Strong Man Of God Blog

          The last day of God’s predetermined end is also the first day of His new beginning!  For the Lord Jesus Christ triumphantly declares in the face of His glorious return: ‘“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End…who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”  While presenting Himself to John He says again, ‘“I am the Alpha and the Omega’” and adds, ‘“the First and the Last,’” (Revelation 1:7-8, 11a, NKJV).  Using the first and last letters Alpha and Omega from the Greek alphabet, the Lord unmistakably asserts Himself as the focal point of His Father’s eternal plan, history, the ages and paradigm shifts within, between as well as absolute authority over them!

          As part of the Father’s plan from eternity, I was previously led by Him to discuss four major last day events at the end of this present world and age.¹  The first event is the assemblage of Gentile nations to Israel to war against God and Christ that they lose to Him; bringing an end to the kingdoms of men.  The second is the glorious Second Coming of Christ in which He immediately gathers His Church to Himself in the sky by resurrection and translation to immortal glory.  This ends the Church’s mortal existence!  Third, the Father pours out the fullness of His wrath upon sinful mankind ending this wicked age.  Fourth, Christ captures and imprisons Satan ending his world rule.

          The glorified Church of Christ that experienced an end (of death, suffering and mortality) on this last and also new beginning of God’s planned eternal day are the first to enjoy it as a next event.²  This, as we take the reins of global authority and reign with Christ in the aftermath of His victorious war of the ages (Daniel 7:23-27; Haggai 2:20-23; Zechariah 12:1-9, 14:1-5, 12-15; Revelation 5:8-10, 14:14-20)!³  Afterward, on this unique “day” where the glory of Christ is literally “the light of the world,” the topography of Jerusalem and its environs will continue to be transformed by His presence and purposeful power in restoration and new creation as foretold (Zechariah 14:6-11; John 9:1-7, NKJV).⁴

          The physical makeover of Jerusalem and surrounding topography are all part of God’s planned new beginning for the land and people of Israel under Christ as King (Isaiah 35:1-7, 65:17-25; Ezekiel 36:1-15; Joel 3:17-21; Amos 9:11-15)!  As is the prerogative of any king, Christ the King of Israel will choose and build up Jerusalem as His capital city and claim “Judah as His inheritance,” (Psalm 48:1-3; Zechariah 1:14-17, 2:1-13, 8:1-3, NKJV).  Simultaneous to His restoration of the land, Christ will institute God’s new beginning for Israel’s elect mortal remnant in the land and scattered throughout the earth.  He will ‘“whistle for…gather…’” and ‘“redeem them,’” (Zechariah 8:4-8, 10:6-12, NKJV).

          He will do this because Christ is Israel, the consummate Israelite who came and comes to rescue His people from all of their enemies beginning with sin, death and Satan (Isaiah 49:1-3; 61:1-3; Hosea 11:1, 13:4-14; Matthew 1:18-25, 2:13-15; Mark 10:32-45, 15; Colossians 2:13-15).  Rejected by their religious leaders and larger body of Jews of that day, the Lord’s labor seemed inconsequential.  However, His Father’s plan called for the Gospel of salvation through repentance and faith in Him to be preached in all the world as it has now, for nearly two thousand years; saving millions of souls among Jews and Gentiles (Isaiah 49:4-7; Luke 24:36-49; Acts 1:6-8, NKJV)!

          Even so, at the end Israel as His ethnic people and nation are still in God’s plan of salvation, though they are only a tiny remnant when the time comes because of the punishment of their sins.  That this is the biblical case is foretold by nearly all of the writing prophets beginning with Moses, Christ Himself and His faithful apostle to us Gentiles, Paul (Deuteronomy 30:1-10; Isaiah 35:8-10, 42:16-17, 49:8-13; Jeremiah 30:1-3, 10-11, 18-22; Zephaniah 3:14-20; Luke 13:34-35; Romans 11:25-27).  As His people gather to Him from all over the world beginning on that last day of the end, the Father’s gracious outpour of the Holy Spirit upon them will bring all to repentance and grief as they behold the glory of Christ their King (Zechariah 12:10-13:1; Acts 2:1-37, 3:17-21, NKJV).

          In accord with the terms of His New Covenant God promised Israel, He will forgive and “cleanse” away their sins in which initially rejecting Christ is chief.⁵  Too, He will put the Holy Spirit within them (Jeremiah 31:31-34, 32:36-41, 33:8; Ezekiel 36:16-28; Micah 7:14-20, NKJV).  As well, God will remove their tears and prosper the remnant of Israel as never before under Christ their King (Isaiah 4:2-6, 11:11-16, 30:18-26; Jeremiah 23:5-8; Ezekiel 36:29-38; Malachi 4:1-3).⁶  Christ will also be their High Priest and rebuild the Temple, the place of His glorious residence (Isaiah 11:10, 60:1-7, 13-14; Ezekiel 40:1-4, 43:1-10; Haggai 2:7-9; Zechariah 3:6-10, 6:9-15, 14:16-21).  This first part to God’s new beginning in His eternal day continues 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4-6).

1 Read the August 6, 2023 post, The Last Day Of The End, under the category, Bible Prophecy.

2 What a surpassingly great joy the dawn of the day of the Lord will be for every saint after having obediently stood to the end enduring everything this present world and age
   ruled  by  Satan  hurled at us in troubles, hardships, adversities, afflictions and persecutions through His strength (Ephesians 6:10-18)!  There will be some serious shouting  
   in the clouds!

3 See the two-part February 13, 2022 post, War Of The Ages End, under the category, Bible Prophecy.

4 The  ground  shifting  changes  occurring  in Jerusalem and its surrounding countryside due to the presence and purposeful acts of power by Christ mirror what has already
   taken  place  over the entire earth in the face of the Father’s global quake that completely transforms its topography at once (Isaiah 13:13, 24:1-3, 17-20, 40:3-5; Revelation
   16:17-20)!

5 At this important, God appointed time, He has led this Ministry to produce the thirty minute Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, viewable on YouTube.  He
   wants  to  do  for  you  in  need,  O professed Christian, what He does for the remnant of Israel in the day very near: forgive and cleanse you of your sins (Zechariah 1:3-4).
   Lacking  a  presence  among the elect remnant of Israel or “holiness,” “no one will see the Lord” without eternal grief (Hebrews 12:14, NKJV).  I urge you to take the time to
   watch the video.

6 Please  note in Ezekiel 36:37-38 God allows Himself to be petitioned by the elect remnant of Israel for an increase in men He answers in the affirmative.  Why is this so im-
   portant  God  specifically  states it in His restoration plan?  Hint: men from creation have been foundational to God’s positive plans for mankind!  Consequently, you can be-
   lieve  Christ  will restore God's order of mankind currently being trampled on by the world and many professed Christians in their churches!  This prophecy is sweet vindica-
   tion  to  me  and  Strong  Man  Ministries now, with His assigned mission to restore men, their families and communities that also gave rise to my book, The Strong Man Of
   God: Back To Basics.  Get it in the Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Editions in the Strong Man Store, among internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.

          As the Lord led me to write about in the previous week’s post, we in these times are not only living in the last days of this present world and age, but the latter part of them.¹  God has openly foretold many things about these latter days in the Bible, His Word, including personages, nations, places and events that unfold in His prophetic timeline bound up in the plan He prepared before there was ever a creation.²  The specificity of detail in the millennia old prophecies about these latter days and even the very last day that ends this present world and age is staggering!  This reality is an important proof of God’s superiority over idols or any other so-called gods (Isaiah 41:21-24, 44:6-8)!

          The last day of this present world and age all by itself is a perfect example of the many moving parts and specific details God in His prophetic Word presents to readers.  For on that single day a number of significant events take place.  Sinners violently angry over what they have suffered to the moment and deluded by demons will actually assemble in Israel to war “against the LORD and against His Anointed,” the Lord Jesus (Psalm 2:1-3; Joel 3:9-14; Revelation 16:10-16, NKJV).  He will suddenly make His glorious return on this day as well (Joel 2:31, 3:15-16a; Matthew 24:29-30; Revelation 1:7, 6:12-17).  The Father also pours out His long held wrath on the day (Isaiah 42:14-15)!

          Backing up to the interval when the Gentile nations assemble in Israel to war against God and Christ, during it, the Lord issues a warning alert to be watching for His sudden appearing not to the elect Jewish remnant or those unsaved from among the Jews and Gentile nations, but to Christians because only we wear the “garments of salvation” and “robe of righteousness” by grace “through faith” in Him during this mortal age (Isaiah 61:10; Philippians 3:8-9; Revelation 16:15, NKJV).³  This warning is consistent with those He gave any would be follower in the Gospels and now, commends a blessing upon the faithful (Matthew 10:16-39, 24:36-44, 25:1-13; Mark 8:34-38, 13:32-37).⁴

          The Lord’s warning is absolutely timely at that moment for persecution and world disaster weary saints waiting for Him especially since I have heard professed Christians in these days express faithless exasperation with evil’s apparent triumphs and asserting God is losing.  Such faithless talk is for example, behind the uptick in those falling away from Christ in the aftermath of the global Coronavirus pestilence with others like it still to come plainly foretold by Him (Luke 21:11).⁵  The blessing persevering saints receive on that last day of God’s planned end to this present mortal world and age is beyond awesome for it is nothing less than seeing the Lord’s Second Coming!

          Seeing the moment the brilliant glory of the Lord Jesus Christ bursts into the completely darkened sky is just the beginning of the blessing.  On this day He Himself declared as “the last day,” the initial act of the Lord will be to gather His elect by first raising those who have died believing on Him from the dead (Matthew 24:31; John 6:39-40, 44, 52-54; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16, NKJV)!  His teaching about raising those from the dead who had believed on Him for salvation affirmed the belief of Old Testament saints about this as an event of the end (Job 19:23-27; Psalm 17:15; Isaiah 26:19; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Daniel 12:1-3) and His hearers in John 6, its last day in particular (John 11:21-24).

          Thus, it is on the last day that the Lord first resurrects those who have died waiting for His one and only Second coming.  Beloved, there can be no resurrection of the saints in a prior presupposed secret, invisible coming of Christ if He explicitly and solely states this occurs “at the last day!”⁶ Then, with the still living remnant He translates, He gathers all to Himself in the sky (1 Thessalonians 4:17-18).  This in gathering event is the end of the mortal Church age and the beginning of “her” glorious immortal eternity and reign with Christ as “His wife” by all “the saints” who make “her” up (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57; Revelation 19:7-8, NKJV).  Gathered to Him above the earth, we wait briefly for the next last day event: God’s judgment in wrath (John 12:42-50; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)!

          With the elect of Israel protected (Joel 3:16b), God from His throne in Heaven cries out, ‘“It is done!’”  Following that, as He had repeatedly foretold through Israel’s prophets, God sends His mortal enemies scurrying as He shakes the entire universe and earth in the full outpour of His righteous wrath upon sinners (Isaiah 13:9-13; Haggai 2:6; Hebrews 12:25-29; Revelation 16:17-21, NKJV)!  After this, Christ with the saints will descend to assert God’s Kingdom rule; the Lord taking on and destroying the assembled Gentile armies led by the Antichrist and false prophet and bringing an end to the kingdoms of men.  Then, He will end Satan’s rule over the world and vanquish him temporarily to prison under the earth (Daniel 2:44, 7:13-14; Zechariah 14:1-9; Revelation 11:15-18, 19:11-20:3).⁷

1 Read the July 30, 2023 post, There Is An End!, under the category, Bible Prophecy.

2 See the January 30, 2022 post, The Right Side Of History, under the categories Bible Prophecy and Biblical Worldview.

3 Only after receiving Him at the visible return of Christ will Isaiah 61:10 apply to the Jewish mortal remnant for which in context, they were intended in the first instance!

4 Being  overly devoted to life in this wicked world and age or backslidden in sin are two key ways not to be ready for the Lord’s return.  He bids all such professed Christians
   to turn back to Him in this Ministry’s thirty minute Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, now, available to view on our dedicated YouTube Channel.

5 Here is what is fully behind the issue of strength the Lord leads me to write about in portraying the aspiring strong Man of God in His image in my book, The Strong Man Of
   God:  Back  To  Basics.  Solomon makes it clear, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your (spiritual) strength is small,” (Proverbs 24:10, NKJV).  To endure to God’s end will
   require  His  strength!   Purchase  a  personal  copy  of my book in the Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Editions; pastors get the companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group
   Study to equip the men you serve in the Strong Man Store, among internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.

6 Read the two-part June 26, 2022 post, Made To Order End?, under the category, Bible Prophecy.

7 See the two-part February 13, 2022 post, War Of The Ages End, under the category, Bible Prophecy.