The Remnant Principle (Part 1)

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The Remnant Principle (Part 1)

by Chip Brogden

"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself... (Daniel 1:8a)."
In our time the Lord is working with a Remnant and is raising up Overcomers to represent His interests in the earth, a people who are in this world but not of this world. In spite of a general failure of the Whole, the Overcomers, as a part of the Whole, are fulfilling God's original intent for the Church.

The idea of a Remnant is not without its historical examples. Let us define exactly what a Remnant is. Simply put, a Remnant is this: a person or persons who fulfill the Lord's Purpose for the Whole when the Whole either cannot or will not fulfill it. As an example, look at Noah. During a time when violence and sin filled the whole earth, here is one man who alone is righteous and pleasing to God. The Lord judges mankind with a flood, but does not make a full end. He spares Noah and his family and makes a new beginning with them.

Another good example is Elijah. He complained that since he was the only prophet left, he was better off dead, so he asked God to take his life. God replied, "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand people who have not bowed down to Baal or kissed him (I Kings 19:18)." What an awesome Lord! The entire nation belonged to the Lord. Technically speaking, they were His chosen people. But in fact, only seven thousand of them were truly faithful to the Lord's Thought and Purpose for them. They had not worshipped any idols. It is a comparatively small number, but certainly more than Elijah thought.

The Remnant Principle is found not only among the righteous. You remember that when Abraham made intercession for Sodom he was able to convince God to spare the entire city if ten righteous people could be found. Unfortunately for Sodom there was no Remnant, not even a little handful of people standing in agreement with God's Purpose, and so the city was destroyed. Remnants can make a difference between life and death, between salvation and destruction.

Anyone could have had the place in God that Noah had. God did not have a quota for the faithful in Israel that stopped at seven thousand people. The Remnant is not a closed group. I heard someone say this many years ago: anyone can, everyone won't, but somebody will. That is the gist of it, you see. There is a whole doctrine called Remnant Theology, but that is not what we have in mind here at all. Let us be clear: a Remnant is not an exclusive, elitist circle of super-spiritual saints. Not at all. The promises are made to the "whosoevers". Anyone can be a friend of God! Anyone can overcome! But we know that everyone will not. Why won't they? I wish I knew why, I wish I could explain it, but I cannot explain it, and I just know it is a fact that everyone will not go on with God. We know it from history, we know it from looking around us right now. Everyone is not going to press into God, everyone is not going to seek His Kingdom, everyone is not going to lay down their life and follow Jesus. Not that they CANNOT, but they WILL NOT. There is nothing set in stone that says you are destined to be an overcomer, but these other people are not. No, everyone is destined for it, but how many will actually go after it? Anyone can, everyone won't (in fact, a large majority will not), but SOMEBODY will. That group of "somebodys" who will is the Remnant.

The Remnant surfaces again in the Book of Revelation, and they are called Overcomers. The Lord addresses seven churches, and makes a special invitation to "he that overcomes". Six of the seven had serious spiritual issues that needed immediate correction; Philadelphia, the one exception, was undergoing tremendous persecution. But if we read through these messages we see clearly that the Lord is calling for a Remnant to overcome. Then the individual identities of these seven churches seem to fade away from that point forward and from there all we hear about is the Overcomers....

READ THE REST OF THIS MESSAGE HERE:
TheSchoolOfChrist.Org | The Remnant Principle As Exemplified In Daniel - 1 - an article by Chip Brogden

 

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The Remnant Principle (Part 2)

The Remnant Principle (Part 2)

"[The Lord] reveals the deep and secret things: He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him (Daniel 2:22)."

We are progressing through the Book of Daniel to identify the Remnant Principle. In the first chapter of Daniel we see that the Lord has reserved for Himself a remnant of four Jewish boys - Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah - to represent the Kingdom of God in the midst of Babylon. In the midst of universal compromise and failure, these four represent the Overcomers, those who maintain the Testimony on behalf of the Whole when the Whole either will not or cannot maintain that Testimony.

The spirit of Antichrist will always attempt to pollute what it cannot destroy, and destroy what it cannot pollute. We see this evidenced in the Scriptures time and time again. In the time of Daniel, the enemy has succeeded in getting Israel to pollute itself. Everything is compromised and the Testimony is broken down. From the perspective of darkness everything seems to be going in their favor - with the exception of Daniel and his three friends, who are determined to maintain the Testimony.

The conventional use of the word "testimony" means to make public confession, i.e., giving your testimony at church. In the Scriptural context, however, the Testimony of Jesus is much more than confession of Truth, it is the demonstration of Truth. I suppose we would be content to merely confess the Truth, but if we were never tested, it would never be demonstrated. For many, this is the case. Truth to them is a system of thought or a doctrine or a philosophy, but not an experience, not something that can actually be demonstrated.

The Book of Daniel holds within it the secret to being an overcomer. Simply observe how in every case of conflict between the Remnant and the enemy that the Remnant is strengthened and the enemy is defeated. In every instance the very thing which is meant to destroy the Remnant actually serves to reinforce it. I wish the Church in general and every Christian in particular would pay careful attention to this. How often we give up and quit, when if we had only remained steadfast we would have been strengthened. Many times we are on the verge of a significant victory, breakthrough, or revelation but we give up when tested. The Book of Daniel will teach us to remain steadfast...

READ THE REST OF THIS MESSAGE HERE:
TheSchoolOfChrist.Org | The Remnant Principle As Exemplified In Daniel - 2 - an article by Chip Brogden

 

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The Remnant Principle (Part 3)

The Remnant Principle (Part 3)
by Chip Brogden

"Upon whose bodies the fire had no power (Daniel 3:27ff)."

The Book of Daniel contains encouragement and wisdom for us who are being raised up as a Last Days Remnant of overcomers. It records a succession of attacks against the Lord's Remnant and how they overcame these attacks and demonstrated the preeminence of Christ. We have already identified some principles here. Let us review them briefly.

First, we note that whenever the Whole fails to bear the Testimony, the Lord will raise up for Himself a Remnant - a comparatively small remainder of people - who will fulfill the Lord's original and full thought for the Whole. They are not doing anything other than fulfilling God's original intent. To us it sounds so grand and special; the very word "overcomer" seems to imply that we are better than the others who are defeated, when in fact, overcoming is the normal Christian life. The entire Church is, indeed, a remnant of people called out of the nations in order to bear the Testimony of Jesus. That is OUR corporate calling, and to have anything less than that is abnormal. But in the Book of Revelation we see that there is yet a remnant within the Remnant, a band of overcomers called to demonstrate the preeminence of Christ in the midst of a Church that has failed in its corporate responsibility. So that is the situation we find ourselves in today.

Second, we find that whenever the Lord seeks to recover His Testimony in the earth by raising up a remnant the enemy will come around to test the validity of that testimony and either try to spoil it through compromise or destroy it altogether.

Third, we observe that the Lord's answer to a state of decline is to reveal Himself and His eternal purpose. Once the Lord has established for Himself a people that will represent His interests then He will move immediately to secure, protect, establish, and strengthen the Remnant. Here is what I want us to see. When we align ourselves with God's Thought, with God's Kingdom, and with God's Will in Christ, we are invincible. This is the secret to overcoming. It is not asking God to come down to where we are and bless our little ministry or work. Not at all. Instead, we leave our ground altogether and come onto the Lord's ground. We leave our earthly position and align ourselves with Heaven. We discern what the Lord's eternal Purpose is, and we set ourselves to cooperate with THAT. And when we are thus in conformity to THAT Purpose, all of Heaven is moved on our behalf. When our ministry or work is in harmony with that great movement of God then we cannot help but overcome...

READ THE REST OF THIS MESSAGE HERE:
TheSchoolOfChrist.Org | The Remnant Principle As Exemplified In Daniel - 3 - an article by Chip Brogden

 

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The Remnant Principle (Part 4)

The Remnant Principle (Part 4)

by Chip Brogden

"The heavens do rule" (Daniel 4:26b).

The fourth chapter of Daniel marks a turning point in our study. For here we find that this Testimony of Jesus is not always in a defensive posture. It is not always "under attack," but is just as much ON the attack as it is under attack. We have already seen that Christ, the Rock, intends to fill this earth, breaking and consuming all the kingdoms which stand in opposition to Him (cf. Daniel 2:44). Obviously this calls for destruction. "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). This is a very graphic, painful thing - to subdue all things to Christ, to put them down, to break them, to consume them, to decrease them. Just see how long and hard the Lord has to work in order to have the preeminence in YOU, and in ME; to then imagine that same process being executed on a universal scale is nearly beyond comprehension. Yet we are assured that "He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself" (Philippians 3:21b). What a mighty God we serve!

Exactly how the Lord goes about bringing all things into submission unto Himself is... how can we describe it? It is an art. It is a science. There is a process at work in this universe. Do you see it? It is a process through which the Lord is continually refining, purging, molding, chastening, disciplining, judging, and conforming all things. This process is working itself out on every level, from galaxies, to nations, to the innermost recesses of the souls of men, right down to the very last disciple and sinner. Throw yourself onto the Rock and be broken; or wait for it to fall on you and be ground into powder (cf. Luke 20:18, Daniel 2:34,35). Either way, sooner or later, the Rock wins, for "He MUST increase, but I MUST decrease" (John 3:30).

God has clearly relegated some of this work to the devil. He not only allowed, but practically invited, the devil to test Job. Job's end was better than his beginning, but what an awful time he had in between! It was the Spirit of God that led Jesus into the wilderness - not to conduct a private retreat or to experience a glorious revival, but to be tempted by the devil (cf. Matthew 4:1). Jesus prayed for Peter, but it is interesting that He did not prevent the devil from sifting Peter like wheat (cf. Luke 22:31,32). And when Paul prayed three times for the Lord to take away the messenger of satan that was buffeting him, the Lord refused his prayer, but gave him Grace (cf. II Corinthians 12:8,9).

What is His End? What is His Purpose? To "gather together in one ALL THINGS IN CHRIST" (Ephesians 1:10ff). What a battle that is! What turmoil! Imagine the breaking that has to take place, the tearing down, the constant whittling away, the continual process of trimming, reducing, decreasing, crucifying. By the time you get to the End of the Narrow Way there is nothing left of you. But is that not God's Purpose in a nutshell? "Not I, but Christ" (Galatians 2:20ff). We still have a long way to go. But He MUST increase; therefore, we MUST decrease. And we can look here in Daniel 4 and see how the Lord goes about accomplishing this Purpose...

READ THE REST OF THIS MESSAGE HERE:
TheSchoolOfChrist.Org | The Remnant Principle As Exemplified In Daniel - 4 - an article by Chip Brogden

 

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reponse to the remnant principle

Our Lord also by His parables illusrated that many are called,but few are chosen.

 

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The Remnant Principle (Part 5)

The Remnant Principle (Part 5)


by Chip Brogden

It would be helpful for us to review the principles we have learned thus far. First, the Lord has a Purpose, and that is for Christ to have the preeminence in all things. In the language of Daniel, a Rock made without hands will consume and break all other kingdoms into pieces, filling the earth, and standing forever. Then a Kingdom will be established that will never end (cf. Daniel 2). Upon this ROCK, Who is Christ, JESUS is building His Church. That brings us right into the present. This Purpose is as valid today as it was in 600 B.C. Please do not relegate this teaching to history, because if you do, then you miss the point and you miss the blessing. The Book of Daniel will teach us how to live according to God's Purpose NOW.

Second, whenever the Whole either cannot or will not fulfill God's Purpose, the Lord will take a Remnant out of the Whole in order to secure His Will on behalf of the Whole. Of all the nations in the world, He chose Israel to be the Remnant. Out of Israel, He chose a handful of faithful ones to carry on the Testimony. Of all the people carried to Babylon, Daniel and his three friends were the only ones who did not defile themselves. The Church is a Remnant compared to the world, and the Overcomers are a Remnant compared to the Church. "He gave some... till we ALL" (Ephesians 4:11-13ff). The Lord uses SOME until He gains ALL. That is the Remnant Principle.

Third, whenever we touch something of God's Purpose, whenever we catch a vision of something of Heaven, whenever we see something pertaining to God's Kingdom and Will, we touch conflict. As soon as we grasp something of the significance of God's Ultimate Will and begin moving towards a Heavenly Testimony in the earth, then we become the subject of intense resistance from elements in this universe that are opposed to that Testimony. That resistance the Bible calls "Antichrist." It will always attempt to pollute or compromise the Testimony. If that does not work then it will attempt to destroy it. Remember that the Testimony is not simply stating, "Jesus is Lord." The Testimony is DEMONSTRATING the Lordship of Jesus with the way we live - by overcoming sin, Self, and satan. If we are not living in such a way as to demonstrate the preeminence of Christ over these three enemies then words are of little use. My Testimony is not something I GIVE, but something I LIVE.

Fourth (and we MUST get this), whenever anyone is aligned with God's Purpose and begins to pray for God's Kingdom and for God's Will, all of Heaven will be moved to support, strengthen, encourage, protect, supply, and fight on behalf of that yielded vessel. "The heavens do rule" (Daniel 4:26b). The Lord will immediately and decisively move to secure that Remnant. Daniel is a book of victory. It is a book of overcoming. Why? Because overcoming is the normal Christian life of every saint who puts God's Kingdom and God's Will above his own kingdom and will. So take all four of these principles, put them together, and what you end up with is war in the heavenlies, unceasing conflict, and an almost unbearable tension in the spiritual realm.

This tension exists until God's Kingdom and God's Will are fully established. What IS always resists what WILL BE. Thus, the Lord Jesus does not tell us to merely wait passively for His return, but bids us to pray, "Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done: on Earth as it is in Heaven" (Matthew 6:10). Obviously, God's Kingdom is not yet fully established and God's Will is not yet perfectly fulfilled because life as we know it on Earth is not yet "as it is in Heaven." Far from it! Christ is preeminent, but He does not have the manifest preeminence; that is to say, Jesus is Lord, but "we do not yet SEE all things submitted to Him" (Hebrews 2:8b). So Heaven and Earth are at odds until Earth gets into alignment with Heaven...

READ THE REST OF THIS MESSAGE HERE:
TheSchoolOfChrist.Org | The Remnant Principle As Exemplified In Daniel - 5 - an article by Chip Brogden