Do all roads lead to God?

This title question often coincides with the statement, “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere!”

That is a popular phrase these days but, is the statement true? Well, let’s analyze it for a moment.

When those two Jets deliberately flew into the two trade center buildings in New York City on September 11, 2001, the terrorist group AL-QAEDA headed by Osama Bin Laden were on a suicide mission. The terrorists that hijacked those planes were sincere in their belief that Allah would grant them entrance into heaven if they completed their jihad (holy war) mission against unbelievers (the U.S.).

To become a martyr in the name of Allah grants a Muslim entrance into heaven. That is why it is normal for young people in the religion to strap explosives to themselves and blow themselves and others up in the name of Allah.

Mind you, that is an extreme way to be sincere, but this practice is sincerely wrong. It does matter what we believe. Just because someone is convinced something is true, doesn’t mean that it is.

            

              Two plus two will always equal four no matter how convinced someone thinks it is not.

Regarding the cult of the Jehovah Witnesses. It was taught that in 1935 only 144,000 of their followers went to heaven. As a result, heaven is full and no other members can get in. The remaining witnesses that are worthy will be resurrected and spend eternity on a Paradise Earth.

Unbelievers do not go to hell in their worldview, they are annihilated.[1]

This belief contradicts scripture. In Revelation 7:9-10 The Apostle John sees a future glimpse of a multitude residing in heaven which no one could number. Ironically this same chapter deals with the sealing of 144,000 Hebrews (not modern day Jehovah’s Witnesses) who most scholars believe are evangelists. The enumerable multitude that follow are the harvest of these 144,000 gospel preaching to the world.[2]

Jehovah Witnesses also believe that Jesus is the physical manifestation of the archangel Michael. The Witnesses founder Charles Russell (who is never mentioned on their website far as I can tell: www.jw.org) “prophesied” Jesus would return spiritually not physically initially in 1874. Later the date was changed to 1914 (by Russell), 1925, 1941 and 1975 by others members.[3]

            

                   Charles Russell and the Witnesses lied.

Jehovah Witnesses also do not believe Jesus arose physically from the dead. The Bible makes it clear He did rise bodily from the grave.

Luke 24:36-39 says this, “Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. [The disciples initially made a similar error to that of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The disciples “supposed” Jesus was a “spirit” or ghost. And Jesus corrected them.] And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

In Revelation 1:7 we read, Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”  

These passages and so many others prove Jesus rose bodily from the grave. The bodily resurrection is affirmed even in their corrupt New World Translation (NWT – 2013 edition) of the Bible that Jesus arose bodily from the grave. You can read it for yourself online at www.jw.org.

Once again the Witnesses are very sincere regarding their doctrine, but unfortunately for them they are sincerely wrong. This road definitely does not lead to God.

The Mormons believe that Jesus and Lucifer were spirit brothers. Read this quote from their own writings:

“On first hearing, the doctrine that Lucifer and our Lord, Jesus Christ, are brothers may seem surprising to some—especially to those unacquainted with latter-day revelations. But both the scriptures and the prophets affirm that Jesus Christ and Lucifer are indeed offspring of our Heavenly Father and, therefore, spirit brothers... Jesus was Lucifer’s older brother. (See Col. 1:15; D&C 93:21[4].)” 

Mormons are Universalists; meaning as a result of Jesus death on the cross, all people will be saved, including Non-Mormons. There are 3 levels of heaven one can go to. They are:

·         

Celestial (the highest, for faithful Mormons)

·         Terrestrial (the middle, for "less than valiant Mormons" and morally upright non-Mormons)

·         Telestial (the lowest, for those who were carnal and sinful throughout life )

This view clearly violates scripture. The Bible clearly tells us that many will be eternally lost due to unbelief and rejecting the completed vicarious blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. Everyone will not make it into heaven; neither are there three divisions in heaven.

Revelation 20:15 says, “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire”.

With the Muslims, Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons and so many others religions, each one teaches a different gospel. Paul writing to the Galatians said this, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you he is to be Anathema! (Greek for accursed). As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received he is to be accursed “(Gal 1:6-9)!

Paul wanted to make sure the Church at Galatia got the message clearly; the gospel he taught along with the other apostles and the faithful was the only true gospel. There are no others. Anyone teaching a perverted gospel message is to be eternally condemned. That is how serious God honors and is jealous for His holy truth! It is never to be distorted by any humans or angels.     

                    

                  

                  Never tamper with God’s word (Deut 4:2;Prov 30:6; Rev 22:18-19)!

Concluding, all roads or worldviews do lead to God in this sense; everyone will stand before God to give an account for the things they did on earth no matter the road or religion they embraced. Some to the resurrection of life for good deeds and others to the resurrection of judgment and damnation for evil deeds (John 5:28-29).

Preaching “another gospel” other than the true is most surely an evil deed. So we must also conclude that all roads lead to the God of the Bible in judgment, but only one road leads to eternal life (Luke 13:24; John 14:6).

Finally, while we as Christians can not accept false teachings from cults and other religions as alternative or additional revelation from God for that would be pluralism. The Christian faith is both exclusive and objective complete truth because of it’s founder, the Lord Jesus Christ. That does not mean we are not to love and respect those involved in false religions. We should listen to those of other faiths to see why they believe what they believe; praying and sharing the everlasting gospel with them whenever we get the opportunity. We need to be knowledgeable about our faith so we can point out the error in other belief systems. To do this is not arrogant or egocentric as some may say Christians are, it’s loving; the truth of the gospel is what sets men free and literally saves them from the gates of hell! As Jude says we are snatching them from the fire (Jude 23). We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Perhaps God may grant some of them repentance so they can believe and be saved (2 Tim 2:24-25).

Do all roads lead to God? Yes and no. Yes because no matter what you believe we all will meet our Maker in judgment to give an account for our lives. No because it does matter what we believe. Once again all roads do not lead to salvation. Being sincere is only redemptive if we believe what is actually true; the whole counsel of biblical truth. Being sincere about what is wrong and dying for it is an eternal punishment one can never make right.

As someone poignantly said, “Eternity is a long time to be wrong!”

We must be most careful in who and what we believe in. Our eternal destiny depends on it.        

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[1] This view is unbiblical. The unrighteous will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. See Daniel 12:2; Matt 25:41-46;Luke 16:19-31; Rev 20:15.

[2]  There is no in my opinion rock solid proof that the 144,000 are evangelists because the text

Does not explicitly tell us. The implication is they are evangelists when you follow the narrative in

Revelation chapter 7. The multitude that follows seems to imply that they were preachers.

[3] The reason for the spiritual and not physical return is the Jehovah Witnesses deny the resurrection.

They say the body of Jesus dissolved into atoms or supernaturally was removed from the tomb. It’s believed that

Jesus spirit is alive perhaps to re-inhabit his angelic form Michael the archangel

[4] D&C stands for Doctrine and Covenants. One of the “holy” writings of the LDS.

To read and study more about other popular religions visit this site: www.alwaysbready.com