After all, if there are some who chose Jesus and many others who didn’t choose Him, then this would have to be considered as some little spark of innate goodness within those who chose to serve Jesus!
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Think about it! There must be something in me that caused me to choose Jesus: some little spark of goodness that other people do not possess!
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But listen to Paul’s testimony…
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing:
for to will is present with me;
but how to perform that which is good I find not.”
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
There is none that understandeth,
there is none that seeketh after God.
They are all gone out of the way,
they are together become unprofitable;
there is none that doeth good, no, not one…”
Romans 3:9-18
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But for some reason, it is nearly impossible for us to give up the false notion that, “God sees something good in me!”
And so, the Devil capitalizes on this false notion, and draws me into a counterfeit gospel which requires me to exercise “that little spark of goodness” which supposedly unlocks the doors of Salvation!
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And all who are under this erroneous notion are under a works/grace gospel, which is no gospel at all!
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This, in essence, is a Little Jack Horner religion…“I did that one good work!
This star-chart from Wikipedia, has Orion sketched in by the editor of this website.
With the addition of a single star, Theta Geminorum (the left hand of the Castor twin of Gemini), the sickle inOrion, the Reaper’s hand (sketch to left), now extends the blade, thus transforming that sickle into the hook of a shepherd’s rod and staff.
And so now this little Gemini star becomes the tip of Orion’s Shepherd’s rod & staff.
Thus with this additional star, Orion the Reaper Constellation now becomes the 5th personality of Orion: The Good Shepherd (sketch below right).
Theta Geminorum is a class A3, 4th magnitude star, which means it is much fainter than either of the stars, Castor or Pollux.
But faint as This little star may be, it nevertheless presents a giant concept, turning Orion’s sickle into a shepherd’s rod.
And this is a very wonderful and beautiful Bible truth: namely, that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, as is written…
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“As a shepherd seeketh out his flock
in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered;
so will I seek out My sheep,
and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.”
Little Jack Horner – WW Denslow – Project Gutenberg
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20 MINUTE+ AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH
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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 STUDY #404 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…
But society insists that sex and violence on television, Internet, and computer games is their social right, and plays no significant role in the increase of these sins in everyday life in our decadent societies, today!
“BECAUSE INIQUITY SHALL ABOUND, THE LOVE OF MANY SHALL WAX COLD”
Matthew 24:12
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Case in point: three teenagers just beat a 33-year-old man to death with hammers, the other day!
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Unthinkable?
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Yes! But if one were to do a little digging into their everyday diet of music and TV, and Internet, it would probably take very little inquiry to discover that sex and violence were a significant portion of their daily audio and visual and mental diet!
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Unfortunately, these kinds of crimes are getting so frequent, this crime hardly even got a mention on the nightly news!
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HAVE OUR CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST?
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One vocal preacher made the comment… “America, your chickens have come home to roost!”
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And even though he was coming from a completely different vantage point, yet what he said was true, in a certain sense!
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Because, as we read the daily news feed, or watch the nightly news, we would have to say that, “Yes, indeed! Our chickens are coming home to roost!”
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And by allowing our children to feed themselves with all the sex and violence on TV, games, Internet, and radio, CD’s, etc., it is little wonder that God is now allowing us to have a healthy dose of our own ways!
And so, the question must be asked, “Just what am I to do about all this?”
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“How can I escape the terrible judgments which are now beginning to fall all around me?”
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Listen to the answer to this above question…
“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.
For, behold, the LORD cometh out of His place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity:
the earth also shall disclose her blood,
and shall no more cover her slain.”
Isaiah 26:20, 21
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Here is where God’s people are to hide themselves during the coming days!
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Hide Thyself in thy Chambers- inspired by Tornado Over Kansas by Curry
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HOW AND WHERE TO HIDE
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But the question comes back again… “So how am I supposed to hide? And where am I supposed to hide?”
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Well, God gives some further counsel for those who wish to be hidden from His terrible wrath which now seems to be spilling out of His cup of fury.
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Listen… “Seek ye the LORD,
all ye meek of the earth,
which have wrought his judgment;
seek righteousness, seek meekness:
it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger.”
Zephaniah 2:3.
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Yes, all tucked away in the little allegorical Book of Zephaniah is this very solid counsel, for those of us who are seriously seeking refuge from the approaching storm!
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And so, we must be seeking for righteousness and for meekness!
And those who are meek will be humble enough to explore the message which God is giving us in these last moments of time!
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And this is the message of the hour which is now going out to God’s people!
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Hide Thyself in thy Chambers- inspired by Tornado Over Kansas by Curry
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to be a good role-model for my family, as I begin to shun the unwholesome programs on the TV.
Help me to replace this bad habit with good things which will lift up my family, as they begin to imitate my good example…
ABOVE PICTURE – The Narrow Gate & Wide Gate (this view of these stars can only be seen like this when laying on one’s back on the ground with head toward west and feet toward east!)- Late winter – Ursa Major – www.signsofheaven.org- you may use with credit – NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE
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LOCATION
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This most amazing phenomenon is seen throughout the winter.
Although it can be observed most of the winter, it is seen best when it is the western part of the sky, at winter’s end (The end of winter being the final scene of this heavenly Gospel story).
Orion , the Dragon, and the Glorious White Horse are beginning to descend into the western horizon (sketch to right is Winter Constellations descending into western horizon.
This can actually be seen as early as December, in the pre-dawn hours).
But the Wide Gate Stars are composed of the two brightest stars of the Auriga Constellation, known as the star, Capella, and the star, Menkalinan.
The two stars, Castor and Pollux, make up the concept of the Orion’s Narrow Gate Stars.
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This can even be observed into June in the western sky (for a short time just after dark).
While a dark night is best for seeing the Woman Constellation, the 4 stars which comprise the Narrow Gate/Wide Gate Stars can be seen even under mediocre conditions.
It begins with the Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation (AKA Ursa Major) going towards these two doors.
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The sketch to left shows, the two doors are each composed of two bright stars.
The two bright stars that comprise the Narrow Gate are the two brightest stars of the Orion the Reaper’s sickle.
The two stars that comprise the ‘Wide Gate’ Stars are the two brightest stars of the wave of water that comes out of theDragon Constellation’s mouth (for explanation of “Wave of Water”, just click here).
The stars that make up the ‘Narrow Gate’ are about half the width of the Wide Gate (see sketch below left).
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(For more information on Orion’s sickle, just click here,“Orion The Reaper”.)
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Editor’s note: These sketches on this page are merely sketches. The stars are not in their exact place.
However, they are close enough to find them in the night sky.
But as with most stars, it takes persistence to finally locate them.
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 STUDY #403 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…
A certain public advocate for conservative values was having a debate with a young member of the audience about “gays” being “more compassionate than straights”, saying this was more virtuous, “and just the way things ought to be!”
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The conservative advocate countered by arguing that “Emotionalism is mostly a female trait! When men get together, they like to talk football, and cars, and politics, while women talk about softer topics such as family, and more emotional issues.”
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And this conservative advocate continued by saying, “Men and women are ‘hard-wired’ differently from each other, and this is how it’s supposed to be!”
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Well, the young man was not convinced.
Gay Parade – Jazz Jennings 2016 – Wikipedia – Creative Commons License
Satan has been using the “Strawman Ploy” for many long centuries. Yes, that diabolical, “Dr. Evil” (Satan) has used his sophistry and genius to deceive all of us simple-minded humans in various ways, throughout history!
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And so, we shouldn’t be surprised by the current situation in today’s world, in which Satan has raised up the homosexual movement.
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But just one of his various reasons for this pandemic phenomenon of homosexuality, is to create a “strawman” with the intent of causing an even more negative stigma against Christ and Christians!
In other words, by displaying homosexual men as effeminate-looking creatures, Satan has created a situation which makes being Christlike somewhat uncomfortable for many men.
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Even John Bunyan, far back in the 1600’s, complained in his book “Grace Abounding”, that “effeminate men” in those days shared a few similar characteristics to Christian men, stigmatizing their Christlike gentleness with a devilish counterfeit.
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Yes, because Jesus had some soft attributes, many Christian men, today, do not want to be seen as being effeminate, in any way! And as a result, there has been a rather silent push-back in today’s society, against this homosexual movement, in which many men desperately want to be seen as “all-man”.
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And understandably so!
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And as a result, men try to NOT be seen as totally Christlike. Thus, Satan has scored a big victory, by creating this counterfeit similarity within the gay community!
Quite often in the movies, Christians are portrayed as weak and defenseless, like a flock of nervous little birds.
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On the other hand, the hero of the story is often portrayed as strong, and handsome, and brash, and fearless, usually saving the “weak” Christians from the bad guys.
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Of course, this kind of stigma against Christians is right out of Satan’s playbook!
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But another false lesson that the movie-goer learns from such a movie situation, is that Christians shouldn’t depend on the Lord, but should be more like the hero of the movie, relying on his own bravery and on his own strength to solve his dilemma.
Satan has always been hard at work, trying to “cast mud” all over the true Gospel. And one of his dirty tricks has been to use artists of the day to paint pictures of an effeminate-looking Jesus, or effeminate-looking disciples. Thus, he has successfully repulsed many from following Jesus.
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But Jesus was all-man! Make no mistake! He had not one ounce of femininity! Oh yes, he could be soft and compassionate. But he also had a quiet, manly, inner-strength.
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Nevertheless, Jesus not only possessed great physical strength, but also stood solid as a rock against sin, while the so-called mighty men of that day became weak as infants in the face of temptation!
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And men should likewise be strong against the evil forces of this antichrist world, giving their sons a balanced view of how to be strong, and resilient, yet tenderhearted toward his wife and children, as well as being empathetic toward those who are weak, or suffering.
“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other”
Psalm 85:10
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Now, it’s true that God has created men and women differently, just as He wrote the Old Testament to bring out His Judgment/justice attributes, while the New Testament brings out God’s merciful/compassionate nature more clearly.
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And even though man and woman were both created in God’s image, their personalities most often bring out this same dichotomy, making them seem strikingly different from each other, as this old painting attempts to correctly portray!
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And let’s face it, a husband’s strengths are complemented by his wife’s fragilities, and visa-versa, just as it is written…“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel.” 1st Peter 3:7
Just who would you rather have ruling the universe? Perhaps, one of the Greek or Roman gods? Zeus maybe? Or perhaps Jupiter? Well, they were both given very hard attributes, weren’t they? Just imagine if one of those gods were ruling this world? (Well actually, as we look around, we have to admit that Satan is doing a fine job of giving us a picture of how those pagan gods would behave!)
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We are so very fortunate to have a tender, understanding, and compassionate Father God, Jehovah, who runs this universe!
Satan has been given a certain amount of freedom to draw individuals into one lifestyle or another. And because of that, he will often draw certain people into one sin, while drawing certain other people into another sin.
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And so, as we look around at society, we can see the footprints of this invisible Dragon, and how he has designed society to promote his various deceptions. In plain language, Satan will often draw persons who have certain physical traits or mannerisms into homosexuality, to give this totally unnatural lifestyle an appearance of being “natural”. Contrariwise, he will draw others into just the opposite extreme.
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And so, as we look at all the confusion over this hotly debated issue in today’s society, we need to understand that “the prince of this world” has been hewing and sculpting society for this very purpose: to raise up Sodom and Gomorrah all over again! And yet making this totally spiritualistic phenomenon appear to be of physical, natural origin!
One thing we must remember is that this world is Satan’s kingdom! 2nd Corinthians 4:4 calls him,“The god of this world”!
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And so, no matter how hard the Christian strives to strike the proper balance, it will be nearly impossible to satisfy Satan’s loyal citizenry!
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And so, O Pilgrim of the Cross, all that we can do, is to put on the armor of God, and ready ourselves for the fierce battle ahead, knowing that our victory has been assured, by Christ, who has already won the battle for us!
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“JUDGE NOT, THAT YE BE NOT JUDGED!”
Matthew 7:1
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Now, just a word of caution. These truths from Heaven are given “for me and me alone!” We are not to look at others with a judgmental eye.
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And anyway, we just don’t know how God is working in the hearts and lives of people, nor do we know the true motives of others!
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So we simply look into the mirror and realize that, “Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. of who I AM CHIEF!” 1st Timothy 1:15
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Yes, my own heart is filled with enough evil to keep me busy for a lifetime, trying to purify it from my own innate wickedness!
Now one thing that is noticeable and makes this constellation even more dramatic, is the fact that the Milky Way runs right through it. And the question that must be asked is, “What biblical implications does this constellation/Milky Way connection have?”
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Well, very simply put, if stars represent Believers, then this rider works in the world through His True-Worshippers, to a great extent.
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WHY IS THIS CONSTELLATION SO INCOMPLETE IN APPEARANCE
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So why is this constellation merely an outline? Well it does show his back, rear end and leg…and arm. But unlike, say, Orion, this constellation is very vague, even mysterious in appearance. Almost vacant in appearance. Yes this horseman represents Christ. But even more than this, it represents the Holy Spirit of Christ. And as we all know, the Holy Spirit is very, very, un-intrusive, almost impossible to detect His presence.
Jesus was drawn into a heated exchange with the citizens of Jerusalem, who claimed to be children of Abraham… “They answered and said unto Him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham….Ye are of your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:39, 44
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Now these people sincerely believed they were children of Abraham. And yet, Jesus pointed out to them, that merely invoking the name of Abraham is meaningless.
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But why was it meaningless to claim to be Abraham’s children?
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Because Jesus revealed to them… “If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.”
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And so, the concept was given them, that the name of Abraham was intertwined with his character. But their character was actually intertwined with the Devil!
Now the Bible tells us the following… “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2nd Corinthians 3:18
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So here above, is an incredible revelation, that by beholding the glory of the Lord, we become imperceptibly changed into His glorious image!
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Here we have a concept that is so profound, it is amazing that so few really understand it! This passage reveals that, by having the veil removed from our eyes, and beholding Christ as in the mirror (glass) of the Bible, we become changed into His glorious image, little-by-little!
And so, when we read… “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.” Revelation 14:1
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Here is a class of followers of the Lamb, who have the Father’s name written in their forehead.
But there is another group mentioned in Revelation, of whom it is said…
“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond,
to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
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 13:16, 17
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Now this above passage speaks of a mark, or the name of the Beast, or the number of his name, in their forehead. Obviously, this class of persons had not been beholding the glory of the Lord, nor did they have the Father’s name written in their forehead.
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Mark of the beast – pub. dom. – Wikipedia
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“PURIFY YOUR HEARTS YE DOUBLE-MINDED”
James 4:8
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So now we begin to see that it is what we behold, that determines who it is that we worship. If we constantly behold the attributes of God, then those attributes will become engraven upon the tables of our heart! But if we allow ourselves to behold the attributes of Satan, then those evil attributes will likewise become engraven upon the tables of our heart!
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The Bible says… “And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.” 1st John 3:3
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So in this above verse, it is revealed that God wants us to purify our hearts, even as Christ is pure. God does not want a mingling of His character with the unrighteous attributes of this, the Devil’s world!
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Listen… “and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as My mouth: let them (the apostate congregation) return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.” Jeremiah 15:19
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God speaks these words, not just to Jeremiah, but to every person who desires to be a spokesman for Heaven! There must be a separation from the ungodly influences (which work like yeast within the heart of a man, and corrupt that heart.)
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GUARD YOUR HEART, O PILGRIM!
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So, what is the bottom line to all this? The great gemstone of truth here, is that if we wish for God’s name to be written upon the fleshly tables of our heart, we must carefully guard our heart, allowing only the purity and righteousness of Christ, to fill the chambers of our heart.
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Listen once again…
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Put away from thee a froward mouth,
and perverse lips put far from thee.
Let thine eyes look right on,
and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Ponder the path of thy feet,
and let all thy ways be established.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left:
remove thy foot from evil”
Proverbs 4:23-27
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This above passage from proverbs should be emblazoned upon the tables of our heart, so to become the mantra for our daily walk with the Lord!
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If we really mean business with God, then let our prudent footsteps be the sign of our fervent desire to become changed into His likeness, that His name might become the engraving upon our heart, which reads… “Holiness to the LORD” Exodus 28:36
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We just don’t realize how wonderful it is to be fully in harmony with Christ! The treasures of goodness have not yet been fully revealed to us, but are awaiting us, if we will follow Jesus with all our heart and soul!
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, I am weak! Please help me to stay as far away from ungodly influences, which corrupt the heart…
“And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.” Ezekiel 9:4
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That book of Ezekiel got its “fiery” reputation from such chapters as Chapter 9. In this chapter, the Lord commanded the man with the inkhorn to go through Jerusalem, “and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.” Ezekiel 9:4.
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Then after this was accomplished, the Lord commanded the men, who were together with the man wearing linen, with the writer’s inkhorn…“And to the others He said… Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.” Ezekiel 9:5, 6.
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From this little scenario, it’s not hard to see why Ezekiel got such a fiery reputation. Of course, this was all symbolic. But God is painting for us a picture, concerning those among His people who will be saved, and those who will be lost. This has everything to do with God’s seal. It presents the concept that many among God’s people, are merely pretenders. As one old southern preacher used to say:“There are the Believers and there are the make-believers”.
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But God is the searcher of hearts, and knows just who it is who has made a covenant by sacrifice… “He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge his people. Gather My saints together unto Me; those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare His righteousness: for God is judge Himself. Selah.” Psalm 50:4-6
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And as this passage declares, “The heavens shall declare His righteousness: for God is judge Himself!”And God has written His judgments in the Sun, Moon, and Stars! And this website is declaring those signs and those judgments!
“Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost
that come unto God by Him,
seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
Hebrews 7:25
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Do you remember seeing the video of the hanging of Saddam Hussein? Well, it was not a very nice thing, was it?
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Or maybe we rather enjoyed seeing Saddam getting his just reward?
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And what about all the other wicked despots and villains through history? How do we feel about them? Such men as Adolph Hitler, or Stalin, or the Boston Strangler, or Ted Bundy, or Jeffrey Dahmer?
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Well, it would be difficult to feel any love for these evil men! That’s for sure!
But what about Jesus Christ? Did He love those desperately wicked individuals? Did He also die for their sins?
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There is a popular saying in Christendom, which says… “If you were the only sinner on earth, would Christ have come to die for you?”
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And the obvious answer is that “Yes, if you or I were the only sinner who ever lived, Christ would have given His life for you or me!”
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Well then, what if Adolph Hitler was the only sinner, would Christ have given His life for Adolph? Or what about Osama Bin Laden? Would Christ have given His life for that evil man?
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Or did Christ merely give His life for we who are not considered to be so bad?
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So then, if Christ did give His life for the Bin-Laden’s and Ted Bundy’s of the world, then what should our position be, concerning such evil men?
Listen to Paul, the Apostle… “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” 1st Timothy 1:15
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Well, Paul (who was a mass murderer prior to his salvation) here is calling himself, “the chief of sinners”! This means that Paul considered himself to be the worst of the worst!
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But remarkably, Paul likewise says that this saying is “worthy of all acceptance”! In other words, you or I can also say along with Paul, “I too, am the chief of sinners”!
But how can this be? After all, I live a highly moral life! I pay all my taxes, and go to church and pay my tithes! “No, no, no, I am definitely not the chief of sinners! No way could I be compared to Adolph Hitler! No way could I be in the same station with such men as Osama bin-Laden or with those cut-throats over there in the Middle East!”
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But the Bible makes this statement about you and me… “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:9, 10
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GOD LOOKETH UPON THE HEART
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You see, while we judge according to outward appearances, the Lord looks upon the incredible wickedness which exists deep within our hearts!
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And the fact is, God could have easily allowed the Devil to use you or me, instead of Adolph Hitler, if we had lived back then in Germany!
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Yes, we have that much wickedness in our hearts! None of us can hold our head up!
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And none of us will hold our head up high on Judgment Day, when God reveals the hidden things of darkness, and the secrets of men’s hearts, that exists in each one of us!
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WHAT DO WE OWE SUCH WICKED MEN?
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And so, now that we are Christians, we must ask ourselves the following questions: if Christ gave His life for such wicked men as Hitler, and Stalin, and bin-Laden, then what do we owe all the wicked men and women who are still living their evil lives in today’s world?
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Do we owe them our prayers for God’s mercy and grace?
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Should we pray for their Salvation?
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Should we have Christ’s love for them?
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And do I truly believe that I am the, “chief of sinners?”
The longer that a man or woman serves the Lord, truly serves the Lord, the greater becomes our painful awareness of just what great sinners we really are!
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And the more we gaze into the mirror of the Bible, we begin to see ourselves against the image of Christ’s majesty and supreme righteousness! And the more we look into that mirror, the brighter becomes that glorious mirror-image of Christ!
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And through our many trials, God reveals to us our inner wickedness! And gradually, we grow more painfully aware of just what dirty rotten sinners we really are!
And then, as we look out into a world full of murderers and rapists, and child-molesters and sodomites, and whoremongers, and thieves, and kidnappers and extortionists, we realize that we are no better than they! And though we have never outwardly committed such heinous crimes, yet the capacity to do so, exists within each and every one of us!
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Now don’t think that such knowledge and realization of our own latent wickedness is a bad thing! No, the more that God reveals our inner evil, the greater will be our willingness to bow down to the only truly good and righteous Personage in the universe, God!
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And we will then be able to say along with Job… “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:5, 6
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Yes, God allowed the Devil to sift Job as wheat is sifted. And even though Job was outwardly flawless, yet through that sifting process, Job became painfully aware of his own inward wickedness!
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And now that we are at that Day which will try men’s souls, God’s people must remember that the coming tribulation will ultimately purify their hearts, and conform their lives into Christ’s glorious image, so that they can also say along with 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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And this is the purpose for which God sends His people through these various humbling trials: to purify their hearts and conform their lives into the glorious image of our beloved Lord and Savior, Jesus!
“Dear Lord, Help me to understand that a world of evil exists within my own heart! And give me a Christlike love for all mankind; even those who commit heinous acts of wickedness, praying sincerely for their Salvation…
This phenomenon begins in late October, in the pre-dawn hours. It then begins a little earlier each night.
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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!
“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners”
1st Corinthians 15:33
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We parents have, at one time or another, hired a babysitter. And what we got was usually less-than the ideal.
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In other words, the babysitter was most often some teenager, who probably spent most of her time talking on the phone, while our children played within her eyesight.
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And we were content with this, since their physical safety was our main concern!
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The Phone Call – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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Of course, as Christian parents, our great hope was to find some babysitter who would read Christian stories to our children. Or maybe they would also sing Christian songs, or look at pictures of nature, relating those nature pictures to our Creator-God!
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Now that would indeed be money well-spent, to find such a godly babysitter! Wouldn’t you agree?
Unfortunately, the television (and Internet) also makes a great babysitter and has now become the primary designated babysitter in many homes! It keeps kids entertained for hours!
. to the character of Satan!
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And we all instinctively know it is filled with many evil sights and sounds, and ideas! And yet, it’s so convenient to simply plop them down, and let the TV do all the work!
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ANSWERING FOR OUR CHILDREN ON JUDGMENT DAY
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But make no mistake! On Judgment Day, many parents will stand before the throne of God and answer for the Mark of Satan’s character written upon the hearts of their children!
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And all because they allowed them access to the television and other high-tech devices, for their enjoyment!
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Oh yes, Satan starts very subtly with young children. All those entry-level programs for toddlers seem so cute and innocent.
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But they are simply designed to gain a firm grip on hearts and minds of children.
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TV: A SUBTLE SERPENT
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And then, gradually, Satan introduces more sensuality, more sensual music, more anger, more revenge, more selfishness, more pride, more greed and lust, more and more of Satan’s attributes.
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And finally, after years of watching the TV and Internet and computer games, these children eventually graduate into adult programming!
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And by then, they will have the impress of Satan’s character fully engraven upon their hearts!
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THIS WORLD IS SATAN’S KINGDOM
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This is what the image of the Beast is all about! This is what the Mark of Satan’s character is all about!
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The multifaceted Beast of Revelation 13 & 17, is merely this Antichrist world-order all around us.
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The kings and kingdoms of this world are the kingdoms of Satan!
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Satan is called “the god of this world” (2nd Corinthians 4:4). And this world serves and worships Satan (Revelation 13:4).
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But that is merely a façade, to mask all the underlying evil in this, the Devil’s world!
Now there is some Good News, parents! Yes, there is a way of escape for you and your children! But it will require a total surrender on your part!
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You must fully give yourself to the proper rearing of your children! It takes both parents being willing to devote themselves 100% to the God of Heaven! And even if only one parent is willing to fully surrender to the Lord, that is a great first step!
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No, you must not nag your unwilling spouse! Just hide yourself in Christ, and dedicate your life to prayer and Bible contemplation and devotion to the Lord, for the rest of your family! And God will see your tears, and hear your soft and silent crying for His mercy! And though the situation will often seem hopeless, God will eventually answer your prayers for your family (this works for grandparents too)!
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Just hide yourself in, “His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle”! Psalm 27:5
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Hide Thyself in thy Chambers- inspired by Tornado Over Kansas by Curry
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“…I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes…
him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land…”
“Dear Lord, Help me to fully surrender to Thee! Help my spouse and children! Help me to live a life of Bible contemplation, prayer and spiritual sacrifices for them! Let me trust in all Thy precious promises…
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.
but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.”
Proverbs 17:24
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Since man’s fall, nature has likewise fallen, to a great degree.
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And yet, if we look at nature, it is not hard to see nature’s beauty.
Even in this fallen world, nature still retains some of the beauty which our unfallen parents enjoyed in their days when in Eden, “the garden of God” (Ezekiel 28:13)!
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The hopeful songs of the birds, the quiet mountain brook, the little flower of the field, the giant sequoias, the majestic roar of the ocean waves!
These are just a few of the countless wonders of nature!
Now, today’s devotional will focus on a few of the forest creatures which are classified as foragers.
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That is, let’s take a moment to consider those little furry creatures whose lives are dedicated to seeking after the green herbs of vegetation in the fields and forests of this world.
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Now what lesson can we learn from them?
Probably many gems of truth can be gleaned from considering their earth-bound existence!
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But there is an analogy to be seen between them and our own selves.
Yes, just like those furry little forest beasts, we too, have spent our short existence, completely devoted to getting as much as we can from the earth!
Oh no, we don’t look for green herbs like those forest-and-field-foragers!
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Or do we?
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Perhaps, in our own way, we do seek for our own version of green herbs: that new car, or that new house, or that better job, or that new stereo system!
Could these things be considered our green herbs?
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Well, one thing is for sure! These are definitely the things of the earth!
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And prior to our conversion, we have devoted much of our lives to seeking after all those countless things, which come from the earth!
But when Jesus came to live among us, He lived a life, unconcerned with all such things of the earth!
Oh yes, Jesus ate and drank, and wore clothes, and worked as a carpenter, and slept, and enjoyed nature.
And yet, these things were not his main focus in life!
His main focus was on the virtues of Heaven: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, meekness, self-control, prayer and praise, wisdom, etc….
Yes, His greatest joy was to do the will of His Father in Heaven!
“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth”
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And through the pen of Paul, the Apostle, He counsels us…
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:1-3
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Starry Night at La Silla – Wikimedia – Share-Alike license
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“THE GOOD NEWS FROM A FAR COUNTRY!”
Proverbs 25:25
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The Good News in all this is, that God has still left open the door of Salvation!
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Eternal life eternal love and eternal joy!
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Yes, if we will only turn our eyes away from all the perishing things of earth, and turn our eyes upon Jesus; then the words of that old song will begin to speak to our hearts…
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“Turn your eyes upon Jesus!
Look full in His wonderful face!
And the things of the world, will grow strangely dim,
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 in the 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.
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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.
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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.)
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 STUDY #398 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…
In Part 1 (click here), the case was presented that the fallen churches are the “Mystery Babylon” which God’s Elect must come out of in these last moments of time!
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And this idea of two separate comings of Jesus, once prior to the great Time of Trouble, and once after that Time of Trouble, is a wildly popular idea in evangelical circles today!
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And the Scofield Bible highly popularized this theologian-coined name, “The Rapture”, to describe Jesus’ first return, just prior to the Time of Jacob’s Trouble.
There was one very popular radio preacher, Vernon McGee, who seemed like a sincere Bible teacher.
And yet this man was so locked into his Pre-Tribulation Rapture dogma, that he often spoke in a scornful tone whenever referring to those who do not agree with his almost bigoted views on eschatology!
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But to this sincere, but erring man’s credit, he did finally admit his own dogmatism (during his study on Daniel, Chapter 12), saying that there may be things revealed in the last days which he did not currently understand!
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(And truth-be-told, he never came out of this “Pre-Tribulation” error, even though he did finally renounce his “Old-Earth Creation” error!)
And because this man’s Bible study is so popular, his dogmatic eschatology has been adopted by a large portion of the church-world.
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Now it seems that whenever we Bible teachers sense that our teachings are built on a shaky foundation, we begin to scorn anyone who disagrees with us!
We even tend to threaten those who reject our teachings!
We instinctively know that our doctrine is built on a weak foundation!
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Yes, this popular radio teacher had no business getting so hard-headed about this theory for which theologians have coined the name, “Pre-Tribulation Rapture Theory”. Especially considering such passages as John 5:28…
“for the hour is coming,
in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice,
And shall come forth”.
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The cardinal rule here should be, that whenever one’s theory has such “loose ends” as John 5:28 poses, there is absolutely no reason to be dogmatic!
And yet, such dogmatism seems to thrive in the Christian world today!
Because whenever a church becomes dogmatic about their cherished traditions and long-held church-doctrines, then by their own stubbornness, they can no longer enjoy the presence of God’s Spirit!
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There are many groups today who like to think of themselves as “noble Bereans”.
That is, concerning the church in Berea, it is written…
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica,
in that they received the word with all readiness of mind,
and searched the scriptures daily,
whether those things were so.”
Acts 17:11
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Yes, Paul was bringing some brand-new truths to these churches!
And unlike other cities, those noble Bereans were willing to study the Bible with an open mind and an eagerness to be corrected in their understanding of the Bible!
And in light of these glaring inconsistencies (and the many other erroneous doctrines), the Lord is now doing what He long ago promised to do! He is now calling His people to,
“Come out of her, My people,
that ye be not partakers of her sins,
and that ye receive not of her plagues.”
Revelation 18:4
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The many gross errors and the growing disarray in the evangelical world has created such a City of Confusion…
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Picture – Lot Escapes – www.thebiblerevival.com offers free Bible clipart – Public Domain.
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EXODUS FROM SPIRITUAL BABYLON
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And so, in light of this hopeless situation in the churches, an orderly and calm and quiet exodus should be made out of the various organizations which comprise spiritual Babylon!
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And don’t think for a moment that God cannot supply for His people, the water of life in those spiritual hills and mountains!
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Listen… “And there shall be upon every high mountain,
and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters
in the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall.”
Isaiah 30:25
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God can certainly, “furnish a table in the wilderness.” (Psalm 78:19).
“Dear Lord, Keep me from becoming dogmatic. Give me a meekness which cause me to be willing to re-examine the things that I believe, in the light of Thy Word of truth…
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 STUDY #397 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
Listen… “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you,
neither shall ye diminish ought from it,
that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God
which I command you.”
Deuteronomy 4:2
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The Bible warns against adding to, or diminishing ought from God’s Word!
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VARIOUS HERESIES
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The Scofield Bible has also been credited with popularizing the heresy called “The Gap Theory” in which the Scofield Bible is said to have highly endorsed the idea of long-term Creation
(much of the Gap-Theory may have been removed from the Scofield Bible, since the original, 1909 version).
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And, if that’s not bad enough, the Scofield Bible also popularized the idea that much of the teachings of Christ in the four Gospels are for the Old Testament Jews and not for the Church! Nonsense!
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Listen to Paul…
“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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Yes, the Bible student can be completely confident that any and every statement in the Bible is a true statement!
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OLD TESTAMENT CHURCH
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The New Testament also refers to Israel as the Church…
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Listen…
“…in the midst of the CHURCH will I sing praise unto Thee.”
Hebrews 2:11, 12
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These above words from the New Testament, and yet are a quote from the Old Testament!
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They are from that prophetic Messianic Psalm 22, in which David says… “I will declare Thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation (Church) will I praise Thee.” Psalm 22:22
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In this Psalm, David says “congregation”, and yet Paul says “Church”.
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This is because the name “Church” is merely the same name as the Old Testament name, “Congregation”.
The Good News is that we don’t need the gospel according to the Scofield Bible, nor do we need the Gospel according to any other human!
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Listen… “But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you,
and ye need not that any man teach you:
but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things,
and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you,
ye shall abide in Him.”
1st John 2:27
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As this above verse reveals, God, through His Holy Spirit is more than capable to teach us everything we need to know!
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A good study Bible (without personal opinions inserted!) and perhaps a Strong’s Concordance is all that one needs, coupled with humble, heartfelt prayer!
“Dear Lord, Help me to begin to study the bible for myself! Give me such a love for truth, that I begin to re-examine those doctrines which I once merely took for granted…
This is the Winter Constellations of Signs Of Heaven.
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Besides Orion and his Horse, we also see pictured in this sketch, the Dragon of Revelation 12.
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This Revelation 12 Woman Constellation is fleeing.
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As you can see, the Dragon Constellation is spewing a flood of water in her direction, as is written…
…“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.”
Revelation 12:15.
This wave of water represents Satan’s lies, and his false teachers who tell those lies.
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GOD’S MESSAGE: FLEE!!
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Beholding the Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation in winter, it seems that God is trying to get a very important message across to His people: that His Church is to flee!
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 STUDY #396 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…
they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies”
Psalms 58:3 KJV:
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Have you ever been selected to be on a jury?
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And on that jury, were you ever totally convinced of the guilt of the person accused.
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And yet, when you hear the defense attorney’s side of the case, you realize that the person accused, is totally innocent?
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And then suddenly, you realize this following truth: when two opposing arguments are debated, it takes both sides presenting their arguments, in order to rightly decide just what the actual truth is!
And quite often, God has written the Bible in the very same manner.
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That is, truth cannot be arrived at, simply by hearing just one or two, or even three verses!
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No, in order to rightly divide “the Word of truth”, one must carefully and prayerfully examine each and every verse connected to any supposed theory, prior to establishing a church doctrine.
Now one false doctrine today, is a counterfeit doctrine tagged by theologians as, “The Age of Accountability”.
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And this totally non-biblical name describes a very ancient idea that those young children who die at an early age, will get a free pass to go to Heaven, because they were simply too young to know what they were doing, to be charged with sin.
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Now this totally unbiblical name, “The Age of Accountability”, was given to this doctrine.
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But it was established because of another unthinkable false doctrine, “eternal torment”!
If the surety of Heaven for each and every young child was true, then every Christian parent would do well to murder all their little children before they reach the age of accountability!
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Do you see the absurdity of this archaic old Catholic church-doctrine?
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And if this non-biblical doctrine was true, then the best thing to do is to have an abortion, thereby guaranteeing your unborn child’s eternal life!
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It would be the ultimate act of self-sacrificing love!
Rapture – Louis Janmot wikimedia US public domain
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“My brethren, be not many masters (teachers), knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation”
James 3:1
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Now, just imagine all those Bible teachers who have been preaching such damnable heresies and “doctrines-of-devils”, known as “the age of accountability”.
(See 1st Timothy 4:1 for doctrines-of-devils” reference)
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On Judgment Day, these erring teachers may have to hang their head in shame!
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Those erring teachers will be shown, that by teaching this heresy, many women may have been emboldened to abort their own babies, convincing themselves that their aborted baby will get an automatic free ticket to Heaven!
And let’s face it! Any Bible student who happens to be a truth-seeker will not be satisfied by just accepting a doctrine merely because it is a traditional church doctrine.
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Scripture must be compared with scripture.
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And eventually the Bible student will find Psalm 58, which states….
…”The wicked are estranged from the womb:
they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent:
they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;
Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.
Let them melt away as waters which run continually:
when He bendeth His bow to shoot His arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.
As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away:
like the untimely birth of a woman,
that they may not see the sun.”
Psalm 58:3-8
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Now here is a passage which seems to say that very young children are not so innocent, and do not automatically receive an unconditional pardon, should they die young.
Listen to the Apostle, Peter, as he reveals the truth about the complexity of Scripture…
…”As also in all his (Paul’s) epistles,
speaking in them of these things;
in which are some things hard to be understood,
which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest,
as they do also the other scriptures,
unto their own destruction.”
2nd Peter 3:16
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Now today, the very same error is being committed by many Bible teachers.
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Yes, teachers have the idea that they must cling to long-held church doctrines.
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And so, they take the position that their very favorite church doctrines must be defended at all costs.
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And so, when teachers are confronted by such passages as Psalm 58, they must somehow wrestle with Scripture until they have explained away all such contradicting passages.
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 STUDY #395 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…
A few years back, a well-known pastor made some statements which shocked the nation.
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And among those statements, was that infamous quote… “AMERICA! YOUR CHICKENS HAVE COME HOME TO ROOST!”
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In other words, this pastor was saying that our nation was now receiving our just recompense for our past crimes against humanity!
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Now, this pastor was not the only well-known pastor to have made such condemning statements regarding this nation.
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There were a few other famous television pastors who also placed the blame for the 911 attacks on New York City, as being the result of this nation’s growing immorality.
During the Dark Ages, many Christians raised their children to be, “working evangelists!”
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After a home-school education of memorizing copious amounts of Scripture, the children also learned trades, much like the Apostle, Paul had, as a tentmaker.
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And thus, these well-trained young adults went from town-to-town, working such trades, as they secretly evangelized whoever they judged might be willing to listen!
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Listen to Paul’s personal testimony… “I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,” Philippians 3:8
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Paul was given to be a role-model for Christians in all ages!
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Listen…“Those things, which ye have both learned,
and received, and heard, and seen in me (Paul), do:
Now for the people of the world, such career-seeking is perfectly fine!
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They are merely following the dictates of the “god of this world”! (see 2nd Corinthians 4:4)
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But Christians have the commission to become changed into Christ’s image, so that the world may see Jesus in us, as “ambassadors for Christ”! 2nd Corinthians 5:20
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“ABIDE IN THE SAME CALLING”
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Now, for those who come into Salvation, the Lord offers this advice through Paul…“Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.” 1st Corinthians 7:20
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God’s people must begin their Christian Walk right where they are!
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And yet, they can rearrange their busy lives to make ample room for Bible study, contemplation, and prayer, etc…
But amidst this awful report, there is found some very Good News!
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Listen…
…”If My people, which are called by My name,
shall humble themselves, and pray,
and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land.”
2nd Chronicles 7:14
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Yes, although it seems that Sodom and Gomorrah are rising up all around us, as a judgment from God, against we, His people, there is time for repentance!
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And by turning to the Lord with all my heart, God can prepare me to stand in the evil days ahead!
This sketch below is when these constellations are in the eastern sky in early winter (However, this constellation group can even be seen as early as July, in the pre-dawn hours).
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In the eastern sky, it’s not so easily seen which gate the Revelation 12 Woman will enter.
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 STUDY #394 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…
And one of the counterfeit miracles in those churches is that the “holy spirit” is speaking to these churchgoers in their minds!
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And by speaking comfortable words, via a nondescript voice in the mind, millions of Christians all over the world are connected to this faux-religious-like spirit.
When a person becomes a Christian, the true Holy Spirit comes into the heart of that new Christian, causing him or her to lose interest in the things of this selfish world.
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And instead of seeking the pleasures and treasures of this present world, the Christian now views life, spiritually, through the eyes of Jesus!
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And the salvation of souls and the desire to become changed into the image of Christ now becomes the paramount desire of the Christian!
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Oh yes, the Christian feels a great responsibility to provide for the needs and the contentment of his or her family!
But this above description of the Christian life is a far cry from today’s prosperity-driven gospels!
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And this speaking spirit-voice within, gives them soft quasi-biblical counsels, as they go through their world-loving day!
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But this counterfeit spirit is none other than the spirit of devils, working counterfeit miracles, imitating the true Holy Spirit.
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Listen… “And then shall that Wicked be revealed…
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan
with ALL POWER SIGNS AND LYING WONDERS,”
2nd Thessalonians 2:8, 9 (Condensed for brevity)
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Here is a very brief description of this miracle-working False Prophet.
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And he has power to counterfeit all the signs and wonders of the true Holy Spirit!
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Rock Music Christian CHURCH STP 2010 Pomona wikimedia public domain
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“GOOD NEWS FROM A FAR COUNTRY!”
Proverbs 25:25
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Now is there any Good News here? Is there any hope for such deluded individuals?
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Yes, God is willing to receive all such who come to Him in true repentance and genuine, heart-felt contrition!
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And those who are willing to let go of this proud and selfish world, and begin to follow lowly Jesus, can become true disciples of Master!
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But we must be willing to let God crucify us! We must be willing to walk through the fires of tribulation, so that our earthly dross may be burned away, that we may ultimately come forth as pure gold!
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.
.
THIS STUDY #393 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…
A relatively new Christian was attempting to enjoy a nice sunny day in Lithia Park in Ashland Oregon.
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But as he sat on a park bench, he was approached by a young lady, dressed in hippy garb, and long straight hair. She confronted the Christian, and began her evangelistic effort…
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“Would you like to find peace and serenity?” she asked.
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“Well sure, I guess.”, answered the young Christian.
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“Well, I have found that peace and serenity, by following the ‘Way of Peace’ Eastern mysticism!” retorted the young lady.
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“Oh, well, uh, you see, I’m, uh, a Christian and I, uh, believe the Bible.”, answered the young Christian (now made nervous by her overwhelming confidence and her look of peace and serenity!)
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“But if you join our group, you find that peace and serenity that you seem to be missing out on!”, she ultimately seemed to convey.
Now, truth-be-told, there are many even in the Church, who try to use other methods to discern between truth and error.
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For instance, some will say, “Well all the cults teach this or that! Therefore it cannot be truth!”
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The problem with this kind of rationale is, that cults are usually made up with lies mingled together with much truth!
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And if the mainstream Church still clings to some error, then you can be sure, Satan will capitalize on that error, bringing the truth they have shunned, into the cults.
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So, you cannot discern truth or error based upon what cults believe or do not believe!
Or perhaps they believe that because there is a general consensus among theologians concerning this or that church-doctrine, that such consensus proves the veracity of that questionable doctrine!
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But remember, when Elijah contested between the 450 prophets of Baal, the odds were 450-to-1 against Elijah!
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And yet it was Elijah who prevailed, because he had the truth on his side!
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Listen… “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil;” Exodus 23:2
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And it’s no wonder there’s a general consensus between theologians!
Now just about every false gospel tries to intimidate their followers.
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And it does not matter how big or how small, or how respected or un-respected is that false gospel.
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Nor does it matter how “orthodox”, or mainstream is that gospel!
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Whenever a religious denomination begins to intimidate its members over some questionable doctrine, then “red flags should go up”, as the saying goes!
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And instead of re-examining what they believe, they instead, “circle the wagons”, as the saying goes, and try to defend and hold fast to their traditional beliefs!
The Wave Constellation is primarily comprised of the Auriga Constellationplus one star from Taurus, plus one more star.
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The Winter Constellations are depicted in this below sketch to the right, and shows this constellation group as they are seen in early winter, as they rise in the eastern skies.
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The Woman is in the north.
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The Dragon and Orion are farther south from the Woman.
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The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is the erroneous belief that PRIOR to the long-promised “Time of Trouble”, that God’s Elect Church will be snatched away and be taken to Heaven,
Now of course, the name, “Rapture” is a theologian-given name, which has been substituted for the God-given name, “The Coming of the Lord”found in 1st Thessalonians 4:15-17.
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Listen…
…”For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,
that we which are alive and remain unto THE COMING OF THE LORD
shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven…“
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So, what several theologians of the 1800’s did (Darby & Scofield, etc….), was to bypass the biblical name, “The Coming of the Lord”, and took the verb, “caught up”…
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…and then, these false teachers went into an ancient Roman Catholic Latin transcript, which used the word “ripere” instead of “caught up”.
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And the verb, “ripere” also happens to be the Latin root for various words, including the word, “rapture”.
The first truth to consider is found in the following words of hope… “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:” Romans 5:20
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Yes, in this coming Time of Trouble, the terrible days ahead will be met by an unprecedented amount of God’s abounding grace!
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Yes, God’s people will fulfill that amazing description found in Revelation…
“And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire:
and them that had gotten the victory over the beast,
and over his image, and over his mark…
stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.”
Revelation 4:6 & 15:2 (Condensed for brevity)
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So, these two passages paint a glorious scenario of God’s faithful remnant standing before His heavenly throne and yet standing in the midst of the fires of tribulation, while enjoying a heavenly serenity which surpasses all human understanding!
Now, we don’t exactly know what’s in store for us in the coming days ahead!
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But the way that things are just now deteriorating upon the world-stage, we can only imagine that it is going to be bad! Really bad!
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Be-that-as-it-may, God’s people will, more and more, find themselves alone with Christ in the heavenly sanctuary during this tribulation!
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Yes, in the midst of this hellish persecution here on earth, God’s people will become so merged with Christ in the heavenlies, that they will be unhurt by those fiery-flames-heated-7-times-hotter!
But amidst this very unnerving report, there is found some very Good News!
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Yes, God has graciously provided us with a little more time to repent, and to return to Him with spiritual sackcloth and weeping and mourning for our sin!
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And if we will only turn from this glittering tinsel-like world, and plead for God to bring us with Him into His heavenly sanctuary, we can begin to fulfill our commission to be priests together with Christ in His Most Holy Place in our hearts-in-Heaven!
So these two events go hand in hand simultaneously.
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The Ark Constellation, as sketched into this Wikipedia star-chart, is a representation of the heavenly Ark, as God begins to open up the spiritual concepts of that true Ark to our minds.
ABOVE PICTURE: Satan, The False Prophet who offers a world-loving gospel
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In yesterday’s devotional (click here), it was shown that the “little foxes” represented all the little worldly influences which are corrupting the Church!
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Yes, both within the Church, and out there in society, the ungodly influences are just now closing in on Christians, making it more difficult with each passing day, to be a faithful and sanctified Christian!
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Television, radio, Internet, school systems, billboards, magazines, and even fellow church-members, are just some of the powerful influences which are causing Christians (and their children) to conform to the ways of the world!
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One could correctly make the observation, “This society, and increasingly, this entire world-system is fast becoming a veritable, giant, ‘antichrist-indoctrination-machine!'”
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“LITTLE FOXES” SINS
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But there is another facet of truth to this little verse from Song of Songs!
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Yes, there are little foxes which are spoiling God’s vineyard, that many Christians don’t even see as sin!
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You see, many churchgoers today are under the false assumption that as long as we steer clear of outward sins (adultery, smoking, chewing, swearing, drunkenness, etc.) that we can engage in “little foxes” sins!
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Yes, it is the little foxes in the form of so-called “petty” sins, which are often overlooked, and yet will ultimately destroy the spiritual life of a churchgoer!
So here is a divine principle which should guide the Christian through many questionable little situations in everyday life!
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Yes, faithfulness and unfaithfulness are determined by the little choices we make!
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There are many seemingly “petty sins” which churchgoers give little thought to…
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“Should I drive my car over the lawful speed limit?”
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“Should I tell a ‘little white lie’ for convenience’s sake?”
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“Should I skip purchasing the required permit to do some project?”
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“Is it wrong to grab a handful of “free advertising newspapers” to use at home to line the birdcage, start my fires, or to wrap cups and dishes into moving-boxes?”
Back in the days of the Roman Circus, Christians were offered the choice of sprinkling a little pinch of incense upon the altar of some god like Diana or Zeus.
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And only one tiny little pinch of incense upon that altar was enough to free them from suffering a hideous death by wild beasts!
But in today’s world, there may no longer be any literal altars!
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And yet, when I break the speed limit, am I not pinching some incense for the god of impatience?
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Or when I free-download some copyrighted material without paying, am I not pinching incense onto the altar of dishonestyas well as the 8th Commandment, “Thou shalt not steal”?
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Or when I secretly lust after some attractive person who happens to be walking by, am I not pinching incense to the goddess of sexual lust?
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Or when I purposely fail to report taxable income on my returns, am I not worshiping at the altar of covetousness, and also bearing false witness?
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You see, this world is the place of judgment!
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And when we were yet dead in trespasses and sins, our normal everyday behavior would allow for us to commit such little sins!
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But now that we have been washed in the blood of Christ, all these little temptations are God’s current means for purifying our hearts into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ!
There are many Christians who swear that they will never take the “Mark” should the day come in which it is offered to them.
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But what they do not realize is, that the preparation for ‘The Mark’is right now being offered to us, each and every day, in the form of these little choices we make!
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And should the day come that we are offered a giant choice concerning ‘The Mark’, we will make the very same choice that we habitually made in our past everyday little choices!
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In other words, if we habitually choose honesty, and patience, and purity, and kindness, and longsuffering, etc., then we will refuse the “Mark”.
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And truth-be-told, by our little dishonest dealings, we in essence, already have The Mark right this very minute!
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Mark of the beast – pub. dom. – Wikipedia
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GOOD NEWS!
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And yet, the very Good News is, that there is still time to establish the habit of making right choices, even in the little situations of life!
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And the Spirit of Holiness is available to give us power to perform such righteous behavior.
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And the more we make such good choices a lifetime habit, the easier it gets to continue to do so!
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And then, when the day comes for Christians to make that big choice, it will be as easy and as habitual as tying our shoe!
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A “no-brainer” as they say!
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to be faithful in the little matters of life…
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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NARROW GATE STARS
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This most amazing phenomenon is seen throughout the winter.
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Although it can be observed most of the winter, it is seen best when it is the western part of the sky, at winter’s end (The end of winter being the final scene of this heavenly Gospel story).
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Orion , the Dragon, and the Glorious White Horse are beginning to descend into the western horizon (sketch to right is Winter Constellations descending into western horizon.
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This can actually be seen as early as December, in the pre-dawn hours).
But the Wide Gate Stars are composed of the two brightest stars of the Auriga Constellation, known as the star, Capella, and the star, Menkalinan.
The two stars, Castor and Pollux, make up the concept of the Orion’s Narrow Gate Stars.
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This can even be observed into June in the western sky (for a short time just after dark).
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While a dark night is best for seeing the Woman Constellation, the 4 stars which comprise the Narrow Gate/Wide Gate Stars can be seen even under mediocre conditions.
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It begins with the Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation (AKA Ursa Major) going towards these two doors.
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The sketch to left shows, the two doors are each composed of two bright stars.
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The two bright stars that comprise the Narrow Gate are the two brightest stars of the Orion the Reaper’s sickle.
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The two stars that comprise the ‘Wide Gate’ Stars are the two brightest stars of the wave of water that comes out of theDragon Constellation’s mouth (for explanation of “Wave of Water”, just click here).
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The stars that make up the ‘Narrow Gate’ are about half the width of the Wide Gate (see sketch below left).
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ABOVE PICTURE – 7 Stars Constellation as the Cross (aka Big Dipper) – winter – signsofheaven.org – not for commercial uses
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“SPIRITUAL THINGS…ARE SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED”
1st Corinthians 2:13, 14 (Condensed for brevity)
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But here again, like all the rest of the Bible, Song of Songs must be understood allegorically, before it begins to make real sense!
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And then it is eventually discovered that this little poem is actually about Christ and His bride, the Church!
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And of course, the Church (often compared to a woman) has been given the commission to dispense “the milk of the Word”, which explains the allegory concerning breasts.
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Yes, just like the rest of the Bible, this little Book is really all about the Gospel!
But our signature scripture today is also a somewhat confusing, allegorical verse!
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Listen… “Take us the foxes, the little foxes,
that spoil the vines:
for our vines have tender grapes.”
Song of Songs 2:15
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Okay, so what in the world could this be speaking of?
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Listen again…
“O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.”
Ezekiel 13:14
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Now, if a vineyard represents God’s people, then little foxes represent the little false prophets within the Church which spoil God’s spiritual harvest of Believers!
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Evangelist Preaching – Church – Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine!”
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And the Apostle, Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit foretells of a day in which the Church will no longer tolerate the unvarnished truth!
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Listen… “For the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine…”
2nd Timothy 4:3
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Now we see that the churches will come to their eventual apostasy and ultimate demise!
Now we should not think that apostate pastors found in local congregations are the sum-total of what the Bible speaks of in 2nd Corinthians…
“…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…”
2nd Corinthians 11:13-15 (Condensed)
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No, this above passage can be speaking of anybody, even the parishioners within the congregation: anyone who teaches falsehood, either by word or by world-loving lifestyle!
Now, in a vision, the prophet saw that by close association with unbelievers, God’s people became perverted in their own thinking and decision-making!
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Listen… “Therefore the law is slacked,
and judgment doth never go forth:
for the wicked doth compass about the righteous;
therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.”
Habakkuk 1:4
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So here we see that in these last moments of history, God’s people will be surrounded by unbelievers, both within and without, who will cause us to become perverted in judgment!
The first two mountains on the left in this sketch are known are the Mounts of Blessing and Cursing, as found in Deuteronomy 27:11-26 & Chapter 28.
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The valley between these two mountains is called the Valley of Decision, as is written…
“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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The Valley of Decision is not a physical place, but a spiritual valley in which each person of the world will make up his or her mind, as to just whom they will serve: God or Satan; God’s kingdom or this world (Satan’s kingdom).
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From the Mount of Blessing are heard all the blessingswhich result from serving God.
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From the Mount of Cursing are heard all the curseswhich result from disobedience to God’s will.
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And those in the valley will listen to both sides, and make up their minds, just who will they serve.
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And why does this above passage present such a huge concept?
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Because here is the great divide between those who will be redeemed and those who will not be saved!
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That’s right! It says in the above passage that…
“…whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.
If ye endure chastening,
God dealeth with you as with sons;”
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And so, if I am willing to endure all the trials and tribulation, and all the fiery darts of the wicked one, then this is the confirmation that I am truly one of God’s sons!
“Dear Lord, Keep me from murmuring against you! But give me an appreciation for my many trials! Complete the work within me, so that all the world might not see me, but might see Jesus…
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Listen to this description of the 2nd Coming as the Son of God…
…”And then shall that Wicked be revealed,
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth,
and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming,”
1st Thessalonians 2:8.
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Not only will “that Wicked” be destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s Coming, but when that Daystar arises in our heart, “the man of flesh”within Believers will likewise be consumed by the Spirit of God’s Word.
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Because when the Daystar really begins to shine within the Believer, “self” and all selfishness will melt away as does morning frost under the dawning Sun.
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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1st ORB: THE SUN = 1ST COMMANDMENT
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“Thou shall have no other gods before Me”
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One great clue that if the Sun would correspond to the First Commandment,“You shall have no other gods before Me”,is that the names which Mankind has given to the planets, all named after pagan gods.
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Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, etc… are all names of ancient pagan deities.
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Then begin to relate the Sun corresponding to the first Commandment…“You shall have no other gods before Me”,which just so happens to be surrounded by planets named after pagan gods!
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So God has set up this solar system to present this concept of the Sun (Christ) being surrounded by our many other gods (i.e., the 9 planets, named after pagan gods).
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Now in contrast, Lot’s uncle, faithful Abraham, lived with his family in the mountain strongholds.
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No, they didn’t have all the conveniences of city-life. But those inconveniences actually proved a blessing for his people, developing good work habits in them.
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And because of his strong spirituality, there was a constant reverence for his God! Daily worship took a prominent place in their day-to-day routine.
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And so, on the eve of the judgment of Sodom, the Lord Jehovah (pre-incarnate Jesus), made His appearance to Abraham, pronouncing the following summation of Abraham, but also of the impending judgment on Sodom.
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Listen…“For I (God) know him (Abraham),
that he will command his children and his household after him,
But the point to today’s devotional is, that God wrote that story for our spiritual benefit.
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And, at ground level, the story of Lot and Abraham is a strong warning to Christians against moving our family to a corrupt environment, which are so prevalent today!
Laws are now being enacted which only further empower Satan’s totalitarian control over Mankind as well as over God’s people!
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Listen to how Satan uses laws to do his mischief…
…”LORD, how long shall the wicked triumph?
How long shall they utter and speak hard things?…
Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee,
which frames mischief by a law?”
Psalm 94:3, 4,20
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Now we begin to see that God is every bit as concerned about our social environment as He was back in Lot’s day!
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But most of us cannot flee to the mountain, in a literal sense. Satan has been hedging up the way against that possibility, making it more and more expensive and more difficult.
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So, what can we do?
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But praise God! He has not left us in a helpless condition!
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“But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost
hath never forgiveness,
but is in danger of eternal damnation:”
Mark 3:29
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This above passage has caused great fear and consternation about one’s Salvation.
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And it seems that those who are the most troubled over this passage are the very ones who are truly seeking a relationship with God!
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And, no doubt, God allows the Devil to torment certain people with this passage, in hopes that they will strive even harder to truly seek and find Salvation.
In the wonderful book, “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners”,John Bunyan recounts the time when he was just beginning to seek a solid relationship with God.
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And during that early period in his Christian life, the Devil began tempting Bunyan to renounce Jesus.
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And after weeks or months of struggling against this temptation, Bunyan finally gave in, uttering the words… “Let Him (Jesus) go, if He will”.
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And no sooner did Bunyan mutter this sentence, Satan began to torment Bunyan with the fear that he had committed the unpardonable sin!
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But after two years of this devilish torment, Bunyan finally came to the knowledge of the Bible, which finally gave him confidence that merely saying those words does not constitute the unpardonable sin.
Now here is another passage which has troubled and tormented many sincere Christians over the past millennium…
“For it is impossible for THOSE who were once enlightened,
and have tasted of the heavenly gift,
and were made PARTAKERS of the Holy Ghost,
And have tasted the good Word of God,
and the powers of the world to come,
If THEY shall fall away,
to renew THEM again unto repentance;
seeing THEY crucify to THEMSELVES the Son of God afresh,
and put Him to an open shame.”
Hebrews 6:4-6
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But notice that this passage is totally in the plural sense.
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In other words, this passage is speaking to “they”, “them”, “those”, “themselves”. And notice that it never says “you”, or “he”, or “himself”. It is clearly addressing a group of people.
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Perhaps, the explanation which makes the most sense is that this passage is addressing congregations, and not individual persons.
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Now this is not to say that the individuals within that congregation might never find repentance.
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But even though an individual church-member may find repentance, that particular church, as a whole, will never revive itself.
Well of course, for a congregation to ever reach such a total apostate condition would require a complete, “blowing out of its candlestick”, so to speak. Listen to the message to the church at Sardis…
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“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write…
‘I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest,
and art dead…
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard,
So even though God called them a dead church, the light of God’s holy candle still just barely flickered within that church of Sardis! There was still a tiny possibility of repentance for that church!
The Bible speaks of a time when, finally, the churches will fall into a total apostasy.
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Listen…
“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 so, combining this passage with Hebrews 6:4-6, it can be the first evidence that the great apostasy which is now occurring, will not be repented of, by those apostate congregations.
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ABOVE PICTURE – The whore city, Babylon, the apostate church-world – Burgkmair – 1523 AD – Wikimedia – US Public Domain
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FLEE TO THE MOUNTAINS!
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Now just what Good News could there be in all this?
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Well, the fact that God is still saving individuals, is very Good News!
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And though we may no longer be able to depend on congregations for a place of refuge, we can still depend on God to lead His true Church (His Chosen & Elect) to the living waters!
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Listen to this very encouraging passage… “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18
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Yes, though I may have fallen away from the Lord, yet I do not need to think that it is impossible for me to find forgiveness and repentance.
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN
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ARK OF THE COVENANT CONSTELLATION
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This sketch is this same Summer Constellation group, when they are in the west.
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As you look to the south (to the left in this sketch), you can see this constellation known as Sagittarius.
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But if you look at it carefully, it begins to appear as a giant box with stars on either side of it.
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Just to the north, there appears this Cross/Scepter rising out of the Ark Constellation.
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Now, the Cross coming out of the Ark Constellation represents the essence of the law (self-sacrificing charity towards this fallen world).
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As this Cross/Scepter heads directly towards the Revelation 12 Woman, it shows that the Scepter represents the direction of God’s self-sacrificing love: His redeemed people, represented by the Revelation12 Woman Constellation. This scenario of that Woman grasping for it, has great Biblical implications….concerning us!
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George Whitefield is heralded by many as perhaps, the greatest preacher of the New Testament Church.
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But it’s hard to imagine that this pudgy-faced, cross-eyed man could accomplish so much, having a tremendous impact which still echoes through the corridors of time!
George was known for his incredible speaking voice, which some said could be heard as far as half a mile, enabling Whitefield to preach to vast crowds of up to 30,000 spiritually hungry hearers!
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But this devotional is going to focus on just one aspect of Whitefield’s message.
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And that one aspect is that which Whitefield constantly preached… “Ye must be born again”.
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In fact, Whitefield preached this message so much, that one person could not help but question him, saying,“Why do you preach so much on ‘Ye must be born again?'”
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To this, Whitefield replied, “Because…ye must be born again!”
Of course, these are the very words that Jesus once spoke to Nicodemus, a ruler among the Pharisees.
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Yes, Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, because he needed to find out whether or not Jesus was really the Messiah.
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But Jesus, instead of patiently answering Nicodemus’ questions, began to take control of the conversation, going right to the heart of Mankind’s great need… “Ye must be born again”, Jesus told Nicodemus.
And thus, it is today! Yes, we live in a world in which much of Christianity has lowered the bar, as to what constitutes being a Christian.
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There are country songs which mention “the Good Book”, and “the Good Lord”, and living by a code of ethics which come from “The Good Lord’s Good Book”.
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And such messages as this have “dumbed down” just what it means to be a Christian!
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To this, George Whitefield’s booming voice still cries out today from the centuries past… “Ye must be born again!”
And there are many voices which reverberate through Christendom today, assuring all naive parishioners that…“Come to church each week, and pay your tithes, and live a nice moral life…and…all will be well with your soul!”
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And the vast multitudes of gullible attendees today believe such a lie from Hell!
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But to this vast throng of lost and misguided souls, the trumpet-like voice of Whitefield still echoes down through the corridors of time, that old familiar mantra… “Ye must be born again!”
Now being “Born Again” is a concept that a person cannot fathom, unless that man, woman, or child truly becomes born again!
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And there are spiritual qualities which should be present in one who claims to be born from above.
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First, the person who has become born again, has received the Holy Spirit.
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And this Spirit entirely and radically transforms the goals and purposes of the life of the Christian…
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…with an upward Heavenward trajectory!
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Now that Christian has the desire to follow Jesus with all his or her heart.
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No longer does the neophyte Believer want to merely go to church once or twice a week, living the rest of the week in the vain pursuit of earthly dreams and worldly affections.
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And his (or her) realization of how unchristlike they really are, causes an inner desire to become Christlike!
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BIBLE STUDY!
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Second, the true worshipper of God (who is truly born again) desires to soak in everything there is to know about Jesus.
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The Believer yearns more than anything, to become transformed into the image of Jesus!
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And such a passion as this, causes that Believer to study the Bible and pray that God will graciously change that Believer’s heart into the heart of Christ!
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And now, that Believer strives to live according to the “exceeding great and precious promises” which become that spiritual pathway which leads upward and onward to the celestial City of the Lord! (See 2nd Peter 1:4)
Fourth, the born-again Believer increasingly becomes aware, that Christians are to be,“ambassadors for Christ”. 2nd Corinthians 5:20
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And so, that Christian takes a responsible attitude toward his or her family, working hard to provide a happy, healthful, and comfortable environment for them.
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Listen…“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another:
for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law….
therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
Romans 13:8, 10
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That Christian now joyfully receives a servant’s heart, and cares like a faithful shepherd for the needs of others!
Now, last but not least, the believer realizes that he or she must allow God’s chastisements to assist in the purification of the heart…“Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; ” Hebrews 5:8
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And through all such trials, the Believer becomes joyfully and ever-so-gradually transformed into the glorious image of Christ!
And so, as true worshippers, we must begin to come out of this Babylon of confusion, which is our current condition, and truly become Born Again!
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And then, with hearts anew, we will be able to join George Whitefield, with his booming and echoing voice, as we also begin to cry out to the lost sheep of spiritual Israel…
Moses – Ten Commandments – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH
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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 STUDY #146 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
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above picture: Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.org – Public Domain
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Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Today’s Devotional – May 28th (George Whitefield: Ye Must Be Born Again!)
A very nice couple happened to be going through a time of terrific troubles with their marriage!
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After several years of mutual grief and heartache, one spouse finally confessed…“I need to quit looking at my spouse through MY eyes, and begin to look at my spouse through JESUS’ eyes!”
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This simple statement was really a very profound concept, if you think about it!
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Yes, if only a believing husband, or a believing wife could prayerfully continue in such a gracious spirit toward their spouse, then probably, most all the problems in that marriage would eventually dissipate!
The Bible says it this way…“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it;” Ephesians 5:25.
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Now of course, this is easier said than done!
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And let’s face it! Quite often, God allows marital problems in order that the husband and wife will each begin to look upward, hoping and waiting for God’s help!
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And really, the only true solution to various problems in everyday life, comes when a Christian finally reaches the point of “forsaking all”, so that he (or she) can truly become a disciple of Jesus!
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This is the great secret to the victorious life in Christ!
Surely, this statement,“I need to quit looking at my spouse through MY eyes, and begin to look at my spouse with JESUS’ eyes”, can and should be applied to all areas of life!
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In other words, what we really need to say is,“I need to quit looking at LIFE through my eyes, and begin looking at EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE through Jesus’ eyes”.
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Now such a life as this does not mean that we need to quit our job and begin trashing all our belongings! That’s not what it means, “to forsake all”!
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No, but rather, just as the words to that popular old song says…“Turn your eyes upon Jesus…and the things of this world will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace!”
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Yes, when we finally decide to follow Jesus, fully and unreservedly, the things of this world will gradually lose their importance, as we, more and more taste of Heaven’s sweet nectar!
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And we will realize that true love, joy, and contentment can only come from Jesus abiding within!
And so, O Stranger and Pilgrim, both you and I need to walk up that heavenward pathway, ever looking to Jesus, our great Role-Model in all matters of life!
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And as we prayerfully contemplate the life and words of Jesus as we go about our daily duties, not only will we look at our spouse, but we will look at all whom we come in contact with, through Christ’s eyes.
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Yes, to look at all of life through the loving eyes of Jesus!
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This is the essence of what it means to be a Christian!
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to have this experience. Let me become Thy Disciple and follower. Help me to think on Thy Word, as I go about my daily tasks…
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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LOCATING ORION THE ARCHER
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“He hath bent His bow,
and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He hath caused the arrows of His quiver to enter into my reins.
I was a derision to all my people;
and their song all the day.”
Lamentations 3:12-14
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Orion travels through the night skies, starting about late September in the pre-dawn hours.
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This 1st office which Orion holds, as an Archer, is fairly easy to see.
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His bow is pointed and bent as if ready to shoot his arrows.
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But why astronomers have never noticed this Dragon to his left, is truly a puzzle!
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It’s so obvious; at least his crocodile mouth is obvious. (Perhaps God is sending the message that Satan (the real Dragon) is so obviously real, and yet so few in this world are ready to recognize him.)
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This Archer-Orion corresponds to the 1st Horseman of Revelation, Chapter 6, speaking of a rider with a bow who goes out conquering.
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And so, this article is dedicated to show just what Orion the Archer is speaking of, in Scripture, and how this all relates to you and me. So read on and observe…
George Whitefield preaching – by John Collet – www.wikigallery.org US public domain
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH
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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 STUDY #145 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
It was Luther, or maybe Wesley, who once said to the effect,“I will do nothing, except that which brings a Heavenly profit.”
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A Christian just needs to do what will bring the highest benefit for himself, and not so much dictate to others what is good for them.
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And if those around us have different opinions on these or other matters, then silence is usually the best course to pursue, on such questions which the Bible does not directly address.
As you can see in this sketch, The Dragon of Revelation 12 is spewing out his water of falsehoods…
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…the water of false gospels, false ideologies, various temptations, false brethren who will embrace her with the poisonous wine of theThe Great Harlot of Babylon.
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These are what comprise this wave of water coming forth from the Dragon’s mouth. (see “Flood Waters of Satan”)
Worker ant carrying leaf – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH
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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 STUDY #143 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
Those who are interested in using photos on this page may click on provided link below each photo, to get to Wikimedia Commons for various licensing details & tags, and all other necessary information on any particular photo.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Today’s Devotional – May 25th (What’s An Aristaphagist?)
“If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him (Christ)”
2nd Timothy 2:12
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In the first few chapters of the Book of Revelation, Christ sent out messages to the 7 churches of Asia.
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And Christ capitalized on the strengths and weaknesses of each church, as He either praised or criticized each church.
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But it is interesting, that the only two churches of which Christ had nothing negative to say, are the very two churches who were suffering persecution!
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Yes, the Church of Smyrna and the Church of Philadelphia were the two exceptions.
But also, during the following centuries, when the apostate churches of Europe became a tyrannical beast-power…
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…this new tyranny once again brought trouble and persecution upon the true Church.
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And as a result, the “true worshippers of God” had to separate themselves from the established congregations. (John 4:23)
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And for centuries, God’s “true worshippers” had to “flee to the mountains”, in which they lived separated lives, in the mountain strongholds of Europe.
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Did God’s people enjoy such suffering?
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Of course not! But that persecution only made the Church of God strong!
And so, in the very nations which he had so greatly persecuted, he was now permitted to bring out this new and improved war-machine!
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Thus, physical violence against God’s people came to a halt.
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And instead of war, famine, persecution and poverty, Satan employed the very opposite assault on those nations: peace and prosperity, materialism, leisure, novelties, amusements, entertainment, etc…
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Yes, the Devil began to flood the western nations with every kind of diversion imaginable!
And so, once the physical attacks ceased, the churches once again became filled with false brethren.
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While false brethren stayed far away from God’s churches during the times of physical persecution, now the churches filled up with worldly-minded professors of Christ!
Now for those who want to believe that God is going to revive the various churches and denominations, it should be answered,“This will not happen! That day shall never come!”
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Nevertheless, God is just now going to purify His people in such a way, as never before witnessed!
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But it will be only on an individual basis! And that is why the Book of Jeremiah refers to this day as“The Time of Jacob’s Trouble”.
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Yes, just as Jacob wrestled through the night and did not give up until he received the victory blessing…
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…so also, we must not give up, until the “Sun of Righteousness” has fully arisen in our heart!
(see Genesis Chapter 32:24-28, when Jacob wrestled through the night with God)
And so, persecution will come to God’s people! But it may not be the kind that is visible to others.
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There may not be any bloodhounds chasing us. There may not be black helicopters with tracking-devices searching for us.
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No, we should not be surprised if our persecution comes from invisible evil angels, to either discourage us to the point of renouncing our Christianity altogether, or at least to the point that we throw up our hands and join ranks with the apostate churches.
But two things are for sure, regarding the conflict!
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First, it is almost guaranteed that we will be taken by surprise, as far as the details of the coming crisis.
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And secondly, the only preparation that must be made on our part, is to begin hiding God’s “exceeding great and precious promises” in our hearts! 2nd Peter 1:4
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Yes, it is totally worthless to think that food storage, or weapons arsenals or storing of gold, or building of bunkers will be of the slightest help, for the coming Day of the Lord!
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Only those who have cooperated with the Lord in personal heart purification will be able to walk through the fires of persecution which is just before us!
And so, dear child of God, we should not be surprised if our lives become filled with trials and suffering.
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Listen…“And He said unto me,
‘My grace is sufficient for thee:
for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities,
in reproaches,
in necessities,
in persecutions,
in distresses for Christ’s sake:
for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
1st Corinthians 12:9, 10
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God realizes that trials and suffering are often necessary for His people. These are the means which God has chosen to purify and strengthen His people!
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Yes, the trials which the Christian might now be enduring, may very well be his or her own personal, “Time of Jacob’s Trouble”.
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 STUDY #142 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
When Jesus gave His Sermon on the Mount, He used the Old Testament Law as the centerpiece for this beautiful sermon, and showed how the Commandments are pictures of deeper spiritual principles…
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…principles which define the thoughts and intents of the human heart.
It seems there is a very good reason for God to choose this “image” Commandment to be the 2nd Commandment, and not making it the 3rd or 4th or any of the other Commandments.
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The number “two” seems to be the number that speaks of “reflection”. (Just like this giant globe photo to the right.)
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As this mirror globe reflects the images of the people around it, so too, we each reflect an image to the world around us (whether we like it or not.)
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When you look in the mirror, there becomes two images; 1. You. 2. And the reflection of your image… in the mirror!
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Listen… “Can two walk together except they be in agreement?” Amos 3:3.
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To “be in agreement”, as this verse says, with another person, seems to speak of one person reflecting the opinions of another.
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And our image is a product of our life-experiences; we are a “mirror” so to speak, of the people and things which have influenced us throughout our lifetime.
But the above Scripture from Amos 3:3 makes it clear that we can’t “hang around” with someone without being influenced by that person; especially if we admire that person whom we’re associating with.
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The Bible says “companionship” reveals a lot about who we are!
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But this next verse seems to be an answer to this problem of our influential associations.
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Just listen…“…we…beholding…the Lord…are changed into the same image.” 2nd Corinthians 3:18.
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This verse confirms that associating with Jesus has a positive influence on a person.
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Thus, by walking with Jesus, we become in agreement with Jesus.
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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“CAN TWO WALK TOGETHER, EXCEPT THEY AGREE?”
Amos 3:3
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#2 HEAVENLY SPHERE & #2 COMMANDMENT…As discussed elsewhere in this website, the Sun seems to correspond to the First Commandment.
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Likewise, Mercury, which is the second heavenly sphere in our solar system, seems to correspond very nicely to the Second Commandment.
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Both the second heavenly sphere (Mercury) and the Second Commandment (no images) are closest to the ‘Sun’.
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That is to say, just as planet Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, so is the Second Commandment right next to the First Commandment (God compares himself to the Sun many times in Scripture).
Munch – Det Syke Barn – 1896 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH
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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 STUDY #141 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
“He that saith he abides in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.” 1st John 2:6
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God has given us a wonderful example of what a Christian can become! And that example is the Apostle, John!
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John was not at all the product of higher education.
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He was not even trained in the school of the Pharisees, as was Paul.
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Being a lowly fisherman indicates that John probably had not even read books on history, or philosophy, or theology, or science.
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No, the secret to John’s success was his burning desire to imitate his Lord Jesus, in every way!
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(And in this old painting of John, the artist seemed to really ‘get it’, concerning John’s desire to be Christ-like. This painting depicts John as very much like the typical paintings that we normally see of Jesus.)
And like John and the other disciples, we also have the great privilege of taking up our Cross and following our Lord!
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But we can’t follow Him while trying to drag along a hoard of earthly treasures…
…”And he that takes NOT his Cross,
and follows after Me,
is not worthy of Me.
He that finds his life shall lose it:
and he that loses his life for My sake shall find it.”
Matthew 10:38, 39.
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When we receive the “New Heart”, we receive also a “Brand New Life”!
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No longer do we desire to go after the things of the world. We have left the world behind us!
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We now desire to be faithful followers of Jesus…just like John and James and Peter…and Paul!
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ABOVE PICTURE: Unfunny Judgment Day Cartoon – companys-coming – revised
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“TO THE MOLES AND TO THE BATS!”
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And so, the question of the day is just this:“Will we cast away our idols to the moles and to the bats?”
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Listen… “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 arises to shake terribly the earth.”
Isaiah 2:20, 21.
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This prophecy of Isaiah is speaking of this very moment in history!
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The False Prophet (the Devil, as he comes through unsaved people, both in the world but also in the churches), has filled our society with all types of materialism, careers, amusements, and aspirations.
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But now more than ever, God’s people must cast off these heavy burdens, and flee to the clefts of the ragged rocks of God’s Word and prayer-unceasing.
This constellation is the same as Orion, but can also be seen as this cross on a hill.
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It is best seen in mid-winter, traveling east to west through the night in mid-sky.
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Orion begins to appear in August, in the pre-dawn hours.
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However, Orion does not look like a Cross, until it stands upright, later in the season, in pre-dawn hours.
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Go out in the clear dark night and behold Orion in his four offices!
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Then show a friend!
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NOTE: The three stars at the top of the cross, are fainter than the other stars that make up this cross. So if you are in the city, you will have to look carefully to observe them.
Girl with round mirror – Wikimedia – US public domain
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH
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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 STUDY #140 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
Did you ever hear the true account about“the little church
that was moved by the hand of God”…to higher ground?
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“And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing:
and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven,
and among the inhabitants of the earth:
and none can stay His hand,
or say unto Him, ‘What are You doing?'”
Daniel 4:35
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THE PLAN
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Well, back in 1874, a group of Christians in the town of Swan Quarter, North Carolina, on the Atlantic Coast, decided to build a church to replace their temporary meeting place.
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Now if one will look at a map of this Swan Quarter area, it’s quickly noticed that this community is almost surrounded by water!
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And with this in mind, the church leaders decided the best place to build was on a vacant property on the highest ground in town.
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That way they would be less likely to be flooded, because of the high tides and storms that were so common to their community.
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And there was one property, which met their needs.
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It was the highest spot in that area.
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But when they approached the owner of the property, one Mr. Sam Sadler, he flatly refused to sell!
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THE GIFT OF ANOTHER LOCATION
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And there was no doubt, much disappointment over Mr. Sadler’s refusal!
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But before long, those faithful Methodists then accepted a most generous gift…
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…given by a Mr. James W. Hayes: a vacant lot, located some thousand feet in the rear of the present courthouse.
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Well, in a short time the construction commenced!
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These church members would soon have their little church, howbeit, on not-so-higher-ground!
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And finally the joyful day arrived!
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The church was almost completed!
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And in their excitement, when the church (a modest structure on brick piers), was barely shut in, people began to worship in it.
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At that time, it was called, The Methodist Episcopal Church South.
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THE STORM
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But it seemed that God was not entirely satisfied with this humble little church building!
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No, apparently, God did not want this church sitting on such a low level of ground!
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So, on September 16, 1876, the fateful eve of the dedication of the church, a storm broke out and began to brew.
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The rain fell and the wind blew until on the morning of September 17, 1876!
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The wind had reached such a strength, and the tide had risen to such heights!
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And the force of the water actually began to lift up that little Methodist Church from off its brick foundation!
And slowly but surely this little church began to float from its present location into the road–now called Oyster Creek Road.
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THE FLOOD
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Yes, it seemed that a miracle was now happening!
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The little church was now floating down the road, as if guided by an unseen Hand!
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It went straight down the road to a corner.
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And then, it actually bumped into a general store owned by George V. Credle.
(The corner where this happened is now known as Oyster Creek Road and U.S. 264 Business.)
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Then a curious thing happened!
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The building took a sharp right turn!
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And now it was headed down that road!
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The church continued on for about two city blocks!
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And like a pilgrim on a quest, it proceeded onward and upward!
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It was moving to higher ground!
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And no doubt, the amazed and curious eyes of onlookers watched this incredible phenomenon until it reached the corner of what is now called Church Street.
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Then again, as if by the hand of divine Providence, it moved slightly off its straight-line course, and took another turn to the left!
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Still there were, no doubt, many curious onlookers, waiting to see the terrible fate of this church, not realizing that it was on an upward sojourn!
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Finally, this church had reached the climax of its journey!
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It then crossed the Carawan Canal directly in front of the higher-ground vacant lot!
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The very place, on higher ground, where the church members originally desired their church to be!
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And this little church ultimately settled exactly in the center of the Sam Sadler property, the very site which Mr. Sadler had once refused to give up!
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THE HAPPY ENDING
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After seeing the mighty work of Providence and realizing there was a mightier power than man ruling the universe, Mr. Sadler set about to secure the title for the land.
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When the church was dedicated years later, it was renamed, “Providence”.
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TIME TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND!
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Okay, so what can we glean from this incredibly apparent miracle?
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This Website is dedicated to encouraging readers to move to higher ground.
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Yes, just like that church in Swan Quarter moved to higher ground, so too must God’s Church today, seek for higher ground.
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Yes, it seems as though the whole world is being flooded by wickedness, as never before seen in history.
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The enemy is coming in like a flood!
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This once great Christian society is falling into the dark abyss of Satan, with such rapidity, that nobody can actually believe what is happening!
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But God has His hand on His Church! The gates of Hell shall not prevail against God’s chosen and faithful remnant!
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And God is now giving us another flood!
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Yes, God is giving us flood of heavenly light!
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And this heavenly light will guide us upward, to our desired haven…on higher ground!
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And if the Reader will explore this site, he or she might find that light which has been mostly obscured by the great darkness in today’s world!
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S HEAVENLY SIGN
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FLEEING WOMAN OF REVELATION 12…
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“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle,
that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place,
where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time,
from the face of the serpent.
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.”
Revelation 12:14, 15.
So this Revelation 12 Woman Constellation gives a heavenly portrait of a woman fleeing from the Dragon, who is spewing water in her pathway.
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FROM WHERE & TO WHERE DOES SHE FLEE?
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WOMAN ROTATES THROUGH THE SEASONS…
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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).
ABOVE PICTURE – 7 Stars Constellation as the Cross (aka Big Dipper) – winter – signsofheaven.org – not for commercial uses
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH
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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 STUDY #139 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
Now, most theologians look at Jeremiah (and Lamentations) as they do all the rest of the prophets in the Old Testament.
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They fail to see the great spiritual application to today’s Church, which those prophetic books foretold of!
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And so, today’s theologians concoct terms, such as, “Classical Prophecies”, to denote that those Old Testament books were fulfilled with the literal nation of Israel.
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But the Bible knows no such thing! Rather, the Bible transfers these Old Testament prophecies to the New Testament Church.
Now the great point to today’s devotional is just this: if we take this concept of allegories, and apply it to the Book of Jeremiah (and Lamentations), that Book begins to come alive, so to speak!
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That is, with the understanding that Jeremiah is speaking either about the “Jerusalem which is now, and is in bondage with her children”…
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…or it is speaking concerning, “Jerusalem above is free, and is the mother of us all”, then the Book of Jeremiah really begins to make sense!
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Because, there has always been an apostate portion to the Church.
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And there has always been a faithful portion to the Church.
Listen…“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
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Even though this above passage requires a careful examination, to properly understand it…
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…the essence of this passage is, that the “natural man” cannot and will not comprehend the deeper truths of the Bible…
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…truths which are veiled by spiritual and allegorical language.
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This is because those who are yet carnal, are not indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
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And there are many radio and TV Bible teachers who adamantly reject these truths, for the simple reason they are yet carnal, and cannot and will not see the spiritual nature of the Old Testament books.
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And they scoff at those who see the spiritual nature of the Old Testament, deriding them with the unbiblical derogatory tag, “Replacement Theology heretics”…
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…not realizing the Apostle, Paul, was chief of spiritualizing the Bible and chief advocate of the spiritual nature of Israel.
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“COME UNTO ME”
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The Good News is that it is still the day of Salvation!
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And the call still goes out…
“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me;
for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
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Everything necessary for Salvation, for daily grace and strength and for everlasting life is available to each and every one of us.
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If I find the Bible to be a closed book, there still is great hope!
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S HEAVENLY SIGN
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THE HOLY-GHOST-RIDER CONSTELLATION
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“Gavest thou…wings and feathers unto the ostrich?….
What time she lifteth up herself on high,
she scorneth the horse and his rider.”
Job 39:17, 18
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Here in the above condensed passage is revealed a tremendous Bible prophecy!
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Here the ostrich (being a symbol of the Church-Apostate) is going to lift up herself and scorn the horse and his rider.
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Well, if we look in the winter-night skies, we might possibly have our eyes opened to see a most incredible constellation group, known as the “Horse and His Rider” Constellation Group.
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And so, this above passage speaks of the time of the end (which we are just now in).
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And sadly to say, there will be many in the Church who will scorn this last message, just as the wisdom-deprived ostrich scorns the Horse and His Rider, who symbolize God’s Church in battle, being ridden by the Spirit of Christ!
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Such a sad ending for the Church-Apostate, to scorn the Holy Spirit: the same Spirit that they so often exulted in praise, with their lips!
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This constellation group is made up of a number of smaller constellations: the horse’s head, made from the Perseus Constellation.
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 STUDY #138 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
Beside the Bible, perhaps the greatest book ever written was Pilgrim’s Progress.
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Yes, John Bunyan seemed to have Divine help in writing that little book, about a pilgrim’s sojourn from this world to the Celestial City.
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Now, one of the greatest aspects to Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, are the many allegories of which that book is comprised.
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The Lord had graciously opened Bunyan’s eyes to see the spiritual nature of the Bible, and had given him such a well-grounded understanding of how those allegories were the inter-weavings of the Gospel fabric.
Now what makes this book so important is that by reading and even re-reading and even studying this particular book (Pilgrim’s Progress)…
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…one might come away from reading it with a basic understanding of the Bible and of what the biblical allegories actually mean.
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Yes, Pilgrim’s Progress can really give both Bible-newcomers and seasoned Christians alike, a real forward boost, in their heavenward pilgrimage.
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It’s a book that should be read and reread. And nowadays, one can listen to a number of audio versions online.
(but sadly, the 2-hour movie versions may not be worth watching as they are a greatly cut-down version from the original book, which is about 6 hours of audio dialogue)
“And He said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God:
but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see,
and hearing they might not understand.”
Luke 8:10
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Yes, as it says in this above verse, it is not God’s intention to open up all the truths of the Bible to just anyone and everyone.
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But it is the privilege of God’s Elect, to search out the many parables found in the Testaments, both Old and New.
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For instance, when the Bible speaks about riches, so often, those who are without, will look at such passages as pertaining merely to earthly riches.
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But for those who are seeking a better, “heavenly country”, it is not difficult to understand that God is not speaking at all of earthly, but of heavenly riches: the treasures of wisdom, and agape-love, and patience, and self-denial, etc….
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Man with world behind his back – public domain
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BACK TO THE TRUE PATHWAY
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Not only does this book, Pilgrim’s Progress, give great insight into the meaning of many Bible metaphors, but helps clear up all the confusion out there in Christendom about what we should be doing, and how we should be living.
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Pilgrim’s Progress ever-so-rightly directs us back to the true pathway to the Celestial City, the Heavenly Mount Zion!
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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THE NARROW WAY: THE PILGRIM’S PATHWAY
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“Enter ye in at the strait gate:
for wide is the gate,
and broad is the way,
that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate,
and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it.”
Matthew 7:13-14
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That world-shaking allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, picked up the theme of the Narrow Gate.
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The hero of the story was Christian, a man who was warned to flee from the City of Destruction (the world), and to embark on a journey to the Heavenly City.
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And along the way, Christian encountered many adventures and dangers.
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This first of its kind allegorical book absolutely rocked the western world, and became perhaps the first million seller book (along with the Bible).
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But God has also given this same Narrow Way parable in the night heavens! Incredible?
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Yes, incredible…and amazing too! And though these two stars can hardly be considered a constellation, but when sitting next to the two stars which comprise the Broad Gate, well, it makes a powerful statement, for the people of God.
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So please come along on this journey and find out just why this pathway graces the night heavens, and perhaps you might find yourself embarking on your own pilgrimage up that very same Narrow pathway.
This most amazing phenomenon is seen throughout the winter.
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Although it can be observed most of the winter, it is seen best when it is the western part of the sky, at winter’s end (The end of winter being the final scene of this heavenly Gospel story).
But the Wide Gate Stars are composed of the two brightest stars of the Auriga Constellation, known as the star, Capella, and the star, Menkalinan.
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The two stars, Castor and Pollux, make up the concept of the Orion’s Narrow Gate Stars.
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This can even be observed into June in the western sky (for a short time just after dark).
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While a dark night is best for seeing the Woman Constellation, the 4 stars which comprise the Narrow Gate/Wide Gate Stars can be seen even under mediocre conditions.
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It begins with the Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation (AKA Ursa Major) going towards these two doors.
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The sketch to left shows, the two doors are each composed of two bright stars.
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The two bright stars that comprise the Narrow Gate are the two brightest stars of the Orion the Reaper’s sickle.
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The two stars that comprise the ‘Wide Gate’ Stars are the two brightest stars of the wave of water that comes out of theDragon Constellation’s mouth (for explanation of “Wave of Water”, just click here).
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The stars that make up the ‘Narrow Gate’ are about half the width of the Wide Gate (see sketch below left).
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(For more information on Orion’s sickle, just click here,“Orion The Reaper”.)
Cry of prophet Jeremiah on the Ruins of Jerusalem – Wikiart – US Public Domain
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH
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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 STUDY #137 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
This above verse by Peter lays down a principle, which the Christian should always keep in mind: to lead gently in the home, not attempting to force others into submission!
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But probably where most of us have gone wrong, is when we try to make things happen.
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This can be the source of many, or perhaps most of our troubles in the divided home.
“But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remains, that both they that have wives be as though they had none…”
1st Corinthians 7:29
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Now just because a Christian should be gentle with his little flock, he or she must be steadfast and uncompromising in his own personal ‘walk even as He (Jesus) walked’. 1st John 2:6
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In other words, the Christian will be occasionally tempted to violate his conscience as a means of maintaining supposed “peace and harmony”.
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But such compromises will only result in future troubles.
Family Portrait – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike License
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“WALK, EVEN AS HE WALKED!”
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The Believer must try to treat his or her spouse as Christ-like as possible.
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And this takes much prayer, and a constant growth in the wisdom and knowledge of God’s Word.
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The Believer needs to spend much time contemplating what Jesus would do, in the everyday situations of life.
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Listen to the Word of Christ… “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.” 1st John 2:6.
Now, if a Believer can grow more and more like Jesus, these same wonderful attributes will begin to be witnessed by the various members of the household.
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And with such a blessed environment, the Lord can begin to move ever-so-gently in the hearts and lives of the unbelieving members of the household.
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And even though the Believer may have to wait long and patiently for his or her family to finally follow Jesus…
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…we have many promises in the Bible such as this to cling to…
Man Husband & Married Wife on swing – Fraternal love (Prehispanic sculpture from 250–900 A.D., of Huastec origin) – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Give me wisdom to know how to lead my family like a gentle shepherd. Give me great knowledge of Thy Word. Give me great patience. Give me great faith. Mold me and make me into Thy likeness…
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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SUMMER CONSTELLATIONS
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5 CONSTELLATIONS PLUS THE STAR, ARCTURUS…
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The Summer Constellations tell the story of Jesus as He calls His Disciples to “Come and follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
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These heavenly symbols also present the principles of God’s Salvation plan.
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The Summer Constellations are made of five different constellations plus the star known as Arcturus.
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This big, bright, and beautiful star, Arcturus(representing Jesus) goes in front of these five constellations, as though He is leading His Disciples, just as He did back in Israel, 2,000 years ago.
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From left to right…
1. the first constellation is the Ark of the CovenantConstellation (AKA Sagittarius).
2. The second is theCross/ScepterConstellation (not previously recognized)
3. Under the Cross/Scepter is the Flower of the Field Constellation (AKA Scorpio).
4. The fourth is the Glorious CrownConstellation (AKA Corona Borealis).
5. The fifth is the 7 StarsConstellation (AKA the Big Dipper).
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These are the basic five constellations that make this Summer Constellation phenomenon.
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DOUBLE-ENTENDRES
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But if this is not already complicated enough, there are even more complicated aspects to this.
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In this sketch, if you look on the far left, you will notice that the Ark of the Covenant Constellation now appears as Two Turtle-doves.
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And at the top right, you will notice that the 7 Stars Constellation now appears as the Revelation 12 Woman With Child(Actually, this Woman is made of the Big Dipper, plus the addition of more fainter stars, which together comprise what is commonly known as Ursa Major).
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So, these two constellations are each double-entendres.
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And with the addition of these two extra constellations (the Turtle-doves, and the Woman), we now have 7 Summer Constellations, plus the star, Arcturus guiding them.
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So maybe the best way to tell this story is to take each constellation individually…
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Site Overview”…
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 STUDY #136 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING
Nevertheless, we humans insist on a religion which requires some good work on our part.
TOMORROW…
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Trouble”
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