Salvation for Few

[HailHolyQueen90]

Will there be salvation for only a few people? Can someone explain to me if there is any Church teaching on this? I ask because I heard someone speaking and they said a couple quotes.

“It is certain that few are saved.” - Saint Augustine

“The majority of men shall not see God.” - Saint Justin Martyr

“Those who are saved are in the minority.” - Saint Thomas Aquinas

“The greater part of men choose to be damned rather than love Almighty God” - Saint Alphonsus

 

[Christine85]

wow, those quotes are powerful. I think that the Church doesn’t know exactly who will and wont go to Heaven, though they are supportive of the Bible in that it says the way to God is the narrow path, rather than the wide and easy path that most people follow.
For me, just seeing those quotes from canonized Saints, is a great reminder of the necessity to work hard at following God. Yes it is a matter of Faith also , but Faith without works is dead. As it says in the Letter of James.

 

[cjmclark]

Will there be salvation for only a few people? Can someone explain to me if there is any Church teaching on this? I ask because I heard someone speaking and they said a couple quotes.

“It is certain that few are saved.” - Saint Augustine

“The majority of men shall not see God.” - Saint Justin Martyr

“Those who are saved are in the minority.” - Saint Thomas Aquinas

“The greater part of men choose to be damned rather than love Almighty God” - Saint Alphonsus

Revalation 7:9-17 (NAB)

9 After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
10 They cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.”
11 All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God,
12 and exclaimed: “Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?”
14 I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 “For this reason they stand before God’s throne and worship him day and night in his temple. The one who sits on the throne will shelter them.
16 They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them.
17 For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

“A great multitude, which no one could count” sure sounds like a lot of folks saved to me.

 

[lauraabarlow]

I pray that my children and I make it to heaven-I want to be where there is love and joy-want to be with Jesus so bad-yet have a lot of work to do to make it happen-must clean house as the old saying goes. I have a bad problem with cussing when stressed-out and not finding more time to do good for others-am a single mom struggling to make ends meet-yet longing for heaven at the end of the journey-I pray I make it-what a tough road.

 

[JRKH]

Will there be salvation for only a few people? Can someone explain to me if there is any Church teaching on this? I ask because I heard someone speaking and they said a couple quotes.

“It is certain that few are saved.” - Saint Augustine

“The majority of men shall not see God.” - Saint Justin Martyr

“Those who are saved are in the minority.” - Saint Thomas Aquinas

“The greater part of men choose to be damned rather than love Almighty God” - Saint Alphonsus

First of all - Salvation is for any who will are willing to accept it. But accepting it is not simply an affirmation but requires a great commitment, a conversion, an immersion, a complete change of one’s worldview.
As to how many will be saved, let’s see what God, in the person of Christ, has to say:
12 So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets. 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
(Mt 7)
This simple statement is sufficient to confirm the quotes that you mention above.
Now in his post above, “cjmclark” quotes Revelation and then states: "‘A great multitude, which no one could count’ sure sounds like a lot of folks saved to me.”
So how do we reconcile these two things?
In revelation John describes a “great multitude that no one could count” Yet this is obviously not a firm number nor is the statement precisely true since God could “count” the number. Yet - from John’s human perspective, it was a “great multitude”.
Well consider this. The World’s population today is estimated at over 6 Billion. If only 10 percent of those are saved that would be 6 hundred million (if my math is correct).

So - If you saw 600,000,000 people all together I’m sure you would see “a great multitude that no one could count” and yet in terms of how many were saved, 10% is very few.

Hope this helps to put things into perspective

Peace
James

 

[Steady_Eddy]

First of all - Salvation is for any who will are willing to accept it. But accepting it is not simply an affirmation but requires a great commitment, a conversion, an immersion, a complete change of one’s worldview.
As to how many will be saved, let’s see what God, in the person of Christ, has to say:
12 So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets. 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
(Mt 7)
This simple statement is sufficient to confirm the quotes that you mention above.
Now in his post above, “cjmclark” quotes Revelation and then states: "‘A great multitude, which no one could count’ sure sounds like a lot of folks saved to me.”
So how do we reconcile these two things?
In revelation John describes a “great multitude that no one could count” Yet this is obviously not a firm number nor is the statement precisely true since God could “count” the number. Yet - from John’s human perspective, it was a “great multitude”.
Well consider this. The World’s population today is estimated at over 6 Billion. If only 10 percent of those are saved that would be 6 hundred million (if my math is correct).

So - If you saw 600,000,000 people all together I’m sure you would see “a great multitude that no one could count” and yet in terms of how many were saved, 10% is very few.

Hope this helps to put things into perspective

Peace
James

Hello everyone,

This is a very interesting thread. I’ve actually thought about this on and off over the years.

James, you mention the figure of 600,000,000 people altogether, but you’re only taking a percentage of the people that are alive today. What about all the people that have gone before us since time began? The mind boggles.

2 Cor 13:13
Eddy Barry

 

[JRKH]

Hello everyone,

This is a very interesting thread. I’ve actually thought about this on and off over the years.

James, you mention the figure of 600,000,000 people altogether, but you’re only taking a percentage of the people that are alive today. What about all the people that have gone before us since time began? The mind boggles.

2 Cor 13:13
Eddy Barry

Good point Eddy. Yes, I used the current number for illustration purposes. If we include all those who have ever been conceived…as you say - the mind boggles…

Peace
James

 

[thomas_jd]

Will there be salvation for only a few people? Can someone explain to me if there is any Church teaching on this? I ask because I heard someone speaking and they said a couple quotes.

“It is certain that few are saved.” - Saint Augustine

“The majority of men shall not see God.” - Saint Justin Martyr

“Those who are saved are in the minority.” - Saint Thomas Aquinas

“The greater part of men choose to be damned rather than love Almighty God” - Saint Alphonsus

“For many are called few are chosen.” - Jesus

 

[clmowry]

Hello everyone,

This is a very interesting thread. I’ve actually thought about this on and off over the years.

James, you mention the figure of 600,000,000 people altogether, but you’re only taking a percentage of the people that are alive today. What about all the people that have gone before us since time began? The mind boggles.

2 Cor 13:13
Eddy Barry

Yeah. 1% of a lot is still a lot. But 1% is still very few.

Its sad but seems quite likely to be true.

Chuck

 

[HailHolyQueen90]

Thank you all for the answers! It is no doubt mind boggling. Very interesting subject to think about.

 

[Miriam1947]

Great thread. I surely hope that I persevere to the last day and go home to heaven.

Question?

If we are going to be completely happy in heaven, what about those whom we loved on earth who are not there with us?

Will we notice? Will we miss them? Will we be happy even though they are not there too?

 

[lauraabarlow]

Great thread. I surely hope that I persevere to the last day and go home to heaven.

Question?

If we are going to be completely happy in heaven, what about those whom we loved on earth who are not there with us?

Will we notice? Will we miss them? Will we be happy even though they are not there too?

I’ve been thinking the same thing. Oh-let’s not forget those who by the skin of their teeth made it to purgatory-the few vs multitudes groups. I pray that we make it to heaven—hope God will find me worthy enough to make it with my going through life’s hardships and trials and tribulations (autistic issues as a child-may have mild aspergers, divorce/abandonment, single parenting, and finances yet still staying strong in faith)-been through and still going through many of life’s storms and praying to still make it to at least purgatory, me and my children.

 

[JRKH]

Great thread. I surely hope that I persevere to the last day and go home to heaven.

Question?

If we are going to be completely happy in heaven, what about those whom we loved on earth who are not there with us?

Will we notice? Will we miss them? Will we be happy even though they are not there too?

The shortest answer that I can give you is that in heaven, our wills are perfectly in line with God’s Will. That is, perfectly in Line with Love. Our happiness flows from that perfect Love of God in and through us. Various forms of imperfect happiness such as we experience on earth will mean nothing in the presence of the beatific vision.

Peace
James

 

[Bballer32]

Revalation 7:9-17 (NAB)

“A great multitude, which no one could count” sure sounds like a lot of folks saved to me.

Not trying to make an argument here i just wanted to add something.

Wouldn’t John the Revelator be seeing all of those who went before us? I mean there has to be some people saved everyday, maybe not a whole lot, but i’m pretty sure there are more people there than on earth. The point someone was trying to make was that maybe only a certain percent of us on earth right now will make it… Who knows?

 

[Cristiano]

Matthew 26:28 (D-R Bible)

For this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins.

 

[Steady_Eddy]

Hello again,

I wasn’t online yesterday (Sunday) but I have read the latest interesting comments just a few moments ago.

There’s just one thing I was sorry I didn’t add the last time. When we think about people making it to heaven we tend to think in terms of those people taking up space like we do here on earth. But in our purer spiritual forms we mightn’t take up space in the same way, and space itself might be unlimited.

It is said (and some saints have witnessed this) that Our Lady, some saints, and angels too are present at each and every Mass yet they certainly don’t take up any space in the sense that we become aware of… We are not sure yet what form our new (purely spiritual) bodies will take but I would imagine we won’t be limited to time and space, or any of the other limitations we experience today. And regarding our loved ones making it to heaven I think that’s where our private prayer kicks in. The story about St Monica praying unceasingly for her son who eventually became St Augustine springs to mind here. And I think we’ll all agree that such prayer though private is nevertheless the one thing that shouldn’t remain at home but like the ripples in a pond should extend to all peoples in our localities and throughout the world.

2 Cor 13:13
Eddy Barry