Yes, the Bible says few people will go to heaven and many will go to hell. Since 2/3 or more of the earth believe in God, not all who believe in God will go to heaven. I believe some will assume they are Christians and will assume they'll go to heaven, but will be very disappointed when they don't make it in. The reason I believe this is Matthew 7:21. Matthew 7:13-14 says narrow is the way that leads to life and few will find it. Few. Of course we don't earn salvation by works, but genuine Christians should have good works as a fruit. If not, how are they different than satan, who also believes in God and Jesus. I believe some people can feel assurance in their salvation, but I think most have a false sense of security. Obviously if "few" people are saved, and "most" believe, then some people's standards aren't inline with God's standards for salvation and most should absolutely be concerned. Matthew 10:28 - Jesus warned Christians (His literal followers) to fear the one who can send them to hell. So, it is my opinion that some need to fear God more and have a false sense of security as if they have a pass to commit unlimited sin and follow the world, including satan. The Bible says most will not enter heaven. I think most dost don't take following Jesus very seriously. Also beware of false teachings, like one commenter even in this thread who falsely claims eveyone is going to heaven, despite Jesus saying the opposite. Trust Jesus over man's lies and false teaching. God bless...
Brother Adam, may CHRIST IN US grace us with HIS wisdom and HIS understanding.
The Word says MOST will see DEATH, not HELL.
The WAGES of sin (unbelief) is DEATH, the sins of the flesh are COVERED by the DEATH of Christ.
The WAGES of go and sin no more (belief) are IMMORTALITY (never ending LIFE in Christ, I AM truth and life).
All that ARE NOT TRANSLATED (you are born again BY the word of God) into the Kingdom of God (messengers of Spirit, with never ending LIFE, never ending TRUTH) WILL be raised back into their bodies of FLESH and JUDGED.
Malachi 2:7 For the (kingdom) priest's lips shall keep knowledge, and they (kingdom priest)that seek the law at his (the WORD's) mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of host.
Isaiah 26:9 ....with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy JUDGEMENTS are in the EARTH, the inhabitants OF THE WORLD will LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS.
His judgements are not NOW in the EARTH; he is calling out of this world those CHOSEN to be kings and priest in his kingdom to RULE and JUDGE the world.
After this happens and judgement comes, every knee will bow and every tongue will CONFESS HE IS LORD.
Confession is made unto salvation.
Traditions of man limits God's plan.
God WILL NOT BE LIMITED, His WILL, WILL BE DONE.
I John 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father SENT the SON (THE WORD) to be saviour of the world.
Isaiah 55:11 So shall my WORD (the SON) be that goeth out of my (the Father's) mouth: it (my WORD, my SON) shall not return unto me VOID (incomplete or unfinished WORK), but it (my WORD, my SON) shall ACCOMPLISH that which I PLEASE, and it (my WORD, my SON) shall prosper in the thing whereto I SENT IT.
1 Corinthians 15:28 When ALL THINGS HAVE BEEN SUBDUED unto him, then shall the Son himself be subject to him who put ALL THINGS under him, that God (SPIRIT, LIFE, TRUTH) may be ALL IN ALL.
You can't RULE and REIGN with CHRIST if you don't BELIEVE Christ is going TO BE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD.
I don't know if you believe in hell or not. Most Christians do, because the Bible warns us about hell. So, if you believe in hell, the next question is how long does it last? Instant destruction/death, medium term death, long term, or eternity? The Bible uses different synonyms, examples, parables, etc to describe hell. For example, if you keep reading in Matthew 7 verse 19 it calls it a 'fire'. Matthew 8:12 says there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mark 9:48 says the worm never dies and fire unquenched. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 says "everlasting destruction." I interpret this is not short. Revelation 20:10 also suggests it's not short in duration. Jude 1:7 - uses the word "eternal fire." Matthew 25:46, Matthew 25:41. These are only a handful of examples and I think there are more suggesting that hell is not an instant death. If you find just as many verses saying hell is instant and you die instantly, please share them. I also don't believe the word death or destruction automatically means it's instant. It can happen over a longer period of time. For example Adam and ate the fruit and was condemned to death, but lived 930 years. He became mortal and died just like God said and it wasn't instant, but the death was slow. Is it out of the question to consider the same could be true for hell, especially since many verses say it's eternal?
People will likely interpret the duration differently and we probably won't know for sure until the end. But because of the scripture, the context, that hell is intended to be a punishment for those who disobeyed, I do not believe it is an instant death. I think people will be very sorry and deeply regret they disrespected God and did not take Him seriously and I believe God will fairly see those who chose evil are punished. God bless.
Jesus saved the world in the world and unveiled the Peaceful Kingdom, where still in earth, overcomer(s) of the world in Him can reign with Him, even now, until the end of the world.
Brother Carleton; I AGREE, we are reigning NOW, with him, in truth, in peace, in life, because he has revealed this to us, through his written word AND the living word abiding IN US.
His word ALSO declares to us what we will BE DOING after we depart this body of flesh.
Psalms 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepth, BEARING PRECIOUS SEED (written and living, Matthew 13:37, Luke 8:11) shall doubtless COME AGAIN (as SEED) with rejoicing, bring his SHEAVES (the harvest) with him.
I would like to add another meditation. In the beginning God through Christ created man in the image of God to live on forever. Man separated himself from this image by his own works. The punishment from God was immediate. Man lost part of the whole image and became in the flesh, earth and world a false image, because man was no longer representing the whole image of God. This incomplete image was now mortality by corruption (sin).
What was missing? Holiness and righteousness.
What was gained? Food for the dragon, Satan.
Until Jesus came in the likeness of flesh, earth and world to save man in God's complete image which is eternal Life.
You are right saying death. Hell is under the earth. God's light will burn the earth to the lowest depths, or lowest hell in the earth melting the elements with fervent heat, purifying the earth of all sin. All things changed when death became a reality. People think of a place. Heaven needs to be in us. That is life. People will have death in them had they not have life in them. They will have hell in them, as a result. They that don't have life in them will become ashes, seeing God's light as the fires of hell.
People falsely believe that only good sinners get in, and the Judas', Hitler's and Stalin's burn in the lake of fire. God made us all to do what we are to do, having little control over who we are as sinners.
So, it's my belief that everyone that has ever lived, gets in. Take anti-christ, the person, he is commissioned by God to do God's will. If he or the others were never born, God would seek out someone else to do His will. When the 3 evil spirits are removed, and put in the lake of fire, it removes the burden of sin from us all. You see, we won't have the compromising infrastructure attached to our spirit that causes us to err.
I take that verse with a grain of salty propaganda. If you're gonna scare me, like the devil, I might drop out of sight. I don't need to be part of anything, so I'd choose to sleep for eternity over walking on egg shells.
The warning to not take the mark is specifically for the 144 thousand sealed saints. They are the only ones strong enough not to take the mark ( Revelation 20:4). God knows everyone else, Christian or not, will accept the mark during the great tribulation. This is human instinct to survive any way possible. Chapter 14 is for the saints.
( Revelation 14:9-11)
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
There are Bible accounts you accept at face value, and others you don't accept at face value (more to it than meets the eye). If you don't understand who the immediate audience is, you will not gain full understanding. You will think it's directed at you, and say something like "I wouldn't take the mark", when in fact, you most certainly will take the mark. Most Christian's are weak as water and will clamor to take the mark. God knows the hypocrites, Christian's in name only will lose their religion for their bellies. Each claim must be proven in its measure, and this one has problems in its rhetorical design.
Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
I'm sorry, and I understand how you feel, but - We don't get a choice to "sleep for eternity".
The choices are:
1. Go to heaven.
2. Suffer for eternity in hell.
We don't get to make the rules regarding this. God is the creator and makes the rules for His Kingdom. You better believe HE will control who gets to enter the Kingdom!
You can see what kind of conditions we get when man makes the rules, look at the shape that this earth/world is in currently, and it's not getting any better.
God has left man to his own devices to show us that WE CAN"T get it RIGHT!
A wise person will fear God, and repent!
Matthew 10:28
"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
God does not want anyone to perish. That is not a spesific number. People will not suffer forever. That is saying the same lie Satan said in the Garden of Eden.
The Word says MOST will see DEATH, not HELL.
The WAGES of sin (unbelief) is DEATH, the sins of the flesh are COVERED by the DEATH of Christ.
The WAGES of go and sin no more (belief) are IMMORTALITY (never ending LIFE in Christ, I AM truth and life).
All that ARE NOT TRANSLATED (you are born again BY the word of God) into the Kingdom of God (messengers of Spirit, with never ending LIFE, never ending TRUTH) WILL be raised back into their bodies of FLESH and JUDGED.
Malachi 2:7 For the (kingdom) priest's lips shall keep knowledge, and they (kingdom priest)that seek the law at his (the WORD's) mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of host.
Isaiah 26:9 ....with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy JUDGEMENTS are in the EARTH, the inhabitants OF THE WORLD will LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS.
His judgements are not NOW in the EARTH; he is calling out of this world those CHOSEN to be kings and priest in his kingdom to RULE and JUDGE the world.
After this happens and judgement comes, every knee will bow and every tongue will CONFESS HE IS LORD.
Confession is made unto salvation.
Traditions of man limits God's plan.
God WILL NOT BE LIMITED, His WILL, WILL BE DONE.
I John 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father SENT the SON (THE WORD) to be saviour of the world.
Isaiah 55:11 So shall my WORD (the SON) be that goeth out of my (the Father's) mouth: it (my WORD, my SON) shall not return unto me VOID (incomplete or unfinished WORK), but it (my WORD, my SON) shall ACCOMPLISH that which I PLEASE, and it (my WORD, my SON) shall prosper in the thing whereto I SENT IT.
1 Corinthians 15:28 When ALL THINGS HAVE BEEN SUBDUED unto him, then shall the Son himself be subject to him who put ALL THINGS under him, that God (SPIRIT, LIFE, TRUTH) may be ALL IN ALL.
You can't RULE and REIGN with CHRIST if you don't BELIEVE Christ is going TO BE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD.
I don't know if you believe in hell or not. Most Christians do, because the Bible warns us about hell. So, if you believe in hell, the next question is how long does it last? Instant destruction/death, medium term death, long term, or eternity? The Bible uses different synonyms, examples, parables, etc to describe hell. For example, if you keep reading in Matthew 7 verse 19 it calls it a 'fire'. Matthew 8:12 says there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mark 9:48 says the worm never dies and fire unquenched. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 says "everlasting destruction." I interpret this is not short. Revelation 20:10 also suggests it's not short in duration. Jude 1:7 - uses the word "eternal fire." Matthew 25:46, Matthew 25:41. These are only a handful of examples and I think there are more suggesting that hell is not an instant death. If you find just as many verses saying hell is instant and you die instantly, please share them. I also don't believe the word death or destruction automatically means it's instant. It can happen over a longer period of time. For example Adam and ate the fruit and was condemned to death, but lived 930 years. He became mortal and died just like God said and it wasn't instant, but the death was slow. Is it out of the question to consider the same could be true for hell, especially since many verses say it's eternal?
People will likely interpret the duration differently and we probably won't know for sure until the end. But because of the scripture, the context, that hell is intended to be a punishment for those who disobeyed, I do not believe it is an instant death. I think people will be very sorry and deeply regret they disrespected God and did not take Him seriously and I believe God will fairly see those who chose evil are punished. God bless.
Jesus saved the world in the world and unveiled the Peaceful Kingdom, where still in earth, overcomer(s) of the world in Him can reign with Him, even now, until the end of the world.
His word ALSO declares to us what we will BE DOING after we depart this body of flesh.
Psalms 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepth, BEARING PRECIOUS SEED (written and living, Matthew 13:37, Luke 8:11) shall doubtless COME AGAIN (as SEED) with rejoicing, bring his SHEAVES (the harvest) with him.
What was missing? Holiness and righteousness.
What was gained? Food for the dragon, Satan.
Until Jesus came in the likeness of flesh, earth and world to save man in God's complete image which is eternal Life.
People falsely believe that only good sinners get in, and the Judas', Hitler's and Stalin's burn in the lake of fire. God made us all to do what we are to do, having little control over who we are as sinners.
So, it's my belief that everyone that has ever lived, gets in. Take anti-christ, the person, he is commissioned by God to do God's will. If he or the others were never born, God would seek out someone else to do His will. When the 3 evil spirits are removed, and put in the lake of fire, it removes the burden of sin from us all. You see, we won't have the compromising infrastructure attached to our spirit that causes us to err.
Everyone gets to be awesome in earth and heaven.
The warning to not take the mark is specifically for the 144 thousand sealed saints. They are the only ones strong enough not to take the mark ( Revelation 20:4). God knows everyone else, Christian or not, will accept the mark during the great tribulation. This is human instinct to survive any way possible. Chapter 14 is for the saints.
( Revelation 14:9-11)
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
There are Bible accounts you accept at face value, and others you don't accept at face value (more to it than meets the eye). If you don't understand who the immediate audience is, you will not gain full understanding. You will think it's directed at you, and say something like "I wouldn't take the mark", when in fact, you most certainly will take the mark. Most Christian's are weak as water and will clamor to take the mark. God knows the hypocrites, Christian's in name only will lose their religion for their bellies. Each claim must be proven in its measure, and this one has problems in its rhetorical design.
Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
I'm sorry, and I understand how you feel, but - We don't get a choice to "sleep for eternity".
The choices are:
1. Go to heaven.
2. Suffer for eternity in hell.
We don't get to make the rules regarding this. God is the creator and makes the rules for His Kingdom. You better believe HE will control who gets to enter the Kingdom!
You can see what kind of conditions we get when man makes the rules, look at the shape that this earth/world is in currently, and it's not getting any better.
God has left man to his own devices to show us that WE CAN"T get it RIGHT!
A wise person will fear God, and repent!
Matthew 10:28
"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
God Bless and Happy Sabbath Day!
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