Those professed Christians that cannot bear to hear talk about God as Judge may not actually know Him from the Bible and are in a bad place spiritually. As the Lord has led me to write in recent blog and social media posts, much of the blame for this must be shouldered by those pastors and teachers whether in church buildings or the media that have deceitfully focused exclusively on what are considered the non-threatening, positive aspects of the divine nature, character and acts presented in Scripture.1 However, the evidently massive numbers of fragile souls that need God to only show His sunny side must also accept responsibility (Isaiah 30:8-11; 2 Timothy 4:3-4).
While space will not allow me to do more than give only a very lightweight introduction to the God of the Bible, I proceed as the Lord leads out of His love for those He foreknows will be helped to understand who it is that has called them to salvation and eternal life! God wants to be known by us and has taken the initiative in four ways to make this happen. God is revealed through what has been observably created both external in the creation all around us (to include the human body) as a first and internal--made as we are unique above all animals in the divine image and likeness--as a second way of knowing Him (Genesis 1:1, 26-27, 5:1-2, 9:5-6; Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:18-21).
A third way God makes Himself known to us is in His written Word; a marvel of divine inspiration using human vessels over many centuries (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). A fourth and final way humanity can know God is up close and Personal through Jesus Christ, the Son and Word who revealed God at His first century A.D. coming and after to all who believe on Him (Jeremiah 31:31-34; John 1:1-18, 14:7-26; Hebrews 1:1-4). From all of these ways of Self-disclosure, but especially the written Word, mankind can know what God wants known about Him. For this reason, every man should read the Bible for himself; not relying solely on what others tell him it says!
According to His Word, God is the eternally living God whose nature and character do not change--He is who He is forever (Exodus 3:13-15; Isaiah 40:27-28, 43:10, 44:6-8; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; Revelation 1:4-8, 17-18)! God perfect in nature is alone just, righteous, truth, holy, merciful, gracious, good, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kind, gentle, faithful and Self-controlled as some of His attributes (Deuteronomy 32:3-4; Leviticus 19:1-2; Psalm 103:8; Matthew 19:17; Galatians 5:22-23). His nature informs His character so that as holy for example, He is set apart from and has no dealings with sin lest He break out in wrath to destroy its bearer (Leviticus 10:1-3; Isaiah 6:1-7).
Because God does not change in nature and character, even after the coming of Christ in mercy and grace to endure the divine wrath against human sin as our sin bearing substitute, the benefit of His sacrifice extends only to those that repent of their sins, believe the Gospel about Him--that He died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day--and receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:36-38; Romans 3:21-26, 10:6-13; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Hebrews 9:27-28). However, those that reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ remain in their sins and must find another way if there were one to turn the wrath of God away from their sin guilt (John 3:16-21, 36; Acts 4:8-12).
Now, this is where many professed Christians and those that lead and teach them (some well intended) in these latter days are getting into trouble with God. For though, He is loving, good, kind, benevolent, merciful, gracious, longsuffering and ready to forgive the sins of believers (all disobedience to God’s written Word is sin) in the aftermath of Christ’s sacrifice, He does and will not do so unless we in humility confess, repent from and forsake them out of reverence for His holiness (1 John 1:5-2:2).2 Otherwise, the professed believer who refuses to do so faces God as Judge now, and in the future (Romans 2:1-11; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11; 1 Timothy 5:24-25; Hebrews 10:26-31).3
Indeed, Christians are called to be holy as God is in the New Covenant just as Israel was under the Old (1 Peter 1:13-21). Knowing God as He is, we supposedly need no one to teach us these things since His law is in our hearts and written upon our minds and we are eager to obey all of His commandments (Hebrews 10:11-22). Out of this context alone comes our legitimate confidence in all of God’s scripturally assured promises, benevolences and blessings. We are also enabled to “be strong” and do great deeds out of our knowledge of God (Daniel 11:32, NKJV).4 Nevertheless, the apostle John is very direct in declaring that anyone who professes to know Jesus Christ, but “does not keep His commandments is a liar,” (1 John 2:3-4, NKJV).5
Therefore, coming to Jesus Christ, Son of the holy God, believers that do not want to fear facing Him as Judge are called to follow His example of love motivated obedience to all of His Father’s commandments which are His too (John 14:31, 15:10; Philippians 2:5-8)! Keeping the Lord’s Word in obedience proves one truly knows and loves God and is in Christ, while walking as He did is proof one abides in Him (1 John 2:5-6). This is all critical to understand now and going forward. The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 See the two-part post beginning May 17, 2020, Persecution, Hatred And Betrayal, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
2 God already knows He has called us to mission impossible as it concerns sin without His help. He has provided the Holy Spirit and continuing access to His throne of
grace and mercy where our confessed and repented from sins are forgiven through the shed blood of Jesus (John 16:5-15; Hebrews 4:14-16). For more instruction on
biblical forgiveness, read my November 2, 2014 post, Once And For All Forgiveness?, under the category, Call To Repent.
3 Many Christians and their churches in sin now, endure God’s Coronavirus judgment as an example and are called to repentance.
4 This is the heart of every faithful Christian aspiring to be strong men or great women of God in the image of Jesus Christ I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of
God: Back To Basics. Get a print copy or digital download of the book at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple
(digital only). You can also purchase a print copy in the Strong Man Store.
5 See the five posts on the topic of obedience that begin on September 7, 2014, under the category, Call To Repent.
Truly, every prophecy of Scripture concerning and from Christ, the living Word, will be fulfilled (Luke 21:33, 24:44)! Thus, the hate-filled global persecution of Christians is coming to America! Judging by the spiritual energy presently being expended to relieve fear among an obviously large number of professed Christians during His Coronavirus judgment, clearly, many are not ready for the coming “fiery trial” God is allowing to “try” us in judgment (1 Peter 4:12-19, NKJV).5 As a result, the people need to be warned, taught and prepared to faithfully persevere trusting in the Lord as He has led me to write in many previous posts and my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics.6
The current state of fear pervading much of American Christianity is on every pastor and Bible teacher that has failed until now to biblically warn, teach and equip those they serve in the church building and by way of media in the basics of the faith and “the whole counsel of God”--His grace that saves and holiness that demands His foretold wrath upon sinners (Isaiah 13:9; Acts 20:26-27, NKJV). Imagine how much more fruitful the response of our unsaved fellow citizens could be if in the background of the solid preaching of the Gospel now, going forth, there wasn’t also the steady drone of exhortation not to fear going out to those that already profess to be Christians weak in faith!7
Faithful Christian Americans are just one anti-Christian spark and/or national election to the political far left away from legal persecution through arrest, trial and incarceration for standing on the Word of God as it is written.8 The Lord Jesus Christ warns His first century disciples and us about this reality and instructs not to worry about what to say at that time, but to speak what the Holy Spirit puts in our mouths giving testimony about Him (Matthew 10:16-20; Mark 13:11; Luke 21:12-15; John 15:26-27). Besides that kind of tribulation, verbal and physical assault for being a Christian easily follows in a nation where the majority hates Christ and the Bible He is faithfully portrayed in!
Too, as in other nations whose governments now, look the other way when mobs and terrorists murder Christians identified by their unwavering testimony of faith, it will happen here as it has and does for example, with black and other Americans profiled by our skin color. The Lord Jesus teaches that the hatred behind Christian persecution stems from apostasy, falsehood, love grown cold in abounding lawlessness, His works and exposure of the persecutors’ “sin.” This persecution comes well before the “great tribulation” and gives rise to open conflict among professed Christian religionists and apostates who “betray” and “hate” each other along with the faithful (Matthew 24:10-12, 15-21; John 15:18-25, 16:1-4, NKJV).9
Indeed, the coming global persecution is a major factor in “the falling away” the apostle Paul foretells (2 Thessalonians 2:3, NKJV).10 Falling away and betrayal among the disciples of Christ whether in times of persecution or not has occurred from His time on earth (Matthew 26:20-25, 47-49; Luke 22:48; 2 Timothy 4:9-10; 1 John 2:18-19). However, for many professed Christian Americans that barely distinguishes between being a Christian and an American, the Lord’s warning of extensive betrayal to the death by family and friends in a nation that hates Christians as a coming reality is very hard to accept. Yet, Christ says so (Matthew 10:21; Mark 13:12; Luke 21:16)!
Moreover, church history and current events among our persecuted brethren in other nations shows how Christians are betrayed by hating family and friends.11 Most Americans--Christian or not--place a high value on family and other mortal relationships. The Lord Jesus though, quoting from the prophet Micah as historic and ongoing spiritual reality, not only foretold division over Him in families, but made it plain He expects our love and loyalty to Him above all including self (Micah 7:5-7; Matthew 10:35-36; Luke 14:25-27)! Regardless of who is doing the persecuting, hating or betraying, He also expects His faithful to patiently endure to the end--our lives or His coming--not retaliating or taking vengeance (Matthew 10:22; Mark 13:13; Luke 21:18-19; Romans 12:17-21).12
Therefore, pastors and ministry leaders: do you really plan to go back to business as usual? The Lord calls you to recognize the times have changed in front of your very eyes and to repent from every way it was before the Coronavirus judgment that is sin in His sight to include allowing women to corruptly defy His Word in falsehood (1 Timothy 2:11-14); deceiving many and leading to their equal judgment (Ezekiel 13:17-23; Revelation 2:18-23)! Too, snap out of denial and get His people ready for all of what the Lord Jesus said is coming in the face of God’s Coronavirus judgment which is demonstrated proof the judgments and events He foretold would precede His return are underway! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
5 This unpreparedness for His sudden judgments in the earth is just as the Lord led me to warn would be the case in the September 29, 2019 post, God Almighty In A
21st Century World, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
6 Read the following posts under the category, Instruction: May 22, 2016, The Peculiar People, May 29, 2016, Preparing For The Final Battle and the two-part, Lined
Up Behind Jesus beginning on August 18, 2019. Get a print copy or digital download of my book at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble,
ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only). You can also purchase a print copy in the Strong Man Store.
7 Having previously written transparently about my own 2014 failure to trust God in a business situation, I did not write this statement out of some high-handed, self-
righteous place. See my March 2, 2014, The Testing Of Our Faith, under the category, Instruction. I understand and empathize with those of my spiritually maturing
brethren that fail the test of faith as a matter of momentary weakness in sin. What I am writing of here, is ongoing unbelief in weakness sustained by longstanding
spiritual immaturity through lack of instruction and practice especially prevalent in the many forms of empty, powerless manmade Christianity the religion. Read the
two-part post beginning August 21, 2016, Christianity The Religion Of Men, under the category, Instruction followed by the two-part post beginning September 11,
2016, American Culture’s Religion, under the category, Call To Repent.
8 Roman Caesar, Nero, had only to blame Christians for the fire that destroyed much of Rome to persecute many to the death, while a later Caesar, Diocletian (and
government tyrants from many nations that followed), used no excuse except to be rid of them! Without endorsing as completely accurate or any specific sects men-
tioned, an online overview source to explore the history of Christian persecution is Wikipedia.
9 See the December 9, 2018 post, The Peril Of Religious Men, under the category, Instruction.
10 Read the February 2, 2014 post, The Falling Away, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
11 This Ministry supports Open Doors USA, a Ministry serving our persecuted brethren in many places and invites you to read some of their stories that include be-
trayal and violence against them by family, former neighbors and friends.
12 Read my June 5, 2016 post, The Day Of Vengeance, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
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