Daily Devotional, Year 2 – AUGUST 9 (Apocalypse Now! Part 2: “Tormented With Fire”)
By admin On January 16th, 2021.
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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – AUGUST 9
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Apocalypse Now!
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PART 2
“Tormented With Fire”
To read Part 1, click here… “AUGUST 3 (Apocalypse Now! Part 1: Silencing the Gospel!)“
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“…and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone
in the presence of the holy angels,
and in the presence of the Lamb:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever:
and they have no rest day nor night,
who worship the beast and his image,
and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”
Revelation 14:10, 11
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QUESTION: What good does it do to torment a human, and then afterward, to just send that person to Hell?
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ANSWER: It does absolutely no good whatsoever!
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At a loss by George Shucklin – wikimedia – share-alike license
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WHY TORMENT?
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So then, why does God say the following? Listen…“…and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” Revelation 14:10, 11
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Now the general consensus in the Christian community is that this is the eternal punishment of all those who reject Jesus.
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And such an unlearned notion is built upon a misunderstanding of God and established upon a misinterpretation of God’s Word.
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THE DESTRUCTION OF THE FLESH
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Listen… “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 5:5
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This above verse presents a great truth concerning how God works in the lives of Believers.
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You see, it is God’s desire to destroy the fleshly desires that hold His believing child in bondage to sin. And so, God allows purifying fires to burn away the dross of sin, so that the purified Believer may no more be a prisoner of his (or her) selfish and fleshly desires, but only to become free in Christ!
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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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PURIFIED AS GOLD!
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Now just how does God purify His people? Listen to Job… “But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job 23:10
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Job here is making a profound statement concerning not only himself, but on behalf of each and every true worshiper of God! Yes, just as gold is purified by fire, so too, the Believer is purified by fiery trials.
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Job (oil on canvas) by Bonnat, Leon Joseph Florentin (1833-1922) – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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‘OLD MAN’ – ‘NEW MAN’
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Now back to this passage from Revelation 14. It says… “…and he shall be tormented with 
fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” Revelation 14:10, 11
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Now how in the world could this be speaking of a true worshipper of God?
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It must be remembered that the Bible reveals that there are actually two men within a Believer. That is, there is the “New Man” who is in the image of Christ. But there is also the “Old Man” of the flesh, who is very much Antichrist…
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Christian and Apollyonn – Pilgrim’s Progress – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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OUR FLESH IS ANTICHRIST!
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Listen to this revealing verse… “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” Galatians 5:16, 17
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Now this all sounds so easy! Simply walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh!
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The problem is, for most of us, it is all but impossible to walk in the Spirit, while our “Old Man” of the flesh continually clamors for the lusts and affections of the flesh!
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‘OLD MAN’ CRUCIFIED BY FIRE
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So, what is the Believer to do? How can I crucify the “Old Man” within? It’s absolutely far beyond my ability to crucify him!
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Well, praise God, that He declares Himself to be a purifier of silver and gold…
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Listen… “And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.” Malachi 3:3
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Yes, God Himself will sit as a purifier of His people (we are elected to be priests; thus we are spiritual “sons of Levi”)! And He will carefully and tenderly bring His people through the fiery trials until He can see His own reflection in us!
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Gold smelting – Public Domain – wn.com
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SATAN’S CHARACTER UPON OUR HEARTS
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Now of course, when our sin-loving, “Old Man”, is fully crucified, there will be no more mark of Satan’s character engraved upon our hearts!
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And this is the essence of what it means to have the Mark of the Beast!
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To have Satan’s character IS the essence of having the “Mark”!
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Mark of the beast – pub. dom. – Wikipedia
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SATAN’S COUNTER-ATTACK
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Now Satan will not sit idly by as this purification process continues. No, the Bible says… “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:15-17
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As this above passage reveals, Satan makes it very difficult to thrive in this, the Devil’s world. This has always been the case, throughout the history of the Church. But in these last moments of earthly time, Satan will be permitted to intensify the persecution against God’s purified people.
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Satan presiding at the Infernal Council – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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“THOU ART MY HIDING PLACE”
Psalm 32:7
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And these devilish assaults are an integral part of those fiery trials which will assail God’s people in the storm before us!
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Listen… “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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The Bible speaks of Judgment Day as a storm which comes upon the whole world, to judge them! But God’s people are to hide away until this storm passes over.
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ABOVE PICTURE: Hide Thyself in thy Chambers – inspired by Tornado Over Kansas by Curry
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GOOD NEWS!
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Now there is some very Good News for those of us living at this fearful time in history! There is much we can do to lessen the torment that we go through!
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Yes, if only we would begin to put away all unchristlike folly, and instead, study and contemplate God’s Word through the hours of our day, we might find that our fiery trials will be far less painful!
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Listen…“Thou (God) will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon Thee!” Isaiah 26:3
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You see, those who keep Jesus and His Word in their moment-by-moment thoughts will find that, “peace which surpasses all understanding!” (see Philippians 4:7)
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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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EDITOR’S COMMENT:
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Now, this has been a short explanation of the Beast’s Mark. And in answer to those who insist that there will be a literal Mark on the right hand or the forehead, let it be said…“Whether or not there is a literal and visible Mark given in these last days, the underlying principle behind the Mark is just whose image has been engraved upon the tables of yours and my heart: God’s or Satan’s: one or the other, and let there be no mingling of the two characters together!”
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ABOVE PICTURE: Mark of the beast – pub. dom. – Wikipedia
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TO READ PART 3, CLICK HERE…
AUGUST 11 (Apocalypse Now! Part 3: The Little Book)
Bible and Key Divination – Wikimedia – Share-alike license
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to endure the fiery trials which God brings upon me, to drive out and crucify the “Old Man” of sin out of my heart! Make my life an open book, for all to read the wonderful story of the Gospel of Jesus…
Prayer-for-USA-Wikimedia–300×192
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… AUGUST 21 (Apocalypse Now! Part 7: “Tormented With Fire!” Continued), or you can also read this shorter article…October 26 (Apocalypse NOW! Part 23: “Tormented With Fire!” CONTINUED)
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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7 STARS IMITATE THE CROSS OF ORION
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This phenomenon begins in late October, in the pre-dawn hours. It then begins a little earlier each night, and lasts for several months, until they both appear to lie down once again.
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This Wikipedia star-chart to the left, has this Orion Constellation sketched in. You must locate Orion, when it is mid-sky, between east and west. You’ll be facing southward most likely, unless you are far south. Try to imagine it as a Cross on a steep hill. The 3-star belt of Orion becomes the crest of the hill. The 3 very faint stars that make up Orion’s head become the very top of the Cross.
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Next, locate the 7 Stars Constellation. This 7 Stars Constellation is seen by facing northward. It stands upright a little later in the night. Eventually, Orion will lay down and no longer be seen as an uplifted Cross! Beginning in November, the 7 Stars (AKA Big 
Dipper) can be seen as a Cross a little bit later in evening.
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When you are comfortable in locating Orion & The 7 Stars Constellations, then show a friend. This can be a great witnessing tool!
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ABOVE CHART: The Cross of Orion Constellation star-chart – not for commercial use
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… ‘7 Stars’ Imitate ‘The Cross of Orion’
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TOMORROW….
August 10 (Keeping 1 Day Holy, Part 4, Genuine Rest & True Holiness)
USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY
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ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.
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THIS IS STUDY #586 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
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Click on image credit link below each photo, for licensing names, details, and tags, etc….