WHAT TO BELIEVE ABOUT LAST THINGS

TOPIC: WHAT TO BELIEVE ABOUT LAST THINGS
TEXT: MATTHEW 24:3-14
MEMORY VERSE: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come“ – 2 Timothy 3:1

Ever since atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the world has lived under the threat of a nuclear holocaust. Mankind possesses the ability to destroy all life on this planet. Consequently, many who do not profess Christianity believe that we are living in the “last days.” A group of scientists developed the concept of a “Doomsday Clock.” The hands on their hypothetical clock have hovered around ten minutes to midnight for decades. The idea is that when the clock reaches midnight, mankind’s days are over. The Bible also teaches that we are living in the “last days” and that a time is coming when this world will be destroyed.

What will happen then? People have many different beliefs about what will happen at the end of time. Some think that the end of the planet will be the end of mankind. As far as they are concerned, there is no afterlife. Their view is that when a man dies, he is “like the dog Rover—dead all over.” Others believe in an afterlife but disagree on what it will be like and who will enjoy it. For example, some people believe in heaven but not in hell. Universalists promote the doctrine that God will ultimately save everyone. Premillennialists hold to the belief that Christ will come back to earth and reign for a thousand years before eternity in heaven and hell begins.

The doctrine of a place called Purgatory teaches that a person must suffer for his sins after death (and be purged of sin) before going to heaven. Those who believe in reincarnation say that, after one dies, he or she will return to earth as another person (or some other creature). What should we believe about “last things”? Concerning this subject, as with all the other topics that we shall study in this series, we must accept what the Bible teaches. Christians believe that Christ will return, the dead will be raised, the earth will be destroyed, all will be judged, and souls will then spend eternity in heaven or in hell. Let us look more closely at each aspect of that statement of belief.

Whether you belief or not, heaven and hell are real. Hell is not the last place for sinners, but the lake of fire.

“He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

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