WIntr.

Introduction

On Friday, February 6th, I was informed that the Covenant Books Review Board approved my Dear Reader, Will Those Who Are Saved Be Few? manuscript for publication. I plan to tinker with the draft until Monday, March 9th (the 31st birthday of my youngest, called home a little more than 13 years ago).

Here(ish) lays out from a biblical perspective what has happened, what is happening [you are here(ish)], and what will happen. In so doing it provides a high-level view of the major milestones and concepts in the Bible and sprinkles in some evangelism.

Few digs deeper into the topic of salvation and lays out how it applies to sets of people groups that together include every soul that God has created. The groups are those denied live birth, those live born but denied cognitive ability, and those live born and in time cognitively able.

Both books are loaded with Scripture as it is the Word of God that changes hearts. Together, the books tell you where you are and how your destiny is determined. Disagree with them if you will, but everyone should know what they believe and why they believe it.

At present, the Back Cover reads as follows:

Everyone should know what they believe and why they believe it.

“I want to end it, you know. We’re not losing American lives. We’re not losing American soldiers. We’re losing Russian and Ukrainian, mostly soldiers, some people, as missiles hit wrong spots or get lobbed into cities. But if I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s a pretty – I want to try to get to heaven if possible. I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I hear I’m really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”

And with that, the leader of the free world, and arguably the most recognized person on the planet, demonstrated and modeled gospel ignorance. Many professing Christians in the news industry revealed themselves to be similarly unenlightened while humorists parodied the matter. The satanic device of downplaying God’s threats against sin still carries its Edenic power. The Franklinesque perspective of gaining access to heaven by way of good conduct is still a feature of the American mindset. Gospel ignorance is disappointingly rampant, and it is lethal.

I bless God when someone endeavors to be a peacemaker. That is admirable and commendable and should be a characteristic of God’s servants. However, such good work does not save from the penalty and power of sin, and surprisingly few seem to understand this.

Dear Reader, this book is for those who would ponder about salvation. There is no issue more important than your salvation from the penalty and power of sin. You can ignore God, but not safely.

Dear Reader, Will Those Who Are Saved Be Few?

At present, the Contents is as follows:

Acknowledgments
Introduction the First
Introduction the Second

  1. Ensoulment Occurs at Fertilization
  2. Souls Denied Live Birth
  3. Souls Since Adam and Eve
  4. How Big is a Billion?
  5. Live Birthed Souls by Cognitive Ability
  6. What was the Question Again?
  7. Salvation at a High Level
  8. Ordo Salutis
  9. Souls Denied Cognitive Ability
  10. Souls Given Cognitive Ability
  11. When Cognitive Ability is Taken Away
  12. Cognitively Able Until Death
  13. False Hope?
  14. Now What? Strive in Gospel Related Labors
  15. Now What? Strive in Prayer
  16. Pray How?
  17. Salvation in Non-Christian Religions
  18. Salvation in Unbiblical “Christianity”
  19. Ecumenism

Afterword
PS
PPS
Appendix

At present, the Afterword begins as follows:

The back cover provides an example of gospel ignorance. One element of the ignorance was describing the matter of one’s standing with God with humor. God is not humorless, and humor is a gift of God. However, a soul’s standing before God is a matter of utmost gravity. Humor has no place there.

A second element of the ignorance was the notion of earning your way to heaven. That would give glory to men. The biblical way of salvation gives glory to God and Him alone. Making salvation an issue open to humor or an issue of human merit may seem like small infractions. But these are symptoms of a deeper illness, the illness of gospel ignorance. Gospel ignorance is lethal.