What Information Does the Scripture Give About Past/Forthcoming Remnants?
The “remnant” is a recurring theme throughout Scripture (the Bible). The Anchor Bible Dictionary describes it as, “what is left of a community after it undergoes a catastrophe” [Taken from: “Remnant”. Anchor Bible Dictionary V: 669]. The Lord gives us ‘His’tory in order for us to learn from it, which includes information about remnants. Now, the source of inerrant and authoritative history is solely contained within the Bible. Other historical resources can be used, but cannot be guaranteed as fully reliable unless it fully aligns with the biblical account, along with it having archeological, scientific, and other irrefutable substantiation.
God tells us clearly what is forthcoming through His Word. From a strictly futuristic numeric remnant perspective, however, there is no possible way to know exactly how many will be Raptured or how many will be saved during the Great Tribulation when they come. But the New Testament clearly states, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt 7:13-14). From the parable of the Sower (Matt 13:1-23), you can get at least an allusion of about 25% (1 out of 4) being saved. I am NOT saying, however, this defines what “wide” (75% unsaved) and “narrow” (25% saved) means percentage wise; so do not be confused. Only the Lord knows for sure how many will be saved and lost throughout human history (1 Sam 16:7). Hence, we should NOT come to a concrete position about remnant numbers based on parables or allusions. But I know this with absolute certainty; God wishes no one to perish, not even one (2 Pet 3:9)!
So what other examples from Scripture can we derive any ideas about remnant sizes in His Perfect Word, both from a historic and future perspective?
1. Remnant from the Flood: In Noah’s time, according to Genesis chapters 6-8, Noah, his wife and three sons (Shem, Ham, and Japheth), and their wives were on the ark. Although it is difficult to obtain an actual value of the world’s population at the time of the Flood, 5 to 17 billion people would appear to be reasonable population estimates (taken from: http://www.ldolphin.org/pickett.html). The percentage saved from the Flood (even if there were only a billion people in the world) was a miniscule: .000000008%
2. Sodom and Gomorrah: Lot and his two daughters were the only ones saved from the judgment of these places (Gen 19:15-16). Abraham seemed hopeful there would be more, as evidenced by his persistent plea to God (Gen 18:22ff). (Don’t we also want to believe, just Like Abraham, more are saved then really are?) Archeology says the population of Sodom and Gomorrah was approximately 600 – 1,200, with the highest estimate I have personally seen being approximately 4,000. But even if we take the most conservative estimate (600), the remnant percentage from this judgment was: .005%
3. Exodus: It is estimated that 1.5 – 2.5 million were delivered by God from Egypt during the Exodus (http://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-exodus-route-population-of-jews-hebrews.htm). Out of that generation, only Joshua and his good friend Caleb would enter the Promised Land (Num 14:21-24,30); this because they followed God wholeheartedly (Num 32:12). After forty years of wandering, the entire generation of Israelites who were delivered from slavery had died, with the exception of just two people. It was the children who had been born during the wilderness years who were left to enter the Promised Land. So conservatively (using 1.5 million figure), the remnant percentage who came out of an entire generation who God personally escorted out of Egypt and entered the Promised Land was only: .000001333%
4. Elijah’s time: “Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? ‘Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.’ But what is the divine response to him? ‘I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal’” (Rom 11:2b-4).
Estimates from my research says the entire population of Israel at that time was somewhere between 1,200,000 – 4,640,000. So even taking the lowest estimate (1.2 million), the percentage size of the believing remnant was: .005833333%
5. Isaiah’s Prophecy: “The Lord has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. Yet there will be a tenth portion in it.”
“The Lord answered that Isaiah was to proclaim the message until His judgment came, that is, till the Babylonian Exile actually occurred and the people were deported from the land (v. 12), thus leaving their ruined cities and fields (v. 11)…. The tenth that remained in the land (v. 13) refers to the poor who were left in Judah by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:14). But most of them were laid waste (Jer. 41:10–18; 43:4–7).” [Taken from: John A. Martin, “Isaiah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1046.]
The remnant in this example would be: 10%
6. Zechariah’s Prophecy: “’It will come about in all the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘that two parts in it will be cut off and perish; but the third will be left in it” (Zech 13:8).
“Zechariah 13:8–9 probably will see its final and complete fulfillment in Israel’s dispersion in the Tribulation (cf. Rev. 12:6, 13–17). At that time two-thirds of the Jewish nation will be struck down and perish, but the surviving remnant will be restored, at least for the most part, to their covenant relationship with the Lord” [Taken from: F. Duane Lindsey, “Zechariah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1569.].
The remnant percentage, this being solely out of God’s chosen nation (Israel) and excluding any other non-Jewish nation, will be: 33%. I think it is fair to assume if only one-third will be saved from God’s chosen nation at His Second Coming, it could very well be a far less percentage saved in every other nation. Hence the 33% remnant perecentage would dramatically decrease when including the rest of the world. Think about this…Israel had a population of around 8.4 million in 2015. This is only 0.00114% of the entire population of the world.
7. Out of the Tribulation: there is no way to know an exact percentage of how many will be saved.
“Since the world population is increasing, and we don’t know when Christ will return, then we don’t have a fixed number to begin with. Any answer is a guess. The places where numbers are given are in Revelation 6:7,8, and 9:15,18. The first reference indicates that 25% of the world’s population will die. The second mentions that 33% of the remaining population will die. That means over 50% of the world’s population will die…but, that is not all. There are other devastations that are not included in this number. For example, consider the second advent of Christ as described in Revelation 19:11-21. At this battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:16:16), untold millions of the enemies of Christ will be slaughtered” [Taken from: http://www.bible-teaching-about.com/tribulation.html]. The blood of the dead will rise for about 180 miles (Rev 14:20), according to the NKJV. “Imagine a river of blood 180 miles long, 10 feet wide [a river 10 feet wide is a fairly small river], and 4.5 feet high, which may be how high a horse’s bridle is. That corresponds to 42,768,000 cubic feet of blood. Now, the average human weighing 150 pounds has 5 liters of blood. There are 0.0353146667 cubic feet per liter. So the number of people needed to generate that much blood is about 6.055 billion people” [Taken from: http://www.christianforums.com/t7333112/]. According to today’s numbers, the world population is at approximately 7.28 billion. If the 6.055 billion number was accurate, that would account for over 83% of today’s population count dying just in Revelation 14, leaving a remnant of 17%. This percentage does not even include all the deaths foretold in the earlier judgments of the book of Revelation.
Hypothetically, if we guestimate a world population of approximately 12 billion at the start of the Tribulation (an increase of approximately 4.72 billion above the worlds population today), it will help make an illustrative point. 50% of the world population will die in judgments from Revelation 6:7,8 and 9:15,18. That would leave you with approximately 6 billion left. If an additional 6 billion would die later in Armageddon as per Revelation 14:20, that would lead you to deduce a very small remnant. We do know, at minimum, 144,000 will be sealed/saved and come out of the Tribulation (Rev 7:3-4). Again, for illustration sake, 144,000 saved out of 12 billion people would be a remnant size of: .000012%. The Scriptures clearly indicate there will be more saved over and above the 144,000 at the end of the seven-year Tribulation – see Matt 25:31-46, etc. It is just impossible to know that number. But this type of low percentage remnant (.000012%) does seem, however, to be pretty in line with the other time that God judged the entire earth due to its wickedness (.000000008% after the Flood).
So can an exact number be foretold of how many people will be caught up in the clouds with Jesus (1 Cor 15:51-52; 1 Thess 4:15-17), or saved out of the Great Tribulation? Absolutely not! But based on all evidences and scriptural indications, the end-time remnant may very likely consist of very few people based on ‘His’tory. Additionally, many will be deceived into believing they are part of the Lord’s remnant, truly not knowing they are not, even up until their own Judgment Day…
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matt 7:21-23)
How can you avoid being one of the many on the wide road to destruction? Please click on the link: http://crustore.org/fourlawsflash.htm
And if you receive Christ as Savior and Lord, please let us know. We would love to celebrate along with the angels in the presence of God (Luke 15:10), and help you with your next steps in your newfound walk along the narrow path with the Lord!!!