THE REST

 

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   For all the centuries of the tragic history of the Earth, there was a so-called remnant - those who were faithful to God and those whom He considered His.

   As we know, in the antediluvian world among the descendants of Adam and Eve there were two types of people - the Cainites, who did what they wanted, and the Sethites, who worshiped God and kept His commandments. It is a general principle that there are two groups of people. But it so happens that many of the first group leave God, and only a remnant remains. We will not hide the fact that, on the contrary, people from the second group (sinners) repent and come to God.

   Subsequently, the Cainites and Sethites, through close relationships, mixed with each other, and there were almost no faithful left. We know of the patriarchs from Seth to Noah, and there probably were others. A special person was the righteous Enoch, taken alive to heaven.

   When everyone was corrupted, only Noah and his family remained with God, only 8 people. During the flood, only they remained and survived, all the rest were destroyed, because they went too far.

   And again, most of Noah's descendants became corrupted, as evidenced by the episode with the Tower of Babel. All mankind became idolaters (although many of those who did not hear about God, but lived according to their conscience, many will be saved), and at this moment God chooses Abraham, who answers His call, and goes to the land of Canaan. Since then, God's remnant can be considered his family, including servants, but not only. For example, there was also Melchizedek, the king of Salem and the priest.

   The basis of the Israelite people was later formed by Abraham's grandson Jacob, his 12 sons, and also grandchildren. In the amount of 70 people, they moved to Egypt and there multiplied for 400 years to several million people. God continued to consider them his own, despite the fact that in Egypt there were no conditions for keeping the law and keeping the commandments, and then brought them out of Egypt. Due to the retreat (the golden calf and the murmur after the return of the spies), a new remnant appeared, because the former slaves did not enter the promised land.

   There were also sins and repentances many times during the time of Joshua and the judges, when the Israelites began to serve idols and came back in trouble. A striking episode is the demand of the Israelites to install a king for them, although Israel was a theocracy and this was not part of God's plans. After the death of Solomon, the loss of the majority of the people again occurs - first, ten tribes of the northern kingdom fall into idolatry, and then they are taken away into the Assyrian captivity and disappear. The southern kingdom was also defeated and the people were captured by Babylon. The little tribe of Benjamin also ceases to exist. At this point, the tribe of Judah, or Jews, becomes God's remnant. Some of them returned to their homeland, but the majority remained to live in the scattering countries of the ancient world from Persia to Rome; nevertheless, both of them worshiped the Creator God.

   Difficult times fell to the lot of the Jews in the Greek period, when the Greeks tried to eradicate their religion altogether. It ended with a Maccabean rebellion and victory, and many faithful and courageous people kept the faith and became a remnant. Was not easy the next Roman period, and yet it was different from the previous one - the Romans ruled on the holy land with an iron hand, but did not interfere with the religion of the Jews, but demanded only loyalty. By this time, Pharisaic Judaism had become a formal religion of traditions and rituals, and there were very few sincere believers.

   The birth and beginning of the mission of Jesus Christ led to the birth of the so-called church, which was based on the apostles. Jesus and His first disciples were Jews, and for a very long time the sermon concerned only the Jews, and then the Gentiles. The Jews rejected Christ, declaring Roman Caesar their king and stoning Stephen. But I must say that God did not reject and will not reject all Jews (including modern ones), the root and main trunk remained forever.

   From the second to the fourth century AD, there was a retreat in the church, the emergence of heresies and the nationalization of Christianity. After that, the overwhelming majority of Christians fell away, becoming Catholics and Orthodox, for their faith is a mixture of the Bible with paganism. But even then there was a faithful remnant who tried to keep the truth in all its purity (Waldensians, Albigensians, John Wycliffe, Jan Huss and other reformers).

   Further events led to the emergence of the so-called Protestantism - the Lutheran and Anglican churches. Representatives of these churches first became a remnant, but then fell away, when these religions, having become state ones, themselves forgot the truth and, like Catholics, persecuted dissidents.

   Around this time, denominations appear that look very close to what the Bible teaches, and suffer hardships and persecution: Anabaptists, Seventh-day Baptists, Methodists, and others.

   Most of the official churches (Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Lutheranism), despite all the results of a careful study of the Bible, resolutely rejected them, and then God rejected the universal Christian church, but not all, but raised up a remnant according to the prophecy from the 12th chapter of Revelation from those who believe in Jesus Christ and keeps all of God's commandments, including the fourth. These are Seventh-day Adventists.

   The task of the SDA church is to be the bearers of pure biblical truth and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Christ, which will happen soon according to the signs that He Himself called. But here it must be said that not all members of this church truly worship God, some are such only in name, they were baptized by Adventists and recorded in the church book. There will be a new remnant: such people will leave the church, and in their place will come others who have believed, people from the world.

   It will be a truly pure and loving remnant of God. They will meet alive the second coming of Christ and it is them, just like the resurrected righteous of the past, He will take with Him to where He prepared a place for them - to His infinite Kingdom forever!