Christians To Become As Numerous As The Stars In The Sky? Yes!

JAG 5000

[JAG 5000]

JAG 5000 Writes:

I wrote this piece to make ONLY one major point, namely that the Christian Church is now and will forever be HUGE-ENORMOUS in numbers.

This makes me happy.

Every word in this post will encourage Christians. Its all good news. Bright. Cheerful. Hopeful. Optimistic. Packed with Faith and Hope for the Furure.

I am GLAD that the Church of the Lord Jesus is now HUGE in numbers and will grow EVEN LARGER as time goes on.

I hope you are GLAD too.

Why would you NOT be glad?

Do you want the Christian Church to be small, tiny, and dinky?

I hope and pray that you do NOT want that.

The Bible certainly does NOT teach that. Keep reading.

You may ask:

Doesn't everybody believe the Christian Church is now and will be HUGE in numbers?

NO, many Christians believe that there are only a very few true Christians in the world.

They are WRONG.

Here below is WHY they are WRONG.

If you are interested in this subject, you can take an in-depth look at what follows.

Will Christians become as numerous as the stars in the sky and as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore? Yes!

See Hebrews 11:11-12

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"

They do NOT teach that. Here below is WHY they do NOT teach that.

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

________________

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.

_________

Genesis 22:15-18

"The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, "I swear by myself,

declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants

as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their

enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

Note the particulars:

(1) "I will make your (Abraham) descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore"

(2) "through your offspring all the nations on earth will be blessed."

___________

Genesis 22:15-18

God said to Abraham, "indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore . . . and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed."

Note the particulars in Genesis 22:15-18

(1) stars

(2) grains of sand on the seashore

(3) all nations of the earth shall be blessed through Abraham's descendants. In Romans and Galatians and Hebrews the New Testament teaches that the Christian Church is the spiritual children of Abraham. More about that later.

Meanwhile:

How many stars are there in the universe? If you google that question, you'll get something like this:

"Multiplying the number of galaxies, which is about 2 trillion, by the 100 million stars in a galaxy suggests there could be about 10 raised to the 20th power stars in the universe."

That would be trillions and trillions of stars.

___________

Again these 5 biblical passages demonstrate clearly that the Christian Church is going to be HUGE-ENORMOUS in nymbers.

(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

Start quote.

"So also Abraham "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Understand,

then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed

through you." So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. Galatians 3:6-9

End quote.

In Galatians 3:6-9 Paul teaches that those who have faith are the children of Abraham. (The children of Abraham are therefore the Christian Church.)

In Genesis 22:15-18 God said to Abraham that he would make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as numerous as the sand on the seashore. (millions)

So?

So Genesis 22:15-18 clearly CONNECTS with Galatians 3:6-9

So?

So the numbers of the Christian Church (the children of Abraham) will be as numerous as the numbers of stars in the sky and as numerous as the sand on the seashore.(millions)

So?

So the following 3 verses cannot be applied to the numerical FUTURE of the entire Christian Church . . .

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"

Those verses up there (A), (B), (C) CANNOT be given a historically PREDICTIVE interpretation.

They MUST be interpreted ONLY as describing the numerical conditions of the first century in which they were written.

If you interpret them to refer to the FUTURE numbers of the Christian Church then you have created a contradiction. between Genesis 22:15-18 and Galatians 3:6-9 (and other Bible verses too)

Again the ONLY proposition of my Opening Post and follow-up posts is that the numerical size of the Christian Church is NOT now, and never again will be, a "little flock" or "few" in number.

_____________

Now add Revelation 7:9-10 which says that there is a great multitude of the saved from every nation, tribe, people and language and they are so numerous that no one can count them.

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people, and language,

standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes . . .and they cried

out . . . Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb." Revelation 7:9-10

So?

So 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"

. . CANNOT be given a historically PREDICTIVE interpretation.

They ONLY describe the small numbers of Christians who lived in the first century at the beginning of the public ministry of the Lord Jesus.

_____________

Now consider Hebrews 11:11-12 and Romans 4: 16-17

Hebrews 11:11-12 says that from Abraham came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

This is a NEW TESTAMENT verse that says clearly that the Christian Church is NOT going to remain a "little flock." or just a "few".

Abraham's descendants have been clearly identified as the Christian Church in the verses up-thread.

Then add Romans 4: 16-17 that teaches that "Abraham's offspring" is the Christian Church and says clearly that "He (Abraham) is the father of us all."

So?

So there is no POSSIBLE way to interpret . . .

(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"

. . .as being historically PREDICTIVE of the FUTURE numbers of the Christian Church.

The final numbers of the Christian Church will be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.

The Christian Church is NOT now and will NEVER again be just a "few" or a "little flock."

This ought to cheer the hearts and minds of all we Christians.

Moreover, the Lord Jesus deserves a HUGE growing Christian Church in the world and He is going to have that.

Christendom is right now at 2.3 billion worldwide and we are growing like wildfire in the Global South, in places like Africa.

Also there is a HUGE growing underground Christian Church in China. House Church.

And there is an HUGE-ENORMOUS Christian Church in South Korea.

___________

In Conclusion . . .

"I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" ___The Lord Jesus in Matthew 16:18 NIV

Note the phrase "I will BUILD my church" Does not this phrase and this verse clearly suggest that the numerical size of His church will not forever be a "little flock"

and only a "few"? My view is that the Lord Jesus could not successfully BUILD His church if it forever remained a "little flock" and only a "few" in numbers?

_______

Then consider the Lord Jesus's Great Commission at the end of Matthew's gospel chapter 28.

Start quote. "Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him;

but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

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, and teaching them to obey everything

I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:16-20 End quote.

Note the particulars:

(1) The Lord Jesus told His disciples to go and make disciples of ALL

the nations, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

(2) The Lord Jesus explained that they were to do this because He NOW had been given all authority in both Heaven and on Earth.

(3) This "all authority" that the Lord Jesus NOW has both in Heaven and on Earth is the reason why His disciples would be successful in making disciples of ALL the nations.

It is Jesus' power that empowers the certain success of His Great Commission to His Christian Church.

So?

So Matthew 28:16-20 clearly teaches that the Christian Church will not forever remain a "little flock" and only a "few" in numbers?

My view is that it would be impossible for the disciples of the Lord Jesus to successfully make disciples

of ALL nations teaching them to obey the commands of the Lord Jesus --- and at the same time the

Christian Church remain only a "little flock" and only be a "few" in numbers?

So?

So regarding the Opening Post and all my follow-up posts in this thread, I conclude that the proposition "The Christian Church is NOT now and

will NEVER again be just a "few" or a "little flock{" --has been established as true.

May God Bless Us All.

``

```

[cloudmountain]

Jesus did His work.

There are 7.594 billion people in the world.
There are 2.3 billion Christians (of all known denominations) in the world.
Of those 2.3 billion Christians 1.2 billion are Catholics.

Jesus' Church will last until the end of time.

[Phinneous]

Counting Mormons and Catholics? Unitarians?

[daniel1212]

There are 7.594 billion people in the world. There are 2.3 billion Christians (of all known denominations) in the world. Of those 2.3 billion Christians 1.2 billion are Catholics.

Thanks for the figures, though not all are Christians, but what is the source for these stats?

[reviled downesdad]

Agree the Church will grow but will also be filled with apostates and false teachers.

Followers of Christ be on guard and do not fall away. 3rd

[JAG 5000]

“Jesus did His work.
There are 7.594 billion people in the world.
There are 2.3 billion Christians (of all known denominations) in the world.
Of those 2.3 billion Christians 1.2 billion are Catholics.

Jesus’ Church will last until the end of time.”___Cloudmountain

Exactly!
Magnificent post.

My view:
We have not even “got started good” with regard to
the numbers of Christians yet coming.
The Christian Cjurch is in its infancy.
We’re only a “few weeks old” historically speaking.
We have untold mega-millenniums yet to go.
Our final numbers will be in the hundreds
of billions.
I actually believe much much higher than mere billions.

Here is an interesting tid-bit of information:
If you Google it, the Web will tell you there
has been some 108 billion humans born to
date. I have no point to make about that —just
sharing it with you For Your Information.

I have no reasons to think the human race
will NOT be going strong in the year 500,000 A.D.
Look at the Heavens.
Look at the Stars.
Look at the Universe.
Look at the Hubble Deep Field.
So?
So God does NOTHING on a small, tiny, dinky scale.
And His Human Race Project is no different.
Its gonna be BIG , , , really BIG , , ,
, , ,before human history ends.
Victory!
Victory In The Lord Jesus!

``

[PGalt]

Amen. You mean we’re not “bitter clingers”? /S

[JAG 5000]

“Agree the Church will grow but will also be filled with apostates and false teachers.

Followers of Christ be on guard and do not fall away.”___Reviled Downesdad

Yeah.
We gotta be on guard.

Apostates are bad.
False teachers are bad big time.

Just For Your Information:
I am a Bible believing orthodox Baptist.
I quote 2 Timothy 3:16-17 all the time.
Every word of the Bible is God-breathed
and inspired by the Holy Spirit.
_____

Long live the message of John 3:16

``

[xenia]

If this is so.....why have there been over 60 million abortions performed in America with so little push back?

[JAG 5000]

“Amen. You mean we’re not “bitter clingers”? /S”___PGalt

Help me out.
I’m not familiar with “bitter clingers.”

Also I’m not familiar with /S

What are “bitter clingers”?
What does /S mean?

Thanks.
`

[Persevero]

Well you certainly got my postmillennial juices flowing!!

[Persevero]

I think there has been a tremendous pushback, at great and sacrificial cost.

Mostly abortions are the lost killing their children. Yes some confessing christians do too but they are the exception not the rule and I know this firsthand having worked in a pro life center for years.

We are trying mostly to stop unbelievers from killing their kids. It’s an uphill battle.

[JAG 5000]

“If this is so.....why have there been
over 60 million abortions performed in
America with so little push back?”___Xenia

“If this is so”__Xenia

If what is so?

_____

Abortions are a huge evil on the face of humanity.
So is Pornography.
So are serial marriages.
So is Divorce.
So is all the HATE on many Social Media Forums on the Internet.
So is all the rioting, looting, and burning in the streets
of America.

Just because there is a lot of evil in the
world NOW , , , does not mean that the
Christian Church will not grow HUGE in
numbers in the coming millenniums.

Nor does it mean that the 2.3 billion Christians
in the world are not true born again Christians.

[JAG 5000]

“Well you certainly got my postmillennial juices flowing!!”__Persevero

Amen!
Long Live Postmillennialism.
Have you read Dr. Kenneth Gentry’s
He Shall Have Dominion?

And Postmillennialism: An Eschatology Of Victory
by Keith A. Mathison?

You ever read The Millennium bu Dr. Loraine Boettner?

[xenia]

If what is so?
_______________________
If there are as many Christians as stated, where are they when it comes to battling the evils in the world?

How often do you hear about abortion from the pulpit, and other sins you mentioned that are engulfing our nation and our families?

Silence for the most part. We should be having more influence on the culture than we are.

I never said they were not true born again Christians.

[xenia]

There is pushback by some. But for the most part its crickets.

I picketed way back in 1973 when it first became legal.... was in DC in January last year for the march.

We should be having more influence in the political …. but so many believers don’t even vote. That’s what is so sad. The abortions are happening in such great numbers because it is legal.

[antidemoncrat]

‘Question: “Will there be a great apostasy / falling away during the end times?”’

‘Answer: The Bible indicates that there will be a great apostasy during the end times. The “great apostasy” is mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The KJV calls it the “falling away,” while the NIV and ESV call it “the rebellion.” And that’s what an apostasy is: a rebellion, an abandonment of the truth. The end times will include a wholesale rejection of God’s revelation, a further “falling away” of an already fallen world.’

[JAG 5000]

“I think there has been a tremendous pushback, at great and sacrificial cost.

Mostly abortions are the lost killing their children. Yes some confessing christians do too but they are the exception not the rule and I know this firsthand having worked in a pro life center for years.

We are trying mostly to stop unbelievers from killing their kids. It’s an uphill battle.”___Persevero

What follows is NOT to detract from anything you said.
My view:
{1} All human moral problems are spiritual problems.
{2} There are no political solutions to spiritual problems.
{3} There are only spiritual solutions to spiritual problems.
{4} Those solutions must START with this:
{A} John 3:3 You must be born again.
{B} John 3:16 You must accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
{C} Galatians 5:22-23 You must allow the Holy Spirit to
produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Anything NOT the above will FAIL to solve the problem
You can “throw money” at it.
You can “throw laws” at it.
You will FAIL.
If you DO solve the problem in one area, the same ROOT
problem will POP-UP in another area.

In other words, its impossible to solve human problems
apart from the supernatural power of God Almighty and His
Son the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

You agree?

```

[JAG 5000]

“If there are as many Christians as stated, where are they when it comes to battling the evils in the world?

How often do you hear about abortion from the pulpit, and other sins you mentioned that are engulfing our nation and our families?

Silence for the most part. We should be having more influence on the culture than we are.

I never said they were not true born again Christians.”___Xenia

_____________

My view is that change does NOT come through
POLITICAL laws and through the “political
process” , , , as explained below:

{1} All human moral problems are spiritual problems.
{2} There are no political solutions to spiritual problems.
{3} There are only spiritual solutions to spiritual problems.
{4} Those solutions must START with this:
{A} John 3:3 You must be born again.
{B} John 3:16 You must accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
{C} Galatians 5:22-23 You must allow the Holy Spirit to
produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Anything NOT the above will FAIL to solve the problem
You can “throw money” at it.
You can “throw laws” at it.
You will FAIL.
If you DO solve the problem in one area, the same ROOT
problem will POP-UP in another area.

In other words, its impossible to solve human problems
apart from the supernatural power of God Almighty and His
Son the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

You agree?

__________

Christendom has 2.3 billion people spread out
allover the World.

American Christians cannot use the LAW to FORCE our
Christian moral code upon non-believers.

True genuine moral progress must come this way:

{1} All human moral problems are spiritual problems.
{2} There are no political solutions to spiritual problems.
{3} There are only spiritual solutions to spiritual problems.
{4} Those solutions must START with this:
{A} John 3:3 You must be born again.
{B} John 3:16 You must accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
{C} Galatians 5:22-23 You must allow the Holy Spirit to
produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit in your life.

```

[JAG 5000]

“‘Question: “Will there be a great apostasy / falling away during the end times?”’

‘Answer: The Bible indicates that there will be a great apostasy during the end times. The “great apostasy” is mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The KJV calls it the “falling away,” while the NIV and ESV call it “the rebellion.” And that’s what an apostasy is: a rebellion, an abandonment of the truth. The end times will include a wholesale rejection of God’s revelation, a further “falling away” of an already fallen world.”___Antidemoncrat

____________

I disagree with your interpretation of the Bible
on Christian Eschatology. I am a Postmillennialist
and NOT a:
Premillennialist , , or an
Amillennialist , , or a
Dispensationalist , , ,

but you are, of course, welcome to share your
views regarding the future of Christendom.

``