The Remnant and The Multitude In Scripture and In Dispensationalist Theology
I know this sounds like a huge topic. But while dispensationalism makes it important to divide Old Covenant Israel From the Body of Christ or from the Church, and some dispensationalists divide the Gospel of Christ into two different Gospels - Paul's Gospel and that of the other New Testament writers - in their interpretation of Galatians 2: 7, dispensationalism does not make a clear distinction between the remnant and the multitude. For example, in the dispensationalist view of Romans 11: 25-26 it is the multitude of Old Covenant Israel which is thought to be saved in the future.
Following Romans 9: 6-8, it would not be every one who is of the physical bloodline from Abraham who is to be saved. And Romans 11: 1-5, and Romans 11: 11-24 point out that the saved, which is the elect, are made up of a remnant from Old Covenant Israel and Gentiles who also believe. Romans 10: 12 and Galatians 3: 28 teach that there is a unity between believing Jews and believing Gentiles in Christ.
In Romans 11: 1-5 Paul very briefly points to the meaning of the remnant of Israel by implication. He says "I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
3. Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
4. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
5.Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace."
In history God has several times raised up a remnant, which is faithful to him, and has used that remnant to begin a new group of his people. The multitude, which has gone into false doctrines and false practices, and away from God, is cut off from God . That multitude, though, has tried to get back its position with God. For example, see: Malachi 1: 4-5.
There are statements in scripture on the qualifications for being in the remnant. "The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid." Zephaniah 3: 13
"And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God." Revelation 14: 5 Guile is from δολος, Strong's Greek: 1388, dolos, -- "a bait, fig. craft, deceit." The 144,000 are said to be without deception. And if we now live close to the last days Christ spoke about in John 6 we know that we now live in a time of great deception. Yet the 144,000 as a remnant is said not to be deceptive.
"These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb." Revelation 14: 4
When Christ appeared in human flesh and went to the Cross, God fulfilled the prophecies of II Kings 21: 13, Isaiah 29: 16, and Jeremiah 18: 1-6 to turn Jerusalem (Israel) upside down and to make Israel again "another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it." And in Acts 10 God used Peter to bring the Gospel to Cornelius, a non-Jew, and his people, beginning the fulfillment of the prophecy of Hosea 2: 23 to make a people who were not before the people of God, the people of God. In other words, non-Jews were to be brought in to Israel reborn in Jesus Christ.
The cutting off of the multitude who were following the false doctrines as leaven of the Pharisees (Matthew 16: 6, Luke 12: 1), and beginning a new Israel in the remnant of Romans 11: 5 was a major transformation of Israel from the Old Covenant which operated in the physical to a New Covenant which operated in the spiritual.
It turned out that the transformation of Old Covenant Israel to the New Covenant in Christ Jesus, following his resurrection, was carried out in a remnant (Romans 11: 1-5), not by the multitude.
Revelation 12: 15-17 shows us a remnant which exists at a time when the serpent-dragon casts out a flood from his mouth - metaphorically. "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." Revelation 12: 17
But -
"From the time of Christ’s rejection by Israel until the time when God deals specifically with Israel again in the seventieth week it is not possible to refer to a remnant of the nation Israel." Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology, 1965, by J. Dwight Pentecost
Dispensationalists sometimes seem to say that there is also no remnant of those claiming to be of the Body of Christ at times after the First Century when the remnant of Israel were alive.
https://soundoctrinedotorg.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/the-144000-and-the-multitiude.pdf
THE 144,000 AND THE MULTITUDE, By Sue Patterson, First Edition 2005, Second Edition, 2008
This book was developed in a series of audios or podcasts by Sue Patterson and Randy Maugans who were the moderators of a Christian Yahoo Group, The Threshing Floor.
I know this sounds like a huge topic. But while dispensationalism makes it important to divide Old Covenant Israel From the Body of Christ or from the Church, and some dispensationalists divide the Gospel of Christ into two different Gospels - Paul's Gospel and that of the other New Testament writers - in their interpretation of Galatians 2: 7, dispensationalism does not make a clear distinction between the remnant and the multitude. For example, in the dispensationalist view of Romans 11: 25-26 it is the multitude of Old Covenant Israel which is thought to be saved in the future.
Following Romans 9: 6-8, it would not be every one who is of the physical bloodline from Abraham who is to be saved. And Romans 11: 1-5, and Romans 11: 11-24 point out that the saved, which is the elect, are made up of a remnant from Old Covenant Israel and Gentiles who also believe. Romans 10: 12 and Galatians 3: 28 teach that there is a unity between believing Jews and believing Gentiles in Christ.
In Romans 11: 1-5 Paul very briefly points to the meaning of the remnant of Israel by implication. He says "I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
3. Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
4. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
5.Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace."
In history God has several times raised up a remnant, which is faithful to him, and has used that remnant to begin a new group of his people. The multitude, which has gone into false doctrines and false practices, and away from God, is cut off from God . That multitude, though, has tried to get back its position with God. For example, see: Malachi 1: 4-5.
There are statements in scripture on the qualifications for being in the remnant. "The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid." Zephaniah 3: 13
"And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God." Revelation 14: 5 Guile is from δολος, Strong's Greek: 1388, dolos, -- "a bait, fig. craft, deceit." The 144,000 are said to be without deception. And if we now live close to the last days Christ spoke about in John 6 we know that we now live in a time of great deception. Yet the 144,000 as a remnant is said not to be deceptive.
"These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb." Revelation 14: 4
When Christ appeared in human flesh and went to the Cross, God fulfilled the prophecies of II Kings 21: 13, Isaiah 29: 16, and Jeremiah 18: 1-6 to turn Jerusalem (Israel) upside down and to make Israel again "another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it." And in Acts 10 God used Peter to bring the Gospel to Cornelius, a non-Jew, and his people, beginning the fulfillment of the prophecy of Hosea 2: 23 to make a people who were not before the people of God, the people of God. In other words, non-Jews were to be brought in to Israel reborn in Jesus Christ.
The cutting off of the multitude who were following the false doctrines as leaven of the Pharisees (Matthew 16: 6, Luke 12: 1), and beginning a new Israel in the remnant of Romans 11: 5 was a major transformation of Israel from the Old Covenant which operated in the physical to a New Covenant which operated in the spiritual.
It turned out that the transformation of Old Covenant Israel to the New Covenant in Christ Jesus, following his resurrection, was carried out in a remnant (Romans 11: 1-5), not by the multitude.
Revelation 12: 15-17 shows us a remnant which exists at a time when the serpent-dragon casts out a flood from his mouth - metaphorically. "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." Revelation 12: 17
But -
"From the time of Christ’s rejection by Israel until the time when God deals specifically with Israel again in the seventieth week it is not possible to refer to a remnant of the nation Israel." Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology, 1965, by J. Dwight Pentecost
Dispensationalists sometimes seem to say that there is also no remnant of those claiming to be of the Body of Christ at times after the First Century when the remnant of Israel were alive.
https://soundoctrinedotorg.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/the-144000-and-the-multitiude.pdf
THE 144,000 AND THE MULTITUDE, By Sue Patterson, First Edition 2005, Second Edition, 2008
This book was developed in a series of audios or podcasts by Sue Patterson and Randy Maugans who were the moderators of a Christian Yahoo Group, The Threshing Floor.
Last edited: