Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. –Luke 13:23, 24.
For many are called, but few are chosen. –Matthew 22:14.
Did you ever wonder exactly what Jesus meant when He said that few would be saved? What kind of numbers, or percentages are we talking about? Today’s professing church tends to think that there are still large numbers of genuine believers out there. But the Bible gives us a better idea of what God meant by “few.” It really is very, very, very few indeed! Let’s check out examples from scripture to get an idea.
At the Flood of Noah. When God destroyed the earth with a flood of waters, we know that 8 were aboard the ark (Genesis 7:13; I Peter 3:20). But what was the earth’s population? The earth was then about 1,650 years old. Professional population estimates I have seen vary. One said it could have been between 750 million and 4 billion: another said between 5 and 17 billion! There are good reasons for these high estimates, but for arguments sake, let’s say it was 400 million. For 8 to be saved from 400 million would mean that for each person saved, 50 million would be lost! It is 2 one millionth of 1 per cent!
Now consider this: how many were in line to be saved when Noah was told about the Flood? Just 2. Noah was first mentioned in lineage in Genesis 5:32, at 500 years old: this was likely the time God was instructing him concerning the Flood. Noah’s eldest son Shem was born when Noah was 502 (Genesis 11:10)! Noah’s sons were raised in the fear of the Lord, preparing for God’s judgment upon the earth: now that is really just a few!
The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the surrounding cities. Abraham pleaded with God to spare this region in Genesis 18. Abraham’s nephew Lot lived there with his family, specifically in Sodom. God agreed that He wouldn’t destroy Sodom if He could find just 10 righteous people there (18:32). We can find no reliable population figures for this region at the time, but it was a prosperous area. It wouldn’t be presumptuous to guess between 100,000 and 1 million. Still, in going by the lower number, God was requiring just one righteous out of every 10,000 in order to spare this area. So how many did God find righteous? Perhaps only Lot. Although Lot was initially rescued with his wife and 2 younger daughters, their behavior after the rescue leaves their spiritual condition in doubt (See Genesis 19:26 and beyond).
Elijah and the Seven thousand. The prophet Elijah was feeling very alone, and fleeing for his life in I Kings 19, but God told him that there were still 7,000 loyal to Him in Israel (19:18). So how many were in Israel at that time? When Israel went out of Egypt, we have good estimates of 3-4 million. This time with Elijah was probably 700 years or so later, so it wouldn’t be hard to think of the population being easily at 7 million. Remember that God was not bringing a great overthrow in judgment at this time. By these numbers estimated, there was just one righteous for every thousand people.
Jeremiah and Jerusalem. In Jeremiah 5:1, God says that He will pardon the city if just one righteous person can be found. The population of Jerusalem would have been 50,000 or so. This account revolved around God’s judgment upon Israel through Babylon.
Ezekiel, and Israel with “no hedge.” God’s people Israel had gone into captivity, carried away by Babylon. God could not find even one righteous enough amongst His people to spare them, or He would have. In Ezekiel 14:20, God said that even if Noah, Job, and Daniel stood before Him, that only their own righteous souls would be saved, and none other; not even their families. The key scripture here is Ezekiel 22:28-30.
In the Upper room. Before Jesus ascended up into Heaven, He instructed the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:29). When that day came, on the day of Pentecost, it is written that the number of those gathered together was about 120. After 31/2 years of dynamic ministry in the Palestine region, we find that only 120 were still dedicated enough to following Christ that they were waiting in the upper room. During the days of Jesus’ flesh, I think it would be fair to say that He taught or touched 120,000 lives. By now, you are getting the idea! That would be only 1 in a thousand that were affected enough to keep following the Lord with their lives.
No, it doesn’t mean that there couldn’t have been some other real believers who were unable to be there. The numbers I am giving you in this article, when outside of Bible records, are not precise- there are reasonable approximates to give you the idea of what Jesus meant when He said that “few” would be saved.
Days shortened, or no flesh saved. In Mark 13:20 and Matthew 24:22, Jesus is telling His disciples about the end times: these 2 verses say almost exactly the same thing. Here it is as found in Matthew 24:21 and 22;
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. (Bold type added for emphasis)
When Jesus says, “…except those days should be shortened, there should be no flesh saved,” what does He mean? Is it a spiritual salvation, or strictly a flesh salvation? This is why I added the bold type at the end of the verse, for this is what defines the type of salvation; it is spiritual! This is also why you should always use the King James Bible for accuracy.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible lists the word saved 57X in the New Testament, with 20X in the gospels. Of these, I count 43X that it is referring to spiritual salvation, 3X flesh, and 11X that it could be at least superficially taken for either one, including these 2 verses. The majority of use, then, for the word “saved” is spiritual, as in these few sample verses;
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. - Mark 16:16
And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. –Acts 2:47B
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. –Romans 10:9
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, -II Timothy 1:9
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. –Revelation 21:24
God has made it clear that a believer’s life is not one to be wrapped up in the things of this world. In fact, God has said that He will destroy the earth, in favor of making another. In other words, God would not be saving the world and its inhabitants for the elect’s sake.Check out these verses that support my point;
He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. –John 12:25
And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. –Hebrews 1:10-12
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? –II Peter 3:10-12
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. –I John 2:15-17
And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. –Revelation 14:13
What God is saying, then, is that if Jesus did not return at this time, there would be no believers left on earth. We are promised the rapture in places like Matthew 24:40 and 41, Luke 17:34-36, and I Thessalonians 4:16 and 17: to fulfill these promises, some genuine Christians must be left. Throughout the Bible, whenever God is about to bring judgment, there are always a few believers left. This is in keeping with the pattern God follows, as briefly summarized in Luke 17:26-37.
When Jesus tells us that only few will be saved, He really means it! If we are anchored down to the sure foundation of God’s Word (Matthew 7:24-27), all will be well in the end. If you are looking round about you now, and think you’re seeing great numbers of Christians, you’d better ask God to adjust your eyesight! You are seeing just, “men, like trees walking,” and not for what they really are. And remember- we must have the beams first removed from our own eyes.
NOW the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; -I Timothy 4:1
But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. –II Timothy 3:13
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. –Luke 21:36
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. –Revelation 16:15
Elijah and the Seven thousand. The prophet Elijah was feeling very alone, and fleeing for his life in I Kings 19, but God told him that there were still 7,000 loyal to Him in Israel (19:18). So how many were in Israel at that time? When Israel went out of Egypt, we have good estimates of 3-4 million. This time with Elijah was probably 700 years or so later, so it wouldn’t be hard to think of the population being easily at 7 million. Remember that God was not bringing a great overthrow in judgment at this time. By these numbers estimated, there was just one righteous for every thousand people.
Jeremiah and Jerusalem. In Jeremiah 5:1, God says that He will pardon the city if just one righteous person can be found. The population of Jerusalem would have been 50,000 or so. This account revolved around God’s judgment upon Israel through Babylon.
Ezekiel, and Israel with “no hedge.” God’s people Israel had gone into captivity, carried away by Babylon. God could not find even one righteous enough amongst His people to spare them, or He would have. In Ezekiel 14:20, God said that even if Noah, Job, and Daniel stood before Him, that only their own righteous souls would be saved, and none other; not even their families. The key scripture here is Ezekiel 22:28-30.
In the Upper room. Before Jesus ascended up into Heaven, He instructed the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:29). When that day came, on the day of Pentecost, it is written that the number of those gathered together was about 120. After 31/2 years of dynamic ministry in the Palestine region, we find that only 120 were still dedicated enough to following Christ that they were waiting in the upper room. During the days of Jesus’ flesh, I think it would be fair to say that He taught or touched 120,000 lives. By now, you are getting the idea! That would be only 1 in a thousand that were affected enough to keep following the Lord with their lives.
No, it doesn’t mean that there couldn’t have been some other real believers who were unable to be there. The numbers I am giving you in this article, when outside of Bible records, are not precise- there are reasonable approximates to give you the idea of what Jesus meant when He said that “few” would be saved.
Days shortened, or no flesh saved. In Mark 13:20 and Matthew 24:22, Jesus is telling His disciples about the end times: these 2 verses say almost exactly the same thing. Here it is as found in Matthew 24:21 and 22;
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. (Bold type added for emphasis)
When Jesus says, “…except those days should be shortened, there should be no flesh saved,” what does He mean? Is it a spiritual salvation, or strictly a flesh salvation? This is why I added the bold type at the end of the verse, for this is what defines the type of salvation; it is spiritual! This is also why you should always use the King James Bible for accuracy.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible lists the word saved 57X in the New Testament, with 20X in the gospels. Of these, I count 43X that it is referring to spiritual salvation, 3X flesh, and 11X that it could be at least superficially taken for either one, including these 2 verses. The majority of use, then, for the word “saved” is spiritual, as in these few sample verses;
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. - Mark 16:16
And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. –Acts 2:47B
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. –Romans 10:9
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, -II Timothy 1:9
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. –Revelation 21:24
God has made it clear that a believer’s life is not one to be wrapped up in the things of this world. In fact, God has said that He will destroy the earth, in favor of making another. In other words, God would not be saving the world and its inhabitants for the elect’s sake.Check out these verses that support my point;
He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. –John 12:25
And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. –Hebrews 1:10-12
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? –II Peter 3:10-12
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. –I John 2:15-17
And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. –Revelation 14:13
What God is saying, then, is that if Jesus did not return at this time, there would be no believers left on earth. We are promised the rapture in places like Matthew 24:40 and 41, Luke 17:34-36, and I Thessalonians 4:16 and 17: to fulfill these promises, some genuine Christians must be left. Throughout the Bible, whenever God is about to bring judgment, there are always a few believers left. This is in keeping with the pattern God follows, as briefly summarized in Luke 17:26-37.
When Jesus tells us that only few will be saved, He really means it! If we are anchored down to the sure foundation of God’s Word (Matthew 7:24-27), all will be well in the end. If you are looking round about you now, and think you’re seeing great numbers of Christians, you’d better ask God to adjust your eyesight! You are seeing just, “men, like trees walking,” and not for what they really are. And remember- we must have the beams first removed from our own eyes.
NOW the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; -I Timothy 4:1
But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. –II Timothy 3:13
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. –Luke 21:36
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. –Revelation 16:15
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