Who Are the Remnant?

New interpretations for the meaning of the remnant are being proposed. What does the Bible say?

(Editor’s note: We present here a condensed portion of a 47-page paper which explores more fully the issue of Adventist self-understanding today and which traces the remnant theme throughout the Bible. The conclusions reflect the scope of the larger study.)

Adventists in general have a definite sense of identity, a strongly developed self-understanding as the remnant people of God. But recently in the “first world” Adventism of North America, western Europe, and Australia, the concept of the Advent movement as the final remnant in history has weakened significantly.

Some Adventists now wish to reinterpret or redefine it; a few reject it outright.

New views being discussed among us include these, or variations of them:
(1) The remnant is not a visible, present reality now but will come into existence in the future. The true believers will be called out from all Christian churches, of which the Seventh-day Adventist church is only one, to be absorbed into the “final remnant.”
(2) The remnant is God’s “invisible church,” consisting of all true believers in all Christian churches and even beyond in other religions.
(3) The remnant was limited to the early church of Christ’s time; there is no remnant in the end-time.
(4) There is a remnant within the remnant; within the larger Adventist church there are true people of God who are the remnant.

Reason for Being.
Merely to hold onto the notion of an Advent movement with a mission to preach salvation by faith, but with an ill-defined understanding of who we are, what our roots are, and whether we may be absorbed into some future entity, will call into question not only why God has brought us into existence but also why we should remain separate. If we have no “prophetic” rootage, if we no longer believe that we are indeed the final remnant, then why not join others? Why not link with various ecumenical movements?

But if we are the remnant, our message can never be a reflection or regurgitation of the message of other past or contemporary churches or movements. For example, we must not mimic or borrow from the charismatic movement or adopt certain of their styles of doing things. We need to remain the final remnant of God, His unique treasure, willing to engage sacrificially in what God has called us to do—to bring the message of the eternal gospel to all the world, with power and conviction.

The questions before us are, Is there a remnant? If so, who are the remnant? How can they be identified? What are their characteristics? These are such basic issues that we have to return to Scripture in a detailed investigation, especially of Daniel and Revelation, to find dependable answers.

1. THE REMNANT IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL
The remnant theme in the book of Daniel has many ramifications. Each deserves special attention.

Daniel 1—Lifestyle. Daniel and his three friends were certainly a faithful remnant that survived the catastrophe of the fall of Judah (Dan 1:1–3).

The faith and faithfulness of Daniel and his friends was severely tested regarding the matter of food in Daniel 1, a chapter in which a crisis of lifestyle is in the foreground. Daniel “made up his mind” not to “defile” himself with the king’s rich food (Dan 1:8). The remnant remain loyal to God in lifestyle, with no compromise.

The issue of food in Daniel’s day involved (1) clean food according to Leviticus 11 and Genesis 7; (2) food offered to idols, eating which would imply allegiance to the pagan gods to whom this food was sacrificed; and (3) simplicity in diet. This test of lifestyle became a matter of loyalty to God or loyalty to king; it also became a matter of life and death, both physically and spiritually.

Daniel 2—Prophetic Revelation. King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a great image is familiar to all students of Daniel. The king forgot the dream and demanded of his wise men that they reveal to him both dream and interpretation. When the Chaldean astrologers could not reveal the dream, a death decree was pronounced on all of them, including Daniel and his three friends. But in answer to earnest prayer, in this local time of trouble, God revealed the dream and its meaning to Daniel (vv. 19, 22, 28). Thus God intervened and saved His faithful remnant, and through them “the rest of the wise men of Babylon” (v. 18), from certain destruction.

The picture here is unmistakable. The “faithful remnant”—Daniel and his companions—were divinely preserved in a time of trouble. Also, this “faithful remnant” were the recipients of divine revelation. “The mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision” (v. 19).

Daniel 3—Worship. The crisis on the plain of Dura was not one of lifestyle but of worship. All governmental officials were called to take the loyalty oath to pagan king and pagan god. All were “to fall down and worship” (v. 5) Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image. Those who refused were to be executed immediately in the fiery furnace.

This whole scene was a precursor of the final crisis when the final remnant will be ordered to worship the “image of the beast” and when “as many as do not worship the image of the beast will be killed” (Rev 13:15).

The three faithful remnant did not bow. After making their confession that there is a higher law from a God who is above all, whom they needed to obey (Dan 3:16–18), they were thrown into the superheated fiery furnace (vv. 19–23).

But they were not left alone. The faithful remnant were joined in the fiery furnace by Him who made the fire and controls all creation. In astonishment Nebuchadnezzar recognized that a fourth one, a divine figure, was with them in the flames. The king called them out. The remnant were unharmed. God intervened in this time of trouble to demonstrate again that He will intervene in the final time of trouble on behalf of His faithful remnant.

Daniel 6—Worship, Again.
The crisis leading to the lions’ den was again one of true versus false worship. Daniel faced the hungry lions because he remained loyal in worship. God manifested Himself again as Savior for the remnant. Whether the remnant face their crises in small groups (Dan 3) or alone (Dan 6), God never forsakes them. And God will preserve His final remnant in as miraculous a way as He saved Daniel and his friends.

Daniel 7 and 12—Visions.
Daniel 7 and 12 develop the remnant idea within the context of apocalyptic visions.

This whole scene was a precursor of the final crisis when the final remnant will be ordered to worship the “image of the beast” and when “as many as do not worship the image of the beast will be killed” (Rev 13:15).

In Daniel 7 the “saints of the Most High” (v. 25) are a faithful remnant. For a lengthy period of three and a half times, or 1,260 literal years, they experience persecution from the “little horn” power which wears the saints down (7:25) and shatters them (12:7). This is why only a decimated remnant is left over by the end of the 1,260 years in 1798.

The “saints of the Most High” experience the climax of the ages when, after the pre-Advent judgment (7:9–10, 13–14, 22, 25–27) in which the saints are vindicated (v. 22), they receive the everlasting kingdom (7:18, 27) through the Son of Man to whom God will have given it (7:14). The everlasting kingdom is inherited only by those who are found written in the book (12:1).

This remnant of faith consists of those who remain true to God. The end-time remnant of faith and the righteous dead who will be raised in the resurrection are linked together (12:1–3) as inheritors of the kingdom of God.

2. THE REMNANT IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Like the book of Daniel, Revelation also makes special contributions to the remnant theme. Its first mention of the remnant appears in the letters to the seven churches—Thyatira. The “Son of God” (Rev 2:18) speaks words of judgment and condemnation to the church of Thyatira because she “does not want to repent of her immorality,” that is, of her apostasy (2:21).

Still, there is a remnant in Thyatira who are addressed in Revelation 2:24–25: “But to the rest [or remnant, Greek loipois] of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this [false] teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you [the remnant] I say, I do not lay upon you any other burden; only hold fast what you have, until I come” (RSV).

This passage makes an astonishing claim. The church of Thyatira had apostatized; it had departed from the apostolic faith and followed openly and defiantly the great apostasy typified by Jezebel. However, not all was lost for genuine Christian faith in Thyatira. The “Son of God” spoke to “the remnant who are in Thyatira.”

This “remnant,” often rendered “the rest” in English versions (KJV, RSV, NKJB, NASB, TEV, JB), truly is a remnant, designated by the same Greek term used in Revelation 12:17 and 11:13. The rendering “the others” (NEB, NAB) is inadequate.

What does this passage reveal about the remnant?
(1) In a time when the church at large has apostatized, when it has followed false teachings and doctrines, a remnant of loyal believers remain.
(2) This remnant refuse to learn what some call “the deep things of Satan” (2:24); they retain the genuine faith.
(3) The remnant are admonished by the Son of God “to hold fast what you have” (2:25). Holding fast does not involve redefining themselves based on new socio-cultural observations.

Holding fast does not involve redefining itself based on new socio-cultural observations.

And its mindset, the remnant hold to the true Biblical faith with ever new insights, holding firm and fast what they have received from Christ.

Thyatira is recognized as representing a period in the history of the church, usually seen to begin in A.D. 538, and encompassing the time of papal growth and early supremacy. Accordingly Thyatira depicts the experience of the church during medieval times, the Dark Ages.

The “remnant” in the period of Thyatira consisted of all those persons and movements who attempted to remain loyal to the biblical faith as they perceived it. We may point out such groups as the Waldenses, Hussites, Wycliffites, and Bohemian Brethren, all of whom were part of what is called the “first Reformation.” (The later Reformation of Martin Luther and others in the sixteenth century is therefore designated the “second Reformation.”)

While none of these remnant groups possessed as full a measure of Biblical truth as emerged in the sixteenth century Reformation, the command in Revelation 2:25, “only hold fast what you have,” imposed the norm to be expected of the remnant than to remain faithful to the light that had already been given to them.

Sardis.
There was a remnant in Sardis also. Revelation 3:4 makes this plain: “You have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy” (RSV). This worthy remnant “have not soiled their garments” with moral, ethical, or doctrinal defilement. They have refused to engage in compromise. They will walk with Jesus Christ in “white,” for they have washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb and received Christ’s righteousness. They have remained undefiled and pure.

Sardis represents the period in church history from the Reformation in the sixteenth century to the middle of the eighteenth century, during which influences emerged that altered the newly rediscovered gospel in radical ways. The result was a new Protestant Scholasticism with a system of doctrine to which a person could give intellectual assent without conversion. The practical application of religion and faith in everyday life become nearly nil.

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the influence of rationalism, with its antisupranatural presuppositions, led to the development of the historical-critical method of research, which is still being applied to the Bible with devastating results for faith and life. The authority of the Bible as the Word of God was compromised. (Editor’s note: For a fuller discussion, see Gerhard F. Hasel, Biblical Interpretation Today (Washington, D.C.: Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference, 1985).)

These and other major trends (such as Deism) in the history of the church made Sardis depart from the faith won by the Reformers. Still there were a “few names,” a “few” remnant groups, that carried on true faith without soiling their garments. They were a remnant of faith during this period.

Revelation 12:17.
The key remnant text in the book of Revelation is 12:17: “And the dragon was wroth [RSV: angry] with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus” (KJV).

What is meant by the “woman” and by “the remnant of her seed,” and what are the characteristics of “keeping the commandment of God” and “having the testimony of Jesus”?

The Woman’s Identity.
The first question, regarding the identity of the woman, is easily answered. The “woman” appears in verses 1–4 as being with child and giving birth to Christ who “was caught up to God and to his throne” (v. 5), referring to His ascension and installation as heavenly High Priest (cf. Heb 8:1–2; 10:12). After this the woman fled into the wilderness where she was nourished for 1,260 days (v. 6). By now the identity of the woman is certain—she represents the “true church” in continuity with God’s true people from the beginning.

The woman is persecuted by the dragon, Satan (v. 9), for “a time, times, and half a time” (v. 14). When we correlate this period with similar time periods (3½ times, forty-two months) of Revelation 11–13 and Daniel 7:25, we find that it extends from A.D. 538 to 1798. Satan attempted to destroy the true church over extended periods of time leading to the time of the end.

Identity of the Remnant.
Now we can consider who are “the remnant of her seed.” The first part of Revelation 12:17 reads: “Then the dragon [Satan] was angry with the woman [the true church] and went to make war with the remnant of her seed.”

The dragon makes war with the remnant of the woman’s seed. If the woman is the true church under persecution for 1,260 years until 1798, then the “seed” of the woman are the “descendants” or “offspring” of the woman representing the true church. The term “seed” (Greek sperma) is used frequently in the New Testament for “descendants” or “offspring” (see Jn 7:42; 8:33, 37; Rom 4:13, 16, 18; 9:7; 11:1; Gal 3:29; etc.). The “seed of the woman” consists of the offspring of the church of persecution from A.D. 538 to 1798. The “seed” are the faithful ones, an extension of the “true church.”

This remnant of the end-time have two characteristics: (1) they “keep the commandments of God” and (2) they “have the testimony of Jesus.”

The remnant of the seed of the woman, then, refers to the last group of the faithful. In the sequence of the events depicted in Revelation 12, this is the “last ‘remnant’” (SDA Bible Commentary, 7:815) or the final end-time remnant of God’s long line of faithful and obedient ones. It is sound to conclude that “the remnant of her offspring” is the last remnant in the flow of time, since it is the remnant of the end-time, just before Jesus Christ returns in glory.

Characteristics of the Remnant.
This remnant of the end-time have two characteristics:
(1) they “keep the commandments of God” and
(2) they “have the testimony of Jesus.”

Keeping the Commandments of God.
The remnant of the end time keep the commandments of God. Revelation 12:17 tells us, on the one hand, that only a remnant in the end time keep the commandments of God, but on the other hand, that there is a remnant that can be recognized as keeping the commandments of God. The commandment-keeping remnant constitute a visible entity. The very sign of “keeping the commandments” indicates an ethical lifestyle that is visible externally.

Commandment keeping is not an emotional experience but is the obedient walk of the believer. Keeping the commandments of God in faith is living the life of faith. It means maintaining a vital relationship with the Giver of the way of life. The commandments are the way of life for the believing remnant.

Having the Testimony of Jesus.
The second characteristic of the remnant of the end time is their “having the testimony of Jesus.” The RSV translates this phrase as “bear testimony to Jesus,” the NRSV reads “hold the testimony of Jesus,” the JB has “bear witness for Jesus,” the NEB renders “maintain their testimony to Jesus,” and so on.

The Greek phrase is kai echónton ton martyrían Iesou, which literally translated is, “and having the testimony of Jesus.” The term echónton is a present participle which does not mean “bear,” “maintain,” or the like but simply “having” in the sense of “possessing.” The remnant “have” or “possess” the testimony of Jesus. The force of the expression indicates an ongoing experience.

Twice in Revelation 19:10 we find the very phrase, “the testimony of Jesus,” that is found in 12:17, and one of the phrases includes the participle “having.” In no other place in the New Testament do we have this identical phrase, “having the testimony of Jesus.” Thus Revelation 19:10 and 12:17 are uniquely linked. Revelation 19:10 provides the definition of “the testimony of Jesus” in 12:17: “Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren who hold [lit. have] the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.’ For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

The phrase clearly refers to the testimony which Jesus Himself bears when He manifests Himself in a special way. “The testimony of Jesus” is Jesus’ own testimony which He gives through the Spirit of prophecy.

The remnant of the end time “have,” or better, “continue having” the testimony of Jesus among them. Since “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy,” the genuine remnant of faith in the end time continue having among them the Spirit of prophecy.

The “spirit of prophecy” consists of the prophetic gift. This is affirmed also in Revelation 22:9, where the brothers referred to are “prophets.” The “testimony of Jesus” is Jesus’ own witness among the remnant, not as Christians in general but as believers in Christ and His commandments among whom the prophetic gift is manifested. In the end time, those who do not have the “spirit of prophecy” as a gift of the Spirit among them cannot be considered the last remnant. Only those who accept the gift of the “spirit of prophecy” are members of the remnant.

CONCLUSIONS

As we contemplate the entire Biblical message regarding the remnant, a consistent and clear picture emerges.

1. The remnant of faith are always God’s true followers in times of great crisis and apostasy.

2. The remnant of faith base their lives on a genuine faith relationship with God and Jesus Christ. In this sense the Bible calls them “righteous” as well as “holy.” The remnant are the ones fully committed to their Lord in faith and life.

3. The remnant of faith are Lord-seeking and walk with God. They are intimately joined to Jesus Christ, their Lord, who has given them a “new heart” and a “new spirit.”

4. The remnant of faith are an “open” community of believers made up of people from any nation and background. The remnant are not limited to a single ethnic group or to a single continent. They compose a universal group in the sense that men and women of all walks of life and of any socio-economic background who heed the call and follow through with appropriate action may belong to the remnant.

5. The remnant of faith are characterized by obedience to the ways of God as specified in the Scriptures. They walk the walk of faith and follow the way of life as revealed in the commandments of God.

6. The remnant of faith worship God in spirit and in truth, not bowing the knee to Baal (see 1 Kings 19:18). As Revelation 14:7 indicates, they “worship him [the Creator] that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of water.”

Those who do not have the “spirit of prophecy” as a gift of the Spirit among them cannot be considered the last remnant. Only those who accept the gift of the “spirit of prophecy” are members of the remnant.

1. The remnant of faith in the end time are in continuity with the remnant of faith of all time. Despite the special trials they will experience, their loyalty to their Lord is unwavering.

2. The remnant of faith in the end time, the final remnant, reveal special characteristics: they “keep the commandments of God” and “have the testimony of Jesus” which “is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev 12:17; 19:10). These are visible marks identifiable in a visible remnant. The “keeping [of] the commandments of God” is no invisible experience. It is a public demonstration which sets the final remnant of faith apart from all other professed Christians; it is a basis on which they can be identified. Continuing to possess the testimony of Jesus is not merely a “closet” experience either. It is a public demonstration of who belongs to whom and who holds what.

1. The end-time remnant of faith, who keep God’s commandments and who have Jesus’ own testimony in the form of the Spirit of prophecy, are God’s true people with a mission for the world: to give the “eternal gospel” with the message that the “hour of His judgment has come” (Rev 14:7).

2. The mission of the end-time remnant of faith, according to Isaiah 66:18–19, is “to gather all nations and tongues.” They are sent by the Lord “to the nations and the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory” (NASB). In the book of Revelation the mission of the end-time remnant of faith is defined as taking place when “the hour of his judgment is come” and consists of preaching the “everlasting gospel” “unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Rev 14:6–7). This preaching of the “everlasting gospel” is an all-consuming task from which nothing will sidetrack the remnant of faith. It is a bringing in of the harvest of souls from everywhere and every people.

3. The proclamation of the end-time remnant of faith consists of the “eternal gospel” in its entirety, the full and complete gospel message that deals with the salvation of the whole person—body, soul, and spirit. It is not a shortened gospel, dealing only with the soul or only with the body, or only with one aspect of the gospel at the expense of other aspects.

4. Revelation 12:17 states that the dragon, Satan, is enraged at the remnant. Satan failed to destroy the true church in the wilderness. Before the end he will attempt to destroy God’s final remnant by false teachings, limiting the “everlasting gospel,” bringing in different forms of worship, and claiming that one can be saved without taking sanctification seriously. Finally, there will be a “time of trouble such as never was” (Dan 12:1). However, the reassuring word is that at this final attempt to destroy the last remnant of faith, Michael Himself will stand up to deliver His people. In the end, final salvation is the experience of the remnant of faith; they will go through the final “macro” time of trouble as Daniel and his friends went through their “micro” time of trouble.

Who Are the Remnant?
Since there is no other religious body today outside of Seventh-day Adventists which uniquely and specifically has the characteristics of the remnant of faith and carries their marks, it follows that Adventists as they meet all the aspects of the remnant are the final remnant of faith of the end-time.

This does not mean that there are no other Christians who live temporarily on the basis of limited light.

They too are children of God. But until they join the commandment-keeping, faith-of-Jesus holding remnant, they are not part of the final remnant. In the course of time all children of God, whether in Christian churches or non-Christian religions, who listen to the Spirit of God and follow His wooings will be drawn by the faithful, global proclamation of the “everlasting gospel” into the visible community of the final remnant of faith, which even now proclaims this message with power and conviction.

Unique Message, Unique People.
The Seventh-day Adventist message is so uniquely biblical in origin, content, and power that it will call others and draw others to join the final remnant people, composed of faithful followers of Christ who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus, the Bible and the Spirit of prophecy.

Are we the unique remnant people that others can identify with and join in preparation for history’s greatest event, so soon to happen? If we are, and the Scriptural testimony on this is sure, then let us put our heads and hands to the task with prayer under the leadership of Him who ministers for us in the heavenly sanctuary, preparing for His glorious return.

May God and Jesus Christ grant us grace to be humble and faithful as His final remnant and to continue to fulfill our divine commission to proclaim powerfully the “everlasting gospel” to “every nation, tribe, tongue, and people” (Rev 14:6).