Looking for Bibilical reference for ratio of those saved

[Gerard_Nadal]

There is a number in the bible which tells us the number of the people that will be gathered up on the last day, when Christ returns.

Revelation 9:16
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them

200,000 x 1000 = 200,000,000

or 200 million souls.

This is a proof text that tells us that not everybody who calls on the Lord will be saved, infact only a remnant will be saved.

Consider on this earth right now are around 6-7 billion people, throughout the course of earth maybe there have been 3-4 billion including the 6-7 we have now. so consider how many 200 million is out of the current 6 billion people. And don’t be fooled, this verse is a reference to those who will be gathered up on the Day of Judgment.

If you do the math this is about 30 percent. or roughly 1/3. This is incredible information because if you do a search in your bible for the context of 1/3, it fits perfectly with what God tells us about 1/3 going through fire, 1/3 being chosen, etc. God knows the beginning from the end, so it is amazing to think thousands of years later, this number would indeed match the informtion God gave us so long ago.

Better check your math! 200,000,000 (Two hundred million) is 20% of 1 Billion, and 2% of the roughly 10 Billion people you claim to have walked the earth. 2% is not 1/3. 1/3 is 33.3333%. You’re missing 31.333%.

Actually, it isn’t important to know how many people will not make it into Heaven. That’s their choice, not God’s. What matters for each of us is what we decide. We will not make it into Heaven unless we love God. Jesus tells us that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. We cannot love God or anyone unless we trust them.

Here the argument swallows itself. Playing the percentages shows a lack of trust in God’s love and mercy. It is exactly that trust that Jesus repeatedly taught us to embrace. Think of these quotes:

“What father among you, if his son should ask for a loaf of bread would hand him a stone. Or if he ask for a fish would and him a scorpion instead. And yet I tell you that if you with all of your sins know how to give your children what is good, how much more will my Father in Heaven give good things to anyone who asks?”

“Unless you become like a child,” (TRUSTING IMPLICITLY IN GOD’S LOVE) “you shall not enter the kingdom of Heaven.”

“The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.”

I could quote thirty more.

Then there is this from the Mass: “Lord Jesus Christ, I eat your body and drink your blood, let it not bring me condemnation, but health in mind and body.”

He loves us. He died for us. He shares His very self with us. He calls us each by name. Once we are convinced of this passionate love for us, we can go out into the world and bring that to others, aiding in their salvation. We should really concern ourselves with how many we can bring back to the faith and how we can go about it. That’s more productive than speculating on who will be lost. :hypno:

 

[Sir_Knight]

I’ve never heard anything like that. Are you suggesting that in heaven there are degrees or gradations on the Beatific Vision? Some people get a little bit, some half, some the whole? So in heaven only some people are fully in the presence of God, others are…what? You can be in heaven yet not fully in God’s presence?

This doesn’t make sense to me. Thanks for any help.

The notion that we will each be rewarded differently in heaven is an accepted belief supported by the bible and even the words of Christ Himself …

• " … For the Son of man is about to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to each according to his doings …" (Matthew 16:27)
• " … who shall render to each according to his works …" (Romans 2:6)
• " … I will give to you each according to your works … " (Revelation 2:23)

… However, whatever we receive, we will be COMPLETELY satisfied with OUR reward and have OUR fill regardless of how much somebody else may receive. The best way to make sense out of it would be with the following example: Let’s say you and a couple of your friends were helping me clean out my garage and in appreciation I fed you lunch. Let’s say that three hot dogs fills you up but your friend needs five hot dogs to have his fill. If I forced you to have five hot dogs, you would get sick and maybe even throw up. If you are full and satisfied with three hot dogs, it is not going to bother you that your friend had five. Think back to a Thanksgiving meal when you had a plate full of food and after you finished it, you were stuff. Would it bother you if the person on your left had two plates and the person on the right had three plates? Of course not.

Heaven will be the same way. We will each be rewarded according to what we did and what we failed to do. Thus, the concept of different mansions. But whatever we received, we will be completely satisfied and have our full.

Hope this helps.

PS: Another example … let’s say you finish a race on a hot day and they hand out bottled water and you finish one bottle and barely finish another. Would it bother you if somebody else had two or three? Would you be jealous of them? Of course not because you had you fill.