Tracing the Biblical Pattern of the Remnant

Today I want to begin with a simple question. When the Bible uses the word remnant, what does it actually mean?

Before it became a theological term or a Seventh-day Adventist fundamental belief #13, remnant was first a pattern in Scripture. From Genesis onward, God often moved His purposes forward through a smaller group of people who responded to Him in faith. This pattern appears throughout the Bible. We see it in the patriarchs, in the nation of Israel, through the prophets, in the life and ministry of Jesus, among the apostles, and in the early church.

After sin entered the world in Genesis 3, division entered humanity. The very next story shows this clearly. Cain and Abel both brought offerings to God, but only Abel approached God in faith. Cain’s heart hardened, and he killed his brother. After Cain, God continued His purpose through Seth. The name Seth means “appointed” or “placed.” Through Seth, the line of those who call upon the name of the Lord continued. From that point on, God’s purpose moved forward through a smaller, faithful line. This is one of the earliest pictures of a remnant.

As the generations passed, the Bible described a world that became increasingly violent and corrupt: 

Genesis 6: 5-8 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

In the middle of this dark description, the Bible says, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” This sentence is central to the remnant theme. It does not say that Noah earned God’s favor. It does not say that Noah was sinless. It simply says that Noah found grace.

Noah becomes one of the clearest examples of the remnant in Scripture. God brings judgment because violence and corruption are destroying life, yet His purpose does not end with judgment. God preserves life through Noah and his family. At this moment, the remnant is very small. It is only eight people. Through them, God preserves humanity, the animals, and His promise to the world. The remnant exists because God remains faithful and gracious.

This pattern continues after the flood. Noah’s descendants increase in number, but they are scattered across the earth at the Tower of Babel. Later, in Genesis 12, God calls Abram: 

Genesis 12: 1-5 Now the Lord had said to Abram: 

“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. 

Through this call, God begins a new chapter in His purpose. Once again, He works through a smaller group of people who respond to Him in faith. Abram becomes the next example of the remnant, a person through whom God continues His promise and His plan for the world.

Abram is not chosen because of power or righteousness. His family lived in idolatry, and God, by grace, chose someone who was not yet worshiping Him. Abram becomes part of God’s purpose as he responds to God’s gracious call in faith.

From Abram comes Isaac, and again the remnant pattern appears. God’s covenant promise moves forward through Isaac rather than Ishmael. Later, the promise moves through Jacob rather than Esau. Each time, God works through a smaller and often unexpected line.

The story of Joseph adds another layer to this theme. Joseph is one among many brothers, yet God uses him to preserve his family and the surrounding nations during a time of famine. Betrayal and suffering become the means through which God saves life. Joseph later tells his brothers that God sent him ahead to preserve a remnant on the earth. In this story, the remnant reflects God’s purpose continuing through hardship, faith, and grace.

As the Old Testament continues, this pattern becomes even clearer. God chooses Israel, not because it is the largest or strongest nation, but because of His love and promise. Within Israel, God often works through a faithful few. The prophets repeatedly speak of a remnant that survives judgment and returns to God.

Scripture also shows that the remnant is not always presented in the same way. At times, the remnant represents hope. It reflects God’s mercy after judgment and His commitment to restoration. In these passages, the remnant is preserved and renewed by God’s faithfulness.

At other times, remnant language carries a sobering message. The fact that only a remnant remains reveals how severe judgment has been. It exposes how far the people have drifted from God. In these moments, the remnant serves as a warning. It removes false confidence and challenges the idea that belonging to God’s covenant people guarantees safety apart from faith.

Isaiah uses remnant language in both ways. The remnant points to mercy and judgment at the same time. It shows that God preserves life, and it shows the cost of unfaithfulness. This tension matters. It keeps the remnant from becoming a comfortable identity or a source of pride. The remnant stands as both a sign of grace and a reflection of loss. It reminds the people that God has not abandoned them, and it also calls them to honest self-examination.

In the New Testament, the remnant theme takes on new depth in light of Jesus Christ. Paul addresses this directly in Romans chapters 9 through 11. In these chapters, he raises a painful question:

If Israel was God’s chosen people, how should believers understand the fact that many within Israel did not accept Jesus as the Messiah?

Paul explains that the issue is not God’s faithfulness. The problem is human confidence placed in identity and heritage rather than in faith. God’s saving purpose continues through a remnant:

Romans 11: 1-16 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, as it is written:

“God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”

And David says:

“May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”

Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!

I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Paul’s message in Romans 9 through 11 is clear. God has not rejected His people, and His saving purpose continues through a remnant preserved by grace. Drawing on the stories of Elijah and the prophets, Paul shows that God has always kept a faithful group within Israel, and that this remains true in the time of Christ. Not all in Israel responded in faith. Some hardened their hearts, while others believed. Even this became part of God’s larger purpose, as Israel’s rejection opened the way for the Gentiles. Using the image of an olive tree, Paul explains that Gentile believers are grafted into Israel’s story by faith. They do not replace Israel, but share in the same root of God’s promise. God’s gifts and calling remain irrevocable, and Israel’s future hope is not erased. What now defines the remnant is faith in Christ, not ethnicity, law, or heritage.

In this way, the early church continues the remnant theme. It is a community shaped by grace, sustained by faith, and made up of both Jews and Gentiles. God’s promise does not end in the New Testament. It continues through Jesus Christ and remains open to all who respond to Him in faith.

As the gospel spread, this early remnant grew rapidly. What began as a small group within Israel became a visible and widespread church across the Roman world. With this growth came new challenges. As Christianity gained influence and acceptance, faith often became mixed with power, tradition, and human authority. Confidence slowly shifted from trust in Christ to trust in the institution of the church. This movement away from the simplicity of the gospel is what later generations recognized as apostasy.

In response, God again worked through a remnant during the Protestant Reformation. Reformers did not seek to create a new church. They sought to call the church back to Scripture and to salvation by grace through faith. From a Protestant perspective, the remnant during the Reformation consisted of believers who trusted Christ alone for salvation and upheld the authority of Scripture within a divided and compromised church. The remnant was defined by faithfulness, not by forming a single institution.

This understanding continues to shape mainstream Protestant theology today. The remnant is not defined by size, power, or denominational identity. It refers to believers who remain faithful to Christ within the wider Christian world. The remnant is understood as a spiritual reality that calls for humility, repentance, and ongoing dependence on God.

This raises an important question. If God has repeatedly worked through faithful groups during times of apostasy, how should the remnant be understood at the end of history? This is where Seventh-day Adventist theology offers its own reading of the biblical pattern, especially through the book of Revelation. Adventists share the Protestant emphasis on grace and faith, while also identifying the remnant as a visible end-time movement with a specific prophetic mission.

Seventh-day Adventists understand the remnant primarily through the book of Revelation. A key passage is Revelation 12:17:

Revelation 12:17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

Adventists understand this verse as pointing to an end-time community that remains loyal to God during a period of intense spiritual conflict. Adventists connect this description with Revelation 19:10:

Revelation 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Based on this connection, Adventist theology understands the remnant as a people guided by prophetic witness. This does not replace Scripture or add new doctrine, but serves to point believers back to the Bible and to Christ. Adventists believe that this prophetic gift was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White, whose writings are understood as pastoral and prophetic guidance for the church, always subordinate to Scripture.

Revelation 14:6-12 further describes the mission of the remnant through the three angels’ messages. These messages proclaim the everlasting gospel, announce the hour of God’s judgment, call people to worship the Creator, and warn against false systems of worship. Adventists understand this passage as describing the global mission entrusted to the remnant in the final period of history.

Revelation 14:12 brings these ideas together::

Revelation 14:12 Here is the perseverance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

These biblical themes are summarized in Fundamental Belief #13 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This belief affirms that God has a universal church made up of all true believers. It also teaches that, in the last days, God calls a remnant who remain faithful to Scripture, are guided by prophetic testimony, keep God’s commandments, hold to the faith of Jesus, and proclaim the final gospel message to the world.

In Adventist theology, the remnant is therefore understood as a visible end-time community shaped by grace, centered on Christ, guided by Scripture, and supported by prophetic witness. It is not a claim of spiritual superiority, but a call to responsibility, humility, and mission in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ.

Questions: 

1. Paul teaches that the remnant exists because God preserves a people for Himself by grace, not by works or identity. How should this shape how Seventh-day Adventists identify themselves as Remnant and practice obedience to God’s commandments, relate to the spirit of prophecy, and carry out the mission of proclaiming the three angels’ messages in their own faith experience today?
2. If Scripture consistently warns that remnant language can lead to false confidence, how can Adventists hold a remnant calling without turning it into a source of spiritual security or pride?

David: I have two concerns: First, about the remnant being chosen by grace. We’ve studied grace quite a bit, and I’ve always had the impression—and the belief—that grace is indiscriminate. To say that the remnant is chosen by grace suggests that grace discriminates. But on what basis? That’s a difficult one.

The other problem I have is the old problem of the difference between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New. The notion of judgment leading to destruction—Noah’s flood, for example—is incompatible with the God of the New Testament, who turns the other cheek to evil.

Don: I think Kiran’s questions are provocative and very timely. One of the first issues that needs to be clarified is what the end product of “remnant” is about. I think the first point that should be made is that being remnant has nothing to do with salvation. If there is a remnant—and there does seem to be one—it is, number one, selected by God, and number two, its end product is mission, not personal achievement.

We easily fall into the trap of thinking that the remnant has something to do with salvation—that these are people somehow selected for salvation. In the story of the flood, to answer David’s question, the invitation was given to everyone to get on the ark. There was no discrimination as far as the invitation was concerned. It was a question of who was willing to accept it.

So one of the principles of remnant should be that it is mission-directed rather than salvation-directed. It’s also easy to claim remnancy, but the record from the book of Romans suggests strongly that this is something God chooses; it’s not self-appointed.

Almost all religions have some kind of claim to remnancy or specialness. The Jehovah’s Witness have strong views about the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation, which seems to be a form of remnancy in that faith tradition.

David: They seem to believe that they are the 144,000. Every year, in Kingdom Halls all over the world, they memorialize the death of Christ, and pass around the sacrament, but no-one is expected to partake of the wine or the bread unless they believe they are one of the 144,000. In that case, they publicly drink the wine and eat the bread, and then they are recognized as such, though it confers no earthly benefits. But it seems that you have to be a Jehovah’s Witness, and you have to be in the Kingdom Hall, to become one of these 144,000.

What concerns me more is this whole idea of remnant. We recognize that there’s a lot of good in the world that we don’t talk about. It’s the evil that hits the headlines. The metaphor of the Fall is centers on the moment when evil was first recognized—when we became able to discriminate that there was such a thing as evil. I wonder if the remnant isn’t simply the goodness that exists in the world. It’s there, but not of God’s choosing. God can’t choose goodness—God is goodness, and goodness is purely constructive, creative. It is not destructive.

So the notion of a God who brings about destruction—on perceived enemies—just doesn’t wash for me. It goes completely counter to what Jesus said about turning the other cheek. No matter what your enemy is doing, do not even think about destroying him.

As metaphor, the Bible can teach us many lessons. I’ve a feeling that the remnant is more of a metaphor for goodness than it is a history of specific peoples, and certainly not about “chosen” peoples. I know “chosen” is the language of the Bible, but I wonder if there are other interpretations. I hope there are, because otherwise it is difficult for me to make sense of it.

Don: Do you think it could be a recognition of goodness, as opposed to a selection or choosing of goodness?

David: I’d like to think that. I’d like to think that God doesn’t choose who is good—that we self-select. We choose to be good—or not. We have the ability to discriminate, and to choose one side or the other. Of course, we choose badly and mix them up quite a bit. We’re both good and evil. But the remnant is the good that persists—the good remnant that ensures God’s will will be done. Kiran talks about it as God’s unfolding plan. I’m not sure God’s plan ever changed, but our understanding of it certainly has. That may be a reflection on how the Bible is written.

Carolyn: I feel that’s a very good point, because it makes me wonder about God choosing the remnant and predestination, and who would be selected. I’ve always wanted to be part of the remnant. Do I have any choice in the matter?

It seems like we must live up to the specifications of the Ten Commandments and so forth, but it can become so confusing. I love the pure, simple knowledge of grace. I have a Father who decides and has given us everything we need to be equipped to go to heaven.

C-J: The 144,000 represent the twelve tribes, each being twelve thousand in number. Their fate—if I remember correctly—is to be slaughtered at the end. They are witnesses, and their purifying blood is spilled.

I think some interpretations say they’re all men, all Jewish men, and that they hold to the narrative that Christ is the Messiah. There’s also a symbolic interpretation—that the number represents the entire church, the completed, perfect number of God’s redeemed people.

In Judaism, as in many belief systems, numerology is very important. It’s tied to seasons, hierarchy, mysticism—it’s a language unto itself, and not everyone is adept at interpreting it.

So I don’t think the remnant is about the common person, per se. I think they’re set aside with a mission—an oracle, almost—to this thing of grace. And if I’m not mistaken, that whole idea comes during the time of tribulation, where they’re sacrificed.

I think we put so much meaning into things that are picturesque metaphors, things that don’t have clarity because they’re left to interpretation within any belief system. And the bottom line is: Humanity really messed this up. It created a huge mess of something that had the potential to be beautiful—to be loved, cherished, nurtured, and kind toward the planet and toward one another.

144,000 people would have been a very large city in ancient times, when the average city might only have had a thousand people, so this would have been powerful: commerce, temples, professions, all in one voice proclaiming judgment and grace.

So I think we put too much emphasis on the remnant. God didn’t separate good from bad—He used the word all. All are welcome. Grace is what we need to focus on.

We want to separate ourselves: “I was good, I didn’t have fun, I didn’t break the rules, so I should get a walk-through at the gate—where’s my apartment?” But that’s not what God is about. It’s not about the temporal. It never has been.

David: Connie’s remarks remind me of something I forgot to say in answer to Don’s question about Jehovah’s Witnesses. They believe that the 144,000 have a special calling, which is, at the end of time, to join Jesus in heaven and help him rule over the kingdom on earth—the paradise where everyone else will live.

You see the magazines: people sitting in sunny woodland settings, lions nuzzling up against them. That’s their vision of paradise. The 144,000 are selected to help govern them. But why does paradise need governing? If there’s no evil, no wrongdoing of any sort, what is there to govern? They seem to know the answers. I don’t.

Reinhard: To me, the use of the word remnant in the Old Testament is not entirely correct. We know the Israelites are sometimes referred to as a remnant, but I think the more accurate term is God’s chosen people. When God started with Abraham, many verses say clearly that God chose this group of people—the Israelites.

In the Old Testament, when the flood came and wiped out human existence except for Noah’s family—the eight people—the purpose was not simply destruction. God then chose Abraham and eventually Israel in order to establish His law. That was God’s prerogative: to introduce moral law. Without law, the world would descend into chaos. We see that lawlessness exists even now.

So the purpose of God’s chosen people in the Old Testament was to carry out what God wanted—to live according to His law, to demonstrate obedience, to show that there is a Creator and that life has moral boundaries. God spoke through prophets, directly and indirectly, and sometimes even through animals.

Then comes the New Testament, where Jesus shows what God truly wants for His people. God Himself appears in human form to demonstrate how to live rightly. Jesus shows us how to live as God’s people.

In the New Testament, when we talk about remnant—as Kiran mentioned—I don’t think the idea of God’s chosen people applies in the same way. Whoever listens to God, whoever believes in Jesus, is redeemed. That is who is saved.

Remnant is often claimed by people, not declared by God. Many denominations—including Seventh-day Adventists—say, “We are the remnant.” Others say the same thing. Jehovah’s Witnesses do it. Other churches do it too.

Revelation also talks about a multitude—many people—who will be saved. So remnant cannot be only a small group. To me, remnant in the New Testament may be more about the voice of God—those who proclaim the Second Coming and call people to prepare.

Our goal now is to receive the kingdom of God and eternal life. The message of the Second Coming is central. If people want to consider themselves remnant because they believe they are living rightly, let them think that. But other Christians also believe in Jesus and are looking forward to His return.

If grace is indiscriminate, as David said, then those who receive grace and believe in Jesus are also saved. They may also see themselves as part of the remnant. I think we have to accept that.

Don: Maybe the remnant are those who recognize and share the gospel of grace, rather than focusing on what we do and trying to claim remnancy. We should be focusing on what God does for us and being messengers of the gracious message of the gospel.

C-J: My father’s family were Jehovah’s Witnesses, and his attitude was twofold. One question was, What is the purpose of this life? The other was about the 144,000. He decided early on, “Just put a line through my name. There’s no way I can do that.” The thought that I’m going to hell anyway. It doesn’t matter seems scant incentive to try. The number says nothing about relationship; it is just a number.

When you look at Christ and the way He told the story, He turned the Old Testament upside down. He went after the Pharisees and Sadducees (especially the Pharisees) because they were pompous. He spent time with the lowest denominator: the disenfranchised, the poor, the sick, the people others avoided—the lepers, sex workers, men and women alike. It was always, but for the grace of God, there go I.

If you are, in your heart, committed to forgiveness—and this may sound large—there’s also the question of forgiving God. Why did you allow this to happen to me? Why did you create me for good things if this is my experience? War, disease, famine, babies dying in their mothers’ arms—these are real.

If God has absolute control, knew me before I was in my mother’s womb, and promises to finish what He began, then the messages can feel incongruent. But Jesus didn’t ask us to understand the full depth or breadth of the Creator. He asked us to trust.

It comes back to Thy will be done. When we find grace in God—even to forgive God—we can forgive almost anything. We are players on a stage, in a narrative shaped by family, culture, and time. Grace spills over from that.

Hinduism has the idea of returning from death reincarnated as something lesser or greater depending on your behavior in life. In that sense we are always becoming—every day, every thought, every decision. This moment is a blink of an eye. It’s part of a continuum, and that changes everything.

Don: I think you said that well. Connie.

David: I agree with Connie. I thought that was a very nice presentation and I do agree with it. But I’d like to go even deeper. I think the remnant is the remnant of good—of goodness—in a world where, according to the Bible, the devil has at least some influence. You can see evidence of evil everywhere. But the good news is that the remnant of goodness—God—is unconquerable in the end.

So the devil may make hay while the sun shines, but there is a remnant of goodness that will always exist, no matter how bad things seem. God is there. And having faith in that—that persistence of goodness—is grace.

C-J: Love covers a multitude of sins.

Don: Thank you, Kiran, for raising this topic. It’s been an interesting conversation, and we’ll look forward to continuing it next week.

* * *