JAG**

. . . for the Christian in light of Eternity. Let us assume a worst case scenario. John Christian lived 100 years suffering severely every year he lived. He even hurt as a new born, and was still hurting when he entered Kindergarten. He hurt all the way through High School and never stopped hurting until the day he died. John Christian spent his entire life in severe pain and all his money on doctors trying to get rid of the pain. He never succeeded. When he turned 75 he quit trying and decided to "just live with the pain" on out to the end and he did exactly that and died at age 100, in severe pain, but trusting the Lord Jesus as his Savior. [Note: I don't think the Lord has ever allowed such as this to occur for one of His children, but remember I need a "worst case scenario" here in order to make my point.] So John Christian, after living 100 years in severe pain dies and goes to Heaven to be with his Lord Jesus for all Eternity. Lets see what the percent ratio of 100 years is to Eternity: After John Christian had been in Heaven for 200 years, you'd have this fraction: 100 divided by 200 = 0.5 After John Christian had been in Heaven for 500 years, you'd have this fraction: 100 divided by 500 = 0.2 After 10,000 years, you'd have this fraction: 100 divided by 10,000 = 0.01 After John Christian had been in Heaven for 100,000 years, you'd have this fraction: 100 divided by 100,000 = 0.001 After 1,000,000 years in Heaven you'd have this fraction: 100 divided by 1,000,000 = 0.0001 After 10,000,000 years in Heaven, you'd have this fraction: 100 divided by 10,000,000 = 0.00001 After 50,000,000 years in Heaven, you'd have this fraction: 100 divided by 50,000,000 = 0.000002 After John Christian had been in Heaven for 100,000,000 years, you'd have this fraction: 100 divided by 100,000,000 = 0.00000.1 After 500,000,000 years, you'd have this fraction: 100 divided by 500,000,000 = 0.0000002 Question: How many zeros would you have after John Christian had been in Heaven for 999 trillion years? Moreover, isn't it true, that as Eternity rolled on, there would never come a time when you would not be adding more zeros? What the point? This: At some point the 100 years of severe suffering experience by John Christian in this life would become, in his mind and in his total experience, a fraction so small as to be, for all practical purposes, totally and absolutely non-existent. And again, remember that as Eternity rolls on, the zeros would never cease to be added to the 0. At some point in Eternity, you'd have 999 trillion to the power of 999 trillion . . zeros. And once you reached this point, you would not even have "got started good" in adding zeros to the 0.0 We have a name for all this. We call it God's Mercy and Grace. The Sovereign God will one day, for all practical purposes, reduce out earthly suffering, with regard to our total experience, in percent ratio, to a fraction so small that it will be, de facto, non-existent. (Of course, all this is assuming that we have the "passing of years", in Eternity. Eternity may have a totally different concept of Time than we now experience. But either way, it will all be good for we the people of God.)

Here is another verse of Holy Scripture that harmonizes with the Opening Post and with the title of this thread which is "Christendom: A Little Flock? No!" "The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and His name the only name." Zechariah 14:9 Compare Revelation 7:9-10 "After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Note the pertinent elements from both these passages: (1) The Lord will be king over the whole earth. (2) There is coming a day when there will be only one Lord. (3) And His name the only name. (4) John in Revelation 7 saw a great multitude that no one could count. (5) They were from every tribe, people, and language. Compare (1) with (5)

It is worth emphasizing again that the power behind the Christian Church becoming as numerous as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore, is the fact that Jesus now has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 Please take note of the important elements in this verse: (A) All authority in heaven and earth has been given to the Lord Jesus (B) The goal is to make disciples of all the nations. (C) Teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded. (D) Jesus is with His people always, to the very end of the age. These 4 elements together are a mighty powerhouse for the successful evangelism of the earth to be carried out by the Christian Church now and in the future. Add this: 100% of the power of saving lost sinners is the power of the Holy Spirit. So then these 5 realities are the power behind the growth of Christendom throughout the earth. (A) All authority in heaven and earth has been given to the Lord Jesus (B) The goal is to make disciples of all the nations. (C) Teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded. (D) Jesus is with His people always, to the very end of the age. (E) The mighty power of the Holy Spirit that saves the repenting sinner.

Here is another verse from God's word the Holy Bible that raises a question pertinent to this thread, namely will there come a time in the future when the will of God will be done here on earth? "Our Father in Heaven hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is Heaven."___The Lord Jesus Matthew 6:9-10 __________ It seems reasonable to believe that God will answer Jesus' prayer and that there will come a time when the will of God will be done throughout the earth. The only other alternative is that God will not answer Jesus' prayer and that would mean there will never come a time when the will of God will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. You have to choose between these two: (1) There will never come a time when the will of God will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. God does not answer Jesus' prayer. (2) There will come a time when the will of God will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. God does answer Jesus' prayer. I choose to believe (2) Which one do you choose to believe?

Here is a verse of Holy Scripture that harmonizes with the Opening Post and with the title of this thread which is "Christendom: A Little Flock? No!" "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14).

Thank you for taking the time to read my thread. I apologize for the fine print, I will try to make the print larger from now on. And thanks for the positive comment up there, much appreciated. Yes the Lord's army is vast even now, and will as the millenniums unfold be numerically as numerous as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore.

Agreed. Your statement is the point of my Opening Post and the point of all my other posts in this thread. So then we agree that the Christian church is NOT now a little flock and NOT now just a few. How so? Because like you just said up there, "The righteous are many … like the stars in the sky." --- and the number of the stars in the sky is not just a few.

Pekoudah, I am successful in what I am trying to do in this thread. How so? Because any thinking reader who actually reads my Opening Post and my other posts in this thread is never again going to feel comfortable saying that Christendom is now a little flock and few in numbers. The Bible will not permit the thinking reader to reach that conclusion. Pew Research says that there are 2,300,000,000 Christians in the world today which is 31.2% of the world's population. Now the man whose mind is closed tight to anything that goes against his "little flock" prejudices can sneer at those numbers and can issue a personal proclamation that says 90% of that 2,300,000,000 are hypocrites and not true Christians, but no serious thinking reader is going to believe that nonsense. But even if 90% of the 2,300,000,000 are hypocrites, that still leaves 10% of the 2,300,000,000 that are true Christian and that 10% is NOT a little flock and not just a few either.

I am clear as a bell in what I am saying. I am not throwing out numbers, instead I am making solid points and backing them up with clear Bible verses that support my points. I don't expect "us" to accept my points without question. And I am not angry, not even slightly angry. And I am not in defensive mode either. And there is no such thing as luck (God is Sovereign over the affairs of men and not a sparrow falls to the ground apart from His will. And even the hairs on our heads are numbered.) And God bless you too. By the way, I am successful in what I am trying to do in this thread. How so? Because any thinking reader who actually reads my Opening Post and my other posts in this thread is never again going to feel comfortable saying that Christendom is now a little flock and few in numbers. The Bible will not permit the thinking reader to reach that conclusion. Pew Research says that there are 2,300,000,000 Christians in the world today which is 31.2% of the world's population. Now the man whose mind is closed tight to anything that goes against his "little flock" prejudices can sneer at those numbers and can issue a personal proclamation that says 90% of that 2,300,000,000 are hypocrites and not true Christians, but no serious thinking reader is going to believe that nonsense. But even if 90% of the 2,300,000,000 are hypocrites, that still leaves 10% of the 2,300,000,000 that are true Christian and that 10% is NOT a little flock and not just a few either.

/Amen for sure on all of that.

Thank you Beaujangles for taking the time to reply. It was a well written post and I read every word of it. God bless you too. /smile

Thank you for your response. When I said the entire world will be Christianized I meant in the general sense that all nations will be discipled according to the Lord's Great Commission given to His Christian church at the end of Matthew's gospel. The Lord was not kidding when he told His Christian Church to go and make disciples of all the nations teaching them to obey what I He has commanded. He then said that all power had been given Him in Heaven and on Earth. So then His power is what makes certain that His Great Commission will be successfully carried out by His people as the future millenniums unfold. The above does NOT mean that every single person in all the future generations will be saved. Yes I do believe there is a Hell. So no I am not trying to eliminate Hell. And yes I do believe that some people will go there. Again, the point of my Opening Post and all my other posts in this thread is that the final number of the saved will be HUGE-ENORMOUS and therefore it cannot truthfully be said that Christendom is now a little flock and it cannot be truthfully said that only a few will be saved. Moreover it cannot truthfully be said that Christendom will ever again be a little flock or will ever again be numerically just a few saved. There was a time in the first century when Christianity was a little flock and had just a few converts, but that time is gone forever never to become reality again. How do I k now that? Because of all the Bible verses that I have posted in this thread that absolutely compel the Bible believer to believe that the final number of the saved will be like the number of stars in the sky and like the number of the grains of sand on the seashores of the world.

No I do not. I never said that I thought that. I never one time even hinted that I believed all those who profess to be Christians are true Christians. Also this: To ask that question is to miss the whole and entire point of the Opening Post and all my other posts in this thread. The point of this thread and my other posts in this thread is to say that Christendom is no longer a little flock and no longer has just a few true believers. Lets take just the Protestants. There are 900,000,000 Protestants in the world today. I have no reason to believe that the vast majority of my fellow Protestants are not true Christians. Just consider the Southern Baptist by themselves: There are some 16,000,000 Southern Baptists in the world today. I have no reason to believe that the vast majority of the Southern Baptists are not true Christians. And 16,000,000 is not just a few and not a little flock either. _________ But speculation about who is or in not a true Christian is not essential to the point of this thread. The proposition of this thread is based on clear Bible verses that say with absolute certainty that the final number of the saved is going to be HUGE-ENORMOUS. Here are just two verses that clearly say that: Take a look at Genesis 22:17-18 God said to Abraham, "indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore . . . and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." (1) stars (2) grains of sand on the seashore (3) all nations of the earth shall be blessed through Abraham's descendants. (In Romans the Apostle Paul teaches that the Christian Church is the spiritual children of Abraham.) Compare: Hebrews 11:11-12 with Genesis 22:17-18 "By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the opportune age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised. And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore."

Christianity started very small. There was a time in the first century (some 2000 years ago) when there were zero Christians. Then the Lord Jesus started calling His disciples. There was a time in the first century when there were only a few dozen Christians in the entire world. But as the centuries unfolded the number of Christians began to increase in the world. Today there are some 900,000,000 Protestants in the world. And 900,000,000 is not a little flock. 900,000,000 Protestants is not a just a few Christians. So then Christianity started very small in the first century, but today here in the year 2019 Christianity has grown HUGE-ENORMOUS in numbers. Here below is a parable that the Lord Jesus taught His disciples that teaches the idea of beginning small but ending up HUGE-ENORMOUS. "He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32

Missmuffet, see how you like what I posted here: Take a look at it, and tell me what you think. I'm interested in reading what you have to say about it.

Missmuffet, I say the following with kind warm friendly tones: Dear, you are missing the whole point of my Opening Post and all my other posts in this thread. There has NOT been one word said about the exact numbers of people that will be saved. Of course, I do not know that. Of course, only God knows that number. Missmuffet, all my posts in this thread make the point that Christendom is not now a little flock and will never again be a little flock. It was once a little flock. When was it a little flock? Answer: In the first century some 2000 years ago when the Lord Jesus first called His disciples. It WAS a little flock then. But now it is a HUGE-ENORMOUS flock. And that proposition is supported by several clear Bible verses. All you have to do is merely read them to see that the Bible clearly teaches that the final number of the saved will be HUGE-ENORMOUS. Missmuffet, give this post a careful read. Tell me what you think about it. What about the Bible verse that says this: Matthew 7:13-14 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it. Common sense compels the sane interpreter to give Matthew 7:13-14 an interpretation that does not deny reality. You can interpret Matthew 7:13-14 as having application only to the people of that time period. If you apply Matthew 7:13-14 to all of human history you end up with an interpretation that contradicts other clear Bible verses (see the OP and my other posts in this thread.) To apply Matthew 7:13-14 to the entire human race and to all of human history makes God a moral monster, for that would mean that He started a program knowing that the vast majority of His creatures were going to spend an eternity screaming in eternal Hell. What kind of a God would do a thing like that? Its absurd to suggest that there are only a few true Christians in the world today. There are over 16,000,000 Southern Baptist in the United States, that number alone does not harmonize with the concept of only a few are saved. And there is no reason for you to doubt the profession of faith of the world's 2.3 billion Christians anymore than it is for them to doubt your profession of faith. In another vein, its a good rule of interpretation that says you never interpret a verse of Scripture in a way that contradicts another clear verse of Scripture, and to interpret Matthew 7:13-14 in such a way that flatly contradicts "I saw a multitude to large to count from every nation and tribe and people and tongue" is not a good thing to do. Its not practicing sound hermeneutics. I asked the web "How many Protestants are in the world today?" and I got this response: There are more than 900 million Protestants worldwide, among approximately 2.4 billion Christians. In 2010, a total of more than 800 million included 300 million in Sub-Saharan Africa, 260 million in the Americas, 140 million in Asia-Pacific region, 100 million in Europe and 2 million in Middle East-North Africa." I have no reason to doubt the salvation of these 900 million of my fellow Protestants. And 900,000,000 Protestant Christians in the world today is not a "few" that found it. Its simply bad interpretation to apply "only a few find it" to all of human history. Doing that reduces Christianity to absurdity.

Thanks Sonshine for checking it out.

You said clearly this: "Then we agree. The number of the saved will not be just a few."__missmuffet If you hold that the number of the saved will be few, then you will have to actually present arguments that refute my arguments in the Opening Post and in my other posts in this thread. You can't just ignore what I have posted if you want to participate in a discussion of what I have written.

You are welcome. My pleasure. /smile

Say Sonshine, maybe you will like my Being Forgiven thread? Check it out.

Then we agree. The number of the saved will not be just a few.

/Smile Your apology is accepted. I am always quick to be friendly and cordial. God bless.

I have not done any of that. All that up there is nothing more than your personal characterization of what I have written. You either want to come to grips with the Opening Posts and my other posts in this thread, or you don't want to come to grips with them and face them. I'm not interested in reading soap opera comments. You should take your own advice and stop sermonizing and attacking rudely. So start discussing. Write me some posts that refute with arguments the proposition of the Opening Posts and all my other posts in this thread.

No I don't see what you mean at all.

I agree 100% with your statement.