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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – AUGUST 3

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Apocalypse Now!

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Part 1:

“Silencing The True Gospel”

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“And the dragon was wroth with the woman,

and went to make war

the remnant of her seed,

which keep the commandments of God,

and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” 

Revelation 12:17 

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“Here is the patience of the saints:

here are they that keep the commandments of God,

and the faith of Jesus.”

Revelation 14:12

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These two above verses are both from two different chapters of the Book of Revelation, given to the Apostle, John.

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And they both speak of commandment-keeping persons. And yet the first group have, “the testimony of Jesus”, while the second group, “keep the faith of Jesus”.

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Isn’t this an interesting difference?

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John on Patmos – Wikigallery – public domain

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WHY THE DIFFERENCE?

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But why is this difference even mentioned concerning these two groups of commandment-keeping people?

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Well, perhaps we need to examine the events surrounding each group and see if this gives us a clue as to why one group has, “the testimony of Jesus” while the other group keeps, “the faith of Jesus”.

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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License

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REVELATION 12 DECLARES THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL

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Listen to the first group in context…

“ …and (these) went to make war with the remnant of her (the woman’s) seed,

which keep the commandments of God,

and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Revelation 12:14-17 (Condensed)

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Here in Revelation 12 is a chapter which describes the Gospel story in signs which are in the heavens.

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The Woman here represents the Church, “the mother of us all”! Galatians 4:26

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ABOVE STAR-CHART – Early Winter in the east – Orion, Revelation 12 Woman (AKA Ursa Major) – Revelation 12 Dragon (AKA Hyades, Pleiades, etc.) – Goodly Horse in Battle with Rider (Camelopardelis, Perseus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, etc…) – www.signsofheaven.org – Not for profit use!

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“and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb”

Revelation 14:10

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But when we come to the second passage we notice that it makes no mention of having, “the testimony of Jesus”, but instead, having, “the faith of Jesus”.

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And listen as the Lord continues to define just who has received the “fire & brimstone”…

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Listen… “Here is the patience of the saints:

here are they that keep the commandments of God,

and the faith of Jesus. 

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me,

Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:

Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours;

and their works do follow them.”

Revelation 14:9-13

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So, this second group has emerged victorious from this Mark of the Beast message.

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They have been purified by “fire & brimstone”, symbolizing God’s purifying fires.

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Both the world and the world-loving churches and denominations have persecuted the saints to the degree that they have been compelled to walk totally by faith, having nothing else but Christ to cling to!

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No longer does their old sin nature worship the beast and his image in their flesh! The “old man” of sin has been thoroughly crucified from out of their hearts, by fiery trials!

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They have patiently allowed God to perform His fiery purifying process on their heart! This is the patience of the saints!

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The dross has all been burned away!

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They now come forth as purified gold!

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And finally, these purified ones are able to live by the faith of Jesus!

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They walk, even as He (Jesus) walked, during His earthly sojourn!

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SECOND GROUP: THE FAITH OF JESUS

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But the problem is, this second group of victorious Christians are no longer said to have “the testimony of Jesus”.

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Oh yes, they “keep the commandments of God”.

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And yes, they have, “the faith of Jesus”.

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But unlike the first passage in Revelation, there is no mention of them having, “the testimony of Jesus”.

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ABOVE PICTURE: “Thy Word have I hid in my heart” Psalm 119:11

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So why the difference? What has changed? After all, throughout the history of the Church, Christians have been proclaiming the Gospel to the world, as far as possible.

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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License

 

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BUYING & SELLING THE GOSPEL

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Now, Revelation 13 also builds on this same theme of Christians being silenced…

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Listen… “And that no man might buy or sell,

save he that had the mark,

or the name of the (1st) beast,

or the number of his name.”

Revelation 13:16, 17

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Now this above passage foretells of the same day in which no man can buy or sell the truth…

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Listen…“Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.” Proverbs 23:23

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Yes, buying the true Gospel is something that should never be traded away!

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Mark of the beast – pub. dom. – Wikipedia

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BUYING THE GOSPEL

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And while Revelation 13:16, 17 may be speaking of a time of literal financial distress for God’s people, it also speaks of the hour when the true Gospel is completely cut off.

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And this likewise speaks of the time when it will be all but impossible to proclaim the true Gospel to the world!

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In that sense too, Christians are selling the truth to anyone willing to buy the truth…

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Listen…“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,

and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat;

yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price…

hearken diligently unto me,

and eat ye that which is good,

and let your soul delight itself in fatness.”

Isaiah 55:1, 2 (Condensed)

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And so, these two verses from Revelation, which allude to the day in which, “the testimony of Jesus” is no longer attributed to God’s commandment-keeping people. 

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And aren’t we already seeing the Internet “Goliaths” slowly but surely closing off the true Gospel on the world-wide-web?

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Mall witnessing, Panama City, Panama

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“GOOD NEWS FROM A FAR COUNTRY!”

Proverbs 25:25

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But the very Good News in all this is, God’s people will finally be purified to the degree that they will “walk even as He (Jesus) walked!”1st John 2:6

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This is the ultimate fulfillment of what it means to keep God’s Commandments!

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And having previously hidden God Word in their hearts, they now shine as the Sun in the day “when the towers (the fallen churches) shall fall!” (see Isaiah 30:25)

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And now, God’s glorified people no longer need to speak literal words.

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Their purified and glorified Christ-like lives (as they now “shine forth as the sun”), will do all the speaking for them! (Matthew 13:43)

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John The Apostle – by Alonzo Cano – 1635-1637 – Wikipedia – Public Domain

Transfiguration – Bloch – cropped – Wikimedia Commons – US Public-Domain

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TO READ PART 2, CLICK HERE…

AUGUST 9 (Apocalypse Now! Part 2: Tormented With Fire!)

Campfire Pinecone – Emeldil at English Wikipedia – Share-alike license

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to endure the fiery trials which God brings upon me, to drive out and crucify the “Old Man” of sin out of my heart!

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“Make my life an open book, for all to read the wonderful story of the Gospel of Jesus…

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… The Crown of Revelation 12: What Is “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble?”…

…or you can also read this shorter article…“August 12 (Mark Now Given, Part 2: Silencing Christians)”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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THE END

 

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TODAY’S FEATURED SIGN

 

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7 STARS IMITATE THE CROSS OF ORION

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

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This Wikipedia star-chart to the left, has this Orion Constellation sketched in.

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You must locate Orion, when it is mid-sky, between east and west.

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You’ll be facing southward most likely, unless you are far south.

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Try to imagine it as a Cross on a steep hill.

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The 3-star belt of Orion becomes the crest of the hill.

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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.

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This 7 Stars Constellation is seen by facing northward.

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It stands upright a little later in the night.

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Eventually, Orion will lay down and no longer be seen as an uplifted Cross!

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Beginning in November, the 7 Stars (AKA Big Dipper) can be seen as a Cross a little bit later in evening.

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

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ABOVE CHART: The Cross of Orion Constellation star-chart

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

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… ‘7 Stars’ Imitate ‘The Cross of Orion’

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TOMORROW…

AUGUST 4 (The god Of This World, Part 1: That Other Guy Named Shakespeare!)

Shakespeare – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

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ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

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THIS IS STUDY #580 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

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