277. Remnant Comforted
Ezekiel 14:22 Yet, behold therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.
God promises to save a remnant out of every judgment. For instance, there is Noah out of the Flood, Lot out of Sodom, Moses out of Egypt, and the faithful out of Exile. So also God knows how to save a remnant of faithful believers out of a sinful world, upon which a terrible judgment is coming.
The Lord warns us over and over that just judgment is coming upon all sin and evil and death. The world has a death sentence upon it. The world will face the Judgment of the Last Day when fire and heat destroy the old heavens and earth. And all those who have received the Word (the Christ) in faith will not perish, but have everlasting life. We believers are the remnant which is saved out of catastrophe, because all our sin and evil was placed on Jesus on the cross, and there the judgment was final and sure. This death and resurrection sets us free to become the saved remnant.
It does seem to us as though this remnant is indeed only a few, when compared to the billions of people who have lived on earth. At the same time, this remnant is a vast throng when gathered before the throne in heaven, according to Revelation. The remnant is few, though many; the remnant is many, though few. “Narrow is the door and the way. Few there be that enter therein.” “Fear not, little flock….” Yet the door is wide enough to accommodate all who will believe.
The promise is that, even in the worst of judgments, there will be a saved remnant, and in that promise the Lord promises comfort. We can take hold of the comfort of the Lord. We are the remnant and we are saved. We are not swayed by the majority, nor by the mass of humanity, nor by how many believe the lies of the world. Even iF it seems to us that we are few and weak and in the minority, we will stand firm, for we have the promise.