Would we be interpreting Christ correctly if we understood His warning to mean of all those who were professing faith in Him in Sardis, only a few were worthy to meet Him at His appearing? "Worthy" on what basis? Were they worthy because they had made a profession of belief in His atoning death and bodily resurrection? This is a nonsensical, mischievous interpretation proceeding from the current frivolous Christian assumptions. It is calculated to tickle the ears of today's lukewarm church attenders. It makes the Word of God of no effect.

If only a few of the believers in Sardis were worthy (because of their behavior) to walk with Christ in white, are we then ready to cast the remainder, the "foolish virgins," into the Lake of fire and sulfur, there to be tormented for eternity without hope of reprieve?

What will be the destiny of the majority of the believers of Sardis? Do the Scriptures assign them to the incomprehensible terrors of the Lake of Fire?

Are we prepared to state that only the overcomers, the victorious saints, will be delivered from the second death? If that is our position (and it is not scriptural, according to our understanding), then we have concluded that only a small minority of Christian people will escape the Lake of Fire; because it is obvious in the present hour the majority of professing Christians are not patiently carrying their cross after the Lord.

The understanding of the writer is that most of Christendom is not of Christ but is Babylon (man-directed Christianity)—the whore riding on the scarlet-colored beast. Jesus Himself stated that in the last days the love of the majority would grow cold (Matthew 24:12). It appears that today there is but a handful of true saints in each Christian church, and sometimes none at all.

Even though we believe in any given assembly only a few are Christians in the scriptural meaning of the term, we still are not ready to assign the remainder of the congregation to eternity in the Lake of Fire.

The lukewarm remainder will receive punishment because they did not do what was commanded them. They may be spiritually naked in the Day of the Lord; they may be led away into outer darkness; they may weep and gnash their teeth as they see the saints in the light and glory of the Kingdom; their inheritance may be taken from them and given to another.

Those who worship the Antichrist will be tormented forever.

And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:11).

But to assign the multitude of weak, ignorant believers, and all those who never have heard the Gospel message, to eternity in the Lake of Fire is, from our point of view, to go beyond the Scriptures. We do not conceive of God as the kind of person who would create billions of human beings with the knowledge that the majority of them are destined to spend eternity as raving maniacs in the Lake of Fire, breathing acrid smoke, faced continually with the unbelievably horrible, merciless, unloving hordes of Satan's angels.

To be continued.