Who Are The Remnant?
(This article first appeared as a four-part blog by Dr. Stephen Pidgeon, June 9-12, 2015.)
As we discuss the issue of salvation in those times of tribulation called Jacob’s trouble, the end of the age, the day of YAHUAH, and so on, many questions arise about the remnant. Who are they, how are they determined, and equally important, how many will there be?
Bear in mind that in the first tribulation, in the deluge of the time of Noach, there were eight (8) people which were the entire remnant. Eight. There is a reduction contemplated in the second teshuvah as well. How big is the remnant the second time around?
Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) 3:14
Turn, O backsliding children, says YAHUAH; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one (echad) of a city, and two (sheniym) of a family, and I will bring you to Tsiyon:
Many have said: Let us be one of the remnant. Let’s explore this word remnant a bit.
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 22:2-14
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then said he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which did not have on a wedding garment: 12 And he said to him, Friend, how come you in here not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
Here if would appear the remnant are the bad guys. However, the scripture gives us a good reading as to their identity. They are first and foremost those who elect to ignore the wedding of the Son, even though they have been expressly invited and are in fact the intended guests. And who are the intended guests of the Father if not the chosen ones of the house of Yisra’el? And who among the house of Yisra’el would choose to ignore the wedding of the Son? Whoever they may be, they are called the remnant in this passage.
We have seen in our review of the remnant, that the discourses in the Besor’oth (gospels) does not appear to be favorable to this group. Let see if we can find other references:
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 25:1-13
Then shall the Kingdom of YAHUAH be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins saying, ADONAI, ADONAI, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Amein I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Adam comes.
Well, okay, what does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Let’s take a closer look at verse 11:
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 25:11
Afterward δε (deh – but) υστερον (husteron – afterward) came ερχομαι (erchomai –came) also και (kai - and) the other λοιπος (loipoy - remnant) virgins παρθενος (parthenos - virgins), saying λεγω (lego), Lord κυριος (Kurios), Lord κυριος (Kurios), open ανοιγω (anoigo – open) to us ημιν (hamiym).
Who is the remnant here? The ones who forgot the oil, and went to buy and sell. I will not explore this in detail here, but the oil is the Torah, and their failure to keep the Torah caused them to go and buy oil from those who sell on the Sabbath. MASHIACH returns on a Sabbath, which is why this remnant misses his coming - - because they are not keeping the Sabbath, because they have no regard for the Torah.
Another example of the remnant:
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 27:45-49
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour YAHUSHA cried with a loud voice, saying, Eliy, Eliy, lama azavtaniy? That is to say, My EL, my EL, why have you forsaken me? 47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calls for Eliyahu. 48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49 The remnant said, Let be, let us see whether Eliyahu will come to save him.
Remember, we have discussed that the practice of forbidding the people to use the name of YAH in any public setting was well underway for more than a century at the time of the crucifixion. As a consequence, the remnant believe he is calling on Eliyahu, and not ELOHAI.
Once again, the remnant does not appear to be a favored group.
Let us consider yet another example of this discussion of the remnant - bearing in mind that we are discussing the use of the Greek word λοιπος loipoy, (Strong’s 3062) which means the remaining ones, the others which remain, the remnant, the residue, and the rest.
This particular discussion is worthy of a bit of time, as it concerns a parable of the Besorah Marcus.
Marcus (Mark) 4:1-20
And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, 3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: 4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: 6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundred. 9 And he said unto them, He that has ears to hear, let him hear. 10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. 11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of YAHUAH: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should turn back, and their sins should be forgiven them. 13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? And how then will ye know all parables?
14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan comes immediately, and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. 18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of this remnant enters in, chokes the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.
We must discuss a couple of things, before we discuss the remnant in this passage. As I have written before, the word as used in the Besor’oth and in the Brit Chadashah means the Torah, or the everlasting instruction of YAH. Of course there are dispensationalists of every ilk who will nuance this terminology in order to justify their pathology, or better stated, their pathological hermeneutical approach to either lawlessness (antinomianism) or denial of the testimony of MASHIACH (antimessianism). This parable is in its foremost meaning, a discussion of the teaching of the Torah and how it is received.
You might recall in our discussion of the fig tree, how the trees of the field, i.e., the house of Yisra’el, sought a tree to rule over them, and they approached the olive tree, the fig tree, the vine, and finally the bramble or thorn bush. In our third example of the sowing of the word, the word is sown among thorns. It is here that we find the remnant.
Marcus (Mark) 4:18
And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of this remnant enters in, chokes the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
It is this remnant who reside under the authority of the bramble bush and not the fig tree or the vine whose cares, riches, and lusts choke the word so that it becomes unfruitful. As I have discussed in the writings concerning the fig tree that it is a metaphor for the Torah; the vine is a metaphor for the body of MASHIACH, and the bramble bush or thorn bush is a metaphor for secular government.
You who harken to the edicts of secular government above the Torah of ELOHAYCHA: Do your cares choke off your hearing of the Torah? Do your riches deceive you so that you no longer require the hearing of the Torah? Do your lusts choke off the hearing of the Torah? Speak and answer these questions; and know that for those who turn their ears from hearing the Torah, even their prayers are abomination. Mishlei (Proverbs) 28:9.
Let’s take a look at another word found in this verse, and the word is lust (in the Greek, επιθυμια epithumia (Strong’s 1939), meaning a longing (especially for what is forbidden); concupiscence, desire, or the lusting after.
Compare with the Ivriyt (Hebrew): חמד châmad (Strong’s H2530) which is one example, and means to delight in, to covet, to desire, or to lust after. Where do we see this word?
Shemot (Exodus) 20:17
You shall not covet (חָמַד) (chamad) your neighbor's house, you shalt not covet (חָמַד) (chamad) your neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his oxֺ, nor his ass, nor any thing that is your neighbor's.
Okay, I will confess that I, being raised as an American, never quite understood how covetousness could be so offensive to YAH, as it did not appear to be a covert act, but rather just an intent. However, to get the full measure of what is being said, let’s replace the word covet with its English alternative: lust.
You shall not lust after your neighbor's house, you shalt not lust after your neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his oxֺ, nor his ass, nor any thing that is your neighbor's.
Does this get the point across?
Consider one other verse, from the testimony of Sha’ul;
Eph’siym (Ephesians) 2:2
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the ruach that now works in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others (the remnant).
Again, the remnant here are identified as those who lust in the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath. Such an understanding is consistent with the parable of the seeds, and of the seeds sown among thorns.
To summarize our discussion here, the remnant in this passage are those who harken to the edicts of secular government above the Torah of ELOHAYCHA; whose cares choke off the hearing of the Torah; whose riches deceive them that they are no longer required to hear the Torah; and whose lust for the things of their neighbor chokes off the hearing of the Torah.
The remnant, or the residue, has one connotation at the time of MASHIACH, and another at the time of the end of the age.
Lucas (Luke) 8:10
And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of ELOHIYM: but to the remnant in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
This is the second witness as to the claim that the talmidiym have been given the ability to know the mysteries of the kingdom of ELOHIYM, i.e., the yahsod, and unto the remnant, i.e., those who have eyes that cannot see, and ears that cannot understand, a certain blindness to these same mysteries. Consider Sha’ul’s discussion on this point:
Romayim (Romans) 11:7-11
What then? את eth Yisra’el has not obtained that which he seeks for; but the election has obtained it, and the others (remnant) were blinded 8 (According as it is written, YAHUAH has given them the ruach of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. 9 And David says, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: 10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back always. 11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? Never: but rather through their fall YAHUSHA is come unto the other people, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Interesting passage, isn’t it? Those who made the election to accept MASHIACH have obtained that which they sought – i.e., the understanding of the mysteries of the Kingdom of ELOHIYM, the Torah, the testimony of MASHIACH, and the spirit of prophecy, while the remnant – those who are not of this same election – did not, and instead were given the spirit of sleep: to have eyes which do not see, and ears which do not hear, and, according to Sha’ul, are asleep even unto this day!
Those of us who continue to marvel at the assemblies within the American corporate church who do not see the fearful sights and greats signs in the heavens, who do not hear of wars and commotions, who do not see the nations rise against other nations, and kingdoms rising against other kingdoms, who pay no attention to the propitious rise of great earthquakes in divers places, who ignore the famines and pestilences happening not only throughout the world, but throughout America as well. The average corporate “Christian” sleeps through the betrayals of parents, brethren, kinsfolk, and friends, even when Christians are being put to death in record numbers throughout the world.
Soon, however, we all shall see Yerushalayim compassed with armies and the coming of the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. For there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
And then even those asleep shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory, for when these things begin to come to pass, then it is time to look up, and lift up your heads; for redemption draws nigh.
Lucas (Luke) 21:29
And he spoke to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of ELOHIYM is nigh at hand.
Yet, when it comes to the remnant, Yahuchanon also speaks in Chizayon.
Chizayon (Revelation) 9:15-21
And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand: and I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. 18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. 20 And the remnant of the men which were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Neither did they repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
Here, the remnant have the following traits: they worship devils, idols of gold, silver, brass, stone and wood, and they are unrepentant concerning the murders, sorceries, fornication and thefts. Sounds like your average American.
So the pivotal question is - will there be a righteous remnant?
Chizayon (Revelation) 11:3-13
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two menorahs standing before the ELOHIYM of the earth. 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth, and devours their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our ADONAI was crucified. 9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 11 And after three days and an half the RUACH of life from ELOHIYM entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the ELOHIYM of heaven.
With the death and resurrection of the two olive trees, the two menorahs which stand before ELOHIYM, a remnant finally gives glory to the ELOHIYM of heaven. It seems that we see this repentance only following the 10th chapter of Chizayon, when Yahuchanon is told to prophesy again.
Chizayon (Revelation) 10:11
And he said unto me, You must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
And again, we begin to see righteousness and the choosing of ELOHIYM in the remnant thereafter. Consider this from Chapter 12:
Chizayon (Revelation) 12:12-17
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he hath but a short time. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. Re 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of ELOHIYM, and have the testimony of YAHUSHA HAMASHIACH.
Suddenly, we have new criteria for the remnant which become the target of the dragon. They must keep the commandments of ELOHIYM and have the testimony of YAHUSHA HAMASHIACH – which is the spirit of prophecy.