The Scourge Of Racism
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Originally Posted January 26, 2014
God’s New Covenant (just as the Old) is broken only by its mortal parties to the second part not for one sin or ten thousand that are forgiven upon confession and repentance. It is broken by a persistent, unbelief driven return to the willful practice of sin in disobedience without repentance along with stubborn resistance to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit and church discipline as a de facto apostate (Isaiah 63:7-10; Jeremiah 7:21-27, 8:4-6; Acts 7:51; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 2 Corinthians 12:19-21; Philippians 3:17-19; 1 Timothy 5:6-15; Titus 1:10-16; Hebrews 3:7-13). It is also broken by willful and blatant apostasy (Jeremiah 2:1-13, 11:1-10; Matthew 10:16-33; 2 Timothy 2:11-13).
The deliberate apostate is immediately condemned (Luke 11:24-26; Galatians 1:6-9; Hebrews 6:4-8; 2 Peter 2:1-3, 18-22; Jude 4). In the case of both the de facto and willful apostate, the rejection of Christ and His once and for all sacrifice for sin leaves them with no other sacrifice or covenant. Also, God considers their rejection the unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit with no outcome but eternal destruction (Luke 12:8-10; Hebrews 10:26-39; 1 John 5:14-17). Truly, the Lord Jesus plainly warns prospective followers and parties to the second part of God’s New Covenant about His demand that they make Him their ‘“first love’” and declares His willingness to destroy those who will not (Luke 14:25-26; Revelation 2:1-5, NKJV). Therefore, let every professing Christian give full heed to Hebrews 3:14-19 as does the aspiring strong man of God. The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, “Who is on the Lord's side?”
Originally Posted January 19, 2014
In continuing to celebrate God’s New Covenant in the New Year, the Holy Spirit has led me to further discuss its terms and conditions. A covenant is a binding agreement between at least two parties. God is the Party of the first part to His New Covenant which He has taken the initiative to offer freely to men that will enter into it through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ during this temporary season of grace. God being of perfectly trustworthy character, there is no doubt but that He for His part keeps His covenants and performs what He has promised as His Word also testifies (Deuteronomy 7:9-11; Nehemiah 1:1-7; Psalm 105:7-12; Daniel 9:1-8; Hebrews 6:13-18, 11:17-19, 13:20-21).
In the opening chapter of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, the Holy Spirit leads me to present the second Person of the triune God, Jesus Christ, as the second Adam come to earth to rescue the fallen first Adam’s descendants (1 Corinthians 15:45-47; 1 Timothy 2:1-6)!1 As was biblically laid out in the March 2018 Blog Series, Behold The Man!, the Lord Jesus as the second Adam gave a perfect display of God’s vision and design of man made in the divine image and likeness.2 For as Man, He perfectly modeled the nature, visionary leadership, ambition, authority and strength of God with many other character traits and demeanor that fully pleased His Father.3
The Father did not send a second woman, but Adam--why? While women also display the masculine attributes of God, Christ came as the second Adam because the first Adam in completeness is the original, eternal creature (Genesis 2:7)!4 Adam stood by himself before God as the fullness of man the creature made in “the image and glory of God,” but woman is his glory deriving her existence from him (1 Corinthians 11:7-8, NKJV). God did not return to the dust to create a separate, independent creature and rival to man. To be his corresponding companion and helper, “Woman” was taken out of Adam, as this descriptive first name he gives her indicates and the apostle Paul plainly affirms (Genesis 2:18-24; 1 Corinthians 11:9, NKJV).
Even so, mortal woman is not less than, but equal to the man in person though, in authority, he stands ahead of her before God.5 Perfectly consistent with this, as the responsible federal head of mankind, God held Adam accountable for passing on sin to every soul that comes forth from his body (Romans 5:12). Thus, as James Brown rightly asserts in his famous song, this is a man’s world in terms of rank and responsibility, but since God created the earth to be inhabited, without a woman, it would be empty of mankind and nothing (Genesis 1:27-28, 3:20, 4:1-2, 25-5:5; Psalm 115:16; Isaiah 45:18; 1 Corinthians 11:11-12).6 This gives mortal woman immeasurable value to God and man!
However, since the second half of the 20th century, women declaring themselves feminists are among many other rebels that have decided to throw off what they consider the yoke of God and the instruction of His Word found in the Bible (Psalm 2:1-3). They reject any subordinate place under the first Adam through such deceit as “Evolution” and demand a form of equality that makes them so independent, they can murder their unborn without consequence. So, now, at this precise moment in the 21st century they stand at the pinnacle of their power and influence as represented by the Time’s Up Movement and pointedly articulated by Oprah Winfrey on a recent 2018 televised awards show.
Mixed in with its righteous call for an end to sexual harassment and pay inequality in the workplace, Time’s Up in its rhetoric seems to also be militantly threatening an overthrow end to the rule of men and replacement by women in presumed superiority.7 Here is where the evil hand and ruinous end game of Satan in the feminist movement clearly shows itself as I also wrote in a 2016 Mother’s Day post (Isaiah 14:12-15).8 For truly, according to God who wrote the script in His Word for how this all ends, these women are right that time is up; His wrath is near to be revealed at the Second Coming of His Son, Christ the second Adam He has appointed to rule and crush this world’s rebellion led then by two evil immortal men (Psalm 2:4-9; Ezekiel 7; Revelation 13, 19:11-20:3)!
This being so, since sinful, usurping women are not any better rulers than men, they should repent now and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ because His wrath is going to fall equally on all sinners (Psalm 2:10-12)! Indeed, Christ as the second Adam now stands before His Father as the first glorified immortal Man and federal Head of mankind. Like the mortal first Adam, He would have stood alone forever if there were to be no others like Him to come. But now, lined up behind Him by demonstrated faith and faithfulness are souls like Him in great number (1 Corinthians 15:48-49). Saved from wrath, they will be resurrected or translated and metamorphosed to immortal glory at His coming and command; reigning with Him on this earth and forever (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 2:25-29, 20:4-6)!
Also, because the second Adam is Lord and Judge, after His wrath, the end for all unrepentant human rebels is resurrection to immortality, judgment based on their works and eternal separation from God in the lake of fire with Satan and the two evil immortals who deceived them (Revelation 20:7-15). This is another of the urgent reasons I continue appealing to professed Christians in their churches to repent from embracing feminism that redefines and marginalizes men. Not only does this stronghold of deceit come from the evil genius of Satan to bind up prospective strong men of God in the image of Christ and plunder their spheres of governance and influence in this life (Matthew 12:29-30; 1 Timothy 4:1-2),9 but also to carry all of his captives away with him to eternal destruction!
So, then, the only ultimate beneficiary of feminism as a stronghold of deceit entrenched in many of the churches is Satan (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25). For while Christians are saved from wrath and Hell by faith in Christ going into salvation, is rebellion against God ever treated as an acceptable continuing work of faith anywhere in the Bible? The saved are those who persevere in their faith validated by its works of love motivated obedience and faithfulness to the end (Mark 13:13; John 14:15; Hebrews 3:7-19; James 2:14-26)! You cannot be a rebel feminist in any measure holding to its deceitful ideology in defiant disobedience to God’s Word and a faithful Christian simultaneously.10 The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics is available through all major internet booksellers, by order from your favorite brick and mortar bookstore and in the Strong Man
Store.
2 See the four blogs posted in March 2018 under the category, The Cause.
3 Read the July 6, 2014 post, Christ: Model Of Perfect Manhood!, under the category, Instruction and the three part Blog Series beginning January 29, 2017, Jesus, Son
Of Man under the category, The Cause.
4 A point of the biblical doctrine of man I have repeatedly made beginning in my book.
5 The apostle Paul’s teaching on men in general as God’s chosen leaders and fathers and husbands to women in particular, gives rise to his discussion of head cover-
ings for them as the “symbol of authority” respecting their respective heads when they pray or prophesy other than in private (1 Corinthians 11:2-16, NKJV).
6 The world in its rebellion can try to evade God’s use of “mankind” recognizing Adam as the first and patriarchal head of his kind by purposely using “humankind,” but
inescapably right in the middle of this term “man” is still present!
7 https://www.timesupnow.com
8 See the May 8, 2016 post, God A Sexist?, under the category, God’s Creatures.
9 Blogs that present the urgent need to restore men are posted July-September 2017.
10 Read all four of my September 2014 posts on the topic of obedience. It is nearly 2,000 years after the birth of the Church built up by sound, apostolic doctrine (1
Thessalonians 2:1-13). There is no excuse for any departure from the truth of God’s Word, but especially for that which is embodied in the clear deceit and in
God’s face willful rebellion of feminism against it, Him as the Author and the Man He has anointed to rule over mankind according to its eternal precepts. In the
Church’s infancy and before the canonization of New Testament Scripture, God may have been longsuffering with such sin (Hebrews 5:12-14). But not only are
professed Christians today as practicing feminists compromised and corrupted, they and their churches are no longer credible witnesses for Christ since their
rebellion against Him in step with the world is evident. It is also indefensible to God. Without repentance, therefore, their judgment as foretold apostates is just
(Philippians 3:17-19; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12; Titus 1:10-16; Hebrews 10:26-31)!
As the Lord led me to write about earlier this month and celebrate from Palm through Resurrection Sunday, God’s Messiah was foretold by Him through His Jewish prophets in the Bible to come twice.1 The first coming of God’s Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, during the first century A.D. was all about sacrificing Himself to save willing mankind from our sins. He finished this part of the mission on Calvary’s cross with His death. After His burial, resurrection and ascension back to glory, at God’s appointed future time He is slated to return “a second time” to fulfill every promise of salvation God has made to those of us who have put our faith in and wait on Him (Hebrews 9:28b, NKJV).
“Scoffers” living captive “to their own lusts” as foretold, for nearly 2,000 years have scoffed at the faith of faithful Christians in our willingness to wait on “the promise of His coming.” “They willfully forget” the Bible’s instruction on God’s mighty Word in creation and past visitation in destructive wrath using water; foretelling of yet another to come with fire in judging earth’s “ungodly men,” (2 Peter 3:1-7, NKJV). What the scoffers and apparently many professed Christians also fail to realize is that the return of Messiah has been purposely delayed by God this long out of His love and “longsuffering” to save the willing He foreknows from His wrath and eternal damnation (2 Peter 3:8-9, NKJV).2
As the apostle Peter soberly warns, the return of Messiah entails the outpour of God’s wrath in the eternal onset of “the day of the Lord” as earth is reclaimed for His dominion from fallen angels and men, then later, destroyed to make way for “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells,” (2 Peter 3:10-15; Revelation 11:15-19, 21:1-8, NKJV). His wrath does not fully unfold, however, until after Messiah gathers His two elects--Israel’s mortal remnant and His followers from all nations--to Himself (Mark 13:24-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, NKJV).3 These events fulfilled are among the promises of salvation God has made to both elects in His Word!
The next promises of salvation to be immediately enjoyed by the faithful followers of Messiah gathered to Him from Heaven who are resurrected and those relative few mortals alive on earth at His Second Coming are glorified immortal bodies and eternal righteousness (1 Corinthians 15:50-57; 2 Timothy 4:8)! For in God’s justification by grace through our faith in Messiah looking to that Day, is our being clothed now, with His righteousness as both a spiritual position we occupy and experience we have despite the endless attempts of sin to reassert its dominion over us with the aid of Satan and his temptations we are to vigorously resist (Romans 6-8:17; Galatians 5:16-25; 1 Peter 5:8-11).
Thus, in Messiah Jesus, I am a sinner made righteous in the sight of God through faith and understand myself to be a righteous man who sins when I do in the weakness of the sinful flesh. In sin, I confess and repent of it availing myself of God’s readiness to forgive and cleanse me through the finished work of Messiah on Calvary’s cross as often as needed (Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 1:5-2:2). So, when I say I am a sinner to sinners as a Christian, it is not because I am going about practicing sin as a way life any longer, but I am humbly and honestly acknowledging that I still sin as one redeemed by and righteous before God in my mortal journey toward perfection!4
Today, secular films and television programming regularly mock and belittle God’s social and moral order He established at creation for the good of mankind in favor of what they call “progressive” correctives, but which are evil. Contrarily, another promise of salvation Messiah will fulfill in the Day of His Second Coming is the restoration of God’s will and way now, declared in His Word across every aspect of surviving mortal human earth existence in which He will reign as King and Judge (Psalm 72; Micah 4:1-3; Matthew 25:31-46).5 Indeed, we His glorified redeemed followers and saints from all time will reign and judge with Him (Psalm 149; Revelation 1:4-8, 2:26-29, 5:8-10, 20:4-6)!6
At the end of Messiah’s millennial reign in this present earth and age, by His Father’s election as God and Man, He shall resurrect “those who have done evil” and judge for eternity every human who has ever existed that He had not already judged (John 5:16-30; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11; 1 Peter 4:1-5; Revelation 19:11-21, 20:11-15, 22:12-15, NKJV).7 Daniel in his book where we started back on January 9th this year among the prophets of the Bible were shown the coming resurrections of the righteous and the wicked along with their final judgment by Messiah (Daniel 12:2-3).8 Clearly, things will not go well in the judgment to eternal fire for the unsaved who have shown contempt for God’s Word. But the saved who love God’s Word will delight in it forever!
1 See the April 3, 2022 post, Messiah Comes Twice: Once For Sin, under the category, The Faith.
2 Read the two-part post beginning July 18, 2021, No Repentance, No Peace, under the category, Call To Repent. Also, consider the February 6, 2022 post, The Divine Delay, under the category, Bible Prophecy, to appreciate if you will, that as He gave sinful humanity in Noah’s day time to repent and be saved from His wrath, so, all in these last days since He offered up His own Son on the cross to make our salvation possible nearly 2,000 years ago!
3 See the August 15, 2021 post, The Honor Of Bypassing Death, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
4 The Christian journey toward perfection is about allowing God to make us over into the image of Messiah Jesus, His Son. This is the rallying cry and content of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and its companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study as well as Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study all available in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
5 That’s right! The same transcendent eternal spiritual principles, morality and ethics contained in the Bible the wicked now, mock and belittle as well as many professed Christians corrupt and compromise, will be put in play and enforced by Messiah since as He Himself teaches, neither the content of God’s Law or any of His Words will fail to endure forever (Matthew 5:17-20, 24:35)! See the August 1, 2021 post, Jesus Christ King And Judge!, under the category, Instruction.
6 Read the August 8, 2021 post, Kings And Judges With Christ, under the category, Encouragement.
7 Behold the perfect justice of God the Father to allow His Son, Jesus, as perfect Man to judge His fellow man (Acts 17:29-31)!
8 See the January 9, 2022 post, Easier To Read Bibles, under the categories Bible Prophecy and Instruction.
Writing about the reality of racism in the first chapter of my book, The Scourge Of Racism, I am taken aback by how apparently many white Americans who also professed to be devout Christians nonchalantly tolerated, practiced and even advocated for racism to continue as the systemic social norm of the culture for over four centuries.1 So much so has this been the case that even now, it appears many especially white conservative evangelicals still feel like they are doing the objects of racism a favor to cease and desist from it as biblically and morally indefensible as it is. Indeed, some have believed God was and is like them in their outlook and supportive!2 But was and is He?
As always, God’s dealings with ancient Israel serve to instruct those of us who will receive correction from His Word objectively read, interpreted and applied! In Psalm 50, God Almighty presents Himself as He who “has spoken and called the earth from” east to west to witness His glorious, loud, fiery and “tempestuous” arrival as He comes to judge His people, Israel, “out of Zion.” Beyond question, “God Himself is Judge.” And while Israel is in view first as the saints gathered to God “who have made a covenant with” Him “by sacrifice,” followers of Jesus Christ the “Lamb of God” see ourselves assembled to the Judge too (Psalm 50:1-6; John 1:29; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11, NKJV).
In language and purpose remarkably similar to Christ’s as Judge among the churches in The Revelation Of Jesus Christ, God calls to His ‘“people’” to listen as He testifies ‘“against’” them (Psalm 50:7; Revelation 1:20-2:7, NKJV). Why do those that profess to be God’s people in large numbers seem to forget He sees and hears everything we do? One reason is clearly the spiritually deadening routines, worship rituals and works of religion! This is exactly what God rebukes the dull hearted, dutifully religious in Israel for as does Christ the church at Ephesus (Psalm 50:8-15; Revelation 2:4-5). Love for God in relationship is paramount; spurring ardent worship and works He rewards!
The foregoing truth explains why many white professed Christians for centuries to this hour could silently tolerate and practice racism in American churches. Just like many in ancient Israel and the churches already by the end of the first century, they were practicing Christianity as a spiritually dead religion of men.3 It was loosely based on the Bible, but became exposed when the racist cultural norms it upheld ran up on the Bible’s transcendent spiritual principles, morals and ethics. Without being born again, many did not have the teaching, will or power to resist the cultural status quo and went along with what their church going fathers, neighbors, co-workers etc. did as racists.4
In God’s sight, devoted racists that have filled and led churches would be among the wicked in Israel He now, turns Himself to judge in the Psalm. He wants to know, ‘“What right have you to declare My statutes or take My covenant in your mouth seeing that you hate instruction and cast My words behind you,’” (Psalm 50:16-17, NKJV)? Too, He indicts the wicked for giving if not overt, tacit consent to evil that included the harming of family and in American history, blacks known to be Christians (Psalm 50:18-20). Ostensibly Christian hate groups (a contradiction in terms if there ever was one) such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) terrorized blacks throughout the nation’s South.5
The KKK did this by burning crosses in targeted black yards, destroying property, raping the women, whisking away the men to assault and murder sometimes by lynching as their means of intimating the race to remain in its supposedly inferior place to whites. As with the wicked of Psalm 50, those that carried out their evil works of racism did so in the face of God’s silence believing He was completely like them and supported their evil deeds. But God declares not so and assures His ‘“rebuke’” that will set His charges ‘“in order before’” their ‘“eyes,’” (Psalm 50:21, NKJV).6 There is no place in Scripture God endorses, but only in sovereignty permits such evil until He judges it. He says, ‘“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’” (Romans 12:19-21, NKJV) as many have painfully learned.7
Consequently, God the Judge of His people warns the apathetic religious and willful wicked to ‘“consider’” what He is about to say with a view toward repenting; both, He says, ‘“who forget God’” in their sinning, ‘“lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver,’” (Psalm 50:22, NKJV). So much for the latter day false teaching that contrary to His Word asserts God is no threat for temporal or eternal punitive judgment upon sinning professed Christians (Romans 1:18-2:11; Galatians 5:19-21; Hebrews 10:26-31). The Lord does not change or lower His standards. He receives only genuine praise from the heart of obedience He saves (Psalm 50:23)! Having been gracious, merciful, longsuffering and forbearing with racism in His house over four centuries His judgment has come.8
1 The Scourge Of Racism, Copyright 2023, ODCM Publishing Division, Portland, OR, p. 31-32. The printed book is available in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores. The just released E-Book is available widely for purchase through your favorite E-Book seller. Watch the book trailer.
2 Many white conservative professed Christians obviously did believe God endorsed their bigoted and discriminatory acts of racism such as notable evangelists Billy Sunday (see the July 13, 2015 Blog post by Dr. Tim Gombis, The Racist Roots Of Evangelicalism) and Bob Jones, Sr. who founded the university bearing his name that openly practiced excluding blacks through the early 1970s. The Fort Worth, TX seminary I graduated from, Southwestern Baptist, in their history is among many that did not warmly welcome non-white students as I briefly touch on in The Scourge Of Racism, p. 34-35.
3 Read the two-part post beginning August 21, 2016, Christianity The Religion Of Men, under the category, Instruction. Also, read the September 4, 2016 post, Christianity The Religion American Style, under the category, Call To Repent.
4 The status quo being preserved within the context of loveless professed Christianity is the arrogance of racial superiority and privileges. God as Wisdom hates ‘“pride and arrogance,’” ‘”the evil way and the perverse mouth,’” (Proverbs 8:13, NKJV). See the November 12, 2023 post, Loving With The Love Of God, under the category, Instruc- tion.
5 The KKK in their full regalia were prominently featured in some Southern white churches (see the image at about the 9:56 mark in the PBS feature, Backs Against the Wall: The Howard Thurman Story). Four school age girls in a Birmingham, AL church bombing were among those murdered by the violence of racial hate.
6 Those who know and love Him appreciate God’s silence in the face of evil is never His active support and approval. Any that would believe this run into serious trouble at- tempting to sustain such a twisted view of God’s silence in the face of His own Son’s suffering at the hands of evil men (Psalm 22). In His sovereignty, God Almighty chooses the how and when of His intervention against evil as in His perfect or permissive will He allows it always to some good end for the one who puts faith in Him (Ro- mans 8:28)!
7 It is a reality of living in an existence with the eternally just God (Deuteronomy 32:4): sin does not go without being judged by Him. This means no racist that has ever harmed or harms the objects of their racism gets away with it. Equally true, the objects of racism that entitle themselves to sin as victims do not get away with it either!
8 The only God ordained avenue of escape is repentance as the apostle Paul stresses (Romans 2:3-4)! Watch this Ministry’s Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, on YouTube for help.
The millennium reign of Jesus Christ as the first part of God’s eternal day fulfills His promise of comfort and restoration to Israel beyond Jewish imagination after suffering His punishment under the tyranny of the Gentiles so long.1 For as the Gentiles had their “times” in this present world and age, the Jews in the millennium reign of Christ will have theirs as part of God’s eternal day (Deuteronomy 28:58-68; Hosea 6:1-3; Zechariah 8:11-23; Luke 21:20-24, NKJV).2 Truly, all of the surviving nations on earth will bountifully benefit from the Kingdom rule of Christ and His glorified immortal saints since there will be peace, justice, fairness and prosperity (Psalm 99:1-5; Isaiah 2:1-4, 11:1-9, 25:6-9).3
Even so, this first part of God’s planned eternal day is limited to only a millennium by design because one of His major objectives is the restoration of holiness to all of His Kingdom forever! This necessitates an end to the first part of His eternal day and bringing in of a second which follows His complete crushing of Satan, sin and death. For this cause Satan and his demonic hordes were only temporarily incarcerated under the earth, while mortals still as sinners are present on it during the millennium. It is amazing how without the instigating efforts of evil, but with the fear of the Lord the sinful deeds of mortal mankind are curtailed during the millennium (Micah 4:3; Malachi 3:4-5)!
Satan must be crushed because in the second part of God’s eternal day He will no longer tolerate His fallen angel as a continuing futile rival and instigator of rebellion and opposition against Him (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-16; Romans 16:20). Hence, an '“everlasting fire'” away from God was long ago '“prepared for the devil and his angels'” in which men only join them because of refusing to repent from their evil works of sin and turn to Christ in faith for salvation (Matthew 25:41, NKJV). Indeed, because of their evil works of sin not forgiven, mortal human sinners cannot enter the Kingdom of God and eternally dwell in His presence for three important reasons.
God is holy as the first reason (Psalm 99:9; Isaiah 6:1-5; Revelation 4:8-11)! Because God is holy, He is absolutely offended by sin and reflexively condemns its source. God loves man, but when our forefather, Adam, sinned, God followed through with His forewarned consequence of death (separation) both spiritual and physical upon him and us his progeny (Genesis 2:15-17, 3:17-19, 22-24, 5:1-5). Sin in our bodies then, separates us from the presence of God Most Holy (Isaiah 59:1-8) who would instantly breakout upon and destroy the unholy sinner that dares approach Him (Exodus 19:10-15) or transgress in His face as happened to two sinning priests of Israel (Leviticus 10:1-3)!4
This leads to the second reason mortal men “cannot inherit the Kingdom of God:” His natural realm is spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:50, NKJV). Finally, the body, spirit or soul could not endure nor will God keep His anger toward sinners forever (Genesis 6:3; Isaiah 57:15-16). This is why He never considered such a thing. But from eternity as God planned for the creation of man it was purposed that his first form be mortal to suffer death for his foreknown sin and after, become immortal; Christ preeminently unveiling and making the metamorphosis possible through His experience in the Gospel proclaimed to the world we Christians await (1 Corinthians 15:35-49, 51-57; 2 Timothy 1:8-12)!5
Therefore, in accord with the foreknowledge and infinite wisdom of God, Satan is released from his prison at the end of the millennium reign of Christ and His glorified immortal saints and the first part of God’s planned eternal day. He immediately instigates a rebellion against the Lord by the mortal Gentile nations and gathers them to Jerusalem to also attack Israel (Ezekiel 38:1-17; Revelation 20:7-8). However, God the Father from Heaven intervenes to destroy all of the rebels and the entire physical creation with holy fire, while Satan is thrown into the “lake of fire,” (Ezekiel 39:5-6; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 20:9-10, NKJV).6 This is followed by Christ resurrecting and judging the unsaved dead; casting them with “Death and Hades” into the fire too (Revelation 20:11-15, NKJV).
Then, the Father as foretold creates “a new heaven and a new earth” and brings down “the holy city, New Jerusalem;” launching the second part of His plan from eternity that He should dwell up close and Personal with His redeemed creatures (Revelation 21:1-3, NKJV). In this ‘“new’” and final part of His eternal day, God eliminates every vestige of relational separation, grief and hurts from the ‘“former’” mortal ages and again certifies His actions with ‘“It is done!’”7 He assures the overcoming saint he ‘“shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son,’” (Revelation 21:4-8, NKJV). We will live together with, learn from and serve God and Christ in the indescribably glorious and beautifully Jewish accented New Jerusalem “forever and ever,” (Revelation 21:9-22:5, NKJV)!8
1 Read the August 13, 2023 post, There Is A New Beginning!, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
2 See the June 12, 2016 post, The Day Of Israel’s Comfort, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
3 See the September 24, 2017 post, Christ To Restore All Things, under the categories Bible Prophecy and The Cause.
4 Professed Christians practicing sin in the face of Christ are assured of His chastening in Scripture (1 Corinthians 11:23-32; Revelation 3:19). This being so, He calls for His wayward sheep in the pews and pulpits to turn back to Him in this Ministry’s latest Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, on YouTube. Isn’t your life worth thirty minutes?
5 The Lord led me to write on the topic of His design of man to be mortal as a first stage, then, immortal as a second in posts that run from July 3, 2016 through August 14, 2016.
6 For more on these events read the December 27, 2015 post, People And Guns, under the category, Biblical Worldview and the one on November 13, 2022, Jesus Christ: God’s Perfect King, under the category, Glory To God!
7 Read the August 6, 2023 post, The Last Day Of The End, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
8 Being eternal sons, disciples and servants is the destiny of every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:7) as He leads me to unflinchingly write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. It is available in the Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Editions along with the companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study in the Strong Man Store, among internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.
Hollywood loves turning loose out of place in time gigantic dinosaurs and other beasts into the cities and suburbs of the modern world to wreak havoc and destruction as terrified humanity runs for their lives to escape. And while God Almighty in no way compares to any beast of the earth past, present or of fallen man’s imagination, humanity in the 21st century world is just as unprepared for His unveiling in judgment as those of fiction are to the sudden appearance of out of place and time giant beasts. Nevertheless, Bible prophecy is very clear this world hostile to and in rebellion against God is near to experiencing His completely unexpected display of severe warning judgments and wrath!
Sadly, among those that are not prepared for God Almighty to again show His superior power in the earth are many that profess to be Christians. Ignoring the most significant sign God has given yet of what is coming, many still want to put the Day of the Lord off for possible thousands of years away or hide behind “that day and hour no one knows” which refers to specificity, not general times or why would the Lord command us to watch for signs He Himself gave (Mark 13:28-37, NKJV)? It is righteous to avoid confusion from way out speculation about the end times. But it seems many avoid the issue because it interferes with their carefully laid plans and preoccupation with this world!1
Can you speak thunder? The Lord Jesus can and whomever He enables among His servants (Revelation 10:1-4)! During the week leading up to Passover and His crucifixion, “certain Greeks” among the Jewish throngs sought to have an audience with the Lord. Though He did not meet with them, He plainly took their desire for an audience to be prophetically significant as it concerned His glory, fruit of His crucifixion and perpetual requirements to be His disciple as He spoke to Andrew and Philip who were attempting to arrange the meeting (John 12:20-26, NKJV). Squaring up with His crucifixion again, the Lord then speaks of it as His disturbing, but unavoidable approaching reality and concludes it was for that experience He had come to the moment (John 12:27).
Honoring His Father who had assigned Him the cross, the Lord Jesus exclaimed, ‘“Father, glorify Your name.’” Immediately the Father replied, ‘“I have both glorified it and will glorify it again,’” (John 12:28, NKJV). The people standing by heard the Father and “said it had thundered;” some thought the thunder was an angel speaking to him. Jesus said the voice (and very importantly, the words) of His Father was not for His sake, but the people present (John 12:29-30, NKJV). And why? The Lord says, ‘“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself,’” (John 12:31-32, NKJV).
The Father would be glorified a second time in the earth by the atoning death of His Son, Jesus Christ, for the sins of the world (John 1:29-34). While delivering all (Jew and Gentile) that look to His sacrifice for salvation through faith, it also certifies the judgment of the rejecting remainder (John 3:14-21). Also, finally, in the aftermath of Christ’s triumphant sacrifice Satan, the ruler of this world, will be deposed and eternally banished (Colossians 2:13-15; 1 John 5:19; Revelation 20:7-10). Now, if all of this from Christ’s sacrifice constitutes a second time the Father is glorified, then, when was the first time? Wasn’t it His mighty deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt?2
God Almighty came down from Heaven to deliver Israel from bondage to Egypt about the midpoint of the 15th century B.C. (Exodus 3-14). With the rod of Moses the Lord strong and mighty suddenly visited and brought plagues upon Egypt representing the modern world of its time because Pharaoh, their ruler, would not let God’s people He came to deliver go. By the time the Lord was finished Egypt was destroyed; Pharaoh who claimed to be a god and all of the rest of Egypt’s gods (demons) were humiliated in defeat (Exodus 7:3-5, 10:7, 14:1-9, 21-30). The fame of the Lord went throughout the earth from that day and remains among all mankind that have heard of what He did to Egypt on behalf of Israel; to deliver them from bondage with mighty signs and wonders in judgment.
So, now, Israel is back in her land after nearly 1,900 years of dispersion throughout the earth by divine decree as foretold by the prophets beginning with Moses (Deuteronomy 28:15-68, 31:14-29; Hosea 3, 5:8-15). Many are returning to the land as God’s preparation for both His final punishment and deliverance of the Jewish people. Indeed, as foretold by the Lord through His prophets, as Judah returned from exile and rebuilt the Temple and Jerusalem beginning in the 6th century B.C., so, those presently in the land are doing the same, but in reverse order. Opposition exponentially greater (involving global hostilities) to what was faced by Jews building the second Temple faces those that would build a third (Ezra 1, 3-4:24). Yet, they have to and will--the Temple is part of their identification with God.3
In the days leading up to and during building the Temple according to the Lord’s specifications (Ezekiel 40-43:12), He will begin to finish bringing glory to Himself again in the cause of delivering Israel this time in the sight of this whole 21st century earth. After sealing His chosen Jewish remnant (Revelation 7:1-8), God will suddenly display His unmistakable wonders in mighty warning judgments (Revelation 8-9). After this will come Satan’s last stand before Christ returns, God’s final exam, Israel’s travail and “great tribulation” that spreads to the whole world (Mark 13:14-23; Revelation 11:1-14, 12:1-14:13, NKJV). Then, following as foretold, God will unleash His full wrath inaugurating the Day of the Lord that also features the Second Coming of Christ to lead the charge.
This unique Day of the Lord delivers remnant Jews and Christians, judges this world and overcomes all kingdoms including Satan’s (Isaiah 13:6-13; Zechariah 12:1-9, 14:1-7, 12-15; Mark 13:24-27; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10; Revelation 11:15-19, 16, 19:11-20:3). Just as He brought Israel out of Egypt, God Almighty will triumphantly bring all of the chosen, surviving remnant of His people back to the land in that Day from all over the earth to see Him in glory. They will turn to Christ as foretold (Isaiah 10:20-23, 11:11-16; Jeremiah 30:1-9, 31:1-9; Ezekiel 39:21-29; Hosea 6:1-3; Zechariah 12:10-13:1; Romans 11:1-29).4 This present world will never be the same again. The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 Faithful and true disciples of Jesus Christ live in this world to please Him and do His will which is the heart of every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in
His image (Mark 8:31-38; Luke 9:57-62; 1 John 2:15-17). Learn more in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics available in print or digital download for-
mats at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only). You can also get the Hard or Soft Cover print ver-
sions of the book in the Strong Man Store.
2 Read the July 30-Sept 3, 2017 six-part series and especially part five, Restoring Men In The Two Minute Drill, under the category, Bible Prophecy as additional back-
ground information for this post.
3 This is another reason putting end time events off for even hundreds of years from now is not sound. Truly, the Jews mournfully commemorate the exact day both the
first and second Temples were respectively destroyed (which amazingly are the same--only God!) by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. and the Romans in 70 A.D. on an
occasion called Tisha B’Av--The Fast Of The Fifth Month (see The Feasts of the Lord, Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal, Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville 1997,
151-157). The devout not only grieve the loss and lack of a Temple, but most assuredly will not let the 2,000 year anniversary of the second Temple’s destruction
looming ahead this century pass without notice as many make preparation for a third to be built (Ezra 5-6; https://www.templeinstitute.org/main.htm). This should not
surprise faithful Christians since as He did with the second Temple, the Lord stirs up the hearts of the people nearing 100 years back in the land also this century
(Haggai 1:1-2:9)! Thus too, as it was with Pharaoh who God demanded to let His people go forth to worship Him, so, with Satan through his human vessels among
the Gentile nations and finally, the one who becomes Antichrist, God will demand through Jewish leaders what He similarly spoke to me writing in a former post: “Let
My people worship Me in the house I have commanded them to build Me,” (see footnote 2).
4 See the June 12, 2016 post, The Day Of Israel’s Comfort, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
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