Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
This passage of scripture teaches us that with God, quality takes precedence over quantity, and if there are only a few who believe and obey His word, then only a few will be saved. In the context of the deluge, and the people who lived at that time, we observe from several verses of scripture, that the earth was then very populated, with some estimates putting the numbers at between seven and eight billion individuals, just about where we are today, in the current population of the earth. After giving a detailed account in Genesis chapter five, of the many sons and daughters that were born to Adam and Eve, and their offspring, the next chapter picks up with the same theme, and states that men and women began to proliferate greatly, multiplying across the then known world. Let's read:
Genesis 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
But although there were many intelligent and gifted people living back then, and even though there were those who may have had good intentions, yet the record of only eight living souls as being saved, stands as a testimony to the fact that, God never makes any decisions based primarily on numbers as we often do, but rather on principle, and thus, if there are only eight ready when the time has come, then it's only eight who will be saved. This sobering fact is not understood as it ought to be, and for this reason, we often make a God of our own devising, putting our personal limits on what He will and will not do.
But the Bible teaches us that with God, quality matters much more than quantity, hence the reason why He bids us consider His methods of reaching conclusions as to who will be heirs of salvation, and who will not. In the parable of the fisher's net, a large quantity of fish are drawn and caught, and because fishermen are not permitted to choose which type of fish are caught, the net brings in both bad and good.
There are some sardines, and some salmon, but there are also some piranhas and catfish, and, like all members of the human family, each one is given a fair chance at being brought to shore. But then the parable continues with the sobering fact that there must be a sifting process, by which the good are separated from the bad, with the good ones being kept, whilst the bad are tossed out. Let's read:
Matthew 13:47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
There is a popular delusion being circulated in many Christian circles, whereby it is presumed that God is too good to embark upon the sifting process described in the verses above, and that because Jesus died for us, He is too loving and kind to allow many people to perish. But like as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it also be at the end of the world, because according to the Bible, the overwhelming majority of earth's teeming inhabitants will choose to believe scientists and philosophers, instead of God, and just as it occurred with the people of Noah's day, God will save only those who have found shelter in Christ. At that time there will be many bright minds, and many others with good intentions, but at the end of the day, when the chips are all tallied, it will be those who have believed and obeyed God's word, who shall be heirs of salvation.
Let us therefore make our calling and election sure, by seeking God daily, and by surrendering our all to Him, whilst we have opportunity to, so that the good work of salvation may continue uninterrupted in us, until Christ comes to claim His own. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to avail ourselves now of God's gracious overtures to save us, for the time is at hand. Let's read:
Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!