Daily Devotional, Year 3 – January 4 (The Gospel According To Pollyanna, Parts 1 & 2)
By admin On February 10th, 2021.
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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – January 4
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ARTICLE 1
(To read part 2, scroll to bottom of this page)
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THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO POLLYANNA
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“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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In this above passage, the Lord is foretelling of a day when the churches will no longer tolerate the true Gospel of Jesus and Jesus alone.
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And there are many today who believe that we have come to that very time in which the attendees of most, or perhaps, ALL churches demand an “itching ears” gospel.
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Audience hands – cropped & altered – Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain
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MOON INTO BLOOD TRILOGY: 3rd FACE
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This next little section below is an excerpt from “Moon Into Blood Trilogy, Part 3, ‘The Sadducee Seeker'”.
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This article describes this 3rd Moon-face, who is steeped in unbelief and as a result, seeks after the things of the world. Yes, this rabbit, or rodent-like earth-hugger thinks that worldly Mammon will somehow supply the lack caused by God’s supposed inability to provide for all our spiritual, physical and social needs.
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So let’s listen for a moment as this Sadducee-Seeker is being described…
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“PROPHESY DECEITS”
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“That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the
law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:” Isaiah 30:9, 10
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This above passage describes this Moon-Beast to a tee! “Smooth things” are what his “itching ears” long to hear! And because this furry and adorable little forest creature (the Sadducee-Seeker) loves to have his ears tickled, the Devil has conveniently provided him with a congregation which accommodates his desires.
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“HAVING ITCHING EARS”
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Again, the Apostle, Paul, spoke of this condition, in the following words… “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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Yes, this adorable little creature of the field, loves his pastor, who, by the way, is very much like him. He loves to hear a light and playful sermon, filled with little quips and jests and world-
friendly anecdotes: a gospel which tells of a god who mostly smiles down upon this, “pretty nice world, after all!“
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And this Moon-Beast loves to hear sermons about “grace-alone”, because he is often told that grace-alone excuses him from dying-to-self. And to this poor Sadducee, that’s very good news!
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After all, the last thing this Moon-Beast wants is to give up his life of foraging in the field. Yes, this friendly little Seeker wants a gospel which allows him to continue seeking after the cares & pleasures of this world, but with the promise of Heaven too!
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Cat scratching its itching ear – cropped image – Wikipedia – Creative Commons Attribution
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THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO POLLYANNA
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Oh yes, this Sadducee-Seeker’s church is under a gospel similar to that delightful movie character, Pollyanna!
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You see, this congregation too, like Pollyanna, has found
those 800 totally non-offensive Bible verses! That’s right, this charismatic and precocious little girl in that movie had developed a gospel of her own making (which eliminated the thousands of harder verses found in the Bible).
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Yes, Pollyanna’s gospel was in stark contrast to the fire-and-brimstone gospel which her harsh and judgmental aunt liked to hear.
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Pollyanna statue – cropped photo – Wikipedia – Creative Commons 2.0 license
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HOLLYWOOD STRIKES FEAR IN HEARTS OF PREACHERS
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And such movies as Pollyanna (and there are many similar ones) have been a strong deterrent over the past years, against any Hell-Fire preaching in today’s pulpits.
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And this itching-ears gospel according to Pollyanna, is mostly what this Moon-Beast’s pastor preaches, either by sermon, or by personal example.
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Yes, his words are “smoother than butter” (Psalms 55;21), and the example of his own life speaks of “smooth things”; of fun and frolic, of amusements and hobbies. Of dreams about ambitious careers and promises of better and more affluent tomorrows. Of long life in this world, and retirement packages, affording a life-of-leisure in some little haven here on earth!
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Sunday preaching – wikipedia – US public domain
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ETERNAL TORMENT
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Now in defense of many of today’s pastors, it must be noted that there has been a
lot of unnecessary and annoying shouting from many pulpits, in the past decades. And there have likewise been unbiblical doctrines over the centuries past, such as that heretical doctrine of carnal men, which teaches that all sinners will continually roast in literal flames of fire for all the ions of time.
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But just because there has been such unbiblical preaching, based on misunderstanding of certain parables, doesn’t necessitate getting rid of all preaching on sin and righteousness. For more on this subject, you may wish to read… “Planet of Rest: Doctrine of Eternal Torment”
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Hell’s Torment and Tormentor – Wikipedia – public domain
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THE ALL-SUFFICIENCY OF GOD
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“But m
y God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
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If only this Moon-Beast Sadducee-Seeker would begin to seek God with all his heart, he would be surprised to discover that the life of Jesus is a life of peace and contentment that surpasses all human logic and understanding. With such a knowledge, this Sadducee-Seeker would realize that he doesn’t need a world-loving gospel. Yes, all this Moon-Beast really needs is Jesus. And even though Psalm 23 is his very favorite psalm, he doesn’t even believe its very first words… “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want (that is, “I lack nothing”)” Psalm 23:1
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PEOPLE NOT THE PROBLEM!
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The real enemy here is not, “flesh and blood”. No, but our true battle is “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12
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Yes, Satan is the master chess-player, and has hedged us in on every side, by his lies and deceptions in attempt to corrupt the current condition of the church-world to the point that there is no more Salvation there.
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Martin, John – Satan presiding at the Infernal Council – 1824 – Wikipedia – public domain
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“COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE”
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But the Good News is that God is calling His people to come out of the Babylonish confusion which is the current condition of today’s churches…
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Listen… “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her (Babylon), 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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God has indeed furnished a table in the wilderness. (Psalm 78:19) And for those who are escaped from spiritual Babylon will be delighted to discover that, “bread shall be given him, his waters shall be sure!” Isaiah 33:16.
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Yes, our daily heavenly manna will be provided, and the waters of grace will freely flow in the spiritual mountains where we must flee!
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James Tissot – The Flight of the Prisoners – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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TO READ PART 2, scroll down this page
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, help me today, to begin to read the Bible for my own self, instead of allowing others to tell me what the Bible says…
USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Fleeing to the Mountains: The Abomination in the Church, Part 1”
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TOMORROW…
January 5 (Our Favorite Babysitter: Satan! Part 3: “What Seeds Am I Sowing In My Kid’s Hearts?”)
kids – children – Mohawk haircut – Wikimedia – Share-alike License
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ARTICLE 2
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The Gospel According To Pollyanna, Part 2
To read Part 1, click here…December 2nd (The gospel according to Pollyanna)
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“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
.
.
.
.
.
.
In this above passage, the Lord is foretelling of a day when the churches will no
longer tolerate the true Gospel of Jesus and the Bible alone.
.
And there are many today who believe that we have come to that very time, in which the attendees of most all churches demand some form of an “itching ears” gospel.
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Church Audience hands – cropped and altered image – Wikimedia – Public Domai
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THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO POLLYANNA
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Now, back in the 1960’s, a very popular movie was introduced, called Pollyanna.
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And in that movie, a young girl came to live with her very harsh and judgmental aunt.
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And that young girl, Pollyanna, had discovered (actually her deceased father had discovered) 800 totally non-offensive Bible verses!
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That’s right! This charismatic and precocious little girl in that movie, had a gospel of her own making (which eliminated the thousands of seemingly harsher verses found in the Bible).
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Now, Pollyanna’s very nice and happy-faced gospel was in stark contrast to the fire-n-brimstone gospel which her harsh and judgmental aunt liked to hear.
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And so, the movie tension centered on Pollyanna’s 800 verse no-judgment gospel, against the fire-n-brimstone preaching that her aunt was pushing.
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Pollyanna statue – cropped photo – Wikipedia – Creative Commons 2.0 license
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HOLLYWOOD’S WAR ON CHRISTIANITY
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And such movies as Pollyanna (and there are many similar ones) have been a strong deterrent over the past decades, against any Hell-Fire preaching in today’s pulpits.
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Yes, Satan is waging much of his war on Christianity, via the television and movie industry.
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And such movies as this have made pastors and churches deathly afraid of being seen as too harsh and judgmental.
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Hollywood Sign – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
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“IN YOUR FACE” PREACHERS
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And let’s face it! There is some validity to all this, where in decades past, some evangelists and preachers had taken to shouting, condemning, and threatening their audiences with eternal torment!
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This was not the way of Jesus, nor was it the way of the disciples, nor Paul!
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Listen…“The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.” Ecclesiastes 9:17
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Yes, our God is a quiet God. He’s definitely not an “in your face” God! Very rarely did He lift up His voice and shout!
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And so, those preachers who become loud and overbearing only prove that they do not correctly understand God’s character!
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Sunday preaching – Wikipedia – US public domain
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A SOFTENED VERSION OF THE GOSPEL
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Unfortunately, in today’s church-world, the pendulum has swung much too far in the opposite direction!
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Yes, many churches are trying to do the same thing that Pollyanna did! Like Pollyanna, a great movement has been currently afoot, to develop a gospel of man’s own making, by eliminating much of the seemingly harsher passages in the Bible.
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And so, it could be said that many churches today preach, “The Gospel According To Pollyanna”.
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ABOVE PICTURE – Adding to or taking from God’s Word, the Bible
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EMBRACING THE WORLD
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Many pastors believe if they can somehow just eliminate the harsh edge from the Bible, they can then appeal to a much greater segment of society!
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And it’s true! If you can just present a “Jesus” which allows people to “honor” Him one day a week, but still allows us to pursue the pleasures and ambitious desires of this proud and selfish world, then you can fill up a congregation with large crowds!
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A WORLD-LOVING GOSPEL
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Yes, their words are “smoother than butter” (Psalms 55:21) and speak of “smooth things”.
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And their words and/or lifestyle speak of worldly pleasures, of amusements and hobbies, of dreams about lofty careers, and promises of better and more affluent tomorrows, of living a long and prosperous life in this world, with retirement packages, affording a life-of-leisure in some little haven here on earth!
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ABOVE PICTURE: Unfunny Judgment Day Cartoon – companys-coming
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WORLD HATES THE TRUE JESUS
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But when Jesus came into this world to preach the Good News of Salvation, He was rejected by the world.
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Listen to Jesus…“The world cannot hate you (Jesus’ unsaved brothers); but Me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.” John 7:7
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The world hated Jesus because He condemned this selfish world!
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And the world still hates Jesus today, for the very same reason!
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Anti-Christian rally in Chicago – CROPPED IMAGE – Wikimedia
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A JUDGMENT-FREE GOSPEL
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And so, many attempt to redesign the Gospel in order to make it more appealing!
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And all too often, the attempt is made to have an all-merciful, judgment-free gospel.
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But the true Gospel is comprised of ALL the Bible.
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We cannot merely pick-n-choose what we like and disregard the rest!
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Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.
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CURSE ON ADDING OR DIMINISHING
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Listen to Revelation 22:18, 19…“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
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It is a fearful thing to tamper with the Bible. If a person is not willing to take ALL of Jesus, he (or she) will have NONE of Jesus!
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ABOVE PICTURE – Adding to or taking from God’s Word, the Bible
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COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE”
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But the Good News (but very sad as well!) is that God is calling His people to come out of the Babylonish confusion which exists in this world…
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Listen… “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her (Babylon), 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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And for those who are willing to accept the Bible, all the Bible, and not just the “nice passages”, they will find a wonderful fellowship with the Lord, as they become followers of Jesus, as He leads us up and out of this hopeless and dying planet…
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TO READ PART 3, CLICK HERE…
December 10 (The Gospel According To Pollyanna, Part 3: “A Pretentious Form of Godliness”)
Pollyanna statue – Wikipedia – Creative Commons 2.0 license
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, help me today, to begin to read the Bible for my own self, instead of allowing others to tell me what the Bible says…
USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Fleeing to the Mountains: The Abomination in the Church, Part 1”, or you may also read…March 1st (A Designer Jesus!)
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN
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VARIOUS SIGNS SPOKEN OF…
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Now as far as those who search Bible prophecy concerning “signs of the End”, most
of us were expecting extraordinary heavenly phenomena; you know, such things as giant asteroids or other colossal cataclysmic occurrences.
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Asteroid – Giant impact – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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VARIOUS SIGNS MENTIONED…
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But you see, God has mentioned various constellations in Scriptures: Orion, The Pleiades, Mazzaroth, etc.. But He also spoke in Revelation of “great signs” in the heavens: a woman with child, a dragon who swept a third of the stars, and Michael who fought against that dragon (see Revelation, Ch. 12).
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The Bible also speaks of other signs in the heavens, and it is the purpose of Signs Of Heaven website, to introduce these wonderful signs and to reveal the many Bible passages which explain them. And if you are one of the fortunate ones to receive this amazing message, then you too can begin to proclaim this heavenly love story to anyone willing to listen.
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Comet Hale-Bopp-29-03-1997 – cropped image – Wikipedia – share-alike license
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“LAY UP…TREASURES IN HEAVEN”
Matthew 6:20
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“My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of
righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.” Proverbs 8:19-21. This above passage speaks of a pathway which leads to riches and treasures.
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Yes, God is just now revealing the long-awaited signs, as it is written, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;” Luke 21:25. And God is just now opening up a pathway to the stars: a figurative gate to Heaven itself!
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Arcturus (the star that wise-men follow!)”
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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TOMORROW…
January 5 (Our Favorite Babysitter: Satan! Part 3: “What Seeds Am I Sowing In My Kid’s Hearts?”)
kids – children – Mohawk haircut – Wikimedia – Share-alike License
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