Question: I just surfed in and thankfully found your site. Hope that you won't mind me asking some challenging questions: 1) In the time of, Noah, did dinosaurs exist? 2) What is your estimated percentage of people who will be saved? 3) In Matthew 7:12-23, who are these people whom the Lord "never knew"? Are they Jewish priests or Christians or others? It says they are evildoers, but what sort of evil things are they doing? 4) How can it be that Noah lived so long when in our time few even reach 100 plus? And if only 8 out of all the people of that day were saved, is it likely to be the same at the 2nd coming of Christ (the judgment day)? Hope to hear from you.
Response: Good to make your acquaintance. I'll do my best here to give you some basic info on these questions - there is more detail in the links included with them:
1) While the Bible doesn't have anything to say about dinosaurs per se, they were, in my opinion, genetic mutations produced by the devil and his followers at the early stages of his rebellion before the Lord blacked out the universe between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 (i.e., the "Genesis Gap"). See the following links for more info at Ichthys:
The Problem of Science and the Bible
Satan's Revolutionary Platform
2) As to the number of believers, please see part 3A of The Coming Tribulation, section II.4, "The Refining of the Remnant". In my estimation this number is very small - almost certainly far less than one percent of human being who have ever lived and attained moral responsibility. This last qualification is an important caveat, for it means, in effect, that included in the Body of Christ will be individuals from every race and place – because all who die before accountability are saved. Infants and children, and all who are mentally deficient, will share in the eternal glories of the kingdom of heaven, while most of the wise and rich and powerful will be excluded. The ways of our Lord are truly marvelous and beyond finding out (Rom.11:33)!
3) As to Matthew 7:21-23, the Greek text actually says "away from Me, you who do lawlessness" (Greek anomia). On the "mystery of lawlessness" see part 2B of The Coming Tribulation. Lawlessness, we know, is essentially sin (1Jn.3:4). In the verse just cited, John goes on to make the same distinction our Lord Jesus is making in the verses you ask about, namely, if a person is devoted to sin, that person can't be devoted to the Lord - the two are mutually exclusive. Not that believers do not lapse; but while we may lapse, we are disciplined, repent, confess, and recover (1Jn.1:9) - a far different thing from being a slave to sin (Jn.8:34-36; Rom.6:16-18). This is an important point because it ties in with your previous question: not all who speak well of Jesus, not all who are members of churches or "Christian" (and pseudo-Christian) organizations have truly put their faith in Jesus, have truly committed themselves to following Him as His disciples, are truly continuing in the Christian life (cf. Matt.13:18-23). There are many who are Christian in name only, and, as these verses make clear, the Lord knows who are truly His (2Tim.2:19).
4) Most of these questions are answered in part 5 of the Satanic Rebellion series in section III.1 under "Satan's antediluvian attack on the purity of the human line (the Nephilim)". To make a long story short (and so as not to repeat to much that you can find in better detail at the link given), earth and human life was very much different before the flood. While the Bible does not give specifics as to why this is, we can glean from what it does tell us that there was probably a major shift in the earth's axis at the time (resulting in differing light refraction, more radiation, etc.) that explains the differences of pre versus post flood. The reason for the severe judgment was preeminently the near eradication of the pure human race. The "sons of God", fallen angels, had "left their first estate" (Jude 6) and begun a race of half-men half-angels known as the Nephilim. Left to natural consequences, this demonic strain was working its way through the human gene pool like leaven through a lump of dough. Noah and his family were, apparently, the only ones left who were not tainted (Noah is commended for being "pure in his generations"). While we cannot draw a percentage or precise numerical analogy from this incident, it certainly proves the pattern that not many are saved, whatever the situation or generation - not because of any limitation on God's grace or God's mercy (for Jesus died for all, and God wants everyone to be saved: Ezek.18:23; Matt.18:14; Jn.12:47; 1Tim.2:4; 2Tim.2:24-26; 2Pet.3:9) - but because of the darkness of the human heart:
Someone asked Him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" He said to them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, "I don't know you or where you come from."
Luke 13:23-25 NIV
Hope these answers are helpful to you.
Yours in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob Luginbill