Who or what is the remnant church & believers?
Updated: 20 hours ago
Below are 4 different articles on what it means to be a Remnant Church & Believer in these Last Days, not giving in to apostacy, lethargy & compromise.
If you feel standing alone as a faithful believer, loving the Lord Jesus, the "Philadelphia" Church, The Living Word, longing for the Imminent Rapture & last but not least love Israel & the Jewish people and feel mocked & misunderstood because these values & absolutes, this is for you, to encourage you & stand strong.
Many feel the remnant is getting smaller every day as the time approaches for the Lord’s return. The world seems to be getting darker and more evil.
You may know you are not alone as a member of the Body of Christ but at times it is easy to feel isolated. No one gets it and no one wants to.
Many of you feel isolated & try to talk to people about issues that are important, including end-times, and they look at you like you are an alien.
1) Who or what is the remnant church?
"Remnant" means that which remains of an original body or substance. In reference to God's people, it means those who are faithful to His original truth despite apostasy and opposition. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 1:9. "Except the Lord of hosts had left us a very small remnant, we should have been like as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah."
Among people professing religious faith, the remnant is a relatively small minority. It's in the Bible, Romans 9:27. "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved."
God's remnant people are keenly aware that they are saved by grace and not by any merit in themselves. It's in the Bible: Romans 11:5. "Even so at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace."
God's remnant have a deep appreciation of His forgiveness and mercy, and thus receive the full benefits of His salvation and truth. It's in the Bible, Micah 7:18,19, "Who is God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?
He … delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us and subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob, and mercy to Abraham, which you have sworn to our fathers from days of old."
Satan is angry with God's last day remnant and wages war against them. It's in the Bible, Revelation 12:17. "The dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed."
The dragon is the devil, Revelation 12:9. "That great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world."
The woman symbolically represents God's people, Jeremiah 6:2: "I have likened the daughter of Zion to a lovely and delicate woman;" and Isaiah 51:16: "Zion, you are My people."
The remnant are a people of unshakable integrity, who love truth and are totally honest. It's in the Bible, Zephaniah 3:13. "The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness, and speak no lies; nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed their flocks and lie down and no one shall make them afraid." Compare this with Revelation 14:1-5.
Although Satan deceives the whole world, he does not succeed in deluding the remnant, for they are loyal to God. They keep the commandments and have the testimony of Jesus. It's in the Bible, Revelation 12:17: "The … remnant of her offspring, … keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus."
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. It's in the Bible, Revelation 19:10. "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
This prophetic testimony is a guiding light for God's last day people. It's in the Bible,
2 Peter 1:19,20. "And so we the prophetic word confirmed; which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation."
Jesus pronounces a special blessing on those who study His prophetic word and take guidance from it, especially the book of Revelation. It's in the Bible, Revelation 1:3. "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it: for the time is near."
The remnant have a world-wide evangelistic influence "before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord" Joel 2:31. It's in the Bible, Joel 2:32. "And it shall come to pass, that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls."
You can be among that remnant if you respond faithfully and obediently to God's call. It's in the Bible, Revelation 22:14,16,17, "Blessed are those who do God's commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and enter through the gates into the city… I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things… I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star. And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. And, whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."
As the persecution of the bible believing Church becomes more intense, there will be a greater manifestation of the “Remnant Church.” By remnant, I am referring to the surviving vestige of the Body of Christ that remains true to biblical principles despite cultural opposition.
There is always a faithful remnant left during times of apostasy and persecution. The prophet Elijah found that God, by His grace, always preserves a remnant that holds true to the faith
(1 Kings 19, Romans 11:2-5).
By the remnant church, I am referring to faith and obedience to the word of God that is practiced by humble, people-loving, community-serving, compassionate members of churches who do not compromise the word of God.
The following are the characteristics of the modern-day Remnant Church:
The more resistance it faces, the Remnant Church becomes more resolute in its faith. This is similar to the way the muscles in our body get harder with resistance training. Instead of compromising the message, it may change its method of presenting the Gospel without ever watering down biblical ethics, values, and the message of the cross.
2. It will become vilified by society.
The Remnant Church used to be merely unpopular in the past, but now it has gotten to the point where it is hated! Christian values are mocked continuously on TV shows. It is now popular to hate biblical Christianity.
3. It will preach counter-cultural biblical messages.
The pastors in the Remnant Church will continue to preach the Gospel of Christ. The preaching of the pure gospel always has vast implications related to human sexuality, the sanctity of human life, and the definition of marriage and family. The challenge would be for the Church to continuously apply the Gospel to cultural issues in a wise, winsome way. The Remnant Church will remain faithful in preaching the Gospel despite any possible backlash it may receive from attendees, as well as the public.
4. It will produce the most committed Christians while making disciples.
It is a known fact that liberal, progressive, and compromising churches are shrinking while conservative evangelical churches grow in numbers. When a church is on the tip of the spear regarding biblical truth, it has more of a propensity of producing true disciples. This is because it takes great sacrifice to believe in Jesus amid hostile environments (E.G., Christians living in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Northern Nigeria, and Sudan). Compromising churches produce wimpy believers, while the Remnant Church produces committed disciples. That’s all there is to it!
5. It will experience a greater presence and power of God than the non-remnant church.
The first-century church was a hated minority, but the Book of Acts illustrates God’s great power and presence that accompanied its ministry (Acts 3-5). I have found that the more difficult it is to confess the truth of the gospel, the more God shows off His stuff. Where sin abounds, grace does more abound (Romans 5:20)!
6. It will become more visible and distinct as the culture becomes more decadent.
I believe that in most organizations (secular or religious), about twenty-five percent of its members are the most committed to its vision and mission. They are the ones willing to endure the most pain for the organization’s cause. This also means that most of the people in an entity easily detach themselves when the going gets tough. The harder it becomes for the Church to practice biblical Christianity, the Remnant Church will become more evident.
7. It will be more excluded and separated from mainstream secular evangelical churches and denominations. The more un-cool it becomes to be a biblical Remnant Church, the more the so-called “cool” (compromising) churches will distance themselves from the un-cool, Remnant Church. Presently, it is still not as easy for the average person to discern between the Remnant Church and the compromising church. Most people still lump them together. However, as the heat gets turned up, compromising pastors and churches will accommodate culture while compromising scripture. This will thus cause a more apparent distinction between the Remnant Church and the mainstream church. These compromising pastors and churches will continue to do their best to distance themselves from remnant pastors and their churches publicly. This happened in Nazi Germany when the nationalistic churches separated from the confessing churches to avoid persecution and death.
8. The Remnant Church will change the world.
Sometimes God allows difficult circumstances to weed out the un-committed followers from committed followers. An example of this is seen in the story of Gideon’s army in Judges 7. When we observe the Old Testament during the days of Elijah and the early century Church, and the confessing Remnant Church in Nazi Germany, we can accurately conclude that the Remnant Church has what it takes to change the world! Only the Remnant Church has the conviction, the willingness to sacrifice, the devotion, the endurance, the message, and the power to change the world. The compromising church will enjoy its temporary popularity in the present time, but those who are wise and turn many to righteousness will shine as the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:3).
9. The Remnant Church will endure while the compromising church will fade away.
God promises in Malachi 3:16-18 that He has written a book of remembrance for those who speak of Him and fear His Name. The reward for them is that He will spare them as a man spares his son. The implications of this are vast. While the spiritual children of the compromising church will probably become agnostic, the children of the remnant will carry the torch of Christ to the next generation. They will increase in strength and do more wondrous works (John 14:12). The Remnant Church goes from strength to strength and faith to faith, while the compromising church goes from strength to weakness, from faith to apostasy, and eventually into oblivion (Romans 1:17).
May God help us all remain faithful to the end and participate in the Remnant Church.
3) Just What Is a Remnant Believer?
You have heard of the word “remnant.” Some people are called “remnant believers.”
There are “remnant churches.” Perhaps you know of some or attend one.
Based on observation, interactions & conversations I have concluded this about “the remnant.”
It is made up of people longing for a solid church and a pulpit that will address issues of the day as well as the nearness of the Lord’s return. The remnant wants a church that will not fear offending with the truth and that will confront apostasy.
Remnant believers have offended friends and family simply by telling them the truth of our times or for sharing information that is relevant to our times. This will often bring on mocking and scoffing. At the least, it results in irritated indifference. This doesn’t daunt a remnant believer and such a tragic response doesn’t keep them quiet!
Enthusiastic remnant believers will travel across town or across the country to attend events that present information about which the church is silent.
Remnant believers often feel isolated and misunderstood even though they have the truth and the naysayers are clueless! This is what is so frustrating. Remnant believers want everyone to be tuned in and informed. They just want to spread around a wealth of information about which few are interested!
Members of the remnant church see our times darkening but remain enthusiastic that this is but a herald of His coming — not signs of doom and gloom. Yet they will be told they are spreading bad news.
When a remnant believer finds someone who is a kindred spirit, it is like discovering a gold mine!
Such believers often had a very solid church but in many cases, it went haywire. A little leaven came in and ruined the whole loaf. They then begin a long journey of searching for a new church which can take years.
Very often these believers approached their church leadership to talk to them about these things but they are most often shut out or even considered to be troublemakers.
Understand that the end-time church is racing towards Laodicea and is more interested in conforming than transforming. Many churches and leaders will focus on “your best life now.”
The Bible suggests an end-time church will be small. In Luke 18:8, Jesus asks if He will find any of faith when He returns. Many will have fallen by the wayside.
People who make quilts use a wide variety of mismatched remnants. Such professionals discard sections of fabric from garments that were no longer usable but they were then sewn into an unbelievably elegant quilt! The tossed aside remnant became an object of creativity and beauty!
If you are a remnant believer, take heart and remember that you, too, are a creative and colourful quilt. Eternity may reveal that you broke through to more people than you thought. And remember that such mocking and scoffing are fulfilling end-time prophecies as well.
Hang on and don’t grow weary in your well doing!
Bouncing from church to church is likely not the best idea. But sitting multiple times a week under bad theology, music with spiritually unhealthy lyrics, or leadership that is just dysfunctional, is also not an option. Cutting yourself off from fellowship is no better.
Our assignment is to be “watchmen” (Ezekiel 33). We’re to be sounding an alarm. Trouble is ahead. The nations of the world seem moved, as though by a hidden hand, into exactly the right positions on a global chess board. Amazing things are happening before our eyes.
How can we be silent?
So, remnant believers, let’s not be silent. Go tell it on the mountains. The King is coming, perhaps today!
4) The Church Awakened to Wokeness
How can we be in these mind-numbing times and not have every single Christian asking what it all means? Maybe because the church is now in Laodicea and today’s church—with some exceptions—is more interested in conforming than transforming.
Many express dismay that during the Covid shutdown of months to a year or more, their church went “woke.” What on earth does that mean? Many pulpits became more interested in skin colour than the gospel of salvation. In just a short time, their church had a complete transformation—and not a good one. The George Floyd incident, has changed the culture and all of society. The church did not escape. Social justice is the new urgency and also saving the planet. Not saving souls. And certainly not looking up and listening for a trumpet blast! Many are told people have been doing that for decades and it’s a waste of time. People talking about the excitement of the Lord’s soon return are dealing with people with short fuses, so to speak. This irritates people more than usual. Many only wanted life “to return to normal”, whatever that means. Watching dysfunctional society seemed to cause people to cling even more to this broken planet. Perhaps this was because life was now filled with inconvenience, the threat of job losses, and alienation from loved ones over many political, social & health-related issues.
When Reality Becomes Too Frightening
People seemed to want “their best life now” rather than long for eternal rewards. The pandemic & the war in the Middle East has caused so much sorrow and change that some are not coping well. Their “best life” is evaporating. You would think that would result in loosening a grip on a broken planet. It is hard to keep up with the hourly events that ar e leaping out of the Bible into reality. acknowledge that their friends and family members who are indifferent to this truly love the Lord but choose to ignore one-third of the Bible dealing with prophecy. The root is reality has turned too negative for them.
The Pace Is Quickening!
So everything has accelerated as the Bible said would happen in that last generation, but interest in the phenomenon is at an all-time low. And weary remnant watchmen are left alone and isolated! Those they mingle with are just waiting for normal to return and for life to carry on!
Now let’s throw division into the mix and it’s so volatile that many people feel even more isolated. The vaccine mandates & Israel & other political controversies have separated families, churches, businesses, and more. All would acknowledge, both on the right and the left, that government is growing out-of-control. Liberties are being violated on a daily basis as politicians & elites meet to scheme and deny rights to the people. Law, order & justice has been tossed in a trash can. Many churches & believers have still not recovered from the Covid mandates
Prepping for Mr. Fix-It
Society is being prepped for the Antichrist and as prophecy-loving believers try to warn, the words are falling on a lot of deaf ears. The stage is being set for a closing act. The players are getting into their proper positions. Heads of state are meeting to plot and scheme and deny even more rights. In Australia, New Zealand, the UK & Canada & many European countries good people are viewed as enemies of the state even though they are upstanding citizens. World leaders have no comprehension they are majoring in minors. To them, it makes perfect sense to obsess over carbon emissions. During the Tribulation, this will fade from their memories as they cope with Seals and Trumpets and Bowls. These will spark “climate change” they cannot imagine! Ezekiel 33 tells us that if you don’t warn, the blood is on your hands, so you cannot be silent. Brace yourself to be shocked daily by things you read and watch. Satan is getting more active and wickedness is rising, so God’s people must shine more brightly. But for the believer, a glorious event will happen soon. It is known as the Rapture of the Church. It is any day. Any hour. Any minute. So don’t grow weary! And yes, if a believer is a Rapture skeptic, they get the surprise of their life some day soon. Then you’ll have the privilege of saying, “I told you so.”
Won’t that be a glorious day?
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