Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Another Example of "Few Will Be Saved"

We read in the bible that few, not most, will be saved:

Matt 7:13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Only a few find the narrow gate that leads to life. As this writer has explained many times over the years, this blog was started in part by the disturbing question: WHY will so few be saved and WHY do so few today want to address this issue?

I've read all kinds of excuses over the years as to why today's religious teachers refuse to address this issue. One excuse is "I don't want to give anyone a "spirit of fear."" Well, apparently the Holy Spirit does not have that problem because he, not I put Matt 7:13-28 in the bible.

I was reading the Word today and came across this again:

Luke17:17Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

There it is again, a FEW. One out of TEN came back to give thanks to God. Is 10% "a few." I'd say so. We have many examples of "few" being saved, Noah, Lot, Matt 7:13-28, the story of Israel being destroyed by the Lord over and over again and only a remnant (a few) being saved each time. The pattern is well established for those with eyes that "see."

Why bring this up? Because it is WRITTEN and NOBODY wants to remind people of the unpleasant, non-sugar coated words written in the bible. Our God does not limit his encouragement to us to sweet promises of pleasant things, he also encourages us with a boot to the rear-end. Our God pushes us, pulls us and does everything in between to get us to follow him, to do what is right and just and yet still, many remain on the broad path that leads to destruction.

There are many many people in the religious world who strongly disagree with the writing you find on this blog. That makes perfect sense to me. Whatever the truth is, MOST people will disagree with it. The way of truth is a NARROW PATH, REJECTED BY MOST which is why so FEW will be saved. This world sings a constant refrain:

9These are rebellious people, deceitful children,

children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.

Isaiah 30:10They say to the seers,

“See no more visions!”

and to the prophets,

“Give us no more visions of what is right!

Tell us pleasant things,

prophesy illusions.

11Leave this way,

get off this path,

and stop confronting us

with the Holy One of Israel!”

I can hear people saying already, but the Lord was speaking to Israel! And I would counter with "that's true, but how many in christianity today tolerate the preaching of our God's FULL counsel? Very few....very few. People like the cherry picked bible, you know, the one with all their pet doctrines "in" and everything else left "out." The cherry pick bible says things like "don't worry about the Lord's warnings, just focus on all the positive things." Right, because we wouldn't want anyone to get a "spirit of fear." Let's just forget that the words we don't like were ever written to begin with!

I don't think the Lord is pleased with few being saved, and it brings me no joy to remind people of it, but the Word of the Lord will NOT be buried by "positive preachers" like Mr Osteen and his ilk. I think the "positive preachers" in todays christianity do a great job of preaching the PARTIAL gospel that they preach. They sell the positive very well indeed. What stirs up the wrath that is coming on this world though is everything else that has been written and is NOT being preached.

Read the book of Revelation for yourself. Our God IS a God of love mercy and compassion, but he's not ONLY that. He is a God of WRATH and VENGEANCE on people who do not OBEY and do not KNOW HIM.

2 Thessalonians 1:8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Of all the things I read in the bible today (most of them very positive) WHY did the Holy Spirit highlight 1 out of 10 people coming back to thank God for a miracle (luke 17:17)? I think the Lord is exasperated by the lack of real faith in this world.

Luke 18:8 However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

If the Lord expects to find faith, why is he asking us about it? Will he find faith on earth when he comes?

The wrong time to find out about all the parts of the bible you didn't like to think about is when you are standing before Jesus face to face. The wrong time to ponder why you got left behind in the great escape from all is AFTER the escape happens and the door in heaven is closed. Our God is a God of mercy and he warns us BEFORE so we don't have to find things out the hard way. Ultimately though, its up to us. Will we continue to bury our head in a hole by listening to "partial gospel preachers" then wake up one day confronted with the Lord's judgement?

What is going to happen when the escape from all happens just like the bible says it will, and MOST self described christians are left behind? What are all the "pastors" going to tell people then? How will they explain why THEY got left behind too? The pre-trib escape from all will devastate what calls itself christianity today. Few will have the heart to "face the music" and make the real changes necessary even after they get left behind. Playing church is one thing, BEING the church is another.

Re-read Rev 2-3 and see for yourself all the wonderful things the churches did. Really, they are commendable, and YET the Lord tells all but two of them, you have some fatal flaws that WILL cause you some major problems (like Jesus vomiting you out of his mouth...see the talk with Laodicea). Even with these warnings todays "positive preachers" will tell you "yea, but you're still saved, even if Jesus VOMITS YOU OUT of his mouth." I would laugh at how ridiculous that statement is if it wasn't so very sad. WHY will so few be saved...WHY?

grace and peace