We ended last week’s post by hinting Paul was saying more than meets the eye in 1 Thessalonians 4. Twice in the following passage he refers to Christians who are “alive and remain” at the return of Christ.
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Why does Paul add “and remain” when he identifies the living? What’s he trying to say with this phrase?
The option we considered last week is that repetition conveys emphasis. In this case, the apostle is stressing the difference between saints on the ground (living Christians) and those under the ground (deceased believers). But that’s not all! The good news is that both groups will meet Jesus when He returns; no Christian will miss Him. That’s a magnificent promise, inspiring comfort and hope.
Yet these extra words also remind me of the experience of the remnant in ancient Israel. And that history presents us with quite a challenge.
Soon after the death of King Solomon, the nation of Israel split into two countries. The 10 northern tribes kept the name Israel but the land succumbed to rampant idolatry. God sent prophets to warn them, but the Israelites paid no heed. Things got so bad the Lord allowed the Assyrians to overrun Israel in 722 BC. Most of the Israelites never came back. The Assyrians scattered them throughout the empire; only a small minority resettled Samaria. But since the Israelites intermarried with the Gentiles of the region, the Jews dismissed them as impure.
While the southern kingdom consisted of two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, the latter was so small the nation as a whole went by the name of Judah. Because they retained the city of Jerusalem, the Davidic line of kings, and God’s temple, the Jews had the potential to stay loyal to the Lord. But more often than not, they failed!
God sent prophets to warn them, but the people seldom listened. In the end, Jeremiah foretold a divine judgment: 70 years of exile in Babylon, followed by a return to the land (Jeremiah 25:1-14).
The few Jews who survived the invasion and stayed in Judah were a mere remnant of the nation. According to the Old Testament, this group has several defining characteristics. We’ll list these and see how they relate to the Church. (To keep the post short, I’m listing only a few verses in each category.)
A Remnant Is Small
“Unless the LORD of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah.” – Isaiah 1:9 (NKJV)
“For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant within them will return; a destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.” – Isaiah 10:22
“Then all the commanders of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people both small and great approached 2and said to Jeremiah the prophet, ‘Please let our petition come before you, and pray for us to the LORD your God, that is for all this remnant; because we are left but a few out of many, as your own eyes now see us.’” – Jeremiah 42:1-2
Once God’s people were many; this was consistent with the Lord’s promises to Abraham (Genesis 22:17), Isaac (Genesis 26:4), and Jacob (Genesis 28:14). But now the nation was almost obliterated. A remnant is but a few.
Is this what Paul thought about the future condition of the Church? Did he believe the number of believers at the time of the Rapture would hover near zero?
A Remnant Is All That’s Left
“Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant that is left.” – 2 Kings 19:4
“And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant of His people who will be left, just as there was for Israel In the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt.” – Isaiah 11:6
“The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward.” – Isaiah 37:31
We can call them survivors; the remnant escaped the destruction. They perpetuate the people of God, but on an insignificant scale. No one pays attention to them any more. A remnant is a shadow of what was once great.
Could Paul view the future Church as a shell of a once-vibrant community? That seems like a pessimistic outlook! What drained Christians of their energy and effectiveness?
A Remnant Escapes
“But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage. … 13After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and our great guilt, since You our God have requited us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us an escaped remnant as this, 14shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations? Would You not be angry with us to the point of destruction, until there is no remnant nor any who escape? 15O LORD God of Israel, You are righteous, for we have been left an escaped remnant, as it is this day; behold, we are before You in our guilt, for no one can stand before You because of this.” – Ezra 9:8, 13-15
“Those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number. Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs.” – Jeremiah 44:28
“However, I will leave a remnant, for you will have those who escaped the sword among the nations when you are scattered among the countries.” – Ezekiel 6:8
To escape means to elude capture and to slip danger. But this often occurs at a high price. The Jews escaped destruction and exile, but they weren’t the same. Reduced in their own eyes and disdained by the world. They’d gained their lives, but lost so much else.
Is this what Paul envisions for the Church as we draw near to the Second Coming? What will conditions be like for Christians as that event draws near?
Conclusion
Paul encourages the Thessalonians that no believer will miss Christ’s return. Dead or alive–it makes no difference. All Christians will witness and take part in His arrival.
While that brightens our spirit, we need to reflect on what it means to live and remain during that season. In the Old Testament, a remnant is a reduced gathering of a once numerous and mighty people. If Paul suggests something similar for Christians, we should prepare ourselves.
We’ll delve into that subject next.
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