The Small Number
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. — Matthew 7:14
How Many Will Be In Heaven?
No one knows but our Father in Heaven because He has planned all things before the beginning of time. Only God sees into the hearts of men and knows them as they truly are. We are told by Jesus that few will enter into the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 7:13-14 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕
[13] "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
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Matthew 22:11-14 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕
[11] "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. [12] And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. [13] Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' [14] For many are called, but few are chosen."
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Jesus says that many are called/invited to the kingdom, but only those who have been “chosen” and have received Christ will come. Those who try to come without the covering of the blood of Christ for their sins are inadequately clothed and will be sent into “outer darkness,” (v. 13) i.e., hell.
Many people hear the call of God coming through His revelation of Himself through creation, the conscience, and the preaching of the Word. But only the “few” will respond because they are the ones who are truly hearing. Jesus said many times, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8, 14:35).
The point is that everyone has ears, but only a few are listening and responding.
Not everyone who hears the gospel receives it but only the “few” who have ears to hear. The “many” hear, but there is no interest or there is outright antagonism toward God. Many are called or invited into the kingdom, but none are able to come on their own.
God must draw the hearts of those who come; otherwise they will not (John 6:44).
Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” God creates life, grants repentance and gives faith.
Jesus chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight
Man is totally unable by himself to do these things which are necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven. Ephesians 1:4-6: “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”
Salvation is by God’s will and pleasure for His glory. John 6:37-39, 44-45: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day…No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.”
So, all of God’s “chosen” will be saved without exception; they will hear and respond because they have spiritual ears to hear the truth. God’s power makes this certain. Romans 8:28-30: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
For those God foreknew (loved) he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”
How do we know if we are among the few that have ears to hear?
By responding to the call. Assurance of this certain call, this chosen call, is from the Holy Spirit. Consider Philippians 1:6, which says, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13.)
If we listen with our spiritual ears and respond to the invitation, there will be fear and trembling in our souls as we recognize that it was God’s work in us that caused our salvation.
Detour into Speculation
Now to the speculative number. This is pure speculation and not to be given any certainty, but it is interesting to consider in light of what Jesus said would be few.
The total number of self proclaimed Christians in the world is estimated by the Pew Research Center in 2020, was 2.38 billion of the worldwide population of about 8 billion people.
Now here is where the speculation enters into the “equation.” The new-age author and channeler, Barbara Marciniak has stated in her book “Bringers of the Dawn” that “extra-terrestrials from the star system Pleiades” (demons posing as aliens) have told her 20 million will leave the planet at one time in the “near future.” When you calculate the fraction of what 20 million is to a total proclaimed of 2.38 Billion that represents about one percent (one out of every 100 people) that proclaims to be a Christian, that proclaims to know Christ Jesus, that proclaims to follow him to actually be in the Rapture (this is the percentage shown in the illustration at the top of this post). Now that would be 1% of the Christian population if this speculated estimate were to be accurate. But since demons lie and mix lies with a bit of truth all the time, it is not a point to give much attention.
The important point is to be honest with your own relationship with God and to consider the narrow path in the context of the Apostle Paul’s reference:
Philippians 2:12-13 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕
[12] Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, [13] for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
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It’s also important to cite the Old Testament reference from which the phrase “fear and trembling” originates and it is within the context of serving the LORD:
Psalm 2:11 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕 📕
[11] Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
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Paul can hardly be encouraging believers to live in a continuous condition of nervousness and anxiety. That would contradict his many other exhortations to peace of mind, courage, and confidence in the God who authors our salvation. The Greek word translated "fear" in this context can equally mean "reverence" or "respect."
Paul uses the same phrase in (2 Corinthians 7:15) where he refers to Titus as being encouraged by the Corinthians’ reception of him “with fear and trembling,” that is, with great humility and respect for his position as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul himself came to the Corinthian church in “weakness and fear, and with much trembling” (1 Corinthians 2:3), mindful of the great and awesome nature of the work in which he was engaged.
The sense in which we are to work out our salvation in fear and trembling is twofold:
First, the Greek verb rendered “work out” means "to continually work to bring something to completion or fruition." We do this by actively pursuing obedience in the process of sanctification, which Paul explains further in the next chapter of Philippians. He describes himself as “straining” and “pressing on” toward the goal of Christlikeness (Philippians 3:13-14). The “trembling” he experiences is the attitude Christians are to have in pursuing this goal—a healthy fear of offending God through disobedience and an awe and respect for His majesty and holiness.
"Trembling" can also refer to a shaking due to weakness, but this is a weakness of higher purpose, one which brings us to a state of dependency on God. Obedience and submission to the God we revere and respect is our “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1-2) and brings great joy. Recall that Psalm 2:11 sums it up perfectly: “Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.” We work out our salvation by going to the very source of our salvation—the Word of God—wherein we renew our hearts and minds (Romans 12:1-2), coming into His presence with a spirit of reverence and awe.
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