Prophecy. End times. Christ’s return. All hot topics of mystery and debate in the church today.
Fresh prophecies emerge weekly. Educated men and women passionately postulate contradictory views, yet all have some validity.
So who is truly speaking truth? Which eschatological view is most biblical? What should we believe about these last days?
I confess to you, I often don’t know. But Jesus’ concern gives me pause. “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” He asked (Luke 18:8). All the dogmas and doctrines, prophecies and predictions pale in the light of this question. Will anyone be found faithful?
What is this faithfulness of which He speaks?
Jesus’ question is couched within the parable of the importunate widow. Contrasting an unrighteous judge with our ethical and honorable Judge, Jesus had just told the story of a feisty widow who knew her rights.
Fortunately for us, Luke spells out the moral of this story before we hear it: “(Jesus) was telling a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1).
When we connect this moral (“you ought to pray persistently”) with Jesus’ own summation (“faith will still be expected even at My return”), the significance is startling. When He returns, will we still be praying in authority and faith?
When He returns, will we still be praying in authority and faith?
Are we still warring in prayer against the squalor of sex trafficking or the gangrene of pornography? Are we still battling the deceit of our students or depression of our friends? Are we still standing up for the rights of the widow, orphan, and pre-born?
Or have we thrown up our hands, shrugged our shoulders, and relinquished to snide religious comments on social media?
When Christ returns will He find any of us who haven’t given over to the hopelessness and surrendered to the fight? Will He still find us interceding?
When Christ returns will He find any of us who haven’t given over to the hopelessness and surrendered to the fight?
I know of at least one small group of intercessors who have begun to pray for revival. They aren’t praying for the “weekend special service” type revival that stirs a soul or two, but the God-powerful type revival that radically renews entire cities into heaven on earth. What about you? Do you have a faith-filled prayer group that is still in the battle?
What better way to hear Him say, “well done, good and faithful servant” than to stay at our post. Let’s not hear Him ask, “Where are the faith-filled intercessors?” Instead, may His first Words exclaim, “Wow! I have not seen such great faith in a long, long time!”