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• Has Racial Justice Arrived In America?

              Two days after celebrating the one hundred and fifty-fifth year since the end of slavery here in America on Juneteenth and now, for Father’s Day, I write as the Lord leads to speak to the globally seen first degree murder of black American male, George Floyd, by a white male Minneapolis police officer as three other officers watched back on May 25, 2020.  All of the men have since been fired and brought up on charges in the case which is righteous.  In the meantime, violent rioting, looting and protest marches broke out in cities across America.  While the rioting and looting have calmed down, protest marches demanding the end to national systemic racism and police reform persist.¹

   

              I have said little publically as is typical when these all too frequent events occur since I am not my own, but the Lord’s watchman/prophet speaking what He puts in my mouth and at the time He wants it spoken (Ezekiel 33:1-9).²  What I have written in social media posts as the Lord led has been directed to black and other angry protesters calling for peaceful protest and thoughtful consideration of the fact the problems of racism and police misconduct are larger and more difficult to overcome systemically than a few changes in laws, policies, procedures and in the extreme, defunding the police which no society built on the rule of law as ordained by God can afford to do (Romans 13:1-7).

   

              To be sure, as with the Law of God, so, the laws of man are made not for those that are righteous, but those that are “lawless,” (1 Timothy 1:8-11, NKJV)!  To keep order, the police are hired among other reasons as agents of society to enforce its laws amid those that for whatever reasons break them.  Depending on the law, an encounter with police can occur for those that are otherwise law abiding.³  For credibility, the police are expected by God if not the governments that hire them or the people they serve to be law abiding--the same as us preachers who supposedly discipline ourselves so, after preaching to others, we are not “disqualified,” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, NKJV).

   

              Without a doubt though, in only the news clips I have viewed the white police officer that kept his knee on the neck of George Floyd cold-heartedly murdered him.⁴  It was shocking, sickening and infuriating to watch as it surely has been for blacks since our forefathers as slaves began to make their inhumane voyages from West Africa to this land.  For as in those days among heartless slavers and on May 25^th, the evil eyes of that white police officer displayed utter contempt and disregard for George Floyd as a human being; the same contempt and disregard for human life that is in the thoroughly evil heart of Satan who hates all (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-11, 17-19; John 8:44, 13:21-30).

   

              It is therefore, understandable that most black Americans are outraged.  What has been new and amazing to see is the unprecedented numbers of white, other Americans of color and those around the world that have risen up in protest too.  Watching a man being murdered as he pleads that he cannot breathe while the police officer responsible and those with him ignore this, should be more than any normal human being can take without some kind of moral offense and need to act!  For this reason, I appreciate the largely peaceful uprising that has occurred in the stand many are making against systemic racism and for police reform in our society.

   

              I am also glad my children and grand-children old enough get to see this brief moment when all but a relative few willful white Americans that refuse, finally understand our righteous cry to end the bigoted, contempt driven mistreatment of black Americans and especially our men who have been strategically targeted since slavery.⁵  Nevertheless, I urge that all move away from the street protests for your health since God’s Coronavirus judgment remains and because you have the attention of the nation and world--changes man can make are taking place!  Keep vigilant through every legal means to hold government authorities accountable.  Lastly, check yourself too, as I have urged in social media posts--racism is an issue and evil of the human heart (Mark 7:20-23)!

   

              As such, not only our police officers that are guilty, but you also need what only God has the power to do and that is transform hearts.  He has made His power available to all through repentance and faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day; sending His power through the Holy Spirit into the hearts of those that believe to make loving our neighbor possible--or if you are white, do you only intend to march for, but refuse to love your black neighbors (Matthew 18:1-5; John 3:1-8; Titus 3:1-7)?  This is a clarion call for authentic Christian white Americans to redeem the failure of your forefathers to be true ambassadors of reconciliation and represent biblical Christianity as God intended to all (2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2).

   

              Still, I must caution particularly my fellow Christian black Americans that will please God and do His will biblically not to walk again into the snare of believing we have arrived at what we have waited for so long: a widespread permanent change of heart among and acceptance by our white neighbors.⁶  Indeed, we have seen this movie before and already the call to defeat is being sounded by those who lead the Civil Rights Movement today; who make our righteous quest for racial, morally equivalent to gender and sexual justice.⁷  The dream of racial harmony well articulated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963, yet awaits the Second Coming of Jesus Christ because as He foretold, even natural human love that could get us close is diminishing as lawlessness increases (Matthew 24:12). 

   

  1 Before I could begin to reflect good before the Lord about this post, another black male, Rayshard Brooks, was shot in the back in Atlanta, GA by another white officer

     while fleeing arrest on Friday, June 12th.  That officer was fired immediately and has since been charged with murder. 

  2 See the July 29, 2018 two-part repost addressing the Trayvon Martin tragedy, The Racial Double Standard, under the category, Call To Repent.

  3 I  have  had  a  few traffic violations over the course of my more than fifty years of driving, for example, and a couple of incidents that brought me into direct encounter

     with  the  police.  Most officers were professional and courteous.  But as a black male, I have also had the humiliating experience of being disrespected by a few arro-

     gant white police officers that were overbearing in wielding their authority.

  4 Those that have watched the entire video time out the episode at eight minutes and forty-six seconds.

  5 Read  especially part two of my 2015 Father’s Day post, Mama’s Boys, under the category, Black History that began on June 21^st.  While it is an ancient tactic of war-

     fare  to  target  men  for  death when subduing peoples because of their natural will and ability to protect their families if given the opportunity, the prolonged and cruel

     acts  of  guilty  white males from slavery to thoroughly oppress, humiliate, dominate and demoralize black males with religious sanction surely ranks high among all of

     the  evil  acts  of  mankind.  I urge all men to read my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics to understand how to handle our business in the image of Jesus

     Christ  as  God  wills.  Get a print copy or digital download of the book at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple

     (digital only).  You can also purchase a print copy in the Strong Man Store.

  6 Does  anybody  remember the 1978 Allan Bakke Affirmative Action Reverse Discrimination case and the Supreme Court decision?  Also, see the November 29, 2015

     post,  When  The  Glory Comes, under the category, Glory To God!  The counsel the Lord gave me in this post stands and will be fulfilled sooner than anyone reading

     this can imagine!  However, ‘“the just shall live by faith,’” (Hebrews 10:35-39, NKJV).  We do not wait for sinful man, but the living God!

  7 A  man  I  have  deep  admiration  and respect for as one of the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement, Congressman John Lewis, expressed the politically and socially

     liberal  heart  of  today’s  leaders  and  participants in an interview on June 7^th while visiting the DC street painted “Black Lives Matter” with its Mayor and reported by

     BET.com.  Search  the  Bible from Genesis to Revelation to see if God ever sanctions racial injustice (Deuteronomy 1:17, 10:17-19), calls mortal man other than male

     or  female  (Matthew 19:1-4) or sexual perversion righteous in His sight (Romans 1:18-32).  You automatically kick the God of the Bible to the curb and assure certain

     eventual defeat when you advocate for and make coalitions with those in active rebellion against Him (Psalms 2, 33:12-22; Isaiah 31:1-3; 1 John 5:4-5). 

  
  

   

• The Spirit Of Harlotry

              In the Lord’s Revelation to the churches written down by His apostle John, reference is made to a curious feminine character, “The Mother Of Harlots,” (Revelation 17:5, NKJV).  While the Lord has already had me specifically disclose and discuss what is also called “Mystery: Babylon The Great,”¹ in this post He leads me to explain the reason this prophetic enigma is not only described as a harlot, but the mother of them.  Plainly, this harlot and her daughters have such significance to Christianity as a future development that warning was merited among and beyond the original seven churches of Asia the Lord’s Revelation is first sent to I wrote about earlier this month.²

   

              What is a harlot?  Encarta Dictionary and most other dictionaries will say a harlot is the same as a prostitute which is typically a woman (but historically has also included men) paid to provide sex or related acts.  Interestingly, Encarta further defines a prostitute in noun form as one “who degrades talent for money;” using “a skill or ability in a way that is considered unworthy, usually for financial gain.”  As a transitive verb, to prostitute is to “misuse something for gain” or offer somebody or oneself for sexual or others favors “in exchange for money.”  The Bible uses harlot in these ancient, commonly defined ways (Genesis 38:11-18; 1 Corinthians 6:16), but also applies the term spiritually.

   

              Spiritually, God warns Israel in the aftermath of His first two of Ten Commandments and the gold calf affair not to act toward the heathen nations and their gods as one to be serviced by or be to them a harlot (Exodus 20:1-6, 32:1-6, 34:10-17).  Israel was also never to incorporate the use of ritual harlots in their worship practices (Deuteronomy 23:17-18).  For Israel to invent and/or bow down to worship any so-called god, was not only considered disobedience by God, but also unfaithfulness in spiritual adultery.  Israel, however, did not listen and repeatedly played the spiritual harlot as God charged through her prophets (Isaiah 1:21-23; Jeremiah 3:1-10; Ezekiel 16:1-34; Hosea 6:4-11). 

   

              In the same way it would be adultery if a married man’s wife prostituted herself, so, Israel married to God spiritually committed adultery against Him--a reality God had Hosea the prophet live out as a true to life demonstration (Jeremiah 3:14; Hosea 1:1-3, 3:1-3).  God confronted Israel with her sin and labeled her persistent spiritual adultery “harlotry;” pronouncing her captive to “the spirit of harlotry” (Hosea 2:2-5, 4:11-19).  The Lord’s use of “the spirit of harlotry” is not just a descriptive figure for Israel’s continual spiritual adultery, but identifies the very real demon behind it as well since the first unfaithful creature to God was Satan (Ezekiel 28:14-18; John 8:44; Ephesians 2:1-3, 6:12)!

   

              Obviously, to become unfaithful to God, one has to first be close to Him in some way.  Satan was once close to God as a trusted chief cherub who rebelled.  Israel spiritually was chosen by Him to be His “special treasure above all people” (Exodus 19:5-6).  As already stated, their intimacy of relationship in human terms is spoken of as marriage with God as Israel’s Husband; family with God as Father and Israel as sons.  And so it remains as Christ returns to fulfill God’s announcement through the prophets to restore the remnant of Israel and relationship with Him after judging them for their unfaithfulness and apostasy (Ezekiel 16:35-43; Hosea 1:4-2:1, 2:6-23, 3:4-5, 4:1-10, 5-6:3).

   

              No other people ever enjoyed the status of the Jews with God until individual Gentiles were saved by grace through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and like them, brought into His New Covenant; giving rise to the Church He builds (Romans 1:16-17, 9:1-5, 11:1-36; Ephesians 2:11-22).  But as the spirit of religion has always deceitfully done cooperating with the spirit of harlotry, corruptions of and departures from God’s Word with ties to pagan practices (such as mother-son cult worship) were introduced to and took hold among many churches.³  By the end of the second century A.D., a great act of harlotry also occurred when priests and a related liturgy of Communion were formalized.⁴ 

   

            By the fifth century, this new form of Christianity foreign to the New Testament had become entrenched among the churches of the Western and Eastern Roman Empire, the Middle East and North Africa.  The church at Rome soon after exalted herself above all others and became dominant as a mother to them and certainly all that would later come into being as rebel offshoots during the Protestant Reformation.  She was Christ’s self-appointed bride and queen on earth.  When Rome fell, she took up its place in the world; elevating her head priest to represent her in ruling over kings and engaging in all manner of political intrigue, social engineering and wars of conquest that gained much property and wealth for her as a global empire; murdering saints and prophets along the way.⁵

   

             As with the mother harlot, so, her daughters; the Lord calls all in the grip of spiritual harlotry to repent!  Without repentance, spiritual harlotry leads only to apostasy and judgment as with Israel (Hosea 6:4-7:4a, 8:1-14).⁶  While in her own eyes “The Mother Of Harlots” sits an untouchable queen favored by her ostensible Husband, He has already exposed her harlotry in His Revelation and announced her end before she came to be (Revelation 14:8, 16:19, 17:1-19:4).  Time is nearly up.  Therefore, let every guilty professed Christian take heed to the Lord’s warning among “the churches” and repent for He is soon to appear for His faithful and true Bride (Ephesians 5:25-32; Revelation 22:12-17, NKJV).  The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"

   

  1 Read the August 23, 2015 post, Babylon Is Falling, under the category, Bible Prophecy.

  2 See the two-part post, Revelation’s Seven Churches In Time, beginning January 5, 2020 under the category, Bible Prophecy.

  3 Read the January 18, 2015 post, Worshipping God Without God, Pt. 3, under the category, Call To Repent and the two-part post beginning August 21, 2016, Chris- 

    tianity The Religion Of Men, under the category, Instruction.

  4 Read  the Encyclopedia Britannica article  on the origin of priests in Christianity.  It does not matter what form or act of disobedience used in Satan’s scheme to se-

     duce  God’s  people  into  harlotry,  the  end  is  the same: destruction by God!  Indeed, take for example, the Nicolaitans Christ spoke of in His Revelation.  While it 

     may be that the Lord was expressing hatred for “the deeds of the Nicolaitans” in Revelation 2:6 as the sins listed in vs.14, these sins were not actually “the doctrine

     of  Balaam”  as the influencing source of the Nicolaitan’s “doctrine,” (vs.15, NKJV).  The doctrine Balaam taught Balak was “to put a stumbling block” (vs.14, NKJV)

     before  Israel  through  seducing them to commit those sins against God who would be forced to destroy His people in judgment (Numbers 25, 31:14-16).  This is a 

     strategy  Satan  has  repeatedly  employed from Eden (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-6).  Compelling is the translation of Nicolaitans from the Greek by scholars as “people

     conquerors.”  Men  as a formal, ruling  class  of priests with a supporting hierarchy in the churches is nowhere taught in the New Testament and is a corrupt, hereti-

     cal  mimicking  of  Judaism’s  priesthood from the law Paul, the apostle to us Gentiles, would have surely condemned (Galatians 2:1-5, 3:1-14)!  An eternal spiritual

     priesthood  of all believers serving God and each other is taught in the New Testament (Mark 10:35-45; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Revelation 1:4-6).  With historic idolatry and

     rampant  sexual  immorality  mixed  in,  the  manmade  Christian  priesthood  as  with all other religious inventions of men has proven to be disastrous to professing

     Christianity and conquered many.

  5 Saints  and  prophets  were  persecuted and murdered at the hands of those professing to represent Jesus Christ as His church after not being willing to back down 

     from standing up to and crying out against the corruptions they saw and endured.  Foxe’s Book of Martyrs tells many of their stories.

  6 Read the June 10, 2018 post, God’s Judgment Upon His House, under the category, Bible Prophecy and God’s Creatures.

• Earth As An Eternal Inheritance

              As God would have it in His prophetic Word, the triumphant possession of and reign by the saints under Christ over this present earth restored is not the end of the matter glorious as this is.¹  Their reign is temporary; limited to a millennium by the continuing presence of sin in mortal man and God’s planned eternal order restoration with new cosmic and earth designs.  It is sin in mortals that requires the use of a “rod of iron” in the mix of methods the Lord and the saints use to rule during the millennium (Psalm 2:6-9; Revelation 2:26-27, 12:5, 19:15, NKJV).²  Even so, God said long ago “My Spirit shall not strive with” sinful mortal “man forever,” (Genesis 6:3; Isaiah 57:15-16, NKJV).

   

              Under the just and peaceful reign of Christ and the saints mortals will experience unparalleled blessings from God.  Not the least of these blessings will be free, universal healthcare since naturally occurring mental torments, diseases and sicknesses will not be present except as permitted for punitive purposes on sinning individuals.  They will not be demonically initiated because Satan and his hordes will be confined to the “bottomless pit” under the earth (Revelation 20:1-3, NKJV).  The perfect health of mortals will be as God promised Israel for obedience in the Promised Land and when Christ came to them in the first century A.D. (Exodus 23:20-26; Matthew 15:29-31).

   

              Truly, it is in critical part for Israel’s sake and the covenants God made with their fathers and especially king David that the intermediary millennium earth reign of Christ with the saints over mortal sinners takes place!  David had presided over Israel as king before God at its pinnacle; ushering forth a covenant from God with him to seat a descendant on his throne as an everlasting kingdom which Christ fulfills (2 Samuel 7:8-17; Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:26-33; John 18:33-38, 19:17-22).  Righteous Jews and His disciples had been waiting for the Kingdom which after His resurrection, the Lord Jesus indirectly affirmed would come in God’s timing (Luke 23:50-24:12; 36-49; Acts 1:4-11).³

   

              Now, at His return finally, the Kingdom comes to earth and Israel!  The elect remnant of mortal Israel and surviving Gentiles live long in prosperity and peace under the rule of Christ and the saints (Isaiah 65:20-25).  After a millennium of no birth control, miscarriages, abortions and limited death from natural, purposeful or accidental causes, the earth is filled with humanity from all nations.  All is well until in the sovereign God’s perfect timing and will, Satan and his hordes are released from their prison.  They waste no time deceiving and stirring up vast numbers from the Gentile nations to rebel and amass for suicidal war against Christ, the saints and Israel (Ezekiel 38:1-17; Revelation 20:7-8).⁴

   

              However, no war takes place.  As soon as the legions of demons and deceived mortals are positioned around Jerusalem, “city of the great King” and royal home base of the saints (Psalm 48:1-3), the Father rains down holy fire from Heaven upon them (Revelation 20:9).  It is a consuming fire like, but exceedingly greater than that which consumed Sodom and Gomorrah, Nadab and Abihu and the offering of Elijah in days of old (Genesis 19:24-25; Leviticus 10:1-3; 1 Kings 18:30-39)!  For not only will this fire from God consume every single assembled rebel mortal where they stand, but the whole physical universe and earth right down to microscopic particles and invisible elements.  Indeed, for this cause sinful mortals have been on notice until now (Hebrews 12:25-29; 2 Peter 3:10-12).

   

              In the divine initiated conflagration, Satan and his kingdom of fallen angels will be thrown into the eternally burning “lake of fire,” originally “prepared” just “for” them (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10, NKJV).  Moments before His holy fire consumes every vestige of this present creation tainted by sin, God will transform elect Jews and noncombatants from mortal to immortal as protection and cause them to stand before the “throne” and “Judgment seat of Christ” with all raised from the dead for that purpose (Isaiah 66:22; Daniel 12:2-3; Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:24-30; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, 50-51; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11; Revelation 20:11-13, 15).  For the Lord Jesus “must reign” until every enemy of God’s Kingdom is eternally put down (1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Revelation 20:14, NKJV)!

   

              Standing with the Lord Jesus Christ and the holy angels in the eternal spiritual environment of divine righteousness, all written in His Book of Life will witness the amazing power of God as the promised new heavens and earth are brought forth (Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1).  There is no sun or moon and a newly designed earth is without oceans.  Out of Heaven God places His built “holy city, New Jerusalem” on the earth as the apostle John was shown.  Then he heard this loudly spoken: ‘“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people.  God Himself (the Father) will be with them and be their God’” to the joy of His eternally reigning sons who will inherit it all (Isaiah 65:18-19, 66:24; Revelation 21:2-22:5, NKJV).⁵

   

  1 This post is the final of a total of three presenting and exploring the Lord’s promise that The Meek Shall Inherit The Earth posted on July 12, 2020 under the categories,

     Black History and Encouragement.  It was followed by the July 19, 2020 post, Ruling The Earth Under Christ, under the category, Bible prophecy.

  2 Shepherds  have used a wooden rod with sheep to guide, coral or redirect the wayward back into the fold and as a weapon to repel predators from ancient times (Exo-

     dus  3:1,  4:1-2).  Whether  understood literally or figuratively, the “rod of iron” wielded by Christ and the saints is surely intended to convey firmness in righteous gover-

     nance and severity of retribution upon rebels.

  3 Read  the  January  28, 2014 two-part post, Jesus: The Jewish Messiah, under the category, Holidays.  Also, see the December 20, 2015 re-post, Reigning With Christ

     On Earth and The Day Of Israel’s Comfort posted on June 12, 2016 both under the category Bible Prophecy.

  4 Clearly, the Lord demonstrates His infinite knowledge, wisdom and righteousness in allowing us to see for a millennium the amazing difference for good a world without

     the  kingdom  of darkness holding sway makes.  Tragically, we also see as He foreknew how susceptible imperfect mortal mankind as sinners are to the deceiving work

     of  the  deceiver  and  his  demon  minions upon their return from below the earth!  Finally too, between the first coming and return of Christ we understand why God re-

     quired fallen mortals to “be born again” so, they might receive a new nature (John 3:1-8, NKJV)!

  5 To  learn  about  aspiring  strong  men  and great women of God in the image of Jesus Christ as eternal sons, get my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics.  A

     print  copy or digital download of the book is available at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only).  You 

     can  also  purchase  a print copy in the Strong Man Store.  From the book as the Lord led, I also wrote a 2013 blog re-posted on June 19, 2016 you can read entitled, E-

     ternal Sons Of God, under the category, Instruction.

• Ethnically Diverse Mankind Is Of God

              At the opening of this Black History Month I celebrate my ethnicity before the God who in His perfect creative wisdom made me what I am and will be forever!  My celebration is not intended to exalt blacks as superior, discredit or exclude the reality of my brothers of other ethnicities since we are together what the same God made us to be as the creature, man, leading to celebration by all of our existence from Him.  While it is a sad fact of history that my celebration of black history came about from evil circumstances, I am not mad at anyone in it.  However, even with improvement, I do at times painfully realize America has still not arrived at an appreciative biblical worldview of ethnicity.

   

              Clearly, from the beginning, God our Creator intended that mankind should be displayed in a variety of physical hues, size dimensions and features though, He created from the dust just the one man, Adam (Genesis 2:7, 5:1-3).  As scientists that are Christian and/or honest now understand, the variety of hues, size dimensions and features among the human race are the result of genetic programming in the human body.  This programming includes gene copying and mutations over time that point to the logical, inescapable conclusion of an intelligent design by a purposeful Designer; a Designer the Bible declares is God (Exodus 4:11; Proverbs 20:12; Acts 17:26; Romans 1:18-21)!¹

   

              In spite of all of the negative associations with ethnicity sinful men have created over the centuries to this hour, another evident intent of God concerning mankind is that we should retain our ethnicities eternally!  This is plainly seen in the global extent to which the salvation of God through the Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ, was to be proclaimed (Isaiah 49:5-6; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:44-49; John 20:19-23; Acts 1:8).  It is also seen and celebrated in the outcome of the proclamation to the end of this present age; the Lord’s labor beginning through His faithful apostles with the Jews (Acts 2:36-47, 10:34-48, 13:1-3, 14:21-28; Romans 10:14-18; Revelation 5:9, 7:9-10). 

   

              Finally, God’s intention to retain the ethnic diversity of mankind forever is seen in His prophetic Word.  Indeed, as the Lord led me to write in the two-part post, Revelation’s Seven Churches In Time, starting January 5, 2020 under the category, Bible Prophecy, individual saints are shown as from every nation or ethnicity of man in the new, eternal future God has planned (Revelation 21:1-14, 22-27).  Knowing these truths, Christians more than all other people on earth are to appreciate and celebrate the wonder and beauty of humanity’s ethnic diversity as the “very good” work of our Creator (Genesis 1:31, NKJV).  But we too, with the world have issues with bigotry that degrades ethnicity.

   

              As I wrote of God’s racial diversity initiative in another post, ethnic and racial prejudice is still just as prevalent among professed Christian churches in large numbers as it is in wider secular society.²  To its credit, secular society is making a serious though, spiritually and morally flawed effort through its newly invented political correctness, tolerance and multiculturalism to do better.  Among some churches, an effort is being made not to recognize ethnicity or race at all as a means to show progress in race relations.  While this should be done as it relates to love in interpersonal relations, to deny or ask someone to deny their ethnic or racial heritage is not biblically consistent with God’s will.

   

              No one should be forced to downplay or made to feel ashamed of their ethnicity because God is the source cause as our Creator!  Instead, we are to celebrate what we are as creatures purposely “formed,” “fearfully and wonderfully made” and “skillfully wrought” by God (Psalm 139:13-15, NKJV).³  Wickedly, the recognition and special celebration of black Americans in American history came about because whites in the majority refused to include them in the curriculum and text books of their segregated public and private educational institutions.  This flagrant act of bigotry was endorsed with the purposeful support and willful silence of those that also called themselves Christians as though Jesus Christ--who is Jewish, was okay with this.⁴ 

   

              As a Christian black American aspiring to be a strong man of God in the image of Christ,⁵ I rejoice in the truth the Lord is not a bigot!  Too, in His perfect will, He does not support demoralizing oppression to the point of rendering an ethnicity worthless through attempting to erase their history though, He has allowed it as one of the many negative outcomes of sin and His judgment in the world (Ecclesiastes 4:1-3; Jeremiah 5:15-19, 16:10-13; Lamentations 1:1-11).  I am grateful to God for His mercy that last century inspired Carter G. Woodson to launch an observance of black history⁶ which I mark in days now that have only moderated in overt ethnic and racial bigotry.  Elimination awaits Christ’s Second Coming on the way to God’s new eternal order (Isaiah 11:1-10, 56:6-8).

   

  1 View David Rives’ Creation In The 21^st Century Episode On Race for a biblical and scientific discussion.

  2 See the December 6, 2015 post, Celebrating God’s Racial Diversity Initiative, under the category, Call Repent.

  3 Thus,  for  example,  so-called  progressive minded predominantly black American churches that do not want to engage in purposeful evangelism and ministry among

     those  that  share  the  same  ethnic  and  racial  heritage because of concern about offending their white and mixed race members are foolish.  In every city Paul, the

     Jewish  apostle   to us Gentiles, started with fellow Jews because of his natural ethnic and spiritual relation to as well as love for them in their shared heritage (Acts 9:

     10-22,  13:1-5,  13-17,  42-47,  14:1,  17:1-3;  Romans 9:1-5).  No  one faults our white brothers in their predominantly white churches for naturally connecting to their

     own, but  only  that they or anyone for bigoted reasons should purposely avoid and exclude others.  God’s heart in me like the apostle Paul is that I should preach the

     Gospel and witness  Christ  to  all  as  the Holy Spirit gives opportunity and also be burdened (as I am) to make sure those from among whom I have sprung ethnical-

     ly  in  America with our shared heritage of slavery and racism hear accurately from a biblical worldview to the end of becoming victors rather than victims!  Those that

     would  nobly  (though,  deceitfully) exalt themselves above recognizing ethnicity even in a positive way are deluding themselves and not impressing God as they think

     since  He  is  the  Author of ethnicity.  Read my May through November 2006 series of Journals, The Renewing Of Our Minds to see what worldview such uninformed

     thinking arises from at https://fromslaverytovictory.org/Journal-Archives .

  4 Read the February 3, 2019 post, Christianity In Black And White, under the category, Black History.

  5 I  write  about  the way of Jesus Christ, the Strong Man of God in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics.  Get a print copy or digital download of the book

     at  major  internet  booksellers  such  as  Amazon,   Barnes  &   Noble,  ChristianBooks.com  and  Apple (digital only).  You  can  also get a print copy in this Ministry's

    Strong Man Store.

  6 So,  clearly,  God  gets  the  glory  for  caring enough to inspire the courage of Mr. Woodson to create the observance!  This truth should serve as a warning rebuke to 

     those  black  Americans  that  are  guilty  of  focusing  almost exclusively on individual human achievements and success in the observance which are truly shallow in

     the  context  of  the deeper and richer spiritual realities of God’s purposeful involvement in our common historical experience.  God’s involvement is evident in the bib-

     lical  worldview  of black history presented in the continuing educational spirit of the observance by Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. in our From Slavery To

     Victory Victory Education Project.  Learn more at https://fromslaverytovictory.org.  To God be the glory!

• Ruling The Earth Under Christ

              As the Lord leads this week, I continue exploring His promise rooted in Bible prophecy that “The meek shall inherit the earth,” (Psalm 37:11; Matthew 5:5, NKJV).¹  The Lord Jesus not only affirmed God’s promise made through king David, He made it possible by His atoning death for our sins, burial and resurrection from the dead!  All who humble themselves to repent of their sins, believe on Him and receive the Holy Spirit to be born again are the meek as well as “saints” before God (1 Corinthians 1:1-2, NKJV); enjoying all of the eternal spiritual rights, privileges and benefits of the Kingdom of Heaven now, while waiting on its full display at Christ’s Second Coming.

   

              After having declared it “at hand” and showing its superior might, “the kingdom of heaven” and its inheritors were what the Lord Jesus sat down to teach His disciples and the multitudes about that had gathered to Him on a mountain in the Galilee region (Matthew 4:17, 23-5:1, NKJV).  As I wrote previously, He taught all who are “the poor in spirit” and outside of the Kingdom were “Blessed” (happy) because entering in now, it would and does belong to them by divine bestowal (Luke 12:32)!  Likewise, those “who mourn” over the world’s sins and their own were blessed because they would “be comforted” leading to the promise of inheriting the earth He affirms (Matthew 5:2-5, NKJV).

   

              God’s comfort for sin is His forgiveness now, and eventual complete liberation and removal from its presence (Luke 24:46-47; Romans 6:1-14; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57; 2 Peter 3:10-13).  But the Lord does not stop here.  He teaches that the yearning among lost humanity for “righteousness” which is ultimately God’s righteousness will cause the meek to be blessed as it is fulfilled in them.  Completely His disciples, He further instructs they are blessed by being “merciful,” “pure in heart,” “peacemakers” and “persecuted for righteousness’ sake” because respectively, they will “obtain mercy,” “see God,” “be called sons of God” and again, receive the Kingdom (Matthew 5:6-10, NKJV). 

   

              It should be clear at this point that the Lord’s emphasis on receiving the Kingdom is not only intertwined with what His disciples each inherit as personal blessings for following Him, but importantly too, what they inherit corporately including the promise of the earth as a possession.  However, as the Lord goes on to teach, the Kingdom and its blessings will not come without suffering fueled by persecution as the prophets and His apostles also warn (Daniel 7:21-27; Matthew 5:11-12; Acts 14:19-22).  Persecution is the direct result of being Christ’s disciple--preaching the Gospel and modeling His Word to an evil, hostile world of sinners (Matthew 5:13-48; Philippians 1:27-30).²

   

              Nevertheless, the Lord taught us who follow Him as disciples to pray specifically to our Father petitioning for His Kingdom to come to earth and His will to be done here “as it is in heaven,” (Matthew 6:9-10, NKJV).  So, faithful saints pray; longing, suffering and waiting for the Day of the Lord and His reversal in our favor that launches with Christ’s return, the resurrection of those that have died and translation of those still alive that remain before God pours out His full wrath upon the earth (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; Revelation 16:15-21).³  On that Day, we will watch the vengeance of the Lord from the sky as He takes down those and the ruler of this world that have persecuted His saints and attacked Israel (Isaiah 34:1-4, 8; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12; Revelation 6:12-17, 19:11-20:3).

   

              Immediately following Christ’s victory in the final war of the ages, He and the saints will take possession and control of the whole earth--in our hands as promised (Psalms 2:6-12, 37:9, 97).⁴  And we will reign with Him as king-priests forever (2 Timothy 2:11-13; Revelation 1:4-6, 5:8-10)!  Indeed, the Kingdom rule of Christ and the saints extends beyond the earth to include all of the created universe as originally planned for man by God, but delayed by sin which Christ moved out of the way through His cross (Hebrews 2:5-13).  On earth, the saints will rule in the image of Christ the King who is “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Romans 8:29-30; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2) and His likeness (Isaiah 11:2-5, 42:1-4; Malachi 2:7, 3:5; Revelation 19:16, NKJV).

   

              Under Christ the King, the saints with their rods of iron will decisively and justly judge mortal mankind among the nations in every realm of governance He wills and angels (Psalm 149:5-9; 1 Corinthians 6:1-3; Revelation 3:26-27, 20:4-6).  While Scripture makes no specific statement about how the rule of the saints will be organized in the earth and universe, there is no need to depart from what it already shows are the approved divine patterns to have a sound idea (Exodus 18:13-27; Mark 3:13-19, 10:35-40; Luke 22:28-30; Revelation 14:1-5).  The Lord will take all of the hard, God alone issues to His Father, but delegate judgment to the saints to dispense from what is His already written sound, transcendent knowledge and wisdom with instantaneous guidance from Him through the Holy Spirit.

   

              Tolerated no more ever again will be corrupt and inept governance, political strife, fear of wanton mortal violence, murder, war, theft, oppressions, abuse of women or children, family disorder, poverty or homelessness as widespread, intractable problems, injustice, discrimination based on ethnicity, race or nationality, exploitation, drug abuse, adultery, sexual immorality, abortion, lying, religious deceit, confusion or idolatry, any other standing forms of evil, incurable disease or sickness.  For “knowledge of the Lord” the “King” and peace will fill “the earth” and He alone exalted “in that day,” (Isaiah 11:6-9; Zechariah 14:9; Malachi 4:1-3, NKJV).  Stubborn sinners and rebel nations will visibly suffer the consequences (Isaiah 65:20; Zechariah 14:16-19).  O glorious day; bring it Lord!

   

  1 See the July 12, 2020 post, The Meek Shall Inherit The Earth, under the categories Black History and Encouragement.

  2 This is the heart of every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Jesus Christ I give instruction about and to as the Lord leads in my book, The

     Strong  Man  Of  God:  Back  To  Basics.  Get  a  print  copy  or  digital  download  of  the  book  at  major  internet  booksellers  such  as  Amazon,  Barnes  & Noble,

     ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only).  You can also purchase a print copy in the Strong Man Store.

  3 This scenario is biblically consistent with all of the previous ways God has done in history right down to the very small number of persons ever translated (Genesis 5:

     24;  2  Kings  2:11) or moved out of the way of His cataclysmic and destructive wrath (Genesis 7:13-24; 19:15-29).  There is no biblical precedent for God effecting a

     mass  removal  of  millions of people to avoid tribulation (suffering) He has allowed save Israel after many years in Egyptian bondage (Exodus 3:7-8; Deuteronomy 4:

     32-35).  But now, even of Israel God will deliver only a remnant as foretold (Isaiah 1:9, 10:20-23).

  4 Read  the  December 20, 2015 re-post, Reigning With Christ On Earth, under the category, Bible Prophecy, along with the September 17, 2017 post, God’s Kingdom

     Restored To Earth! followed by Christ To Restore All Things, on September 24, 2017 both under the categories Bible Prophecy and The Cause.

• Reigning With Christ On Earth

              One day soon, the Kingdom of the Babe born over 2,000 years ago as foretold in Bethlehem, Israel will be the only one on earth left standing (Psalm 47; Micah 5:2-5).  I joyfully explore this prophetic truth in this edited 2013 blog repost.  Merry Christmas indeed for those that are waiting for Christ to come again as it is written in God’s Word of truth (Psalm 119:41-44; Hebrews 10:37-38)!

   

  Originally Posted June 9, 2013

   

              Flying up through the clouds “to meet the Lord in the air” is not only our first exciting experience as immortals in new spiritual bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:17, NKJV), but the event also serves to glorify us before and remove us from the world that is about to endure the full outpouring of God’s wrath brought immediately thereafter by Christ and finished at Armageddon (Revelation 6:12-17, 14:14-16, 16:12-21, 19:11-16).  From our vantage point in the sky, we will watch the cataclysmic convulsions and upheaval of the earth that destroys all of its cities except Jerusalem; bringing forth new mountains where there were valleys and valleys where there are now mountains (Isaiah 40:3-5).

   

              Then the Lord will give the command sending forth His angelic armies to battle at Armageddon thoroughly defeating the evil, immortal pretender to His world throne and Satan along with their armies (Revelation 14:17-20, 19:17-21).  So, what is next?  We would have no idea if it were not for the revelation of God through Israel’s prophets, our Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles written in Scripture.  According to the prophet Zechariah, at the end of that first day of the Lord, Christ will stand victorious on “the Mount of Olives” in Jerusalem ready to fulfill all that has been foretold concerning His Kingdom reign and work of restoration (Zechariah 14:1-11, NKJV).

   

              With us as His co-laborers, the curse of sin and death will be lifted from the earth and the universe which is the major reason the physical creation is waiting for the liberation of God’s eternal sons first from the same curse (Genesis 3:17; Romans 8:19-22).  Then the Lord by the Word of His power will begin to restore the earth and all of creation (Isaiah 35:1-2, 49:8, 65:25).  Even now, we mortals in Christ are enjoying “the firstfruits of the Spirit” as part of this future creation wide restoration (Romans 8:23, NKJV).  And we shall reign with Him on the earth!  The eternal sons of God will rule and have supernatural strength like the angels to enforce the Lord’s righteous program as each is assigned (2 Kings 19:35; Psalm 149:5-9; Luke 22:29-30; Revelation 2:26-27, 5:9-10). 

   

              Why does God debut His Kingdom on the destructive ashes of His wrath poured out with very few survivors?  Why not destroy everything as will be eventually done and bring on the brand new eternal creation right then?  The intermediary step of restoring the earth and all creation in the aftermath of God’s wrath at the Second Coming of Christ is about vindication, rewards and promises!  The Lord vindicates the suffering of His saints that waited millennia for His overthrow of the earth’s wicked oppressors as well as His righteous Word and wisdom (Psalm 37:7-10; Romans 12:19; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10).

   

              He also rewards His saints that served Him faithfully during their mortal lives with possession of this present earth liberated from the wicked (Psalm 37:11, Matthew 5:5).  Finally, the Lord’s return to and restoration of the earth is tied directly to fulfilling the divine promises made to Israel for the restoration of the nation and kingdom under the rule of the Davidic dynasty which He does as a descendant in the royal line (Matthew 1:1-2:12, 21:1-11, 27:11, 37; Luke 3:23-38).  To reject that Christ returns as Israel’s long awaited King-Deliverer to keep God’s promises to restore the nation and the glory of the Davidic kingdom is to willfully reject huge portions of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation including Isaiah 11:10-16, 35:3-10, 44:21-23, 49:1-26, Zechariah 12-13, Acts 1:6-7, 3:11-21, 13:13-41, Romans 9:1-11:36, Revelation 1:7 and 7:1-8. 

   

              This is in fact, what a small group of professing Christians called amillennialists do that not only reject God yet has any literal future dealings with ethnic Israel or a reign on earth, but also the express revelation given to the apostle John that presents the time period for the reign of Christ and the saints over Israel and this current earth as “a thousand years,” (Revelation 20:4-6, NKJV).  Another group called post-millennialists rejects the literal millennial reign of Christ and His saints preferring instead to believe the present churches will make the world better and the Lord will come after this.  Are you kidding me?  On both accounts this is what happens when men start outside of and reject God’s Word!

   

              With application to all Scripture but in context, God’s prophetic Word, the apostle Peter writes, “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit,” (2 Peter 1:20-21, NKJV).  Since God does not intend for us to have private interpretations of His prophetic Word that confuse and divide His people (everybody with divergent interpretations cannot be right), all professing believers need to purposely stick with the interpretation the Holy Spirit will give if we start humbly in the Word, not outside of it (1 Corinthians 1:4-10; Ephesians 4:4-6).

   

              Scripture is consistent and unequivocal; God still has plans for His people, the Jews, and our resurrection to immortal glory as eternal sons at Christ’s return are part of them (Jeremiah 3:14-18).  And while according to His Word we will spend the first thousand years of our immortality reigning with Christ on this present earth restored, know that our ultimate goal is not Heaven separated from earth, but a new, eternal Heaven on a new earth God will create before our very eyes (Isaiah 65:17-19; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21:1-22:7).