Daily Devotional, Year 2 – AUGUST 18 (Apocalypse Now! Part 5: “Be Well Hidden!”)

By admin On January 31st, 2021

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – AUGUST 18

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Apocalypse Now!

Part 5:

“Be Well Hidden!”

To read Part 1, click here… AUGUST 3 (Apocalypse Now! Part 1: Silencing the Gospel!)

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“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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One of the most heart-warming sights in this world is to behold various animals with their babies. And the hen with her baby chicks is no exception!

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The Bible makes the comparison between the hen with her chicks, to God and His children…

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Listen… “(To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.) Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in Thee: yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.” Psalm 57:1

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Here above is a most interesting situation. David was hiding in a cave from his oppressors. And he makes the allegory of hiding in the shadow of God’s wings, until these calamities be overpast.

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hen with babies – cropped image – wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

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“When the wicked rise, men hide themselves…”

Proverbs 28:28

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Now, just how do we Christians relate to all this? How are we to say to God, “hide me under the shadow of Thy wings?”

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Well listen to Isaiah…“Come, My people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 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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You see, this above passage foretells of the day in which God calls His people to take cover, until a great storm is “overpast”. It is the storm of “Judgment Day”! It is the “Valley of Jehoshaphat! It is “The Day of the Lord, which is near in the Valley of Decision!

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ABOVE PICTURE: Hide Thyself in thy Chambers – inspired by Tornado Over Kansas by Curry

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“LAY ASIDE EVERY WEIGHT!”

Hebrews 12:1

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Yes, the Day is now at hand in which every true worshipper of God is to flee to the mountain of God!

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We must cast away any and every possible deterrent that may harm or hinder us in our attempt to be hidden under the “shadow Thy wings!”

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PICTURE – Constellation- Woman of Revelation 12 flees to the mountains Mark 13:14 This is not a star-chart, but merely a concept picture, but made up of real constellations (Ursa Major & Auriga, Hyades, etc…, howbeit not in their actual positions in the night-sky)

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And this is the exclamation point of today’s devotional: to let go of even the little indulgences of this world, that tend to compromise our thinking, and hinder us from entering into the fulness of the Lord!

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Exclamation Mark – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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COMING OUT OF BABYLON

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You see, there are many things in this world that are seemingly benign, some even having the appearance of goodness. And it takes real Christian maturity and much prayerful wisdom to discern which things are to be retained by the Christian, or discarded.

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And when God calls us out of Babylon, He is, in reality, calling us to put on Christ in all His fulness and purity!

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**Now obviously, “that’s a tall order”, as the saying goes! To walk, even as Christ walked, is no casual endeavor! And the Child of God must give his or her self every possible advantage!**

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Because, to purify the heart, and to conform the life into the image of the Holy One of God, is no menial task!

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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VICTORY REQUIRES ALL!

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“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1

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**And so, any Christian who will truly, “strive for the masteries”, must give all to obtain the victory crown! 2nd Timothy 2:4, 5**

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SECULAR ENTERTAINMENT MUST GO!

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**Now this website has spoken ad-nauseam concerning putting away all secular entertainment, such as TV, secular radio, less-than-holy Internet surfing, secular reading material, etc…**

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But the Christian must even go further! You see, even such things as daily news might best be put away, to a great extent. This is because there are so many salacious news stories these days which are designed to absorb the attention of the public. Yes, whether it’s the countless shocking crimes, celebrity gossip, or the ongoing political dramas, today’s news can be very addicting!

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And if I have the tendency to become what is commonly referred to as a “news junkie”, then I really need to call my habit by its rightful name: an idol!

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TV – ABC-Good Morning America – Wikipedia – Share-alike License

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THE HEART IS DEFILED

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And beside the addictive nature of today’s news, there is another detrimental effect which occurs from all this.

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Listen…“If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God;” 1st Peter 4:11

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Here we have a command to keep our speech pure. We are to allow Christ to live out His life freely through us. And our speech should be free of covetousness and worldly vanity.

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But if we give ourselves over to a day-by-day absorbing of the news, we will invariably find that our thoughts will be greatly channeled along the issues of the world. And when we talk with others, the conversation will soon gravitate toward these worldly issues, making us sound more like people of the world, rather than loving followers of Christ!

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Lunch Break – cropped image – Wikimedia Commons – Share-alike License

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DON’T WANDER AWAY!

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And so, today’s devotional is an encouragement for we Christians to hide ourselves “till the indignation be overpast.” Isaiah 26:22.

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But when we allow ourselves to soak up the daily news reports, it is much like a baby chick, wandering away from the mother hen. No longer is that little chick under the protection of its mother!

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And let’s face it! You can just bet that Satan is out there lurking in the shadows, laying-in-wait for any little bird who dares to wander into Satan’s territory!

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GOOD NEWS!

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The Good News is that God is calling His people to…“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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Yes, there is a hiding place, a shelter from the storm in which God’s faithful ones must now hide.

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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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And those who are willing to let go of any and every selfish little indulgence that hinders the pursuit of Christ, just might be hidden from the terrible calamities which are soon coming upon the whole world!

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ABOVE PICTURE: Hide Thyself in thy Chambers – inspired by Tornado Over Kansas by Curry

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TO READ PART 6, CLICK HERE…

AUGUST 19 (Apocalypse Now! Part 6: Fire & Brimstone!)

Brooklyn Museum – The Rich Man In Hell – James Tissot – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Hide me from the fiery tempest which is now coming upon the earth. Help me to put away any worldly traits and affections and lusts which I may still be clinging to. Let me take refuge under the shadow of Thy wings…

Marine Praying – Wikimedia – USMC Public Domain

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THE END

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

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7 STARS IMITATE THE CROSS OF ORION

This phenomenon begins in late October, in the pre-dawn hours. It then begins a little earlier each night, and lasts for several months, until they both appear to lie down once again.

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This Wikipedia star-chart to the left, has this Orion Constellation sketched in. You must locate Orion, when it is mid-sky, between east and west. You’ll be facing southward most likely, unless you are far south. Try to imagine it as a Cross on a steep hill. The 3-star belt of Orion becomes the crest of the hill. The 3 very faint stars that make up Orion’s head become the very top of the Cross.

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.

**When you are comfortable in locating Orion & The 7 Stars Constellations, then show a friend. This can be a great witnessing tool!**

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ABOVE CHART: The Cross of Orion Constellation star-chart – not for commercial use

ABOVE PICTURE – 7 Stars Constellation as the Cross (aka Big Dipper) – winter – signsofheaven.org – not for commercial uses

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TOMORROW…