The Scourge Of Racism
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The stirring John Legend written song, Glory, he and rapper, Common, perform with a little help from a choir as the theme of the movie, Selma, has risen up in my heart again in the present version of the ongoing black American quest for racial acceptance. Well captured in the song and the current news images of students passionately protesting long tolerated systemic patterns of racial mistreatment in American society, its campuses and streets is the deeply troubling pathos involved in continuing to fight the many centuries long battle that cannot seem to be finally won. Even so, as the song asserts, the fight continues to be won at last when the Glory comes.
Glory is a fitting close to the film biopic, Selma, that chronicles the challenges and adversities slain Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dealt with to safely and peacefully complete a march over the Edmond Pettus Bridge into the now famous Alabama city in 1965. Such marches were the cornerstone of King’s purposeful strategy of nonviolent resistance to America’s legally sanctioned racial discrimination against blacks that also involved students peacefully sitting in at segregated eating establishments across the South. The marchers and protesters stood up carrying in their hearts the long held aspiration of our slave forefathers for freedom, equality and justice.
Recently seeing tears on some faces of University of Missouri black students as they sang, prayed and expressed themselves vocally to protest incidents of racism they felt were ignored or not considered important enough by school officials to investigate coupled with the sometimes very angry marches of those that protest under the banner, “Black Lives Matter,” caused me to easily and compassionately empathize with them. Transported to my childhood a generation ago when the activities of the Civil Rights Movement unfolded in real time on my family’s black and white television screen, I too began to tear up at the sadness that this seemingly easy to resolve struggle continues.
While I do not find every single sentiment expressed in Glory biblical, I nevertheless, greatly appreciate Legend’s recognition and incorporation of the predominant Christian faith of our people going back to slavery. Also, his song includes the fight for what should be common human decency as just, an encouragement to peaceful protest, respect for Jesus Christ as victorious after a public crucifixion and of course, the exclusively Christian hope of His glorious return to make things right as themes. In my mind, these themes enable the song to be an appropriate final anthem for the struggle to a generation forced to face the reality this fallen world will not of its own do right.
Indeed, since Legend’s song invites the wisdom of the elders into the continuing struggle in this generation, I step up. I qualify to do so now after nearly sixty years of experience being black and having the requisite mental and emotional battle scars from wounds suffered in the struggle with secular white as well as professed Christians that practice racism. First, understand as God has judged and declares in His Word, all human beings are sinners unwilling and unable to line ourselves up with His perfect standard (Romans 3:9-20). Nevertheless, God in love, grace and mercy has provided deliverance and help for the willing in Jesus Christ (John 3:16-21; Romans 3:21-26).
Obstinate white men guilty as sinners have resisted doing right from slavery because racism is not just about skin color, but guarding selfish privileges and opportunities--economic and otherwise. In light of this, consider also your generation’s wholesale embrace of the world’s sinfully invented political correctness, tolerance, multiculturalism, gender and sexual equality and how these concepts have not brought the long quest of our slave forefathers to full realization. In fact, in spite of these concepts and a very morally tolerant African-American President, your generation is still marching to protest racism! A holy God is constrained to help because so many marching are in rebellion against Him as willful sinners (Proverbs 14:34; Jeremiah 5:20-29; Romans 1:18-2:11).1
Second, understand that the resistance in guilty white men to do right and your own rebellion is not only driven by sin within, but outside forces are at work too. Ultimately, the struggle of our and all people that long for a world of love, acceptance, peace and justice is opposed by fallen angels led by Satan (Ephesians 6:12). This is why finally, the struggle will continue until the Day I am pleased to say is near; the Day when Jesus Christ, the Glory of God comes in wrath to insert Himself and His Kingdom into this world (Revelation 1:7-8, 6:12-17, 11:15-19, 19:11-16)!
Wholeheartedly come back to the biblical faith of our Christian slave and free forefathers so that you will not suffer the fate of those who mistreat you and all sinners before it is too late! For the kingdoms of fallen men and angels will be destroyed, the victory of Heaven justly won and His righteous reign rolled out! 2 Those who waited on Christ living as it pleases Him (1 Thessalonians 1:6-10, 2:10-12) will joyfully stand in that Day with elect Jews in His triumphant, eternal Kingdom (Isaiah 25:6-10a).3
1 Read the June 2015 blogs under the category, Black History.
2 Read the July 26, 2015 blog repost, Final Deliverance From The Evil Oppressor under the category, Encouragement.
3 With a learner’s heart, I challenge my fellow black American readers to set aside the convictions you may have from the worldview of a victim, to consider a biblical worldview of the enslavement and suffering of our people presented on our From Slavery To Victory Web Site; reading all the way through the brief presentation to the Victory Page. Follow this link, https://fromslaverytovictory.org/Healing/The-Journey to be taken directly to the presentation.
Not just the possibility, but the reality of human immortality was powerfully unveiled by Jesus Christ when He unlike anyone before Him, rose permanently from the dead! And because the Father has glorified Him and exalted Him to have all authority in Heaven and earth, He now controls death and the realm of the dead (Matthew 28:18; Revelation 1:18). As a result, those that put their faith in the Gospel about Him for salvation are promised to be raised to immortality and glory like Him (John 11:25-26, 17:5, 22). The promise realized will entail sweeping changes in the human experience to that time including male and female as they have been known physically in their mortal bodies.
This is the conclusion of a three part celebratory treatise briefly exploring the resurrection to immortal glory first accomplished by the Father in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and promised also to His followers at His return to earth!
Originally Published June 2013
"But someone will say, 'How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come,'" (1 Corinthians 15:35, NKJV)? These questions appear to reflect the mocking tone of those rejecting the possibility of resurrection at Corinth (see 1 Corinthians 15:12). Still, the apostle Paul's answers are genuine, revelatory and authoritative.
First, concerning the body of the resurrected, Paul rebukes the evident unbelief in God’s power and wisdom any person has that ask such questions by calling them “foolish.” He then draws upon the scientifically verifiable reality of a plant seed to illustrate how it first dies before what is contained in its core can spring forth alive. Also, the form of the seed is not the same as the living plant that grows out of it. The dead seed and living plant both have bodies given to them by God. Similarly, our present bodies die and are buried. Our resurrection bodies spring forth alive from them but are not the same as the bodies that died in God’s will (1 Corinthians 15:36-38, NKJV).
The great apostle reminds us that the outer forms of things are not the same all throughout creation. As purposely intended and designed by God the flesh of men, land animals, fish and birds differ from one another. There is also the God designed and breath taking difference between the celestial bodies in the night sky and the unique form of the earth. Among the celestial bodies of the universe star differs from star and our sun has a very different form than the moon. In context, from these readily observable realities Paul instructs that the resurrection body of a Christian designed by God is going to be vastly different from the body that died (1 Corinthians 15:39-42a).
Our mortal bodies die and are buried; the resurrection body is raised immortal. Our dead bodies are buried in sin's disgrace; the resurrection body is raised in the glory of God's redemption and sinless perfection. Our dead bodies are buried in the weakness of sin's consequences; the resurrection body is raised endued by God with power! We now have mortal natural bodies God made from dust. However, the resurrection body God has prepared us is an immortal spiritual body; that is, a body composed of indestructible spiritual substance while also possessing material properties as we saw earlier in the resurrected, immortal body of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:42b-44).
The differences in the natural and spiritual bodies God has made for man are tied respectively to Adam and Christ. The first man, Adam, was created by God "a living being" with a natural body from dust. All sinful mankind has come from his natural body and bears his image. Christ is the second and final Adam from Heaven! After His death, burial and resurrection in the cause of saving those who will believe in Him, He became a "life giving spirit" imparting eternal life to His followers. We are currently being transformed inwardly to bear His image. At the resurrection, our natural bodies will be transformed to conform to the masculine likeness of Christ's own glorious, immortal spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:45-49; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 John 3:1-3, NKJV)!
Now, the apostle Paul makes it overwhelmingly clear that what the Lord first led me to write in my book is accurate when he writes, "flesh and blood (the natural body) cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption," (1 Corinthians 15:50, NKJV, emphasis mine). Our natural bodies are not fit for what is planned for us as eternal sons. Hence, God reveals a previously unknown fact through Paul that not every Christian will taste death, but "we shall all be changed" in an instant at Christ’s return (1 Corinthians 15:51-53, NKJV). The dead are raised immortals first. Then living saints are transformed into immortals and all take flight (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)!
At this point, we that are receiving such knowledge by faith ought to join Paul in his celebratory victory shout of praise and be encouraged to remain "steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord" assured it is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:54-58, NKJV)! Not only are we to be joyfully laboring to proclaim this good news of salvation, resurrection and immortal glory through Jesus Christ, but "the hope of glory" ought to inform every part of our present, mortal lives; enabling our heavenly perspective on all things and Christ-like living now (Colossians 1:24-29, 3:1-11). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
It is four years later and I am now watching the Summer Olympic Games in Rio. To the praise of my Lord Jesus, the important truths He led me to share in the following edited 2012 blog during the London Games still apply. Truly, the motivation, discipline and actions of athletes in the Olympics and all sports competition well serve as excellent analogy for the Christian race and will do so until there is no such thing as athletic competition! How appropriate this repost is as a final, short wrap up word of encouragement to the faithful in all the Lord caused me to write about and who wait for immortal glory as God’s consummation to the great salvation He has worked for us in Christ Jesus.
Originally Posted September 2, 2012
Watching the London Summer Olympic Games, I was struck by the diligence the athletes showed first in training for four years and then in the exertion of competing in their areas of specialty. These men and women do all of this for medals that will fade. The same sort of thing now plays out on football fields on every level around our nation this fall as teams work together to win the prize of trophies, rings and bragging rights in a championship season. As Christians, we are taught in Scripture that we are running in a race that we too are to run to win (1 Corinthians 9:24).
As the Lord leads me to teach in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, such a race requires the disciplined mind set of an athlete (1 Corinthians 9:25-27). It also must be run in accord with the rules (God’s, not man’s) lest we be disqualified in shame (2 Timothy 2:5). Finally, surrounded by a very great “cloud of witnesses” that has finished their own, our race is to be run with endurance since it is a marathon, not a sprint (Hebrews 12:1, NKJV). Truly, for this race is not about speed, but only faithfully finishing the race marked out for us. As we run, we look up ahead to our Lord Jesus the pacesetter who displayed the perfect motivation, discipline and faith as the key strategic action in His race; crossing the finish line to victory and immortal glory (Hebrews 12:2)!
Like the apostle Paul who saw the end of his race drawing near, we are only concerned to finish well knowing our works wrought in Christ will follow us and the prize of unfading crowns with immortal glory await (2 Timothy 4:6-8). Indeed, in the race of eternal life, physical death is not a disqualifying obstacle, but the finish line unless Christ returns first! And so, we run; experiencing all of the many kinds of challenges, hardships, afflictions, trials, setbacks, tears and longsuffering others endure to win only the temporary prizes of mortality. Many of them overcome by their challenges, hardships, afflictions, trials and setbacks and lacking endurance, drop out of the race.
However, we press on running our race looking for the Lord’s “well done” and after all adversity caused suffering endured in faith, perseverance and His strength, “the upward call of God in Christ Jesus;” the salvation and immortal glory even admiring holy angels desire to know more about (Matthew 25:21; Romans 8:18; Philippians 3:8-14, 4:13; 1 Peter 1:3-12, NKJV)! Therefore, let every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ our Lord run your race to win and collect the eternal prize to the glory of our God (Revelation 19:5-9).
While no one earns the salvation of God, surely our Christian sisters have a sweet deal with Him in that after continuing faith in Christ, immortal glory is theirs for simply submitting to His will to be helpers to their husbands as child bearers in all love, holiness and self-control (1 Timothy 2:15). If they do nothing else in a lifetime, they have well pleased God in carrying out this assignment alone. But alas, faithful men and women in gratitude to, love and zeal for the Lord always want to do all that is possible in service to Him within the boundaries of His order and gifting to please Him as Tabitha and Phoebe in the New Testament demonstrate (Acts 9:36-41; Romans 16:1-2)!
Tragically, many contemporary professing Christian females in the sinful defiance of worldly feminists, selfish ambition and lack of self-control are out of divine order and disqualify their works however great in human eyes that might otherwise please God through pursuing authority over their husbands along with other adult men in His house. They in unbelief and disobedience impetuously act before the time God has prepared for all of His eternal sons as immortals to reign with Christ over every created thing and therefore, receive their reward now while bringing judgment on themselves with the men who enable their sin (Genesis 3:1-13, 16-19, 4:3-7; Numbers 12, 15:30-31; Matthew 6:1-4; John 14:15; 1 Timothy 2:8-14; Hebrews 10:26-31; Revelation 2:18-29).
This is part two of a three part celebratory treatise briefly exploring the resurrection to immortal glory first accomplished by the Father in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and promised also to His followers at His return to earth! While there is some repetition, for additional supporting content I recommend the reader refer to my May 2014, “The Body Beautiful”, Pt. 1 and 2 along with the more recent May 1, 2016 “Natural Bodies By Divine Design” posts under the same category as this and all the blogs that follow on the topic of immortality.1
Originally Published May 2013
The promise of immortal glory through faith in Jesus Christ is to say the least, mind-boggling but not inconceivable. Truly, who could imagine that all of the wonder and complexity of the human body could come from simple dust? Yet, here we are; eternal creatures made on purpose for God's purposes from dust (Genesis 1:26, 2:7)!
In outfitting man for this present mortal age, God created him a natural body from the earth from which it was taken; by divine decree that same body returns to the dust upon death because of sin (Genesis 3:17-19). Nevertheless, the natural body of man is a marvel of divine design and creation. For example, made in His image and likeness, the God who speaks, hears and sees, gave man a mouth to speak, ears to hear and eyes to see (Exodus 4:11; Psalm 94:9). As surely as men have come to learn that “form follows function” as a principle of building and industrial design, so, the Creator of man designed his natural body to fulfill functions tied to His will and purposes.
Keeping with the earlier example, it was the express divine will that man speak, see and hear in order to interact with God, the creation and soon to come, others of his kind (Genesis 2:8-19, 3:6-13)! Of course, God's image and likeness as well as purposes for mortal man designed in the functions of his natural body are much more than those three abilities. In chapter two of my book, The Strong Man Of God, Back To Basics, the Lord leads me to re-state plainly from His Word that Adam as the first and only man stood before Him a total, perfect creature. If it had not been for the divine will that man be many, Adam would have stood alone before God as the only man forever!
This means that a female version of man was not an imperative for him to exist. However, since along with ruling the divine mandate was for man to procreate, God chose the method to be cooperative effort by man as male and female (Genesis 1:27-28). Not back to the dust, but from man's side did God take living bone to purposely construct his female version; a "helper comparable to him" for him, which greatly pleased Adam (Genesis 2:20-23, NKJV)! Very important to emphasize in this is the fact that the female version of man is man for she was taken out of him and bears his glory in accord with the will and purposes of God in this mortal age (1 Corinthians 11:7-9).
Moreover, since every facet of man's inner person is masculine in the image and likeness of God, so equally is woman's. Truly, Adam prefigured Christ who is God in the flesh (John 1:1-5, 14-18; Romans 5:14; 1 Peter 1:17-21)! God sanctified the relationship of the man and his wife as marriage. Within it, they in their equality of person but complementary division of roles and responsibilities are put back and work together as "one flesh;" one whole man to His glory (Genesis 2:24, NKJV)! God perfectly divided the makeup of the man with his wife as seen in their respective dispositions influenced by and shown in their bodies. Thus, their gender differences are a matter of divine chosen emphasis "fleshed out" in each by form, genetics and hormones (Psalm 139:14).
The mortal lives and relationship of the man and his wife in their natural bodies became temporary as has already been stated because of sin and death. Sin corrupted their original perfection introducing conflict, pain, perversions and divorce. Their bodies reach a peak of maturity in function then decay sets in until apart from disease and calamity, death arrives (Psalm 90:1-12). The Bible is clear that death eternally severs the marital relationship (Romans 7:1-3; 1 Corinthians 7:39). Religious men tried to test the Lord using levirate marriage to discredit resurrection and Him if He endorsed it. The Lord first affirms marriage and procreation are for this mortal age only (Luke 20:27-35).
The Lord goes on to teach that the resurrected, immortal sons of God are "'equal to the angels,'" (Luke 20:36, NKJV). Being equal to the angels speaks not only to the reality that they do not die, but also to the function of their bodies (Psalm 104:4); by divine design they cannot procreate. For this reason, there are no angels that are female and none that will be human in the resurrection since femininity is a special construction of God tied to procreation. Our bodies will necessarily undergo change to fit their form to God's planned stage two functions ultimately in a new, eternal creation (2 Corinthians 5:14-17)! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 The Strong Man Store has available a four message audio CD series, Christ’s Resurrection, Death’s End the Lord led me to proclaim as another resource on the topic
of the coming resurrection to immortality.
God’s plan crafted from eternity to save mankind from our sins and mighty acts to carry it out in time reached a major highpoint with the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ, the praiseworthy substance of Christmas!1 His birth had been foretold to His mother, Mary, by the angel, Gabriel, nine months earlier (Luke 1:26-38). As also foretold by God through the prophet, Micah, some seven hundred years before, Mary gave birth to Christ in Bethlehem amid circumstances He had providentially superintended (Micah 5:2; Luke 2:1-7). So much so was the event of Christ’s birth worthy of praising God, angels step out of eternity into time to be seen and heard by men leading it!
Indeed, first one angel in the brilliant “glory of the Lord” suddenly appeared in the “night” darkness and stood before “shepherds” guarding “their flock” in “fields” adjacent to Bethlehem. The glory emanating from the angel enveloped and caused the men to “greatly” fear (Luke 2:8-9, NKJV). “Then the angel” spoke to the shepherds first to calm their fear assuring he was bringing them “good tidings (good news) of great joy” in making the greatest birth announcement ever made in the history of and for all mankind: “…there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.”2,3 He followed this with giving the shepherds a “sign” of verification (Luke 2:10-12, NKJV).
Before the one angel had even finished his last word good, “suddenly there was with” him “a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men,’” (Luke 2:13-14, NKJV)! The praise of God by the heavenly host spoke of what humanity by faith could soon personally experience and God ultimately accomplish in all the earth through bringing His Son into the world at that precise moment--peace; His peace from the finished work of Christ on the cross to save from sin He would grow up to carry out!4 Those of us who have been saved by the Gospel of Jesus Christ ought not just celebrate His birth at Christmas, but with angels and the shepherds go tell it year round; glorifying our God who saves (Luke 2:15-20)!
(Thank you for reading the Strong Man Of God Blog in 2023. Our Lord willing, my next post will be on Sunday, January 7, 2024. You and yours have a Merry Christmas and blessed New Year!)
1 Read the December 3, 2023 post, Christmas: God’s Initiative To Save and the one that follows on December 10th, Christmas: God’s Acts To Save, both under the category, Holidays.
2 Please note this joyful good news was intended by God from the outset for “all people;” that is, from every nationality, ethnicity and race beginning with Christ’s own ethnic people, Israel, as also foretold (Isaiah 49:1-6; Luke 2:10, NKJV). This Christmas season learn why as a result the American Church has sinned a great sin before the Lord tolerating and practicing racism in the midst for over 400 years by picking up a print copy of my book, The Scourge Of Racism, in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores. And beginning January 5, 2024, the E-Book version of the book will be available for purchase in your favorite digital outlets. Watch the book trailer.
3 If you are guilty of tolerating and practicing racism among all the sins that without repentance separate us from the Lord as a professed Christian, He bids you return to Him as the opportunity is presented in this Ministry’s thirty minute Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, on YouTube.
4 Faithful Christians must beware of today’s false prophets as those of ancient Israel who advocate for and assure God will bring peace to the world before the return of Christ contrary to His Word (Jeremiah 6:10-15, 8:8-12; Matthew 10:34-39, 24:6-7a; Luke 12:49-53, 21:9-10; Revelation 6:1-4). Christ is “peace” in the world when He returns and faithful Christians now (Micah 5:4-5; John 14:27, NKJV)! Contemporary false prophets in the pulpits and media platforms of our day like those of old present a message of human desire, not divine dictate (Jeremiah 23:16-22; Ezekiel 13:1-11).
So now, some may want to know why the Lord has allowed me to be afflicted with Prostate Cancer. Has the one always crying “judgment” finally gotten his; proving to be just as guilty of sin and worthy of it as everyone else? Surely, only haters of biblical Christianity in and outside of churches who are also “enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their minds on earthly things” are thinking this way (Philippians 3:18-19, NKJV). However, they are right about me with everyone else being under divine judgment through trials in these last days and as a result, I righteously fear God (1 Peter 4:12-19)!
Without apology or regret in the leading and power of the Holy Spirit I have sought to be faithful to God’s calling upon my life from Ezekiel 33:1-9 formally begun in the spring of 1986. Not from a posture of self-perceived perfection have I been sounding the Lord’s trumpets of warning, alarm and preparation among professed Christians and their churches, but obedience and again fear, since woe is me according to Ezekiel 33:6-9 if I were not obedient! The messages are His and I have been humbly and joyfully pleased (since the Word is “like a burning fire” and “honey in sweetness” in my spirit--Jeremiah 20:9; Ezekiel 2:9-3:3, NKJV) to deliver them as His messenger boy!1
Thus, being afflicted with Prostate Cancer has nothing to do with any failure in ministry. It is not tied to any disobedience to or rebellion against God’s Word as it is written either since I keep very short accounts with Him as He has led me to teach others to do as well (Psalm 32:1-5; 1 John 1:9). For I most certainly have previously experienced affliction among other consequences the Lord has brought upon me for correction after disobedience and learned my lessons (Psalm 119:65-77)! I know all about that so, Job’s friends can back off this as a reason for having Prostate Cancer or the other serious afflictions I have spoken of too, Coronary Artery Disease and High Blood Pressure.2
Keeping it real, my Coronary Artery Disease is in part by my own hand through a lifetime of unhealthy eating habits that caused High Cholesterol. The High Blood Pressure is inherited. Humbled by the experience of having stints placed in two almost totally blocked arteries in 2015, with the Lord’s escape from death and help to adopt healthier eating, exercise and walking these conditions are now, under control--all praises and glory be to Him! No, the Lord has allowed me to be commonly afflicted with Prostate Cancer as a temporary war wound from Satan like Job for His glory and my good with all of His sons as chastening (Job 1-2:10; Hebrews 12:3-11; James 5:11).3
So caught up in the pursuits of their mortal lives, many Christians fail to grasp our spiritual family is in a state of war with the powers of darkness as enemies of our souls (Ephesians 6:10-18)! They marshal any of numerous ruinous works of sin and death to come against and oppress mankind Christ delivered from (Matthew 4:23-25; Acts 10:34-38). Being saved does not give us Christians any special privilege to avoid being touched at all by the trials, tribulations, hardships, persecutions and afflictions of illness Satan and his wicked hosts muster against us. Indeed, Satan is the originating source of persecution upon “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus,” (2 Timothy 3:10-12, NKJV)!
There is nowhere for born again believers to hide from the demonic hosts arrayed against us since we are distinctly marked out as belonging to God by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). We encounter them on the Master’s mission or they confront us and we take our stand (Luke 10:17-20; Acts 16:16-18). As an obvious war strategy they go after leaders. Even armored up fighting “the good fight of faith,” He allows some of us to be taken out or wounded in action since ‘“We through many tribulations enter the Kingdom of God,’” (Acts 12:1-4, 14:19-22; 1 Timothy 6:12, NKJV). The wounded suffer permanent or temporary affliction of some kind. God is glorified and we rewarded by how we handle our business when afflicted (2 Corinthians 6:3-10, 12:1-10; 2 Timothy 4:6-8).
As part of God’s chastening in allowing my affliction, I am being stretched spiritually for my good in many ways. For example, perhaps like many of you reading this, I have struggled with faith failures during my journey in the Lord, some of which I have posted about in this Blog.4 Despite this, God in mercy has worked some mighty deliverances for me! While I wait for Him through this experience with Prostate Cancer, I see God at work continuing to grow my steadfast faith in Him; faith He will deliver me as He promised (Psalm 119:49-50)! His judgment as examination (testing) and chastening through trials is God’s standard conduct toward all of His sons not only for our good to share in His nature, but to prove our fitness for the glories to come (2 Thessalonians 1:3-12).5
1 Since the messages delivered by me in this Blog and every other means of communication are the Lord’s, they will serve as a witness against those that have refused to give heed to them (Ezekiel 33:1-5; Acts 18:4-6).
2 See footnote three in the July 17, 2022 post, Prostate Cancer Reflections, under the category, Glory To God!
3 Read about how mortal Christian males and females are ultimately viewed by God as eternal sons in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. It is available with the companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
4 See the March 2, 2014 post, The Testing Of Our Faith, and followed on March 9th by Praying For God’s Solutions, under the category, Instruction. Once again the Lord puts me on public display to be a humbled example as the man He had to write a book (beginning on page 122 for those who have it) presenting faith as the foundational char- acter trait of the aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ!
5 For a more in-depth presentation of God’s glory and chastening as good ends in allowing His sons to be afflicted, watch the new and first Bible Instruction message He gave me to proclaim on our Strong Man Virtual Institute Channel, Afflicted For God’s Good Ends!
As the Lord led me to write about earlier this month and celebrate from Palm through Resurrection Sunday, God’s Messiah was foretold by Him through His Jewish prophets in the Bible to come twice.1 The first coming of God’s Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, during the first century A.D. was all about sacrificing Himself to save willing mankind from our sins. He finished this part of the mission on Calvary’s cross with His death. After His burial, resurrection and ascension back to glory, at God’s appointed future time He is slated to return “a second time” to fulfill every promise of salvation God has made to those of us who have put our faith in and wait on Him (Hebrews 9:28b, NKJV).
“Scoffers” living captive “to their own lusts” as foretold, for nearly 2,000 years have scoffed at the faith of faithful Christians in our willingness to wait on “the promise of His coming.” “They willfully forget” the Bible’s instruction on God’s mighty Word in creation and past visitation in destructive wrath using water; foretelling of yet another to come with fire in judging earth’s “ungodly men,” (2 Peter 3:1-7, NKJV). What the scoffers and apparently many professed Christians also fail to realize is that the return of Messiah has been purposely delayed by God this long out of His love and “longsuffering” to save the willing He foreknows from His wrath and eternal damnation (2 Peter 3:8-9, NKJV).2
As the apostle Peter soberly warns, the return of Messiah entails the outpour of God’s wrath in the eternal onset of “the day of the Lord” as earth is reclaimed for His dominion from fallen angels and men, then later, destroyed to make way for “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells,” (2 Peter 3:10-15; Revelation 11:15-19, 21:1-8, NKJV). His wrath does not fully unfold, however, until after Messiah gathers His two elects--Israel’s mortal remnant and His followers from all nations--to Himself (Mark 13:24-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, NKJV).3 These events fulfilled are among the promises of salvation God has made to both elects in His Word!
The next promises of salvation to be immediately enjoyed by the faithful followers of Messiah gathered to Him from Heaven who are resurrected and those relative few mortals alive on earth at His Second Coming are glorified immortal bodies and eternal righteousness (1 Corinthians 15:50-57; 2 Timothy 4:8)! For in God’s justification by grace through our faith in Messiah looking to that Day, is our being clothed now, with His righteousness as both a spiritual position we occupy and experience we have despite the endless attempts of sin to reassert its dominion over us with the aid of Satan and his temptations we are to vigorously resist (Romans 6-8:17; Galatians 5:16-25; 1 Peter 5:8-11).
Thus, in Messiah Jesus, I am a sinner made righteous in the sight of God through faith and understand myself to be a righteous man who sins when I do in the weakness of the sinful flesh. In sin, I confess and repent of it availing myself of God’s readiness to forgive and cleanse me through the finished work of Messiah on Calvary’s cross as often as needed (Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 1:5-2:2). So, when I say I am a sinner to sinners as a Christian, it is not because I am going about practicing sin as a way life any longer, but I am humbly and honestly acknowledging that I still sin as one redeemed by and righteous before God in my mortal journey toward perfection!4
Today, secular films and television programming regularly mock and belittle God’s social and moral order He established at creation for the good of mankind in favor of what they call “progressive” correctives, but which are evil. Contrarily, another promise of salvation Messiah will fulfill in the Day of His Second Coming is the restoration of God’s will and way now, declared in His Word across every aspect of surviving mortal human earth existence in which He will reign as King and Judge (Psalm 72; Micah 4:1-3; Matthew 25:31-46).5 Indeed, we His glorified redeemed followers and saints from all time will reign and judge with Him (Psalm 149; Revelation 1:4-8, 2:26-29, 5:8-10, 20:4-6)!6
At the end of Messiah’s millennial reign in this present earth and age, by His Father’s election as God and Man, He shall resurrect “those who have done evil” and judge for eternity every human who has ever existed that He had not already judged (John 5:16-30; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11; 1 Peter 4:1-5; Revelation 19:11-21, 20:11-15, 22:12-15, NKJV).7 Daniel in his book where we started back on January 9th this year among the prophets of the Bible were shown the coming resurrections of the righteous and the wicked along with their final judgment by Messiah (Daniel 12:2-3).8 Clearly, things will not go well in the judgment to eternal fire for the unsaved who have shown contempt for God’s Word. But the saved who love God’s Word will delight in it forever!
1 See the April 3, 2022 post, Messiah Comes Twice: Once For Sin, under the category, The Faith.
2 Read the two-part post beginning July 18, 2021, No Repentance, No Peace, under the category, Call To Repent. Also, consider the February 6, 2022 post, The Divine Delay, under the category, Bible Prophecy, to appreciate if you will, that as He gave sinful humanity in Noah’s day time to repent and be saved from His wrath, so, all in these last days since He offered up His own Son on the cross to make our salvation possible nearly 2,000 years ago!
3 See the August 15, 2021 post, The Honor Of Bypassing Death, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
4 The Christian journey toward perfection is about allowing God to make us over into the image of Messiah Jesus, His Son. This is the rallying cry and content of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and its companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study as well as Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study all available in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
5 That’s right! The same transcendent eternal spiritual principles, morality and ethics contained in the Bible the wicked now, mock and belittle as well as many professed Christians corrupt and compromise, will be put in play and enforced by Messiah since as He Himself teaches, neither the content of God’s Law or any of His Words will fail to endure forever (Matthew 5:17-20, 24:35)! See the August 1, 2021 post, Jesus Christ King And Judge!, under the category, Instruction.
6 Read the August 8, 2021 post, Kings And Judges With Christ, under the category, Encouragement.
7 Behold the perfect justice of God the Father to allow His Son, Jesus, as perfect Man to judge His fellow man (Acts 17:29-31)!
8 See the January 9, 2022 post, Easier To Read Bibles, under the categories Bible Prophecy and Instruction.
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