The Remnant of Her Seed
Norbert Restrepo
President of Hartland College
“The spotless robe of Christ’s righteousness is placed upon the tried, tempted, faithful children of God.”
Jesus, in His description of the sign of His second coming and the final events, said, “So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it
is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” Matt. 24:33–34. Referring to two momentous events, the destruction of Jerusalem and His second advent, He declared that the generation that shall see the sign (the abomination of desolation) will also see the fulfillment of the event during their lifetime. Through this prophetic analogy, we understand that there will be a generation that will live through the final phase of Earth’s history. The group of faithful believers that will experience the final events are often called the last generation; this same group is referred to in Revelation 12:17 as “the remnant of her seed.”
“The term ‘remnant’ as it’s used in the Bible, refers to a group of people who remain loyal to God during a time of hardship. There is special meaning to the remnant of believers that will exist in the last days, when earth is at its worst, right before Christ’s Second Coming. Scripture tells us who will make up this end-time remnant: those ‘who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.’ Revelation 12:17, ESV.”¹
Scripture identifies the remnant as those who keep God’s commandments and have the testimony of Jesus. Why? Because this has been the essence of the great controversy from its beginning in heaven. The pen of inspiration declares: “All humanity is now involved in a great controversy between Christ and Satan regarding the character of God, His law, and His sovereignty over the universe.”² And this controversy will soon reach its climax.
The final generation’s loyalty to God, their keeping of the decalogue through the power of the Holy Spirit, will demonstrate that there is a people who are willing to lose every material possession and even life itself rather than to worship the beast and receive its mark. “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.” Rev. 12:11.
Those who will be faithful to God during that time are preparing for this event through full surrender of their lives to Him that loved them. They recognize the demands of God’s law and confess their sinfulness, repent, and seek the Lord in humility and contrition while the divine Advocate pleads in their behalf. Furthermore, we have been told that “when, through faith in Jesus Christ, man does according to the very best of his ability and seeks to keep the way of the Lord by obedience to the ten commandments, the perfection of Christ is imputed to cover the transgression of the repentant and obedient soul.”³
When the time of trouble comes, the faithful ones will not perish. “The flames of the furnace seem about to consume them; but Jesus will bring them forth as gold tried in the fire. Their earthliness will be removed, that through them the image of Christ may be perfectly revealed.”⁴
“As the people of God afflict their souls before Him, pleading for purity of heart, the command is given, ‘Take away the filthy garments,’ and the encouraging words are spoken, ‘Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.’ Zechariah 3:4.
“The spotless robe of Christ’s righteousness is placed upon the tried, tempted,
faithful children of God. The despised remnant are clothed in glorious apparel, nevermore to be defiled by the corruptions of the world.”⁵
Oh, may we choose to behold His love and appreciate the opportunity to draw close to Him today. May we accept His robe of righteousness in exchange for our filthy garments!
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