- A Remnant
Isaiah 1:9 Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
There is a promise repeated in the prophets that there shall always be a remnant of true believers. The majority of God’s people exhibit a history of unbelief and unfaithfulness to the Lord who saves them; but as complete as the just judgment that came upon them there will always be a remnant. Eventually that faithful remnant produced the Savior of the world, and the remnant grew into a mighty church of faithful believers.
However, even though there has been a great growth of Christians throughout the world over the history of the New Testament Era, that number will be a minority out of all the people of the world, all those for whom Christ died. That is why, no matter how big the church grows, the true believers will always be a remnant. That number is a definite number in God’s mind, but it is totally unknown to us humans. That number of faithful believers is said to be 144,000, a symbolically large number (12x12x1000), but certainly many more than just that exact number. The impact of the “remnant” on the world is still powerful (they are salt and light), although it will never be a majority of the world’s people.
If there were even a ten-person remnant in Sodom God would have spared the city. Now through Isaiah God promises that the remnant is large enough to prevent a Sodom and Gomorrah judgment. Elijah thought he was the only true believer left in Israel, and God told him there were still hundreds who did not bow to Baal. Gideon was left with a mere 300 soldiers to fight the battle, but that was enough for God to grant victory. We may at times feel like true Christians are a weak minority in the world and that Evil is winning; but the promises assure us that we are saved and that we are not alone. The Church will still remain even when assaulted on every side.
The remnant, the Church of true believers, has a power and influence that far outweighs the numbers. We do not need to ever be discouraged. This promise also applies to our personal lives: God left in each of us a remnant. Take heart.