What is the Remnant? It’s likely that you’ve never heard of it, since it is not a subject we frequently discuss in the church. However, the Bible is full of references to the Remnant. Furthermore, it is closely related to many of the promises of God, and so it is clearly an important concept for us to understand. So what is the Remnant? And why should it matter to us?
What is the remnant?
Hardly anyone would deny that the world we live in is broken. The Bible also makes this abundantly clear. The world we live in is dominated by selfishness and wickedness as a result of our sin, as well as the demonic forces which surround us. The world is under the control of Satan and his mantra is constant “kill, steal, destroy” (John 10:10). The more we, as societies, choose to cooperate with the world and believe the lies which surround us, the more we will experience this oppression and destruction. Furthermore, God will eventually bring judgment on societies which persist in their wicked ways. It is within this judgment that we see the appearance of the Remnant. The Remnant is the group of those who remain committed to God amidst a great falling away. They stay true to truth of Scripture, as well as to their own walk with God, and the respond in obedience to Him. Those who stay with God amidst these times of judgment will not only be spared, but will actually thrive.
Within scripture, Israel frequently went through times of prosperity and times of judgment, and it is within Israel that we see our examples of remnant communities. Israel was given God’s Covenant. They were promised that they would be blessed to becoming a blessing and that they would prosper and experience peace. The stipulation was that they must walk with God and obey His instruction. When they did so, they were blessed. When they pursued their own selfish gain, they lost the blessings and lived under the oppression of the world. As they lived under this oppression, however, there were always those who remained true to God, and these continued to experience His abundant life.
The need for a Remnant today.
In the United States, we live in a country which was founded as a nation under God. We had openness and tolerance for other beliefs and viewpoints, but we were ultimately founded on Christian principles and under a belief in God and in His Scriptures. As a result, the early United States experienced abundant blessing, becoming a modern-day Israel in a covenant relationship with God.
Over time, however, we have slipped away from these foundational beliefs, choosing to pursue the world and forsake God. This rebellion against God will ultimately lead to judgment. This principle can be seen within the scriptures:
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
The modern, American church has also forsaken God in a myriad of ways. We have developed views of God’s love and character which are unbiblical and lead to the tolerance and even acceptance of wickedness. We have also let go of the inerrancy and immutability of Scripture, instead relying upon the opinions of individual pastors and cultural acceptability. Of course, not every church has gone this way. There are many God-seeking churches which still exist in the United States. However, the church as a whole is trending in this direction.
This independence from God and from His Word is what leads to judgment. This judgment comes both from God’s correction, but also simply from the choice to step into the world, where selfishness and wickedness reign. God’s protection and blessing doesn’t follow us there, and so when we forsake Him, we also forsake the Covenant relationship we share with Him.
While this is specific to our experiences and choices today, it has been the same throughout all of history. In a society which is choosing to walk away from God, we have the call, as believers, to pursue Christ, live in the Spirit, surrender our own wills, and enjoy the blessed and abundant life God offers.
2 Timothy 3:1-9
1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
In 2 Timothy, Paul writes of these times we live in, and how in these times there will be many who appear to live godly lives. They attend church, or Bible studies, they serve on committees, participate in church activities, and know how to say all the right “religious” things. Even so, they do not experience the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
In our Christian society today, there is a great emphasis on education. Pastors and teachers are very concerned with teaching correct doctrine and theology, and yet very few ever actually come to the truth. Why? They are operating in human wisdom. They seek answers through logic and human reason, rather than seeking God and His spiritual truths. The church today is highly religious and it accomplishes more work than at any other time in history, but we see very little fruit. It seems that the church is lost. We are not seeking God and are instead falling into the flesh.
God’s provision for His Remnant.
The good news? If we choose to seek God and join His remnant, we can find peace and blessing amidst judgment. His Covenant that He will bless us to be a blessing still stands. If we read through scripture, we will see that God is continuously offering second chances. He calls his people to repentance, and it is only after repeated rejection that He brings down His judgment. We are given the choice in every circumstance to follow Him. Judgment is coming, but if we seek Him and abide with Him, He offers us abundant life and protection from judgment. As part of the Remnant, we have the opportunity to lived blessed lives in spite of judgment.
There is so much more about the Remnant to dig into, so this blog post will be split into three parts. If you would like to keep learning, subscribe to the blog to receive updates on our next post! You can also learn more about the Remnant through Rich Case’s book The Remnant, available on our website.
