I read an article, in which the following was written: “People are leaving Christianity in droves. About 106 million Christians are expected to switch affiliation from 2010 to 2050 while only about 40 million people are expected to enter Christianity. The religiously unaffiliated (atheists, agnostics) are expected to see the largest net gains from switching, adding more than 61 million followers”. What do you think of reports like this?
I read the same article, but I don’t believe any born again believer can abandon the faith. Jesus said He would lose none of those the Father gives Him (John 6:38-40), and Paul said when we become believers God Himself assumes responsibility for making us stand firm in Christ. He set His mark of ownership on us and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come (2 Cor. 1:21-22). Therefore, true believers cannot fall away.
The fact is, there is no way for any earthly organization to tabulate the number of born again believers there are. Only God knows that number, and He has known it from the beginning of time. What we’re really learning from articles like this is that many “Christians in name only” are no longer maintaining the illusion of being believers. 2 Thes. 2:3 tells us this is a sign the the end of the age is near.
Finally, I believe as you do that the year 2050 will probably find us somewhere in the early stages of the Millennium.