Is The Christian Church Now A "Little Flock" ? NO.

[JAGG]

Do these three Bible verses teach that Christians are now,
and will be in the future, few in numbers? No!

(A) Luke 12:32's "little flock"
(B) Matthew 7:14's "only a few find it"
(C) Matthew 22:14's "many are invited, but few are chosen"

Why not few in numbers?

Because there are well over 2,300,000,000 Christians in the world
.and 2.3 billion Christians cannot be a "little flock" or only a "few".

There are over 16,000,000 Southern Baptist in the United States.
Sixteen million Christians cannot be a "little flock" or a "few."

There are over 1300 Protestant mega-churches in the United States
with weekly attendance over 2000. That many Christians cannot
be a "little flock" or just a "few."

There are over 3000 Catholic churches in the world with a weekly attendance
of over 2000. This many Christians cannot be just a "few" or a "little flock."


Anticipated objection:

"Those people up there are not true Christians."___John Small Church

My reply to John Small Church:

It is absolutely impossible for you to know for certain that they are not
true Christians. You do not have the power or the authority to judge
the hearts of other people. That's just a fact and its an absolute fact.
Only God has the power and the authority to judge the hearts of people
and to know if they are, or are not, true Christians.

I say all this, John Small Church, in the spirit of love and kindness.
Remember this: You, like all Christians, are imperfect. You are not sinless.

Therefore any one of those 2.3 billion Christians could look at the
imperfections in your life and they could say about you, what you
just said about them, namely that you are not a true Christian.
So the conversation can end up like this:

Bob: I am a true Christian, but you Tom, are not a true Christian.
Tom: No Bob, I am a true Christian, but you are not a true Christian.
Bob: No Tom, you do not meet my standards for being a true Christian.
Tom: No Bob, you do not meet my standards for being a true Christian

________________


I plan to consider these 5 biblical passages regarding the
HUGE-ENORMOUS numbers of the Christian Church.

(1) Genesis 22:15-18 with
(2) Galatians 3:6-9 with
(3) Romans 4:16-17 with
(4) Hebrews 11:11-12 with
(5) Revelation 7:9-10

Meanwhile this thought:

"As of the year 2015, Christianity has more than 2.3 billion adherents,
out of about 7.5 billion people. The faith represents one-third of the
world's population and is the largest religion in the world, with the three
largest groups being the Catholic Church, Protestantism, and
the Eastern Orthodox Church."__wiki

______


Clearly, Christianity is not now a "little flock" and it is impossible to interpret
the Bible as teaching that the Christian Church is always going to be a "little
flock." When was Christianity a "little flock"? Answer: It was a "little flock"
at the time the Lord Jesus spoke the words of Luke 12:32. At that time
there was probably less than 300 Christians in the entire world of the
1st century. The Christian Church is not a "little flock" now and
will never again be a "little flock."

So?

So clearly these verses . .

(A) Luke 12:32's "little flock"
(B) Matthew 7:14's "only a few find it"
(C) Matthew 22:14's "many are invited, but few are chosen" . . .

. . .are NOT predictive of the future of the numerical size of the Christian Church.



`

 

[Bradley D]

I believe there are Christians and professed Christians.

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me" (Matthew 25:41-45)

 

[JAGG]

I believe there are Christians and professed Christians.

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry
and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to
drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and
you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after
me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a
stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the
least of these, you did not do for me" (Matthew 25:41-45)

What does that have to do with the Opening Post or the title of this
thread?

Would you like to discuss the title of this thread? Is The Christian Church
Now A "Little Flock"? NO.

The following is good news:

There are well over 2,300,000,000 Christians in the world
.and 2.3 billion Christians cannot be a "little flock" or only a "few".

There are over 16,000,000 Southern Baptist in the United States.
Sixteen million Christians cannot be a "little flock" or a "few."

There are over 1300 Protestant mega-churches in the United States
with weekly attendance over 2000. That many Christians cannot
be a "little flock" or just a "few."

`

 

[Bradley D]

What does that have to do with the Opening Post or the title of this
thread?

Would you like to discuss the title of this thread? Is The Christian Church
Now A "Little Flock"? NO.

The following is good news:

There are well over 2,300,000,000 Christians in the world
.and 2.3 billion Christians cannot be a "little flock" or only a "few".

There are over 16,000,000 Southern Baptist in the United States.
Sixteen million Christians cannot be a "little flock" or a "few."

There are over 1300 Protestant mega-churches in the United States
with weekly attendance over 2000. That many Christians cannot
be a "little flock" or just a "few."

`

Those are numbers. Does not mean they are all true Christians.

 

[steko]

The little flock are Israelites to be given the kingdom over Israel with the twelve apostles reigning over the twelve tribes in the kingdom age.
The little flock are not the Christian church of the last 2000 years which are saved by the gospel of the grace of GOD.

 

[JAGG]

Those are numbers. Does not mean they are all true Christians.

Anticipated objection:

"Those people up there are not true Christians."___John Small Church

My reply to John Small Church:

It is absolutely impossible for you to know for certain that they are not
true Christians. You do not have the power or the authority to judge
the hearts of other people. That's just a fact and its an absolute fact.
Only God has the power and the authority to judge the hearts of people
and to know if they are, or are not, true Christians.

I say all this, John Small Church, in the spirit of love and kindness.
Remember this: You, like all Christians, are imperfect. You are not sinless.

Therefore any one of those 2.3 billion Christians could look at the
imperfections in your life and they could say about you, what you
just said about them, namely that you are not a true Christian.
So the conversation can end up like this:

Bob: I am a true Christian, but you Tom, are not a true Christian.
Tom: No Bob, I am a true Christian, but you are not a true Christian.
Bob: No Tom, you do not meet my standards for being a true Christian.
Tom: No Bob, you do not meet my standards for being a true Christian



`

 

[Trump Gurl]

I believe there are Christians and professed Christians.

Good point. Some folks just "Check the Box" when a poll is taken. But still, its better than being an atheist.

 

[Trump Gurl]

Because there are well over 2,300,000,000 Christians in the world
.and 2.3 billion Christians cannot be a "little flock" or only a "few".

Christianity – 2.51 billion

• Catholicism – 1.329 billion.
• Protestantism – 900 million.
• Eastern Orthodoxy – 230 million.
• Oriental Orthodoxy – 62 million.
• Non-trinitarian Restorationism – 35 million.
• Miscellaneous branches – 2 million.

Food for thought, the next time someone says what "Christians" believe.

 

[God's Truth]

The little flock are Israelites to be given the kingdom over Israel with the twelve apostles reigning over the twelve tribes in the kingdom age.
The little flock are not the Christian church of the last 2000 years which are saved by the gospel of the grace of GOD.

There is only one church. Jesus is not divided.

1 Corinthians 1:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Matthew 3:6
Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Acts 2:38
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 10:2
They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

 

[steko]

There is only one church. Jesus is not divided.

1 Corinthians 1:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Matthew 3:6
Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Acts 2:38
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 10:2
They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

Is the church in Acts 19:32 the one church that you are referring to?

 

[God's Truth]

Is the church in Acts 19:32 the one church that you are referring to?

That is about the PAGAN people who were there. They are not Christ's church.

You don't know that?

Acts 19:³⁵ The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven?³⁶ Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. ³⁷ You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.

 

[steko]

That is about the PAGAN people who were there. They are not Christ's church.

You don't know that?

Acts 19:³⁵ The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven?³⁶ Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. ³⁷ You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.

Yes, I know that.
I just wondered if you did.

Act 19:32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.-KJV

The word 'assembly' in that verse is the Grk 'ekklesia' which is the same word translated 'church' the body of Christ and also the 'congregation/church' in the wilderness pertaining to Israel in the OT,
Therefore, you just made my point... there is more than one 'church/ekklesia' mentioned in Scripture and they are not all the same 'church/ekklesia'.

Things that are different are not the same.

 

[steko]

Do these three Bible verses teach that Christians are now,
and will be in the future, few in numbers? No!

(A) Luke 12:32's "little flock"
(B) Matthew 7:14's "only a few find it"
(C) Matthew 22:14's "many are invited, but few are chosen"

Why not few in numbers?

Because there are well over 2,300,000,000 Christians in the world
.and 2.3 billion Christians cannot be a "little flock" or only a "few".

There are over 16,000,000 Southern Baptist in the United States.
Sixteen million Christians cannot be a "little flock" or a "few."

There are over 1300 Protestant mega-churches in the United States
with weekly attendance over 2000. That many Christians cannot
be a "little flock" or just a "few."

There are over 3000 Catholic churches in the world with a weekly attendance
of over 2000. This many Christians cannot be just a "few" or a "little flock."


Anticipated objection:

"Those people up there are not true Christians."___John Small Church

My reply to John Small Church:

It is absolutely impossible for you to know for certain that they are not
true Christians. You do not have the power or the authority to judge
the hearts of other people. That's just a fact and its an absolute fact.
Only God has the power and the authority to judge the hearts of people
and to know if they are, or are not, true Christians.

I say all this, John Small Church, in the spirit of love and kindness.
Remember this: You, like all Christians, are imperfect. You are not sinless.

Therefore any one of those 2.3 billion Christians could look at the
imperfections in your life and they could say about you, what you
just said about them, namely that you are not a true Christian.
So the conversation can end up like this:

Bob: I am a true Christian, but you Tom, are not a true Christian.
Tom: No Bob, I am a true Christian, but you are not a true Christian.
Bob: No Tom, you do not meet my standards for being a true Christian.
Tom: No Bob, you do not meet my standards for being a true Christian

________________


I plan to consider these 5 biblical passages regarding the
HUGE-ENORMOUS numbers of the Christian Church.

(1) Genesis 22:15-18 with
(2) Galatians 3:6-9 with
(3) Romans 4:16-17 with
(4) Hebrews 11:11-12 with
(5) Revelation 7:9-10

Meanwhile this thought:

"As of the year 2015, Christianity has more than 2.3 billion adherents,
out of about 7.5 billion people. The faith represents one-third of the
world's population and is the largest religion in the world, with the three
largest groups being the Catholic Church, Protestantism, and
the Eastern Orthodox Church."__wiki

______


Clearly, Christianity is not now a "little flock" and it is impossible to interpret
the Bible as teaching that the Christian Church is always going to be a "little
flock." When was Christianity a "little flock"? Answer: It was a "little flock"
at the time the Lord Jesus spoke the words of Luke 12:32. At that time
there was probably less than 300 Christians in the entire world of the
1st century. The Christian Church is not a "little flock" now and
will never again be a "little flock."

So?

So clearly these verses . .

(A) Luke 12:32's "little flock"
(B) Matthew 7:14's "only a few find it"
(C) Matthew 22:14's "many are invited, but few are chosen" . . .

. . .are NOT predictive of the future of the numerical size of the Christian Church.



`

The Christian Church never was the 'little flock'.
The 'little flock' is to be given the prophetic kingdom on this earth in the land promised with Israel's Messiah ruling as King from the throne of David.

 

[JAGG]

`
The Christian Church never was the 'little flock'.
The 'little flock' is to be given the prophetic kingdom
on this earth in the land promised with Israel's Messiah
ruling as King from the throne of David.
`

I will NOT challenge what you said.

My only interest in this thread is to establish as fact the proposition
that the Christian Church is not now "few" in numbers and will
never again be "few" in numbers.

I included Luke 12:32's "little flock" in my OP, only because some
Christians quote Luke 12:32 as a proof text to support their
incorrect claim that the Christian Church will always be "few" in
numbers.

So I will modify my OP as follows in order to satisfy your concerns,
because I don't need the "little flock" quote in order to make my
point about "few."

Do these two {2} Bible verses teach that the Christian Church is now,
and will forever be in the future, few in numbers? No!

{1} Matthew 7:14's "only a few find it"
{2} Matthew 22:14's "many are invited, but few are chosen"

Why not?

Because there are well over 2,300,000,000 Christians in the world
.and 2.3 billion Christians cannot be a "few".

There are over 16,000,000 Southern Baptist in the United States.
Sixteen million Christians cannot be a "few."


`




`

 

[steko]

I will NOT challenge what you said.

My only interest in this thread is to establish as fact the proposition
that the Christian Church is not now "few" in numbers and will
never again be "few" in numbers.

I included Luke 12:32's "little flock" in my OP, only because some
Christians quote Luke 12:32 as a proof text to support their
incorrect claim that the Christian Church will always be "few" in
numbers.

So I will modify my OP as follows in order to satisfy your concerns,
because I don't need the "little flock" quote in order to make my
point about "few."

Do these two {2} Bible verses teach that the Christian Church is now,
and will forever be in the future, few in numbers? No!

{1} Matthew 7:14's "only a few find it"
{2} Matthew 22:14's "many are invited, but few are chosen"

Why not?

Because there are well over 2,300,000,000 Christians in the world
.and 2.3 billion Christians cannot be a "few".

There are over 16,000,000 Southern Baptist in the United States.
Sixteen million Christians cannot be a "few."


`

Okay....suits me!

 

[God's Truth]

Yes, I know that.
I just wondered if you did.

Act 19:32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.-KJV

The word 'assembly' in that verse is the Grk 'ekklesia' which is the same word translated 'church' the body of Christ and also the 'congregation/church' in the wilderness pertaining to Israel in the OT,
Therefore, you just made my point... there is more than one 'church/ekklesia' mentioned in Scripture and they are not all the same 'church/ekklesia'.

Things that are different are not the same.

No such connection. The word for assembly does not mean Christ's churches are divided.

 

[steko]

No such connection. The word for assembly does not mean Christ's churches are divided.

I didn't say Christ's church/assembly/ekklesia is divided.
I'm saying that there are other groups of people in the Bible that are called ekklesia and that they are not the church the body of Christ.

 

[God's Truth]

I didn't say Christ's church/assembly/ekklesia is divided.
I'm saying that there are other groups of people in the Bible that are called ekklesia and that they are not the church the body of Christ.

Jesus has one church and it is not divided. There isn't a church of Jews getting saved one way and another church of Gentiles getting saved another way.

 

[steko]

Jesus has one church and it is not divided. There isn't a church of Jews getting saved one way and another church of Gentiles getting saved another way.

Not at the present time...no.

 

[Hilltrot]

I was going to disagree but then I thought of the Confederacy and how so many people fought for slavery thinking it was the right thing to do. I also thought about how many of them thought they were "Christian" for doing so.