User blog comment:LegerPrime/Natsu vs. Acnologia/@comment-153.91.238.254-20151012183713/@comment-1776824-20151015083551

Relative power levels of protagonists and accompanying secondary, yet still protagonistic characters, remain the same. Everyone got stronger during the one year; not just Fairy Tail. Gildarts is the insurmountable wall that no one in Fairy Tail can pass. He is the end goal for Natsu. It is not the end of the series, therefore Laxus and Erza are above him yet still, and Gildarts above them as well. When Natsu surpasses them, then he will surpass Gildarts. Gildarts is until confirmed otherwise the strongest mage in Fairy Tail. To you who say Gildarts didn't train, idgaf. Until someone comes in and says that he is no longer the strongest, Gildarts is the strongest and will remain so. End of discussion.

As for Makarov, he is strong enough to OHKO and cripple Jose, who threw Erza round like a ragdoll. The confirmed reason for Makarov's inability, or lack of want thereof, to fight is because of heart conditions. His strength has not diminished at all, he just does not have the physical stamina to remain in combat for very long (so anyone who says Gildarts can't get more powerful because of age can literally shut up; age means nothing in this series as far as power goes).