NOTES ON THE LAST DAYS RESISTANCE: CHARGE TO THE CONFESSING AMERICAN REMNANT TO STAND THE WATCH! – (WITH VIDEO)

1. THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “And the Angel of the Lord [solemnly and earnestly] admonished Joshua, saying, ^‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, If you will walk in My ways [that is, remain faithful] and perform My service, then you will also govern My house and have charge of My courts, and I will give you free access [to My presence] among these who are standing here. Now listen, Joshua, the high priest, you and your colleagues who are sitting in front of you—indeed they are men who are a symbol [of what is to come]—for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch [in Messianic glory].’” – ZECHARIAH 3:6-8, AMP

KEY TERM: “CHARGE.” ‘Mishmereth’ [מִשְׁמַרְתִּ֣י]: “The act of being a Sentry to keep watch and ensure the safety of the community.” NOTE: “The term ‘mishmereth’ is used in the Hebrew Bible to denote a range of meanings related to the concept of guarding or keeping. It often refers to duties or responsibilities, particularly those associated with religious or ceremonial obligations. It can also imply ‘a watch or guard,’ both in a literal and figurative sense.”

QUOTATION. “Any suggestion that God has returned to his Old Testament Theocratic mode of operation—as in raising up America as a uniquely favored nation—is not only unwarranted, it is a direct assault on the distinct holiness of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom He died to establish.” ― DR. GREGORY A. BOYD, The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church, 2007; edited

COMMENTARY. “‘And the Angel of the Lord protested’ — Solemnly declared; ‘unto Joshua, IF thou wilt walk in My ways’ — IF thou wilt diligently observe the Commandments of My Law; ‘and wilt keep My charge’ — The Special Charge and Office of the High-Priest. ‘THEN thou shalt also judge my house’ — Thou shalt, for a long time, be ruler in My Temple, and exercise all the authority and jurisdiction which belongs to the High-Priest’s Office; ‘and shalt also keep My courts’ — Not as a servant, but as the Chief, on whom others wait, and at last thou shalt have a place among my angels: so many interpret the following clause. Some, however, render it, ‘And I will appoint thee ministers among those that stand by;’and by the ministers, [Benjamin] Blayney understands, ‘Not the angels attending upon God’s throne, but some of the subordinate priests who attended upon Joshua.’ Observing, ‘As it is promised to him that he should be reinstated in the honours of his high office, so it is also added, that he should be waited upon by those inferior priests, whose business it was to officiate in the service of the Temple, under the authority of the High-Priest.” – JOSEPH BENSON, Notes on the Holy Bible, 5 vols., 1811-1818; edited

1. TEACHING

Not sure I have ever taken the time to deep dive the Biblical Definition of GOD’S REMNANT CHURCH, a task that is obfuscated by many teachings from the Seventh Day Adventists and myriad esoteric renderings as well. Finding the Orthodox View has been daunting, but I believe I found a reliable source for us to consider.

I borrow from an excellent and concise Definition of God’s Remnant Church of the Last Times from DARROW MILLER. Darrow is co-founder of the Disciple Nations Alliance who spent three years on staff at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland where he was discipled by Dr. Francis Schaeffer. 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. 

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REMNANT. Darrow reviews the central elements of belonging to God’s Last Days Remnant Church in his article, “A Remnant: Seven Defining Characteristics” (Blog, Aug. 25, 2016; edited).

1. THE FUTURE. “‘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. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is the reminder of God’s expectation: ‘IF MY PEOPLE, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

• SEED CORN. “‘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.”

• WORLD ENGAGING. “‘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).” [F. SCHAEFFER: “Truth carries with it confrontation. Truth demands confrontation; loving confrontation, but confrontation nevertheless.” – The Great Evangelical Disaster, 1984].

• TOWARD CONSERVATION. “‘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. Related to this is The Family. Too often parents have sacrificed what matters most—their children—for things. To have more and better things, and have them now, both parents must work outside the home. If the family is also heavily involved in Church, children are often left ‘fatherless,’ or ‘motherless’ …  We must put the things that matter most, our children and families, ahead of the things that we desire that matter so little [recalling that our Call to Christ (not ‘Church’) remains First and foremost!].

• THE VISION. “‘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! Otherwise, there is No Vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the Law [of God, which includes that of man]—blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he. Their 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.” [PROVERBS 29:18: “Where there is no revelation [from God], the people cast off restraint; but happy is he who keeps the law.”].

• TRUE LEADERSHIP. “‘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.”

• LONG VIEW. “‘Seventh, the Remnant is Optimistic.’ While The 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 [soon now as this End of History races toward us] bringing His Glorious Kingdom! The Remnant knows in Whose hands they live and Who will bring to fulfillment the Teleos– the End of [human] history.”

THE POINT. It is all of this that soberly requires the sacred Fire of God’s Remnant lit, beloved, as we shall face both times of great honor alongside those of intense distress and darkness in the midst of our Last Days Pilgrimage for Christ and Canon.

But we know and are greatly buoyed by the Promise that God’s Light shall always prevail. “And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].” – JOHN 1:5, AMPC

1. STANDING WATCH

I cannot think during my entire 80 years on this planet, 50 of which have been spent in The Academy, of a more important time for Christians especially to ‘Keep Watch!’ The Ancient Prophet encapsulates this Noble Charge to us all, but severely to the Teachers and Leaders of His flocks.

“[Oh, I know, I have been rash to talk out plainly this way to God!] I will [in my thinking] stand upon my post of observation and station myself on the tower or fortress, and will watch to see what He will say within me and what answer I will make [as His mouthpiece] to the perplexities of my complaint against Him.” – HABAKKUK 2:1, AMPC

COMMENTARY. “‘I will stand upon my watch’ — The Hebrews often express one thing by a multiplicity of words, as here several expressions are used to signify the same thing, namely, ‘Watching.’As the Prophets were considered as Watchmen, and as the Watchmen were placed on High Towers, and it was their duty to look around very diligently to see what messengers or enemies, or what dangers or deliverances were approaching, and to continue steadfast in their posts. So here the Prophet declares that he would as diligently watch and wait for God’s Answer to what he had complained of in the foregoing chapter, namely, the great success of the Chaldeans though they were guilty of greater crimes than the Jewish nation. 

‘And what I shall answer when I am reproved’ — Or rather, ‘As to what I have argued,’, meaning the expostulations which he had uttered just before. Archbishop William Newcome [1729-1800], who renders it: ‘I stood on my watch-tower and I looked to see what He would speak by me, and what I should reply to my arguing with him;’ that is, what I should reply, ‘to my own satisfaction, and to that of others, as to the difficulties raised’ (Habakkuk 1:13-17), why the idolatrous and wicked Chaldeans and their king are to be prosperous and triumphant.’”  – JOSEPH BENSON, Notes on the Holy Bible, 5 vols., 1811-1818; edited

Though never intended to exalt this group of The Faithful Remnant to any pride or self-conceit, it cannot be doubted that to belong to this Last Days Company shall require nothing less that: A 1,000% commitment and devotion to our King. He shall settle for nothing less, but shall pour out all of Heaven to those who stay the course till The End.

THE LAST BATTLE. To address this final point, I turn to the eloquent pen of ordained Presbyterian Church minister, the REV. DR. LIZ THEOHARIS. She is codirector of the Kairos Center, cofounder of the Poverty Initiative, national codirector of the Poor People’s Campaign, and author of, Always with Us? What Jesus Really Said About the Poor (2017).

Her article is titled, “The Battle of Theologies in the Age of Trump” (The Nation, Mar. 18, 2025; edited). I unapologetically turn to a Progressive scholar’s MAIN IDEAS since our Christian Conservatives have largely forfeited the Way of the Gospel in collective refusal to critique their spiritual and political Slave Master, Donald Trump.

• OPEN. “‘There has almost always been an outright hostility that is shown towards people of the Christian faith,’ House Speaker Mike Johnson said on a podcast recently. He was talking with Tony Perkins, a former Louisiana lawmaker and president of the Family Research Council, about freedom of religion and the actions of the Second Trump Administration … Of all the people facing hostility, discrimination, and violence now and throughout history, Christians like Mike Johnson rank low on the list. Still, his comment is consistent with a disturbing religious trend in the country right now.”

• THESIS. “As an early act of his second administration, Donald Trump has created an Anti-Christian Bias Task Force to be chaired by Attorney General Pam Bondi. At the same time, he’s slashing Federal jobs and programs, threatening Medicaid, Head Start, the Department of Education, affordable housing programs, accommodations for the disabled, environmental protections, public health and safety, Social Security, and Medicare, while scapegoating immigrants and trans kids. It’s particularly ironic that Trump, Johnson, and the people with them in the top echelons of power are targeting those that the Bible is most concerned about—children, the poor, immigrants, the sick and disabled, women, the vulnerable, and the earth itself.”

• RESISTANCE. “In response to Trump’s threats of mass detention and deportation, especially removing ‘sensitive sites’ status from houses of worship, schools, and hospitals, while threatening ‘sanctuary cities’ with a loss of federal funding, 27 Religious Groups have sued the Trump administration for infringement of ‘their’ religious liberty to honor and worship God by loving their immigrant neighbors. Kelsi Corkran, a lawyer with the Georgetown University Law Center’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection and lead counsel in that lawsuit, said that Plaintiffs joined the suit ‘Because their Scripture, teaching, and traditions offer irrefutable unanimity on their religious obligation to embrace and serve the refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants in their midst without regard to documentation or legal status.’”

• PLAINTIFFS. [Insert: The 27 Members of the Lawsuit include]: The Mennonite Church USA in Indiana; the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in North Carolina; Central Atlantic Conference United Church of Christ in Maryland; the Central Conference of American Rabbis in New York; Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indiana; Church of the Brethren in Illinois; Convención Bautista Hispana de Texas; the Episcopal Church in New York; Fellowship Southwest in Texas; Friends General Conference of Pennsylvania; Presbyterian Church (USA) in Kentucky; General Commission on Religion and Race of the United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C.; Latino Christian National Network in Texas; Massachusetts Council of Churches; the New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church; New York State Council of Churches; North Carolina Council of Churches; the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church; the Rabbinical Assembly in New York; Reconstructing Judaism in Pennsylvania; Rhode Island State Council of Churches; Union for Reform Judaism in New York; Unitarian Universalist Association in Massachusetts; the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism in New York; the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church; Wisconsin Council of Churches; and WISDOM of Wisconsin.”

• HISTORY. “‘The Roots of such Idolatry reach back centuries, even before the Founding of this Nation, to the conquest of Indigenous lands by European invaders.” In 1493, after Spain first sent its ships to islands in the Caribbean, Pope Alexander VI issued the ‘Doctrine of Discovery,’ a series of Papal bulls granting all newly ‘discovered’ lands to their Christian conquerors. Those Church documents asserted the supposed ‘godlessness’ of Indigenous peoples, smoothing over the ruthless Colonial campaign of extermination being waged with a veneer of moral virtue. Centuries later, the idea of ‘Manifest Destiny’ drew on the same religious underpinnings as the Doctrine of Discovery, popularizing the belief that White Christians were destined by God to control and therefore redeem the lands of the West. Manifest Destiny not only valorized the violence of Westward Expansion but also sanctified and made exceptional the emerging project of American [Hegemony]. God, the argument went, had chosen this nation to be a Beacon of Hope, a City upon a Hill for the whole world [by whatever means necessary!].”

• RACE. “Alongside the dispossession and attempted extermination of Indigenous peoples, invocations of God and the Bible were used to justify the ‘Enslavement of African peoples and their descendants.’ Slaveholders cherry-picked passages from the Book of Ephesians—“Slaves obey your masters’ —and lines from other Epistles of the Apostle Paul to claim that Slavery was ordained by God. They ripped out of the pages on The Exodus from Egypt, huge sections of the Prophets, and even Jesus’s Inaugural Sermon praising the poor and dispossessed from the Bibles they gave to their enslaved workers. The ‘Slave Bibles’ [an abbreviated version of the Bible specifically made for teaching a Pro-Slavery interpretation of Christianity to enslaved people in the British West Indies] would serve as evidence of just how dangerous the ‘Unadulterated Gospel’ was to the legitimacy of the Slaveholding Planter Class.”

• MAMMON. “As historian Kevin Kruse writes in One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America [2015], in the 1930s and 1940s, ‘Corporate titans enlisted conservative clergymen in an effort to promote new political arguments embodied in the phrase “Freedom Under God.” As the private correspondence and public claims of the men leading this charge make clear, this ‘New Ideology’ was designed to defeat the State power its architects feared most—not the Soviet regime in Moscow, but Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal Administration in Washington. With ample funding from major corporations, prominent industrialists, and business lobbies such as the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in the 1930s and 1940s, these New Evangelists for Free Enterprise promoted a Vision best characterized as ‘Christian Libertarianism.’”

• CONCLUSION. “Today, while the Trump Administration continues to unveil new attacks daily on what the Bible calls, ‘The least of these,’ it’s important to remember the Prophetic Tradition of Faith leaders of the past as well as the heroic, if often unnoticed, moral organizing happening now. I return to my colleagues Aaron Scott and Moses Hernandez-McGavin, who sum up the sentiment of many people of faith in our society today: ‘God’s Love and Truth are alive whether elected officials seek to legislate them out of existence or not. God’s Word continues to call for Justice and Mercy for all people regardless of the distortions of the Word by religious and political leaders obsessed with the worship of their own power. They are not God. And God will not, and cannot, be stopped!’”

1. LAST THOUGHTS

Beloved, I offer this Brief Corrective to underscore the hideous Deception that has been going on in almost all of American Historiography. We have, to be blunt, Whitewashed the Record to bend the Canon to suit our voracious appetites for Land, Profit, and Power. It has had little to do with the Real Jesus or the Real Gospel, and that is why I derisively call it, “The American Gospel,” a Cultural Shibboleth at worst, and a Diabolical Sham at worst.

DARK LEGACY. Thus it is that American Christians have built a Religious Beast in the form of Donald Trump’s White Christian Nationalism. Indeed, a Frankenstein Monstrosity that virtually no Evangelical, Charismatic or Pentecostal leader will dare to oppose. Either because he is blind, or seduced, or just plain arrogant.

As the Last Times begin to boil and roil in The Cauldrons of the Maga’s who now control the power of an entire Nation (and later, the World), better make sure of your Alliances, beloved. With whom you be shall found standing at ‘His Parousia:’

The Confessing Remnant, or the Compromised Majority. Choose well, my friends. Choose well indeed. Absolutely everything depends on it. I mean, Everything!

MEDIA

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/k9pPY73DcCE