The Scourge Of Racism
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People can hate and deny the truth of the Bible’s holy God all they want to, but He says all are sinners by nature and have sinned against Him (Romans 3:9-18, 23)! Because of this, all are born into the world condemned by Him who had warned and judged our progenitors (Genesis 2:7-3:13). Even in that time of judgment, out of His great love, grace and mercy God announced a “Seed” to come forth from the woman as a Deliverer (Genesis 3:14-24, NKJV). He kept His Word (Galatians 4:4)! Meanwhile, up to and through the Deliverer’s appearing until the end, sinners as defiant rebels will have sought, but failed to create a perfect world for themselves (Genesis 11:1-9; Psalm 33:10).
The historic folly of sinful human beings believing they are so superior they can create a perfect utopian world is well presented in many fiction film classics. In my estimation, one of the best films ever in this vein is Steven Spielberg’s original 1993 Jurassic Park in which a man exploits dinosaur DNA to bring the creatures in their nearly every form back to life with the intent to control them and their ability to multiply. The creatures are confined within a safari/theme park the man hoped people from around the world would pay to visit. He miscalculated. They could not control the natural ferocity of the carnivorous dinosaurs or the ability of any to breed due to a DNA oversight.
The film dramatically ends with an unbowed T-Rex inside the park’s destroyed main pavilion sounding his triumph while a banner that reads “When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth” falls from over his head to the ground. The creatures had prevailed over man’s unbridled arrogance and greed. In a similar manner, the kingdoms of arrogant men down through history have collapsed; their ruins displayed wherever they have been all over the earth. And now, even in the face of such sobering tangible evidence, we have a generation of sinners in our nation that believes they can beat the historic odds against them and create a perfect and enduring world that fulfils all of their evil lusts.
The natural rebellion of sin is in the spiritual DNA of our citizenry as the people of all other nations. However, our nation was created by breaking away in rebellion from the king of England whatever all of the noble reasons proffered to justify it. Consequently, the national spiritual DNA of our citizenry also contains rebellion as a patented right of action whenever it is desirable to resist even righteous laws, morals and ethics. Such has clearly been the case over the past sixty years with the efforts of humanistic science and social engineers particularly among feminists and the sexually immoral as they seek to throw off what they see as the yoke of the Bible’s God (Psalm 2:1-3).
In the place of God’s transcendent spiritual truths, righteous laws, morals and ethics the arrogant sinners as rebels in our nation are establishing their own believing them superior and more adequately suited to the way they want to live. Their rebellious onslaught is seen in the culture at large as they press their wicked agenda through the media, all levels of government, education, business and false Christianity. With only a relative few standing against them,1 for all practical intents and purposes it appears the creation of the world they want is immovably established and will endure. Not! Already their banner of rebellious self-assertion is falling down to the ground in tatters.
Instead of a utopia, the world the rebel sinners against God have created and are attempting to uphold is fast becoming a dystopia of great evil! People are so miserable they are killing themselves in unprecedented numbers. Even the rebels have acknowledged the need for more mental health help and particularly among disillusioned youth some of whom have found the bright promise of well being through same sex relations and transgender sex changes contrary to God’s design is not panning out.2 Many families are dysfunctional and in distress. Violence and lawlessness rule the day as folk physically harm and kill one other and organized mobs rob stores. Drugs such as fentanyl are killing many while life ruining homelessness is seemingly intractable and systemic racism persists.
Amazingly, in the face of the foregoing and evident defeat, rather than repent and seek the grace and mercy of God the rebel sinners continue to press their evil agenda.3 Doubled down and hardened in heart, they are coming against the relative few biblically conservative Christians as “ambassadors for Christ” with His message of reconciliation and that dare to call out their folly and resolve to destroy themselves along with our nation (2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Titus 2:11-15, NKJV). For as the kingdom ruins of nations plainly testifies, God has judged and will do so with growing severity until the day of His wrath and removal of sinners from His presence (Zephaniah 3:6; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 20:11-15). Then He will create an eternal perfect world (Revelation 21:1-8).
1 You can be sure among these are aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ He leads me to first write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and that also necessarily show up in my recent release, The Scourge Of Racism. Learn about the book and read reviews on the Featured Publishing Resource Page at https://www.opendoorcommin.org/featured-publishing-resource. You can obtain print copies at your favorite internet book seller and in the Strong Man Store. E-books are also available at major E-Book sellers.
2 Read the AP article by Lindsey Tanner which portrays the number of the youth regretting their transgender decision as only a very small percentage. Even so, one is too many and there would be none if such options were not possible!
3 If you have never received the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the message of reconciliation from God to be saved especially as one of our nation’s youth, watch this Ministry’s Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Reconciled To God, on our YouTube channel. Read the July 31, 2022 post introducing the rally, God’s Message Of Reconciliation Pro- claimed, under the category, The Cause. If you are professing to be a Christian, but know you have strayed far from the Lord in rebellion with the world against His will, way and Word, hear His merciful call to return in the Online Rally, Return To The Lord.
As the Lord has led me to write many times, removing the artificial and stuffy inventions of manmade Christianity that serve as barriers to unsaved folk coming into the churches to hear about Him is a good thing. However, many in recent years have gone much further than this and are among other things, altering biblical Christianity’s core message, the Gospel (if not eliminating it altogether) along with the Lord’s commandments and instructions to make the faith more amenable to especially those born after 1980. Tinkering with or setting aside the biblical Gospel no matter how noble the motive is still to fall under the apostle Paul’s God approved anathema (Galatians 1:6-10)!
Departures from God’s Word to accommodate human worldly interests and tastes are legion. They come complete with light, video and sound worship extravaganzas and dress code fit for the Holy One? I mention a few of the heretical departures from God’s Word in this edited 2012 repost that along with tinkering with the Gospel is clear evidence of widespread succumbing to worldly peer pressure by many professed Christians and their church leaders to fill large meeting venues. In the end though, besides the temporary display of the ability to draw a crowd by the leaders, what will the ostensible crowd of Jesus followers have to stand firmly against the world when they are still of it?
Originally Posted April 22, 2012
The pressure to conform to someone else’s standard of whatever begins early in life when as newborns, in spite of our best efforts to have our way, those giant people called parents insist that we behave as it pleases them. Then, it is siblings and finally school age peers that start applying pressure for us to share their interests, likes, dislikes, etc. Not only did I experience the foregoing for myself, of course, but as a parent I had to endure what I now know is every parent’s nightmare, the dreaded: so and so’s “parents let them do it.” This is followed by the not so subtle, “they have one.” This may be funny because at whatever level, you can relate to peer or other pressure to conform.
However, the issue turns deadly serious when others are attempting to pressure us to do evil. Contrary to worldly standards of political correctness and tolerance, evil is whatever goes against the written Word of God--period! Knowing my own exasperation at times with the yielding of my children to worldly peer pressure, I cannot imagine God is very pleased with how easily His children cave in to it. Oh, we try hard to rationalize and justify our worldly compromises even using Scripture at times and saying, “I don’t see anything wrong with…” or “that was back then” as if God changed; seeking any tiny sliver of release to line up with the world’s standards and what we want to do.
A major example of compromise is the removal of the Gospel for salvation from sin as the central theme of witnessing and preaching. As their defense, many corruptly cite the apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Yet, he did not mean that he changed the Gospel, adopted worldly practices or did evil to bring about the good of saving souls in his witnessing. He did mean that he began his work where the people he was dealing with were at in their spiritual, cultural or occupational lives so he could connect to them. He then proceeded to work the Gospel into his conversation and preaching to the end of some believing and being saved (Acts 13:4-12, 16:20-34, 18:1-11). The Gospel is God’s first priority for preaching (Acts 2:14-41; Romans 10:13-15)!
Another example is how--contrary to Scripture--many professed Christians do not believe all of Scripture’s ancient commands and instructions are still valid lest the world be offended (Isaiah 40:8; Mark 13:31). Among these are God’s order of mankind and the related roles of men and women in the home and churches (Ephesians 5:22-24; 1 Timothy 2:11-15).1 And very popular at this strategic moment is the false teaching and inspired movement that makes Christ a fulfiller of personal dreams and selfish ambitions contrary to His demand of self-denial to follow Him (Matthew 16:13-27). Selfish ambition is a flesh work whose practitioners will not inherit God’s Kingdom (Galatians 5:19-21).
The fact today is that many professed Christians and their churches are downright worldly as the norm! This is purposeful on the part of guilty leaders to fill seats and offering plates. It is also an effort especially of younger congregants to show their observing worldly peers they are still just like them. Nope, Christianity has not made these folk change one thing of this world that is precious to them. In so doing, they deceive themselves into believing they have made God more appealing and the Gospel less judgmental of people’s lifestyles. The truth is, they love not being left out of the world’s fun and having to stand out as weird in its eyes. That is classic submission to peer pressure.
God the Father would remind His wayward children that we are His peculiar people who are not to be ashamed of Christ or the Gospel (Mark 8:38; Romans 1:16; 1 Peter 2:9-10).2 He has called us out of the world no longer to conform to its standards, but in all self-sacrifice, His and supplies the Holy Spirit to us to make it happen (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Peter 1:13-16)! The ways of this world are of the sinful, selfish nature we enter it with; ways parents are hard pressed to restrain as we develop and peers work hard to get us to indulge.3 The ways of this world are also deadly as a holy God has already condemned them. He calls us out of the world to save us from that condemnation (1 John 2:15-17).
Therefore, the Lord commands the guilty young and old to repent from the demonically deceitful doctrine that you can have God and the world too! Come out from under the condemned false teachers that with syrupy sweet words make God’s whole reason for existence to be all about you (2 Peter 2:1-3). They prep you for the fire that waits for all who fail God’s final exam in not loving and walking in the truth of His Word (2 Thessalonians 2:9-15; Revelation 14:9-13). God is the Creator; you are the creature. God is the Savior; you are supposedly the grateful saved creature that is eager to please and serve Him in doing His will,4 not He to serve you in doing all your bidding! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 As an unforeseen and unintended consequence I am sure, these guilty Christians find themselves on the side of the world in rebellion against God and His Word (they
may not see it that way, but God does--Psalms 2:1-3, 50:16-23; Matthew 12:30; John 14:15). They must also accept responsibility in this for such developments as
today’s gender identity confusion and the transgender movement. Sin, like seeds planted in the ground, always produces a crop of consequences because a holy
God will never be outsmarted by any of His creatures!
2 Read The Peculiar People, posted May 22, 2016 under the category, Instruction.
3 Fellow Christian Baby Boomers will recognize the frontal assault here on the worldly notion that sin is only learned behavior as captured in the lyrics of a song from one
of our favorite bands from back in the day and world, Earth, Wind & Fire. In That’s The Way Of The World, they sang, “Child is born with a heart of gold, way of the
world makes his heart grow (so) cold.” However, the Word of God is clear that we are born sinners learning only how to fine tune our methods as we get older (Psalms
51:5, 58:3)! For this reason, the wisest sinner that ever lived charged parents not to spare the rod (Proverbs 13:24, 22:15, 23:13-14). God also “now commands all
men everywhere to repent” and believe the Gospel to receive among other benefits, deliverance from His eternal rod of punishment for sin and a new nature wrought by
the Holy Spirit (Acts 17:24-31; Titus 3:1-8; 2 Peter 1:1-4, NKJV)!
4 This is the heart of every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Jesus Christ I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics.
It is available at all major internet booksellers, by order at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore or in the Strong Man Store.
As I wrote in last week’s post, the immortal saints of God “will reign in holiness, righteousness, justice, truth, firmness against sin and mercy for the poor.”1 They will do this in the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s perfect King!2 Scripture repeatedly informs us of His perfect nature, character and demeanor as the unique God-Man.3 While God has favored some kings over the millennia for their attributes--David for example, was ‘“a man after’” His ‘“own heart,’” only Jesus did He “decree” and later affirm: ‘“You are My Son, today I have begotten You;’” inviting His request for the nations to rule as an inheritance and promised “seed” of David (Psalm 2:7-9; Mark 1:11; Acts 13:21-25, NKJV)!
The first man, Adam, was created in the image and likeness of God to rule in nature, character and demeanor as God does (Genesis 1:26). But he sinned in disobedience to God’s direct command bringing ruin and death upon the creation, himself and his progeny (Genesis 3:6-11, 17-19). Jesus Christ, the second and last Adam, came from Heaven into the world as the “express image of God” by way of a virgin to redeem willing fallen mankind and reign as the perfect King over us as foretold and fulfilled to date (Isaiah 7:10-14, 9:6-7; Luke 1:26-38, 2:1-14; 1 Corinthians 15:45-47; Colossians 1:15-18; Hebrews 1:1-14, NKJV). He was perfected in character through suffering (Hebrews 5:7-9).4
Of Jesus Christ, God’s elect King it is written: “The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,” “the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” Truly, “His delight is in the fear of the LORD,” (Isaiah 11:1-3a, NKJV). At His first coming we are privileged through the witness of the Gospel accounts to see the Holy Spirit come upon the Lord Jesus and encounter His perfect wisdom, knowledge and understanding by way of His teaching as He walked the dusty roads of Israel (Matthew 3:13-17, 22:15-46). We also see the display of His power, hear His perfect counsel and fear of His Father in love enough to endure the cross at His command (John 6:1-40, 8:26-30, 10:14-18, 12:27-33, 14:28-31).
King Jesus is not any different now, in nature (Galatians 5:22-23) and character (John 13:12-17; Acts 4:27-30; Philippians 2:3-8) seated at the right of His Father than He was when He came to Israel 2,000 years ago nor will He be at His return (Hebrews 13:8)! Just as He taught, He will judge “with righteousness” and “equity” for the “poor” and “meek” of the earth. But let every rebel watch out; He will use “the rod of His mouth” to “strike the earth” and with “His lips,” “slay the wicked” because His eternal character is “righteousness” and “faithfulness,” (Psalm 72; Isaiah 11:3b-5; John 7:21-24, NKJV). Indeed, for the surviving mortals blessed to live under His perfect rule, they will see the cry of the generations for true justice, righteousness and peace fulfilled (Isaiah 65:20-25; Amos 5:24)!
Nevertheless, not being born again, innumerable multitudes of these surviving mortals and their progeny that benefited from the righteous millennium reign of Jesus Christ, God’s perfect King, will rebel against Him through the instigation of Satan, “released from his prison” at its end (Ezekiel 38:1-13; Revelation 20:7-8, NKJV).5 Thoroughly deceived, these unregenerate souls assemble together from their nations to march on and surround “the camp of the saints” at Jerusalem only to be met by the fiery wrath of God poured out upon them, the whole earth and universe followed by the King’s judgment (Ezekiel 38:14-23; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 20:9-15, NKJV)!6 As it is written, “For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet,” (1 Corinthians 15:24-28, NKJV).
1 Read the November 6, 2022 post, No Election For Christ And His Saints, under the category, Glory To God!
2 Those professed Christians that mock and belittle this Ministry’s cause to restore men through preaching the biblical Gospel to them for salvation and teaching them the way of Christ as the Strong Man of God asserting “it don’t require all that” among other standard lowering put downs, are clearly not reading or taking what the Bible plainly says seriously or both. Aspiring strong men of God being “conformed to the image of” Christ now, during their earthly sojourns are among the saints perfected to rule in His image forever (Romans 8:29-30, NKJV)!
3 As the Lord led me, I wrote about the nature, character and demeanor of aspiring strong men and great women of God in His image in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. I also developed a curriculum drawn from it, 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. Get the Leader Kits that contain a Soft Cover Edition of my book, a respective Leader Guide and Participant Work- book as well as CD-Roms featuring PowerPoint Teaching Assistance, Pledge Sheets and Evaluation Forms for both studies exclusively in the Strong Man Store.
4 See the three-part post that begins January 29, 2017, Jesus, Son Of Man, under the category, The Cause.
5 God allows this rebellion which among other things proves His superior wisdom in demonstrating that even under the administration of a perfect King and Kingdom, unre- generate hearts ruled by sin do not change. He then is all the more magnified by us the redeemed in this epoch for His work to transform our hearts through new birth lead- ing to perfection!
6 Please note the word “camp” is used to describe the headquarters and residence of the saints. A camp is purposely intended to be temporary. This means neither the cur- rent heavenly city nor the millennium quarters of the saints on this present earth were intended to be permanent, but only “the holy city, New Jerusalem” on “a new earth,” (Revelation 21-22:5).
In the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit I am endeavoring to live out my life and labor in ministry with a biblical worldview toward everything since the Bible is God’s eternal Word (Isaiah 40:8)! I make this statement understanding there are many worldviews out there including those that are Christian. Indeed, knowing the confusion created by the historic division, rebellion, corruption, compromise and scholarly arrogance within the ranks of professing Christianity, I am comfortably anchored and “blessed” in a biblical worldview as the Spirit leads to enable my continued objective and consistent interpretation and application of God’s Word as it is written (Psalm 119:1-8, NKJV)!
For my critics in and outside of professing Christianity, I do know very well the world does not work the way the Bible says it ought. But the world can never out righteous or do the living God! Therefore, for the world to admit it does not operate as the Bible prescribes is to confirm God’s plainly and repeatedly stated cause for His coming wrath (Romans 1:18-32). The world in rebellion has not improved upon God’s truth in the least bit. Instead, the world in rebellion against God and His Word along with the professed Christians following after it has plunged itself into ruin and “is passing away.” “But he who does the will of God” from a biblical worldview “abides forever,” (1 John 2:17, NKJV)!
For this reason with the Psalmist “I have chosen the way of truth;” I will even “run the course of” God’s “commandments” and trusting His Word, “the word of truth,” I will “keep” it “continually, forever and ever,” (Psalm 119:29-34, 42-44, NKJV)! Truly, the Psalmist and I are far from alone in this. Every Bible writer and all of the godly characters to include Jesus Christ in it take God’s Word to heart as biblical conservatives--presenting, interpreting, applying and preserving it as it is written; living in and serving God out of a biblical worldview. And when I stumble in my quest to faithfully live out a biblical worldview through sin, like a child learning to ride a bicycle who falls off, I get back on the bicycle in accord with God’s Word (Psalm 119:57-60; 1 John 1:5-2:2).
So now, are you maintaining a biblical worldview exclusively or do you possess a hodgepodge of worldviews rooted in rejection of God’s Word as it is written as I have far too often found among professed Christians? Your answer reveals your future (Psalm 37:37-38)!
(I will be taking Sunday, September 5th off as my Labor Day rest with thanks to God. He willing, my next post will appear on September 12th. Have a safe, well and restful Labor Day.)
As I have repeatedly done in many posts over the years in the hope any might be saved, I warn sinners reading this you have no deliverance from condemnation, wrath and eternal removal from God’s presence except by the means He has graciously provided through repentance and faith in the Gospel (Good News) of His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16-21, 36)!1 The fact you may have heard, but rejected the Gospel a number of times from men like me as its joyful heralds sent by Christ does not weary us who are ourselves saved by it, nor does this bode well for you in the judgment. God has allotted only so much time for the Gospel to be preached in the earth and it is about up!
On this Palm Sunday nearly two thousand years ago, the Lord Jesus Christ rode slowly into Jerusalem riding a ‘“donkey’s colt.’” By doing so, He fulfilled Bible prophecy and fueled the messianic hopes of the many who had seen or experienced His miraculous works including His chosen disciples who did not at the time “understand these things” “written about Him.” The only unhappy souls on that day were the “Pharisees” of the Jewish religious establishment (John 12:12-19, NKJV). These were the folk that instigated the Lord’s crucifixion later in the week at Passover thinking to be finally rid of Him because they did not realize even this was part of God’s plan to save sinners (Isaiah 53).2
For after His burial, resurrection on the third day following and appearance to them, Christ instructed His disciples ‘“that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the’” Old Testament ‘“concerning’” Him. “He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” He followed this with assuring instruction everything that happened to Him was foretold ‘“and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem,’” (Luke 24:44-47, NKJV). Thus, to be saved from condemnation and wrath a man must first repent of his sins--that is, change his mind about their acceptance and turn away from them!
Next, such a man must believe the Gospel that Christ died on the cross for his sins in his place; that He was buried and rose again on the third day after to enable God to remove or if you will, forgive his sins and their guilt. After this God sends the Holy Spirit into the heart of the repentant, Gospel believing soul to bring about new birth into eternal spiritual life as well as impart assurance of salvation among other blessings (John 3:1-8, 7:37-39; Acts 2:36-41, 10:34-48; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22). And because men must “hear” the Gospel to believe it and be saved, as Christ has willed I rejoice to be among those from Him in the first century He has “sent” to preach it (Romans 10:11-17, NKJV)!
As the Lord Jesus Christ humbly rode into Jerusalem that Palm Sunday, so, spiritually speaking He desires to ride into the hearts of willing sinners for salvation during this, His Father’s predetermined interval of grace (Acts 1:4-8, 17:30-31). This is because at His return as foretold the Lord will come in blazing glory on “a white horse” to carry out His part in expressing the wrath of God in judgment and begin His reign among survivors ruling with “a rod of iron,” (Revelation 19:11-16, NKJV)! “Now,” as it is written, “is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” for you since not being saved from your sins there is no guarantee of a tomorrow (2 Corinthians 6:1-2, NKJV).
It has taken this long and as long as it will finally be in God’s grace to fulfill His will that the Gospel be preached in all the nations. In this truth the reality of God’s grace is made all the more evident since beyond Israel that is one nation and heard the Gospel “first” (Acts 3:22-26, NKJV), there are only the many Gentile nations. This means God’s eternal plan to save sinners always included us Gentiles (Isaiah 49:1-6; Romans 15:7-13) and is a part of the purposeful reason God has taken this long to have the Gospel preached in every nation using redeemed human agency (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-20; Acts 26:1-18).3 Indeed, what the Lord designates as “the times of the Gentiles” draws near its close as does another reason for God’s delay, Israel’s punishment (Luke 21:20-24, NKJV).4
How glad I am Christ came to save sinners! I repented of my sins and believed the Gospel to be saved on Resurrection Sunday 1977. Not only has my life been slowly changing for the better, but I enjoy one of God’s great mysteries in His work of salvation: the risen, living Christ in me “the hope of glory,” (Colossians 1:24-29, NKJV)!5 Fear of wrath and the judgment do not attend to me as a result. But you sir, if you continue refusing to repent and believe the Gospel, as Christ told first century Jews: “you will die in your sins,” (John 8:21-24, NKJV). This means the guilt of your sins not forgiven by God will be with you in Hades as you await your audience with Christ who while you lived on the earth was your prospective Savior, but now, will be your Judge (John 5:24-30; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11).6
(As my Lord has graciously blessed, I will be taking Resurrection Sunday off to celebrate my 47th spiritual birthday. He willing we see it, my next post will be on April 7th. To God be the glory!)
1 Read the March 17, 2024 post, Sinners Cannot Create A Perfect World, under the category, Call To Repent, as a most recent warning to sinners.
2 Isaiah wrote his report on the substitutionary suffering and death of Christ for and to save sinners from their sins some seven hundred years in advance. Those among black Americans as victims that are convinced nobody knows the trouble we as a people have seen from oppression should consider the Lord Jesus does since Isaiah specifically writes, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not his mouth…,” (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 26:47-67, NKJV). Get my latest book, The Scourge Of Racism in print at your favorite internet book seller and in the Strong Man Store. E-books are also available at major E-Book sellers. Learn about the book and read reviews on the Featured Publishing Resource Page at https://www.opendoorcommin.org/featured-publishing-resource.
3 Out of the overflow of God’s grace and longsuffering, an angel seen and heard by all will preach the Gospel a final time to the whole world just before Christ’s return (2 Peter 3:1-9; Revelation 14:6-7).
4 See the February 6, 2022 post, The Divine Delay, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
5 Of the many changes God has been working in my life is conforming me to the image of Christ as the Strong Man of God (Romans 8:29). He led me to write about this in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics available at your favorite internet book seller and in the Strong Man Store. The E-Book is also available at major E-Book sellers.
6 If you will further consider Christ as Savior watch this Ministry’s Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Reconciled To God, on our YouTube channel.
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.
I hope you and yours have had a great 4th and weekend. Because of the way the founders obtained American independence, our nation has a special reverence for what is considered the noble rebellion of persons and peoples that throw off the shackles of royal or any other type of government tyranny. This reverence for rebellion is part of the cultural DNA of the nation and is prominent in many churches that practice Christianity the religion of men. So, without any shame, many professing male and female Christians have sided with the world in all of its foretold rebellion against God and His Word in these latter days to include its definition of a man (Psalm 2:1-3). However, in every generation of men since Eden, God has had those that remain faithful to Him in spite of the rebellion of others supposedly equally religious and even at the cost of their lives (Genesis 4:1-8; Luke 11:37-54). I take my stand among the faithful that the immutable God and Creator has not changed His definition of what a man is from the beginning of creation and that Jesus Christ is eternal Manhood in perfection! As the Lord leads, I briefly lay out my biblically drawn case in this blog repost and more fully in my just re-released book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics.
Originally Posted October 20, 2013
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