There are as many opinions about the second coming of Christ as there are Christians.  And, in the month of July I am going to be preaching about last things and the second coming of Jesus.  And, hopefully in those sermons I will be able to answer a few questions about what will take place in those last days.

Let me start today by answering one question.  Who will be saved and spend an eternity with Christ?  It used to be that this was one of the easiest questions to answer.  It is well known that Jesus himself said that He is the only way (see John 14:6).  For centuries the truth of that claim has not been questioned among the majority of Christians.

However, a recent nationwide poll reminds us that as Christians we need to take a stand on this central truth.  Only believers in Christ will survive those last days to reign with our Lord.  There are not many paths to salvation or to God.  There is one way and that way is Christ.  However, the following quote describing a recent nation-wide survey of opinions about faith underscores the need to continue to hold the line on teaching Christ as the only way.

“Among the more startling numbers in the survey, conducted last year by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life: 57 percent of evangelical church attendees said they believe many religions can lead to eternal life, in conflict with traditional evangelical teaching.”

What this means is that many believers have been confused and deceived by bad teaching to think that there are many roads to God.  This also means that our church and other bible believing churches have a huge task ahead of us.  We have to continue to communicate to a lost world that Christ is the only way.  We must communicate in love that unless a person has faith in Jesus alone for their salvation they are as lost as the worst kind of atheist.

This of course, is the greatest question that we have to answer about last things.  Who will be able to share in Christ’s paradise?  The answer to that question is simple.  Only those who have given their lives to Jesus and have been born again will see paradise.  In John 3:3 Jesus gives us the definitive answer to the question of who will see the kingdom of God.  Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

Blessings,

Kevin