The Scourge Of Racism
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Released January 5, 2024
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I am greatly appreciative of the many songs with a prayer theme that come out during this time of the year. Most are very sentimental and naive in wishing, for example, for world peace orchestrated by sinful men after the Lord has already revealed nearly 2,000 years ago this would not be the case (Revelation 6:1-11). Thus, my primary prayer for the world is that as many souls as will repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ so they might be saved from the wrath of God that is coming upon men for their evil rebellion against Him (Revelation 6:12-17). Following this petition and in consequence of it, is my deeply burdened prayer for professing Christianity in the churches.
Because of widespread doctrinal confusion and falsehood centered on divine judgment and eternal security, many professing Christians are oblivious to or in denial about God doing anything severe regarding the historic sins and ongoing rebellion in His own house. In stark contrast to those that teach God will not harshly judge His people in sin are the historical events and warnings of the Bible. Of major note and recorded on purpose for our benefit as the apostle Paul warns, are the severe judgments God has brought upon Israel of which we are now living through and witnessing the last of them (Luke 21:20-24; Romans 11:1-27; 1 Corinthians 10:1-11).
Indeed, toward the end of one of those earlier times of God’s judgment upon Israel, righteous Daniel offers God one of the most humble, honest and sincere prayers of confession and repentance recorded in the Bible (Daniel 9:1-19). In it, while fasting in utter humiliation, he acknowledges not only that Israel was thoroughly guilty of sin against God, but that He was just to have judged them as He did because of it. In fasting at this hour, I also offer a prayer in similitude to Daniel’s. For while I am certain many praying for the revival of our nation are serious, God is more desirous to hear us who profess to be Christians pray in brokenness, confession and repentance for how we have failed Christ warranting His judgment.
Lord, You are righteous in knowing all things to have seen in advance and
announced that judgment would begin in Your own house. For rebellion against
Your Kingdom rule, will, way and Word from among those that have professed
to know You began even while the apostles still walked the earth. In complete
dishonor of Your Name, great evil in wars, violence, oppressions, racism, thefts,
greed, covetousness, idolatry, sexual immorality, rebellion against Your order
and overflowing falsehood has been carried out. Professing Christians have
even martyred the prophets you have sent to turn them from their rebellion and
taken it into their own hands to put to death those they considered evil.
My King, You are the Just One! You have been most gracious and mer-
ciful in Your forbearance to judge because You came at the first to save not to
destroy men’s lives. This is still Your heart and the reason You have stirred me
to fast and pray for Your people. Nevertheless, Your Word is plain; as it is writ-
ten, ‘“The Lord will judge His people and have compassion on His servants,
when He sees that their power is gone, and there is no one remaining, bond or
free,’” (Deuteronomy 32:36, NKJV). This, the prophet Daniel understood and
prayed accordingly for his people so they might be restored (Daniel 9:20-27).
What we do not accept is that one of the reasons You have been so
longsuffering with us is because there will be no restoration of Christianity and
the churches on the earth as we have known them in this present, mortal age.
Once You destroy great Babylon and her daughters for all of the unbelief, rebel-
lion driven evil done in Your Name and house, there will never be anything like
it or them ever again (Hebrews 3; Revelation 18)! Therefore, my prayer is that
hearts like Daniel’s will come forth in all humility, honesty and brokenness ready
to soberly confess that we have sinned and are sinning against You in every way
we are disobedient to Your Word!
Also, knowing we are guilty in Your sight, I pray that we will now fully,
earnestly repent so You may righteously forgive us as You have promised in
Your Word (1 John 1:9). Forgiving such hearts, I pray too that You will have
compassion on our powerless state and fill us freshly with the Holy Spirit’s fire
that we may finish our race and work well; persevering through all that You have
ordained to come upon the churches and this world and going out as is Your will:
aspiring strong men and great women of God in Your image and to Your glory!
Your mighty Kingdom come; Your will be done on this earth as is done in Hea-
ven; for Yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory now and forever--Amen!
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).
The so-called two-stage Second Coming of Christ where He first comes secretly to evacuate His Church from the earth before seven years of tribulation to include the last three and one half years of great tribulation and then returns after with the saints in glory is no where taught in Scripture. This heresy must be artificially constructed by starting with the false premise that especially the great tribulation is all God’s full on wrath and then fancifully reading into 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 that it is His means of evacuation prior to. However, in context, the apostle Paul is not comforting his readers about an evacuation from tribulation of any kind or wrath. He comforts and instructs them about the saints who have died with his words about their return with Christ.
God’s plan to save man before time and in it to announce this plainly exhibits the divine initiative to bring about such a thing as Christmas.1 After all of the many prophetic announcements and set up for His plan to save through One He would anoint contained in the Bible’s Old Testament, the time came for God’s acts to bring it into fulfillment. Through His sovereign supervision, providence and power, elect people, places and perfectly timed events unfolded in the land of Israel circa 6-4 B.C. according to historians that include a Jewish man called Matthew, an eyewitness apostle of Jesus Christ, and later, Luke, a Gentile disciple, both of whom wrote accounts of His birth.2
As led by God who established the importance of genealogies in Israel, Matthew opened his account presenting the Jewish ethnicity and royal genealogy “of Jesus Christ” from Abraham through David and his descendants up to Joseph, His surrogate father (Genesis 17:18-19; Matthew 1:1-17).3 God also had Luke give the genealogy of Christ through His mother betrothed to Joseph and a descendant of David too, that reached as a godly line He ordained all the way back to Adam (Luke 3:23-38). The genealogical credentials of Christ solidly presented, Matthew goes on to present vital details of God’s acts to bring Him safely into the world with Joseph’s obedience and cooperation.
Prominent in the acts of God Matthew reports are Mary’s troubling pregnancy as a virgin and the instructive dream He sent an angel to give Joseph. The angel urged Joseph to continue his betrothal to Mary and affirmed to him, ‘“for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.’” Moreover, Joseph was told by the angel his wife would deliver ‘“a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS (YESHUA), for He will save His people from their sins.’” Incredibly, Matthew declares not only that Mary’s pregnancy as a virgin exactly fulfilled the Lord’s prophetic Word, but the amazing truth that her Son is God incarnate as understood in another of His names, ‘“Immanuel,’” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25, NKJV). Christmas is about God’s acts to bring His Son into the world to save!
1 See the December 3, 2023 post, Christmas: God’s Initiative To Save, under the category, Holidays.
2 The approximate time of Christ’s birth can be deduced from details Luke gives in his account (Luke 1:1-5, 2:1-3).
3 God is the Originator of all human ethnicities (Acts 17:26). Therefore, to hate, oppress, mistreat by discrimination or any other means on the basis of ethnicity is to disparage the Creator’s good work and blessing of giving ethnic diversity to His creature! For this cause no professed Christian should be numbered among racists or anti-Semites since the Christ they claim to love is Jewish! Read the two-part Jesus: The Jewish Messiah, posted on January 28, 2014, under the category, Holi- days and the February 2, 2020 post, Ethnically Diverse Mankind Is Of God, under the categories, Black History and God’s Creatures. Also, purchase the recently released print version of my book, The Scourge Of Racism, in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores. Watch the book trailer.
Regardless of what fallen, sinful men say, according to God our Creator the greatest need of all mankind is to be saved from sin!1 Indeed, for sin as God forewarned the first man brought physical death and all of its ruin with condemnation not only upon him, but all of creation and his progeny (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-13, 17-19; Romans 5:12). Too, man died spiritually as in sin he was also separated from God with no apparent hope of deliverance or reconciliation to his Creator (Genesis 3:22-24; Isaiah 59:1-2). However, the same God who condemned also had a plan of redemption He announced on the same day of man’s fall and has taken the initiative to carry out.
From eternity God knew man would fall into sin and need deliverance or if you will salvation. There being no other viable option to effect man’s salvation, the sovereign God agreed that “the Word” should come into the world of fallen mankind to do so as the foretold “Seed” of the woman and “only begotten Son” “of the Father,” (Genesis 3:14-15; John 1:1-10, 14-18, NKJV). He is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,” (John 1:29-34; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; 1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8b, NKJV)! And why? “For God so loved the world (mankind) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” (John 3:16, NKJV).
Christmas is about God’s love for fallen mankind who apart from intervention, were the objects of the divine verdict concerning us and consequences of wrath along with eternal death (Romans 1:18-32, 3:9-20, 5:6-9; Revelation 20:11-15). But because of Christmas--the coming into the world of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, those of us that have believed on Him and His atoning death for sin have moved from under condemnation, wrath and eternal death and been reconciled to God (John 1:11-13, 3:17-21, 36, 5:24-30; Romans 3:21-31, 5:10-11). I am so glad for God’s love and initiative that has graciously and mercifully brought salvation to the world through His Son, Jesus Christ!
1 Yes, sin includes all forms of racism and anti-Semitism that violates God’s commanded will for and destroys constructive human relations (Mark 12:28-31)! Get the recently released print version of my book, The Scourge Of Racism, in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores. Watch the book trailer.
With thanksgiving and praise to God in my heart for the privilege as I begin to write this 400th blog post, at the same time I am concerned for all among the unsaved and any professed Christians that have made “the holidays” their bridge of deliverance over the troubled waters of this world. Some started working the sales, decorating and playing the music of the holidays well in advance seeking relief from what has truly been some very difficult months living through God’s Coronavirus judgment. Many have been spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically spent during the course of this amazing and extended global display of divine displeasure not yet over!
If all you have left as your chief coping mechanism and source of future hope is the largely secular sentimental, warm and fuzzy experience of the holiday season with memories of times past, food, family, friends, parties, trees, obligatory church attendance, helping others, cheery store music (missing from online shopping), gift buying and receiving etc., these (as many no doubt, have already discovered) are not sufficient! Neither are the largely manufactured and forced love, joy and peace of the season produced with teeth gritting effort. As a gracious word of encouragement from the Lord, the surpassingly greater means to cope with hope during the times is found in relationship with Him!
For those who do truly intimately know the Lord, Christmas in particular of the holidays is only the focused high point of daily celebration of the real history making event that has changed our lives forever! That is, the foretold first coming of “the Son of God,” “Immanuel” and “Jesus,” into this world as that virgin born “Child” to save us from our sins (Isaiah 7:10-14, 49:1-6; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38, 2:1-20, NKJV). This He did after He had grown up when as foretold, He died on the cross for our sins as our Substitute, was buried and on the third day rose again (Isaiah 53; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11). Then, He ascended back to Heaven to await His return (Luke 24:44-53).
In the meantime, as He promised, all who repent of their sins and believe God’s message of grace in the Gospel of His Son, are forgiven, “born again” and receive eternal life (John 3:1-8, NKJV). This eternal life is nothing short of the very life of God! Core to His life is love which is fully displayed in sending His Son into this world to save us from our sins (John 3:16-17; Romans 5:6-8; 1 John 3:4-11). The Lord Jesus also loves us redeemed out of this world by His sacrifice and wills that we experience it with His joy (John 15:9-11, 16:16-24, 17:13). Peace is another core attribute of the divine nature and eternal life of Christ He wills for us to possess too (John 14:27, 16:33).
God’s born again children do not have to wait until any quickly passing holiday to experience His love, joy and peace nor do we have to work them up in ourselves. We bask in His love, joy and peace displayed at and after His Son’s birth we celebrate at Christmas as well as in and through us daily by the Holy Spirit! These are of the “fruit” of His presence in us (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:8-10, NKJV). What goes on in the world does not undermine the Lord’s love, joy and peace in us unless we permit this through unbelief or other sin. Bible prophecy makes it clear things are not going to get better before the glorious Second Coming of Jesus Christ, but worse (Daniel 9:26c; Luke 21:25-28). Now, is the time to enter relationship with Him (2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2)!
(Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year as you walk by faith in Immanuel! He willing, my next post will appear Sunday evening, January 9, 2022.)
An amazing thing has happened at times in history when God’s people have come under persecution or painful adversity. Rather than being entirely destroyed and diminished in strength, a faithful remnant endures--though captive, on the run, in hiding or underground--and becomes even stronger in faith, spiritual fervency and power (Daniel 1; Acts 4:1-31, 5:17-42, 7:59-8:8, 14:19-28). Surely, this has everything to do with faith in and devotion to the living God, His affirming presence and power at work in the lives of His faithful saints; aspiring strong men and great women of God in the image of Jesus Christ who was sent to suffer and die for us (Romans 5:6-8, 8:31-34)!
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