GOD'S PEOPLE ARE A REMNANT, AND IT'S LARGER AND MORE DIVERSE THAN YOU SUPPOSE.

Castaways at Strand by Polish painter Franciszek Ksawery Lampi

 

 I usually agree with Dr. J. Vernon McGee and with A. W. Tozer. However, there is one point I strongly disagree with them.

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah is telling God, repeatedly, that Israel killed all God's prophets, and that he alone is left. (Never mind that a guy named Obadiah hid and fed 100 prophets.) God tells Elijah that there are 7,000 in Israel who have not bowed to Baal or kissed his image.

In listening to McGee, he comments that the 7,000 didn't do much for Elijah. (He admits in his printed notes he wasn't kind to the remnant.) Likewise, Tozer said that if the 7,000 were doing what they should be, Israel would not be in apostasy.

In the text, are these two gentlemen accurate? I don't think so. These men were faithful to God. There is no indication that they were called to anything more than that. They were presented as evidence to Elijah he wasn't alone.

Should the remnant have done more for Elijah? How could they? 1 Kings 17 states God had Elijah hide, first by a brook where he was fed by ravens, and then in Queen Jezebel's homeland eating cakes with a widow and her son. Could they have stood with Elijah at Mount Carmel? Did they need to? Nope.

Let's look at how the term "The Remnant" is used in Scripture. The KJV uses that term 89 times, 83 of those being in the Old Testament. It's used 25 times in the historical and poetic books, usually from the Hebrew word yathar, referring to a residue. In other words, we're talking about leftovers, about an excess.

If you're good at math, you'll guess that the remaining 57 times appear in the prophets, and you'll be right. Isaiah and Jeremiah use that term 16 times each. The prophets, though, are using the related words shear and sheriph. These reflect a residue, those who escaped, survivors.  Kind of like the castaways in the painting above.

So let me return to the title of today's blog. "God's people are a remnant, and it's larger and more diverse than you suppose." Who am I quoting? Myself. If someone wants to create a meme and quote me, go for it! But let's break down what I'm saying. 

First, I'm saying we're a remnant. Yes, the remnant is a numberless multitude (Rev. 7:9-17), but it's still a remnant. Leftovers. The survivors. A minority movement. 7,000 people weren't a lot. Not everyone who calls Jesus Lord will be in the kingdom (Mt. 7:21-23). 

I remember a Church of Christ radio preacher who said, "Do I believe the Church of Christ is the only ones who will be saved? No. I believe we're the only ones who have hope of being saved! One in a thousand will get in." He's echoing my point - it's not the professors but the possessors. The true church is a remnant.

My second point is that the remnant, though small, is not as small as we think it will be. If Elijah listened to Obadiah, he would have realized there was a remnant of 100, not 1 (that one being Elijah). But God revealed that remnant was 70 times larger than Obadiah's estimate. God is the one who reserves the remnant.

One controversial book I've read is The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church by Marv Rosenthal. There's a lot of what he said that can be questioned, but one thing he said rang true. When John saw the numberless multitude (again, Rev. 7:9-17), one of the elders asked who they were. Rosenthal pointed out that John did a lot of question asking in Revelation, but this is the only time John was asked a question. Rosenthal's interpretation is that this numberless multitude is the Church from Pentecost to the end, and showing John the end result of the small, persecuted band John lived with.

The remnant, I believe, will also include those that we're not expecting. Revelation says it will include all nations, and thus obviously all races. The Church of Christ radio preacher is probably astonished as he sees he's in heaven with a whole batch of people who aren't in the Church of Christ. Calvinists, there will be Arminians among the Remnant. God can save whoever He wants - He's not limited to your theology and biases.

So allow me to conclude that when you feel isolated, you're not alone in feeling isolated, and you're not alone as being a member of the remnant. God has reserved many you aren't aware of. Peter says the same thing in 1 Peter 5:9.

But now, I'll mark the calendar when Ignescent, a band I recently reviewed, hits Indianapolis in a couple of months on their Remnant Tour!

INTERVIEW WITH JENNIFER BENSON OF IGNESCENT

Ignescent: l-r Guitarist Nathan Allard, vocalist Jennifer Benson, bassist Ian Sebastian.

You probably know by now: I had planned to go to Kingdom Come Fest on Saturday, June 18th this year. When the schedule came out, I looked at if the bands I most wanted to hear were there on Saturday. Forsaken Hero? Check. Reclaim the Day? Check. Theody? Check. Ignescent? Right after Theody. 

And you know I didn't make it to KCF. Would I have lasted over eight hours on a warm June day at age 62 to hear all these bands? So I didn't get to hear Ignescent, but hopefully that will change someday soon. (And yes, for those asking, I did discover them on the FB group Female Christian Rock and Metal, as I have discovered several other groups I've interviewed.)

JR: Welcome to the blog. Could you let me know who all is in the band, how the band got started, and the origin of the band's name? 

JB: Jennifer Benson - vocals, Ian Sebastian - bass, Nathan Allard - guitar. We are currently hiring drummers. Lori Peters will be filling in for us at Lifest. 

I started the band by putting out ads on Craigslist and contacting people on bandmix. I prayed for the band name and was looking in the dictionary and the name Ignescent just popped out at me. Ignescent means to Ignite which is perfect since we want to Ignite people's hearts on fire for Jesus. 

JR: When I think of Chicago, where you're from, I think of Moody Bible Institute and Radio, Rez Band and Jesus People USA. I also think of pizza, Brookfield Zoo, the Cubs and the ChiSox, and traffic that gives me nightmares, but I'm getting off topic. What are the blessings and curses of being in Chicago, especially in relation to your faith and your music?

JB: The blessings of being on the Chicago are definitely my family and the food here is amazing! Giordano's Pizza is my favorite and Portillo's! The curses of being in Chicago is I have been bullied and harassed for my faith in Jesus. I've been treated like garbage. It's definitely not an easy place to live as a Christian. There are too many bullies here and the school system is awful.  

JR: I love your song "Remnant." Would you like to tell us about it and about what project you're working on? (As if you'd answer, "No, I don't want to talk about my music; I've yet to get that answer.)

JB: Thank you! Yes. We have a brand new song we co-wrote with Jeremy Valentyne formerly of the band New Years Day that we are hoping to release at the end of summer. We have many fests we will be playing at this summer including Lifest, Rock Fest, and Inkcarceration Fest. 

JR: I'm asking these questions after you performed at Kingdom Come Festival (KCF). We're currently having a two week heat wave in Indiana, with a two day period in the middle where it was quite comfortable. Coincidentally, it was during KCF. Last year, I watched golf ball size hail from my apartment window, just when another favorite band (Theody) was on stage. The hail didn't reach to Kokomo. Are there any instances where you saw God work things out perfectly for the band?

JB: Yes. Absolutely! Speaking of weather, at Rock Fest, a couple years ago there was a bad storm with tornado type weather. One person ran past me and said "We're gonna die." LOL. It was a little scary and all we had was our car to get in to run for cover. We thought the fest was going to be canceled and it happened right when our first set was supposed to take place. We all prayed and the weather cleared up quickly and we were able to play for the 2nd and 3rd set time that night. Everyone was OK. 

JR: I smiled when I saw your post of one of my favorite singers (Zahna) performing on your FB page, and seeing the guitarists of another favorite band (Becca and Marcus Sugg of Reclaim the Day) backing her up. What's it like being at a big festival like KCF? Are there any singers/bands that have mentored and encouraged you in your ministry? Anybody you've had the privilege to encourage and mentor?

JB: Yes. Sameer Bhattacharya of Flyleaf has given us alot of advice and encouraged us. It's so nice to have someone like that who has been so successful encouraging us. Yes. I have had the opportunity to encourage and mentor some local bands here. 

JR: Thank you for your time. While I wasn't able to hear you at KCF, I'm hoping to sometime. How can me and other fans reading this find out where you'll be and what you're up to?

JB: You can go to www.ignescentmusic.com, Songkick, and follow is on Instagram @ignescentmusic to keep updated on shows and news. Follow Ignescent on Spotify too as well as TikTok and Facebook all under @ignescentmusic