Have you ever looked around at the modern church world and wondered how there can be so many denominations? According to the World Christian Encyclopedia, there are over 45,000 distinct Christian denominations worldwide—yes, forty-five thousand! So how can there be so many divided groups, all claiming to follow Jesus Christ? Well… let’s dig into God’s Word and find out the truth.
Isaiah 4:1
And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
This scripture is a prophecy of what “Christianity” would be like in our time, and it has certainly come true! As we look around us, we see many people in the world who want to be called Christians to soothe their conscience and make themselves feel better (“let us be called by thy name”), but they do not want to submit themselves to the law of Christ; they want to continue living their own way, by their own standards rather than God’s (“we will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel”). They do not care that by their reckless living they are bringing a reproach upon the name of God. By calling themselves Christians when they are not truly so, they cause many to doubt Christianity because the so-called Christians are living no better than the rest of the world.
Matthew 7:21
Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Jesus said there are too many people claiming His name, but not doing His will. And this is largely because there are too many preachers today who refuse to preach God’s judgment to their congregations, for fear of losing members.
2 Timothy 4:2-3
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
Isaiah 1:27
Zion shall be redeemed with judgement, and her converts with righteousness.
Zion refers to God’s people. The world today makes fun of “hellfire and brimstone” preachers, as if they are a joke, but without more of such preaching our country will surely continue its rapid descent into wickedness. Look how quickly it has progressed. Our society first accepted unwed couples living together, then homosexuality, and now the transgender movement. Without the judgment of God being preached, people will not truly get saved. They may repent of their sins, but unless they are told they must “forsake” their old ways (Isa. 55:7) and “sin no more” (John 5:14 and 8:11) they will not stay redeemed but will slide back into their old sins. Surely it is better to hear God’s judgment upon our lives NOW—while we have a chance to make things right—than to hear His everlasting judgment upon us on that Last Day, when it will be too late!
Let us always stay faithful and live according to God’s standards, not try to make our own way to heaven! We must put forth the daily effort it takes to make sure that on that great Judgment Day we will hear those blessed words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” (Matt. 25:21) rather than those dreaded words, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matt. 7:23)