By John Thiel, Prophetic Sketches of the Remnant Church Seminar, Study 3, mp3

We’ve studied the prophetic sketches of the remnant church and we have concluded from the last study The Old Testament Sketches pointing to the remnant of national Israel. We arrived at John the Baptist who was the forerunner to Christ was the very seed of the woman and Christ and his disciples. At this time we want to explore the ongoing prophetic sketches spanning from the time of the remnant of national Israel to the final emerging of the company that Jesus prophesied in Matthew 28. Jesus speaks to this remnant;

The Remnant of Israel

Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.

Who is he speaking to? He is speaking to the disciples whom he was, I am with you always. Who was he speaking to? The remnant. The remnant of Israel, he was speaking to them and the spanning of that prophecy makes a direct reference to Gods remnant to the point in time to the end. This is the important issue of the whole study of prophecy. Jesus is speaking to us in prophecy. Like we heard before, I called you by name. All of a sudden you understand what he means. In his prophetic detail he is identifying his remnant people. He says I am with you in every succeeding generation.

The Oppressing City

Zephaniah 3:1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! 2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God. 3 Her princes within her [are] roaring lions; her judges [are] evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. 4 Her prophets [are] light [and] treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. 5 The just LORD [is] in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.

Jesus right in the midst of this corrupt church. He is right in the midst of her and his disciples are around him. The remnant within the organisation.

The Two Houses of Israel

Isaiah 8:14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. 16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. 17 And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. 18 Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me [are] for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

Here are houses of Israel rejecting Jesus. The disciples were with him, they have the law sealed among them. Did it not transpire that the disciples did the miracles that Jesus did before? While the church is so corrupted Jesus is still there appealing to them.

Revelation 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. 5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [to] his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days.

Who was this woman with the twelve stars? Standing on the moon dressed in the sun? Who was she? Back there it was the transition. The twelve tribes being the woman, the twelve stars and then the twelve apostles. There in the Old Testament right to the birth of Christ, that woman gave birth to Jesus. The remnant, the faithful who were illuminated by the moon and the sun, the old and new testament. The man child was born and was threatened to be destroyed by the dragon, through whom? By the church. Fascinating. Now she is launching out in this prophetic sketch as the woman running away from persecution ever after.

The New Testament Church

Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child]. 14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

That is the New Testament church.

Revelation 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 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.

Laodicea

Who did he persecute? The remnant. The one that brought forth the man child. Here is a prophetic sketch taking us from the New Testament period to Laodicea. Those years from the coming of Christ to the end, one sweep of a prophetic sketch. The old and the New Testament. Those who keep the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus, what do they experience? Being chased by the dragon. To the apostolic commencement, twelve stars, a very small beginning, a very small remnant.

The Jewish Church

Observe the Lords prophetic word to the outgoing Jewish church. The prophetic description that Jesus gives to the outgoing church. Here is prophecy giving you a clear view that definitely the Jewish nation is done for. There is a religion today called the Davidian religion that believes that the Jewish church will return.

Matthew 21:33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: 34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. 35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. 37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. 38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 39 And they caught him, and cast [him] out of the vineyard, and slew [him].  40 When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? 41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out [his] vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

The Gentiles

They themselves declared their doom. He said yes, the kingdom of God is going to be taken from you, you are not worthy anymore. In your own words, I’m going to give it to others that will bring the fruits thereof. Who did he give it to? He went to the gentiles. How did Jesus intimate this? Here is another prophecy, another prophetic sketch. Who are they? Who will they be that he gives it to?

John 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.

What is Jesus saying with these words? What is this prophetic sketch from this time onwards? It is not the Jews, it is not any institutional religion, and it is the faithful people. The people who worship him in spirit and in truth. That is the people he will deliver his kingdom to. All those who were claiming to be the church were not really the church.

Romans 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.

Who will be his church? The woman dressed in the sun. The new testament reflected from the old testament the moon. They are the true Jews. Those who are circumcised at heart.

Revelation 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and [I know] the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but [are] the synagogue of Satan.

People who claim, we are the Jews, we are the Christians. He is talking to the Jews. Here are these spiritual Jews claiming to be, but they are really blaspheming. Someone who claims to be Gods church but does not worship him in spirit and in truth is of the spirit of Satan. This is what is written, you don’t need to judge here. It’s all written. Let’s examine the New Testament prophetic sketches of these true Jews at the hand of the false Jews.

The White Horse

Revelation 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Here is the faithful church, white, the little remnant. The faithful remnant freshly sent out by Jesus Christ. Here they were white, pure, conquering, spreading Christianity, the true church, white.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Persecution

In the first century, Christianity spread in the uttermost parts of the world. The message of the gospel spread across the empire of Rome. As they did that, how were they treated by their former brethren?

Acts 4:16 Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them [is] manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny [it]. 17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. 18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all [men] glorified God for that which was done.

The Jews in a desperate struggle to stop and quench these preachers. They did it all the way through right to the point of the stoning of Stephen. The apostle Paul who was Saul at the time was in a rage. Destroying. Notice how these apostles spoke to them? We will have to do what God has taught us to do. Sorry. When a church commands and its commanding something that is not in harmony with God’s will, here is the example of Gods remnant church. We have to continue to do what we are instructed to do.  We have the sad experience of what the Jewish church would do;

Matthew 23:29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 [Ye] serpents, [ye] generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and [some] of them ye shall kill and crucify; and [some] of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute [them] from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

What was Jesus doing in this prophetic sketch? He was saying you are going to persecute my church from city to city. Was that not exactly what they did?  You can see the disciples who were being harassed they knew that Jesus made a prophecy that gave them the right to continue the way they went against all the odds of the ecclesiastical authorities.  Prophecy does that. We now have the ongoing experience of this remnant church that marches forward into the future.  We now go to the second seal in revelation.

The Red Horse

Revelation 6:4 And there went out another horse [that was] red: and [power] was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. 5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and [see] thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

There was the red horse.  Not only was the doctrine now becoming corrupted in the church that was launching out, but they were also being persecuted. Blood was being shed. Not only by the Jews but by the Romans. Did you know the history says the Jews worked on the Romans and were responsible for the persecution that the Romans vented upon the church? The papacy came from the Jews. Did you know that?  If you study history, that is exactly where papacy came from.  If you look at the papal form of worship, it has the mingling of the old testament sanctuary mingled with pagan.  The Jews were responsible for the development of the fallen church, the red horse.

The Pale Horse

Revelation 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.

This is the demise of the Christian church in to the papal religion.  The fifth seal.

Revelation 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they [were], should be fulfilled.

This was the terrible persecution under the papal government.  The papal church authority that had deteriorated where the truth that had been torn down. Now the persecution of God’s faithful church continued through this terrible time of papal persecution and arising out of that period in the reform period, there were people that had to be slain al little longer.  The faithful reformers.  Finally we arrive here at another prophetic sketch of the New Testament.  What did they do?  What were these faithful people doing?

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

This is a very fleeting sort of a sketch. These were studies of prophetic sketches. You notice what we are trying to understand about the remnant church. They were a people who loved not their lives unto death.  They were a people who would not be moved by authoritarianism by a church that was becoming polluted. The same scenario of the demise of the Jewish church continues in the New Testament while the faithful ones continue as a remnant.  It is just so plainly laid out in these prophetic sketches.  Notice how the prophetic sketch continues to develop.  We are now up to the falling of the stars, the darkening of the sun and moon;

The Stars, Sun and Moon

Revelation 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

Notice Jesus referring to this very point.  Look at the remnant moving on to this point in time.

Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

Notice what it says.  Many people take this to be only second coming material.

Matthew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Three Angels’ Messages

Immediately after those days, those signs of the falling of the stars, earth quake and darkening of the sun, immediately after those days, what will God do? Was the coming immediately there? What was immediately after? The angels were sent to gather Gods people, the elect. Gather the elect. What would the angels do when they started to work from the times of the signs of the stars falling, what would emerge from that period? Doesn’t this prophetic outline give you confidence what we are to stand for?

Revelation 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: [and there were] sealed an hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

What are the angels doing? This is the angel of Revelation 14:9. The third angel, he is the one who says hold back your winds, the heavens are going to be rolled back in a moment. Hold, we have to gather the elect. Wait till we have sealed the servants of God. There is a time to gather together the elect before Jesus comes. How long have we been living in that time? Revelation 14:6-12 is those three angels messages. There are four angels who were sealing. You read of the elect who were finally brought together in the third angels message. The elect prophesied in that prophetic sketch. According to the prophetic sketch, you see Gods remnant people suffering until finally they are mingled among all the different churches that have come out from all the different churches into the sealing work. As they came out of the sixth seal, as this is taking place, from that time onward, the remnant would emerge. This is the period that is described.

The Shaking

2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

That is what the message of the three angels is all about. Turn away from those who have a form of Godliness but they actually deny the power thereof. The churches that deny the power of the atonement, the churches that have to control the people by human power, deny the power thereof because the gospel has a power that controls the people without human force. Notice from the ministry down, of Matthew 24, the faithful servant giving meat in due season and the unfaithful servant, smiting his fellow servant. This is when? In that period of time in the three angels.

When Cain, moved by the spirit of the wicked one, saw that he could not control Abel, he was so enraged that he destroyed his life. And wherever there are any who will stand in vindication of the righteousness of the law of God, the same spirit will be manifested against them. It is the spirit that through all the ages has set up the stake and kindled the burning pile for the disciples of Christ. But the cruelties heaped upon the follower of Jesus are instigated by Satan and his hosts because they cannot force him to submit to their control. {PP 77.1}

What was the spirit there? The servant that said in his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming would smite his fellow servant. It is the spirit of Cain. To not be able to control the people of God means they do not have the power of God. They have a form of Godliness but deny its power. The power of the gospel will cause us to do everything that God wants us to do. When human force is used, sorry.

Isaiah 66:5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

What will those who tremble not at the word do? They will remove you from them and say let the Lord be glorified. Here these people under the three angels message, here they finally stand;

The 144,000

Revelation 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

Who are these that he is talking about there? They are the 144,000 that the angels are gathering. They are going through what? Great tribulation. As I used to read this, I would think, I am not going through a terrible time of tribulation. I couldn’t see it. But now I can see it. Strange. I didn’t know that the faithful people in the first world war were delivered in the hands of their own brethren. It’s the same today.

Revelation 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty [and] four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 4 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. 5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

The Remnant

They were redeemed from the earth. The angels gathered the elect. They are not defiled by women/churches. These that call themselves Jews and are not. These follow the lamb wither soever he goeth. Who are they? The remnant. They have arisen in this whole prophetic sketch. Can you in these modern times of supposed religious tolerance see where you actually stand? We live in a world of religious tolerance but what are you going to go through if you follow the pure thing? From within the church?

Jesus does not present to His followers the hope of attaining earthly glory and riches, of living a life free from trial. Instead He calls upon them to follow Him in the path of self-denial and reproach. He who came to redeem the world was opposed by the united forces of evil. In an unpitying confederacy, evil men and evil angels arrayed themselves against the Prince of Peace. His every word and act revealed divine compassion, and His unlikeness to the world provoked the bitterest hostility. {AA 576.1}

He was persecuted by his own brethren.

So it will be with all who will live Godly in Christ Jesus. Persecution and reproach await all who are imbued with the Spirit of Christ.. {AA 576.2}

Do you live in a religiously tolerant world today? Yes religiously, but not godly. The moment you go beyond the scope of the religion accepted in the world today, there is no tolerance for you.

The character of the persecution changes with the times, but the principle–the spirit that underlies it–is the same that has slain the chosen of the Lord ever since the days of Abel. {AA 576.2}

You are not being killed today. You are being slowly tortured. That is the experience you will make if you want to follow exactly as Jesus tells you to walk. Who was Abel persecuted by?  His own brother.  Who was Christ persecuted by?  His own church.

Zechariah 13:6 And [one] shall say unto him, What [are] these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, [Those] with which I was wounded [in] the house of my friends.

Where will you be persecuted?  In the house of your friends.  No new thing under the sun.  Your own brethren, the envious Cain, this is what is written.  If they did it the master, what will they do to his servants?  The church is in its organised fashion is not the church triumphant but the church triumphant will be persecuted by the church militant as it has been all the way through.  In our next study we will look at the sketches as given in the spirit of prophecy.  We have just paved the way for that picture under the spirit of prophecy for these last days.  It is scripturally to be expected, the prophecies show it.  As the angels are doing their work just before the second advent, the persecution is an ongoing thing right to the enth degree.  What did we read?  The character of the persecution changes that is all but the spirit is the same. May God help us to stay focused and hold on to that which will cause our persecution.  Don’t run away from persecution, don’t think there is something wrong happening to you. All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Do you live godly in Christ Jesus or are you suffering persecution?  If you are not, you are not living godly in Christ Jesus. That is what is written in the spirit of prophecy.  May God grant us the willingness to suffer with Christ in the house of his friends.

Amen.