Matthew 7:14
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 24:10-13
10 And then shall many lose faith and shall betray one another and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Why will only a few people be obedient believers who have walked the narrow road? Only a few people as compared to the rest of the world, will be raptured. It is sad and quite sobering and scary at the same time. I now wonder how does one remain obedient to the true gospel of our Savior and then get so easily deceived by prophets who came from the church initially, but were not of the church. It is so sad, but Jesus did in fact come to bring division, as it illustrates a Deity, not a a god who is milquetoast God who not your buddy.
I know that Jesus mentioned something about someone laying His (or her) life for His friends. It means that Jesus was crucified for not just those who hate Him, but also for those who love Him, such as most of the disciples. Only born again believers who truly love Jesus were called His friends. It is obvious that Jesus really doesn't have many friends for most of the world were adulterers who do not know the Holy Spirit and love the world and the things in the world. Not only do they not understand or know Him, they don't show respect to Him because of their unfaithfulness to Him.
The Trinity are not of the world, and neither are true believers. We are in the world, but are not of the world. Jesus has chosen us out of this world, for they hate or show aversion towards us. That only means Jesus has chosen a few because only few will be able to escape the Lake of Fire and enter the New Jerusalem. Predestined does not mean that Jesus automatically chose only a few to labor for the gospel, preach the gospel, and witness to others. The laborers will be few. Predestination involves in truth free will as God created us to have free will. Predestination is about prophecy. It has been predicted that only a few will enter Heaven. Only a few will escape eternal punishment. It could have been the majority due to free will, but because He is God, His will is perfect and so is the 100% sure accuracy of His prophecy(ies).
I have spent quite a bit of time reading and studying the Bible over the years. Correct me if I am wrong. It seems like that the Bible isn't just 25% or 33% prophecy. The entire Bible is a book of prophecy in my eyes. (Note that I am a fundamentalist Baptist who not only believe that God created us with free will and the ability to learn, think, and grow, but to also have a strict, conservative interpretation of the Bible.) God already foreknew what has, what is happening, and what will be happening. In other words, the Bible is a prophetic Book where we have a God who allows us to be humans who choose, learn, fall, and grow from experiences, thus the teaching or parable of the narrow road is about the path we choose to take. Yes the Holy Spirit plays a role, but we can either choose to follow Him or not.
Sadly, only a few will not reject God. Only a few will enter Heaven. Only a few will be raptured. Only a few will walk the narrow road. This saddens and sometimes frustrates me. With all of this writing about predestination, prophecy, and free will. My question is, why can't most people make the right choice and allow themselves to be convicted by the Holy Spirit? Why only a few? Why not many? How would things change if Jesus were to say that most have a chance to or will be raptured with Him one day? I just find it sad that compared to the world's population, only a few will not have their part in the Lake of Fire.
