The in and out of season “violent whirlwind” or if you will, hurricane, cyclone or tornado embedded in the great storms of these “latter days” in which God is having “His way” was specifically foretold (Jeremiah 23:18-20; Nahum 1:3, NKJV). Even as the whirlwinds have been very destructive of late (destroying church properties too), the loss of life here has been minimal. This is because God is graciously expressing just a foretaste of His coming wrath. His heart is to save! Truly, in the day of His wrath and immediately before the return of Christ, God will raise up a global “whirlwind” that will destroy multitudes in every nation, again, as foretold (Jeremiah 25:32-33, 30:23-24)!
Concerning the “whirlwind of the LORD,” He assures “in the latter days you will understand it perfectly” and “you will consider it,” (Jeremiah 23:19a, 20b, 30:23a, 24b, NKJV). Clearly, the “you” refers as a first audience to faithful Jews and Christians that take His prophetic Word to heart! While not a few professed Christians with the many non-Christians in unbelief deny any involvement of God in or His control of the destructive whirlwinds we are seeing in the volatile storms of climate change, like Pharaoh of ancient Egypt they will all eventually come around to the evidence based truth (Exodus 10:1-7, 14:21-31; Psalms 77:11-20, 78:40-53; Isaiah 63:11-14; Joel 3:9-17; Revelation 16)!
Those alive in the day the Lord pours out the climatic fullness of His great wrath upon fake, apostate and non-Christians who had obstinately refused to obey His command to repent will understand the erratic weather patterns, destructive whirlwinds and disasters of climate change we are experiencing right now, were in fact not only early harbingers for it, but also birth pains of the Second Coming and Kingdom of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:3-8)! With the whirlwinds of climate change ahead are more harbingers of God’s coming wrath and Christ’s return that He will show in the Cosmos and earth’s sky (Isaiah 2:10-11, 13:6-13; Luke 21:11, 25-27; Revelation 6:12-17, 19:11-16).
As I wrote in a previous post, science like Pharaoh’s magicians who in their contest with God were also initially arrogantly confident are being set up for utter humiliation by Him!5 Science and technology are given to His fallen creatures by God--how else could ancient Job have known “the earth hangs on nothing” and is spherical (Job 26; Psalm 94:10, NKJV)? Ultimately they serve His purposes and plans (Exodus 31:1-11). Hundreds of telescopes positioned on earth and above it such as Hubble and the sun orbiting James Webb peer into and photograph deep space. Astronomers will see God’s earliest cosmic signs first and be helpless to do anything about them (Revelation 8:10-13)!
Interestingly, as scientists who fear God as their prime motivation for doing science marvel, the sky of our planet appears purposely designed for us to observe the heavens where “His handiwork” is in full view (Psalm 19:1-6, NKJV).6 On earth, an example of hi-tech knowledge God has recently given mankind is Artificial Intelligence (AI). According to News reports, the inventors of AI are calling for a slowdown in its development because of fear they lack control of it. Too late!7 It is already enabling levels of foretold deception the world has never before seen nor will ever see again after the coming Antichrist finishes exploiting it (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Revelation 13:11-18).8
Though the world mostly takes great pains to portray all of the good newly invented technology like AI will do for people, there are always those without the fear of God in their hearts that lay awake at night devising “iniquity,” planning “evil” and rushing the dawn to carry these out “because it is in the power of their hand” to do so.9 Such is the way of those who “hate” correction, exploit, rob, abuse and actually care nothing for the people among whom “the prudent keep silent” in this “evil time” as in every one that has been since the fall of man. Seeing all of this, God also devises, plans and brings “disaster” in judgment and deliverance as responses (Amos 5:10-13; Micah 2:1-5, 7:15-20, NKJV).
Out of the overflowing riches of His love, longsuffering grace and mercy the Lord has had me write to give warning to non-Christians at this hour. Hear it again: if He is bringing judgment within His own house of professed people, what chance of escape or hope of deliverance do you have? As He provides scientific and technical knowledge, God at the same time as Wisdom personified is daily calling out to non-Christians who refuse to give heed; preferring their “own way” which He allows. Nevertheless, the consequences of refusing to obey His command to repent and be saved through faith in Christ only get increasingly more severe going forward. Having rejected God’s wisdom, you will find in the day of calamity the cost of your own way was too great (Proverbs 1:7, 20-33, NKJV)!
5 See the July 5, 2020 post, Decision At The Crossroads, under the category, Call To Repent.
6 This is the biblically consistent conclusion drawn by the scientists brought together by Illustra Media, the producers of the excellent 2004 film, The Privileged Planet featuring narration by acclaimed actor, John Rhys-Davies.
7 Watch the April 16, 2023 episode of the CBS News Show, 60 Minutes.
8 Read Answers In Genesis Founder, Ken Ham’s Blog on the quest of one tech titan to make AI a god.
9 One purpose of God in teaching mankind advancing technical knowledge is to show us how corrupted our hearts are by sin and especially pride in the stubborn refusal to consult Him in its use. If insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly looking for a different result, unregenerate mankind fulfills the definition perfectly in the never ending quest to bring about good from the knowledge God provides without any visitation of evil; not realizing that their fallen, sinful hearts renders such a quest impossible for them (Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:21-23; Romans 3:9-18).
It should go without saying that if the living God is calling professed Christians as followers of His Son to repentance, then, non-Christians ought to be on notice too! Indeed, it is written: “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now ‘“If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear,”’” (1 Peter 4:17-18, NKJV)? Because God in holy character operates in perfect justice (Deuteronomy 31:30-32:4), nobody gets away with anything; sin must be judged and punished (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:17-19; Psalm 62:9-12; Ezekiel 18:4; Matthew 12:33-37).
Unless therefore, God had sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to take on man’s judgment and punishment for sin, none would be saved (John 3:16-21, 36). Again, without God having taken the initiative out of His great love, grace, mercy and righteousness to make a way of salvation from sin for mankind through repentance and faith in the Gospel of Christ--that He died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day, this fallen world and mankind as sinners after giving an account for every sin committed would have long ago endured His wrath and been eternally destroyed (Genesis 6:5-8; John 8:21-24; Romans 1:16-17, 3:9-31, 5:6-9, 10:4-13)!
Instead, those of us who have repented of our sins and believed the Gospel of Christ have been forgiven, indwelt and brought to eternal spiritual life by the Spirit of God as well as reconciled to Him after being enemy combatants (Acts 2:36-39; Romans 5:10-11; Colossians 1:19-23). The foregoing is supposed to be the result in every case. But keeping it real, in addition to many who are weak in the faith, there have been numerous rebels, impostors and apostates who have dwelt among the Church the Lord has been building from the first century A.D. and misrepresented it to the on looking world (Acts 2:40-47, 5:1-11; Romans 16:17-20; Galatians 2:1-5; 1 John 2:18-23; Jude 3-19).
For this cause, God is righteously at work in His house through judgment calling His weak in the faith, backslidden and rebel professed people to repentance; testing and disciplining even the faithful to conform us fully to the glorious divine character resident in Christ (Hebrews 12:1-17). He is also exposing and separating out of His house the false, unrepentant disobedient and fallen away since Christ in all sobriety returns for a bride He sacrificed Himself to “sanctify and cleanse,” that does not have “spot or wrinkle or any such thing,” but is “holy and without blemish,” (Ephesians 5:25-27; 2 Peter 3:14, NKJV). Professed Christians thinking otherwise are deceived (Galatians 5:19-21, 6:7-8)!
Thus, if it is all like that for professed Christians as the apostle Peter serves up in his warning I quoted in the first paragraph of this post, then, the non-Christian is truly in grave peril. For God’s command to ‘“all men everywhere to repent’” is so ‘“because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man (Jesus Christ) whom He has ordained;” giving “assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead,’” (Acts 17:30-31, NKJV). The Lord led me to end my last post confirming He has not turned from His day of wrath upon all of those who have disobeyed His Gospel command to repent! It is coming more certainly than tomorrow’s sunrise!1
As I also recently briefly wrote about discussing these days of increasing post-Christianity unbelief in God,2 like ground with its overgrown weeds removed as preparation for planting, but after a delay grows back, so, the world has had a brief moment when the bright promise of Christianity filled it with the knowledge of God enough for many at least to believe in His existence. Now, helped in part by the willful neglect of guilty professed Christians and their churches in sin, compromise and corruption, all of the weeds of wickedness seen historically in secular atheism, false religions and the deeds of the flesh are growing back exceedingly worse than before (Luke 11:14-26).3
Refusing to believe in God does not dismiss Him from existence as He led me to state another way in a 2022 post!4 His steadily intensifying judgments in these latter days besides being remedial are warnings intended primarily to cause all to recognize His reality and repent before it is too late. However, because of proudly refusing to believe in the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible who warned millennia ago through His prophets about the escalating severity of the calamities we now, see coming upon the world, non-Christians (and many biblically ignorant professed Christians) are foolishly attributing them all to manmade climate change in the false hope they can fix things. Not! Surely, climate change is occurring, but it is not exclusively due to human cause (Amos 3:6-7, 5:8-9).
1 Read the April 23, 2023 post, A Word To God’s Faithful, under the category, Encouragement.
2 See the September 25, 2022 post, The Epidemic Of Unbelief In God, under the category, Encouragement.
3 The faithful and devoted heart of the aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ is required to stand firm against this never before seen spiritual tide as I write about them in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics! You can pick up a Hard or Soft Cover Edition of the book as well as 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.
4 Read the October 2, 2022, Unbelief In God Has Consequences, under the category, Instruction.
One of the many advantages we mocked “born again” Christians (John 1:12-13, 3:1-8, NKJV) enjoy comes into clear focus during the fifth trumpet warning judgment of God presented in the second installment of last week’s two-part post.1 Born again Christians and remnant Jews marked out by the Holy Spirit as belonging to God will not suffer being repeatedly stung by creatures He permits to do this to those without Him! So painful are the stings and the torment from them, “men will seek death and will not find it…desire to die, and death will flee from them,” (Revelation 9:1-12, NKJV). The tormented will not forget how those with God’s mark escaped the experience.2
God’s elect remnant Jews are specially marked out for protection during all of His judgments and wrath (Ezekiel 9:1-11; Joel 2:28-32; Revelation 7:1-8)! While as the Lord Jesus taught, “the world cannot receive” the Holy Spirit “because it neither sees Him nor knows Him,” by virtue of having received Him upon their repentance and faith in the Gospel, believers come to “know Him” through experiencing new spiritual birth and His abiding presence “with” and “in” us (John 14:16-17, NKJV)! Though since He is Spirit we do not see Him with our natural eyes, His glorious presence with and in us marks us out as belonging to God and is seen by all in the spiritual realm (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)!
For this cause, the angel king over and controlling the stinging locusts is able to distinguish those with God’s living seal upon them from those without Him and by His command, restricts the creatures from touching them (Revelation 9:4). For the record, rather than bitter resentment in the aftermath of their unimaginable agony, those that suffer the five months of painful torment had the prior opportunity as every born again Christian to believe the Gospel and receive the Holy Spirit and should now, be filled with repentance!3 However, their choice to be embittered leaves them open to more intense satanic influence and the evil decision to embrace violent persecution as revenge.
Extremely greater than at this hour widely filled with suffering and martyrdom throughout many nations,4 as the Lord foretold, hatred of born again Christians at that time reaches the point where they are “hated by all nations for” His “name’s sake,” (Matthew 24:9, NKJV). In their reprobate thinking, hurting and killing Christians (whose numbers had swelled during the revival the Holy Spirit freshly sparks when marking out the Jewish remnant--Acts 2:1-21) will be striking back at God for the stinging creatures and every plague of His warning judgments through the time of His “two witnesses,” (Revelation 11:3-6, NKJV). But the sovereign God is in control (Revelation 6:9-11)!
As the Lord led me to write in a previous post this year,5 toward the end of the witnessing of His two witnesses by prophesy and plagues, God’s holy angels led by Michael war against Satan and his angels in Heaven and prevail. They are cast out and down to the earth that have been and are behind the persecution of Jews (the elect is protected) and faithful Christians who overcome through their faith in and love for Christ!6 To be sure, “the devil” comes down “having great wrath because he knows that he has a short time,” (Revelation 12, NKJV). At this precise moment the Holy Spirit ceases His restraint preventing the coming of Satan’s “lawless one,” (2 Thessalonians 2:6-12, NKJV).
He rises up “out of the bottomless pit” to “war against” God’s two witnesses, “overcome” and kill them;” leaving “their dead bodies…in the street” and allowing the whole unsaved world to celebrate their deaths “three-and-a-half days” until God resurrects and calls them up to Heaven. After the “great earthquake” that follows, Satan and his “beast” go forth to rally the world to their quest for exaltation, worship, destructive dominion and warfare against God through killing Jews and Christians--the beast taking up the revenge cause of those without God’s mark who were tormented (Romans 8:31-39; Revelation 11:7-13, 13:1-10, NKJV). This ushers in what the Lord Jesus first describes as “great tribulation,” (Daniel 7:1-8, 19-25, 9:27, 11:31-45; Matthew 24:15-22, NKJV).
During the three-and-a-half year great tribulation that is in fact the beginning of the “third woe” culminating in the outpour of God’s wrath and Second Coming of Christ (Revelation 11:14, NKJV), Satan’s beast will be aided in his ability to kill all, but especially faithful Christians who do not worship him by another resurrected deceitfully lowly, but malevolent figure. He causes an image of the beast to live and kill any that will not worship it. He also requires everyone to receive the beast’s “mark” on themselves showing that they belong to him in imitation of what God has done with His elect Jewish remnant and faithful born again Christians who refuse to take it (Revelation 13:11-18, 14:9-13, NKJV). Consequently, they are shown victorious in glory thereafter (Revelation 7:9-17, 15:1-4)!
1 Read part two of Unbelief In God Near Dramatic End, posted October 16, 2022 under the category, Bible Prophecy.
2 See footnote seven in the post cited above as well as the two-part post that begins June 7, 2020, Days Of Separation, under the category, Bible Prophecy, for deeper spiritual insight into how God making a distinction between His elects and the unsaved fits into His larger separating activity already in progress.
3 Since nowhere in Revelation 9:1-12 is there even a mention of repentance from among those tormented by the stinging creatures, we have no reason to believe there is in light of none in the far worse next plague in verses 13-21!
4 Visit https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/ for an overview presentation of what Christian persecution is, its growing scope and severity. This Ministry is pleased to prayerfully and financially support our persecuted brethren around the earth through Open Doors USA and invites you to do so as well!
5 Read the two-part post beginning February 13, 2022, War Of The Ages End, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
6 Such faith in and love for Christ (Revelation 12:11) fills the heart of every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in His image I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. Get it along with the companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study for the equipping of the saints in the home and churches in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
I concluded the June 3, 2018 two-part post, Feminism’s Entry Into The Churches warning as I have soberly and repeatedly over the last several years especially that a dramatic intensification of God’s judgment upon His house in America was imminent. Having used me in accord with 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 to biblically demolish feminism as one of many strongholds of deceit in His house, this day the Lord has me declaring the time for His intensified judgment in punishing the unrepentant disobedient individually and collectively has come (2 Corinthians 10:6)! He does so in total consistency with His judgment of ancient Israel for their rebellion against Him also.
It is absurd to the extreme for professed Christians and those that lead them that are guilty to assert what God did in judgments upon willfully disobedient Israel is of no concern for them today since Christians have a different and more intimate relationship with Him. However, the apostle Paul specifically directs Christians to examine and be warned by what happened to Israel “as examples,” (1 Corinthians 10:1-11, NKJV). Why would he do this if in fact, what happened between God and Israel has no serious implications for Christians? As history and present-day reality prove, professed Christians in the sinful flesh and denial are exactly like the Israelites of old (Jeremiah 2:35, 5:12-13)!
This idea that from God’s perspective the relational bond with Christians is thicker than with ancient Israel is false. Just casually reading through the Old Testament it quickly becomes apparent God saw Himself as a Husband and Father to Israel as in The Book Of Jeremiah where from the first seven chapters the Lord has caused me to anchor this discourse. God loves Israel and will yet completely fulfill His promise of the nation’s restoration after severe judgment for sin over millennia ends (Jeremiah 2:1-3, 3:4, 14-20). If you are a Christian you have been saved and brought near to God by grace through faith in Israel’s Messiah, the Lord Jesus (Romans 9:1-5; Ephesians 2:11-22).
And yes, we are born again and marked out by the Holy Spirit as belonging to God according to His New Covenant with Israel first after they broke the old one (John 1:12-13, 3:1-8; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Hebrews 8:7-13). But as many willfully refuse to accept, our new life, relationship with God and promise of eternally dwelling with Him is conditioned on continuing faith in (trust, confidence and reliance upon) Him and demonstrated by love motivated obedience to the end the same as Israel of old (Matthew 24:13; John 14:15-24; Romans 11:11-22; Hebrews 3:7-19). As Israel is the manifest example, ‘“The Lord will judge His people,’” (Hebrews 6:4-8, 10:26-31, 35-39, 11:6, NKJV).
As He had done from the Exodus in sending prophets to His rebel people, so, God called Jeremiah before conception in his mother’s womb to bear what turned out to be His final call to repentance and warning of impending judgment for disobedience and apostasy to Judah (Jeremiah 1, 7:21-26). Later, the prophet Ezekiel--a contemporary taken to Babylon in the second wave of captives, also brought God’s message to His rebellious people there (Ezekiel 1:28-3:11). Similarly, in these latter days I have been gifted and called a watchman/prophet to the Lord’s churches in accord with Ezekiel 33:1-9 and have consciously served as such since 1986; warning the Lord’s sword was drawing near.
Now--in what should be to no one’s surprise, the sword of the Lord in judgment upon His house in disobedience and apostasy has fully arrived in America. His charges are spiritually exactly the same as He brought against ancient Israel. Though outwardly many professed Christians claim to know and love Jesus, their hearts are engrossed with the idols of this world to include fellow, fallen human beings and self, success, material things, wealth, power--moving far away from the Lord and changing “their Glory for what does not profit,” (Jeremiah 2:4-13, NKJV). Brazenly, they sin and commit iniquity embracing this world’s ways such as feminism taught by demons and sexual immorality. Claiming innocence in deceit, they are unwilling to “receive correction,” (Jeremiah 2:14-3:5, 5:1-9, 7:27-28, NKJV).
However, the Lord is a witness against the unrepentant who will be punished! For besides sounding the trumpet of warning for His approaching sword, all of the Lord’s true prophets cry out against the sins of His people He has seen.1 But as ancient Judah would not give heed except superficially nor learn from sister Israel’s experience, neither have guilty professed American Christians given heed or learned from all Israel; insulated in falsely crafted doctrines of security (Jeremiah 3:6-13, 21-4:4, 5:20-31, 6:16-17, 7:1-11)! Though these doctrines of ‘“peace’” come from some well meaning teachers, they are still false! Otherwise, the teachers are false just like Judah’s false prophets proven wrong by God’s judgment that fell as foretold (Jeremiah 4:5-31, 5:10-19, 6:1-15, 18-30, 7:12-20, 29-34; 2 Peter 2, NKJV).
Too, as in ancient Israel, the prophets of ‘“peace’” today outnumber those of judgment in truth. But He comforts us that are true as He did Jeremiah (Jeremiah 14:10-16, NKJV). Thus, His judgment will be as the storm the Lord Jesus describes in Luke 6:46-49. Testing by way of severe persecution that tries every professed Christian soul to reveal faith and love in the faithful2 or impostors and rebels that fall away along with the withdrawal of the almost universal protection from calamity church and parachurch property graciously enjoyed has come as foretold (Matthew 24:9-28; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-2:4; 1 Peter 1:3-9, 4:12-19; Revelation 17:16-18:8).3 Hear His word to me the morning of May 31, 2018: “I will burn away the chaff in the fire of judgment until only a remnant is left ready to receive the Lord!”
1 All of my posts under the category, Call To Repent, are a starting point for how the Lord has used me to cry out against the sins of His people in love, grace, mercy and
with sober exhortation to repent to avert punishment!
2 The earlier reference to Ezekiel as among the first captives taken to Babylon should encourage faithful Christians--every aspiring strong man and great woman of God
in the image of Christ--now facing God’s intensified judgment upon His house. For with Ezekiel was also Daniel who though both were impacted by the adversities of
God’s judgment upon all Judah, they were still used mightily by Him and brought forth two of the Bible’s most significant prophetic books! So, let us be as they and all
of the faithful saints used of God in history to witness Christ and stand true to Him until He comes (Daniel 11:32-35; 1 Corinthians 16:13-14).
3 See among other posts The Falling Away, February 2, 2014, The Man Of Sin, February 23, 2014, The Prayers Of The Saints parts 1 and 2, March 16-23, 2014 and
Babylon Is Falling, August 23, 2015, all under the category, Bible Prophecy. Also, read Praise For The Lord God Almighty!, September 13, 2015 under the category,
Glory To God! and Willful And De Facto Apostates, March 20, 2016 under the category, The Faith.
Continuing to reflect on the importance of faithful Christians anchoring God’s Word in our hearts as the Lord led me to begin to instruct about in the two-part post beginning August 18, 2019, Lined Up Behind Jesus and followed up by last week’s, Loving The Word Of Truth, both under the category, Instruction, I am thoroughly sobered to consider how over the top foolish it truly is to neglect God’s Word at this late hour. Not only is the Word of truth instruction, comfort, hope and life among other things to us that study and practice it, but also through its many uniquely God provided prophecies of these and days still to come, it is light illuminating the times and future.1
At any hour it is foolish to neglect God’s Word! But it is to be especially lacking in discernment, intimate knowledge and the fear of God to do so now for whatever reasons. Indeed, the faithful Christian’s ability to spiritually develop, be fruitful, avoid being deceived or falling away in these latter days depends on knowing God and His Word! Peter, one of the eyewitness apostles of Christ, wrote to first century Christians in his second New Testament letter: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” He goes on to stress how important such knowledge is to God’s end that they (and we) share in “the divine nature,” (2 Peter 1:1-4, NKJV).
Furthermore, Peter’s instruction to “add to” what they were gaining for eternal benefit from the knowledge of God and Christ (to include more knowledge), leads to his sober warning about the consequences of failing to do this (2 Peter 1:5-11, NKJV). Already surrounded by devouring wolves of falsehood, Peter is reminding Christians then living in what he and other New Testament writers quoting the Old called “the last days” (Genesis 49:1; 2 Timothy 3:1; 2 Peter 3:3, NKJV) of “the present truth” (and us too, clearly in the latter of such days nearly 2,000 years later). As well, he wanted to leave them what would be a written reminder we by God’s grace have (2 Peter 1:12-15, NKJV).2
Peter adds his reminder of the present truth not composed of “cunningly devised fables,” but the eyewitness experience of he and other apostles with both Christ’s “majesty” and the Father’s glorious voice from Heaven to the already preserved “prophetic word” of God that fulfilled in what they had seen and heard, “confirmed” its accuracy. This being so, the apostle insists his readers “do well to heed” the prophetic Word “as a light that shines in a dark place” giving illuminating understanding of God’s will and workings concerning Christ to their unknowing hearts until all is fulfilled; knowing by faith how Bible prophecy has come about from God (2 Peter 1:16-21, NKJV).
Plainly from the foregoing taught by the apostle Peter, God wants Christians to have not only a grasp of the propositional truths of His Word, but at least a working general knowledge and understanding of Bible prophecy particularly as it relates to Christ (Luke 24:25-27, 44-48). God is going somewhere with His Word of truth and Christ is it! For this reason, church pastors that shun teaching or even discussing Bible prophecy as part of instructing God’s people are sinning against Him and hurting them.3 This is especially disastrous in these darkening latter days since the light of prophecy Peter speaks of shining in our hearts is a surpassingly great help to our persevering faith.
Truly, it is near impossible to avoid ever saying anything about prophecy since all propositional biblical truth coalesces with and is properly fulfilled in God’s prophetic Word!4 As with the historical and narrative forms of Scripture, God’s prophetic Word when encountered is to be objectively read, interpreted and understood as the One who gave it leads!5 Yes, men over the centuries have given a stunning array of interpretations to the many symbols and symbolic expressions of Bible prophecy.6 But the objective, straightforward approach led to the Jews, for example, expecting the coming of the Lord Jesus at a certain time from Daniel’s prophetic writings (Daniel 9:20-25). Also, their religious leaders even in unbelief spoke of where He would be born from Micah 5:2 (Matthew 2:1-6).
Moreover, the Lord Jesus certainly had Daniel’s prophecy in mind when He warned of events that would transpire after His departure and into a final end time period. As Daniel foretold and the Lord gave more specific details, launched by Caesar Nero and finished by Vespasian, Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in A.D. 70. The Jewish people were scattered in the overflowing display of Roman military might. “The war” ultimately between God and Satan would continue and “wrath” follow the Jews wherever they went until the end (Daniel 9:26; Matthew 24:1-2, 6-7a; Luke 21:20-24, NKJV). Back in the land since 1948, God prepares Israel for the events of the final week of seventy prophetic weeks He gave Daniel by the angel, Gabriel, counting down to His end (Daniel 9:27).
It is at the midpoint of this final week kept from coming by God until He is ready that the Lord Jesus makes direct reference to Daniel’s prophecy in Daniel 9:27. He warns any that understand the prophecy and live in Israel at the time the “abomination of desolation” in the Temple (this clearly asserts a Jewish Temple is to be built--Ezekiel 40-43:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8) is fulfilled to “flee” because “great tribulation” follows (Matthew 24:15-21, NKJV). Please note in this brief, but powerful example how the ancients and the Lord Jesus Himself not only took Bible prophecy seriously, but also objectively read and literally understood it. It is imperative that we do the same in these latter days so that we will walk in the light of knowledge and not the darkness of ignorance.7 The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 Read the May 5, 2019 post, Out Of Step With The Times?, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
2 Not only does Peter know he’s going to die (no rapture for him), but how, because the Lord told him in advance (John 21:18-19). Interestingly, both Peter in the pas-
sage cited (vs. 13-14) and Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:1-4 describe their mortal bodies as a tent, that is, a temporary dwelling. Something that is temporary is not meant
to be permanent as Paul makes clear in 2 Corinthians 5:1 when he speaks of “our earthly house, this tent” being “destroyed,” but receiving “a building from God” which
is permanent by virtue of being “eternal” (NKJV). As different as a tent is in form and quality from a building, so, after the metamorphosis to immortality, our bodies
Paul also writes about in 1 Corinthians 15:49-53.
3 See the April 30, 2017 post, God, His Prophets and Word, under the category, Glory To God!
4 A perfect example of this is the declaration by Moses, “The Lord will judge His people,” (Deuteronomy 32:36a, NKJV). Not only had Israel been issued this truth pro-
positionally, but heard it repeatedly as warnings in prophecies and experienced it in fulfillment. For this reason, the apostles and other New Testament writers also
prophetically warn professed Christians the propositional truth God judges His people has not changed (1 Corinthians 10:1-11; Hebrews 10:26-31; 1 Peter 4:17-18).
5 How could we not be humble enough to recognize that since “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” so, prophecy as part of it is best interpreted with the guid-
ance of Him who gave it as Peter would surely agree (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21, NKJV)?
6 The safest ground to stand on for interpreting prophetic symbols in the Bible is to use another of the sound principles of interpretation: Scripture interprets Scripture.
Typically, a symbol in the Bible is interpreted at first use or thereafter and used consistently throughout. Download the free document, Seven Principles Of Bible Inter-
pretation, in the Strong Man Store.
7 Every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ is challenged in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics to operate in the knowl-
edge of God’s prophetic Word. 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 of the book in the Strong Man Store.
Woe to those that for gaining members and building churches lie to prospect unbelievers about becoming Christians indicating they do not have to adopt all of the transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics in God’s Law (Habakkuk 2:12-14)! You are deceived and deceiving people!1 You will not go unpunished as one that misrepresents the faith of Jesus Christ who perfectly fulfilled God’s written Law and died on the cross to save us from every thought, attitude, word, deed and omission God in it declares is sin (Matthew 5:17-20; Mark 9:42-48; Galatians 1:6-10; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 3-5). Christians are called out of the world to God to live on purpose to please Him and do His will!2
After Adam’s disobedience to His single command in Eden and punishing him (Genesis 2:15-17, 3:6, 17-19), God in amazing longsuffering progressively made known His Kingdom’s transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics to his descendants through judging them. He judged Cain after warning sin was near in his murderous anger and destroyed the world in the flood in part for its violence; instructing Noah and his sons to treat man’s life as precious. He also destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for gross sexual sin (Genesis 4:1-12, 6:11-13, 9:1-7, 19:4-25). God worked this way until He spoke and wrote His Law with Moses (Deuteronomy 4:1-14, 31:9-13, 24-26; Romans 5:12-14).
Though His written Law was given to Israel, the surrounding Gentile nations with them were to admire the righteousness of and live by it. Alas though, the righteous Law condemned men because they could not keep it. Nevertheless, it stood exposing mankind’s depravity and inability to be saved from the sin it revealed that enslaved them and frustrated their best efforts to live it out (Romans 7:7-23). But God knowing all of this, already had a plan in place to make the Law a “tutor” that would bring men to and save us through faith in His “Son,” Jesus Christ, by whom He has spoken in a final way to the world (Romans 3:10-31, 7:24-8:4, 10:11-13; Galatians 3:19-4:7; Hebrews 1:1-5, NKJV).
Thus, it is true no one has to keep Jewish specific aspects of the Law such as circumcision, the Sabbath, dietary regulations, rituals or the seven Annual Feasts to be saved. Born again Gentiles in Jesus Christ do not have to keep these as part of our faith and its practice either. However, our observant Jewish Christian brethren keep the God ordained covenant requirements such as circumcision, the Sabbath, rituals and seven Annual Feasts in the written Law as part of their ethnic identity and heritage. The Lord, His apostles and elders in the first century church at Jerusalem settled all of this once and for all (Mark 7:14-19; Acts 13:26-39, 15:1-31; Galatians 2:1-3:9, 5:1-15).
Evident in the consensus decree of the Jerusalem Church Council is that the transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics of God’s Law are to be honored in the living of all Christians--Jew and Gentile! Indeed, God by the Holy Spirit puts His laws in the minds and writes them on the hearts of all who are saved by grace through faith in Christ as part of His New Covenant so that we cannot claim ignorance or have any excuse for our disobedience (2 Corinthians 3:1-6; Hebrews 8:7-13). The fact that His transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics also appear in God’s written Law communicated to Israel in commandments, ordinances etc. does not nullify them!3
Just like Israel, Christians are called out of Egypt (the world, if you will) to be royal ‘“priests,’” ‘“a holy nation’” and “His own special people” in the Promised Land of God’s Kingdom reign (Exodus 19:3-6; 1 Peter 2:9-10, NKJV). As He spoke to Israel, so, He speaks to us saying, ‘“I am the LORD your God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances to walk in them: I am the LORD your God,’” (Leviticus 18:1-5, NKJV). Do you hear Him, professed Christian?4
From the forgoing eternally transcendent spiritual principle of faithfulness to God to issues of morality such as sexual purity and ethics to include just measurements, all appear in the written Law He gave Israel (Leviticus 18:6-20:27). As Christ exemplified, love for the Father and Him is our motive for walking in obedience to His transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics embodied in the written Law (John 8:28-29, 14:15, 21-24, 31). In so doing, we serve as preserving “salt” and illuminating “light” for those we live among and “glorify” God (Matthew 5:13-16, NKJV)! If however, we do as those we live among, for example bow to idols, practice sexual immorality and greedily cheat folk while refusing to repent, then, as Israel of old, punishment is the end (Jeremiah 4-5).5,6
1 Read the two-part post that begins September 23, 2018, Let’s Talk Legalism, under the category, Instruction. It is a related and important background supplement to this one.
2 This is the life cause of every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Ba- sics. Obtain a Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Edition of the book 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.
3 This lie has been planted by Satan and widely spread over the centuries such that much confusion and discord exists in the Body of Christ because of it. Chris- tians are to highly esteem and fulfill through obedience every transcendent spiritual principle, moral and ethical instruction of God in His whole Word even stumb- ling and fumbling as we go, but receiving His forgiveness after our appropriate confession and repentance (1 John 1:9-2:2).
4 Don’t miss God’s prohibition of walking in the ordinances of the worldly nation, state, county, city or religion that directly conflict with His! Is there a price to pay for this? Yes! Faithful Christians have been paying the price for obeying God’s Word in whatever form it has taken up to and including martyrdom since Christ in the first century A.D. warned about and experienced it followed by His apostles and many disciples up to this very hour all over the world (Matthew 10:16-39; John 15: 18-16:4, 18:1-19:30; Acts 4:1-22, 5:12-42, 6:8-7:60).
5 Idolatry, sexual immorality and unjust measures (producers are shrinking product amounts while charging the same or a greater price) with other wickedness has permeated and overtaken our society at this hour. Professed Christians are supposed to stand out against the backdrop of such a corrupt and consequently crum- bling society, but are found among the wicked in no few numbers as not only the prophet Jeremiah witnessed of Judah, but others too (see for instance, Micah 3, 7:1-4). Because professed Christian men and pastors are well represented among those practicing sexual immorality which also involves pornography and mastur- bation (see the Barna.com article), the Lord led me to devote an Appendix in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics to help deal with these from a biblical world- view.
6 Even so, the Lord has His merciful hand of deliverance extended to His wayward sheep as seen in our latest Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, Christians can watch on our YouTube Channel.
After the many weeks of posts calling His wayward sheep to repentance and warning of their peril in His continuing judgment without it, the Lord would have me deliver a word of encouragement to all of us His imperfect, but faithful remnant. Just because we may not in the Holy Spirit’s convicting work have a felt need for repentance from some egregious transgression, sin or iniquity, the faithful know our stuff is not perfect before the Lord. This is as the apostle Paul also honestly assesses about himself while asserting and exemplifying the determined heart of the Lord’s faithful in Philippians 3:12-16; even every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in His image!1
Indeed, our Ministry’s latest Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, is a help to all Christians not just those who have strayed from Him purposely in disobedience and rebellion.2 By way of reminder, according to Webster’s Dictionary faithful is defined as “Supportive: loyal; worthy of trust or belief; consistent with fact.” This suggests faithful persons are devoted, steadfast, trustworthy and reliable. God is perfectly faithful as is His Son, Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 7:9a; Hosea 11:12; Matthew 17:1-5; Revelation 1:4-5, 3:14, 19:11-16)! God commends fallen men like Daniel and Moses who were faithful to Him, but only His Son was perfectly so (Daniel 6:1-23, 9:20-23; Hebrews 3:1-6).3
To be faithful in God’s eyes is first and foremost to love Him with obedience to His Word which like Him, is faithful (Deuteronomy 7:9b-11; Psalm 119:86a, 138)! Consistent with the forgoing, the Lord Jesus Christ charges all of His followers to display our “love” for Him by keeping His “commandments,” (John 14:15, 21-24, NKJV). There is no exception for any disciple on this; all professed disciples of Christ are to be faithful to Him in love through obedience even to the death following His example (Matthew 10:16-39, John 15:9-11; Philippians 2:5-8; Revelation 2:10, 12:11). Also, we are expected to be faithful in all of our service to the Lord (Matthew 24:45-51, 25:14-30).
As clear as the definition and biblical instruction are, many unfaithful professed Christian Americans still dishonestly insist they are faithful. Some of these, of course, are self-deluded “talkers” following their own way and calling it Christian as religionist impostors and de facto apostates (Titus 1:10-16, NKJV). The largest number of unfaithful professed Christians and most dangerous to the faithful now, and going forward because of deceit are those who obey the Lord and His Word only in some things while claiming an equal standing and reward with them He exposes, condemns and warns of His rejection in advance (Matthew 7:13-29; Luke 6:43-49; Revelation 22:12-17).4
Unfaithful professed Christians are so in an unfaithful time with wickedness of every kind and “evil men and impostors” growing “worse and worse” as foretold (2 Timothy 3:1-13, NKJV). Even so, the Lord would have His faithful be encouraged since this is not the first time in human history this state of affairs has existed. King David in Psalm 12:1-7 called on the Lord concerning the shrinkage of His faithful and was assured of His action as the unfaithful rebels in their wickedness dramatically increased.5 Truly, he closed his Psalm giving a precise report of our times when he wrote: “The wicked prowl on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men,” (Psalm 12:8, NKJV).
The priests and people of the returned from Babylon Jewish exiles were giving up on serving God to join the unfaithful because it seemed to them His actions to check the wicked were non-existent since they were calling “the proud blessed,” watching the evildoers do their thing and “even tempt God” without consequence (Malachi 3:13-15, NKJV). Many professed Christians feel the same way today and are walking away from the faith. However, the faithful, “those who fear the LORD and who mediate on His name,” encourage one another in the knowledge of their God whose ear is attuned to and has a “book of remembrance” written of them (Malachi 3:16, NKJV).
They knew as should every faithful Christian that God was testing all through judgment to reveal the content of their hearts and separate out the righteous for Himself (Malachi 3:17; 1 Peter 4:12-19).6 They also knew and appreciated as should every professed Christian that God’s apparent present inaction toward the wicked is His longsuffering grace and forbearance at work to save among the willing for His day of salvation, reversal and reward as He has done with us (Malachi 3:18; 2 Peter 3:1-9).7 Finally, knowing God’s perfect character the faithful remnant among the returned exiles of Israel as should faithful Christians knew God does not idly threaten, but will fulfill the day of His fiery wrath in vengeance and destroy the wicked (Psalm 58:9-11; Malachi 4:1-3; 2 Peter 3:10-18).
1 As the Lord leads, I teach aspiring strong men and great women of God in the image of Christ in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics about His requirement of humility He constructs in us which means we are always keeping it real about our current imperfection. You can pick up a Hard or Soft Cover Edition of my book as well as 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.
2 View the 30 minute video on our Strong Man Of God Online Rally YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/uxU9KD4_kuY.
3 As great as Daniel and Moses were in their faithfulness to God, neither man was without sin before Him (Romans 3:23). The glory of God is perfection which not even faith- fulness by a sinner can attain as a saving work. Only Christ came into and left the world perfect! Daniel, Moses, all other Old Testament saints and now, us under the New Covenant are saved by grace through faith alone (Romans 3:21-31). His faithfulness is displayed and constructed in us by the Lord after being saved (Romans 8:29; Gala- tians 5:22-23)!
4 This latter group includes a great many pastors, elders and other leaders among the churches as well as in Christian media. A grave example of their rebellion upheld by deceit is support for and putting women into leadership over men as pastors, teachers, worship and ministry leaders in open defiance of the Lord’s written commandments and instructions (1 Corinthians 11:2-16, 14:34-40; 1 Timothy 2:8-3:16). Read my two-part post beginning September 14, 2014, Partial Obedience, under the category, Call To Repent. Without repentance now, they will not escape God’s severe punishment!
5 See especially the opening paragraph of the June 5, 2016 post, The Day Of Vengeance, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
6 Read the two-part post beginning June 7, 2020, Days Of Separation, under the category, Bible Prophecy. Faithfulness is and will continue to be painful as some of the faith- ful God in sovereignty will allow the wicked to martyr as in the recent mass shooting at the Nashville Christian school and some He removes from the earth through death in various other ways before the even greater foretold evil times arrive (Psalm 116:15; Isaiah 57:1-2; Matthew 24:9-22).
7 God knows how hard it can be in an unfaithful time to discern between the righteous who are faithful to Him and the wicked professors of faith who are not from whatever cause. This difficulty will end forever in the day of His salvation!
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