Does size matter in salvation?

HOW CAN A CHURCH WHICH DOES NOT COMPRISE THE MAJORITY BE SAVED?

“How can your church be the true religion, the true church, the one to be saved by Christ if it does not comprise the majority of the people in the world?”

BEING COMPOSED OF the majority does not translate to its being elected, chosen, the true religion, the true Church, the one to be saved by Christ. Of the ancient Israel, the Holy Scriptures says:

“For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 7:6 NKJV)

The ancient Israel was the first nation of God. The Bible said, “God has chosen you to be a people for Himself.” Compared with other people, the Bible also said regarding the ancient Israel that they were “a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.” But, was ancient Israel composed of the majority of the people on the face of the earth? Deuteronomy 7:7 reads:

“The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples.” (Deuteronomy 7:7 NKJV)

Thus, number is not the basis of being God chosen people, of being God’s nation. About salvation, when God destroyed the ancient world through the great flood, of those that were saved, the Holy Scriptures says:

“God did not spare the ancient world, but brought the flood on the world of godless people; the only ones he saved were Noah, who preached righteousness, and seven other people.” (II Peter 2:5 TEV)

When God destroyed the ancient world through flood, out of all the people in the world, only eight people were saved. Thus, number is not the basis of those who will be saved by the Lord Jesus Christ come Judgment Day. However, we are not saying that the true religion cannot be composed of the majority, and only a minority can be the true Church, but that being the chosen people of God and the one that will be saved by the Lord Jesus is not determined by the size of a religious orga­nization. Of the true Church Of Christ, Apostle Peter said:

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (I Peter 2:9-10 NIV)

The true Church Of Christ is the chosen people of God, a holy nation, a people belonging to God. What makes them the chosen people of God, a holy nation, a people belonging to God is not their number or size, but that God called or elected them. The Bible says, “that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” What proves their calling or election? Apostle Peter further said:

“Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall...

“And we have the prophetic word made more sure. You will do well to pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (II Peter 1:10 and 19 RSV)

Apostle Peter said, “be more zealous to confirm your call and election…we have the prophetic word made more sure.” Thus, the proof of their calling or election is the “prophetic word” or the biblical prophecy. Regarding the election of the Church Of Christ that emerged in the Philippines, the Holy Scriptures has this prophecy:

“Indeed the LORD has proclaimed To the end of the world: ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Surely your salvation is coming; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.’ And they shall call them The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD; And you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.” (Isaiah 62:11-12 NKJV)

According to this prophecy there are Holy Peoplem redeemed by the Lord, that God had proclaimed to the end of the world. This is not the ancient Israel and the first century Church Of Christ, because those prophesied in this verse were the redeemed people proclaimed to the end of the world. Who are those redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ? The Church Of Christ:

“Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit had appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with His blood.” (Acts 20:28 Lamsa)

The “daughter of Zion” referred to in the prophecy is also the one mentioned as “redeemed by the Lord.” Thus, this is the Church Of Christ that God had proclaimed to the end of the world. However, let us not be mistaken. What Isaiah 62:11-12 said is “the LORD has proclaimed To the end of the world.” Regarding the date and place of the emergence of the “Holy People” redeemed by the Lord and proclaimed to the end of the world are prophesied in Isaiah 43:5:

“Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 43:5-6 KJV)

The ends of the earth mentioned in Isaiah 43:5-6 which is the period of time when the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is near, the beginning of which is signaled by a world war (Matt 24: 3, 33, 6-7; Isa 34:1-2). On July 27, 1914, the First World War broke out (The Story of the Great War, Vol. II, p. 291) indicating the beginning of the period ends of the earth. It is on this very date when this Church Of Christ was registered with the Philippine government. Regarding the place where the Church Of Christ that God had proclaimed to the end of the world, Isaiah 43:5 of Moffatt translation has this to say:

“From the far east will I bring your offspring, and from the far west I will gather you.” (Isaiah 43:5 Moffatt)

The fulfillment of which is the Philippines, a country which is found in the Far East (Asia and the Philippines, p.169) and from where the Church Of Christ of the ends of the earth emerged. Thus, the biblical prophecy did not only called the Church Of Christ that emerged in the Far East as God’s Holy People, but also confirmed it’s being the one to be saved by the Lord Jesus Christ come Judgment Day when the prophecy said, “‘Surely your salvation is coming.”

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