Might the term “remnant” when used of His people ( Romans 11:4,5; Revelation 12:17) be as descriptive the effulgent splendor of His character as it is of those who remain? And in reality be the purpose of those who remain? The description behind the description?
God is light and in Him there in no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). Lucifer obfuscated that light – the light of God’s character of other-centered love, necessitating his removal from heaven ( Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28; Revelation 12 ). That light was again obscured by falsehood as Lucifer, now Satan, perpetrated it on this planet (Genesis 3). It deepened so quickly that by Genesis 4:26 some began to publicly proclaim the light (margin KJV “to proclaim” means also to “publicly proclaim”) the effulgent splendor of the true character of God to those in deepening darkness. Yet the darkness of self-centered love continued to encroach until only Noah was the remnant of that light shining in this world. Therefore God saved only Noah and his family and eventually afterward rearranging communication to slow the spread of darkness. Though slowed, darkness continued it’s encroachment so God Himself, the Son of God became also the Son of Man to save at least a remnant of this fallen race, demonstrating with crystal clarity the unlimited breadth, depth, and height of His Father’s other-centered love, devoid only for our sake of it’s brilliant out shining. A love with it’s powers of gentleness, kindness, compassion, faithfulness, mercy, patience, forgiveness, grace, goodness, self-denying purity, meekness, humility and yes, reluctantly with a heavy heart, justice. Justice tailored to and used as a calling to repentance or more sadly just letting humans reap the results of their choices in and of the darkening unjust self-absorbed world. His entry changing the downward slope of history to a lesser decline, revealing with greater clarity, brilliant hope and direction to a dying world.
Darkness continued its encroachment on this earth’s population as people continued to turn away from the light ( Jn 3:9, Rev.6:1-8, Mt. 13:24-30, Mt 24 ). In part by the institutionalization of Christianity and it’s hiding of the Bible which reveals His glorious character, allowing paganism to creep in. Light was again being rapidly expunged from this earth. Yet again God intervened and preserved a remnant of people with progressive reformation (Rev. 12:17) to shed abroad a remnant of light, the divine glory of His true character (see Ex 33:18,19: 34:6, Gal 5:22, Col 3:12-14, 2 Peter1:5 ) to shine into the darkness.
People of this earth have, are and will be saved not by the degree of truth they have, but in turning from wherever they are in the darkness, to light. Being immediately covered externally, as light does, termed justification (total forgiveness) – the external part of Christ’s robe of righteousness. People then, with-in that protective, healing, encouraging, covering of God’s grace reveal their sincerity, the genuineness of their turning by the willing, delightfull internalization of that light, the righteousness of Christ, His character (Gal 5:22) via the Holy Spirit. This revitalizes them by reestablishing in each His character virtues, the image of God (Gen 1:26,27), emanating from other-centered love (thus eliminating the need for external prescriptive “law” Gal 3:19-25), termed sanctification. Thus each becoming a center of that light (Gal 2:20) His light within, shining willingly and brilliantly into their sphere of influence.
This remnant people of God are pregnant with responsibility (2 Cor. 5:20) to let that remnant of divine light be transmitted through them. That light when fully developed within, uncovered and placed on a lamp stand will light the whole world with the last brilliant display of God’s character of true, other-centered love, a love that brings with it life eternal (Col 1:27), gratitude and joy. That effulgent splendor is the purpose, the reality, the mission, the authenticity of the remnant of all ages. Then in a bittersweet moment with a heavy heart He both lets go, to disappear into eternal nonexistence those who have irrevocably chosen to turn from light (Hosea 11:8, Ez 33:11, Isa 16:11 ) and welcomes home forever those who have turned to the light and washed selfishness and distrust out of their character by the blood of the Lamb and been willingly filled with His character of other-centered love — made again into His image ( Gen. 1: 26 )!
Choose now to be a part of His remnant. You are never too old to begin to become what you were meant to be – a remnant of His light to a dying world.
LIFE EXCOGITATIONS 