Just to clarify, I’m not talking rapture, I’m talking remnant. Our common understanding of the “remnant” from scripture is referring to that which remains after a storm, judgment, or purging. There are over five hundred occurrences in the Old Testament of various root words that relate to the “remnant.”

It was God’s choice to discontinue the narrative of ancient history and elect Abram, a remnant, a smaller group out of the larger group. A precursor to this was God’s mark of favor on the line of Seth, his being the only genealogy listed in Genesis. I’m honored to be a part of the “chosen ones” as Ephesians 1:4-5 so eloquently states of all believers: He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons. 

The distinction of the smaller group became clearer with Abraham’s grandson Jacob. Through a supernatural encounter, God changed his name to “Israel.” Jacob is the father of the twelve tribes. Israel was designed to be a nation of priests, prophets, and missionaries to the world; a distinct people, who pointed others towards God and His promised provision of a Redeemer, Messiah, and Savior.

It was God’s choice in the New Testament to discontinue the narrative of mainstream  Israel and establish the church as a remnant commissioned to partner with Him in redemption. Of course Romans chapters nine to eleven make it clear that the Jews are still included in God’s plan. God keeps covenant, doesn’t He?

God will always be about trimming and pruning His people. When I reflect upon all that he has “cut away” from my life over forty years of being a believer, I’m thankful for what remains. In a very healthy way, I’m a remnant of who I used to be! 

Put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge  according to the image of Him who created him. (Col.3:10-11) “Renewed” means: to be changed into a new kind of life as opposed to the former corrupt state. The one other place it’s used in scripture is 2 Corinthians 4:16: Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 

“Change is here to stay.” We are being transformed…from glory to glory.  In the physical realm, a remnant is a reduction in size; Noah’s family after the flood, Gideon’s army, the exiles in Babylon. In the spiritual realm, the remnant principle is unto enlargement. Pruning is unto a greater fruitfulness. 

The pain in pruning comes from the relinquishing of what once worked for us as a coping mechanism or means of survival in life. These can be classified as “dross” and contain varying levels of toxicity. Though painful on the front end, the gold that’s “left behind” is a treasure worth the sacrifice.

The dross we lose is no comparison to the gold we gain.