JAG** Posted September 2, 2019 Group: Senior Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 105 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 541 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 207 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/06/2016 Status: Offline Author Share Posted September 2, 2019 9 minutes ago, OneLight said: I fully understand your point, and it is to teach. The problem with how you are going about it, in my opinion, is that you are not clear in what you are trying to say. You just throw out number to inflate your theory, as you did in the post I responded to, and expect us to just accept it without ever asking a question, which leads me to another point - you are too angry to teach people. One question and you fly into a defensive mode. Good Luck and God Bless. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauJangles Posted September 2, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 44 Topic Count: 229 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 10,900 Content Per Day: 2.93 Reputation: 12,145 Days Won: 68 Joined: 02/13/2014 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/14/1954 Share Posted September 2, 2019 10 minutes ago, Jostler said: Beau I wanted to pick on this one part of your well written post. Thanks, bro. I appreciate the input and participation. 11 minutes ago, Jostler said: but it bears a lot of insight into this very topic. When we realize that in the Bible's terminology who are "called" ARE born again, this question of overall "numbers" is impacted......and it will be HUGE. Amen! I'm expecting a tremendous 'family' turn-out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAG** Posted September 2, 2019 Group: Senior Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 105 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 541 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 207 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/06/2016 Status: Offline Author Share Posted September 2, 2019 1 hour ago, Pekoudah said: the disciples of Christ are still a tiny flock. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pekoudah Posted September 2, 2019 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 27 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 302 Content Per Day: 0.17 Reputation: 624 Days Won: 1 Joined: 05/04/2019 Status: Offline Share Posted September 2, 2019 9 minutes ago, JAG** said: 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 didn't say that righteous people are hypocrites. I was saying that the holy are few...very few. The righteous are many...like the stars in the sky...and the hypocrites are no doubt also many. The righteous are saved...but the holy are more than just saved, they will rule over the righteous in the nations in the next age. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAG** Posted September 2, 2019 Group: Senior Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 105 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 541 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 207 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/06/2016 Status: Offline Author Share Posted September 2, 2019 4 minutes ago, Pekoudah said: The righteous are many...like the stars in the sky... 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jostler Posted September 2, 2019 Group: Mars Hill Followers: 25 Topic Count: 6 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 2,679 Content Per Day: 1.39 Reputation: 3 Days Won: 16 Joined: 01/19/2019 Status: Offline Share Posted September 2, 2019 2 minutes ago, Pekoudah said: I didn't say that righteous people are hypocrites. I was saying that the holy are few...very few. The righteous are many...like the stars in the sky...and the hypocrites are no doubt also many. The righteous are saved...but the holy are more than just saved, they will rule over the righteous in the nations in the next age. I fully agree with that. Again the doctrine of eternal judgement is very enlightening with reference to your assertion. But what does that have to do with the very simple premise the OP has attempted to focus on? If we assume "saved" means "born again" ( very LIMITING assumption ) then those you speak of who DO go on to transformation of the soul, recognizing and submitting to His FULL Lordship might be much smaller than the total number who are born again. I'd guess it is from evidence we see every day on this forum. But the born again will be in heaven...a vast number. The "chosen" and "faithful" probably will be a much smaller subset. Being born again is the BEGINNING ....the Door INTO the much, much fuller meaning of "salvation" as the Scripture fullly defines it. Your point is valid IMO....Scripturally supportable....it just doesn't modify anything about the OP's very specific and limited question. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauJangles Posted September 3, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 44 Topic Count: 229 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 10,900 Content Per Day: 2.93 Reputation: 12,145 Days Won: 68 Joined: 02/13/2014 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/14/1954 Share Posted September 3, 2019 2 minutes ago, Sonshine☀️ said: ??? Yeah, it was a rather confusing statement of faith. I'm trying to piece it together myself, but perhaps not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAG** Posted September 3, 2019 Group: Senior Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 105 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 541 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 207 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/06/2016 Status: Offline Author Share Posted September 3, 2019 2 hours ago, PromisesPromises! said: Whew! I've read this entire thread, including the fine print (which was not easy). This we can know for sure--that since the Day of Pentecost, when the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the faithful, The Lord has been adding to His church daily. Three thousand on that very day! (Acts 2:40-47) Surely, none of us would want to underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit to bring conviction to the unbeliever, to change his heart to a believing one, and to seal him for redemption. Just this is enough for me to believe that the Lord's army is vast. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAG** Posted September 3, 2019 Group: Senior Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 105 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 541 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 207 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/06/2016 Status: Offline Author Share Posted September 3, 2019 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). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAG** Posted September 3, 2019 Group: Senior Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 105 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 541 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 207 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/06/2016 Status: Offline Author Share Posted September 3, 2019 (edited) 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? Edited September 3, 2019 by JAG** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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