Screen 1
Let’s ask God to help us:
Our Father,
Now that we know the identity of the pure woman described in Revelation chapter 12, we humbly ask You to show us the identity of the remnant of the woman’s seed.
Please open our hearts and minds to Your truth, through the work of the Holy Spirit within us.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
Screen 2
Revelation 12:1,13
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (...)
And when the dragon saw that he was cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the Man Child.
----------------------------------------------------
In our last lesson, we discovered that the pure woman, described in Revelation chapter 12, symbolizes the faithful people of God.
Satan tried to destroy this woman during the 1260 years of the Middle Ages, by way of persecutions and false doctrines.
Screen 3
Revelation 12:16,17
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.
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.
----------------------------------------------------
Following his failure to destroy the woman, that is, the people of God, Satan now decides to attack «the remnant of the woman’s seed».
Who is this remnant? This is what we will discover now.
Screen 4
Acts 2:47
The Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
----------------------------------------------------
In order to understand what «the remnant of the woman’s seed» means, we must first study what is meant by «the Church».
The word «Church» comes from the Greek word «ekklesia», which means «gathering».
The Bible confirms that God indeed has a Church, a congregation, gathering together those who are saved.
Screen 5
Matthew 16:18
[Jesus said,]
«And I say also to you, that you are Peter, and on this Rock I will build My church.»
----------------------------------------------------
Furthermore, Jesus didn’t speak of His Churches (plural), but rather of His Church (singular): so, there is somewhere a Church which belongs to Jesus.
First, let’s look at the foundation of the Church.
An erroneous interpretation of this verse leads many people to the conclusion that the apostle Peter is the foundation of the Church. But what does the Word of God teach about this?
Screen 6
Ephesians 2:20
[You] are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.
---------------------
1 Corinthians 3:11
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
----------------------------------------------------
The one and only foundation of God’s Church is Jesus Christ.
He is the only Rock upon which the Church is built.
Screen 7
Ephesians 5:23
Christ is the head of the church: and He is the Savior of the body.
---------------------
Colossians 1:18
[Christ] is the head of the body, the church.
----------------------------------------------------
Christ is the one and only leader of the Church.
He is the head of the Church, and the members are its body, all called to carry out different functions within it.
God has never appointed anyone to represent Jesus on earth. Jesus has always been and always will be the only head of the Church.
Screen 8
John 10:16
[Jesus said,] «Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd.»
---------------------
Ephesians 4:4,5
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
----------------------------------------------------
Although hundreds of churches claim to be the true Church of God, the Word of God is very clear: only one of them is really the Lord’s Church.
Screen 9
John 17:17
[Jesus said,] «Sanctify them through Your truth: Your word is truth.»
---------------------
1 Timothy 3:15
The house of God (...) is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
----------------------------------------------------
Since its doctrine rests entirely on the Word of God, the Church of God is really «the pillar and ground of the truth».
Screen 10
Revelation 12:17
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.
----------------------------------------------------
The Bible says that, at the end of time, the Church of God will remain as a «remnant», which leads us to the main subject of this lesson.
The notion of «remnant» is found in many places in the Bible.
By studying these passages, we will better understand what is really «the remnant of the woman’s seed».
Screen 11
Genesis 3:14,15
And the Lord God said to the serpent,
«Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; on your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.»
----------------------------------------------------
Right from the beginning, the Bible presents the woman’s seed.
After the disobedience of Adam and Eve, sin entered the world, and a war began between the woman’s seed (the children of God) and the serpent’s seed (the children of the devil).
Fortunately, this war will soon come to an end, with the final destruction of Satan and evil.
Screen 12
Revelation 12:17
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed.
---------------------
Romans 9:27
Isaiah also cries concerning Israel,
«Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.»
----------------------------------------------------
Many times, Satan waged war so severely against the woman’s seed that only a little remnant was spared, a minority of believers remaining faithful to God and His commandments.
Screen 13
There was a «remnant of the seed» in the days of Noah, Moses, and Elijah:
«The long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.» (1 Peter 3:20)
«Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward which have murmured against Me. Doubtless you shall not come into the land, concerning which I swore to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.» (Numbers 14:29,30)
«Know you not what the Scripture said of Elijah? How he makes intercession to God against Israel saying, “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, and dig down Your altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.” But what said the answer of God to him? “I have reserved to Myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.”» (Romans 11:2-4)
Screen 14
«The remnant» also designates those who survive the enemies’ attacks:
«There shall be a highway for the remnant of His people, which shall be left from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.» (Isaiah 11:16)
«Yet will I leave a remnant, that you may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when you shall be scattered through the countries.» (Ezekiel 6:8)
«And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward: for out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.» (Isaiah 37:31,32)
«The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God.» (Jeremiah 50:28)
Screen 15
Jeremiah 50:18-20 [NRSV]
I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I punished the king of Assyria.
I will restore Israel to its pasture. (...) I will pardon the remnant that I have spared.
---------------------
Revelation 12:6,17
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days. (...)
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.
----------------------------------------------------
Under the Old Covenant, God put an end to the reign of Babylon, and a remnant of Israel came out of it.
Likewise, under the New Covenant, God put an end to the 1260-year reign of the apostate Church (spiritual Babylon) and a remnant of spiritual Israel came out of it.
Screen 16
Romans 11:4,5
But what said the answer of God to [Elijah]? «I have reserved to Myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.»
Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
---------------------
Micah 2:12
I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of you; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel.
I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the middle of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.
----------------------------------------------------
«The remnant» doesn’t necessarily mean «very few people»...
Screen 17
Matthew 7:13,14
Enter you in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it.
---------------------
Luke 18:8
Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?
----------------------------------------------------
... but, just as Jesus told on several occasions, «the remnant» necessarily designates a minority of people.
Screen 18
Isaiah 41:14
«Fear not, you worm Jacob, and you men of Israel; I will help you,» said the Lord and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
---------------------
Luke 12:32
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
----------------------------------------------------
Confronted with the majority rejecting God, «the remnant» always finds strength and comfort with its Lord and Redeemer, in order to succeed in fulfilling the mission God entrusted it with.
Screen 19
God is a constant source of comfort and help for «the remnant»:
«Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by Me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: and even to your old age I am He; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.» (Isaiah 46:3,4)
«Say, “O Lord, save Your people, the remnant of Israel!” (...) I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a Father to Israel. (...) Say, “He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock. For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.”» (Jeremiah 31:7,9-11)
«For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.» (Zechariah 8:12)
Screen 20
The remnant’s mission is to proclaim the gospel throughout the world:
«I will also leave in the middle of you an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth.» (Zephaniah 3:12,13)
«Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen on you. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise on you, and His glory shall be seen on you. And the Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to you: your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see, and flow together, and your heart shall fear, and be enlarged.» (Isaiah 60:1-5)
Screen 21
Revelation 12:17
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.
----------------------------------------------------
After the 1260 years of persecution, from A.D. 538 to 1798, during which more than 50 million people were killed, the Bible indicates that the Church of God, at the time of the end, will remain as a remnant.
The Bible gives us many clues to help us identify «the remnant of the woman’s seed», the remnant Church.
Let’s look at these clues.
Screen 22
Revelation 12:14,17
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. (...)
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed.
----------------------------------------------------
First, God’s Church, symbolized by «the remnant of the woman’s seed», appeared after the 1260-year reign of the apostate Church, that is, after 1798.
Screen 23
Revelation 12:15,16
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.
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.
---------------------
Revelation 17:15
The waters which you saw (...) are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
----------------------------------------------------
Persecuted in Europe, a populous place symbolized by the flood, the woman was helped by the earth, that is, a land which was then sparsely populated: the New World.
So, the remnant Church appeared in America after 1798.
Screen 24
Revelation 12:17
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.
---------------------
Revelation 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
----------------------------------------------------
The remnant Church believes in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and keeps all the commandments of God, including the fourth one which requires the observance of the seventh day, the Sabbath, as day of rest.
Screen 25
Isaiah 58:12-14
They that shall be of you shall build the old waste places: you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called, The Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Paths to Dwell In.
If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words: then shall you delight yourself in the Lord.
And I will cause you to ride on the high places of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
----------------------------------------------------
Moreover, the Word of God foretold that the remnant Church would rediscover the Sabbath, which has its origins in Creation, thus raising up «the foundations of many generations».
Screen 26
Revelation 14:6
And I saw another angel fly in the middle of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.
----------------------------------------------------
The remnant Church is a worldwide movement, proclaiming God’s message throughout the whole world.
And what is this message?
Screen 27
Screen 28
Revelation 12:17
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.
---------------------
Revelation 19:10
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
----------------------------------------------------
The remnant Church also has the testimony of Jesus Christ, which is the spirit of prophecy.
We studied this subject in our lesson «The Testimony of Jesus».
Screen 29
Screen 30
Luke 11:9
[Jesus said,] «Seek, and you shall find.»
----------------------------------------------------
A serious study of all Christian churches will reveal that only one presents all the characteristics of the remnant Church: the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Founded in the United States in 1863, this Church has in the year 2007 more than 15 million members, in 203 countries out of 229, representing at least 885 languages.
It believes in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, keeps all the commandments of God, and proclaims the triple message of Revelation 14.
Screen 31
John 10:16
[Jesus said,]
«Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice.
And there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd.»
----------------------------------------------------
The Seventh-day Adventist Church does not teach that only its members will be saved.
It rather teaches that there are many sincere believers in every church, and that those believers, when they discover the truth clearly revealed in the Word of God, will join God’s remnant Church.
Screen 32
Genesis 19:12,13
And the men said to Lot,
«Have you here any besides? Son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whatever you have in the city, bring them out of this place. For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord.»
---------------------
Luke 17:28,30
Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot, (...) even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
----------------------------------------------------
God warned Lot before destroying Sodom.
He does likewise today.
Screen 33
Revelation 18:2,4
Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. (...)
Come out of her, My people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.
----------------------------------------------------
Here is God’s solemn call to each one of us today.
He urges us to come out of Babylon, that is, out of all the churches unfaithful to His will, and to join His people, the remnant Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Will we respond to His call?
Screen 34
Let’s pray together:
Heavenly Father,
With the help of Your prophetic Word, more valuable than fine gold, You have shown us where we can find Your Church, which keeps all Your commandments and has the faith of Jesus.
Please give us the courage we need to come out of Babylon, and join Your Church, while it is still time to do so.
May we be efficient and humble instruments in Your hands, so that Your message of salvation may be proclaimed throughout the whole world, and so that we may be one body and one Church.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ our Savior we pray.
Amen.
List of the Lessons | Online Bible Courses | Main Menu