Now in these last moments of time, God is bringing us a further revelation: The Signs Of Heaven.
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And this heavenly message requires the very same willingness to search it out!
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Therefore, all those who are desirous to see these signs, must lay aside all previously conceived ideas and prejudices and, “search the Scriptures daily to see if these things are so.”
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And those who are willing to study their Bible daily, with the same open-minded Spirit as those noble Bereans possessed, will not be disappointed.
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Oh yes, this message may take months to properly discern. But it will be well worth it!
USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to be an open-minded seeker of truth, even if it means giving up a very highly regarded Church opinion! Let me be willing to investigate any seemingly new teaching if it appears to have some biblical validity…
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED SIGN
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BIBLE VERSES PICTURED IN THE HEAVENS
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THIS STAR-CHART: This is a Wikipedia star-chart, in which this site’s editor has sketched in these three constellation (without the Holy-Ghost-Rider Constellation).
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Notice how the right front hoof is trampling on the tail of the Dragon.
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Also notice his eye is a star.
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It’s best seen when in the western half of the sky.
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It is found in mid-sky traveling from east to west.
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In January, it is in the west after midnight.
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As winter progresses, it can be seen earlier and earlier in the evening. a dark sky with good star-visibility is best, but not absolutely necessary to see this constellation.
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It is found on the opposite side of the Dragon Constellation from Orion.
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And as already stated, this Goodly Horse Constellation can be seen best in mid-winter when it is in the western side of the sky, and you are looking at it while you are facing west.
neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption.”
Psalm 16:10
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The name, “Hell” has long been associated with a fiery netherworld in which multitudes of lost souls are being mercilessly tormented throughout the ceaseless ages.
Ancient Babylon was, perhaps, the originator of this notion, as their culture believed in a conscious existence in that netherworld.
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Nevertheless, the Devil well understands the concept that a lie repeated often enough, and loud enough, is finally accepted as truth.
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And the Christian community has been frightened by this concept of hellish torment for hundreds of years.
On the other hand, today’s science-oriented secular world quite often hears about the caverns of Hell.
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But Hell is usually referenced in the framework of some newspaper comic strip or stand-up comedian, who makes fun and ridicules such an absurd idea.
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And so, this duplicitous way in which Eternal Torment in Hell is being presented to those two classes of persons in the world, is the maniacal work of none other than “the god of this world”, Satan!
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GOD, A MERCILESS MONSTER?
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And Satan has masterfully used “Eternal Torment” as a means of presenting God as a “Monstrous Tyrant”!
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And of course, this horrible false doctrine has resulted in total rejection of God, by so many humans over the past centuries!
But listen to what Peter said in the Book of Acts, regarding a Psalm concerning David…
“Because Thou (God) wilt not leave my (David’s) soul in Hell,
neither wilt Thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption (see Psalm 16:10)…
Men and brethren, let me (Peter) freely speak unto you of the patriarch David,
that he is both dead and buried,
and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Therefore being a prophet,
and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him,
that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh,
he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ,
that his (Christ’s) soul was not left in Hell,
neither his flesh did see corruption.”
Acts 2:27, 29-31
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Now Peter was revealing to his hearers that David was speaking of Christ’s future death and resurrection.
And even though David seemed to be speaking of himself, Peter was reminding them that David’s tomb was still there among them to that very day in which Peter was speaking.
And the big point that should not escape our notice, is that Peter was reminding these men that David’s soul was still in Hell (“Hades” being the Greek counterpart for the Hebrew name for the grave, “Sheol”).
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But even though David’s soul was in Hell, we should not imagine for a moment that David was in some netherworld chamber of horrors.
No, David was in the grave!
As a matter of fact, Sheol was often translated “Hell”, but in other places as, “the grave”.
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN
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“It (God’s Covenant) shall be established…
for ever as the Moon…
and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.”
Psalm 89:37.
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GOSPEL INSCRIBED ON THE MOON
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The Bible states… “It (God’s Covenant) shall be established for ever as the Moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven (sky). Selah.” Psalm 89:37
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God’s Covenant (The Gospel) has been inscribed in the sky. In the night sky, predominantly. It has been established“as the Moon, and as a faithful witness…”.
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There will be,“signs in the Sun… moon, and…stars” (Luke 21:25)just before the end, was a promise made by God.
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But we didn’t know exactly what those signs would be (although many thought they knew).
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Nor did we realize that these signs would be pointing us to present Bible truths!
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Lunar Eclipse by Jiyang Chen & Wikipedia – share-alike license. Click here for link.
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“THE SCORNER (THE PHARISEE)”
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Please tilt your head to the left. Do you see a man with a very long pointed nose.(Obviously, the sketch to the right is just an exaggeration in order tohelp you find the face in the photo to the left.)
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Do you see an angry look? His right eyebrow is raised as if he is judging.
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This second face in the Moon appears to be that of a combination of a man as well as a fox.
Or maybe a wolf.
Doesn’t he have a long narrow nose like a wolf or fox?
Maybe even a dog.
Nevertheless, the expression on his face, as he appears to look down upon the Earth, is that of scorn.
Unlike the first Moon-man’ssad shock and awe; this‘man/fox/wolf/dog’ appears to be that of anger and scorn.
There is a current wave of popularity on the do-it-yourself channels, in which old houses are given a dramatic and beautiful make-over.
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And it’s truly remarkable how many of those old houses take on a brand-new appearance after some clever techniques are employed to give them a completely new look!
And so, today’s devotional is an encouragement to all of us, to begin to do some real house-cleaning, renovating, and redecorating of our spiritual house!
This is how we begin to clean up our spiritual house from all the worldly clutter which has become a great source of stumbling.
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And clearing out all the rotten timbers caused by being yoked together with the secular world…
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…secular television, radio, social media, magazines, novels, sensual music (even sensual “Christian” music) are a great place to begin such a house-renovation project!
The second part of giving our house its spiritual make-over is to replace all that accumulated worldly-wisdom, replacing it with heavenly wisdom.
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Yes, Heaven’s ways are drastically different than the faithless ways of this Babylonish world!
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And 2nd Peter 1:4, speaks of, “the exceeding great and precious promises, that by these, ye may be able to escape the corruption of the world…”.
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And like “pictures of gold in settings of silver”, God’s promises should be hanging on the walls and corridors of our heart!
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“THY WORD HAVE I HID IN MY HEART”
Psalm 119:11
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And the very Good News is, that God is graciously allowing us enough time to get things corrected and right!
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And considering the lateness of the hour, let’s each begin to allow His Word to fill our hearts with light and truth, that we no more walk in the faithless ways of this Babylonish world!
“THOU HAST A NAME THAT THOU LIVEST, AND ART DEAD!”
Revelation 3:1
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Yes, there are many folks today, who like to think that “I am Rapture-ready!” There are even some ministries which incorporate this popular saying, “Rapture-ready”, into their ministry’s formal title.
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And if one listens to various radio and television ministries, this phrase, “Rapture-Ready” is often heard.
Well, this website has many articles which debunk this unscriptural name, “The Rapture”.
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And instead, this website attempts to exalt the proper, God-given name, “The Coming of the Lord”.
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It is so critically important to not side-step around what God has named, and invent our own terminology, especially a name that carries with it so much theological baggage, as does the name, “The Rapture”.
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“IN SUCH AN HOUR AS YE THINK NOT, THE SON OF MAN COMETH!”
Matthew 24:44
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But for the sake of today’s devotional, let’s suppose for a moment that “The Rapture” is actually a biblical name!
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And let’s also suppose that the “Pre-Tribulation Rapture” was actually a true doctrine! (which it’s not!)
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And with such a theological leap, let’s ask the question, “Am I truly ‘Rapture-Ready’?”
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Well, are we? Are we actually Rapture-Ready? Are we truly prepared to meet the Lord if He were to return today?
In the prophecy of Isaiah, there is a very unnerving statement concerning these last moments of time…“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” Isaiah 8:20
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Now, many would immediately answer, “Oh, but this verse doesn’t apply to the Church! This only applies to Israel, or at least, it only applies to those apostate Christians over there!”
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“ITCHING EARS”
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But listen to Paul’s assessment of the condition of the churches in the last days…
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth,
and shall be turned unto fables.”
2nd Timothy 4:3, 4
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And to this above passage, the same crowd will answer, “Oh, no, no, no! This passage does not apply to us! This prophecy only concerns those churches which exist during the future Great Tribulation, after we have been already Raptured out of the earth!”
And so, this is the problem: the Christian community, for the most part, is unwilling to seriously examine our true condition and true standing with God!
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But if we did, we just might be appalled and distraught to discover our undone and apostate condition!
…amusements, politics, parties, social and family engagements…
…”the entrepreneurial spirit”, “The American Dream”…
…hobbies, games, sports…
…and a wide variety of similar pursuits!
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Oh, perhaps a few of these aforementioned pursuits might not be so bad, especially for the unsaved world.
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But when these pursuits combine and pile up, they rob Christians of time, energy, and heavenly desire.
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And as a result, they begin to eclipse our 100% devotion to the work of God!
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GOOD NEWS FROM A FAR COUNTRY!
Proverbs 25:25
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The Good News is, that God has graciously allowed the Christian a little more time to put away these earthly entanglements, and “order his conversation aright”! (Psalm 50:23)
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Listen once again to another of Isaiah’s prophecy concerning these last moments…
“In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver,
and his idols of gold,
which they made each one for himself to worship,
to the moles and to the bats;
To go into the clefts of the ragged rocks,
for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty,
when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth.”
Isaiah 2:20, 21
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This above passage will be fulfilled when God’s people finally realize that our love of this present selfish world is preventing us from fulfilling our God-given commission to purify our hearts from all our double-minded pursuits.
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED SIGN
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VALLEY OF DECISION CONSTELLATION
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SO WHERE ARE THE “MULTITUDES”?…
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So where are the multitudes in this constellation?
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Well if you look at this sketch below, carefully, you will see an ENTIRE GALAXY making a slow trek up the steep slope toward the summit of one of the mountains.
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It is the mountain which is to the north in this sketch. This is the galaxy commonly called Andromeda.
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It is estimated to have possibly a trillion stars! Is a trillion stars a big enough multitude? Oh yes! Listen to God talking to Abraham…
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“And He (God) brought him (Abraham) forth abroad,
and said, Look now toward heaven,
and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them:
and He said unto him, So shall thy seed be.”
Genesis 15:5
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But this mountain in which this multitude of stars is climbing represents a very awesome and wonderful Bible concept.
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This mountain in Scripture is known as Mount Zion.
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And it is also known as the Mount of Blessing. It represents that spiritual mountain which Believers must climb, in order to reach the City of God.
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Listen to Scripture…
“But ye are come unto mount Zion,
and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Daily Devotional, Year 3 – July 30 (The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, Part 9: “Rapture-Ready, or Earthly-Entangled?”)
Drunk Drinkers – Jacob Jordaens – The Feast of the Bean King – Google Art Project – US Public Domain
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If someone asked you to describe the Christian Race, in just three words, what would you answer?
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Listen again to this above passage from Ecclesiastes…
“Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child,
and thy princes eat in the morning!
Blessed art thou, O land, when thy King is the Son of Nobles,
and thy princes eat in due season,
for strength, and not for drunkenness!”
Ecclesiastes 10:16, 17
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If we simply took the three words, “eat…for strength” from this above passage, we might find those very “three words” we’re searching for, to describe the Christian race.
It was that pioneer of natural hygiene, Herbert Shelton, who coined the word, “aristaphagist”. It is composed of two Latin words which mean to “choose what is best”.
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Of course, Herbert Shelton was perhaps the greatest health reformer in the twentieth century, and quite possibly, of all time. So he applied the term in regard to diet as well as ALL aspects of living a healthful lifestyle.
In other words, when we read of princes and kings, there is a good chance this is actually speaking of Christ, the Godhead, and those who have been chosen to be a “royal priesthood”. (1st Peter 2:9)
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And when the Bible speaks of “eating”, there is a very good chance it is speaking of our daily bread in the heavenly realm.
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Yes, the Word of God is our “bread from Heaven”, and the “strong meat” of the Word. (see John 6:31 & Hebrews 5:14)
And so, as we examine this exhortation from Ecclesiastes it begins to take on a much greater interpretation.
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And those who are the sons of nobles (Christ and His Church), will strive to eat (God’s Word) for strength and not for drunkenness (spiritual drunkenness from pursuing earthly pleasures & ambitious pursuits).
But Christ’s life was also a life of spiritual health. His unceasing prayers, His constant meditation of the Scriptures, His shunning all ungodly influences and being “separate from sinners”, together made for a holy life of spiritual vigor! (See Hebrews 7:26 re: “separate from sinners”)
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And Christ is calling both you and me to “take up yourcross daily and follow Me.” Luke 9:23
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And to eat for strength, both literally and spiritually, is what taking up our “cross daily” is all about!
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ABOVE CHART: The Cross of Orion Constellation star-chart – wikipedia star-chart with orion drawn in by this website – not for commercial use
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JUNK FOOD?
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Now this passage from Ecclesiastes has a negative aspect to it as well. In other words, it speaks of those whose king is a child, and whose princes feast in the morning… “Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!” Ecclesiastes 10:16
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Now in the physical realm, the meaning to this is rather obvious. This is speaking of those whose king is not the King of all Creation. No, this is speaking of an earthly, foolish king.
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And there are many Christians who greatly ignore the laws of health, and devour any and every type of junk food according to their whim! But they are greatly in error in this regard!
But there is a spiritual aspect to this verse which transcends literal junk food. Many Christians waste countless hours pursuing the vain pleasures and proud, ambitious pursuits of this selfish world, all to the bankruptcy of their soul!
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All such are unknowingly serving self, instead of Christ! They are ruling and reigning on the throne of their own lustful heart, instead of Christ!
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We are behaving somewhat like those naughty little children in that children’s tale, Pinocchio. Our devotion to Christ has been diminished through our love of this selfish world with all its vain pleasures and pursuits!
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“EAT YE THAT WHICH IS GOOD!”
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We have ignored this following encouragement by Isaiah…
“Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread?
…hearken diligently unto me,
and eat ye that which is good,
and let your soul delight itself in fatness…
Incline your ear, and come unto me:
hear, and your soul shall live;”
Isaiah 55:2, 3 (condensed for brevity)
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God here, makes His plea through Isaiah to eat of the heavenly manna of God’s Word, and the blood-red wine of Christ’s atonement.
Yes, the Lord has graciously left the door of Salvation slightly ajar, in hopes that there will be an exodus among His professed followers, onward and upward and heavenward, away from the vain and unprofitable pursuits of this doomed, selfish world!
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And those who do wake up to their peril and take appropriate action, may be able to say with Jeremiah and Job…
“Thy words were found, and I did eat them;
and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart…
“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman….and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon….And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon….And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness….And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.” Rev. 21:1-3, 14, 15
Now of course, there are many who like to call themselves, “dispensationalists” who put this passage from Matthew 24:12, 13 into a future dispensation…
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…a literal 7-year time in which the Church has already been physically removed from the earth, via the so-called “Pre-Trib Rapture”…
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…a relatively new theological position, which of course, has no basis in Scripture other than a few ambiguous passages.
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But in spite of those in denial, it can truly be said that today’s signature Bible passage is just now arriving at its fulfillment…
“And because iniquity shall abound,
the love of many shall wax cold…”
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Yes, if one looks around at this sorrowful world, it’s easy to see that Matthew 24:12, 13 is now beginning to see its fulfillment!
First, the Bible addresses that issue in the prophecies of Isaiah…
“Come, My people, enter thou into thy chambers,
and shut thy doors about thee:
hide thyself as it were for a little moment,
until the indignation be overpast.”
Isaiah 26:20
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This above verse is an encouragement to shut out as much of the societal sin and hatred as possible!
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ABOVE PICTURE: Hide Thyself in thy Chambers – inspired by Tornado Over Kansas by Curry
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“WHEN THE WICKED RISE, A MAN SHALL BE HIDDEN”
Proverbs 28:12
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Thus, we must shut out as much of the societal din and mire as we possibly can, which is now flooding the airways daily, via the various high-tech media.
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Christ is the very fulfillment of, “Thou art my hiding place!”
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He is where we must hide!
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WHY PUT ON OUR ARMOR?
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Secondly, God’s people must put their heavenly armor on!
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Yes, contrary to popular opinion, there will be no physical removal of the Church prior to this great tribulation.
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God’s people must go through this current time of trouble, in order for God to bring His Church to perfection, purified by means of fiery trials.
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Listen…“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day…”
Ephesians 6:13
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Now, why in the world would God want His people to put on the whole armor of God, if they will be removed prior to the battle of the great day of God Almighty?
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Makes little sense!
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“GOLD TRIED IN THE FIRE”
Revelation 3:18
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Just as Job’s fiery trials purified him, so too, it is this time of Jacob’s Trouble which will purify God’s people…
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…so that we also may say along with Job…“when He hath tried me (by fiery trials), I shall come forth as gold.” Job 23:10
Therefore, if God were to remove His Church from the coming tribulation, He would be thwarting the very purpose for which He brought His Elect into the world: to be purified by fiery trials!
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As Paul said…
“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also:
knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
And patience, experience; and experience, hope:”
Romans 5:3, 4
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Thus, those who insist on some Pre-Tribulation Rapture only show their ignorance of God’s chosen means of sanctifying His people.
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They confidently say concerning the coming tribulation, “Well, God hath not appointed us unto wrath!”.
neither was their place found any more in heaven.”
Revelation 12:7, 8.
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Contrary to popular opinion, Michael here represents Christ as He battles this dragon.
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Christ is very eternal God. But Christ is often represented as various entities, such as a rose, or a burning bush, as well as many other metaphors in the Bible.
Hoard of ancient gold coins – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM or BIBLE STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
The historical records give Cyrus I. Scofield credit for popularizing this false doctrine of the “Pre-Tribulation Rapture”, first invented by another 19th-century false Bible teacher, one John Darby of The Plymouth Brethren denomination.
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What Scofield and Darby did, was to presumptuously take the two words from 1st Thessalonian 4:17, the words, “caught up”, and their Greek counterpart, “harpazo”, and changed “harpazo” into its Latin counterpart, “ripere”, (taken from the Catholic Latin Bible), which is the Latin root for another English word, “rapture” (and other words).
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However, the word “rapture”, originally, was most commonly defined as being “in a state of euphoria”.
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They then morphed “caught up”, a verb, into an exotic-sounding name, “The Rapture”. thus, turning it into a proper noun!
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Thus, by such a heretical wrestling with Scripture, Scofield/Darby then began to promote the idea that Christ would “rapture” His Church out of the world, just prior to the prophecies of Revelation being fulfilled.
“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation”
Hebrews 9:28
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And so, by such twisting of Scripture, Scofield/Darby now invented TWO second “Coming(s) of the Lord”, instead of the Biblical pronouncement of only one!
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And thus, was now coined the name, “The Pretribulation Rapture”, and the second return, using the God-given name for the event, “The Coming of the Lord” on “the last day”
(see John, Chapter 6 for “last day” reference).
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Consequently, the Christian world was now being taught that there were, not one, but TWO separate returns of Christ!
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And if you missed out on the Christ’s first return, you now would, of course, now have a second chance!
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Very clever…and yet, very devilish!
John Nelson Darby – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE IN TYPOLOGY
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A few years back, an evangelical author published a book promoting the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
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In that book, the author focused on various Old Testament stories, viewing them as allegories which seemed to support the idea that the Church will be literally removed from the earth prior to the unfolding of the Book of Revelation.
But one very important event which the author completely avoided was the true historical account of the Old Testament Hebrews and the pouring out of the plagues upon Egypt.
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Not even a mention!
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Isn’t that odd considering those plagues upon Egypt so closely parallel the plagues found in Revelation 16?
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But, most likely, he avoided that account because God’s people still remained in the land, while the plagues were poured out all around them, yet, not on them!
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And this, of course, goes contrary to the notion that God’s people will be removed from earth prior to the last plagues being poured out upon the earth!
Now one of the primary Bible passages which is commonly used to promote the so-called “Pre-Tribulation Rapture”, is found in Revelation 3:10…
“Because thou (the Philadelphian Church) hast kept the Word of My patience,
I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation,
which shall come upon all the world,
to try them that dwell upon the earth.”
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Pre-Tribulation Rapture adherents point to this verse as a proof that the Church will be taken out of the world, even though this verse does not say that.
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Oh yes, this above verse does indeed say that God will keep them from the hour.
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But He does not say that the Church will be literally removed from Planet Earth during that hour!
“Because thou (the Philadelphian Church) hast kept the Word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”
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And let’s not forget that the Church of Philadelphia existed abound the end of the First Century, A.D.. So, was Jesus going to keep that early church from the hour of temptation? Most assuredly!
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And thus, the two big questions are just these:
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1 – How was Jesus going to keep them from the hour of temptation coming upon the whole world?
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2 – And just exactly what was the nature of that hour of temptation coming upon the whole world, way back in the days of this early church?
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Well, the church at Smyrna was going to be tried during that same period of time as the church of Philadelphia.
Listen…
“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer:
behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison,
that ye may be tried;
and ye shall have tribulation ten days:
be thou faithful unto death,
and I will give thee a crown of life.”
Revelation 2:10
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So, what some members of the church of Smyrna had to endure at the cruel hand of Satan, the entire faithful members of the church at Philadelphia would escape!
Burned at the stake – Wikimedia – US Public Domain
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“For the time is come that judgment must begin…”
1st Peter 4:17
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The fact is, God’s people have been going through various forms of tribulation throughout the past two thousand years!
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Listen again…“In the world ye shall have tribulation!” John 16:33
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So, today’s theologians, by confining this prophecy for the church of Philadelphia only to the last seven years of time, are completely wrong!
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The “hour of temptation coming upon the whole world”, has always been a church-wide and worldwide event!
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Listen again to Peter…
“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God:
and if it first begin at us,
what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”
1st Peter 4:17
Torture devices – The Wheel – Calas Chapbook – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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“Only with thine eyes shalt thou…see the reward of the wicked”
Psalm 91:8
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And the very great similarity between those Egypt plagues and the plagues of Revelation, Chapter 16, make this comparison very necessary and very relevant.
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Did God keep His people from the hour of trial?
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Yes, the plagues fell all around them!
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And even though they were still in the world, they were totally unharmed by those plagues.
This is just one more reason why this whole notion of the so-called Pre-Tribulation Rapture, is full of inconsistencies.
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But all those who have received a love for truth, will consider this and the many other inconsistencies which together make this Pre-Tribulation Rapture an impossible idea!
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And because of this and the many other great errors in today’s church-world, they will find it necessary to join the end-time exodus out of spiritual Babylon, the harlot church.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Daily Devotional, Year 3 – July 28 (Darby & Scofield’s Pre-Trib Rapture, Part 5: “Important Lesson From Genesis”)
“He that is entered into His (God’s) rest…has ceased from his own works”
Hebrews 4:10
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Well, needless to say, great problems ensued, resulting from Abraham’s and Sarah’s faithless effort to, “help God out”. And they ultimately learned their lesson…the hard way!
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They finally realized that God wants His people to trust Him implicitly!
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And he doesn’t want them to rely on their own strength, nor on their own wisdom, nor on their own human effort.
“WITH THANKSGIVING, LET YOUR REQUESTS BE KNOWN TO GOD”
Philippians 4:6
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And so, the Christian must be careful not to become obsessed over something!
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And as you can probably well imagine, the Devil would love to see us become so feverishly obsessed over some desire, that we begin to exercise our own strength and wisdom to obtain that desire!
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“BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING!”
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But here is another critically important exhortation…
“Be careful (worried and anxious) for nothing;
but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6, 7
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This is another passage that should be written upon our hearts: that to have true peace, we just cannot allow ourselves to get worried and anxious and even obsessed about anything!
“THOU (GOD) WILL KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE… BECAUSE HE TRUSTS IN THEE”
Isaiah 26:3
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God wants His children to live in perfect peace.
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Thus, whenever we begin to become anxious and nervous and even obsessed over some issue, we have unknowingly left the protective shelter and covering of God’s Spirit.
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And we have become in danger of obtaining our desire via our own strength and wisdom!
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But like Abraham, our faithless human efforts will only bring us future sorrow and failure!
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And like Abraham, we may have to live with the devastating repercussions of our human folly!
And so, O child of God! What are you desiring? A new car? A new place to live? A new job? A new toy? A new friend? A wife? A husband? A pay-raise? A bed of roses?
“Dear Lord, Help me to fully trust in Thy sovereign will for my life. Keep me from allowing my desire for any thing to cause me to stumble and fall into faithlessness. But help me to leave all matters in Thy capable hands…
. I didn’t understand all that Ephesians 6 was talking about.“What does it mean to put on ‘the breast plate of righteousness'”?
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This was very puzzling to me… “How does a person just put something like that on?”This was a concept above my comprehension.
. “And how does a person ‘put on the helmet of salvation'”, I thought to myself…“especially while Satan is condemning and accusing every moment?”
. “And how do you put on the shoes, with the gospel of peace’?” I couldn’t understand these concepts. I was too new in the faith.
. ONE CONCEPT THAT DID MAKE SENSE…
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But there was one thing I could understand. I knew what it meant to take the “sword of the spirit, which is the word of God”. Now that I got! Read the Bible! That’s a simple concept! Yeah!
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The sketch above is Orion the Soldier and the Dragon of Revelation 12. They begin to rise in the east in the fall and gradually move westward, finally sinking in the west in the spring. Find Orion first. Look for his 3-star belt. Then find the 4 bright stars of his shoulders and feet. Then locate the Dragon’s mouth (AKA Hyades).
…and how Christians, along with the world’s inhabitants, are getting our fill of all the bloody accounts on the daily news shows.
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And combined with all the other violence and sin on many television shows these days, it would appear that God is giving us blood to drink…“For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.” Revelation 16:6
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THEY WILL NOT ENDURE SOUND DOCTRINE
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Today’s apostate church-world is doing much violence to the Bible, even as it is written…
…”For the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth,
and shall be turned unto fables.”
2nd Timothy 4:3, 4
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This above passage from 2nd Timothy is fulfilled by our apostate condition alone.
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Yes, the world and the churches have rejected the soul-saving message of the Bible, trading away our Salvation in hot pursuit of the selfish pleasures, and proud, ambitious aspirations of this, Satan’s kingdom!
And because most Christians are spending copious amounts of time, watching television, and listening to radio, and reading newspapers, and viewing the Internet…
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…as a result, we are getting our fill of all the bloody dramas, news stories, and sexually-charged comedies which are literally everywhere these days on the various media!
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Thus, the typical Christian is drinking blood, via today’s modern media, instead of obeying God, by stopping his ears from hearing of blood, and shutting his eyes from seeing evil, as it commands us to do in Isaiah 33:15.
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Listen…The sinners in Zion are afraid;
fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites.
Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?
who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly;
…THAT STOPPETH HIS EARS FROM HEARING OF BLOOD,
and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;
He shall dwell on high:
his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks:
bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.
Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty:
they shall behold the Land that is very far off.
Isaiah 33:14-17
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Here we have a prophecy very well-suited for the frightful hour we now find ourselves in!
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But sadly, God’s people are not stopping our ears from, “hearing of blood”!
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“O MY GOD…SAVE ME FROM BLOODY MEN!”
Psalm 59:1, 2
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The fact is, the Lord has allowed Satan to turn this world into a terrorist’s paradise. A very bloody world indeed!
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Even in some of our own large cities, local residents are shooting one-another at unbelievable rates!
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Millions of women and children around the world are kidnapped and sold into slavery of one type or another.
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Public schools which once were the guardians and bastions of our children’s safety and purity, are now beginning to encourage them to engage in sexual acts of various types!
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Public restrooms and locker-rooms are increasingly unsafe for young girls, and even woman to use!
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Beheadings are becoming increasingly frequent, now even being shown on Internet videos!
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Senseless bombings and terror attacks occurring on a daily and weekly basis!
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Christians and Jews are now beginning to be mercilessly persecuted around the world!
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Fathers and mothers murdering their own little babies for no apparent reason!
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Churches now being burned, while leaders remain silent!
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Cities being burned and ravaged, while mayors and governors remain silent!
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And the current national political arena is growing more and more hateful with each passing day!
And so, one could even say that the heavens are even turning to blood, via this frightening message written in the heavens!
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“GOOD NEWS FROM A FAR COUNTRY!”
Proverbs 25:25
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Well, is there any Good News to hear in this world, deluged by all these bloody messages?
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Well, yes!
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The Good News is that these signs in the sun, moon, and stars are holding out the scepter of Salvation for any and every man, woman, and child willing to reach out take hold of it!
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And anyone who desires to become a wise man, can begin to follow that bright star, Arcturus, as it leads us onward and upward out of this hopelessly bloody world, to the Heavenly City of Zion, the everlasting Land of joy unspeakable!
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And concerning those who do respond to this message, the following prophecy will be fulfilled…
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED SIGN
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COULD THERE BE A GREATER SIGN?”
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In the opening verse,“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.” Revelation 15:1, is a direct reference to the Signs In Heaven, which God is just now graciously revealing.
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Notice that this above verse says…“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous“.
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If ever there was a great and marvelous sign in Heaven, this 7 Star Constellation seems to be just that! And it is the easiest of all constellations to locate (excepting for those in the southernmost latitudes of the Earth who cannot see it).
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It seems to stand alone in the northern sky, outshining any other constellation in the night heavens!
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As for its significance, it is easy to see the message for which it was created to bring.
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It looks like a bowl. A giant bowl!
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And in the winter, it begins to slowly tip through the night, as if it is finally spilling out its contents upon the earth, as stated in Revelation…
“And the first (angel) went,
and poured out his vial upon the earth”
Revelation 16:2.
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And so it is not hard to see the message which this constellation presents. In the summer it begins to slowly tip. But in winter it does fully appear to pour out its contents upon the Earth.
For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
and thou hast given them blood to drink;
for they are worthy.”
Revelation 16:4-6
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“Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.”
Revelation 22:10
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Prior to the mid-twentieth century, the general understanding in the Christian community was that Revelation had been steadily unfolding since the days that John, the Revelator wrote the following words…“Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.” Revelation 22:10
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Yes, the Book of Revelation has been unfolding since the day it was written. And now that we are standing on the threshold of Christ’s return, the final events spoken of in Revelation are now occurring.
But there are many (or perhaps most) Bible teachers today who cannot discern spiritual things of the Bible, when they are contained within allegories, parables, types and shadows.
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And so, they will attempt to interpret this above passage literally.
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But the Bible reveals,
“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth,
but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:
for they are foolishness unto him:
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
1st Corinthians 2:13, 14
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Here is revealed that “carnal Christians” cannot see, nor can they understand, nor do they even want to discern the spiritual nature of Scripture.
But this passage from Revelation 16:4-6 is very relevant to today’s bloody situation in the world. But it is not speaking of literal rivers nor of actual water fountains.
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Listen to Jesus…“He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” John 7:38
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Here it reveals just what rivers that God is concerned with!
Just take a look at what’s now being presented on the nightly news! Just look at the various shows currently being aired on TV! Blood, blood, blood!!!
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Yes, television and Internet are literally overflowing with violence and blood! This world is getting so violent, bloody and corrupt!
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And to whatever degree that we Christians and our children are content to spend time watching television, Internet, and/or daily news, are we not drinking in violence and blood that we see and hear, to that same degree?
Yes, just as God gave those Egyptians bloody waters to drink, so too, we Christians today are drinking blood whenever we turn on the evening news, it seems!
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Listen…
“I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
I WILL SET NO WICKED THING BEFORE MINE EYES.
I hate the work of them that turn aside;
it shall not cleave to me.
A froward heart shall depart from me:
I WILL NOT KNOW A WICKED PERSON.
Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off:
him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.”
Psalm 101:2-5
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Everything mentioned in this above passage sounds like your average TV and Internet program, doesn’t it? Wickedness in various forms, turning away from the True Path, froward (evil) hearts, evil people, slanderous remarks, and pride: these are just some of the countless evils seen on daily television and Internet! And the nightly news is no exception!
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THE HEARING OF BLOOD
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Listen… “Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?
who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly;
he…that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood,
and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;”
Isaiah 33:14, 15
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Do you see the connection here? This above passage seems to be speaking of the daily television/Internet lineup of programs! And isn’t it true that television/Internet news is very greatly focused on all the bloody conflicts around the world? All the disease? All the slander? All the adultery? All the greed? All the hatred and revenge? All the pride and bigotry and racism?
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Yes, all these evils are a form of violence! And they are the very focus of TV/Internet news!
We have such a wonderful and joyful commission from God! Yes, to look up and fix our gaze upon our Lord and Savior, and Friend, Jesus Christ is our true Great Commission!
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And it is now the time to look up and lift up our heads on high, to behold our soon-coming Savior, who will save us out of all this selfishness, sorrow, death and mourning which is what this present dark world is all about!
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“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.” Isaiah 26:3
In the opening verse,“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.” Revelation 15:1, is a direct reference to the Signs In Heaven, which God is just now graciously revealing.
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Notice that this above verse says…“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous“.
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If ever there was a great and marvelous sign in Heaven, this 7 Star Constellation seems to be just that! And it is the easiest of all constellations to locate (excepting for those in the southernmost latitudes of the Earth who cannot see it). It seems to stand alone in the northern sky, outshining any other constellation in the night heavens!
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As for its significance, it is easy to see the message for which it was created to bring. It looks like a bowl. A giant bowl! And in the winter, it begins to slowly tip through the night, as if it is finally spilling out its contents upon the earth, as stated in Revelation…“And the first (angel) went, and poured out his vial upon the earth”Revelation 16:2.
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And so it is not hard to see the message which this constellation presents. In the summer it begins to slowly tip. But in winter it does fully appear to pour out its contents upon the Earth.
Well, perhaps wine-drinking wouldn’t be such a bad thing, for a non-Christian.
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But God has elected His chosen people to be a kingly priesthood…
“But ye are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood,
an holy nation,
peculiar people;
that ye should show forth the praises of Him
who hath called you out of darkness
into His marvellous light:”
1st Peter 2:9
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Yes, God has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light! And as a kingly priesthood, we are forbidden to drink wine in either of these two offices.
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ABOVE PICTURE: Most Holy Place – Signs Of Heaven
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“NOT FOR KINGS TO DRINK WINE”
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Listen to the Wise Man, Solomon…“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:” Proverbs 31:4
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This proverb lays down the law for those who have been chosen to be kings.
But priests are also forbidden to drink while in the temple service. And of course, New Testament priests are to continually minister before God in the heavenly sanctuary!
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Listen to God’s condemnation of the priests in Isaiah’s day…
“the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink,
“O MY PEOPLE, IT IS THEY WHICH LEAD THEE, THAT CAUSE THEE TO ERR!”
Isaiah 3:12
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But the sad fact is, there have been many unwise Christians who have been deceived.
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In other words, they have read a few Bible passages which seem to condone alcohol consumption, and have fallen into the Devil’s snare, now unable to break free.
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Their leaders have led them to erroneously believe that wine-drinking is OK for parishioners.
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“HOW DO I GET FREE?”
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And so, just what is the remedy for such a devastating and paralyzing habit? How does a prisoner of alcohol (or any drug) get free from this spider-web of sin?
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Well, for one thing, those Christians who are caught in the Devil’s snare, are very unhappy about their situation.
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But praise the Lord, that these souls in Satan’s prison-house of sin are prime candidates for God’s mercy and grace!
But we need to understand exactly what are the necessary steps to follow to get back on the right pathway to victory.
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Yes, there is a pathway out of addictions!
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ABOVE PICTURE: The True Upward Pathway www.signsofheaven.org
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“YE SHALL FIND ME WHEN YE SEARCH FOR ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART!”
Jeremiah 29:13
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The very first step is to come before the Lord in deep humility and self-distrust, pleading for deliverance!
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Listen…“Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;
and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep:
let your laughter be turned to mourning,
and your joy to heaviness.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,
and He shall lift you up.”
James 4:8-10
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Here we have the remedy for recovery and renewal. And by faithfully following this prescription found in James, the Lord will eventually bring about restoration to that imprisoned soul.
Well, needless to say, the addict must also separate from every place where temptation lurks. In other words, you wouldn’t want to go into a tavern. Nor would you want to place yourself anywhere that may encourage returning back to a bad habit.
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For instance, some things just seem to go hand-in-hand with alcohol consumption. Cigarettes are closely interconnected with drinking.
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Spicy foods and junk foods are another way to sabotage one’s self.
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In other words, the habitual drinker should attempt to break away from every other habit which encourages alcohol consumption.
Another important step to recovery is to begin hiding God’s Word in his (or her) heart. Yes, beside shunning all corrupting communications, the Believer must begin contemplating God’s Word, and how it applies to everyday situations.
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Listen…“O how I love Thy Law (God’s Word)! It is my meditation all the day long!” Psalm 119:97
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By hiding God’s Word in our heart, we imperceptibly put on the armor of God!
And so, we just keep on begging and pleading, and falling down before Him (not literally but spiritually falling down before Him).
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Victory will come if we don’t give up!
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And once we do get that victory, we can say, along with David…
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“I waited patiently for the LORD;
and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit,
out of the miry clay,
and set my feet upon a Rock, and established my goings.
And He hath put a new song in my mouth,
even praise unto our God:
many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”
Psalm 40:1-3
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ABOVE PICTURE: Prayer – Wherefore He is able to save to the uttermost…” Hebrews 7:25
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to get control and complete victory over my fleshly appetites! Open my eyes to Your Holy Word, that I might understand just what it says. Give me the joy that is sure to come when I finally do get that victory…
The 3rd face of the Moon is a bit more difficult to locate, because it is mostly upside down. But this photo and this sketch are how this face would appear if it was turned right side up. (In the southern hemisphere, however, this is how the Moon would appear.)
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The third face is the most difficult to see northern hemisphere, but once you do, it then becomes easy. This face is like a furry creature of the field. Maybe a rabbit. Maybe a squirrel. Perhaps a chipmunk. Probably a mouse. All “seekers”; all foragers or scavengers. And while this picture shows this little “beast of the field” right side up, this 3rd face is always pretty much in an upside-down position. The other two faces appear right-side-up, and are easier to locate. This photo and this sketch are both turned around to help you see this 3rd face easily. This enhanced sketch to the above right is merely to help you to see this face more easily. (As already stated, this 3rd face is right side up in the southern hemisphere.)
A certain radio personality likes to defend this product of human wisdom, “Christmas”, by saying, “Oh, it’s a great time to witness to unbelievers! And much of the world joins in with this celebration each year! The name of Jesus is highly exalted by the world on this yearly festival!”
ABOVE PICTURE: The False Prophet – signsofheaven.org – not for commercial uses
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NOT TO CRUSADE AGAINST CHRISTMAS
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Now, this website is by no means encouraging Christians to begin some crusade against this worldly festival. And for those with unsaved families, much Christian patience and quiet forbearance may be required, as we do not want to “rain on their parade” as the saying goes.
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In other words, the Christian must attempt to make life comfortable and happy for his or her unsaved family during these holidays.
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And Christmas is probably “not the hill to die on” as another saying goes. Find something else to crusade against (such as beginning a crusade against my own sins!)
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Just exercise Christian silence and allow the family to have a joyful time during that month-long celebration.
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As a matter of fact, these holidays can provide an excellent opportunity to enjoy your time with your family!
But this man-contrived yearly holiday has one great over-arching problem about it. And the signature passage for today’s devotional reveals just what that great problem is.
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Listen again…
“I know that, whatsoever God does, it shall be for ever:
nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it:
and God does it, that men should fear before Him.”
Ecclesiastes 3:14
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This above verse encapsulates just why Christmas has never been an overall benefit to Heaven’s government, and never can be!
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“IF ANY MAN SHALL ADD…GOD SHALL ADD TO HIM THE PLAGUES”
Revelation 22:18
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When God says that nothing can be added or taken away from God’s finished works, He means exactly that: Mankind cannot expect to add or subtract from God’s finished works, and derive some sort of benefit.
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If even one thing that Mankind ever did to help God out, actually became an asset to the Kingdom of Heaven, then God would be a liar!
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After all, it clearly teaches…”nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God does it, that men should fear before Him.” Ecclesiastes 3:14
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“ADD THOU NOT TO HIS WORDS, LEST HE (GOD) REPROVE THEE!”
Proverbs 30:6
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Now, it would be normal and expected for the people of the world to attempt to add or subtract from God’s finished works.
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But the Church of God should know better!
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After all, God has given us some very unnerving accounts of what happens when humans attempt to add something to God’s Word.
And Hagar did indeed have a child, whom they named, Ishmael.
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But this faithless act of human effort and human wisdom only proved a disaster for them. And it ultimately led to a delay in God’s promise and plan to give Abraham, “the child of promise”.
Isn’t it true that there are so many acts of human effort and human wisdom in today’s church-world, as an attempt “to help God out”?
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Yes, there is a seemingly endless list of unbiblical additions to the Church, being the vain efforts of erring humans: circus acts, comedians, sensual music, unbiblical theological terminology, dramas, “Christian” merchandising, clubs, “Christian” games, “Christian” resorts and theme-parks, apostate television productions, bingo-nights, parties, dances, “Christian” sports teams, multitudes of inferior Bible translations, and a great variety of similar non-biblical efforts to “help God out”.
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And Christmas and Easter, are just two more ways in which the Church has attempted to add things which God did not create.
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And all these worldly compromises have only made churchgoing seem harmless and even fun to the unsaved masses who have been brought into the churches under these fraudulent circumstances!
Oh yes, the Bible does record that there was a celebration of Christ’s birth.
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The wise men, the shepherds witnessing the heavenly host, Anna and Simeon in the temple. These were all moments of rejoicing.
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But never does the Bible encourage the world to begin a yearly month-long celebration, which the apostate portion of the Church named, “The Christ-Mass”.
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This non-biblical yearly festival was their ‘brainchild’! Not God’s!
And just like Abraham’s and Sarah’s folly in trying to help out God, so too, the apostate church-world has created this giant man-conceived “Ishmael”, commonly referred to as, “The Christmas”!
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But there can be absolutely no “bottom-line gain” achieved by this invention of the apostate churches of yesteryear.
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It has only been a baneful abomination in the sight of a God who is very jealous to maintain the purity of His holy Word!
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On the other hand, a true worshiper of God never should miss an opportunity to warn the world of the nearness of the end, and of the gift of everlasting life which Jesus offers to all.
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“COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE!”
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Well this is just one more reason why God is now calling His people to,
“Come out of her (spiritual Babylon) My people,
lest ye partake of her sins
and receive of her plagues!”
Revelation 18:4
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And those who truly love God’s Word will finally come to the point where they will reject, “Man’s word” concerning Christmas and other similar additions to God’s Word.
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And these same lovers of Truth will then join this current end-time exodus out of the fallen churches, to flee to the holy mountains, where an abundance of heavenly bread drops from above each day, and springs of spiritual waters continue to freely flow!
“Multitudes, multitudes in the ‘Valley of Decision’…
for the day of the Lord is near in the ‘Valley of Decision’.”
Joel 3:14
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VALLEY OF DECISION CONSTELLATION
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Look eastward in the early summer through fall. Find the Cassiopeia Constellation. Cassiopeia is the Mount of Blessing.
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In the sketch, it is the farthest mountain to the left. In the sky, it is the northern-most of these three mountains when facing eastward. It resembles a pyramid. Then find the next pyramid to its right (south). Then go a little further south to the next third pyramid. The third snow-cap is the Destroying Mountain Constellation. These three pyramids are the snow-capped portion of these three mountains in this sketch. (of course, you won’t see the snow-caps in the sky. They are just an embellishment in this sketch to present a concept-EDITOR).
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The above Wikipedia star-chart shows this amazing constellation group as it appears from June to fall, just prior to the winter constellation group. Actually, this Valley of Decision Constellations appear in early summer in the pre-dawn hours. (Editor of this website has sketched in this constellation group onto this above Wikipedia star-chart.)
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Daily Devotional, Year 3 – July 23 (Come Out of Her, My People! Part 48: “Christmas, An ‘Ishmael’ of the Church!”)
Now while ivy may not be considered a “bitter root”, it nevertheless can be seen as a fitting representation of sin and how it can wrap itself around the feet and legs, and entire body of the child of God.
For instance, the Christian may decide to watch or listen to one seemingly harmless news show. And then, the very next day, that same desire begins to tug at his heart… “You need to watch that news show again today!”
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Well, maybe we don’t hear an actual inner voice. But we do feel a tug at our heart strings to watch or listen to that show.
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But before long, we get the urge to watch or listen to another, similar news show.
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Well, just like that tenacious little ivy plant, these worldly tendrils begin to wrap themselves around us, continuing to grow and grow.
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And before long, our love for the Gospel begins to wane, and placed on the proverbial ‘back-burner’!
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MANY OTHER ‘HARMLESS’ LITTLE INDULGENCES
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Now there are many other various little worldly pleasures, pastimes, diversions and pursuits which one could use as an example: TV and radio shows, video games, secular Internet, movies, newspapers, magazines, novels, clubs, committees, better homes and gardens, lavish resorts, sports, hobbies, frequenting restaurants, social parties, and even many humanitarian projects.
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All these and many other similar diversions can become like those tenacious little ivy plants, entangling us in worldly pursuits.
Listen to this warning from Luke’s Gospel, concerning these last moments of time…
“And take heed to yourselves,
lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting,
and drunkenness, and cares of this life,
and so that day come upon you unawares.
For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.”
Luke 21:34-36
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This above passage stands as a stark warning against allowing even the seemingly innocent pursuits of the world to become paramount to our remaining a faithful watchman on Zion’s walls!
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CUT AWAY THOSE TENDRILS!
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And so, today’s devotional is merely a plea to cut away any earthly tendril which might begin to wrap itself around our feet.
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No matter what little earthly affection it may be, let’s keep our focus on the holy life of Jesus, and continue to follow Him on the upward pathway out of this world.
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And by cutting loose of those earthly tendrils, our feet will be freed-up to, “walk, even as He (Jesus) walked”! 1st John 2:6
“Dear Lord, Make me a faithful watchman. Help me to be sober and vigilant. Let me not sleep, but be awake and watchful. Help me to cut away any earthly tendril which begins to wrap itself around my feet, lest I become ineffective in the furtherance of the Gospel in my life and in the lives of others…
Morning Prayers – Ebenezer Newman – Downard – 1860 – Wikipedia – Public Domain
Doesn’t this above passage seem to have special meaning today, with so much wickedness going on in today’s world? But this above verse by David is speaking of the sinfulness among God’s people! This “Man in the Moon” is a fitting symbol of the watchfulness that we must have in order to resist the sin and deception that assails God’s Church…from without and from within…
“Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth;
keep the door of my lips.
Incline not my heart to any evil thing,
to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity:
and let me not eat of their dainties.”
Psalms 141:3, 4.
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But this night watchman does not keep silent. No, he cries to the Lord over the atrocities he must witness each night… “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence.” Isaiah 62:6.
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So too, this 1st-face appears as if to, “sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof (of God’s City, Jerusalem).” Ezekiel 9:4
But is this above statement a true statement? Is our entire Christian study-life to be focused only on the obvious Bible prophecies found in many places, such as Daniel and Revelation?
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What about the other Books of the Bible?
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What about the epistles of Paul, Peter and James, etc.?
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And what about the Psalms, Job, Proverbs, and the other Old Testament books?
Now this Bible teacher’s statement is partially true. Because the entire Bible is the Spirit of Prophecy, as is written…“for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10
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As this above verse reveals, the entire Bible is “the testimony of Jesus”, therefore also the “Spirit of prophecy”.
But that particular Bible teacher doesn’t realize that all scripture is prophetic. He only acknowledges that some of the Bible is prophetic. Nor does he encourage his followers to read such books as the Psalms or Job, or Romans.
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Listen…“All scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect,
thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
2nd Timothy 3:16, 17
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Here is revealed that every part of the Bible is profitable for doctrine, confirmation, correction, and instruction in righteousness.
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And so, to discourage one’s followers from reading every part of the Bible is really troubling, to say the least!
After all, the Lord did not afflict David (and the other Psalmists) for no good reason. But in faithfulness, the Lord sent those godly men through all sorts of harrowing and grievous and sad experiences, so that He could give us all those comforting Psalms to encourage us in our own afflictions!
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For instance, just listen to David’s wonderful testimony…
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“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion:
in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me;
He shall set me up upon a Rock.
And now shall mine head be lifted up
above mine enemies round about me:
therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy;
I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.”
Psalm 27:4-6
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What incredibly wonderful words and thoughts here! Just think about this! God will hide us in His secret pavilion when the enemy attacks us!
Now if you’re fortunate enough to be able to go on nightly walks, and you live in an area where you can safely view the stars, here is another Heavenly Hobby which Signs Of Heaven endorses…
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Why not combine starwatching with prayer, as you walk? What a great way to draw closer to God!
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It cannot be over-stressed, just how wonderful it is to walk under the dark canopy of Heaven, while lifting up one’s heart to our Heavenly Father! There is a closeness to God that cannot be described with words!
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(And even if you cannot safely do this, you can always do such prayer-walks in the daytime, in a safe place, such as a mall, which is every bit as effective, prayer-wise.
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And for those who are in confinement, one can view these starry signs on the Internet, or simply listen to Scripture on audio.
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Either way, all such may enjoy God’s richest blessings at this very time in which God is pouring out all Heaven’s treasures upon anyone willing to forsake all, and follow Jesus!)
Now of course, the Bible commands us to, “pray without ceasing“. The Christian is to constantly talk with our Heavenly Father throughout the day.
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But the Bible also holds up the godly life of Daniel, who, when captive in Babylon, still set aside three times daily, in which he knelt for special prayer.
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And furthermore the Bible also says… “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.” Psalm 55:17.
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Even those who are bed-fast or in a prison cell can begin to imitate Daniel in this way. And if one is fortunate to be able to walk, then this thrice-daily prayer regimen can be combined with three walks daily and even nightly.
Have you seen that daily comic strip which sometimes features a cartoonish looking “God”, standing on a cloud, looking down at planet earth through a telescope?
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Pretty funny.
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Well, actually, maybe not so funny!
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Because in reality, that’s how a lot of people actually envision God: a detached, less-than-infinite-being, who merely monitors the daily comings-and-goings on Planet Earth!
Okay, so does God indeed have a giant telescope through which He looks down at this faraway planet to monitor the comings and goings of Mankind?
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Well, there are many people who seem to think He does!
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In other words, most people have a very dim conception of God, as though He’s a “hands off” God, who pretty much allows Mankind to “do our own thing”, as the saying goes.
Well actually, the Bible presents a vastly different portrait of God from “that other god” whom the world acknowledges.
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First, listen to this verse from Jeremiah…“O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Jeremiah 10:23
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Now this verse removes the idea that Man is in charge of his own daily routine.
But if Man is not in control of his own steps, then who is?
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Listen to this next passage for the answer…“A man’s heart devises his way: but the LORD directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
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So here is revealed the incredible and unnerving truth which very few people understand, nor would even want to understand: that even though a human’s heart seeks after its own lusts and desires, it is God who is the Divine Overseer and Guide of that man’s daily footsteps!
Yes, we have an infinite God! And the Bible even goes further by saying,
“Remember the former things of old:
for I am God, and there is none else;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times the things that are not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure:'”
Isaiah 46:9, 10
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There is nothing in this world that God did not know about from the beginning! His understanding is infinite! he is the great Orchestrator. Oh yes, we choose our sins.
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But it is God who orchestrates the entire human race on a daily, hourly and even a moment-by-moment basis!
Now this should give us great comfort! Because, as we look around at this crazy, topsy-turvy world today, it seems as if things are completely out of control!
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But the fact is, even the Devil must get permission from God to perform his evil in the world…
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“Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee (God):
the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain.”
Psalm 76:10
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So here we have another confirmation that God is in full control of the goings on in this world! Satan is very limited in what he can do. In His infinite love, God only allows that which is for His own glory. No more. No less.
Now here is the Good News! Yes, we can go through our each and every day with complete confidence that our great and merciful God is in full and complete control over all events, both great and small…
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“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?
and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
Matthew 10:29, 30
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Here is another of God’s, “great and precious promises”, which we each need to incorporate into our daily consciousness! (2nd Peter 1:4)
“Dear Lord, Help me to fully grasp this concept of giving thanks in both the good as well as the bad things that happen. Help me to understand that nothing can happen to me, either good or bad, unless You, O Lord, have allowed it to happen…for my ultimate good…
Pray for Our Nation sign – Wikimedia – Share-alike-lic.
“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:
and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.”
2nd Timothy 4:8
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GRASPING FOR SCEPTER AND A CROWN…
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This page however just deals with the Woman travailing in child-birth. When she is in labor, she appears to reach out her hand southward to grasp a The Cross/Scepter, which is coming from the South, out of an ark-like box. There also is a Crown of 12 Stars (13 counting a star in the center). But the Crown (the Corona Borealis Constellation) is not yet on her head. The crown is to the south of her. So she is grasping for the Cross/Scepter. She doesn’t yet wear the crown. This reminds us of that well-known passage in Philippians which states…
David the Shepherd Boy – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM or BIBLE STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
…And let’s not forget how this incredible time of festive lights, fashionable music, lots of gifts, lots of fun, etc., only causes the hearts of our children to become even further entwined to this, the Devil’s selfish world!
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MANY ATHEISTS CREATED
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And also remember that the mythical, “Santa Claus” has created more atheists than perhaps any other invention of Satan, second only to the “Evolution” lie.
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In other words, once little children realize that Santa is a lie, they also begin to doubt the existence of God! Because they naturally equate Santa with God.
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Thus, they consciously (or unconsciously) reason with themselves… “If Mom and Dad lied to me about Santa, then they’re probably lying about God too!”
And it must not be forgotten that Christmas is often a sad and even humiliating time for many children (and adults) who got little or nothing in the way of presents, hearing their friends brag about their abundant harvest of extravagant presents.
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And many poor children are embarrassed to admit to fellow classmates that their only gifts were donations by the kindness of strangers.
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Quite often, these disparities cause great anguish and shame in the hearts and minds of many children and adults, occasionally leading to a possible suicide in a few instances!
One more reason why Satan loves this holiday, is because by the time it finally is over with, many people of the world are completely fed-up spending over a month listening to Christmas carols! Fed up with blowing their budget on food and gifts! Fed up with preparing complicated parties! And fed up with arguing with their spouse, etc…
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Therefore, many or perhaps most worldly-minded Christians (and secular persons too) have had enough of hearing about Jesus Christ’s birthday: enough to last them until next December!
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For the most part, only the most hardy and dedicated Christians are ready for more Jesus after December 25th is over!
In many respects, this man-contrived holiday is antithetical to the Gospel.
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For instance, Christmas favors the wealthy, who have no trouble affording the many necessary expensive expenditures.
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On the other hand, the Bible is more acceptable to the poor, who have little to lose by forsaking all to follow Jesus! Money is not needed to serve Christ!
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Christmas mostly favors the strong and energetic who have no trouble making all the many necessary holiday preparations.
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The true and pure Gospel however, is just as accommodating to the weak and infirm who do not have much energy, and cannot do much physical labor.
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Christmas is more favorable to those with many friends and large families, who can get together for parties and celebrations.
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The uncompromised Gospel, however, is more favorable for those who are lonely, who can draw close to Jesus as their only friend!
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Christmas is very conducive to partying, drinking, smoking, adultery, etc…
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The undiluted Gospel is just the opposite! It encourages temperance, abstinence and marital fidelity. Its joy is not derived from pleasure parties, but from one-on-one communion with God!
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Well, these are just a few examples of how Christmas could never have been the creation of God.
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It is very antichrist in nature, for these and many more reasons!
And so, the question to be asked is this: “Did the Grinch really steal Christmas?”
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And the answer comes back by some…“Naw! The actual, true “Grinch” is none other than Satan. He’s the true Grinch!”
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And this Master-Deceiver, Lucifer, has invented this unbiblical holiday, as well as countless other counterfeit Christian look-alike holidays and false doctrines!
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And Satan has given us such stories as “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”, to make us feel too guilty to ever be able to absent ourselves from joining hands with the world and the apostate church for the entire month of December to celebrate this invention of man.
And all this with the help of, “the god of this world”, of course!
And don’t forget which earthly organization that Satan worked through to bring us this “Mass” celebration!
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The “Christ-Mass” comes right out of the same apostate church organization which persecuted Christians for centuries, through imprisonment, torture, burning, etc…
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And this is the same organization which attempted to obliterate the Bible out of existence!
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And by our enthusiastic celebration of their creation, “Christmas”, they are thereby flattered, and encouraged!
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And those who enthusiastically embrace this pagan holiday may be guilty of paying homage to that organization!
Now, having said all this, those Christians who have families, may have to make a huge number of concessions during this yearly festival.
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In other words, the best course to pursue is probably to “not rain on other’s parade”.
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And so, the Christian virtues of “godly silence and forbearance”, combined with making things as nice as possible for his or her unsaved family members, is probably the best way to handle Christmas.
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But for those families in which both parents are in agreement about this invention of the church-apostate, an effort might be made to keep it as low-profile as possible, in attempt to keep it from getting out of hand.
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But by all means, just exercise Christian silence and allow the family have a joyful time during that month-long celebration.
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As a matter of fact, these holidays can provide an excellent opportunity to enjoy your time with your family!
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And let’s not forget that a true worshiper of God never should miss an opportunity to warn the world of the nearness of the end, and of the gift of everlasting life which Jesus offers to all.
Well, this is one more reason why God considers the church-world to now be Babylon, the spiritual Harlot Church.
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And the solution to our Babylonian captivity is found only in one direction: “Come out of her My people, lest you partake of her sins, and receive of her plagues.” Revelation 18:4
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Yes, the time has come for God’s people to make an end-time exodus away from the apostasy which has brought the Christian community down to the brink of Hell.
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And an important part of coming out of Babylon is to return back to the purity of the Gospel, purging out of our hearts, every non-biblical doctrine and all non-biblical jargon, and every non-biblical ceremony and false holy day!
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And let’s face it! These unbiblical “holy-days” have their origins in ancient Babylon!
This page is about the Big Dipper, also called the Great Bear constellation (Ursa Major ). However, the ancient pagan cultures did not see this constellation as God intended it to be seen. It is actually a headless woman in childbirth. This is seen in springtime. It is seen in the northern skies.
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But as the seasons progress, this travailing woman flips upside down, now appearing as a woman with upraised arms like eagle wings who is running (eventually flying, as shown in sketch on right) into the wilderness (westward).
The 7 Stars (Big Dipper) is easy to see with its very bright 7 stars. But the Revelation 12 Woman (Ursa Major) must be seen on a dark starry night, away from city lights.
ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Daily Devotional, Year 3 – July 19 (Come Out of Her, My People! Part 47: “How The Grinch Invented Christmas! CONTINUED”)
First of all, let’s see just where this Hell is, spoken of in our signature passage…
“And the great dragon was cast out,
that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world:
he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him.”
Revelation 12:9
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So here we see that Hell (Tartarus in Greek), is actually this present, fallen world! More precisely, it is the chains of spiritual darkness which holds fast in bondage, the Devil and his fallen angels in their utter wickedness and hate!
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Unfortunately, the King James translators were already so indoctrinated into the idea of Hell being a conscious state of everlasting torment, that they used Hell as a sort of catch-all name for the various Hebrew and Greek names, Sheol, Hades, Gehenna (the Valley of Hinnom).
Gustave Dore – Paradise Lost illustration – Lucifer becomes Satan – Wikimedia – US Public Domain
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HELL FOR FALLEN ANGELS…AND US TOO!
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And so, Hell is not just for Satan and his fellow fallen angels.
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No, Hell is also for us!
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So let’s take a few moments to explore some Bible passages which will enlighten our hearts to understand this truth.
But the point is, Bible students just cannot assume this is speaking of Eternal Torment. No, but rather, it is speaking of God’s chastisements upon His wayward people.
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Now listen to this next passage…
“There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth,
when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets,
in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south,
Most people read this above passage and assume it’s speaking of the future judgment on the last day.
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But it is really speaking of God’s Old Testament people who were cast into spiritual darkness after they rejected Jesus.
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And while in their spiritual darkness and blindness, they know deep down that they no longer have a connection with the Lord.
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And they look around and see the vast Christian community in all the four corners of the world, seemingly enjoying the Bible that once belonged to them, and cannot understand why they have no love for that Book of books!
In that sense, this statement by Jesus is fulfilled…
“There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth,
when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets,
in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south,
and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.”
Luke 13:28
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And so, they weep before “the wailing wall” (in their hearts) that their love for that once-revered Book has been all but dried up!
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Nevertheless, in their rebellion against Heaven, deep in their hearts, they still gnash on their teeth in anger, against the “great impostor Messiah”, Jesus Christ, whom they have totally rejected!
But Jesus wasn’t only directing this statement to Old Testament persons. No, this above passage is also for you and I, as well! If we also continually lust for the vain pleasures and proud, ambitious pursuits of this world, we too might just find ourselves cast out into outer darkness!
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Listen to David’s plea to God…“Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation” Psalm 51:11, 12
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David realized that God could very well cast him out into spiritual darkness, merely by removing from David, the light of the Holy Spirit!
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ABOVE PICTURE: Unfunny Judgment Day Cartoon – a party tonight – signsofheaven.org
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JESUS SPEAKS OF SPIRITUAL DARKNESS
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Now listen to Jesus speaking of spiritual darkness…
“Then Jesus said unto them (His professed followers),
Yet a little while is the light with you.
Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you:
for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.”
John 12:35.
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Here is yet another passage which repeats this same truth: that God sometimes casts His rebels into chains of spiritual darkness, to be punished…right here on earth!
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And He does this to drive out the love of this world from our hearts!
Well, the Good News is that if you or I are convicted in heart to these truths, then it probably indicates that the light of Heaven is yet shining in our hearts.
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And it is still the day of Salvation in which we can cry out to God for heart renewal and restoration from our world-loving ways!
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We still can begin our upward sojourn out of this hellish world below!
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay,
and set my feet upon a Rock, and established my goings.
And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God:
many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”
Psalm 40:1-3
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Yes, Hell is the grave! Make no mistake about that! But it is so much more! And the lowest pit in Hell is the spiritual darkness of this unbelieving world!
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And this is the Hell that we are called to depart out of!
The Bible states… “It (God’s Covenant) shall be established for ever as the Moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven (sky). Selah.” Psalm 89:37
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God’s Covenant (The Gospel) has been inscribed in the sky. In the night sky, predominantly. It has been established“as the Moon, and as a faithful witness…”.
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There will be,“signs in the Sun… moon, and…stars” (Luke 21:25)just before the end, was a promise made by God.
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But we didn’t know exactly what those signs would be (although many thought they knew).
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Nor did we realize that these signs would be pointing us to present Bible truths!
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Lunar Eclipse – by Jiyang Chen & Wikipedia share-alike license. Click for link.
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“THE SCORNER (THE PHARISEE)”
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Listen to the following revelation concerning the evil which exists within the hearts of men…“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, AN EVIL EYE, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” Mark 7:18-23
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Please tilt your head to the left. Do you see a man with a very long pointed nose.(Obviously, the sketch to the right is just an exaggeration in order to help you find the face in the photo to the left.)
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Do you see an angry look? His right eye-brow is raised as if he is judging.
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This second face in the Moon appears to be that of a combination of a man as well as a fox. Or maybe a wolf. Doesn’t he have a long narrow nose like a wolf or fox? Maybe even a dog. Nevertheless, the expression on his face, as he appears to look down upon the Earth, is that of scorn. Unlike the first Moon-man’ssad shock and awe; this‘man/fox/wolf/dog’ appears to be that of anger and scorn. As if he is disgusted at the sinful planet below.
Santa’s Portrait by T. Nast 1881wikimedia public domain
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90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM or BIBLE STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
One big problem is that translators gave the catch-all name, “Hell”, instead of using each of the Greek or Hebrew name, “Hades”, “Gehenna”, “Tartaroo”, and “Sheol”.
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Yes, after centuries of being indoctrinated into the idea of all Christ-rejectors will spend an eternity in some netherworld chamber of horrors, given the catch-all name, “Hell”, Bible translators just assumed this heretical teaching must be true.
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And the catch-all name, “Hell” was erroneously assigned to every Greek/Hebrew name used in Bible verses: verses which theologians of that day, mistakenly assumed were speaking of “Eternal Torment”(Eternal Torment is an non-biblical name).
In yesterday’s devotional (click here to read), the place of affliction was looked at. And it was shown that Jonah’s stay in the whale’s belly was a spiritual picture of the place of Hell in which many Believers are afflicted by God, for their eventual purification.
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Listen to Jonah’s prayer, describing his affliction…“And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of Hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.” Jonah 2:2.
Well, listen to this next, very revealing verse from Proverbs…“The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from Hell beneath.” Proverbs 15:24
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So here is another very interesting verse regarding Hell.
Matthew Henry, when commenting on this particular verse (“The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from Hell beneath.” Proverbs 15:24), made this following revealing statement…
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“A good man sets his affections on things above, and deals in those things. His conversation (lifestyle) is in Heaven; his way leads directly thither; there his treasure is, above, out of the reach of enemies, above the changes of this lower world.”
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So, from this comment, it can be concluded that Henry likewise saw that this proverb was speaking of this “lower world” as the “Hell below”, from which a Christian pilgrim must depart from. This fallen world of spiritual darkness.
With these things in mind, let’s look at this warning put forth by Jesus…“But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:12
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Most Christians look at this above verse and assume that it’s speaking of eternal torment. But it cannot be, since a soul does not have any teeth to gnash on!
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And so, it must be speaking of the outer darkness which the world experiences on a daily basis.
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In other words, this is speaking of when a Christian backslides into the spiritual darkness of this lost world. And God indeed casts them back into this unbelieving world of outer darkness, as a severe chastisement upon His professed people.
Listen to Paul’s judgment on a very disobedient church member…
“In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together,
and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh,
that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
1st Corinthians 5:4, 5
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Here was a man whose grievous sins were so great that Paul commanded him to, “deliver such an one unto Satan“, to be punished. But thankfully, that man eventually repented and came back to the Lord.
All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
Mark 7:18-23
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Please tilt your head to the left. Do you see a man with a very long pointed nose.(Obviously, the sketch to the right is just an exaggeration in order to help you find the face in the photo to the left.)
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Do you see an angry look? His right eye-brow is raised as if he is judging.
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This second face in the Moon appears to be that of a combination of a man as well as a fox. Or maybe a wolf. Doesn’t he have a long narrow nose like a wolf or fox? Maybe even a dog. Nevertheless, the expression on his face, as he appears to look down upon the Earth, is that of scorn. Unlike the first Moon-man’ssad shock and awe; this‘man/fox/wolf/dog’ appears to be that of anger and scorn. As if he is disgusted at the sinful planet below.
Brooklyn Museum – The Rich Man In Hell – James Tissot – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM or BIBLE STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
Well, these questions certainly beg for an answer. And so, perhaps a few minutes of exploration into these questions might not be such a bad thing, don’t you agree?
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Listen again to today’s signature Bible passage…
“Wilt Thou (God) show wonders to the dead?
shall the dead arise and praise Thee? Selah.
Shall Thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave?
or Thy faithfulness in destruction? Shall Thy wonders be known in the dark?
and Thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
Psalm 88:10-12
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This above passage certainly raises some questions about death and Hell.
“LAND OF DARKNESS” NOT THE CHAMBER OF ETERNAL TORMENT
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And so, even in literal death which the Bible calls, “the land of darkness”, God reveals through Job that there is no conscious existence there. Job confesses that, “I should have been as though I had not been”. No torture. No torment. Just a return to non-existence. Everything is now forgotten.
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The fact that there is no eternal chamber of horrors is a very wonderful vindication of God’s character, which has been maligned over the centuries by misguided and erring humans who did not understand how to “rightly divide the Word of Truth.” 2nd Timothy 2:15
But “the land of forgetfulness” has an earthly application as well. Oh yes, it applies to the grave. But there is a spiritual meaning as well!
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Listen to the Psalmist’s complaint to his Lord and God found in verses 6 and 7 of this same Psalm 88…“Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Thy wrath lies hard upon me, and Thou hast afflicted me with all Thy waves. Selah”
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So here above, the Psalmist is woefully mourning his great sufferings, and declares that God has laid him in the lowest pit, in which he is suffering intense afflictions from the hand of Almighty God! And this lowest pit is a place of “darkness, in the deeps”!
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And yet, his sufferings are here on earth, and not in some netherworld dungeon!
And so, this new and additional information begins to expand our scope of understanding into just what is, “the land of forgetfulness”.
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Oh yes, this lowest pit is a place of torment. Verses 6 and 7 of this Psalm 88 make that perfectly clear!
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Listen again to Psalm 88:6, 7…“Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and Thou hast afflicted me with all Thy waves. Selah.”
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Here we have a very good example of how the Bible has been mis-interpreted, because of improper Bible study by unsanctified minds from the apostate churches back in earlier centuries. They just did not compare scripture with scripture and spiritual things with spiritual to rightly interpret the Word of Truth. They saw the parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus, and a number of other passages, and stopped right there, without trying to balance out ALL the relevant scriptures.
Now listen to this next passage from the little Book of Jonah…
“Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly,
And said, ‘I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and He heard me;
out of THE BELLY OF HELL cried I, and thou heard my voice.
For Thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas;
and the floods compassed me about:
all Thy billows and Thy waves passed over me.”
Jonah 2:1, 2
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Here again, Jonah was going through afflictions. He called this place, “Hell”. Oh yes, it was the belly of a whale, as it says in Matthew 12:40. But this horrendous scenario of Jonah in the whale’s belly was merely a picture of the place of afflictions which many Christians must go through, in the purification process.
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And notice that Jonah’s situation was similar to the Psalmist’s. Jonah was “in the deep” in which God’s “waves passed over me.”
Now compare this with the Psalmist’s experience…“Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and Thou hast afflicted me with all Thy waves. Selah.”
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In both cases, Jonah and the Psalmist spoke of God’s afflictions as “waves”. And while Jonah was, “in the deep”, the Psalmist was in, “the lowest pit…in the deeps”.
lasciviousness, AN EVIL EYE, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
Mark 7:18-23
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Please tilt your head to the left. Do you see a man with a very long pointed nose.(Obviously, the sketch to the right is just an exaggeration in order to help you find the face in the photo to the left.)
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Do you see an angry look? His right eyebrow is raised as if he is judging.
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This second face in the Moon appears to be that of a combination of a man as well as a fox. Or maybe a wolf. Doesn’t he have a long narrow nose like a wolf or fox? Maybe even a dog. Nevertheless, the expression on his face, as he appears to look down upon the Earth, is that of scorn. Unlike the first Moon-man’ssad shock and awe; this‘man/fox/wolf/dog’ appears to be that of anger and scorn. As if he is disgusted at the sinful planet below.
Brooklyn Museum – The Rich Man In Hell – James Tissot – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM or BIBLE STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
And do His holy angels likewise spend all eternity, standing side-by-side along with Jesus together, also watching those suffering souls screaming for mercy?
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If we insist this passage to be correct, are we to believe that Jesus and the angels will be witnessing those lost souls pleading with the ever-watching Savior who has no more mercy for their endless suffering throughout all the ions of time and eternity, not even giving them one tiny drop of water!?
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Hell’s Viewing Gallery- Signsofheaven.org – copyrighted – not for public use
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IN THE PRESENCE OF HOLY ANGELS & LAMB
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After all, it says, “he (with Beast’s mark) shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:” Revelation 14:10
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So this verse plainly reveals that the holy angels and the Lamb will be witnessing all this torment.
And if the proponents of the Eternal Torment church-doctrine are correct, this means that the holy angels get to spend all eternity in some hellish viewing gallery, witnessing all the endless torment!
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Correct?
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Or should we wrestle away what this verse says, in attempt to dismiss the holy angels from an eternity of watching billions of souls endlessly suffering and screaming for mercy?
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Well, this is just one more reason why so-called, “Eternal Torment”, does not harmonize with the Bible, nor does it agree with God’s character, as revealed in the Bible!
Well, these are just a few of the “loose ends” to this church-doctrine often referred to as, “Eternal Torment”.
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In other words, the various denominations who still hold tenaciously to this old Catholic doctrine, have never bothered to harmonize all the many other Bible verses which totally contradict the few passages which by themselves seem to assert that “Eternal Torment” of lost souls, is indeed what the Bible teaches!
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They simply have not done their due diligence!
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To say it another way, today’s church community is self-satisfied with this archaic church-doctrine, and has no desire to re-examine it in the light of the many conflicting Bible passages which teach just the opposite: that Hell is merely, “the grave”.
Yes, the Bible is its own police force, in the sense that it has been written by God to correct all false doctrines.
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And only by prayerfully and carefully comparing every scripture which deals with any particular church-doctrine, can truth be arrived at.
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HOLY ANGELS, YES, REDEEMED ONES, NO?
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Now, today’s devotional is focusing on this Revelation 14 passage which reveals that those suffering ones are being tormented night & day, “in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.”
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And the question that must be asked and answered is this:
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“Are we really to believe that The Lamb & His holy angels will be overseeing this chamber of horrors throughout eternity?
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And if they will be there throughout eternity, where will we be?
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Locked out?
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Forbidden to enter, so that we cannot even visit our friends and relatives for a few moments, before we return to our blissful existence in Paradise?”
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GETS EVEN MORE RIDICULOUS!
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Well, needless to say, this whole crazy notion of Eternal Torment is so ridiculous, that it’s a wonder that the church-community still clings to it!
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Can you just imagine for a moment, that Jesus and His holy angels will be spending all eternity in the presence of all those billions of souls who rejected Salvation, watching them intensely suffer, begging for just one little drop of water!?
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That’s right! When a Bible student actually examines each and every Bible passage which adds more context to that Rich Man & Lazarus parable, the more impossible that this old catholic doctrine becomes!
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Why, it’s possible that even the Catholic Church no longer teaches this, their own archaic doctrine!
Now just one more Bible passage which lays to rest this old church-doctrine is found in Psalm 88…
“I am counted with them that go down into the pit…
Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave,
whom Thou (God) remember no more: and they are cut off from Thy hand.
Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps…
Wilt Thou show wonders to the dead?
shall the dead arise and praise Thee? Selah.
Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave?
or Thy faithfulness in destruction?
Shall Thy wonders be known in the dark?
and Thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?”
Psalm 88:4-6, 10-12
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Now here is a passage you may never hear in an “Eternal Torment” Bible study! And why will you never hear it? Because it directly contradicts the idea that “The holy angels and the Lamb” will be watching this so-called Eternal Torment throughout eternity!
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In other words, Psalm 88 here says that the Lord “remembers no more”, those in “Sheol” (the Hebrew word, Sheol, is translated “Hell” or “The Grave” in this passage). And again in verse 12, Sheol, “the grave”, is called, “the land of forgetfulness”.
And so, when trying to understand what Revelation 14 is talking about, it cannot be speaking of Eternal Torment! After all, Eternal Torment could never be considered “the land of forgetfulness”!
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Because, how could Jesus and His holy angels be watching all such torment throughout eternity, ever harmonize with Psalm 88 which calls it, “the land of forgetfulness”?
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And so, this Psalm 88/Revelation 14 connection, is just one more proverbial “nail in the coffin” of this old church-doctrine known as Eternal Torment.
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And along with all the other contradictions to “Eternal Torment” found in scripture, Revelation Chapter 14 has to be speaking of something else other than Eternal Torment!
Well, the Good News is, that Eternal Torment may remain a much-loved church-doctrine within the apostate church-world.
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But it has nothing to do with the Bible!
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And all those who love Bible truth more than they love their church and its pet doctrines, will rejoice to discover that Jesus does not eternally torment all those who rejected His love!
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN
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“It (God’s Covenant) shall be established…
for ever as the Moon…
and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.”
Psalm 89:37.
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GOSPEL INSCRIBED ON THE MOON
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The Bible states… “It (God’s Covenant) shall be established for ever as the Moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven (sky). Selah.” Psalm 89:37
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God’s Covenant (The Gospel) has been inscribed in the sky. In the night sky, predominantly. It has been established“as the Moon, and as a faithful witness…”.
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There will be,“signs in the Sun… moon, and…stars” (Luke 21:25)just before the end, was a promise made by God.
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But we didn’t know exactly what those signs would be (although many thought they knew).
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Nor did we realize that these signs would be pointing us to present Bible truths!
Listen to the following revelation concerning the evil which exists within the hearts of men…
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, AN EVIL EYE, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” Mark 7:18-23
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Please tilt your head to the left. Do you see a man with a very long pointed nose.(Obviously, the sketch to the right is just an exaggeration in order to help you find the face in the photo to the left.)
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Do you see an angry look? His right eye-brow is raised as if he is judging.
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This second face in the Moon appears to be that of a combination of a man as well as a fox. Or maybe a wolf. Doesn’t he have a long narrow nose like a wolf or fox? Maybe even a dog. Nevertheless, the expression on his face, as he appears to look down upon the Earth, is that of scorn. Unlike the first Moon-man’ssad shock and awe; this‘man/fox/wolf/dog’ appears to be that of anger and scorn. As if he is disgusted at the sinful planet below.
ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Daily Devotional, Year 3 – July 15 (Eternal Torment? Part 25: “Is Jesus Watching Souls Tormented in Hell!?!”)
“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan
with all power and signs and lying wonders,
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness
in them that perish;
because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion,
that they should believe a lie:
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth,
but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
2nd Thessalonians 2:9-12
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“I love You Jesus! I worship You O Mighty God! And I will praise Your name forever!”
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Have you ever heard these lyrics? Or perhaps some similar praise song?
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Well, such a positive affirmation as this is really common these days! Yes, in today’s church-world, there is a seemingly endless flow of such praise songs coming out of today’s Gospel-Music-Machinery!
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And because of all the popular praise songs being churned out today, one might begin to assume that there’s a whole lot of “on-fire” Christians out there!
In yesterday’s devotional (click here), it was pointed out that there are two sources of pleasure in the world: the “Holy Spirit” and the “spirit of the world.”
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These are the two ruling spirits in the world.
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And either we are of one spirit or the other. There is no neutral ground in this world!
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And with only two classes, one might get the idea that it would be easy to distinguish between just which is which.
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After all, those who attend church would comprise the class who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
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And all the world’s citizens, who make no profession of being Christians are indwelt by the spirit of the world, the Antichrist spirit.
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ANGEL OF LIGHT & MINISTERS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
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Unfortunately, Satan, who was long ago given sovereignty over this world, now called, “the god of this world”, has “muddied the waters”, as the saying goes.
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Yes, the Kingdom of God is the archenemy of Satan! And it is Satan’s obsession to do heavy damage to that heavenly kingdom.
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And he has discovered long ago, the best way to destroy a kingdom is to infiltrate that kingdom with his own people, pretending to be “loyal” citizens of that kingdom.
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Listen to 2nd Corinthians 11:13-15…
“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers,
transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness;
whose end shall be according to their works.”
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So here it is! This is God’s concise way of describing Satan’s modus-operandi in his effort to infiltrate and destroy as many of God’s professed people as possible.
In essence, Jesus was speaking to some very morally correct men, telling them that their morality was nothing more than a devilish deception. It would be better to have been some drunkard lying in the gutter with only 1 evil spirit, than to become a “morally correct” deceiver within the Church, with 7+1 evils spirits instead of just 1.
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In other words, the number “7” represents “religious spirits”. It was not that they actually have 7+1 literal evil spirits.
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So the bottom line is, that the morally correct ones in the Church may just be indwelt by Satan who comes as, “an angel of light”.
Well, the Good News here is found in the little account of Nicodemus, a ruler of the Pharisee sect. Here was a man who was highly revered by the entire community. And yet, he had been living a lie. His morality was little more than a complete sham!
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But Nicodemus came to inquire of Jesus. And by so-doing, Nicodemus eventually turned from his false morality, and became indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit, now a saved man!
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And this same opportunity is available to each and every individual who realizes his or her spiritual bankruptcy, and comes to the Savior for Salvation!
“Multitudes, multitudes in the ‘Valley of Decision’…
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for the day of the Lord is near in the ‘Valley of Decision’.”
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“The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining…
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“The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem…
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“And the heavens and the earth shall shake…
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“But the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
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Joel 3:14-16
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LOCATING THIS CONSTELLATION GROUP…
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“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” Micah 4:1, 2
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Look eastward in the early summer through fall. Find the Cassiopeia Constellation. Cassiopeia is the Mount of Blessing. In the sketch, it is the farthest mountain to the left. In the sky, it is the northern-most of these three mountains when facing eastward. It resembles a pyramid.
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Then find the second pyramid to its right (south).
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Then go a little further south to the next third pyramid. The third snow-cap is the Destroying Mountain Constellation.
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These three pyramids are the snow-capped portion of these three mountains in this sketch. (of course, you won’t see the snow-caps in the sky. They are just an embellishment in this sketch to present a concept-EDITOR).
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THE VALLEY OF DECISION CONSTELLATION GROUP.
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They appear in mid-summer in the eastern skies in pre-dawn hours. These are made of Cassiopeia (mount on left), and various stars from the Andromeda Constellation (valley) Pegasus (Mount of Cursing (middle mount) & Destroying Mount (right)), and Pisces (Broad Way to Hell). The galaxy which appears to be climbing the Mountain of Blessing is the Andromeda Galaxy.
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The above Wikipedia star-chart shows this amazing constellation group as it appears from June to fall, just prior to the winter constellation group. Actually, these Valley of Decision Constellations appear in early summer in the pre-dawn hours. (Editor of this website has sketched in this constellation group onto this above Wikipedia star-chart.)
Hell’s Viewing Gallery- Signsofheaven.org – copyrighted – not for public use
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90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM or BIBLE STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Daily Devotional, Year 3 – July 14 (The Two Spirits In The World, Part 4: “The Fountain of False Christianity!)”
One Spirit is ruled from Heaven, while the other is ruled from Hell (“Hell” being, not only “the grave”, but also the spiritual darkness of this world).
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And so, either you are indwelt by one spirit or the other.
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There’s no third alternative!
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There’s no neutral ground in this world!
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You are either indwelt by the Spirit of God, or you are indwelt by, “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”
Ephesians 2:2
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ABOVE PICTURE: The Devil Owns The Fence – www.theheavensdeclare.net – May use for non-profit use only
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TWO FOUNTAINS OF PLEASURE
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Now, to get right to the point of this devotional, a human derives his or her pleasures from one or another of those spirits.
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Those who are indwelt by the spirit of the world, derive their pleasures in life from that Antichrist spirit.
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And those who are indwelt by the Spirit of Heaven, derive their pleasures in life from the “Spirit of Christ”.
And so, it would be absurd to imagine that the people of the world could ever enjoy the pleasures of Heaven: Bible study, contemplation of the Bible, unceasing prayer, fellowship with other Believers, heavenly works of faith, etc…
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As a matter of fact, with the indwelling Holy Spirit, giving up the selfish pleasures of this life in trade for the aforementioned pleasures of Heaven, would be the “savor of death unto death”, as 2nd Corinthians 2:16 puts it!
But those who are infilled with God’s Spirit must always be vigilant not to allow the spirit of Satan to tempt them with the selfish pleasures of Hell
(“Hell” being, not only “the grave”, but also the spiritual darkness of this fallen world).
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Yes, Satan can make the selfish pleasures of this world seem pretty fun and oh-so-enjoyable, isn’t it true?
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But in addition to the miserable pleasures of sin comes a-lot of unrest, confusion, fear, and a host of other similar unhappy aspects.
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Woman in Mediterranian – Wikipaintings – US Public Domain
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“NO HEART TO HEAR IT?”
Proverbs 17:16
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And so, the bottom line is, we must always be cognizant of the fact that the people of this world are not going to get overjoyed to hear you or I talk about how wonderful the Christian life is.
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Most always, the spirit within them will cause them to become repulsed at what we’re telling them!
Water Fountain of Eternal Life – Cleveland, Ohio – Wikimedia – Creative Commons 1.0 Universal Public Domain
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to choose just who will be my master each and every day, as I choose to learn about Thee through the study of Thy Word and unceasing prayer…
Family Prayer Before Meal – Wikimedia – US-Govt. – Public-Domain
Water Fountain of Eternal Life – Cleveland, Ohio – Wikimedia – Creative Commons 1.0 Universal Public Domain
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90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM or BIBLE STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
A certain radio personality was asked if Christians should celebrate Christmas, since there is no biblical injunction to do so.
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And in response, this erring radio host gave a scathing and mocking rebuke against anyone who should attempt to correct other Christians regarding that man-made yearly holiday.
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And the radio personality went on to tell of the many benefits connected with the celebration of that holiday.
But what that radio personality is forgetting, is that a huge part of obedience to God, is to live by every Word of God, but to also keep from going beyond God’s infallible Word.
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Listen again to our two signature Bible verses at the top of this page…
“I know that, whatsoever God does, it shall be for ever:
nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it:
and God does it, that men should fear before Him….
(God) Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.”
Ecclesiastes 3:14 & Psalm 60:11
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These two above verses together present a huge truth, which a Christian must not overlook, if he or she is ever going to come completely out of Babylon!
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We must understand that any attempt to “help God out”, is ultimately going to, not only fail, but actually increase the wickedness in this, the Devil’s world!
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ABOVE PICTURE – Adding to or taking from God’s Word, the Bible
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LOTS OF GOOD TIMES
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Now, for those who have families, this holiday is a great opportunity for loved ones to gather together to celebrate and give gifts to one-another.
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It is a time for lots of fun things to do: parties, singing traditional carols, gift-giving, etc…
Oh yes, the advocates for this non-biblical, “Holy Day”, are quick to defend it by saying, “Christmas is a great advertisement for Jesus and His Gospel, as the entire world hears about Jesus during each month of December!”
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And they continue, “And Christmas is a great way to get some unbelievers and former, backslidden church-members to return once again to church during that holiday time!”
But these unbiblical holidays, along with various other compromising additions to the purity of the Gospel have been responsible for many false brethren being brought into the Church, over the decades.
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Yes, by compromising the purity of the Gospel, Satan has paved the way for many Antichrist deceivers to enter into the now, “fun” churches, thus plunging Christianity down into further declension, apostasy, and ultimate ruin!
And let’s not forget that besides being a great occasion for families to get together, Christmas is also a sad time for many lonely individuals.
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To many lonely souls, Christmas is like a giant party that they weren’t invited to!
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Some even resort to suicide!
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And even after the Christmas holiday is past, followed by the bleak month of January, often creating such a let-down for many persons, sometimes even resulting in even more suicides!
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And with all the expense of that holiday, many families suffer financial troubles as a result!
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And this also is a contributing factor to many suicides, some months later, as the financial situation keeps worsening.
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And so, the true worshiper of God can use these sad and hopeless times, to encourage such suffering ones to look up and live through Christ’s great sacrifice for humanity!
And let’s not forget how this incredible time of festive lights, gay music, lots of gifts, lots of fun, etc., only causes the hearts of our children to become even further entwined to this, the Devil’s selfish world!
…or you can also read…“Christmas With, ‘Another jesus’: Babylonian Holidays”)
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED SIGN
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REVELATION 12 WOMAN CONSTELLATION
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This page is about the Big Dipper, also called the Great Bear constellation (Ursa Major ).
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However, the ancient pagan cultures did not see this constellation as God intended it to be seen.
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It is actually a headless woman in childbirth.
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This is seen in springtime in the northern skies.
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But as the seasons progress, this travailing woman flips upside down, now appearing as a woman with upraised arms like eagle wings who is running (eventually flying, as shown in sketch on right) into the wilderness (westward).
Water Fountain of Eternal Life – Cleveland, Ohio – Wikimedia – Creative Commons 1.0 Universal Public Domain
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90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM or BIBLE STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Daily Devotional, Year 3 – July 12 (Come Out of Her, My People! Part 46: “How The Grinch Invented Christmas!”)
Well, the Lord understands our great anguish for our children’s Salvation.
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But the Bible often warns us against employing compromised, worldly efforts to attempt to win our children over to Christ.
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So many times, and in so many ways, the Bible repeats its warnings against compromising the purity of the Gospel with the “beggarly elements”of the world. (Galatians 4:9)
But as far as our children’s reading/viewing programs, this above passage from 2nd Corinthians 6:14-18 applies very directly!
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Because when we allow them to watch or listen to anything with a worldly flavor, we are inadvertently causing them to fellowship with the world!
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And this above passage is combined with a strong warning that God’s connection with us is dependent upon our obedience to this above command from 2nd Corinthians 6:14-18.
And Hollywood has not been remiss in their efforts to mingle common and unholy things with sacred things!
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Yes, just think about all the movies which portray a drab, lifeless church finally getting an up-to-date makeover, now playing “hip” praise-music, fashionable dancing choirs, hilarious preaching, and standing-room-only parishioners!
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”
Ephesians 6:4
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As already mentioned in Part 1 of this little series, it bears repeating that the parents should make every effort to reflect the loving ways of Jesus to our children.
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In simpler terms, we must make sure to live with our family in such a way as to show them that Heaven is a place of joy!
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And the parents need to show much heavenly love for our children.
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Whether engaging them in their little games and sports, or hugging them often, or just making life in the home nice and breezy.
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This is an integral part of what it means to “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”
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The Christian parents must, kindly, patiently, and gently, guide our children through their childhood in such a way which will cause them to desire, yes, even yearn, to walk side-by-side with us along the joy-filled highways and byways of eternity!
Well, as the old saying goes, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life!”
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It’s not too late to get rid of the worldliness out of my life, and out of the lives of my children.
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Yes, if the children are still young, and the Christian parent has a Christian spouse, then there is still time to repent and try to undo the damage done!
(For those with an unsaved spouse, there is great encouragement in the form of Bible promises! And by our patience (and silence), we can claim those promises for our family’s Salvation)
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And yet, for those of us who have failed to live up to the high calling of God in past years, we still have time to repent of our worldliness and turn to the Lord with all our hearts!
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And by whole-heartedly consecrating Christian parent’s lives to God, and by unceasing prayer for their children, who knows if God might save their children in the end?
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED SIGN
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THE SWINE: “LUST OF THE FLESH”
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“For all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life,
not of the Father,
but is of the world.”
1st John 2:16
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This article will introduce this third beast-like face, inscribed in the Moon: a swine.
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And it will be shown that the three beast-like faces in the Moon, represent the concept taught in the above verseconcerning“the lust of the flesh…the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”.
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It has become apparent that the second face in the Moon, besides appearing as a wolf-like beast, also appears as a Swine.
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Let’s explore this concept, for a moment.
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First of all, when a person sees the second face up in the sky, it’s arguable whether or not it looks like a swine.
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But it must be conceded that the photos do indeed make it appear as if this character has a “sawed-off” snout like a swine.
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And of course, a swine is spoken of quite frequently in Scripture.
Santa’s Portrait by T. Nast 1881wikimedia public domain
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90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM or BIBLE STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Daily Devotional, Year 3 – July 11 (Our Favorite Babysitter: Satan! Part 7: “How To Raise Up Little Hybrid ‘Shiglets!'” CONTINUED)
…and yet allowing them to become indoctrinated by Satan’s world-system, will only cause them to grow up loving the world, while making a feeble attempt at serving Jesus.
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Well, of course, such a double-minded upbringing will never succeed on behalf of Heaven.
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As Jesus so aptly says…
“No man can serve two masters:
for either he will hate the one, and love the other;
or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
Matthew 6:24
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Above drawing – tv – The image of the Beast
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RELIGIOUS/WORLDLY ENTERTAINMENT
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There are many quasi-Christian publications for children today.
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And these come in the form of TV shows, cartoons, books, CD’s, and other multi-media publications.
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The problem with most of these is that they attempt to appeal to the children from a worldly vantage-point.
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In other words, the producers of these children’s ministries assume that the only way to reach worldly children is by co-mingling the Gospel with the common elements of the world.
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ABOVE PICTURE: TV indoctrination – www.signsofheaven.org – not for commercial uses
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WORLDLINESS WITH A THIN CLOAK OF RELIGIOSITY
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For example, one “Christian” movie might be based on a sports theme, in which the focus of sports is salted with elements of Christianity.
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Or another Christian movie might be centered around some Christian aspiring to succeed in a high-powered career, having to rely on Jesus, to ultimately achieve his or her earthly dream.
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Another example might be a cartoon episode in which some Bible story has been updated with the trendy music, and the fashionable lingo of today’s world, and with joking and jesting and other types of worldly behavior, sprinkled throughout.
USING NATURAL MAN’S WORLDLY WISDOM: “Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic”
James 3:15
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Now to the “natural man”, all this seems to be a reasonable way to reach today’s savvy and streetwise kids.
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And the great hope of parents is, that by combining the worldly with the heavenly, they can hopefully inspire their interest in Salvation, instead of boring them with the purity and holiness of the Bible.
Well, the Lord understands our great consternation for our children’s Salvation.
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But the Bible often warns us against employing such human efforts to attempt to win our children over to Christ.
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So many times, and in so many ways, the Bible repeats its warnings against compromising the purity of the Gospel with the “beggarly elements”of the world.
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” 1st John 2:16
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This article will introduce this third beast-like face, inscribed in the Moon: a swine. And it will be shown that the three beast-like faces in the Moon, represent the concept taught in the above verseconcerning“the lust of the flesh…the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”.
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It has become apparent that the second face in the Moon, besides appearing as a wolf-like beast, also appears as a Swine. Let’s explore this concept, for a moment. First of all, when a person sees the second face up in the sky, it’s arguable whether or not it looks like a swine. But it must be conceded that the photos do indeed make it appear as if this character has a “sawed-off” snout like a swine. And of course, a swine is spoken of quite frequently in Scripture.
A shig or a peep geograph org_uk_-_1566879 wikipedia share-alike license
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90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM or BIBLE STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Daily Devotional, Year 3 – July 10 (Our Favorite Babysitter: Satan! Part 6: “How To Raise Up Little Hybrid ‘Shiglets!'” CONTINUED)
Well, one question we must ask ourselves is this: “Why are we sleeping in the exact hour when we should be watching and praying, knowing that our planet has struck an iceberg of its own making?”
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One reason is, that many radio and tele-evangelists keep reassuring us that we don’t have to worry about the coming tempest…“We won’t even be here, folks! God is going to Rapture us out of here, JUST PRIOR to the coming tribulation!”
One rationale which the apostate churches use as evidence of the so-called “Pre-Trib Rapture” is by saying “God has not appointed us to wrath”, implying that the Book of Revelation is only about God’s wrath.
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But while it might be true that we are not appointed to wrath, we have indeed been appointed to tribulation…
…”These (multitudes) are they which came out of great tribulation,
and have washed their robes…
in the blood of the Lamb.”
Revelation 7:9, 14 (Condensed)
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No, it may not be wrath, but it definitely is a time of “Great Tribulation”, in which God will purify and perfect His saints!
Burned at the stake – Wikimedia – US Public Domain
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“THE NOISE OF THY VIOLS”
Isaiah 14:11
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But this “Pre-Trib Rapture” nonsense isn’t the only lullaby being sung to our sleeping Church!
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No, Satan, once being the great musician in Heaven, is now down here playing his lullabies one-after-another to naive churchgoers in all quarters of Christendom!
At such a frightful hour as this we maybe should be listening to marching music, or some other alarming music!
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Yes, on much of today’s Christian TV and radio hosts are making little jests and quips between syrupy-sweet and sensual songs, disarming the listeners, putting them totally at ease!
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And little do we realize, that while we are partying, and/or spiritually asleep (just like those passengers on that doomed ship in 1914), our ship, apostate Christendom, is likewise taking on water, along with the unbelieving world!
Well, if there is any Good News, it is this: before everything explodes, we all need to get on our spiritual armor and go each to our respective posts, and watch and pray…pray and watch!
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And as to the question about our listening to today’s music, it might be better to simply put on a good audio Bible and listen to that!
But the long oval-shaped body has relatively few stars, but can been seen, howbeit with a dark starry night.
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The four stars of the front fins are made partially of Taurus.
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This Dragon constellation appears in the eastern horizon about mid-summer in the pre-dawn hours, spewing his flood-waters northward toward the Woman of Revelation 12 (Woman in Travail).
A shig or a peep geograph org_uk_-_1566879 wikipedia share-alike license
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90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM or BIBLE STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
This above passage from Luke’s Gospel is a stern warning to all Christians, to not allow the everyday things of the world to begin to eclipse the things of Heaven.
There is a very unnerving story found in 1st Kings, Chapter 13, regarding the “man of God” who came to the town of Bethel and prophesied against the apostasy amongst God’s people.
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And the man of God was warned expressly, “Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.” 1st Kings 13:9
But on his way back home, an “old prophet” came to him and persuaded the man of God, by telling him a lie…
…”an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD”‘,said the old prophet…
…”saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house,
that he may eat bread and drink water.'”
1st Kings 13:18
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And so, the man of God went back with the old prophet, to eat and drink with him.
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Man of God from Judah meets Old Prophet of Bethel
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“A LION MET HIM BY THE WAY”
1st Kings 13:24
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But as these two were eating and drinking, the old prophet stood and condemned the man of God…
…”Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD,
and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee…
thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.”
1st Kings 13:21, 22
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Well, after the man of God left the old prophet’s home, a lion met the man of God, and killed him.
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The Man of God, and the Lion – by G. Dore – Wikimedia – US Public Domain
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NOT TO GET TOO SETTLED IN THIS WORLD!
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Now, contrary to popular opinion, all those “musty” Old Testament stories are as up-to-date and as relevant as tomorrow’s newspaper!
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And this one is no exception!
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You see, we too have been commanded by God to proclaim Salvation to this lost and dying world.
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And God has given us ample warning against getting too settled down in this world.
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We are called to become, “strangers and pilgrims”, traveling through this foreign land!
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He wants us to get ourselves up the Heavenward pathway and on to our eternal heavenly home!
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DEVIL’S PURPOSE TO DIVERT!
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Yes, it is the first and foremost commission of God and His angels to help Christians get themselves to their heavenly home without delay.
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But it is “the god of this world”, Satan, whose great purpose is to divert Christians from such a single-minded mission, by any means possible! (2nd Corinthians 4:4)
And so, each and every Christian must be “sober and vigilant”!
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Yes, as Peter warns in 1st Peter 5:8…
…”Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil,
as a roaring lion, walks about,
seeking whom he may devour:”
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And just as that man of God was killed by the lion who met him on his way back home, so too, Satan now comes, “as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour!”
Yes, the Devil has given this old world a complete make-over, turning it into somewhat of a theme-park of selfish pleasures, desires, and proud, ambitious pursuits…
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…Internet, television, video games…
…secular radio, newspapers, magazines, novels…
…clubs, social events, plays, sports…
…homes & gardens, romance, pleasure vehicles…
…hobbies, sight-seeing excursions…
…politics, energy-sapping-time-consuming-careers…
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… and a variety of other similar worldly pleasures and pursuits!
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED SIGN
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“Watchman, what of the night?
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Watchman, what of the night?
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The watchman said, The morning cometh,
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and also the night:
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if ye will inquire, inquire ye:
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return, come.”
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Isaiah 21:11, 12
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THE 1ST FACE IN THE MOON: “THE NIGHT WATCHMAN”
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“MOON IS CONFOUNDED”… The first face, a man’s face, is easy to see.
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It is that proverbial ‘Man in the Moon’.
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Most have seen it.
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Even as little children. (The other two faces are not so easy to see. But let’s concentrate on the first face.)
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Notice that the ‘Man in the Moon’ appears as though he is looking down at the Earth.
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‘Shock and Awe’!
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That’s the look on his face.
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Sadness too!
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You might even see the tears running down his cheeks. (“Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.” Psalm 119:136)
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The Moon is spoken of as a “faithful witness”.
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God’s covenanted law is spoken of as a faithful witness as well.
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Listen to the Psalmist…
…It (God’s covenant with David shall be established for ever as the Moon,
and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.”
Psalm 89:37.“
Notice here that God is comparing His Covenant to the Moon as a “faithful witness”.
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The Moon reflects the light of the Sun, just as Christians should reflect the light of the Sun of Righteousness, Jesus, who should be in their daily lives.
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And so the Moon fulfills the verse from Psalms which proclaims… “Praise ye him, Sun and Moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.” Psalm 148:3
Violin Lullaby – Satan – Tartini’s Dream – by Louis-Léopold Boilly 1761-1845 – Devil’s Trill Sonata – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM or BIBLE STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
[CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY…But one of the great reasons for telling them this parable, was because Jesus was turning the tables on those self-righteous Pharisees…
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…by having the rich man in Hell, while the poor, sick, Lazarus in the blissfulness in Heaven!
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This was just the opposite of what those misguided Pharisees believed.
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Yes, the Bible reveals that, “…the Pharisees…were covetous,” Luke 16:15.
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And so, amongst the Pharisees, the prosperity-driven gospel was alive-and-well, all the way back in Jesus’ days on Earth!
Yes, Paul was speaking to us today, when he prophesied that there will be those among us too, who will likewise, “suppose that gain is godliness.” 1st Timothy 6:5
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In other words, the spirit of pharisaism is alive and well in today’s church-world.
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And not only in those, “whacky and crazy prosperity-driven gospels over there.”
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But even in the so-called, “conservative” churches, a prosperity-driven gospel now thrives under the banner of “The Entrepreneurial Spirit”, or perhaps, even, “The American Dream”.
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Either way, “conservative” or “liberal”, most every congregation currently teaches, either by word or by example, that “gain is godliness”.
(Oh yes, these prosperity ideologies may be fine for the people of the world to pursue, but the Christian’s great focus and chief desire is now to be Heavenward, seeking to be transformed into the image and likeness of Christ.)
The fact is, many of those who insist on the unbiblical church-doctrine of “Eternal Torment”, are mostly in good health themselves, and have never experienced prolonged periods of intense suffering.
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Because, if they did, perhaps they wouldn’t be so quick to enthusiastically endorse this archaic old catholic church-doctrine (which even the Catholics may no longer believe, by the way)!
The Good News is that we don’t necessarily have to wait to get sick and suffer, in understand and empathize what others are going through!
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Listen…“Put on therefore,
as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
bowels of mercies,
kindness,
humbleness of mind,
meekness,
longsuffering“
Colossians 3:12
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Yes, the hour is come when God’s people are to flee from the cold, heartless and judgmental pharisaism which pervades today’s church-world and even pervades our own heart, too!
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And peradventure, should the Lord finally deliver us from that Antichrist spirit of cold and indifferent pharisaism…
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…we may then begin to wake up to finally realize that this whole business of Eternal Torment is utter nonsense…
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…a devil-designed doctrine merely to repel and repulse inquiring candidates for Salvation!
The Bible states… “It (God’s Covenant) shall be established for ever as the Moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven (sky). Selah.” Psalm 89:37
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God’s Covenant (The Gospel) has been inscribed in the sky. In the night sky, predominantly. It has been established“as the Moon, and as a faithful witness…”.
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Lunar_Eclipse_by_Jiyang_Chen & Wikipedia share-alike license. Click for link.
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“THE SCORNER (THE PHARISEE)”
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Please tilt your head to the left. Do you see a man with a very long pointed nose?(Obviously, the sketch to the right is just an exaggeration in order to help you find the face in the photo to the left.)
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Do you see an angry look? His right eyebrow is raised as if he is judging.
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This second face in the Moon appears to be that of a combination of a man as well as a fox.
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Or maybe a wolf.
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Doesn’t he have a long narrow nose like a wolf or fox?
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Maybe even a dog.
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Nevertheless, the expression on his face, as he appears to look down upon the Earth, is that of scorn.
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As if he is disgusted at the sinful planet below.
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He is very moral, you see! He is the Pharisee Scorner
ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
For instance, why was Lazarus sitting in Father Abraham’s bosom? Ridiculous?
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(Now there are those who try to skirt around this obvious nonsensical exaggeration, by insisting Lazarus wasn’t actually sitting in Abraham’s bosom, but merely in a giant cavern called, “Abraham’s Bosom”. Oh really?!).
And when the rich man begged “Father” Abraham for mercy, Abraham, in reality, would undoubtedly have torn his clothes in outrageous unbelief at being called “Father”!
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And he would have sworn to the rich man that he, Abraham, was not the rich man’s father, nor was he the Giver of mercy, a gift that only our true heavenly Father can give to someone!
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In other words, this rich man was speaking to Abraham as if he, Abraham, was Almighty God.
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And so, Abraham would never have answered back in the way he did to the rich man, allowing that rich man to remain under such a false, blasphemous notion, that he, Abraham was his Father…
…”And call no man your father upon the earth:
for one is your Father,
which is in heaven.”
Matthew 23:9
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But God put this obvious flaw into that parable to demonstrate the misguided thinking of the Pharisees of that day.
Well, if one spends time going through this parable, it might be soon concluded that it makes no literal sense for many other reasons.
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You see, Jesus was purposely making the various components in that parable so ridiculous, that nobody but an unlearned teacher could make this parable out to be anything more than just a mere parable.
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And this parable must be interpreted spiritually and allegorically to make any real sense.
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And one can read the Eternal Torment articles on this website, for a more complete explanation of this parable.
You see, Jesus was telling this parable to the sect of the “Pharisees” (Luke 16:14).
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And by using biblical logic and spiritual discernment, it is easy to understand that Jesus was, “turning the tables” on the Pharisees, as the saying goes.
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The fact is, it was the Pharisees who decided that poor people and sick people must be under the curse of God (see John, Chapter 9).
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And because the Pharisees were affluent, they assumed that their morality and affluence was a sign of God’s favor and sufficient to enter heaven!
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED SIGN
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“It (God’s Covenant) shall be established…
for ever as the Moon…
and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.”
Psalm 89:37.
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GOSPEL INSCRIBED ON THE MOON
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The Bible states… “It (God’s Covenant) shall be established for ever as the Moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven (sky). Selah.” Psalm 89:37
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God’s Covenant (The Gospel) has been inscribed in the sky. In the night sky, predominantly. It has been established“as the Moon, and as a faithful witness…”.
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There will be,“signs in the Sun… moon, and…stars” (Luke 21:25)just before the end, was a promise made by God.
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But we didn’t know exactly what those signs would be (although many thought they knew).
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Nor did we realize that these signs would be pointing us to present Bible truths!
Do you see a man with a very long pointed nose?(Obviously, the sketch to the right is just an exaggeration in order to help you find the face in the photo to the left.)
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Do you see an angry look? His right eyebrow is raised as if he is judging.
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This second face in the Moon appears to be that of a combination of a man as well as a fox.
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Or maybe a wolf.
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Doesn’t he have a long narrow nose like a wolf or fox?
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Maybe even a dog.
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Nevertheless, the expression on his face, as he appears to look down upon the Earth, is that of scorn.
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Unlike thefirst Moon-man’ssad shock and awe; this‘man/fox/wolf/dog’ appears to be that of anger and scorn.
ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED SIGN
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GOODLY HORSE IN BATTLE CONSTELLATION
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BIBLE VERSES PICTURED IN THE HEAVENS
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THIS STAR-CHART:Notice how the right front hoof is trampling on the tail of the Dragon.
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Also notice his eye is a star.
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It’s best seen when in the western half of the sky.
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It is found in mid-sky traveling from east to west.
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In January, it is in the west after midnight.
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As winter progresses, it can be seen earlier and earlier in the evening.
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A dark sky with good star-visibility is best, but not absolutely necessary to see this constellation.
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It is found on the opposite side of the Dragon Constellation from Orion.
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And as already stated, this Glorious Horse Constellation can be seen best in mid-winter when it is in the western side of the sky, and you are looking at it while you are facing west.
Tissot – the Pharisees and the Herodians conspire against Jesus – www.joyfulheart.com
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90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM or BIBLE STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Daily Devotional, Year 3 – July 5 (Strong Delusion In Scripture, Part 10: “The Goodly Horse In Battle: A Dog!?!”)
So, in this little series, the subject of those “noble Bereans” has been introduced. 
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The Open Forum Talk Show with Harold Camping 
OUR DAILY BATTLE
“PURIFY YOUR HEARTS YE DOUBLE-MINDED!”
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