Little Flock?

Originally posted by Rajk999
Let me ask you something.

Do you always expect that all questions in the Bible must be answered in very long one or two dissertation replies ?

With me it often depends on how much I perceive the questioner really cares.

Some people want to know. But when you expend time and energy you get this kind of flavor:

"well I don't really want to know that much. I just like whatever opinion I have about it anyway."


There were a few questions in this thread which were really good. But for me, at least, to cover them adaquately, I'd like to know if the level of interest is sincere or superficial.

Originally posted by jaywill
With me it often depends on how much I perceive the questioner really cares.

Some people want to know. But when you expend time and energy you get this kind of flavor:

"well I don't really want to know that much. I just like whatever opinion I have about it anyway."


There were a few questions in this thread which were really good. But fo ...[text shortened]... cover them adaquately, I'd like to know if the level of interest is sincere or superficial.

I think you have the wrong attitude. Clearly , you want to get the chance to talk/write at length to your satisfaction, and you want the reader to read all that you have written because of the time and effort you have expended. If the reader either does not agree or does not read the lengthy post carefully you are offended. Either way its a kind of selfish position. Its not about you. Its about answering questions and/or discussing, so that someone with questions can get a reasonable answer.

If you just answer a question simply and sufficiently, and there is further interest questions will come out. Then you proceed to answer those questions simply and briefly.

Maybe if you drop the obvious desire to convert and preach, you will have more luck converting and preaching.

Originally posted by galveston75
See you tomorrow...

OK, let me rephrase the word "Position". It was not meant to mean a "Rank" as in a military or political situation. But the Little Flock in the Bible at 1Cor 6:2 and Rev 20:6 says they would be acting as Judges and Priest along with Jesus in heaven during the thousand years after Armageddon.
So who would they be doing this Judging over? That would be the Great Crowd that has survived Armageddon and the ones that have been in the common grave and that will be resurrected from it.
1 Cor 6:2,3 shows this.

So another question. How many would be included in this Little Flock, and in turn how large is the great Crowd?

Originally posted by Rajk999
I think you have the wrong attitude. Clearly , you want to get the chance to talk/write at length to your satisfaction, and you want the reader to read all that you have written because of the time and effort you have expended. If the reader either does not agree or does not read the lengthy post carefully you are offended. Either way its a kind of selfish p ...[text shortened]... drop the obvious desire to convert and preach, you will have more luck converting and preaching.

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I think you have the wrong attitude. Clearly , you want to get the chance to talk/write at length to your satisfaction, and you want the reader to read all that you have written because of the time and effort you have expended. If the reader either does not agree or does not read the lengthy post carefully you are offended.
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It is much more a practical consideration and not a matter of personal offense.

I have so much time and perhaps someone else I really could assist. People disagree with me all the time.

These things take time. And my personal experience was that I disagreed with people who taught the Bible. Sometime my disagreement was well founded. Sometimes much latter and long after that person was gone, I came around to understand the truth of what they said.


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Either way its a kind of selfish position. Its not about you. Its about answering questions and/or discussing, so that someone with questions can get a reasonable answer.
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Well, sharing my faith and understanding of the Bible is kind of like learning to cut hair.

I don't wait until I am perfect in attitude and technique before I get out there and learn to do it.

But I suspect that you may have an axe to grind with me.

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If you just answer a question simply and sufficiently, and there is further interest questions will come out. Then you proceed to answer those questions simply and briefly.

Maybe if you drop the obvious desire to convert and preach, you will have more luck converting and preaching.
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Why should I drop an obvious desire to convert and preach ?

I want to convert and preach. Something wrong with that ?

Originally posted by galveston75
So another question. How many would be included in this Little Flock, and in turn how large is the great Crowd?

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So another question. How many would be included in this Little Flock, and in turn how large is the great Crowd?
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What does Revelation chapter 7 say about the identity of that great crowd ?

Originally posted by jaywill
[b]=======================
So another question. How many would be included in this Little Flock, and in turn how large is the great Crowd?
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What does Revelation chapter 7 say about the identity of that great crowd ?[/b]

Their identity, their location or what they will be doing? Don't know what you want... But you didn't answer my question...

Originally posted by galveston75
Their identity, their location or what they will be doing? Don't know what you want... But you didn't answer my question...

I am focusing on their relationship to the "little flock". What should it be?

Look in the chapter around verses 14 through 17. John is told specifically of the identity of the people in this vision.

Originally posted by Rajk999
I think you have the wrong attitude. Clearly , you want to get the chance to talk/write at length to your satisfaction, and you want the reader to read all that you have written because of the time and effort you have expended. If the reader either does not agree or does not read the lengthy post carefully you are offended. Either way its a kind of selfish p ...[text shortened]... drop the obvious desire to convert and preach, you will have more luck converting and preaching.

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Maybe if you drop the obvious desire to convert and preach, you will have more luck converting and preaching.
===========================

Thanks.

But I don't want to be "sneaky". It is better that people know that my motive is to convince them to love and follow Jesus.

Originally posted by jaywill
I am focusing on their relationship to the "little flock". What should it be?

Look in the chapter around verses 14 through 17. John is told specifically of the identity of the people in this vision.

Answer my questions first...if you can.

Originally posted by galveston75
Answer my questions first...if you can.

I am letting you do some of the work yourself. You should be happy.

Verses 14 - 17 discribr who great crowd is.

However, it leads to a few questions of its own. If you read it I would only say right now (because I am really verbose), the vision of chapter 7's great multitude is a general vision of all of the redeemed people throughout the entire history of mankind.

The source is from every age. They would include the little flock of Jesus' audience in that passage of Luke.

When the angel says that they are those who come out of the great tribulation, I take this to mean the entire history of mankind from Adam to the eternal age. Most of this time has been to the human race a great tribulation.

I do not think it means the "great tribulation" proper of the last three and one half years of this present age before the second coming of Jesus.

In short, the vision includes all humans saved by God from all time. It would include the "little flock".

Tired of reading me yet ??

Originally posted by jaywill
I am letting you do some of the work yourself. You should be happy.

Verses 14 - 17 discribr who great crowd is.

However, it leads to a few questions of its own. If you read it I would only say right now (because I am really verbose), the vision of chapter 7's great multitude is a general vision of [b]all of the redeemed people throughout the e ...[text shortened]... by God from all time. It would include the "little flock".

Tired of reading me yet ??[/b]

I would agree with this interpretation. The little flock is part of the great crowd. I dont think there is any indication of who gets what in the Kingdom and I think Christ was deliberately vague on that topic.

Originally posted by Rajk999
I would agree with this interpretation. The little flock is part of the great crowd. I dont think there is any indication of who gets what in the Kingdom and I think Christ was deliberately vague on that topic.

"The Kingdom" is too general.

The kingdom of God has different aspects and in some cases everyone assigned to it does not enter into it at the same time.

I am going to try to keep my posts shorter. But that will require some people to do some of the work.

Originally posted by jaywill
I am letting you do some of the work yourself. You should be happy.

Verses 14 - 17 discribr who great crowd is.

However, it leads to a few questions of its own. If you read it I would only say right now (because I am really verbose), the vision of chapter 7's great multitude is a general vision of [b]all of the redeemed people throughout the e ...[text shortened]... by God from all time. It would include the "little flock".

Tired of reading me yet ??[/b]

The Bible is very clear on this simple question. Why is it so hard? How many are in the Little Flock? That is one question of this thread, Right?
This is a very important thing to know especially for those of you who think your saved and going to heaven. There is a specific number that the Bible says will be going and to do a specific job and for only a certian period of time. If you think your going wouldn't you want to know if there is a place for you ( many millions on this earth think their saved now and going there sometime in the future ) and know what your respondsabilities will be?
And no..the Great Crowd and the Little Flock are not the same. If so Jesus would not have made a differance between them and just called them one or the other.

Originally posted by Rajk999
I would agree with this interpretation. The little flock is part of the great crowd. I dont think there is any indication of who gets what in the Kingdom and I think Christ was deliberately vague on that topic.

The vision of chapter 7 is an insertion placed just before the outpouring of great divine judgments on the earth.

I think its general purpose is to give a heads up to John that God will nonetheless save a huge multitude of people.

The rainbow circling the throne in chapter 4 reminds us of the covenant with Noah, that God would not totally wipe out life from off the face of the earth.

The great multitude in chapter 7 placed where it is, confirms the symbol of the Noadic covenant implied by the rainbow in chapter 4.

The rainbow is seen again in chapter 10. In Revelation we need a lot of reminders that God will not totally destroy everything and everyone.