The world as nations and peoples at large and our nation in particular among them, are where we are now, as a direct consequence of the ongoing war of the ages, transgression, sin and iniquity along with divine foretold and brought judgment! The foretelling of these turbulent times churning with destructive desolations from deliberate manmade acts and so-called “natural” disasters to include the deadly global Coronavirus pandemic foretold millennia in advance by God through His Jewish prophets and Son (Matthew 24:7) in the Bible, is yet another manifest proof of His existence and eternal greatness for those with eyes that are willing to see (Isaiah 43:8-13, 44:6-8, 45:18-25).
Indeed, here in America I once again write on this Sanctity Of Life Sunday sadly having to be instituted by biblically conservative Christians to emphatically affirm the value of human life from conception in a culture of death. This same day is also equally sad as the eve of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday commemorating a Christian black American that was martyred while advocating in biblically conservative taught non-violence against the nation’s historic, blatant and systemic oppression of blacks and other minorities through racial bigotry. Both occasions manifestly signify the evil working of sin in our nation and are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg of its depravity.
As the Lord has led, I have been repeatedly crying out against and warning of His judgment upon the moral ruin of our nation and very importantly too, the disobedience of those that profess to be His followers as Christians. As He instructs in His Word, Christians are supposed to be “salt” and “light” in the midst of our nation (Matthew 5:13-16, NKJV). But with our nation, professing American Christianity forms a “house divided” falling into desolation (Luke 11:17, NKJV) that cannot even agree on what the Bible actually teaches with thousands of humanly constructed theologies as I have written about in other posts1 and hundreds of different translations I presented in my last post.2
For example, many side with the secular culture against what is clearly written in the Bible to legally allow same sex persons to marry and women to murder their unborn (Genesis 1:27-28; 9:5-7; Exodus 20:13; Matthew 19:3-6, 16-19). Other professed Christians calling themselves conservative insist Jesus upholds the Constitution’s right to bear arms (weapons) for personal self-defense when it was for His defense His apostle, Peter, cut off a man’s ear and received the Lord’s perpetually standing rebuke for “all” of this epoch who follow Him (Matthew 26:47-54, NKJV). Still others of the same mind protest teaching the truth about our nation’s history of racial bigotry in our K-12 schools.3
Truly, if only all who claimed to be Christians would humbly pray with the heart of Daniel at this hour, our fractured nation and professing community under God’s judgment might see Him extend more mercy to us--things could be even worse (Psalm 136)! For understanding the plain meaning of the prophecy in the Old Testament scrolls he possessed just over 2,500 hundred years ago, Daniel applied it right away by turning to God in prayer and fasting to request that He, who is always true to His Word and merciful, would be again (Daniel 9:1-3). Such was the genuine faith in and relationship Daniel had with God from his youth who was now, a man easily in his eighties (Daniel 1:1-7).
He was later told by the angel, Gabriel, ‘“At the beginning of your supplications the command’” from God ‘“went out’” for him to come with Daniel’s answer to prayer adding, ‘“for you are greatly beloved,’” (Daniel 9:23, NKJV). Every truly born again Christian is to have such a standing with God by instruction of His Son, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, who Daniel surely glimpsed in a later vision (Daniel 10:1-9; John 15:16, 16:16-28). Daniel’s exemplary humble prayer of confession, repentance acknowledging God’s righteousness to judge His people who refused to repent and appeal to His eternal heart of mercy is a template today, for all who profess to know and love Him.
Daniel opens his confession exalting God’s greatness and uttering a transcendent eternal principle many professed Christians today, either willfully cast aside so their theology will work or ignorantly overlook to their detriment. Daniel in total consistency with His eternal character and the whole Bible says to God, “who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments,” (Daniel 9:4, NKJV). Loving God in covenant relationship is demonstrated by faithful obedience to His commandments--no exceptions as the Lord Jesus also taught (John 14:15, 19-24; 1 John 2:3-6, 5:3)! As Daniel strongly implies, Israel did not love God as seen in their breaking His covenant through disobedience (Jeremiah 11:1-10; Daniel 9:5).
1 Read the October 18, 2015 post, Pursuing Credentials And Authority, followed over the next two weeks beginning October 25, 2015 by the two-part, Religious Educated Wiser Than God? All three posts are under the category, Call To Repent.
2 See the January 9, 2022 post, Easier To Read Bibles, under the categories Bible Prophecy and Instruction.
3 While Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a legal and academic critique of racism’s impact in American society may have wrongly found its way into some K-12 school curric- ula and should be removed since as theory it has its own biases against a biblical worldview for example, the need remains for a generation of especially white Ameri- can children to finally be taught the whole historical truth about how the evil of racial bigotry did contribute to the violent and still systemic oppression of the land’s indi- genous peoples, black and other minority Americans. Contrary to the fear their children will “hate their white heritage” as a consequence, understanding the healing power of truth, empathy and repentance especially as Christians, their children will come away determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past and help to undo what remains of American racial practices as some, such as white evangelical, David Barton, are trying to do right now. I recommend his book, Setting The Record Straight: American History In Black & White for those retreating from public education to private and home schools over CRT so your children can still be taught the truth! I ex- amined several online sources to understand more about CRT including American Bar Association, Education Week, Encyclopedia Britannica, and Middle Tennessee State University’s The First Amendment Encyclopedia.
Daniel holds nothing back of the truth in confessing the transgression, sin and iniquity of his people, Israel, he righteously characterized as rebellion in their departure from God’s written Word. Twice in his confession he also points up the people’s disobedience to God’s direct instruction and warnings to them through His prophets (Daniel 9:6, 10). Besides Moses and Isaiah of the greatest of these prophets (Deuteronomy 28; Isaiah 1), Jeremiah and Ezekiel Daniel’s contemporaries were used mightily of God to graphically present and cry out against their sin, call for their repentance and pronounce His judgment upon their stubborn refusal to do so (Jeremiah 2, 11:11-17; Ezekiel 8, 12).
No, the shame of Babylonian captivity Daniel also asserts twice in his confession to God did not come without prior warning over many years in His longsuffering, forbearance and readiness to mercifully forgive as Israel ‘“rebelled against Him,’” (Daniel 9:7-9, NKJV). Thus, it was that after long sounding his trumpet of warning, Daniel’s fellow prophet in exile, Ezekiel, as God’s watchman to the rebellious captives (whose ministry my own is patterned) learned Jerusalem had fallen into the hands of the Babylonians and directed by Him, announced its complete desolation (Ezekiel 33:1-9, 21-29). Praying with painful hindsight and agreement with God’s written Word, Daniel confesses to Him why.
He prays: ‘“Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law and has departed so as not to obey Your voice.’” As a foretold consequence, he acknowledges they now, had a desolate homeland, holy city, Jerusalem, and Temple as righteous judgment from God (Daniel 9:11-12, NKJV). I remind us in America again that Israel is the only chosen people and nation of God in history.4 Yet, He brought upon them His righteous judgment stemming from their departure from His Word in disobedience as well as stubborn refusal to repent. Now, if He did this to Israel, where do the many guilty in our nation get off asserting an exceptional standing that exempts us from the same (Jeremiah 25:15-29)?
This is a great falsehood in the land that is working tangible desolations commensurate with the nation’s moral ruin (Micah 3:8-12). For in the arrogance of this self-deceit, the guilty are refusing to humble themselves and repent before God Almighty while He intensifies the desolations upon our nation in our plain view through calamities such as devastating storms, out of season tornadoes, wildfires and His unrelenting Coronavirus pestilence (Isaiah 45:6-7).5 Like Israel, will you foolishly continue not to see ‘“all this disaster has come upon us’” because of transgression, sin and iniquity refusing to repent and ‘“understand’” God’s ‘“truth,’” (Deuteronomy 31:14-32:47; Daniel 9:13, NKJV)?
The foregoing is especially heartbreaking in a land filled with so many professed Christians, their churches and religious educated elites that ostensibly know God and His truth fully written, but who willfully refuse to acknowledge the obvious for all manner of motives. Is not this scenario of spiritual dullness through preoccupation with Christianity as manmade religion how it is that the biblical instruction of salvation by grace through faith alone had to be uncovered again by Martin Luther, a broken and miserable German priest searching for the living God using his Latin Vulgate and Greek Bible translations after over a millennium of corrupt Catholicism usurped and buried it?
Because God is holy, righteous and just, sin not confessed and repented of always has consequences no matter who it is that is guilty! The plain fact is Israel in sin not confessed or repented of was guilty before God. Consequently, as Daniel declares soberly to God in his prayer about Israel’s obstinacy (and ours too), ‘“Therefore the LORD has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice.’”6 He adds in simple humility, ‘“we have sinned, we have done wickedly;’” including himself in again with his people despite that he was godly (Daniel 9:14-15, NKJV).7 Daniel confessed and repented even though, Israel in the disaster as many today, still refused to do so!
In spite of his people’s failure to do right, Daniel closes his prayer appealing to God in all of His ‘“righteousness’” to ‘“let Your anger and fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem…,’” (Daniel 9:16, NKJV). God’s righteousness here was to honor His Word; the prophecy He gave Jeremiah to limit Jerusalem’s desolation at the time to “seventy years,” (Jeremiah 25:1-11; NKJV). Daniel then, appeals to God to hear him and take pity on the ‘“desolate’” state of His ‘“sanctuary’” as well as the ‘“desolations’” of the people as He looks out on the situation not in accord with their ‘“righteous deeds’” since they had none, but His ‘“great mercies,’” (Daniel 9:17-18, NKJV). Finally, he exhorts God to ‘“forgive…listen and act,’” (Daniel 9:19, NKJV). Should professed Christians pray otherwise?
4 See the two-part post that begins August 2, 2020, Flavorless Salt Is Worthless, under the category, Call To Repent.
5 Read the July 5, 2020 post, Decision At The Crossroads, under the category, Call To Repent. For all including professed Christians in unbelief that want to redefine God Almighty out of existence or in one’s personally determined image of Him, He is who He is and does what He pleases as it is written (Exodus 3:13-14; Psalm 135:-6; Isaiah 40:12-26)! As a result, mortals should fear in the face of His power rather than dismiss Him through hearts proudly hardened. Or don’t you realize that He who with a word instantly stilled storms (Mark 4:35-41) is also able to permit them with other calamities as works of Satan (Job 1:6-19; Lamentations 3:37-38; Amos 3:6b) and summon them at whatever intensity He wills as He shall do in His wrath before the end of these “latter days,” (Psalm 135:7; Jeremiah 25:30-38,30:23-24, NKJV)?
6 As the harlot daughters of Catholicism in the over 500 years since Luther launched the Protestant Reformation with his biblical rediscovery of God’s salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone, the guilty have shared fully in their mother’s harlotries of disobedience, feat of choking off sound doctrine and being stubbornly unwilling to repent. This is to their terminal judgment with their mother (2 Timothy 3:1-12; Revelation 16:19b, 17-19:4)!
7 While in my book,The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, the Lord leads me to hold up faithfulness as the character trait Daniel exemplifies, obviously humility is also among the many character traits of Christ and the aspiring strong man of God in His image he displays. Get my book along with its companion works The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study at your favorite internet book seller and in the Strong Man Store.
Home teams all over the world display such a loyalty to their religiously devoted, fan filled sports fields and arenas they call them “our house.” As in war among nations, these warriors set about to defend the honor of their house by winning. If it is so among fallen, sinful men in their world of play, how infinitely greater in sincerity and loyalty is the living God to defend the honor of His house by insisting on the obedience to His will or judgment of those related to Him by covenant (Jeremiah 11:1-17; Hebrews 8:7-13, 10:5-18, 26-31)? Like ancient Israel, professing Western Christians today do not want to hear the truth about God’s displeasure with the disobedience in and unfolding judgment of His house (Jeremiah 11:18-23). It showed early and fully by the time I shared this fifth and concluding blog of the 2013 series on obedience--you have done much better this year. Originally Posted August 25, 2013 Judging by how our number of readers temporarily plummeted after the Lord led me to start talking about obedience and relating it to the issue of women in the churches, I know that I hit a raw nerve. This is not surprising since not only do I sit on the sidelines of shepherding a local church because of holding true to what God’s Word says on these two related topics, but my book is also considered controversial. Hallelujah! I have been counted worthy to follow in the footsteps of all God’s Old Testament prophets, the Lord Jesus and His apostles in holding true to the written Word against the corruptions of impostors, the selectively, partially and willfully disobedient, backsliders as well as religious folk that are more concerned with their traditions practiced in a manmade form of Christianity. Therefore, to those who have come back again this past week, thank you for your Berean heart that no doubt found after carefully reading the Scriptures (our absolute final source of authority for the faith and its practice), that what I have been writing--however unpopular and disobeyed in these latter days--is true (Acts 17:10-12). Those of us who are in Christ individually and corporately assembled belong to God! His Kingdom come arrives in our hearts at the moment of new birth (John 3:1-8). Each of us spirit, soul and body instantly become a temple or if you will, house where God lives and rules. God by right of purchase and rule owns us so that we no longer do as we please, but as it pleases Him (John 2:19-22; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:9-20). Indeed, we each are also made members of the “household of God” and are brought together and being built together by Him “on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone…into a holy temple…for a (eternal) dwelling place of God in the Spirit,” (Ephesians 2:19-22, NKJV). So, whether it is our individual person or when we assemble together in local churches on earth, we are God’s house where the Father is the Supreme Head and Sovereign, Jesus is Lord and the Holy Spirit in power enables our experience of these realities! As a result, the churches and members that make them up are rejecting the rule of God when they willfully disobey His Word. Twenty-first century Western Christians and their churches in large measure are taking their cues from and following after the world so they can be liked and fill auditoriums. But we were never called to be liked by the world or fill auditoriums. In spite of the world’s hostile opposition, we were commanded to make, baptize and teach disciples as Christ’s heralds proclaiming the Gospel and witnesses (Matthew 10:16-26, 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). And while we are certainly to care enough about lost souls to be winsome in finding a convenient way to connect with them in our proclamation and witnessing (1 Corinthians 9:19-23), we were never commanded to corrupt or compromise God’s Word to win them. This is what happens when we forget whose house we are and start operating in the flesh rather than in the Spirit to be a house unto ourselves. Now, in these latter days, the world’s will, way and views hold sway in so many professing Christians and their churches to such an extent that when the truth of God’s Word is declared these folk get angry because their sin is revealed; or did you not know that all disobedience is sin? As it concerns our cause to restore men, you cannot do so properly unless you also restore them fully in their roles and responsibilities in the home, churches and the larger worldly society if they would have it. Our priority in restoration is the individual man followed closely by the churches they need to be a part of to grow in the faith and their understanding of the life of the strong man of God. If the churches are messed up in confusion and disobedience, then how will these men make any headway toward growth and developing into aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ? Those that have come to this blog, considered my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, our Web Site etc. and applaud the attempt to restore men without also appreciating the important role the local church has to be a facilitator in obedience rather than a destroyer in disobedience have missed God. He seeks to restore men, their families and communities which include the local assembly of believers that form His corporate house where in obedience to the divine commandment, men serve in leadership! Rather than anger and offense, then, let every pastor, church leader and professing Christian reading this recognize pleasing God is the uppermost aim you should have in life and repent if you and the church you serve are in disobedience. It is hypocritical and an incomplete restoration of men to teach them that they are the heads of their families, then have them come to church where their wives, daughters and other women usurp them contrary to the order of God’s house (Genesis 3:1-6, 16b, 17a; 1 Corinthians 11:3, 14:33-40; Ephesians 5:22-24; Colossians 3:18; 1 Timothy 2:11-15; 1 Peter 3:1-6). It should not be astonishing that in a final explosion of lawlessness and rebellion against God foretold for these latter days that women and their male sympathizers should be among the ranks of the rebels (Psalm 2:1-3). Be that as it may, I exhort every man and woman professing to be a Christian to give serious consideration as to whether you really want to be among them when as is also foretold, God begins to respond in ways that are indisputably coming from Him (Jeremiah 30:23-24). Time is getting short; for the sake of men, their families and communities repent from disobedience to God’s Word in worldly compromise in the churches and return to Him who is the faithful Son over God’s house; “whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end,” (Hebrews 3:5-6, NKJV).
Following up my November 8, 2020 post, the Lord would have me issue yet another warning to professed American Christians and the churches they assemble in that are guilty of allowing themselves to be easily deceived by “deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons” in these latter times as foretold (1 Timothy 4:1, NKJV).1 While I wrote in that post that Satan and his kingdom of darkness has operated mostly in the invisible spiritual shadows, Bible prophecy plainly asserts his revelation in the tangible evidence of unfolding world events, personages and open worship (his long held aspiration) in the wrap up of these times before the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Faithful, Bible believing Christians from the first century have seen and see the reality and working of Satan in the darkness.2 We see it in his never ending opposition to the Gospel and its spread as foretold (Mark 13:9-11; Acts 4:1-22, 13:1-12; 1 Thessalonians 2:13-20). We see it in the foretold rebellion he foments against God, His Anointed and Word even from among those that profess to know Him (Psalm 2:1-3; John 16:1-4; Acts 4:23-31; 2 Timothy 3:1-9). We see it too, in the foretold hatred and persecution of Christians he stirs up that is taking place in many nations across the face of the earth (Matthew 10:22-26, 24:9; Mark 13:12-13; Luke 21:17; John 15:18-25)!3
The Bible teaches lawlessness, persistent social conflict, civil unrest, rioting, strife, violence, murder (right down into the womb through abortion), terrorist acts and wars are instigated by Satan and his behind the scenes work carried out with Christ’s permission and continuing until His return (Genesis 4:1-8; Ezekiel 28:11-19; John 8:44, 13:1-2, 18-30; Ephesians 2:1-3, 6:10-12; 1 John 3:4-15; Revelation 6:1-8, 9:20-21). Through his deceiving work, the adversary also seduces many that profess allegiance to Christ to fall away in rebellion, betrayal and unbelief to their destruction while persecuting others to the death (Matthew 24:10; Hebrews 3:7-19; Revelation 2:8-11, 6:9-11).
Indeed, “the falling away” is a foretold mass event that looms; its trigger and full circumstances a mystery, though, if prophecy, historical and rising contemporary instances are any indication, the growing unpopularity of biblical Christianity in the world (to include among adversaries many false and manmade religious forms of it) with persecution will be the primary cause (2 Thessalonians 2:3a, NKJV).4 Interestingly, the apostle Paul’s prophetic declaration in the foregoing Scripture reference is preceded by the phrase, “Let no one deceive you by any means.” In God’s perfect timing, “the falling away” and what comes next in the same verse are sober, certain prophetic truth from Him!
The Lord uses the apostle Paul to yet again prophesy a staggering prophecy about one named by description in many ways who is foretold to come before the “Day” of the Lord. Paul calls him “the man of sin” and “son of perdition,” (2 Thessalonians 2:3b, NKJV). Daniel prophesies about him as does our Lord in His great prophetic discourse that warns of resulting “great tribulation” for the world and impacting God’s Jewish and Christian elect (Daniel 7:15-25, 8:23-25, 9:25-27; Matthew 24:15-22; Revelation 7, NKJV). He “opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped” and in God’s Temple asserts the lie “that he is God,” (2 Thessalonians 2:4, NKJV).
The unveiling of this “lawless one” that the apostle John also calls “the Antichrist” is now, held back from making his brief appearance leading to his eternal destruction only by the Holy Spirit (2 Thessalonians 2:5-8; 1 John 2:18, NKJV).5 In agreement with Daniel, the apostle Paul further foretells the Antichrist does have a benefactor, Satan, that he is beholding to and who is allowed by God to fully display the powers granted angels to falsely authenticate his claim to be God and deceives many. The Antichrist with the aid of a major and many other false prophets in return favor will fulfill Satan’s ultimate purpose for him and that is to openly acknowledge the devil and call for his worship too (Daniel 11:36-39; Matthew 24:23-28; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12; Revelation 13)!
The Lord has led me to describe the fast approaching period of the Antichrist as His “final exam.”6 That being so, all other instances of Satan having so easily tempted many into deception throughout professing Western Christianity to this hour are failed tests that do not bode well for passing the final exam! With all that is in me in love for Christ and the Church I exhort all reading this to take the necessary measures to minimize Satan’s ability to tempt you into sin and deception. Recognize for example, disobedience to God’s Word cannot be justified or satisfactorily rationalized before Him (John 14:23-24, 31, 15:9-10). Only repentance now, is acceptable! If you do not prepare yourself appropriately and fail it, understand there is no make-up final exam (Revelation 14:9-13).
1 Read the November 8, 2020 post, Why So Easily Deceived?, under the category, Instruction.
2 These are aspiring strong men and great women of God in the image of Jesus Christ! Learn more about them in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics.
It is published by the Publishing Division of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. with fresh editing in 2019 for greater clarity and updated web addresses in the
footnotes. It is available at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and ChristianBooks.com. These book sellers with Apple also have the digital
download of the book. Type the title into their search engines if necessary. You can also purchase the book and all related Strong Man Of God Brand Group Study
Print Resources in the Strong Man Store!
3 See the two-part post beginning May 17, 2020, Persecution, Hatred And Betrayal, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
4 Read The Falling Away, posted on February 2, 2014, under the category Bible Prophecy.
5 See the February 23, 2014 post, The Man Of Sin, under the category, Bible Prophecy. If as the apostle John writes, “sin is lawlessness,” then, it is impossible that the
yet sin indwelt Church or their churches on earth could be the restrainer of lawlessness and the coming lawless one (1 John 3:4, NKJV). Truly, many that profess to
be Christians at this hour refuse to repent of their lawlessness! Only the Holy Spirit as God could restrain sin and its out breaking work to include wicked personalities
until He ceases restraining. Then, woe to the world! This “church as restrainer” doctrine tied to a pre-tribulation “rapture” is another false supposition imposed on
Scripture among many that are and will continue falling like dominoes in the face of reality during these latter times. Again, to avoid being deceived faithful Christians
with all else must know God’s Word as it is written, objectively read, interpreted and applied.
6 See Man Of Sin.
Though voting is and will remain an imperfect and maddening process of democracy as long as it exists, I urge all that profess to be Christians to vote! While the Lord has given me no word about the outcome of this year’s Presidential election, He has affirmed what He led me to write in 2016 about a “temporary door of opportunity” for the Gospel remaining after it that is already closing.1 For now, the voting of mainly white conservative Christians such as those identifying as evangelical can possibly still make a difference as was done in the 2016 Presidential election.2
Our democratic republic is ostensibly open to and welcomes any number of citizen initiated parties, their candidates and platforms. However, the political professionals, media, and money have seen to it that the authentic party options are only the Republicans or Democrats. Both of these parties, their candidates and platforms have shortcomings that challenge a biblical worldview in some form or another as I lamented in a previous post.3 Nevertheless, in praying for how to vote with a biblical worldview in candidate fields that continue to be “bad and worst,” I was able to push myself to do so with the family as God designed it as my driving concern where I could apply it (Malachi 4:4-6).
Once again in a Presidential election both major party candidates profess to be Christians. But as one aspiring to be a strong man of God in the image of Jesus Christ and teaching other Christian men to do likewise as the Lord in His Word summons us,4 I am very challenged to discern this same heart in the words, actions and demeanor reflecting the character of President Donald Trump or former Vice President, Joe Biden. And while I know we are not electing a national pastor, for the sake of all the men as family heads also watching these two professed Christians, I am disheartened for their sakes because what they are seeing does not commend the faith or biblical manhood.
Both men represent forms of manmade Christianity the religion American style that permit one to go to church, give, sing a few songs, listen to a sermon on Sunday and otherwise maybe attempt to live out a few morals that are not inconvenient or present a conflict of interest with what is politically or financially expedient.5 Mr. Trump’s amazing difficulty calling out clear racism and racist acts and Mr. Biden’s dogmatic insistence a woman’s right to choose to murder her unborn child is morally right illustrate my latter point. The raw, selfish ambition and arrogance of both of these men is also hard to watch as for example, each asserts the ability to arrest and control God’s Coronavirus.6
Vice President Mike Pence by far sets the best example of professed Christian dedication and biblical manhood operating in our nation’s media fish bowl. During his debate with challenging Vice Presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, she characterized herself with the politically correct label “person of faith” and took exception to any inference she was not by her political views and actions. Being a person of faith means absolutely nothing in a biblical worldview if that faith is not in Christ and without obedience to God’s Word (John 5:16-23; 1 John 2:18-23)! America’s disintegrating families need the firm conviction of their value and help from real Christian leaders devoted to restoring them.
Political correctness, tolerance, revised false history narratives for the sake of multiculturalism, abortion, radical feminism, same sex relations, gender confusion etc. are not working to restore, but destroy families as God in His Word designed. In our deeply divided nation politically conservative whites that also profess to be evangelical Christians in large numbers have rallied to Mr. Trump as their champion because he does publicly speak out against most of the socially liberal ideologies corrupting the nation and working against the family. Mr. Biden has most black and other political liberals calling themselves “progressive” and many too, professed Christians embracing him. Biblical conservatives--for who character and righteousness matter--and independents are in a tough spot.
Rather than sit out not liking either candidate, there are still those lesser known parties and candidates that can be considered. I certainly would have sat this one out if it had not been for the sake of restoring men and the families God has called them to lead for the time that is left. As well, I was moved to vote by the suffering many black Americans endured to secure my right to do so; suffering I was able to see as a boy on my family’s black and white television in the 1960s. This was suffering caused by the systemic racism of our nation undergirded by the fathers of those professed to be Christians among the white conservatives unreservedly behind Mr. Trump and many who like him, have trouble truly empathizing with the suffering of blacks and other minorities.7
Evangelicals may indeed, again save the day politically for Mr. Trump and the Republicans. Alas though, if so, it is still only a temporary postponing of the inevitable. Unrepentant rebelling, apostate Christians with the growing unsaved openly anti-God, anti-Christian and anti-Bible citizenry of the nation are making their ascent now! Four more years will do nothing but give them extra time to build up their numbers and influence. Meanwhile, God Almighty continues His activity regardless of who is in the White House. Without repentance today or forthcoming, the world and nation are under His judgment. As He foretells in His despised Book, the Bible, the Coronavirus pestilence and calamities of 2020 will surely seem tame four years from now (Jeremiah 30:23-24; Luke 21:25-26).
1 See the December 4, 2016 post, Now Is The Day Of Salvation, under the category, Call To Repent.
2 Read the December 9, 2016 post, Professing Christian Racism Is Sin Too, under the category, Call To Repent.
3 See the March 26, 2017 repost, The 2012 Presidential Election, under the category, Biblical Worldview.
4 Learn about the aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. It is published by the Publishing Division of
Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. with fresh editing in 2019 for greater clarity and updated web addresses in the footnotes. It is available at major internet
booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and ChristianBooks.com. These book sellers with Apple also have the digital download of the book. Type the title into
their search engines if necessary. You can also purchase the book and all related Strong Man Of God Brand Group Study Print Resources in the Strong Man Store!
5 See the two-part post that begins September 11, 2016, American Culture’s Religion, under the category, Call To Repent.
6 Really? Neither these men nor any other sinful mortal has the ability to arrest or control a pestilence God has initiated unless He wills it so! Therefore, to vote for either
of these men on the basis of which can best arrest, control or eradicate the Coronavirus on his watch is pure folly. God in grace and mercy will act in accord with the
counsel of His own will and timing to diminish the pestilence. What can move His hand sooner is humble, heartfelt and complete repentance on the part of the nation’s
leaders and people guilty of over the top transgression, sin and iniquity beginning in His own house among those who profess as Christians to know Him (1 John 2:3-6).
This is as He has had me crying out for months. Read especially the April 5, 2020 post, God Is Speaking and on the 19th, Does Anybody Repent Anymore?, both un-
der the category, Call To Repent.
7 The oppression and violence involved in human sex trafficking is evil. However, it does not begin to compare with the experience of slavery my forefathers had in the
hands of many professed Christian white men that included sexual abuse and even went so far as to corrupt the Bible to justify their evil deeds and deceive their chattel.
When conservative white evangelicals attempt to equivocate the historic, accurately portrayed cruelty of their forefathers toward my own with contemporary sex traffick-
ing as wicked as it is to downplay the continuing reality of systemic racism in our nation, whether intended or not it minimizes what my forefathers suffered. This shows
you still do not get it and gives the appearance you do not want to! Please do not just pose with the President for photo opportunities and proudly exult in your access,
but you repent of sin and exhort him to do the same. For those souls that have done so, the Lord bless you.
Today too, the biblical picture of following Jesus from His own teaching and example as well as that of His apostles flies in the face of teaching from many pulpits that narcissistically and falsely make Christianity all about the follower! Yes, Christ suffered, died and rose again to save me, but not so I can go off selfishly to do my own thing and only receive from Him what is in my narrow self-interest. No longer preaching the Gospel of Christ, repentance from sin and faith in Him to be saved and become His disciples, many to their destruction preach this other gospel of narcissism to attract the attention, attendance and affections of followers for themselves (Galatians 1:6-10, NKJV).
Here is God’s reality check for the preachers and professed Christians of these self-absorbed and materialistic latter days: it is not about you! It is about Jesus Christ crucified, buried, risen, ascended and returning soon! Lining up behind Christ as our Savior and Lord through faith, He still expects us to follow His example in everything (John 13:12-17; 1 Peter 2:21-25). This being so, love of Christ who died for our sins is to be our deepest layer of motivation after faith and thanksgiving for following Him. And just as He modeled, we are to also be willing to go where He sends us, speak and do what He commands, forsake all, suffer and die for Him if required (Matthew 10:16-39).3
Moreover, in accord with His Father’s will, the Lord was quite intentional about giving us an exemplary display of His nature, character and demeanor we are to exhibit. Indeed, there are four distinctive characteristics of Christ His followers as aspiring strong men and great women of God in His image are to commonly exhibit I write about in my book. Like Him, we accept the roles God assigns, obey God to the death,4 rely on God for everything and trust God for vindication. Even the most casual reading of the four Gospels plainly show Christ walked out these characteristics in His life and service as a Disciple of His Father.
In His role as “the Lamb of God” in particular, He powerfully displayed all four characteristics at once! Again, moved by love for God and us He accepted this role, obeyed His Father’s will to the death, relied on Him to care for His soul in death and trusted that God would vindicate His sacrifice as He did first by raising Him from the dead to immortal glory (Isaiah 50:5-9; John 1:29; Acts 2:22-36, NKJV)! Sinful human love is incapable of reproducing Christ’s required example. No doubt, for this reason and anticipating the coming of the Holy Spirit to help, the Lord queries Peter who had denied he knew Him three times: “do you love Me,” (John 21:15-17; Romans 5:5-8, NKJV)?
The Lord’s demand to be the highest recipient of our love is not just a means to secure our sold out devotion, but also to help us keep our priorities straight with a Kingdom perspective and avoid becoming distracted and divided in heart, unfaithful, unwilling to suffer for His cause and coldly religious (Luke 9:57-62, 12:35-48; 2 Timothy 4:9-10; Revelation 2:1-7).5 Not following the Lord in sold out love and devotion causes a man to develop blind spots in his life that Satan comes by stealth and exploits to seduce him into various sins. For example, greater love for a wife or other family member can lead a man to disobey the Lord’s commanded will or allow them to take liberties that do so.
As well, absent the motive of love for Christ first it is easy to give oneself permission to mistreat others or be dishonest. If the man in these examples is in church leadership, Satan’s end game of scandal and profaning the name of Jesus in the wider world will be exponentially realized. Church history is replete with instances of such failed professed Christians to this hour many of whom for whatever all of the secondary reasons besides being impostors, fall away from Christ as foretold because they quench the Holy Spirit their source of love for Him (Matthew 24:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:19, NKJV). Only sold out love first for and faith in Christ will overcome Satan and cause a man to stand faithful and true to Him to the end (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3-5; Revelation 12:11).
Finally, if we will really line up behind Christ, it must be in accord with His written Word, interpreted and applied not as we wish, but as it is objectively understood! This is critical since God has allowed these foretold times of “testing” to be seductively filled with the purposeful deceit and falsehood of demons leading to the Antichrist as a final exam (Deuteronomy 13:1-4; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12; 1 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 3:7-11, 13:1-18, NKJV). God’s Word as it is written must be fully anchored in our hearts, loved and obeyed in order not to be deceived (Psalm 119:11, 97). Otherwise, God warns of the eternal consequence of failing His final exam--a likely prospect for the many rebel professed Christians now deceived in so many ways (Jeremiah 12:5-6; Revelation 14:9-13, 22:11).
(I will be enjoying a Labor Day rest on September 1st. The Lord willing, look for my next post on Sunday evening, September 8th. Have a great Labor Day!)
3 If a man is not willing to do these things, then, as Christ warned he cannot be His disciple since he will not line himself up behind Him in the full commitment He requires
(John 12:25-26; Galatians 2:20) or follow His example as He wills (Philippians 2:5-8, 3:7-14).
4 I urge readers who have not to read and those that have to re-read the July 14-28, 2019 posts to honestly evaluate the objections you have to what is written in light of
just these first two distinctive characteristics of Christ God wants also displayed in us. If you are a professed Christian male or female refusing to accept the roles, rank
and responsibilities God has assigned and are in fact a disobedient to the Word rebel doing Christianity your own way, are you really a biblically defined disciple of Je-
sus Christ (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46; Hebrews 3:7-19)?
5 A Kingdom perspective pays attention to the will of Christ the King contained in the written Word and views all of life through that prism; staying also prophetically aware
and alert. Read the October 19, 2014 post, Sons Of The Kingdom under the category, Instruction and Out Of Step With The Times?, posted on May 5, 2019 under the
category, Bible Prophecy.
I follow up last week’s 2012 blog repost, “Pursuing Credentials And Authority” under the same Call To Repent category, with this and next week’s 2013 re-titled and edited two-part blog repost more fully examining the evil a considerable number of the credentialed religious educated elite has done and are doing in their arrogance to harm the faith, compliant and unaware professing Christians. Truly, the historical lion’s share source for all of the recorded corrupt, private interpretations of God’s Word (2 Peter 1:19-21) in professing Christianity over the centuries since the first has been those that teach from among the religious educated elite out of manmade Christianity the religion.
All of their private interpretations end up corrupt because they construct them rejecting some part of God’s Word (especially prophecy such as The Revelation Of Jesus Christ) and the revealing work of the Holy Spirit! How can an authentically born again man ever sit down to study, accurately interpret and apply any part of God’s Word without the supernatural aid of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:6-16)? Moreover, a man is fully arrogantly self-deceived (and anyone who long sits under him deluded) who believes he can keep essential Christian doctrine separate from his rejection of other parts of God’s Word and not ever have his corruptions created from the exclusion of those rejected parts surface in his orthodoxy or teaching.
Such is the madness that has been and continues in Christendom to this hour because biblical Christianity has been kicked to the curb by men practicing powerless, invented forms of it founded upon fallen, mortal thinking and satanically inspired confusion falsely called wisdom. Seeking to satisfy their ego and self-esteem needs among other self-centered reasons, these men in the flesh carelessly proffer their corrupt, private interpretations of God’s Word; ruining folk and churches without shame, whose judgment with dying churches is certain without repentance. Flee if you are in a church where the pastor and/or elders reject any part of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s power!
Originally Posted June 23, 2013
Again, I am a seminary graduate having attended as the Lord led to get better prepared for the work of ministry He (not mortal flesh or a church) had already gifted and called me to (1 Corinthians 12:1-18)! Understood and carried out in the spirit of humble service to Christ as Lord on the part of the school, instructors, students, graduates, churches and their affiliations, a seminary education can be a good thing and was for me. I have met a few and read the works of a number of born again, faithful, seminary educated and biblically solid Christian teachers--a blessing to the Body of Christ as they should be!
However, as part of my work of ministry (Ezekiel 33:1-9; 1 Corinthians 12:28-30), the thread of rebuke to Christianity the religion’s educated elite (which includes pastors and elders) in other blogs continued in this one is tied to the Lord’s ancient rebuke of all those who allow themselves to become arrogantly wise in their own eyes because of their education and credentials conferred by sinful men (Isaiah 19:11-15). They harm His people with false, confusing and conflicting doctrines; men empowered by position to vanquish with a word those in legitimate opposition to their corrupt, private interpretations of God’s Word (John 9:13-34).
Such arrogant men and their showdowns with God’s sent prophets, Christ and His apostles are many in the Bible and continue to this day (2 Chronicles 18; Amos 7:10-17; Matthew 21:23-27; Acts 4:1-22). Have you ever wondered why God ends up judging most of them? It is because they do not humble themselves and repent when proven wrong due to the arrogant pride that fills their hearts. They would rather suffer judgment than be humiliated even though in the end, humiliation is exactly what God’s judgment produces (Proverbs 28:13; James 4:4-10). Thus, the Lord Jesus teaches voluntary humility is better than forced humiliation (Luke 14:7-11).
It is impossible that any creature of God could ever be smarter or wiser than He! Yet, this is how proud, credentialed members of the religious educated elite present themselves to God when they choose to reject or set aside any portion of His Word. The Lord Jesus--God in the flesh--did not blink or become intimidated in the least bit whenever Israel’s religious educated elite confronted Him. Indeed, when the Sadducees thought they would use their foolproof levirate marriage brain twister discrediting the possibility of resurrection from the dead to stump and finally publically humiliate the Lord recorded in Matthew 22:23-28, the Lord's reply was direct: "'You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God,'" (Matthew 22:29, NKJV). Alternate translations for “mistaken” (used also in the NASB) are “deceived” (NKJV), “error” (NIV) and “wrong” (AMP).
Imagine that, in words similarly quoted in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 12:24); in an incident also recorded by Luke (Luke 20:27-40), the Lord Jesus emphatically declares to Israel’s Sadducees of the priestly line, who were keepers of the temple, members of the religious educated elite and so smart they refused to believe God raises the dead, they were “mistaken.” These men were mistaken not because Jesus held a different opinion than they did (their religious educated elite rivals, the Pharisees, had already unsuccessfully opposed them as opinions go which is why they were so smugly confident their levirate marriage story would silence Jesus too), but because the Lord in rebuke says they did not know the Word or power of God!
Hear the Word of the Lord all of you modern day members of Christianity the religion’s educated elite: you can be mistaken and always are when you reject God’s Word and power! How could it be that specially educated and trained religious men could not believe something as basic as God’s raising of the dead taught and demonstrated in the Scriptures available to them or His power to do so even if there were no historic records of Him doing so? The Sadducees made the fatal error of limiting themselves to just the first five books of the Bible as authentic. As a result, they rejected the historical books that recorded God’s raising of the dead through the intercessions of the prophets Elijah and Elisha respectively (1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:8-37) as well as all of the rest of the Old Testament that speaks of His power and promise to do so more widely in a future day.
God has made His Word an interconnected whole (Luke 24:27; 2 Timothy 3:14-17). It is impossible to develop a thorough, coherent and accurate biblical doctrine of any kind after rejecting any part of God’s Word! Also, clearly these men did not accept the displays of divine power starting with the first chapter of Genesis and running through every book to Deuteronomy as a theme. So, while they were outwardly religious, knew and taught the private interpretations of their group as well as carried on all of the common rituals and traditions of Judaism, these religious educated men had no faith in and were disconnected from God! Such has been the case of many professed Christian men too with the rise of manmade Christianity the religion.
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