How Many People Will Be In Heaven?

1. If election is true, does that mean that heaven will be a relatively empty place?
   1. It is true that God’s elect are described as a remnant (Rom 11:5; Rom 9:27).

1. Rom 11:5 – Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
2. Rom 9:27 – Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:

• Remnant – 1. a. With the. That which remains or is left of a thing or things after the removal of a portion; the remainder, rest, residue. Now applied only to a small remaining part.

1. 1. But consider, even if God’s elect only comprise 10% (Isa 6:13) of the human race, that is still 700 million people (7 billion * 0.10) only counting the population today.  It has been estimated that 90 billion people have lived since creation, so that would be 9 billion (90 billion * 0.10) in heaven.
   2. That is:

28. 28.2 times the entire population of the USA (9,000,000,000 / 319,000,000).
29. 2,372 people per sq. mile of the entire USA (9,000,000,000 / 3,794,000 sq. miles)

• 3.7 people per acre of the entire USA (9,000,000,000 / 2,428,160,000 acres)

1. 103,520 people per sq. mile of MN (9,000,000,000 / 86,940 sq. miles)
2. 162 people per acre of MN (9,000,000,000 / 55,641,600 acres)
3. If lying in a line head to toe, they would wrap around the earth 411 times (9,000,000,000 x 6Ft / 131,477,280 Ft).

• If you took only 5 minutes to get to know each of them in heaven, it would take 85,616 years to do so (9,000,000,000 * 5) / (60 * 24 * 365).

1. 1. Put another way, if each of them would contribute $1, it would run the US federal government for 22.5 hours ($9,000,000,000 / ($3,504,000,000,000 / 365 days * 24 hours))
2. If the doctrine of God’s sovereign election of grace is true, won’t it result in less people in heaven than the free-will gospel will?
   1. Arminianism teaches that only those who hear and believe the gospel will be saved eternally.
   2. According to Arminianism, a tribe out in the deepest jungles of Africa who hasn’t heard the gospel will be sent to hell.
   3. The Bible teaches that all those who hear and believe the gospel have eternal life, but it also says that God’s redeemed comprise men from every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation (Rev 5:9).

1. Rev 5:9 – And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

1. 1. The Bible even teaches that some people who are enemies of the gospel are God’s elect and will be saved (Rom 11:28-29).

1. Rom 11:28 – As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.
2. Rom 11:29 – For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

1. 1. So it is the doctrine of sovereign grace, not Arminianism that will have more folks in heaven.