Luke 18:8
“I tell you that He - avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes will He really find faith on the earth?”
In this verse our Lord Jesus asked a very pointed question. He asked if He would really find faith on the earth when He comes.
I have heard pastors preach on this and other Christians use this verse to scare people into walking by faith and not by sight. I think that is a useful application of the verse but what I want to point out is that there is clarity and truth to Jesus’ statement that most people will miss. Jesus asked if He would find faith on the EARTH when He returns to the EARTH. To begin, it is necessary that we understand that is NOT speaking of when Jesus raptures the church. We know this because Luke 17:24 states: “For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.” and 1 Thessalonians 4: 17 says “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the CLOUDS to meet the Lord in the AIR and thus we will always be with the Lord.”
These two verses concisely say that the rapture does not take place on the Terra firma- the earth, but in the sky! Further, study tells us that Jesus comes down with a great earthquake onto the ground. {Isa 29:6 & Rev. 11:19} This is when He comes back to execute the wrath of God on the inhabitants of the earth who are not sealed with the seal of God {aka. the 144,000 Jews}. Further, we know that we receive faith from the Lord according to Romans 12:3 through hearing about God. So how could have Jesus questioned whether or not He would have found faith on the earth when He returned if the church was still ON the earth when He returned? Because the church would have on the inside of them the faith that God gave them. Therefore, I submit to you the following points to be self-evident. One, that Jesus raptures the church in the air and two, because Jesus raptures the church in the air there will be no-one left on the earth who has accepted the faith in God that God offered them. Of course we are not discussing the 144,000 Jews- for they are a different lesson entirely. Jesus, I don’t believe, was being entirely rhetorical here in Luke 18:8 but speaking what is to come.
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