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On the heels of such an incredible journey through God’s Word tracking Christ’s post-cross activity and resulting promise of the Christian’s glorious destiny in Him just concluded in the April 2016 blog reposts, my great desire is to continue on. Lord willing, I will return soon to the subject of the resurrection and immortality of faithful Christians. However, my focus has been painfully diverted momentarily from the glories to come to the currently escalating rebellion against God that is participated in even by many professing Christians and their churches falsely claiming He has changed His program for mankind in this present, mortal age (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8).
Amazingly, from the question of to whom does it belong to what one’s rights are with it, the human body is at the center of this very open rebellion against God in these latter days. And why would this not be so? If human beings are going to rebel against their Creator, then it stands to reason that everything, absolutely everything including the human body tied to His will for them would be the object of resistance as is fully implied in His foretold Word about this rebellion (Psalm 2:1-3). I have been down this road a few times in my blogs, but the May 2014 posts, "The Body Beautiful," Pt. 1 and 2 under the same category as this blog, God’s Creatures, serve as excellent related posts.
Those posts and this edited 2013 repost are intended to state again briefly what God from His Word instructs as a foundation about males, females, their natural, mortal bodies and corresponding roles and responsibilities in this present age written not for worldly rebels as a first priority, but those professing to be Christians in the churches so they might repent before it is too late. For if we as fallen creatures are ready to visit punishment on our children for rebelling against our instructions, how much more the living, just and holy God our Creator (Isaiah 13:11-12)? This repost also forms the basic underpinning for next week’s blog and those to come discussing the immortal body.
Originally Posted May 5, 2013
Men and women have natural bodies designed by God to fulfill the divine will and purposes for this present, mortal age. Their bodily forms follow the respective functions male and female have in the divine purposes of governance and procreation (Genesis 1:26-28). God created Adam the male first making him the federal head of the human race. He then created the woman by taking a rib from Adam and dividing him functionally into two, bringing them back together as one in marriage (Genesis 2:7, 21-24). From His actions as Creator, clearly, God is the Owner of the human body and the soul that inhabits it! As a result, human beings cannot just do as they please with their bodies and lives in opposition to the divine will without consequences (Genesis 2:16-17; Ezekiel 18:4).
Concerning men as males and women as females, as I write in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, they are “different by design.” For example, in general historically, men are geared in brain function toward logic, reason and objectivity critical for problem solving, take charge leadership. Women, on the other hand, major in multi-tasking as managers and are more subjectively inclined. These and all other seemingly distinctive behavioral characteristics of males and females are those of the one man, Adam, divided and accentuated in each by God’s intentional design of their respective natural bodies in accord with His will. Thus, individually and together male and female are man (Genesis 2:23)!
In the image and likeness of God who alone "gives life to all things" (1 Timothy 6:13a, NKJV), Adam as a male was equipped in his body with the means to initiate human physical life. The testicles of man produce, store and deliver living seed that not only initiates human physical life, but also powerfully determines whether that life will be male or female. God gave the man a sex organ which is a perfectly designed instrument for the pleasurable delivery of his seed during the course of intimacy with his wife. While biologically it is possible for unmarried males and females to procreate, this occurs outside of God’s will that children be conceived in the context of marriage (Genesis 4:1).
So concerned was God that a man be interested in sex that leads to procreation, He also designed his testicles to produce a hormone called testosterone that in cooperation with his brain gives him a highly intense desire to have intercourse with his wife. Barring reproductive issues in either the man or his wife, lots of sex would yield lots of children in accord with the divine purpose for fruitful procreation affirmed after Noah’s flood and again following the wrath of Christ’s Second Coming among surviving mortals beginning with the Jewish remnant (Genesis 9:1; Deuteronomy 30:1-10; Isaiah 65:20-25; Jeremiah 31:1-9, 27-28; Ezekiel 36:7-15, 37-38; Romans 11:25-27; Revelation 7:1-8).
The reproductive system in the natural body of the woman is more involved than the man’s. God designed her body to enjoy intimacy with her husband and to also produce hormones that heighten her sexual interest. Not only does she receive her husband’s sex organ by way of a special body cavity that dually serves as a birth canal, but God gave her the apparatus to produce living seed to conceive after mingling with his. When a woman of childbearing ability does not become pregnant, her seed dies and God designed her body to expel it during a menstrual cycle.
God designed the woman’s body to have a womb in order to host a newly conceived human being for nourishment and development in its protective walls until time for birth. Upon birth, God designed the woman to be able to feed up to two babies at once with milk from her breasts that have been awakened for service by hormones in her body. Plainly, to the glory of God as the male body is purposely constructed to initiate human physical life, the female body is purposely and intricately built for conceiving and bearing that life! In the image and likeness of God too, the woman as a mother bonds with and nurtures her children (Genesis 3:8-9; Deuteronomy 32:9-12; Matthew 23:37).
Tragically, because of sin, the natural body does not always form as designed nor does it or the human soul that inhabits it function perfectly. In fact, the body begins to undergo decay leading to death after only a relatively short time (Genesis 3:16-19). Males with no or malfunctioning testicles and women that have been barren, missing reproductive parts of the body or that miscarry are seen throughout history. Too, in willful rebellion against God’s purposes men and women driven by a corrupt lust for pleasure have selfishly misused the sexual function of their natural bodies and murdered its fruit justly bringing divine wrath upon themselves (Romans 1:18-32). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, “Who is on the Lord’s side?”
As a follow up to the just concluded three part formerly published Commentary series, “Raised To Immortal Glory” and especially part three, the Lord has led me to repost this edited June 2013 blog that originally posted in the same month as the series. All are now in this same blog category, God’s Creatures. This repost seeks to extract more details from Scripture about the glorious, immortal spiritual bodies God is to provide His eternal sons after the likeness of Christ’s.
Originally Posted June 2, 2013
The bodies of the dead in Christ are raised up and those of the living remnant are transformed in less than the blink of an eye at His coming according to 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. The form and function of their bodies will be like Christ’s own glorious, immortal spiritual body which is equipped for God’s purposes through the endless ages of eternity (Philippians 3:20-21)! And while John in His epistle is clear we on this side of glory will not have a precise picture of what we as glorified immortals will look like until Christ is revealed, he too assures us that we will be like Him (1 John 3:2).
Based on the revelation of the glorified Christ John later saw (Revelation 1:10-17), there are some similarities between the natural body we now have and the glorified spiritual body in the masculine likeness of Christ we will receive at the resurrection. There will also be some tremendous qualitative differences with a few new (to us) features included! With all praises to our God, we do not have to guess or fill in the blanks with a lot of wacky speculation about the immortal spiritual bodies He has prepared for His eternal sons; what He wants known now is in His Word! My mission is to only briefly examine what God’s Word says about our future glorious, immortal spiritual bodies to inspire our further study, reflection, excitement and praise to God!
Scripture gives three sources of knowledge about the future immortal spiritual bodies of the eternal sons of God: our present natural bodies, Christ and the angels. From our natural bodies and Christ’s glorified likeness seen by John, we understand that along with a head featuring hair, a chest, arms, hands, legs and feet, the general frame and form characteristic of the natural human body are to be preserved as will ethnicity (Revelation 21:22-26) in our spiritual bodies. Also, we will retain the five senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching with all of the corresponding body parts to include teeth. Raised in His immortal spiritual body that had not yet been glorified, our Lord interacted with His disciples normally using the senses.
He used His and invited His disciples to use their senses and associated natural body parts in His company (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:24-29). In a third post-resurrection meeting with His disciples recorded in John 21:1-14, notice in verse 9 how smell would have played a role in the experience of everyone present including the Lord who cooked breakfast. Indeed, the prophets and the Lord speak of eating and drinking as a fixture in the Kingdom of God (Isaiah 25:6; Luke 22:14-18, 28-30). Of the fruit eaten will be that of the “tree of life,” (Revelation 2:7, NKJV). Now, consider how superior your sensory abilities and experiences will be in perfect spiritual bodies where every sense and body part functions perfectly!
It was our Lord that taught in the resurrection to immortal glory the sons of God will be “equal to the angels,” (Luke 20:34-36, NKJ). In likeness to the eternal existence of God’s spirit creatures, angels, the sons of God will never again marry, procreate or die. Unlike in their previous natural, mortal bodies, there will be no more hormones or bodily features that arouse sexual desire leading to proper sex or that which in sin leads to evil seduction, promiscuity or perversions (Hebrews 13:4). However, this will not be the end to pleasure. By divine design, in immortal spiritual bodies with form and functions fitted to a new, eternal creation, the righteous in Christ will experience new kinds of pleasure in the presence of our holy God forever (Psalm 16:11, 36:7-9; 2 Corinthians 5:16-17)!
As with the holy angels too, the new spiritual bodies of God’s sons will be indestructible as well as impervious to physical pain, sickness, disease and calamity (Revelation 21:4). Like our Lord and angels, the sons of God will be able to appear and disappear (Judges 13:1-14; Luke 24:28-31). We will also be able to fly without wings (Psalm 104:1-3; Isaiah 60:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) as well as travel back and forth between the spiritual and physical dimensions (Judges 13:15-21; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 11:11-12). We will travel between two dimensions only until the day our God makes the two dimensions, one (2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21:1-3)!
The Lord Jesus instructs it is the divine intent that the Holy Spirit should be with the sons of God forever (John 14:16-17)! For faithful Christians, then, the same Holy Spirit who has been our Companion in this life will be with us when these natural bodies die and forever! At the moment of death, whatever have been limits to the Holy Spirit’s display of the eternal divine life and power in the inner man of our mortal experience (Ephesians 3:14-16; Hebrews 6:4-5) are removed. We will henceforth enjoy the overflowing outpour of His life into us up through our embodiment into immortal spiritual bodies and evermore (John 3:34, 6:63, 7:37-39, 10:10; Revelation 21:6, 22:1)!
We will also have direct access, be perfectly attuned to, enjoy and express the inexhaustible riches of God’s knowledge and wisdom. And as we had to be equipped by the Holy Spirit with enabling power in spiritual gifts on this side of glory to do God’s will, in the day of our immortal glory we will also be outfitted by Him with supernatural abilities to carry out the purposes, assignments and work of God for eternity (Ephesians 3:20-21)! Too, well beyond the limitations of the mortal body in sin, doubt and fear, we will routinely do things like walk on water as Peter did and as our Lord showed, exercise the power of God to move mountains in accord with His purposes (Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 11:20-24).
Finally, because of the indwelling presence of God in us, like our Lord the glory of God will shine out from our immortal spiritual bodies as His eternal sons and with even new names, we shall reign with Christ forever (Daniel 12:2-3; Matthew 13:43; 2 Timothy 2:10-13; Revelation 2:17, 3:12-13, 21-22, 21:5, 22:3-5)! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
As the Lord led me to make clear in my April 8, 2018 post, "The Second Adam Rules And Judges,"1 worldly concocted feminism is not a social-political ideology that can be safely tolerated by or integrated with biblical Christianity in the churches. Its origin is demonic, strategically deceitful and destructive; viewed on High as rebellion against God! For God purposely designed and created man and woman with roles and responsibilities in an order where they cooperatively fulfill His will for them in this mortal age.2 However, the 20th century rise of feminism blatantly challenges God’s will. Along with many other associated evils, puffed up feminists have created a “battle of the sexes.”
In this now, generation long battle as enemy combatants, women have struggled against men for power and position. Under withering true and false accusations of failure, shamed men have been yielding ground in ancient places of governance such as the family. The ruinous fruit of backing men down can be everywhere seen in the breakdown of the family and gender confusion in the wider culture, for example, as well as in the churches with professed Christian women in defiance of Scripture pursuing roles of authority over men in God’s house. In this edited May 2012 Commentary, I again summarize God’s design of woman and in four posts to follow, present her value to the continuing end of pulling down feminism as a stronghold of deceit in the churches (Philippians 3:1b)!
Originally Published May 2012
One of the things you learn right away as a maturing Christian is that Satan and his kingdom do not play fair. How ironic, since one of the enemy's major allegations in these last days concerns how unfair God is in many things, but especially His design of male and female roles and responsibilities.3 So persuasive is Satan on this issue that professing Christians, churches and related entities in growing numbers are abandoning God's biblical ship to embrace his lie. With his instigation, faithful teachers of God's Word on the issue are barely tolerated any longer and considered extreme. Nevertheless, God is judging rebels on this issue of rebellion as He is all others.
The Lord leading, I have written often over the years warning professing Christians not to believe Satan’s lie that God is somehow unfair (which attacks His character) or even worse has made a mistake (which questions His perfection as deity) on the issue of male and female roles. Be reminded and warned again that the issue has only come up because Satan has been successfully using this tact of attacking God’s character and questioning His Person from Eden (Genesis 3:1-5). It worked with a perfect woman; it has worked all the more with sinful humanity since then who in our fallen state are primed to rebel against God and seek to justify it by identifying supposed flaws in Him!
Satan has once again in these last days gone to the woman as he did in the beginning to stir up women and sympathetic men over God's apparent unfairness in making the man first and the head in human families (1 Timothy 2:13-14). But even if the accusation had some basis in fact (I feel ridiculous writing this), the greater issue is the defiant act by the creature to rise up in revolt to question its Maker (Romans 9:20) and declare war on His chosen head. As it is captured in the 1946 Irvin Berlin song used in various TV commercials, "Anything you can do, I can do better." Moses' sister expressed a similar mind and was immediately, severely rebuked by God (Numbers 12).
As I write in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, our Creator did not set out to create a rivalry between men and women when He created them.4 In His perfect design, men and women were to work in harmony to fulfill His will for them in the earth. The man was created first because he is the eternal creature, "man" in mortal form! To satisfy His plans for man to reproduce, God reached into him and made another of equal person, but with some important differences. Woman is taken out of the man as a female counterpart to be put back together with him in marriage so she might help fulfill God’s will for them to govern and fill the earth with mankind (Genesis 1:22-28, 2:18-24).
In the eyes of Adam and every aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ, woman is an absolute wonder to behold (Genesis 2:23)! In general, woman is smaller and softer with beauty of face, longer hair and a body that by God's purposeful design excites her husband's sexual interest leading to procreation.5 She also corresponds perfectly to him in spiritual, mental and emotional make up complementing their relationship. Clearly, she is no afterthought or cast off left over from God's creation of man. But as man is the glory of God in image, she truly is his glory (1 Corinthians 11:7) to be loved, nourished and cherished as he does his own body (Ephesians 5:28-29).
To say that woman is the glory of man is not to suggest she bears nothing of the image and glory of God. Truly, God has caused woman made from man to equally radiate the divine image and glory including the impulse to lead and rule. This is shown in Eden when the serpent brings his case to the woman and she leads out in disobeying God (Genesis 3:6). In doing so, she willfully usurps her husband's prior standing as God's chosen head and is corrected (Genesis 3:16b). Later, in judging Adam, God integrates into his sin of failing to obey Him, the fact that he temporarily abandoned his role as God's chosen head to follow his wife's leadership instead (Genesis 3:17a).
God has designed woman on purpose with unalterable purpose for this present age. Every Christian woman who will live as God designed must resist embracing Satan's lie that either God or His Word are flawed on the issue. We are flawed in sin and inability to function as God designed in His ordained order, roles and responsibilities! Therefore, aspiring great women of God that would please Him and do His will joyfully submit to His will for them as a woman.6 You are granted of the highest honors to cooperate with God in being a wife and mother; fruitfully filling the earth with humanity (1 Timothy 2:15). Otherwise, as a rebel, His judgment will find you too (Hebrews 3:15-19). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 Find it under the categories Call To Repentance and Bible Prophecy.
2 Read the related July 3, 2016 post, Man As God Designed Him, under the category, God’s Creatures.
3 See the May 15, 2016 post, God Unfair?, under the category, God’s Creatures.
4 The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics is available through all major internet booksellers, by order from your favorite brick and mortar bookstore and in the Strong Man
Store.
5 Read the May 1, 2016 post, Natural Bodies By Divine Design, under the category, God’s Creatures.
6 I devote two full chapters in my book to defining and instructing on the great woman of God from the Bible. Additionally, the Strong Man Store now has available the
newest Strong Man Of God Audio Resource, Great Woman Of God Mothers, an expository message from the Lord I was blessed to proclaim. Check it out and listen
to the sample provided.
This edited 2010 Commentary followed immediately after one I wrote as the Lord led challenging men as fathers to step up and accept the divine assigned responsibility to protect our children starting as they are unborn in the womb.1 Transparently owning my own shameful failure to do so as an unsaved teenager, I also urged fellow aspiring strong men of God in the image of Jesus Christ to stand up for and defend the right of the unborn to live.2 Continuing in that vein, this post puts the failure of men guilty of not protecting our children in its proper spiritual context as part of the ongoing rebellion against God, His design and order of the family. It also warns about the unfolding consequences that will continue to intensify and calls professed Christian men to the cause and work of restoring men.3
Originally Published February 2010
A man's responsibility to protect his children from conception to the age of majority is bound up in God's design of the human family. We do the mothers of our children no favors to remain with them--it is God's will that we do so! He holds us accountable to walk in His design and fulfill the purposes of our creation plainly spelled out in His Book of beginnings. There, it is written: "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…,'" (Genesis 1:27-28a, NKJV).4
Man and woman as husband and wife in the lifetime bond of marriage is God's original and enduring context for the bringing forth of children. Formal marriage of the first couple took place after God created the woman and brought her to the man (Genesis 2:18-23). He then presented His will through Moses: "Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh," (Genesis 2:24, NKJV). Any doubts about whether the first couple was truly married or not is dispelled in the next verse, "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed," (Genesis 2:25, Emphasis mine, NKJV).
In the rebellion against God and His Anointed that has intensely gripped our world over the last generation, living together without formal marriage has become so common we have considered it normal. But man's rebellion does not alter God's original design. Therefore, every man and woman living together without the benefit of formal marriage is sinning against the Lord. Every man and woman having sex outside of marriage is also sinning against the Lord. This is so, whether they consider themselves Christians or not!5 Since God will never let sinful men mock Him, the harvest of consequences from the seeds of rebellion have long been showing themselves in our nation and world.
Never before heard of sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS sprang up in the latter third of the 20th century in the heat of the so-called "sexual revolution." The trail of broken relationships and shattered lives through break up and abandonment circles the globe at this hour. Irresponsible men now, even brag about the number of children they have by different mothers. Meanwhile, fatherless children bear more fatherless children that are deeply bitter, hate-filled and ready to make everybody feel their pain! And this is all good? I don't think so! We are killing ourselves doing things our way and it is time to admit failure.
To reverse the present course of self-destruction we are on, mankind must turn back to God, our Creator and Judge--His will, way and Word while there is still time (Acts 17:24-31; 2 Peter 3:7-9)! This, of course, includes restoring marriage and family as He designed them. Whatever God does in the original is "very good" by His own testimony (Genesis 1:31). What we have done in one generation rebelling against God's very good way of marriage and family is not good at all. In fact, it is plain evil! Leading out in this turn back to God must be every man that calls himself a Christian and that aspires to be a strong man of God in the image of Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11-15).
Indeed, if you are like me, you had your time in the rebellion, contributed to the folly of today by fathering children out of wedlock and are filled with deep regret over the burgeoning consequences. I began to turn away from my participation in the rebellion when I became a Christian on Easter 1977 (Romans 6:21; Titus 3:3-8). Now, it's time we Christian men man up and lead the repentance charge back to God in all understanding that unless we do, our children may well be the generation that experiences the full outpouring of His foretold wrath on those in rebellion against Him (Psalm 2:1-5; Isaiah 13:11-13; Romans 1:18-32; Revelation 6:12-17). I am doing my part through this Ministry in seeking to restore men and their families as God designed. I challenge you to join me!
1 See the January 21, 2018 repost, Protecting Our Children, under the category, Biblical Worldview.
2 Learn about the strong man of God in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. It is available at all major internet booksellers, by order at your favorite brick
and mortar bookstore or in the Strong Man Store.
3 Read the July 27, 2014 post, God Of Order and November 16, 2014, Christian Women And Restoring Men, both under the category, Instruction.
4 God’s purposeful design of male and female bodies to procreate is incontrovertible evidence of procreation being a part of mankind’s purpose shared in common with all
of the other creatures of this physical creation after their kind. See the May 1, 2016 post, Natural Bodies By Divine Design, under the category, God’s Creatures.
5 Read the two-part repost beginning February 11, 2018, Christian Singles Having Sex, under the category, Black History.
This blog post is an edited and expanded version of supplemental articles the Lord led me to write in the June 2012 and 2013 Strong Man Of God Monthly Newsletter that immediately followed “Man As God Designed Him” and “Raised To Immortal Glory, Pt. 3” when those Commentaries were respectively published in the same publication. Clearly, the glorious immortal destiny of the saints of God is infinitely greater than those that choose to reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the mercies of God, I cry out to the reader outside of Christ by any means including as a professing Christian impostor or spiritually dead religionist to repent now and turn to Him while you have the opportunity!
Originally Published June 2013
Scripture teaches every single human being that has ever lived and died will be raised from the dead by Jesus Christ: some to immortal glory; some to immortal condemnation (Daniel 12:2; John 5:25-29)! In accord with God’s will and purposes as the apostle Paul teaches, the resurrection of all deceased humanity to immortality will be in ordered sequence. Thus, Jesus Christ is the first glorified immortal followed by those that by faith belong to Him at His Second Coming (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). Paul is led by the Holy Spirit to narrowly discuss only the resurrection of the saints directly following Christ’s as the focus of His instruction on the topic to the church at Corinth.
However, the apostle John reveals that between the resurrection of Christ to immortal glory and that of the saints, there will be a select number of persons that are raised to immortality. The next immortals after Christ will be the “Antichrist” (1 John 2:18; Revelation 13:1-10, NKJV), God’s two witnesses (Revelation 11:3-12), the false prophet (Revelation 13:11-18) and as “firstfruits” to God and Christ before the full harvest of all the saints, 144,000 men who had been lifelong celibates in the Lord’s service and now form His new and unique innermost circle as I write in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics (Revelation 14:1-5, NKJV).
Three and one half years after the resurrection to immortality of the Antichrist, all of the Lord’s saints are raised to immortal glory (Revelation 14:14-16, 20:4-6). One thousand years after this, all of the wicked are resurrected to immortality to be judged on the Day of Judgment and immediately condemned to “Hell” or if you will, “the lake of fire” with “Death and Hades” (Matthew 18:7-9; Revelation 20:11-15, NKJV). The two evil human immortals, Antichrist and false prophet, will have actually preceded Satan and his fallen angelic hosts and the main body of wicked immortals as the first to be cast into the lake of fire (Daniel 7:11; Revelation 19:19-20, 20:7-10).
The clear evidence the Antichrist is truly slain and resurrects an immortal (Revelation 13:3) is his single handed take down of the Lord’s supernaturally empowered two witnesses. Until the Antichrist, no human force on earth is able to get near them as they carry out God’s campaign to protect Israel during their reinstated temple worship complete with animal sacrifices and plague assisted call for humanity to turn to God in repentance. “The beast” or Antichrist is described as he “that ascends out of the bottomless pit” (which is another name for Hades, the realm of the dead awaiting judgment) to kill the two witnesses, stop temple sacrifices and launch his God shortened 42 month reign of desolation (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15-22; Revelation 8:12-13, 11:1-7, NKJV).
Those obsessed with their worldly brand of gender equality are surely stymied and disappointed to know the beast and later the resurrected false prophet along with all of the pre-Second Coming immortals are men and retain a masculine form in their immortal spiritual bodies. Hence, the immortal Antichrist in appearance “greater than his fellows” and “fierce” of face is called the “man of sin” and “son of perdition” since his masculine form indicates this is what he is (Daniel 7:19-20, 8:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:3, NKJV). Consistent then with the immortal spiritual bodies of the saints, the spiritual bodies of the immortal wicked will retain the general frame and form of the natural, mortal human body. Wicked immortals will not marry, procreate or even desire sex either.
Besides transformation from natural to spiritual, the immortal bodies of the wicked as seen in the Antichrist share indestructibility in common with those of the saints. He is able to kill God’s two witnesses because they cannot kill him with their God granted power of fire that destroys mortal flesh. This is perfectly consistent with what our Lord Jesus teaches about Hell’s torment as He stresses that the worm of the wicked immortals there never dies in the fire that is never extinguished (Mark 9:42-48). Unlike God’s glorified immortal sons, wicked immortals in Hell will have the ability to shed tears and experience pain as they forever weep and grind their teeth in agony (Matthew 13:41-42, 47-50, 24:48-51, 25:41-46; Revelation 21:4).
Too, the immortal spiritual bodies of the wicked are stripped down from those of the saints. They have no glory. And while Scripture does not specify whether or not the Antichrist or false prophet are able to fly, appear or disappear, it does declare that Satan and all of his hosts will have been confined to earth at this time precluding any travel in the spiritual realm by anything evil beyond it (Revelation 12:7-12). Save what God grants these two evil immortals to temporarily do by the power of Satan (Revelation 13:11-15), they will not have any supernatural abilities--the glorified immortal saints by contrast, eternally operate in the power of the Holy Spirit! Indeed, all that these two evil immortals do is orchestrated, empowered and overseen by Satan (2 Thessalonians 2:9).
For this reason, the Antichrist will fully honor only the devil as a god above himself--therefore, understand, he will not advocate for any major religion or preside over any form of ecumenicalism as some teach (Daniel 8:24-25, 11:36-39; Revelation 13:4). Truly, as seen in the Antichrist, the wicked are not done at all with evil after death. Returning from his short stay in Hades very bitter knowing his eternal fate--as do all at death, his first major act is to kill men who are plainly God’s servants fully showing no repentance. Conversely, he is eternally hardened into his evil mindset in which God’s just end for him and all that reject Christ is “outer darkness” in Hell forever (Matthew 22:1-14, NKJV)! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
First it was the humiliation of missionaries coming from the former imperial possessions of Western nations including America in recent years to evangelize them. Now, in a stunning and decisive stand, United Methodist Christians from largely African nations recently stood against the formerly dominant Western denomination’s insistence on sanctioning the ordination and same sex marriage of LGBTQ persons within its ranks.1 Such is the intense spiritual warfare of these latter days as those that would be faithful to God and His Word as it is written not only must stand against a secular world in rebellion, but those that have infiltrated and would foment it in God’s house!
As a Christian descendant of African slaves in America, I am pleased in the Lord to have founded this Ministry and to be leading its Kingdom cause to restore men, families and communities also standing firmly on God’s Word!2 Surely, it was ‘“for such a time as this’” (Esther 4:13-16, NKJV) in the Body of Christ that God has touched many hearts among those once considered of no account and inferior by their former masters to stand with the faithful of all hues against the “madness” of rebellion and apostasy now underway in the West and a large number of its churches as I write of my own labor in the Preface of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics; with joy replacing a “dumb donkey” for Christ’s sake (1 Corinthians 1:27-29; 2 Peter 2:12-16, NKJV).3
Prior to the book’s first publication in 2011, the Lord led me to write this edited 2010 Commentary contending for lifelong marriage as He designed it.
Originally Published March 2010
As an institution, marriage is under attack as never before as humanity in rebellion seeks to loose itself from all of God's program laid out in His Word (Psalm 2:1-3). Not only is marriage on the decline due to abandoned moral standards that permit temporary relationships of casual sex and living together, but it is being outright corrupted by those who want to legitimatize their same sex relationships. Destroying marriage as the Bible knows it too is the incredible divorce rate both in and outside of the churches. These divorces occur for many reasons beyond what the Lord Jesus Christ has permitted.
Marriage as God designed it is foundational to human existence and the oldest of all forms of human relationship. Indeed, before God introduced marriage, mankind was bottled up in the seed of the first man. The Bible does not glamorize God's purpose in creating the female version of man; it was to facilitate His will that the earth be filled with humanity through procreation (Genesis 1:27-28a). However, as a blessing to humanity and to sweeten the means to His end, the Lord gave us the gift of marital relationship. Thus, marital relationship exclusively between a man and a woman is of the purposeful construction of God, not society or the State since neither yet existed.
In the presence of Adam God declares, "'It is not good that man should be alone,'" (Genesis 2:18a, NKJV). God already knew that He was going to create a female for the man, but Adam had to know that being alone was not good. Adam also had to appreciate the value of relationship with another creature like him. If relationship for its own sake had been His sole purpose, then God was more than enough! However, procreation as He designed it would require Adam to have a suitably created, committed companion and helper with whom he could relate to for life.
God proclaims, "'I will make him a helper comparable to him,'" (Genesis 2:18b, NKJV). This helper God has in mind would not be an exact duplicate of Adam, but correspond to him as no other creature on earth (Genesis 2:19-20). After putting him to sleep and removing one of his ribs, the Lord God purposefully fashioned a woman and presented her to Adam. As evidenced by his joyful words, this woman corresponded to Adam in every way human--spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically (Genesis 2:21-23). They were equal in their humanity, but had different roles and responsibilities as plainly seen in their order of creation and the unique construction of their bodies.
Adam and his wife had a basic and functional relationship built upon their correspondence that would be mutually satisfying and endure for a lifetime apart from the romanticized notions of love we have today in which an estimated 40-50% of marriages fail in divorce.4 This does not mean they would not enjoy romance. However, this was only a small part of a total relationship that would be sustained in the main by a committed love for each other in unity and their Creator whose purposes they gladly sought to fulfill.
The Lord Jesus Christ, our Creator in the flesh declares, "'What God has joined together, let not man separate,'" (Matthew 19:4-6, NKJV). In God's design of marriage, it is permanent! While because of men's sin hardened hearts He allowed the concept of divorce to enter human experience, the Lord makes it clear before sin "'from the beginning it was not so.'" He permits divorce only after sexual immorality, which is already a break in the marital covenant (Matthew 19:7-9, NKJV). The Lord's apostle, Paul, later addresses the de facto divorce that occurs when an unbelieving spouse permanently deserts the marriage (1 Corinthians 7:10-16).
Aspiring strong men of God in the image of Jesus Christ living to please Him and do His will, must labor vigorously to restore marriage as our God designed it. This means that we have to first be sure we are honoring His marital design.5 Then we must lock arms with our pastors that are faithfully holding the line on marriage as God designed it. Unless God's design of marriage is restored, we can count on seeing the rapid fracturing and decay of our society along with its descent into social chaos continue to the point there is “no remedy”6 and in the end, “wrath” (2 Chronicles 36:15-16, NKJV).
1 View the short news story produced by CBN News on its Christian World News program starting 13 minutes and 40 seconds in that interviews a Liberian leader in the denomination.
2 See the April 26, 2015 repost, Obeying God’s Word On His Side, under the category, The Cause and many others among my blogs using the search word, “marriage.”
3 The book is available at all major internet booksellers, by order at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore or in the Strong Man Store.
4 Google “2018 divorce rate.” Some social scientists actually see a downward trend in divorces driven by millennials for such reasons as marrying later in life (which still
does not conform to God’s will) according to a Bloomberg article.
5 As I discuss in my book, this means among other things marrying “only in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:39, NKJV), loving his wife in the sacrificial, constructive and es-
teeming care displayed by Christ for the Church (Ephesians 5:25-33a) and honoring the vow of marriage as God intends for men to honor all of our vows (Numbers 30:
1-2; Matthew 5:33-37). Christian women too, must marry only in the Lord and honor the wedding vow as well as love their husbands as Christ loves the Father and the
Church, Him, in all submission and respect (John 6:38, 8:48-49; Ephesians 5:22-24, 33b).
6 A point which since I wrote this in 2010, the Lord led me to proclaim has arrived! Read the first mention of a “point of no return” in the July 15, 2015 part one 2012 re-
post, Powerlessness Of Being The Minority, under the category, Encouragement. A second mention follows in the October 22, 2017 part two 2013 repost, Mocking The
Rainbow, under the category, Biblical Worldview.
If ever preoccupied professed Christians should be able to plainly see the increasingly brazen, open rebellion of the world from every societal quarter against our God, His Anointed and Word at this hour (Psalm 2:1-3), it is in the guidelines for physicians that work with males by the American Psychological Association (APA) released this month according to a Christian news service article.1 Also this month, Gillette Razor unveiled a commercial calling out male behavior it wants to see changed. Both entities challenged what the APA termed “traditional” and Gillette, “toxic masculinity” from a secular humanistic worldview while ignoring God’s gender design and man’s fallen condition.2
The APA speaks authoritatively to the world as a branch of science engaged in the ongoing study of the human mind and behavior in developing and presenting its new guidelines. It contends that the traditional (ancient) view of masculinity that allows ‘“anti-femininity, achievement, eschewal of the appearance of weakness, and adventure, risk and violence’” along with ‘“stoicism, competitiveness, dominance and aggression’” are ‘“harmful.’” The APA is concerned that males socialized this way are not likely to behave in healthy ways and are at a higher risk of committing suicide. They also declare gender should no longer be seen as just male-female.
The foregoing declaration is an obvious assent to the social trends of popular culture as is the conclusion in the guidelines that “traditional masculinity is viewed as a negative thing because men could feel forced to suppress ‘“gender-nonconforming’” feelings which can lead to increased hostility toward LGBT men.” The article sums up the objective of the new guidelines is to help medical professionals support ‘“men in breaking free of masculinity rules that don’t help them’” and in the process, strangely, move them into a ‘“positive masculinity’” that is exemplified by ‘“courage and leadership.’” What? Isn’t courage and leadership also the intended display of historic manhood?
It must be understood here that what the APA and the politically correct, tolerant secular culture today considers “anti-femininity” is any suggestion from any source that females be denied the opportunity to do anything that has been historically considered for males only. In fairness, the APA is also rightly incorporating into its definition as Gillette does in its commercial what wrongly involves male entitlement to oppressive and sexually abusive behavior toward females. However, this is not a masculinity issue, but what the Bible calls sin! This is because as the same Bible teaches mankind is fallen; males and females are born sinners by nature (Psalms 51:5, 58:3-5; Romans 3:10-20)!
As the Lord has led me to write in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics3 and many blog posts,4 masculinity as it originates with God is perfect as was His design of it in man (Genesis 1:26-27, 31). God designed and created mortal man and woman to act out of divine eternal masculinity in an order (Genesis 2:7, 15-25) and their respective gender role assignments and responsibilities. But the original act of usurping rebellion against God by the first woman not imputed to the race until its head followed her lead, irreparably corrupted human nature with no hope apart from what God could do and did to deliver us (Genesis 3; Romans 3:21-31, 7:12-8:6)!
In their elect assignment to lead in the divine image and likeness, men are purposely designed by God bodily to have vision and with ambition, risk, seek adventure, be strong, build, aggressively compete, conquer, achieve and govern with authority; rejecting behaving as a female and same sex attraction since these run counter to their design.5 As such historically, men have built civilizations, advanced technology, walked on the moon and filled the earth with progeny born of females! And this is all harmful? No, but what has been harmful is sin in men that has marred their gloriously designed mortal masculinity leading to all manner of wicked and perverted behavior!
Indeed, the APA, Gillette and this Ministry share in common an understanding that something is wrong with men.6 But in the wisdom of God, the cause of this Ministry is to righteously restore men through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and renewing of the Holy Spirit that deals with our sin problem and actually transforms us from the inside out as I am a witness (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:17-24)! Surely, the APA will truthfully say to me, “many professing to know your Savior are just as messed up still as those who have made no such profession.”7 There are many reasons for this including impostors, a lack of knowledge of and growth in the faith, but also, the hypocrisy of many of our church leaders who have sided with the world against God in dismantling biblical manhood!8
Representing fallen mankind now moving toward the apex of their rebellion against their Creator, the APA guidelines appear to give legitimacy to the rebellion with its arrogantly authoritative, misinformed attempt to revise masculinity. Scripture declares any man or group of men that believes they are wiser than God whom they reject is over the top arrogant, deceived and makes themselves fools (Job 28:20-28; Psalms 10:4, 14:1; Isaiah 19:11-15, 45:9-10; Jeremiah 8:8-9; 1 Corinthians 3:18-20). In your worldly wisdom taught by demons, O proud man, you are tearing down God’s ancient order of mankind and design of gender roles and responsibilities only to the end of destroying the world and bringing wrath upon yourselves (Isaiah 2:10-22, 24:1-13, 17-23; Romans 1:18-32)!
1 American Psychological Association Deems ‘Traditional Masculinity Harmful.’ Kayla Koslosky, Editor, ChristianHeadlines.com, January 14, 2019. All quotes attributed
to the APA in the post are from this article.
2 “Toxic Masculinity” is the title Gillette has given to its commercial. Google “Gillette Commercial” to verify this.
3 My book and the companion instructional resource, The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study are both available in the Strong Man Store.
4 Read the June 19, 2016 post, Eternal Sons Of God, under the category, Instruction. Also read the following multi-part posts, Jesus, Son Of Man, January 29-February
12, 2017 and The Value Of Men, June 4-25, 2017 all under the category, The Cause.
5 Only a generation ago most mental health professions also believed men acting as women or engaged in homosexual relationships were not behaving normal.
6 Learn about the work of Strong Man Ministries at https://thestrongmanofGod.org/About-Us.
7 The same charge could be accurately made about many of the male mental health clients and associated professionals that are instructed in the multitude of constantly
changing “expert” declarations as well as given drugs and therapies that do not regenerate their minds or souls! Male re-education attempts through the media such
as what Gillette and other “socially conscious” corporations are doing in Ad campaigns may successfully raise awareness and even inspire new social taboos along
with related criminalization. However, in the end, these secular efforts end up putting more guilt and shame on men powerless to do the reformation of their sinful nature
necessary to comply. And aren’t our jails and prisons filled with enough men? Only God through the Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ, has the remedy for fallen men!
8 Siding with the world in allowing women to preach to, teach and take authority over men in God’s house as an outcome of revising the gender role assignments He has
commanded (1 Corinthians 11:3, 14:34-37) has been and is an act of defiant rebellion and betrayal enabling the world to mock on the part of guilty pastors, elders and
churches. How can you seriously expect the world to hear you from God’s Word and you do not even obey it? Hypocrites! For your sakes and the men caused to be
confused, led astray and marginalized, I implore you to repent at this decisive moment in the world. For if you continue to harden your heart in unbelief fed stubborn re-
sistance to obeying God’s Word now (Acts 7:51-53), there may be no way back sooner than you think since the foretold judgment in His house is already underway
(1 Timothy 4:1-2; Hebrews 3:7-19; 1 Peter 4:17-18)! Read Now Is The Day Of Salvation, posted December 4, 2016, under the category, Call To Repent.
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