4. It’s Time: Your Story For The One.

117 billion people. A potential 80+ billion lost.

The truth is that not everyone will go to the same place when they die. That or everyone disappears, erased, no more; it’s all random with no purpose, and so are we, and the afterlife doesn’t exist.

But if we are spirits, then how many could actually be going to hell—the place separated from good, from light, from hope, from God? I mean, good people don’t go to hell; they go to heaven, right? What do we define as good? We must have something absolutely perfect to compare what is good or bad. Who is this comparison? It’s Jesus. If you don’t measure up to Him, then you fall short; and no one can measure up to Jesus. That is why he is the only one who can save us.

But, again, how many people will be saved? 

Jesus said, “Few.”

How many people will reject this saving grace and spend eternity apart from God in eternal separation?

Many.

Out of 117 billion souls, few will be saved; many will reject Jesus and be lost.

The words many and few are descriptive and explain that most people will be lost. 

Many means a lot; it’s a large number, a great majority.

Few means not many; it’s a small number, a minority of people.

The great majority of people will never enter heaven. Only a small minority of people will enter heaven.

It’s sad to think that out of 117 billion people, many, many people will spend eternity separated from God. This is heartbreaking. 

But it’s even more devastating when you look at the actual numbers.

Let’s begin with today’s numbers. As of the writing of this (yes, this was originally written in 2023), how many people are alive as of the year 2023?

According to the latest estimates, there are about 8 billion people alive today. About 8 billion people on planet Earth are living right now. That’s a lot.

How many claim to be Christians, which means Christ follower (those who claim to believe in Jesus and made the choice to accept him as their Lord and Savior)?

About 2 to 2.6 billion people alive today claim to be Christians. That is about 31% or so of the population today that claims to have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

In John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

In John 12:49, Jesus says, "For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak."

Jesus said that what He said was what God told Him to say; He spoke the Word of God.

It says over and over in the Bible that God’s words are truth. And, like in Titus 1:2, "God, who does not lie."

This means that only about 31% of the world’s population today can be expected to go to heaven if they were to die right now. That means that almost 6 billion people would suffer eternity in Hell separated from God.

Jesus was asked if only a few people were going to be saved. Jesus replied, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to." They will be standing outside saying, "’We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’" (Luke 13:22-27)

To me, that means many people who proclaim to be Christians and believe in God will not have truly believed in God and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior—they will be left outside the gates. It is shocking, I know, that some people would claim a title without any true belief or adherence to responsibility or accountability. It’s almost as if they want the privilege or status for personal gain without the responsibility. Anyway. Out of the 31% today (the 2 to 2.6 billion people who claim to be Christians), there could very well be less than 2 billion who would actually go to heaven. That means more than 6 billion people who are alive today would find their eternity in Hell if they died today.

How many people have lived since the beginning of humankind?

According to the "Population Reference Bureau," they believe there have been an estimated 117 billion people that have ever been born on Earth.

Well, if we use the very liberal calculations of those who claim the title of Christ follower that we see today of 31% and apply that to the total estimated human population that’s existed on earth of 117 billion, (if this number were true, which we know it would probably be less) that would mean an estimated 36 billion people in all of human history would be in heaven and about 80 billion people would be suffering apart from God, in hell.

If that does not break your heart for your lost family, neighbor, friend, and loved one, then I don’t know what to tell you.

Yes, it is true that not everyone can or will even want to be saved; in fact, we can’t save anyone. All we can do is tell them the truth and lead them to God, and it is God who saves them through His love, mercy, and grace. But ultimately, it is their choice. We all must decide which father we will love and in which kingdom we will live and spend eternity.

Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy, which leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

We are commissioned to preach the Gospel of Jesus to the world so that those few will hear it and be saved.

Nearly 70% of the world’s population, if they died today, would spend eternity in Hell, and they would have done so by their own volition.

It is a somber thought that many will choose that path, but a rejoicing thought for the few whom you can reach.

80+ billion lost souls for eternity. But you can make a difference to one, and that one can join the estimated 36 billion living free and in peace for eternity.

You could very well help someone not be lost for eternity by telling your story about how good God has been in your life and how your relationship with Jesus has changed you and your life for the better.

117 billion people have existed on Earth; many will be lost. But your story could help someone in the many become a part of the few.

People may protest and deny the gospel, but no one can deny your personal story.