There is no denying the fact that we are living in the end times. The second coming of the Lord is around the corner. It, therefore, becomes pertinent to examine the connotation of the remnants with reference to the last days. This calls for a thorough understanding of Revelation 12:17, which inter alia states “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
In Revelation 19:10, it is confirmed that the ‘testimony of Jesus’ is the Spirit of Prophecy. The question, therefore, is what is the ‘Spirit of Prophecy’? Revelation 19:10 says “And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” It, therefore, becomes imperative to understand both these verses. There are certain important things to be noted in this verse-a) The remnant is the seed of the woman b) They keep the commandments of God c) They have the testimony of Jesus d). The angel revealing these messages in Revelation 19:10, calls himself Johns’ and his brethren’s fellow servant, who have the testimony of Jesus and thereby, the messenger of the Lord by identifying himself with John the Revelator confirms that they have the testimony of Jesus. e) The testimony of Jesus/Spirit of Prophecy, or the Gospel which John and his brethren had, is the very spirit, life, and soul of the prophecy of this book and also the ministry of Jesus when he was on this earth; for as all the prophets bore witness to Christ, so does the Spirit of God in this. d) To prophesy is to understand as revealed by the Spirit and proclaim the truth concerning God, especially in the face of prevalent ignorance or opposition; this is also what is meant by holding "the testimony of Jesus.
The end-time remnant is not confined to any local area or organisation or church, rather it is universal. They are scattered believers independent of each other. Seen in the above light, the remnant has a strong connotation in as much that it encompasses all faithful believers, conforming to the above criterion, rather than a particular group or organisation.
Considering that there are 565 denominations that claim to keep the above prescription, no single denomination can claim that it is a remnant. Further, it is individuals, not organizations, who “keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” and at the same time, one must bear in mind that salvation is individual and not collective. Thus collectives, e.g., organisations /institutions /churches/denominations fall outside the purview of this truth.
In Revelation 18:4, it is proclaimed “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” Babylon over here refers to the sinful corrupt world and the false religious systems. The fall of Babylon parallels what happened to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. This further testifies that the remnants will be universal and shall come from all walks of life.
Revelation 7:2-4 “And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
Dr Ashwin Drummond