When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). This seems like one of those self-answering questions from the Scriptures. Conventional Christian wisdom teaches us that the trumpet shall sound, and believers by the millions will be caught up to heaven in the rapture. There certainly seems to be no place for doubt as to the existence of faith in the time of the return of Christ: therefore, the answer to Jesus’ question seems to be a resounding, “YES, He will!”

Why, then, ask the question? His own experience may certainly have had a hand in it. When He came the first time (the time in which He posed the question at hand), faith was a very precious commodity. The Jews lacked it. They were busy with legalism and politics, and lacked faith that the Messiah was in their midst, even when His works proved it beyond doubt.

Jesus’ own disciples, while believing He was Messiah, were shaky. Matthew recorded at least four times when Jesus rebuked His own disciples, saying, “O ye of little faith.”

In fact, the one time Jesus seemed truly impressed with an expression of faith was in the case of the centurion, whose servant was sick. He presented himself, and his case, to the Lord, who replied, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion, believing the Lord for who He really was, said, “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (Matt. 8:8-10).

This is the kind of faith in question. Will the Son of Man find people with the faith that the Lord will perform every word that has proceeded out of His mouth?

This is the point of Luke 18:7-8. He says, “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”

When times get tough, and God’s people begin to worry, we must continue to trust in God.

There is a great example of lack of faith found in the Scripture. This example is found in the story of Noah. To understand it fully, however, we have to go back to Noah’s great-grandfather, Enoch. We all know Enoch as the man that was “translated that he should not see death,” but there is a little more to this man than that one experience.

We are told that he walked with God (Gen. 5:22), and was a prophet (Jude 1:14-15). Jude recounts to us Enoch’s prophecy of the Lord’s return to execute judgment upon the world. However, we know of at least one other prophecy made by Enoch. When Enoch was 65 years old, he had a son whom he named Methuselah. In the naming of his son, Enoch gave one of the most important prophecies his generation (and those immediately following) could have had. You see, the name Methuselah means, “At his death, judgment.” In the small action of naming his son, Enoch prophesied of the coming universal calamity that would leave only a few alive. 

At 187 years of age, Methuselah had a son named Lamech. 182 years later, Lamech had a son, whom he named Noah. At the time of Noah’s birth, Methuselah, whose very life expectancy was of utmost importance to all of humanity, was 369 years. In those days, that was still pretty young, but in the naming of Noah, which means “rest,” we can see that Lamech saw the fulfillment of his grandfather’s prophecy on the horizon.

Then one day, God told Noah to build an ark to prepare for the coming flood. Methuselah, who was no doubt well known throughout the land at the time, was getting on in years, being more than 900 years old. His name stood to testify of the impending doom as his life came to an end, but would any believe the word of God at the mouth of Enoch, now long since gone?

Noah did. He may have paid his grandfather a visit, and saw that he was not much longer for the earth. He believed the word of God, and knew that the ark had to be built. Time was running out.

God always gives signs. He gives clues. He always reveals His secret to His prophets, who then have the responsibility to pass that information on to the people. He had given two witnesses to the coming flood: Enoch’s prophecy by the name of his son, and, now, an ark being built by Enoch’s great-grandson in preparation for the prophecy’s fulfillment. Would the people believe?

Noah is called a “preacher of righteousness.” While we have assumed that Noah came out of the blue and began warning of the flood, and no one believed this crazy up-start, the truth is that Enoch’s prophecy was known, and Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord because he held fast to the faith that was once delivered to the saints, and contented earnestly for it.

The days grew closer. Noah’s ark was almost done. Methuselah was soon to go the way of all the earth. Would Noah find faith on the earth? Would anyone believe the signs, and have faith that the word of the Lord was about to come to pass?

Lamech, the father of Noah, passed away five years before the flood. Now there were two men left to testify to the prophetic words of Enoch. Just how close Methuselah’s death was to the flood we do not know. But God gave man nearly 1000 years to reflect on the ministry and prophecy of Enoch, for Methuselah lived to the ripe old age of 969: the longest recorded life in the Scriptures. God was not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Not very long after Methuselah’s death, however, when it was time to enter the ark, of all the souls of man that were alive, only eight people had the faith to enter the ark. We are not told how many millions of souls perished for their disobedience and rebellion. Nevertheless, after nearly a millennium of admonition and warning, only eight were there, trusting, fearing and obeying the Lord.

Once again, we find ourselves on the precipice of prophecy. Once again, we near the impending doom of global calamity. Once again, wickedness covers the face of the earth like a blanket. Once again, the wrath of God must be poured out.

The question posed by our Lord rings true today, as it did almost 2,000 years ago, “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” Wrath is coming, and there is an “ark” that needs prepared. If you stand around “looking up,” the only thing that you are going to get is a face full of the fury of the Lord, as He pours His wrath upon the children of disobedience.

No, my brothers and sisters, we must prepare for the Lord’s coming as though we really believe it is about to happen. We must seek the Lord. We must seek righteousness. We must seek meekness. Only in so doing, may we be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger (Zeph. 2:1-3).

Until we all come

By C. Elden McNabb

The Apostle Paul said that God “gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Everything in the Holy Bible is simply wonderful, whether it is seemingly easy to understand or whether we are reading one of the darkest of all passages. The things which pertain to being “born again” and “holiness” are quite simple. If you want your sins forgiven, Jesus said, “You must repent and believe the gospel” (Matt. 1:14-15). Philip carried it a little further when he met the Ethiopian eunuch. “The eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. … And he baptized him” (Acts 8:35-38). When you repent, and confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, you are “Born Again.”

Its companion experience is called “Holiness,” or “Sanctification of the Spirit.” In the Old Testament, the birth of a male child, and circumcision were separated by eight days to make it more simple for us to understand that being born again, and being sanctified are two different experiences. Isaiah spoke of the Way of Holiness, saying, “A highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein” (Isaiah 35:8). As you can see, Holiness is not about leadership, or social customs, or any such thing. It is about consecrating ourselves to God, and walking in the light with a pure conscience.

Paul said it this way, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them [idolators], and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1).

How simple, and wonderful it is. Once you have received this experience, it is possible for you to conquer both the flesh and the spirit, and cleanse your whole person from all ungodliness. That is not a popular truth among our beloved Christian family, but it is a wonderful experience.

On the other hand, some doctrines, prophecies, and even New Testament epistles are very difficult to understand. They are written in a mystery, such as an allegory or parable. That seems especially true of such prophecies as Daniel, or The Revelation of Jesus Christ. It is also true of Paul’s epistle to the Church at Ephesus, simply because it was written to, and about, the Church: the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife. In Ephesians 5:20-33, Paul described the relationship between a husband and his wife, and repeatedly compared it to Christ and the Church. Then he told us, “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.”

Today, very few Christians believe that there is any mystery about the Church, and insist that we preach only on a simplistic level, erroneously teaching that every Christian is part of The Church. Paul’s words to the Ephesians certainly belie that idea. Marriage itself is a “great mystery,” how can “Christ and the Church” not be. Solomon chided us harshly for doing that, saying, “How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge” (Prov. 1:22)?

In Ephesians, chapters two and three, Paul explained how Jesus had broken down the wall – the Law of Moses – that separated the Jews from the Gentiles so that we could both be part of that spiritual temple which is called the Church. He spoke of how Jesus had chosen him to further that cause, and that a dispensation of the grace of God was given to him for them and for us, “to fulfill the Word of God” (Col. 1:25). He spoke of how that by revelation [God] made known unto [him] the mystery; saying, “(As I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit” (Eph.3:1-5). There are five gifts of the ministry of the New Testament, but only two of them provide the Church with understanding of “the mystery.”

I know that the idea of there being Apostles and Prophets among us today is not well received. However, without them there is no way of knowing anything about God except “Jesus Saves,” and such things as “Sanctification,” and that is the case almost everywhere in The Kingdom of God today. But how can we accept such a simplistic approach to the ministry, when, in Ephesians 3, Paul told us that those gifted ministers were given “To make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be know by the Church the manifold wisdom of God?”

Under the Law of Moses, there were five ministries given to foreshadow the New Testament ministry, (Priesthood, Heb. 7:11). Two of them made up the priesthood, to purify the people, and three of them were given to them to perform the other works of the tabernacle and the temple. So it is in the Grace Age. Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, has given us five “gifts of the ministry,” and only two of them are able to unravel the mysteries of God for us. The ministers who have been given the gifts of Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher are for the support of the Apostles and Prophets to help them to get the work done of which God has prophesied to precede the coming of the Bridegroom, just as the families of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari were given to Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron, as a gift from the Lord, to do the service of the Tabernacle of the Congregation (Num. 18:1-7).

Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, “When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, … but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Eph. 4:7-16). I wonder why anyone would not want to be a part of that.

When God executed His plan to give the gifts of the ministry to the New Testament “Priesthood” (Heb. 7:11, 19), He did so to enable them to accomplish a special work which would put the final, glorious touch on the Grace Age. The last thing God created was the woman, the help meet for Adam. On the sixth day of creation, after God created the “first Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45-49), He put him into a deep sleep, took out one of his ribs, closed up the flesh instead thereof, made it a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto His wife and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:21-24).

For those of us who have not yet learned that everything in the Old Testament is a prophecy in the New Testament era, please read Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:13. (I recommend that you do a little study on the subject from the New Testament point of view, and I will be happy to send a list of passages on request.) The Apostle Paul boldly used this fact in 1 Cor. 15:45-47, calling Jesus “The Second Adam.” I find it interesting that Jesus died (defined by Jesus during his ministry as sleep), and shortly thereafter one of the soldiers pierced His side, and “out flowed blood and water.” Paul also told us that Jesus purchased the Church of God “with His own blood.” We are speaking here about the Bride the Lambs wife; not about the bridesmaids or the guests at the wedding. Only Christians will be at the wedding. Some will be bridesmaids, and some guests, but the Bride: the Elect Lady of which John spoke will have the honor of being the “Second Eve.” And that is what the five gifts of the ministry are about. God gave us Apostles and Prophets so He would have a group of ministers equipped with the necessary tools of understanding, to uncover the mystery of Christ and the Church, and a large “support group” to help get that job done in the fulfillment of all of the prophecies which so clearly predict its occurrence. Peter said of Jesus, “Whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution (fulfillment) of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:18-21). It is high time for those apostles and prophets to begin to “wake out of sleep,” trim their lamps (that is, study and learn the things which I am telling you’re here), and begin to come together in the unity of the faith.

The marriage of the “Second Adam” will occur very soon. Our job is to do the necessary work to prepare a people worthy to receive His name, and become His queen. That work is listed in Ephesians 4:7-16. The responsibility which has been given to those five ministries is, First “The perfecting of the saints;” not a popular concept, which, in the last few years, most people want to water down to “maturing” of the saints. Second, there is “The work of the ministry.” Third, there is “The edifying of the Body of Christ,” until it be “builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

Paul made it perfectly clear that those ministries would be functioning “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Fulfilling this commission presents one of the greatest challenges that our Lord has ever presented to His ministers. How can we possibly bring a group of Christians, of any appreciable size, to the unity of the faith, and to the unity of the knowledge of the Son of God? What is it that will make God’s Church into a form which could be justifiably compared to “a perfect man?”

I can assure you that “the measure of the stature of Christ” is not about some man-made creed. It is clearly about the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife reaching the measure which God revealed to John when he went in the Spirit to the third heaven. The angel described the Bride, the Lambs wife as “That great city, the Holy Jerusalem” (Rev. 21:9-10). He described the early Gentile Church as twelve “gates of pearl,” and twelve “angels” who had the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written on them (Rev. 21:11-13). Then he described the last-days Gentile church as a wall which had twelve foundations. “And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a men, that is, of the angel” (Rev. 21: 12-17). This was no ordinary angel. It was Jesus’ personal Angel. Revelation 1:1 begins by telling us that this book is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John.”

We can be sure that all of these things must be accomplished before the coming of our Lord and King. God is, even now, beginning to inspire an army of ministers to accomplish His will as is expressed in Ephesians 4:11-13. In Luke 18:8, Jesus asked the question, “When the Son of Man cometh shall He find faith on the earth?” Today it surely does not appear that there are many Christians who actually believe The Bible. Yet, I believe that God will do all that He said He would. His words cannot fail. It is not a matter of “whether it will be done.” What God has given us these gifts of the ministries to perform, God will see that it is done. Will you believe God with me?

The Angel of the Lord told John that the marriage of the Lamb will come when “His wife hath made herself ready.” We will see “The perfecting of the saints.” We will see “the work of the ministry” accomplished. We will see the “Body of Christ” fully edified. And we will see a sizeable group of believers “come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,” because Jesus is coming very soon.

“Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened harkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.”

Christianity, the Web, and Me

By Joel McNabb

For a little over two years now, I have been an explorer of sorts: when I am able to do so, I get on line and surf the Internet. I know that doesn’t sound very unusual, as millions surf the net 24/7.

Remember the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? The internet also has good and evil on it, as you are probably aware if you have ever been online. But, I’m not here to talk about all the evil that we should avoid, since your own conscience is supposed to do that work for you, if it is clean. I would like to give a testimony, and praise God for the revelation of computers and the ‘Net, that now opens the world to all.

It started for me in the 1980s. I avoided computers and all that went with them. One computer would come out and I would learn a little about it, and then they would upgrade to a newer and better one about every other week. The times were changing much too swiftly for me, and I felt that I couldn’t keep up with the pace they had set. Playing a video game was as close as I wanted to get to a computer, and I let others travel down the fast paced world of computers. 

The ‘90s passed me by as though it was just a moment, and I still could not get motivated to get involved with the whole ‘geek’ thing. I moved into the new millennium, and there were no signs that the computer age would have any effect on my life. It was happening all around me, and people from all over the world using computers, and I just let them do it. My youngest brother was the first to get a cell phone in our family; I remember asking him way back then, in 1994 or ‘95, “What do you need a cell phone for?” But not long after that, I broke down and got a cell phone myself, and, in a very short time, I couldn’t be without one.

The Lord was busy, and I wasn’t. He had set in motion His plan for the last days and the world would soon be ready for the return of his son Jesus. And here I was letting other people do it! I felt left behind, and I saw a need for me to do something, but I felt inadequate. How could someone so far behind catch up? I heard how easy it was, that I should just do it, and, by the grace of God and His will, I’m on the computer at this very moment. Praise God!

In 2006, I was sent by God to Tulsa, OK, to work with some of God’s people. I left everything to see what God had in store for me, and packed up and headed west. The week following my arrival, I had a job that paid about as much as my job in New England, and God had His hand in everything I did and asked for. It was amazing! While I have been in Tulsa, I have had to pretty much take care of myself when it came to the necessities. But I didn’t mind, since I knew the Lord was going to work things out. He wanted me to catch up, and where I was wouldn’t allow me to do so, because I was letting others do it. One might say I was lazy when it came to computers, though not in the things of God. The church here had a computer and I was a long distance from home, so I put my hand to the wheel and used it and began to learn. Most of the time it was trial and error, but I became more comfortable with computers.

It was a new world, and I found that it was a marvelous world, with many wonders and signs. I am still just a novice to it all, and I may never be an IT tech, but as long as I have access to a computer, I will use it for the glory of God, to help usher in His soon-coming kingdom.

Not long after my move to Oklahoma, I mentioned to one of the men I worked with that, if I had a laptop of my own, I might be able to learn more and become more familiar with this brand new world. This brother and friend had an older one that he said he was just using for a paper weight. Even though it was a little outdated, it was just what I needed. Thank you Jesus! I was on the new highway called the “information super highway:” the Internet.

I am truly excited to see all the wonders of our mighty Father, the great Creator of all things in heaven and earth, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” (Col. 1:16).

I don't think that Marconi invented the radio by himself, and I don't think that the radio was invented so we could listen to music either. God moves on man by His spirit the same way that He moved on holy men of old, and they wrote what He told them to write to give us His words to keep in our hearts. So also is the computer age that we have with us today. God created it, and it is for Him, that we could use it to spread His truth to as many as will hear before He sends His Son Jesus back to earth, to rule it for thousand years.

“For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work wills the Lord make upon the earth” (Rom. 9:28). God has a work that He has been doing with man for the past six thousand years, and for the next thousand years, He will rest and let Jesus run everything. “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22). “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet, the last enemy is death. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:24-28).

We are living in the last days of His work here, and we see the prophet’s word coming to pass: knowledge shall be increased in the last days. It has only been a relatively short period of time from the flight of the Wright brothers (I think they had the right name) in 1903, to our current age of space travel. And the time is even closer now than when we first believed. Right here, in this computer age, God will wrap up this word of grace toward men, and we can be a part of this wondrous conclusion of His work on earth.

That is why I am thankful to God for allowing me to see how important it is for me to get on the computer and share His word with those that have an ear to hear. Whether it be to write a sermon, or chat with a fellow born again believer on a social network, or on YouTube, or on anything else that God has created for us to use, may it be done to the glory of God. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Rev. 4:11).

There is good and evil in everything that is created. God put two trees in the middle of the Garden of Eden, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is the same with the creation of the computer and the Internet: there are many things on the web that are filled with evil and should be avoided, but the good that is on it is there for us to use to the glory of God. There is an ability to spread the word in ways that we once thought impossible, but are now made possible. As it is written, “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

I am excited about my Jesus’ return to rule this earth in righteousness, and I want to do my part, and be a part of His kingdom to come. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” There is no way I want to be left behind again. Whether on the ‘Net, or in the pulpit, or even on the street, I want the world to know that the kingdom of God is at hand and we need to be ready. Those of us, who believe and breathe the spiritual breath of new life in Christ Jesus, especially need to be ready. For we are supposed to be the light of the world, and, as long as we are allowed to let our light shine, we need to do it with all our might.

I will be happy see you on the web, or just chat. Last night, I chatted with my friend Tania Kennedy from New Zealand, and with my friend King’s Warrior from British Columbia, Canada: Christians whom I have met on Bebo, a social network where many believers have come to share the love of Christ and to learn from each other. As we share back and forth, you can feel the Holy Ghost moving even though we are not in the same room.

For almost three years now, on Saturday nights, we have had a video bible study at The People of Truth using Windows Live Messenger to bring those of us from other states together and search out God’s word. It is amazing to be able to see and hear each other, even though we are hundreds of miles apart. It is nice to be there in person, but when you are unable to be together, God has made a way, and it is almost like being in the same room.

The People of Truth have had a web site for a few years and it has been a blessing to be able to reach out to those who wanted to hear what we believed. Now, as we press forward in this 21st century, we are spreading our wings a little. Not only will we have our site http://www.tpot.org/, but we also have holynation.ning.com, an interactive site, where all are welcome to join and ask questions, and share testimonies of how the Lord is dealing with you. We will be posting vides on YouTube from time to time, including sermons, songs, discussions and testimonies. All of our efforts are with the desire to help finish the work that God started at creation, and bring about the UNITY OF THE FAITH, AND OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIS SON JESUS CHRIST. We hope to do this, as Paul said, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. By the will of God and His grace we will accomplish this goal. Please keep us in your prayers, that we will find the wisdom and understanding to put God’s word out to the world. Thank you.

The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face to shine upon you and give you peace. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Amen.