Matthew 7: 13. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.   Hey Bruce, Here¢s what I believe: The number of saints that will be raptured will not be in the millions and billions (as is often stated popularly) but Jesus said FEW there be that find it at this time.   However there will be a great multitude that no man could number that will be saved during the tribulation period. These must be killed for their faith. These same saints could have avoided the death of the tribulation had they died to themselves NOW, taken up their cross and followed Jesus the way the Philadelphia saints did. They could have accepted Jesus as the HEAD of their body and the decision-maker of their lives, but they did not do that and therefore they had no oil come rapture time. These loved their lives in this world yet they followed Jesus in the same way that the "great multitudes" did in His own day. They follow for the benefits but do not want the persecution or heavenly rewards and are content with the earthly focus of everything. Since they rejected the head of the body of Christ now, they must then reject their own head during the tribulation in order to get in at that time. Jesus said whichever part of you offends, cut it off to get to heaven. If your head offends you, cut it off. I know that sounds harsh, but you can get in by cutting off you old man head now and learn to let Jesus be your HEAD now. Sadly only few are willing to do that now. But many multitudes will discover that they waited too late and will finally take it seriously after the rapture and then they will be willing to lose their own head in order to gain Jesus¢ head.   Think of this: Jude quotes Enoch who gives a number of the saints that are with Jesus at His return at the end of the tribulation and the number is "ten thousands":   Jude: 14. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15. To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.   I don¢t know about you, but to me there is a difference between ten thousands, and a multitude that no man could number. We have stadiums that hold more than ten thousands of people. And anybody sitting in such a stadium could estimate a number of those kinds of crowds. I¢m not a math guy but I would think that if Enoch¢s number had been higher than say two hundred thousand then he would have had to say hundreds of thousands, right? Surely had there been millions and billions, he should have said hundreds of thousands. For Enoch to stop at ten thousands leads me to think that there had to be no more than one hundred thousand people in the group that he sees. That seems like a lot, but certainly not a great multitude that no man could number. For that kind of multitude that come out of the great tribulation, I picture something that spans the horizon and then some. Certainly never can you confuse the two groups of people since one is number-able and the other is not.   Luke 13: 23. Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, 24. Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 25. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 26. Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 28. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. 29. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. 30. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.   I could go on and talk about the branches that do no bear fruit and how they are cut off and cast out and men gather those sticks to burn them. Or about the salt that loses its savor and is trampled under foot of men. This is the tribulation period, not hell. It is God¢s final time to save those who would not respond to His mercy and will respond to His fear.   Jude 22. And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23. And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.   There is a difference between the two groups. That is the point.   Barry Amundsen