Gospel of Christ. People groups that current missions organizations have tagged as “unreached” have surprised various missionaries by saying that their legends speak of someone coming to them to share about Jesus/God/a man in white/Creator. These people groups today may not have heard the gospel in their lifetime, but tracing the Gospel around the world from the time of Christ till now does reveal that all nations have indeed heard the gospel at some point in their history. We are now in “mop up” mode in our missions outreaches. Denominations such as the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, sister to Assemblies of God in the US, now send out global support workers. Instead of heading off into the jungle to initiate a new work, they are empowering locals, who know the culture far better than the missionaries do, to head off into the jungle and start the new work. Formerly traditional mission fields are now so mature that they are sending missionaries to countries who used to evangelize them first! Why? Because nations who used to be strong in the faith have now given way to either secularism or religions of death.
So much end-time prophecy has been either fulfilled or had props put in place for fulfilment, that we are now waiting on God’s timing for the next foot to fall.
Will He find faith on the earth when He returns? That all depends on you! Yes, the one reading this post! Each one of us is responsible for the maintenance of our faithwalk with God. Whether we will or will not find favour with God upon His return to earth is entirely dependent on us keeping the faith in the face of such dark days as we face now. . . because they are only going to get darker before Christ returns. Are you joining the Roman masses on their way to the coliseum, or are you joining the Roman masses heading underground into the Catacombs? Will you hold onto your faith even if it means your life? Or will you twist your faith to please those who have set themselves up as greater than God, losing your own soul in the process?
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. You’re next.
