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Click credit links below each pic, for licensing names/details/tags/etc.. Most pics cropped/reduced in size

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – June 17

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A Form of Godliness, Part 3: “To Kill A Mockingbird Fantasy!”

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One of the all-time favorite movies was, “To Kill A Mockingbird”!

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And we all loved that heartwarming 2-hour nostalgic peek at America’s past, even though it was centered around the great injustices of that period of time.

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And we all admired the sterling Rock-of-Gibraltar character of Atticus Finch, played by an actor who looked like the very essence of morality and virtue!

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To Kill a Mockingbird – Wikipedia – Fair-use Rationale

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AN EVIL WORLD!

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But we must remember that it was only a movie!

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It wasn’t really true. And not just because it was a fictional story! 

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Oh yes, the injustice part of the movie is certainly a reality. And yes, the world is full of rascally little kids. 

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But Atticus Finch? Now that’s another story!

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Oh yes, there are lots and lots of moral people in the world. But underneath the thin outer shell of morality always lies sin, sin, and more sin!

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And that’s the big lie of that movie! It wants us to believe that there are humans who are good to the very core of their being, as was Atticus. And the actor who played him even looked in appearance like the very essence of goodness! But as charming as he was, it’s just not true!

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To Kill a Mockingbird – cropped – Wikipedia – Fair-use Rationale

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“THE WHOLE WORLD LIETH IN WICKEDNESS”

1st John 5:4

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Listen to God’s assessment of humanity…“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

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There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

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They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable;

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there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

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Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit;

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the poison of asps is under their lips:

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Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

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Their feet are swift to shed blood:

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Destruction and misery are in their ways:

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And the way of peace have they not known:

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There is no fear of God before their eyes. ”

Romans 3:10-18

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Now just how many Atticus Finch’s does this above passage leave room for?

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“No, not one!” (verse 10)

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To Kill a Mockingbird – cropped – Wikipedia – Fair-use Rationale

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“NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO NOT ONE!”

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Oh yes, there may be people somewhere out there who look and behave like Atticus Finch! But underneath the glossy surface, and under that thin coating of morality lies wickedness! And none of us are any better! 

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Listen to Jeremiah 17:9…“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Now here again, Jeremiah is saying the same thing as Paul, yet much more concisely!

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Desperately wicked!

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That’s the condition of every heart!

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And deceitful above all things! That’s us!

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Yes, each and every one of us possesses a heart that God describes as, “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked!” 

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To Kill a Mockingbird – cropped – Wikipedia – Fair-use Rationale

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MERELY, “A FORM OF GODLINESS”

2nd Timothy 3:5

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So then, just why are there so many seemingly good and moral people in the world?

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Because that’s the big lie of the False Prophet, Satan! He wants the world to believe that goodness can exist apart from God!

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And since Ephesians 2:2 reveals that Satan is the, “spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience”, Satan can and does create a, “form of godliness” in the world! (see 2nd Timothy 3:5)

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But do not be deceived. As already pointed out, “there is none righteous, no not one!” The heart of each and every human is “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked!”

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Shoppers in Toronto – cropped – Wikimedia – share-alike license

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“THE WHOLE WORLD LIETH IN WICKEDNESS”

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And let’s not forget God’s assessment of this world as He spoke through the Apostle, John…“And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” 1st John 5:19

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Now John here doesn’t say that SOME of the world lies in wickedness. Nor does he even say that ALMOST ALL the world lies in wickedness.

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No, but John actually says that, “the WHOLE world lies in wickedness!”

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Satan presiding at the Infernal Council – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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“THERE IS NONE GOOD BUT…GOD”

Matthew 19:17

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Now it is not a pleasant duty to rip apart a movie that so many people adore (including the Editor here). But even though the truth is quite often unpleasant to hear, nevertheless, it is only “the truth shall make you free!” (see John 8:32)

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But after all that has been said, it must also be declared that Jesus Christ is totally righteous, through and through! There is not even one dark spot in His character! (see Ephesians 5:27)

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Transfiguration – Bloch – Wikimedia Commons – US Public-Domain

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“CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST”

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And this very righteous Savior is very willing to come and live inside of any man, woman, or child, who allows Him to crucify our sin and selfishness!

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It’s like Paul declares…“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me!” Galatians 2:20

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Now Paul and John, who have been quoted in today’s devotional are probably the closest thing this world has, to totally righteous humans! Oh yes, there was Daniel, and John the Baptist, and Peter and the rest! And if there was ever truly a genuine Atticus Finch, these men were it!

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And you too, if you let God, He will mold you and make you into a genuine Atticus Finch!

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Paul the Apostle – Artist – Valentin de Boulogne or Nicolas Tournier – circa 1500s – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

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“Dear Lord, Let me not be naïve concerning Satan’s deceptions. But make me wise as a serpent, by the knowledge of Thy Word…

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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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“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman…And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads…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 12:1, 3, 15 

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THE FLOODWATERS OF THE REVELATION 12 DRAGON…

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The Wave Constellation is primarily comprised of the Auriga Constellation plus 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. The Woman is in the north. The Dragon and Orion are farther south from the Woman.

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WINTER CONSTELLATIONS-SEEN IN FALL: This sketch to the right is how this constellation group appears in the eastern sky in fall. This is the four primary constellations of the Winter Constellations. They can be seen in this position, in the late fall above the eastern horizon. The Woman of Revelation 12 is commonly called Ursa Major or The Big Dipper and appears in the north. Orion the Soldier is the at the bottom is to the south of the Woman. The The Dragon of Revelation Constellation’s mouth is The Hyades Cluster, and the tip of his tail is Pleiades, and his Wave of Water is primarily the Auriga constellation. The Glorious Horse Constellation  head is of Perseus Constellation and his rear end is Cassiopeia Constellation.

(Editor’s note: It is impossible to make this chart accurate, and visually correct, because the dome effect of the sky makes these constellations look different than they appear when placed on flat paper.)

 

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READ MORE…

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To explore deeper into this subject, please read… Floodwaters of Satan: Introduction

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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. Most tall, narrow photos have been cropped or reduced by this website to make them a better fit on phone screens.

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