MORE NOTES ON VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTEOUS: TDY FOR THE REMNANT IN THE LAST DAYS

SCRIPTURE. “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundations of this house; his hands shall also finish it. Then you shall know (recognize and understand) that the Lord of hosts has sent me [His messenger] to you.” – ZECHARIAH 4:9, AMPC

KEY WORDS: laid foundations; finish it

TDY: Military term for “Temporary Duty” assignment – since The Remnant will only be carrying out this mission until Messiah Returns. At which point, a full-scale PCS will be engaged: “Permanent Change of Station.” Selah.

QUOTATIONS

REMNANT PROMISE. “I am going to show you great and mighty things which no one has ever seen before…. I am going to take you places where no one has ever been. I am going to take you to heights where no one has ever reached. If you will only come to Me with all your heart, I will do a mighty work in you, which no man can undo but yourself.” ― M. J. CHRISMAN, The Remnant: The Legend of the Seer, 2011; edited

REMNANT PURPOSE. “The Universal Church is composed of all who truly believe in Christ, but in the Last Days, a time of widespread Apostasy, a Remnant has been called out to keep the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus. This Remnant announces the arrival of the Judgment Hour, proclaims Salvation through Christ, and heralds the approach of His Second Advent. This Proclamation is symbolized by the three angels of Revelation 14:6-13; it coincides with the Work of Judgment in Heaven and results in a Work of Repentance and Reform on Earth.” ― EDITORS, “Remnant (Bible),” Wikipedia, Sep. 13, 2021; edited

Selah.

1. FIRST THOUGHTS

When I set out on this New Road starting in 2016, I really had no idea where it would lead, why I was commanded to take it, or what its central meaning was for me personally, or for the American Church more generally.

I do now.

As you can easily tell from the Quotations above, God had this Master Plan already etched on the very palms of His mighty hands since before Creation. He foreknew that there would come ‘a Time’ at the End of all Human History, when a very special type of Christ Follower would be required to fulfill a very Special Mission.

It is still a wonder to me why I had never heard of any of this before my own world and the worlds of almost every citizen began to fall apart by the time TWO ARRIVALS took place in our Nation: Donald Trump, and Covid 19.

Without belaboring the obvious, we must all realize that things in this life are changed now forever. I say again, forever. We are all of us now set on a Radical New Course as God continues to deploy that Master Plan for the End of the Age that is now all around us.

THESIS. ‘God has always preserved a Holy Remnant’ who remain faithful to His Covenant, and to bring His Light to the encroaching Darkness of that Era. Such Darkness would be so thick at the End of the Age, that the great part of those who call themselves Christians would fall away from the Faith.

God’s Remnant is royally commissioned to bring His Torch to that Darkness, as captured by the PROPHET ISAIAH.

“Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you—rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you.” – 60:1-3, AMPC

Commentary of equal eloquence is offered this time by theologian JOSEPH BENSON.

“‘Arise’ — The Prophet here addresses the [true] Church of God, which he supposes to be sitting sorrowful, and exhorts her to awake and arise from a state of darkness and mourning, and enter into a state of light and happiness, ‘now that her salvation, so long desired and hoped for, is at hand, and the Divine Glory is about to rise upon her,’ and Illuminate the nations and people who had hitherto sat in thick Darkness.’

‘Shine’ — Discover thyself, as a Luminary breaking forth from a Dark Night. Show thy native beauty: suffer thyself to be so strongly irradiated by the Glory of the Lord, that thou mayest not only be enlightened, but mayest be able to enlighten others. ‘For thy light is come’ — Thy flourishing and prosperous condition, an allusion to people’s rising, when after a Dark Night the Light breaks forth upon them. ‘And the glory of the Lord’ — Glorious Light, grace, and salvation from the Lord; or a bright display of the Glory, that is, of the glorious attributes of the Lord; or, the Lord of glory, Christ, is about to make Himself glorious, in some wonderful work, for thy salvation. ‘Is risen upon thee’ — Like as when the sun, arising, spreads his light everywhere, leaving no place dark. ‘Thus shall the Church of God be fully illuminated in the Latter Days,’ and thus shall she shine for the perfect illumination of all flesh.” – Notes on the Holy Bible, 5 vols., 1811-1818; edited

DK. Are you beginning to grasp the great honor and immensity of these Royal Charges from our soon coming Sovereign, beloved? I hope so, since this is the most powerful incentive I can possibly present to all who call themselves, “Christian.” This is no social club, nor gathering of the prosperous, rich, famous and mighty of the world. No.

These are rather those members of a “Royal Priesthood” described by the APOSTLE PETER:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special] people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” – 1 PETER 2:9, AMP

THE TRUE CHRISTIAN. Without any apology whatsoever my friends, what I am profiling here and will develop further in even greater detail is ‘The authentic disciple of The Christ.’ As differentiated radically from the overwhelming majority of Church attenders who go by the name, ‘Christian,’ but who are clearly committed more to this world and its bright and shiny accoutrement, than they are to the rough and tumble and sacrificial Kingdom of Almighty God.

1. REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP

Let’s immediately dispense of the American gospel’s pernicious lie: No, it is not simply a matter of saying the prayer! Having thankfully settled that once and for all, now let’s get on with the real work of defining what a genuine follower of the Messiah looks like and acts like and speaks like in these Last Days.

THE CRISIS. As I began to sweep the Internet for the second time on this matter, I reviewed up to two dozen articles and found only two that relate directly to our topic in this section. One by JOSEPH MATTERA, and the other by DARROW MILLER. Both are members of the Spirit filled Evangelical community, both are respected Church scholars and authorities, and both have published several books on various matters pertaining to the American Church.

And both support Donald Trump.

What to do. Each of their respective lists of Characteristics of the Remnant are excellent and biblically defensible. Yet both have migrated to the Far Right by supporting the Engine of the Far Right: MAGA Christian Nationalism. Whether consciously or passively, they have done what well over 80+ percent of the American Church have also done:

Thrown in with the vast majority of the White Christian Nationalism of Donald Trump.

I have decided therefore, for better or worse, to list Miller’s Seven Characteristics of the Biblical Remnant, since he clearly appears to be the more thoughtful of the two men. I begin with his brief Bio to distinguish him from “Dr. (Bishop) Mattera,” a card-carrying, charter member of the Apostolic NAR Movement.

INTRODUCTION. “Darrow is co-founder of the Disciple Nations Alliance and a featured author and teacher. For over 30 years, Darrow has been a popular conference speaker on topics that include Christianity and culture, apologetics, worldview, poverty, and the dignity of women. From 1981 to 2007 Darrow served with Food for the Hungry International (now FH association), and from 1994 as Vice President. Before joining FH, Darrow spent three years on staff at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland where he was discipled by Francis Schaeffer. He also served as a student pastor at Northern Arizona University and two years as a pastor of Sherman Street Fellowship in urban Denver, CO. In addition to earning his Master’s degree in Adult Education from Arizona State University, Darrow pursued graduate studies in philosophy, theology, Christian apologetics, biblical studies, and missions in the United States, Israel, and Switzerland. Darrow has authored numerous studies, articles, Bible studies and books.”

With those credentials established, we are now ready to proceed with SEVEN DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BIBLICAL REMNANT. This is the third part of a Six Part Series published on his Blog (Aug. 25, 2016; edited).

1. “FIRST, they are a people who hope in the future. They are oriented to the future, not the past. They are not looking backwards to a Golden Age now gone. They are not focusing on ‘What might have been.’ Their present is focused on what God expects them to do and what He promises He will do.”

• “SECOND, the Remnant is the ‘seed corn’ for the future crop, the source of the recovery of the larger community. They are like ‘the root of Jesse’ Isaiah writes about, ‘Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit’ (11:1). From the stump of the tree, new life will come. While God’s righteous Judgment [will] fall on a people like it did on Israel and Judah, the Judgment does not make God’s Promise null and void. He will fulfill His Promise through the Remnant of the people.

• “THIRD, the Remnant is world ‘engaging,’ not world ‘escaping.’ Jesus’ Commission to the Remnant is to disciple nations (Matt 28:18-20). We are not to hide in caves or seek to flee the world. We are to be ‘in’ the world, but not ‘of’ the world, not of the world’s system. We are to be living within and functioning from the counter-cultural position of the Kingdom of God (John 17: 20-23).

• “FOURTH, the Remnant is to conserve those things that matter most, strengthening the basic institutions of society – marriage, family, and community. The first institution is marriage. It is the foundation for any society. We need to work for healthy covenantal relationships. Starting with our own marriages, we need to create a climate within the Church and larger community in which covenantal marriage can flourish.”

• “FIFTH, the Remnant is to be visionary, casting a Vision of the coming Kingdom of God that is worthy of living for and dying for. We have been made for the Kingdom of God. Our lives flourish when we live, today, in the reality of the fullness of the coming Kingdom. Part of what this means is that the Remnant seeks to manifest ‘Thy Kingdom come’–Truth, Beauty, and Goodness–in the midst of their life and work. We are to create spaces that are beautiful, wholesome and inviting.”

• “SIXTH, the Remnant understands that change in society comes from the inside out and from the bottom up. Change does not begin with the government or the elites in society. It begins with the individual practicing internal self-government, taking responsibility for their own actions. As Leo Tolstoy summarizes, ‘Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.’ While leadership is important in the Remnant community, true leadership exhibits a servant’s heart.”

• “SEVENTH, the Remnant is optimistic. While dark days may bring a people to a hinge in their history, the long view will always be optimistic. The Remnant knows the ‘Rest of the Story,’ the End of History. We know who won the Battle that turned the tide of the war; it was Jesus Christ on the Cross (Col. 2: 15). We know with certainty that Christ will Return at the End of History with His glorious Kingdom. The Remnant knows in Whose hands they live and Who will bring to fulfillment the ‘Teleos’ – the End of History.”

I frankly love what Mr. Miller has written here, his erstwhile meanderings into the Camp of Trump notwithstanding. Perhaps he will come home soon.

1. THE TEACHING

SCRIPTURE. “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundations of this house; his hands shall also finish it. Then you shall know (recognize and understand) that the Lord of hosts has sent me [His messenger] to you.” – ZECHARIAH 4:9, AMPC

HISTORICAL SETTING. Much of this I borrow from the brilliant WILLIAM MACDONALD in his now classic, Believer’s Bible Commentary, published in 1995.

“Zechariah was the son of Berechiah. Like Haggai, he was a prophet to the people of Judah who had returned to the land after The Captivity. He joined with Haggai in encouraging them to ‘Rebuild the temple’ (Ezra 5:1). Zechariah’s prophecy began halfway between Haggai’s second and third messages. In eight visions, using highly symbolic language, he predicted the overthrow of Gentile world powers; the judgment of apostate Jews because of their rejection of Christ; the cleansing, restoration, and glory of a Remnant; and the future prosperity of Jerusalem” (pp. 1157-58; edited).

It is vital that we understand the core parallel here between what the Remnant is commissioned to do in the twenty 2020s, and what the Prophet was commissioning the Jews to do in the 6th century BC: ‘Rebuild the Temple!’ With that firmly in mind then, let’s move to a consideration of the KEY TERMS of this important passage.

• LAID THE FOUNDATION. Taken from the Hebrew, ‘Yasad’ [יָסַד], it means: “To establish, to fix; to build or repair; to set [as with stones]; build up; ordained; ‘precious cornerstone, stumbling stone’ [a clear reference to the Messiah]; to a point to raise up a superstructure of some kind; the basis or ground work; that on which anything stands, and by which it is supported.”

• FINISH IT! I intentionally place this in the exclamatory, to emphasize the fierce commitment required to complete such a work. From the Hebrew term, ‘Batsa’ [בָּצַע]: “To gain by violence; to cut off [an enemy]; to fulfill; be wounded; to break; To complete; become victor; to cut a piece of cloth free from the loom; a finishing of a task; i.e., rebuilding the temple; to bring to an end; to end; to make perfect; [‘And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force’ – Matt. 11:12].”

COMMENTARY. “In spite of mountainous opposition, the Temple would be completed and would bring forth exclamations of ‘Grace, grace!’ to its beauty. Those who have despised the day of small things, that is, those who mocked the possibility of God’s doing some great thing, would see the Plumb Line in the hand of Zerubbabel, that is, would see … The Day when Zerubbabel would would finish the structure.” – WM. MACDONALD, Believer’s Bible Commentary, 1995, p. 1172; edited

DK. Please make special note of THREE FACTS from this simple analysis that pertains directly to God’s Last Days Remnant. (1) The Opposition is fierce; thus the execution of this great work will involve spiritual violence, fierce battles, and an unswerving, iron hard commitment to get it done. (2) Yet shall Divine Grace with Power shatter the forces of the Enemy of the Restoration. (3) God promises that our work shall be completed; that is, we shall succeed, though circumstances may well suggest otherwise.

Our Vindication comes in the form of our ‘Spiritual Integrity’ that sets us apart from the suffocating Darkness all around. ‘Thereby is God mightily glorified and greatly pleased.’

A writer who goes by the pen name APPOLUS, speaks about The Challenge that we face. Make no mistake, this is not for the faint of heart nor sunshine spiritual patriots. This is for the battle-ready, warrior-servants of the King, and nothing less.

“God’s Remnant Church down through the last 2,000 years has been scorned, ridiculed hated and despised and hunted down and killed and almost all of this was done by ‘their own.’ People who would profess God with their lips. And now these very people will have one last chance to join with the Remnant and escape the Final Judgment that is coming upon the whole world.

Most will not, some will. Glory to God, He is willing to go to great lengths ‘to save the some who will;’ this is the mark of His great love for the world. And so, God is raising up small gatherings where His presence can be found in the midst of a great drought and famine which we are in and which is merely a Pre-cursor to the Final Judgement. ‘Will you forsake all and take your place with the few?’” – “The Role of the Remnant Church in the Last Days,” ‘A Call to the Remnant,’ Sep. 26, 2012; edited

To all those remaining with the horrendously compromised Establishment Church, I repeat the question: “Will you forsake all and take your place with the few?” as Appolus has written it? This may well be you’re “one last chance” to join God’s Remnant. Though I may well be mistaken, I very strongly sense that the Year 2023 is Pivotal – that beyond this year our opportunities for Repentance and Restoration will diminish rapidly. Selah.

1. LAST THOUGHTS

Some of you may have noticed in my recent commentaries, I have increasingly been thinking of the stunning contrasts all around us between LIGHT AND DARKNESS. To the spiritually discerning and frankly, to the common-sense observer of American life today, one can hardly miss the widening gulf between the two.

Any number Biblical passages come to mind here, not the least of which is the Loadstone Open to the first chapter of John’s Gospel. Consider it ever so carefully.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” JOHN 1:1-5, NKJV

There is a universe of weight and wisdom nearly beyond human comprehension in this one, high density paragraph. So let me try to break it down a bit with the aid of one wiser and weightier than this writer.

CHARLES ELLICOTT. “‘And the light shineth in darkness.’—The Vision of brightness is present but for a moment, and passes away before the Black Reality of the history of mankind. The description of Paradise occupies but a few verses of the Old Testament. The Outer Darkness casts its gloom on every page. But in the moral chaos, too, God said, ‘Let there be light; and there was light.’ The first struggle of Light into and through Darkness until the Darkness received it, rolled back before it, passed away into it—the repeated comprehension of Light by Darkness, as in the dawn of every morning the night passes into day, and the earth now shrouded in blackness is now bathed in the clear white light of an Eastern sun.

‘Comprehended it not.’—The meaning of this Word differs from that rendered ‘knew not’ in John 1:10. The thought here is that the Darkness did not lay hold of, did not appropriate the Light, so as itself to become Light; the thought there is that individuals did not recognise it.” – ‘An Old and New Testament Commentary for English Readers,’ 1878, 1897; edited

That term for ‘Comprehend’ is vital to a fuller understanding of the lesson here. From the Greek, ‘Katalambanó’ [καταλαμβάνω]: “To lay hold of; to seize; arrest or catch; to quench, extinguish or snuff out; refers to a spiritual condition ‘so thick that the light could not penetrate it.’”

VISION. Now here I go getting a little bit spooky on you guys again from a ten second Vision I had while l was fully awake the morning of January 12, 2023. I do not normally receive this sort of visual message, so this is new to me and again you need to test it most severely. But it seems to be supported by the Scriptures we are dealing with.

I saw very clearly a hand tossing a Torch into what seemed to be a well of some kind. The Torch was visible for only a minute or so, before it was engulfed and completely extinguished by the Darkness, and visible no longer.

Switched on the television just the other evening and saw a clip from Tomb Raider (2018) starring Alicia Vikander and happened upon a clip of nearly precisely what I saw in the vision. With one difference: At the bottom of Lara Croft’s pit was a bottom crawling with vipers. Selah.

THE ROAD. One of America’s greatest contemporary novelists is CORMAC MCCARTHY, whose gripping apocalyptic tale by this name won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2007. Borrowing from Spark Notes (ret. Jan. 19, 2023; edited), here is a Summary of the story line, with my insertion of a Core Metaphor toward its end to make our point dramatically clear.

“A father and his son travel on foot to the Southern Coast, seeking a warmer climate in which to live out their days. A few months before the boy’s birth, an Apocalyptic Event ended civilization and scorched the entire planetary ecology, leaving behind a vast cloud enveloping Earth. Even though years have passed since that Event, the son has never seen the sun, moon, stars, or living plants and animals. Father and son wear masks to filter the pervasive ash particulate residual from the disaster.

Father and son share a deep bond of love and a commitment to each other. Their survival plan depends on constantly moving along the Road while scavenging food, clothing, and supplies from the ruins of homes, farms, and towns. As they move south across the cold, gray landscape, the father and son encounter the spectrum of humanity, ranging from goodness to depravity. They struggle to preserve memories and values that are becoming increasingly meaningless in a world where the future was wiped out with the past.”

Now comes the telling exchange between father and son so very pertinent to how The Last Remnant must conduct itself along our own Perilous Road just ahead:

“You have to carry the fire.”
“I don’t know how to.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Is the fire real? The fire?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Where is it? I don’t know where it is.”
“Yes you do. It’s inside you. It always was there. ‘I can see it.’”

CODA. To all who would follow so close to the Master, that the dust from His sandals would fall upon your tunics (a frequent saying of Dr. Ray Vander Laan), I offer this powerful analogy from the genius of Mr. McCarthy. Beloved, we must “Carry God’s Fire” to illuminate the Great Darkness that is enveloping the Nation  and Church in accelerated pace even as I write these words.

But just what does that mean?

I love what the EDITORS of Got Questions have written in a brilliant, sharp but strk relief of a Commentary that drives a spike into the heart of what passes for Christian Faith in America today (ret. Jan. 19, 2023; edited).

“To be ‘on fire’ is to be eager, zealous, or ‘burning’ with enthusiasm … The ‘on-fire’ Apostles were marked by a boldness to serve God without compromise, whatever the personal cost or danger. The Sanhedrin was astonished by ‘the courage of Peter and John,’ who were ‘unschooled, ordinary men’ (Acts 4:13). When arrested and ordered to stop preaching about Jesus, the Apostles replied, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard’ (verses 19–20). The next time they were arrested and ordered to stop, they replied, ‘We must obey God rather than men!’ (Acts 5:29). When they were beaten, they rejoiced for being ‘counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name’ (verse 41). Such is the behavior of those who are ‘on fire’ for the Lord …

The opposite of an ‘on-fire’ Christian is a lukewarm one. The wealthy, complacent believers in Laodicea were rebuked by the Lord: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of my mouth!’ (Revelation 3:15–16). Lukewarm is the least desirable attribute for water or for spiritual commitment. Spiritually, a person who is ‘hot’ or ‘on fire’ for Christ can be very useful. But a person who is ‘lukewarm’ toward Jesus possesses only tepid commitment and lives without joy, without love, and without the Fire of the Spirit. ‘They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly’ (2 Timothy 3:5, NLT).

Christians who are ‘on fire’ for the Lord reject the safe, comfortable life in favor of accomplishing God’s will; they actively ‘pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness’ (1 Timothy 6:11). They are ‘eager to do what is good’ (Titus 2:14). Some believers today need to heed Paul’s advice: ‘I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you’ (2 Timothy 1:6, NLT).”

Indeed, speaking of “fans,” I am reminded of the fiery words of THE BAPTIST: “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. 

Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. ‘He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.His winnowing fan is in His hand,’ and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’” – MATTHEW 3:7-12, NKJV

DK. I tell you true my friends, American Church life has become a gentlemen’s club, lacking only powdered white wigs and tea served at three, as allegorical substitutes for the priceless Blood and broken Bread of the Savior.

I say ‘No!’ The Road of the Last Days Remnant is hard and barren, and yet Christ walks shoulder to shoulder with them everywhere they go. And the Fruit from them is righteous and true, their Light a beacon of hope in the Darkness. For they are those who shall lead some to The Ark that awaits them, and God shall Vindicate their every word and action.

Thus do we purpose to ‘Carry His Light’ into the deepest Darkness of the Age, fearless, though we may tremble from time to time. All for Him, all for our Neighbor, until we Cross that Final Threshold into the fiery Blaze of God’s Eternal Brilliance forever and ever and then forever.

So we close with this.

PSALM 96:13 (AMPC). “For He comes, for He comes to judge and govern the earth! He shall judge the world with righteousness and justice and the peoples with His faithfulness and truth.” Selah.

Ever your servant, DK

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