There was a day when God tolerated or “winked at” our ignorance, but after The Sign of Jesus’ Coming, no one will be able to claim ignorance anymore.
30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:26–32)
God will perform a preliminary-judgment upon the world through The Mighty and Strong; all must repent or be destroyed:
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. (Jude 1:13–17)
These “ten thousands of his saints” will be The Mighty and Strong, and they will be equipped with The Spirit and Power of Elijah to do exactly what Elijah and John the Baptist (who also walked in The Spirit and Power of Elijah) did:
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb [spirit and power of Elias].
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him [Jesus] in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:13–17)
To “make people ready” is to “convince them.” However, for some whose hearts are hardened, it will require more than The Sign and strong outpouring of God’s love and the Holy Spirit. For these, “the disobedient,” it will require The Spirit and Power of Elijah, the same way that Elijah confounded the false prophets of Baal.