How Can So Many Be Wrong? This question is asked of me a lot, in many different disciplines and is worthy of consideration.
“If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”
John 3:12 (ESV)
Yeshua’s words reveal a timeless principle: the natural world mirrors the spiritual world. If we can understand how wisdom and truth operates here, we can understand how it operates in the Kingdom of Heaven. All through the scriptures Yeshua gives us earthly analogies to help us understand heavenly things. It’s not always the case, sometimes the earth wisdom and heavenly wisdom diverge radically, but in this case they don’t.
So, How can so many be wrong?
The 1% Principle
Economists call it the Pareto Distribution, or the 80/20 Rule. In nearly every field of life, a small percentage of people produce the vast majority of results. Twenty percent of workers produce eighty percent of the output. Ten percent of investors make ninety percent of the profits. And the top one percent? They control nearly half of the world’s wealth.
Because the majority follow the crowd. They seek safety in numbers. They prefer comfort over conviction. They seek validation from the masses. But the 1%? They think differently, act differently, and accept costs the rest refuse to pay.
The Financial Markets Lesson
In every market cycle, the pattern repeats:
Smart Money buys first, quietly, alone, and with conviction. They are a great minority. They have the true research, the data, and the courage to act alone when everyone else thinks they’re wrong.
Institutional Investors early to move and join in.
Then, finally, the Public, the “Dumb Money,” sees prices rising and the consensus of opinion. They jump in, not because of truth or fundamentals, but because everyone else is doing it, and dumb people think high price appreciation means the asset is valuable.
They buy at the top. They feel safe because “99% agree.” And that’s when it collapses.
If every time you buy a stock it crashes, I hate to break it to you, but you’re dumb money. You’re not trading on truth. You’re trading on emotion, validation, and crowd psychology.
Without information, conviction, and risk tolerance, you can only buy when it feels safe, and that’s at the very top. But, once everyone owns it, there’s no one left to sell to, so the price falls rapidly. The smart money sells first. Institutions follow. The public sells last, and loses the most.
The 99% of traders give their up their cash to the 1% smart money crowd.
So it is with the Kingdom of God.
The truth is rarely popular at the start. It’s lonely and frightening to act on conviction before others see what you see. But those who wait for crowd validation always arrive too late.
My approach to the markets is simple:
- Study legendary traders to understand what they do differently.
- Study the masses to make sure I’m aware of the consensus view, so I can bet against it. (Contrarian)
- That mindset applies to every field, even faith.
I don’t always make money, but I know the consensus is almost always wrong, and betting against it is usually the safer bet. The market always trades to the point of max pain.
A large majority of traders lose money in the market, with some studies showing that around 90–97% of day traders lose money, especially in the short term. While it’s difficult to pinpoint an exact global figure, a common statistic is that 95% of traders fail, though research suggests the true number might be even higher. For active traders who persist, studies indicate that a very small percentage, sometimes less than 1%, can consistently earn positive returns after accounting for fees.
The cash the 99% lose winds up in the hands of the 1% smart money crowd.
Competition Handgun Analogy
I’m in the top one percent of shooters globally, and as an instructor, I teach others who want to get there.
I see the same pattern on the shooting range. Less than one percent of shooters win nearly all the competitions.
I’ve trained under world champions and worked with everyday shooters, and the difference isn’t just in what they teach, it’s in how they act.
Never just listen what a teacher says, watch how they act, and follow their example.
Jon Lorquet
That’s the key to advancement in any field, especially the Bible. Don’t just listen to Paul’s words, follow his example (1 Cor. 11)
In every pursuit, the path to mastery begins with recognizing that the 1% exist and deciding to pursue a standard equal to or greater than theirs. Then comes obtaining truth, the real data, the correct technique, the proven facts that actually work.
Truth and facts matter.
The Fundamentals First
The secret to becoming an elite shooter isn’t fancy drills or trick shots. It’s mastery of the fundamentals.
Most shooters never learn the basics. They shoot for years but never grow, because repetition without truth doesn’t make you better, it only reinforces mistakes.
Those who master the fundamentals dominate everyone else.
Once you have the truth, you invest in it — time, money, and pain. Buy the right gear. Put in the reps. Endure the discomfort others can’t handle. But truth must come first. If you’re training hard with the wrong technique, you’re not improving, you’re entrenching failure.
And so it is with spiritual life.
Spiritual Fundaments
You got to understand the front of the book, if you want to understand the back, yet so many read it backwards professing to be wise.
Consider the warning of Paul:
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Hebrews 5:12-6:2, (KJV)
Paul is saying that before a believer can go on to the “advanced” subjects of faith, they must first master the fundamentals, the Torah, which he calls “the oracles of God.”
He confirms this again in Romans:
Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
Romans 3:1-2, (ESV)
The oracles of God, the Torah, are the fundamentals of the faith.
Just like shooting or trading, if you start running advanced drills or complex options trades before mastering the basics, you will only make your errors more permanent. You’ll move faster in the wrong direction.
The same is true spiritually. If you try to grow in grace, faith, or doctrine without first being grounded in the Torah, the fundamentals, you’re building on sand.
The truth must come first.
Once you have it, you can build skill, endurance, and excellence upon it. But without it, every ounce of effort only multiplies error.
And that’s why the 1% principle holds true both on the range and in the Kingdom, the few who master truth through discipline, humility, and obedience rise to levels that the majority never reach. And they will be despised for it.
The 1% in Spiritual Matters
If the 1% principle governs wealth, performance, and mastery, would heavenly truths on this subject be any different? Yeshua says no.
Yeshua said:
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Matthew 7:13–14 (ESV)
And again:
“Many are called, but few are chosen.”
Matthew 22:14 (ESV)
And Again:
“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”
Luke 13:24 (ESV)
The redeemed have always been few in number. Thats the established pattern of the Scriptures.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
- Noah’s generation: Only 8 survived (Genesis 7:7). Even if the only world had a million people, that’s 0.0008%.
- Sodom: 3 escaped (Genesis 19:15–26), less than 0.1%.
- The Exodus: Out of 600,000 men, only 2 entered the Land (Numbers 14:30). That’s 0.0003%.
- Followers of Yeshua: Roughly 2.5 million Jews attended Passover in Jerusalem at the time of Yeshua’s crucifixion and resurrection. Yet after His resurrection, only 120 were counted among the faithful brothers (Acts 1:15). That’s 0.0048%.
Saying that in the end times even one percent will be found faithfully doing what they were commanded would be setting a new record. Throughout Scripture, at the close of every era, the faithful remnant has always been a fraction of a percent. The majority are consistently found wrapped up in rebellion, deception, and compromise.
This is not a new phenomenon, it is an established pattern, and even a commandment of the Torah:
“You shall not follow a multitude to do evil.”
Exodus 23:2 (KJV)
Truth is never found by counting heads. In you find your self in the Majority, or the 99% on any subject, it’s a reason to be suspect, not comfortable.
It was true in Noah’s day, in Abraham’s day, in the wilderness, and in the days of Yeshua. And it will be true at the end of the age. The remnant has always been small, but the few who endure to the end will be the ones found faithful.
Truth has never belonged to the crowd. It has always belonged to the few who loved it enough to follow it.
…because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false..
2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 (ESV)
If you want a lie to believe in. God will give you exactly what you desire, and you will never be able to see the truth, so pursue the truth at all cost while you can.
The Cost of Truth
The truth comes at a great cost:
“Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.”
Proverbs 23:23 (ESV)
“How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.”
Proverbs 16:16 (ESV)
Truth always costs something. How much does it cost? More than gold and sliver according to Solomon. Yeshua says it will cost you everything.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Matthew 13:44
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:44
Those in the 1% value truth above comfort. They don’t let emotion, fear, or cost dictate obedience. They seek wisdom as treasure and pay or sacrifice whatever it demands knowing its value. The 99% will not.
If following Yeshua hasn’t cost you anything: reputation, comfort, or acceptance, or even money then you likely haven’t yet bought the truth. If your sitting comfortably in the seat of a mega church not catching hell for following Yeshua, then think about how contrary that is to the experience Yeshua told to you expect:
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
John 15:19
The Old Testament agrees, Isiah says the truth cannot even be found within the congregation of God.
Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
Isaiah 59:15
It’s Not Logical or Scripturally Sound to Believe the 99% Have the Truth
It’s neither logical nor scripturally sound to believe that the majority holds the truth.
99% of any group is unlikely to pursue something that cost “all that you have.”
The Bible tells us they won’t. It shows us they won’t. And reality itself confirms it. They chose a lie.
The majority always seeks comfort, belonging, and affirmation. Few are willing to sacrifice those things to stand alone with God. Many will even exchange obedience to God for acceptance among men, finding fellowship in a congregation of rebels rather than isolation in righteousness.
Truth has never been popular. It has always been costly.
Consider the very first story of human failure.
“Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.”
Genesis 3:7 (ESV)
Eve was deceived, but Adam was not according to Paul. Adam knew what he was doing. He made a conscious choice. He could have remained alone with God in righteousness, but he chose instead to join his bride in her rebellion. He chose belonging over obedience.
That same decision has echoed through human history.
It is in man’s fallen nature to choose sin, to follow the crowd, and to seek comfort rather than truth. The human heart longs to be accepted, even if that means aligning with error. The flesh desires to be part of something, even if that something is rebellion against God.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV)
The few who find truth are those who act contrary to their nature, who deny themselves, who take up their cross, and who stand alone if that’s what obedience requires.
Yeshua said,
“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
Luke 9:23 (ESV)
So when you see 99% of the world, or even 99% of the church, united around an idea, don’t assume that’s where the truth lies.
In fact, that’s your signal to start asking hard questions.
What’s The Greatest Thing the 99% Miss?
According to scripture: Obedience.
The majority of believers today are without Torah, that is, they are lawless. They profess faith in Jesus, perform miracles in His name, and even build ministries in His name, yet they reject the very Torah that defines what sin is. They reject the instructions for righteous conduct.
Yeshua warned us plainly:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Matt 7:21-23
The Greek word translated lawlessness is ἀνομία (anomia), literally meaning “without Torah” or “without law.”
Yeshua wasn’t describing atheists or pagans. He was describing people who believe in Him, people who have faith, who serve, who perform miracles, but who reject the Torah of God.
Sin Is Torah Violation
The New Testament defines sin the same way the Tanakh does:
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
1 John 3:4 (KJV)
In Greek, the word for Law is νόμος (nomos)—in Hebrew, תּוֹרָה (Torah).
Sin is the breaking of Torah.
Righteousness is obedience to Torah.
Nothing about that has ever changed.
Paul’s Warning of the Great Delusion
Paul warned of the same deception:
“For the mystery of lawlessness (Greek: anomia — without Torah) is already at work… Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false.”
2 Thessalonians 2:7, 11 (ESV)
The majority have received exactly what they wanted. With itching ears, they have chosen teachers who promise a faith without obedience to Torah, a Messiah without Torah’s commandments, and a Gospel divorced from Gospel of the Torah.
Paul calls this deception the mystery of lawlessness. It is the great delusion that defines the end times, a generation that believes they can know God while rejecting His commandments.
We must be cautious not to lust after a false freedom, a freedom from obedience to God’s Law that never existed. To do so is to invite the very delusion Paul warned of.
The Messiah Magnified the Torah
The prophets foretold that the Messiah would not abolish or add to any part of the Torah, but magnify it:
The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious.
Isaiah 42:21
Yeshua came to do exactly that. He declared His mission plainly:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”
Matthew 5:17-18, ESV
Yeshua is the prophesied Messiah who came to magnify and fulfill the Torah—not to erase it. He never gave permission to relax even the smallest commandment.
He established the standard:
“Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great.”
Matthew 5:19
The King of the Kingdom has spoken. The plumb line of greatness in His Kingdom is obedience to the commandments of God.
So Why Does the 99% Miss It?
With so many clear warnings, from Yeshua, Paul, Peter, and the Prophets and the Torah itself, how can the majority still believe the Torah has been abolished?
When asked this question, the answer is almost always the same:
“Because Paul said…”
And then a handful of verses are quoted out of context to pit Paul against his own Master. Yet Paul never taught against Torah. He taught against lawlessness disguised as grace.
He wrote plainly:
“Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.”
Romans 3:31 (ESV)
Those who twist Paul to teach against Torah are doing exactly what Peter warned about:
“There are some things in Paul’s letters that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction… Therefore, beloved, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people.”
2 Peter 3:16–17 (ESV)
The 99% twist Paul to justify disobedience. The 1% study Paul in the light of Yeshua’s words, and find perfect harmony.
The 1% Understand What The 99% Miss
The 1% know that grace is not a license to violate the commandments of god. Grace forgives sin; it never authorizes it.
The 1% know that the Torah is not bondage, it is the perfect Law of liberty (James 1:25).
The 1% understand that Yeshua’s blood justifies, but obedience sanctifies.
They love what God loves, and they do what God says, even when it costs them everything.
The greatest thing the 99% miss: Obedience is not optional. It’s the evidence of love.
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
John 14:15 (ESV)
Examine Yourself
Ask yourself: Are you in the top 1% of anything?
If you are, it’s because you did what others wouldn’t. You acted on truth when everyone else was paralyzed by comfort and seeking validation from men.
If you’ve ever said, “Most people believe this, so it must be right,” then rest assured, you’re still part of the 99%.
And if you’ve ever said in a discussion or argument, “Most commentaries say this…” or “Most teachers interpret it that way…” or “Most Christians believe…” — then you’ve revealed exactly which group you belong to.
The 1% don’t measure truth by majority opinion or theological trends. They measure it by Scripture alone. They know that when an interpretation becomes universally accepted by the crowd, it’s usually because it’s convenient, not because it’s true.
So stop asking what the crowd believes.
Stop quoting what “most” people teach.
Start asking what God actually said.
The crowd will always choose comfort over conviction, consensus over courage. But those who walk the narrow path have already counted the cost.
The 1% don’t measure truth by popularity. They know that the majority opinion is often proof that truth has been abandoned.
If they consider the majority opinion on any subject it’s with skepticism.
The 1% measure truth according to the Word of God, not by whether the crowd agree or disagrees.
So stop asking what the crowd believes. Start asking what the Word of God says.
Join the 1%.
Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
Revelation 14:12
