A Call to Turn from Error and Accept God’s Truth

When Jesus Christ establishes his rule of the kingdom of God on the earth, one of the most dramatic challenges and changes that the majority of people worldwide will have to face is that their religion has been utterly false. They will come to the stunning realisation that their religious leaders have been wrong in their teaching, and they have been following man-made superstition.

Just as the Jews will be made to realise that their understanding of what the Bible taught about the Messiah was wrong, so millions of people will see that they have been following lies and vain superstition. It will not be only non-Christian religions that will be made aware of the error of their beliefs, but the majority of ‘Christian’ religions will also realise that they have been following lies and fables taught in the name of Christ.

Both Peter and Paul foretold that error and fables would be taught in the name of Christ and many would follow these teachers.

• “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; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).

• “There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you” (2 Peter 2:2–3).

History has proved these predictions correct and the multitude of Christian churches confirms the accuracy of these prophecies. The true faith, as taught by Jesus Christ and the apostles, was perverted as men sought to gather followers after themselves. New doctrines were introduced and the people, not able to read the Bible for themselves, were unable to see the errors that were being introduced. A church system was set up with bishops and archbishops, and finally the pope. The Protestants, though objecting to some of the excesses of the Roman Catholic Church and separating from it, took with them the main false doctrines that the church had adopted.

However, the apostle John saw the day when Jesus Christ is back in the earth and the proclamation will go forth: “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Revelation 14:6–7).

People will then be given the opportunity to turn from the superstition and lies they have been taught, and to acknowledge that God has sent Jesus Christ back to the earth to set up His Kingdom. We are told, however, that Christianity will not readily accept Christ as King. John foresaw that the Roman Catholic Church, together with other Christian churches, will mount a challenge against the authority of Christ but their ambition will prove futile, for “the Lamb [Jesus Christ] shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful” (Revelation 17:14).

The whole Roman Catholic system, including many churches not far removed from her doctrines, aptly described in the Bible as “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth” will be utterly destroyed (Revelation 17:5). In that day it will be said of this apostate system as was said of the ancient empire of the same name, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen” and “shall be found no more at all” (Revelation 18:2–3,21). People will then realise that this system of religion that has dominated the lives of millions for nearly 2000 years was but a man-made religion that could not offer its follower’s salvation. It did not follow Christ’s ways at all and was in fact the subject of many prophecies in which God warned people to beware of its apostate ways. The warning of Christ is clear—“Come out of her [ie Babylon, or the Roman Catholic Church], my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18:4–5).

With false religions—Jewish, Christian and others—all exposed as error, the way will then be open for the education of the world in God’s ways of truth. Having overthrown all opposition - political, military and religious—Christ and his immortal saints will then commence the great work of establishing the Kingdom of God on earth.

Adapted from “The Exploring the Bible Course” by David Evans