remnant

By Elizabeth Prata

The Shepherds’ Conference at Grace Community Church, hosted by John MacArthur and GCC member/volunteers, is one of the largest and best conferences of any of them in the world. It caters to weary pastors and elders who shepherd a flock. Every year there is a different theme chosen, upon which the sermons are based. The theme for the next Shepherds’ Conference at Grace Community Church is “Shepherding the Remnant”.

I found this to be exactly right. It’s a telling statement that solid pastors who pastor solid churches are filled with a remnant of Christians, not an abundance. It is obvious that the Christianity Jesus expects and the beliefs and actions His people are to hold, are exhibited by only a few. These days, when you see a steeple, it more often means that goats are swirling around within it, not sheep. Sheep are an endangered species these days.

I’ve been in battles. Each time, it seemed that the battle was overwhelmingly stacked in the favor of the other side, with tremendous pressure exerted against me and seeming to be immovable on their behalf.

“When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:15)

Each time when it seemed that I was trying to push through a Hoover Dam with my pinkies, the whole thing broke suddenly and collapsed. If I had been pushing the Hoover Dam, I’d have fallen over with the suddenness of the vacuum created by the collapse of the dark principalities and their dispersal from sudden shining light. This is because you are not alone and there are ALWAYS unseen holy angels with you, fighting.

I have seen, over and over, that just when it seems that you’re about to be defeated, it means good. That’s why when something unexpected happens it is a sure signal that things are happening big time in the heavenlies. Always, it is darkest before the dawn.

That phrase, by the way, comes from The English theologian and historian Thomas Fuller in 1650, who visited the Holy Lands and wrote a descriptive geography in a book called, “A Pisgah-Sight Of Palestine And The Confines Thereof,” saying, “It is always darkest just before the Day dawneth.”

My only advice to you is, keep doing what you are doing. Put on your armor, pray, and stand. Jesus’ church will NEVER be overcome He will never forsake it! True believers in the global church are triumphant, loved, and nurtured through all circumstances, no matter how seemingly dark to us. Waves will come and try to wash us away, but Jesus will not let us be removed from His hand.

Wikipedia explains the famous photo below:

“One of those infamous storms on the Iroise Sea happened on 21 December 1989. A front of low pressure coming from Ireland brought gale force winds and huge waves of 20 to 30 metres high which crashed spectacularly against the lighthouse.”

“The waves smashed through the lower windows of the lighthouse, ripped the front door, flooded the tower and washed away the furniture. Lighthouse keeper Théodore Malgorn decided to take refuge up in the lantern room while waiting to be rescued.”

The waves smashed through the lower windows of the lighthouse, ripped the front door, flooded the tower and washed away the furniture. Lighthouse keeper Théodore Malgorn decided to take refuge up in the lantern room while waiting to be rescued.”

“About the same time, photographer Jean Guichard was in Lorient hiring a helicopter to take aerial pictures of the storm. Guichard wanted to fly over the Iroise Sea despite extremely dangerous flying conditions.”

“The helicopter made it to La Jument and hovered around for Guichard to take shots of the waves pounding the lighthouse. Inside the tower, Théodore Malgorn heard what he thought was his rescue helicopter and hurried downstairs to open the door.”

“At that very moment, a giant wave rose over the rear of the lighthouse and Guichard took his world-famous shot as the wave smashed against the tower. Théodore Malgorn, suddenly realising that a giant wave was about to engulf the structure, rushed back inside just in time to save his life.”

“You may be engulfed by angry waves, a few of them may make the furniture swirl around and buffet you, but you are standing in the secure structure of the Lighthouse, eternal glory light of Jesus. He has you. Note the tiny figure of the keeper standing in the door, a secure soul in the grip of a killer wave. All you need do is stand.

Photo credit: Jean Guichard

The End Time Blog Podcast Season 2, Episode 274

We often read about the Remnant in scripture. As GotQuestions explains in the opening to their question about remnant,

Question: “What does the Bible mean when it refers to a remnant?”

Answer: A remnant is a left-over amount from a larger portion or piece, whether it is food, material from which a garment is fashioned, or even a group of people. Although remnants could be looked upon as worthless scraps, and many times are, God assigned high value to those of His people whom He had set aside for holy purposes, those He labels as “remnants” in several places in the Bible.

We also read about Exiles. Adam and Eve were exiled from the Garden. Cain was exiled from God’s presence. We know the Israelites were often exiled from the land as they were punished for their spiritual adultery against God by worshiping other gods. The People were exiled to Egypt, carried to Babylon and lived as strangers in a strange land. Exile will be the final and unalterable state of anyone who has not repented to Jesus, living bodily in an eternity in hell away from God’s grace and instead a life of exile in torment.

Exiled means to rejected and be apart from, denied entrance to. The same with remnant, a tattered thing that oftentimes, no one wants. A small quantity of something left over.

So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. (Hebrews 13:12-14).

In the Old Testament, God’s main threat for sin was a judgment of exile away from the presence of God. Remember, God’s glory inhabited the Temple, the one place where heaven met earth at the Ark of the Covenant. The notion of exile develops further in the New Testament and becomes clearer that judgment is to be eternally exiled from God’s presence…eternal abandonment by God.

As my pastor preached on Sunday,

Because God loves us, as sinful people, He did not want us to experience eternal judgment of the exile that we all deserve. So He sent Jesus. Jesus is the faithful remnant of One. The only truly faithful Israelite in history, who actually kept the Law of Moses. Jesus actually became, when He was crucified outside the city at Golgotha, the salt of the earth, the light of the world, the city on the hill, in His one person representing His people. He was abandoned, in exile, alone, crucified apart from the city outside. Abandoned by the people, the religious people, His disciples, His friends, and even by His Father.

The Bible is about Jesus.
His story
His work
His Person
His glory
His desire to gather a people to Himself
His kingdom
His priesthood
His judgment

Sometimes it’s good to cut through the Christian brouhaha, the nasty arguments, the forced intellectualizing of the faith, the confusing evangelism techniques, the added layers,…and remember the simple. It is about Jesus. Everything and all of history points to one person, Jesus Christ, God’s son, God Himself.

If you are reading this as a non-believer, a seeker, a doubter, then pray in repentance to Jesus who is in heaven but is soon to come. He will forgive your sins. If not, then unfortunately when you die you will discover that death is only a gateway to another life, one that you will live as an exile, not even enjoying His common grace as you enjoy now, the beauty of the world, the food you eat, the refreshing rain, the sunlight. There will be no hope.

If you’re reading this as a believer take time today to thank Him for writing your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life, setting you apart for His kingdom before the foundation of the world. Believers, take time today to cut through what you’re doing either secular work or spiritual and thank Him for the hope we have within us, that we are a remnant on earth but not a remnant, that we are aliens in a strange land but not exiled, but are and will be firmly and eternally ensconced into a loving family of every tribe, nation, and tongue. And why? Because of Jesus, it is only and ever about Him.
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Tag: remnant

The church, in America at least, seems to be a remnant

The First Exile & Faithful Remnant