Daily Devotional, Year 3 – July 23 (Come Out of Her, My People! Part 48: “Christmas, An ‘Ishmael’ of the Church!”)
By admin On February 16th, 2021.
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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – July 23
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Come Out of Her, My People!
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Part 48:
“Christmas, An ‘Ishmael’ of the Church!”
To read Part 1, click here… “May 12th (Come Out of Her, My People?)”
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“I know that, whatsoever God does,
it shall be for ever:
nothing can be put to it,
nor any thing taken from it:
and God does it,
that men should fear before Him.”
Ecclesiastes 3:14
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“…for vain is the help of man.”
Psalm 60:11
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THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF PART 1… July 12 (Come Out of Her, My People! Part 46: “How The Grinch Invented Christmas!”)
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A certain radio personality likes to defend this product of hu
man wisdom, “Christmas”, by saying, “Oh, it’s a great time to witness to unbelievers! And much of the world joins in with this celebration each year! The name of Jesus is highly exalted by the world on this yearly festival!”
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announcer with microphone – svg – Wikimedia – Public-Domain (2)
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MANY SEEMING BENEFITS
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And maybe he’s correct to a certain degree. Maybe Christmas is a great time to witness to others.
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And it’s true that much of the world joins hands with the Church during that festival!
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And let’s face it! Christmas seems to have other benefits, as well.
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For one thing, it’s a time for families to get together, and enjoy one-another’s company.
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And Christmas has inspired many humanitarian efforts on behalf of those who are less fortunate and less affluent.
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Bringing Home A Christmas Tree – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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LOTS OF BAGGAGE TOO!
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And yet, Christmas brings with it, “a huge amount of baggage”, as the saying goes. Yes, Christmas has its downside too!
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For one thing, Christmas has brought in far more “false brethren” into the Church, than it has ever brought in true worshipers of God!
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And the last two devotionals about Christmas have pointed out some other of those negative aspects of Christmas. (for reference, see “How The Grinch Invented Christmas! Parts 1 & 2”)
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ABOVE PICTURE: The False Prophet – signsofheaven.org – not for commercial uses
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NOT TO CRUSADE AGAINST CHRISTMAS
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Now, this website is by no means encouraging Christians to begin some crusade against this worldly festival. And for those with unsaved families, much Christian patience and quiet forbearance may be required, as we do not want to “rain on their parade” as the saying goes.
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In other words, the Christian must attempt to make life comfortable and happy for his or her unsaved family during these holidays.
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And Christmas is probably “not the hill to die on” as another saying goes. Find something else to crusade against (such as beginning a crusade against my own sins!)
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Just exercise Christian silence and allow the family to have a joyful time during that month-long celebration.
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As a matter of fact, these holidays can provide an excellent opportunity to enjoy your time with your family!
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Johansen Viggo – Radosne Boże Narodzenie Joyful Christmas wikimedia US public domain
Bringing Home A Christmas Tree – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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“VAIN IS THE HELP OF MAN!”
Psalm 60:11
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But this man-contrived yearly holiday has one great over-arching problem about it. And the signature passage for today’s devotional reveals just what that great problem is.
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Listen again…“I know that, whatsoever God does, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God does it, that men should fear before Him.” Ecclesiastes 3:14
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This above verse encapsulates just why Christmas has never been an overall benefit to Heaven’s government, and never can be!
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“IF ANY MAN SHALL ADD…GOD SHALL ADD TO HIM THE PLAGUES”
Revelation 22:18
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When God says that nothing can be added or taken away from God’s finished works, He means exactly that: Mankind cannot expect to add or subtract from God’s finished works, and derive some sort of benefit.
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If even one thing that Mankind ever did to help God out, actually became an asset to the Kingdom of Heaven, then God would be a liar!
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After all, it clearly teaches…”nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God does it, that men should fear before Him.” Ecclesiastes 3:14
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“ADD THOU NOT TO HIS WORDS, LEST HE (GOD) REPROVE THEE!”
Proverbs 30:6
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Now, it would be normal and expected for the people of the world to attempt to add or subtract from God’s finished works.
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But the Church of God should know better!
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After all, God has given us some very unnerving accounts of what happens when humans attempt to add something to God’s Word.
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KJV – King Jame Version Bible – First edition – 1611 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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ABRAHAM ‘HELPED GOD OUT’
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Take for instance, the true historical account of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and Ishmael.
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God had promised to childless Abraham…“And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;” Genesis 26:4
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But Abraham realized that Sarah his wife was too old to have children, devising their own plan to “help God out”.
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And so, Sarah told Abraham to conceive a child with her young handmaid, Hagar, the Egyptian.
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Sarah & Hagar – Foster Bible Pictures – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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AN ISHMAEL WAS CONCEIVED
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And Hagar did indeed have a child, whom they named, Ishmael.
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But this faithless act of human effort and human wisdom only proved a disaster for them. And it ultimately led to a delay in God’s promise and plan to give Abraham, “the child of promise”.
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Hagar Leaves Abraham by Peter Paul Rubens 1616 AD wikipedia public domain
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Well, just how does this true historical account of Abraham’s folly translate into today’s Christian community?
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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License
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MANY UNBIBLICAL ADDITIONS IN THE CHURCH
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Isn’t it true that there are so many acts of human effort and human wisdom in today’s church-world, as an attempt “to help God out”?
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Yes, there is a seemingly endless list of unbiblical additions to the Church, being the vain efforts of erring humans: circus acts, comedians, sensual music, unbiblical theological terminology, dramas, “Christian” merchandising, clubs, “Christian” games, “Christian” resorts and theme-parks, apostate television productions, bingo-nights, parties, dances, “Christian” sports teams, multitudes of inferior Bible translations, and a great variety of similar non-biblical efforts to “help God out”.
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And Christmas and Easter, are just two more ways in which the Church has attempted to add things which God did not create.
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And all these worldly compromises have only made church-going seem harmless and even fun to the unsaved masses who have been brought into the churches under these fraudulent circumstances!
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Church music – Singers & Dancers – Wikipedia – Share-alike License
Cyrus Scofield – 1920 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
High School, football field – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
Santa’s Portrait by T. Nast 1881wikimedia public domain
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“THEY REJOICED WITH EXCEEDING GREAT JOY!”
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Oh yes, the Bible does record that there was a celebration of Christ’s birth.
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The wise men, the shepherds witnessing the heavenly host, Anna and Simeon in the temple. These were all moments of rejoicing.
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But never does the Bible encourage the world to begin a yearly month-long celebration, which the apostate portion of the Church named, “The Christ-Mass”.
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This non-biblical yearly festival was their ‘brainchild’! Not God’s!
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Wise Men See Star www.wikigallery.com US public domain
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CHRISTMAS: OUR ‘ISHMAEL’
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And just like Abraham’s and Sarah’s folly in trying to help out God, so too, the apostate church-world has created this giant man-conceived “Ishmael”, commonly referred to as, “The Christmas”!
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But there can be absolutely no “bottom-line gain” achieved by this invention of the apostate churches of yesteryear.
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It has only been a baneful abomination in the sight of a God who is very jealous to maintain the purity of His holy Word!
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On the other hand, a true worshiper of God never should miss an opportunity to warn the world of the nearness of the end, and of the gift of everlasting life which Jesus offers to all.
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“COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE!”
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Well this is just one more reason why God is now calling His people to, “Come
out of her (the harlot churches) My people, lest ye partake of her sins and receive of her plagues!” Revelation 18:4 (parenthetical comment supplied by website editor)
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And those who truly love God’s Word will finally come to the point where they will reject, “Man’s word” concerning Christmas and other similar additions to God’s Word.
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And these same lovers of Truth will then join this current end-time exodus out of the fallen churches, to flee to the holy mountains, where an abundance of heavenly bread drops from above each day, and springs of spiritual waters continue to freely flow!
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James Tissot – The Flight of the Prisoners – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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TO READ PART 49, GO HERE…
August 26 (Come Out of Her, My People! Part 49: “Idolatrous Theological Names!”)
ABOVE PICTURE Adding to or taking from God’s Word the Bible
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to fully understand this present-day truth concerning the utter apostasy of the churches…
Prayer – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read…Fleeing to the Mountains, Part 3: The Abomination in My Heart or you can also read…December 16th (How To Celebrate Christmas), or you can also read…February 25 (Come Out of Her, My People! Part 40: “Christmas With, ‘Another jesus’: Babylonian Holidays”)
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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“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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AT THE CROSSROADS OF LIFE…
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The Bible speaks of the Valley of Decision…“Multitudes, multitudes in the ‘Valley of Decision’…for the day of the Lord is near in the ‘Valley of Decision’.” Joel 3:14. Of course, this valley is a spiritual concept and not a literal place.
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But God has inscribed this very truth in the heavens. It is called “The Valley of Decision” Constellation. It speaks of that valley that each person must walk through.
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VALLEY OF DECISION CONSTELLATION
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Look eastward in the early summer through fall. Find the Cassiopeia Constellation. Cassiopeia is the Mount of Blessing.
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In the sketch, it is the farthest mountain to the left. In the sky, it is the northern-most of these three mountains when facing eastward. It resembles a pyramid. Then find the next pyramid to its right (south). Then go a little further south to the next third pyramid. The third snow-cap is the Destroying Mountain Constellation. These three pyramids are the snow-capped portion of these three mountains in this sketch. (of course, you won’t see the snow-caps in the sky. They are just an embellishment in this sketch to present a concept-EDITOR).
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“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” Micah 4:1, 2
THE VALLEY OF DECISION CONSTELLATION GROUP. They appear in mid-summer in the eastern skies in pre-dawn hours. These are made of Cassiopeia (mount on left), and various stars from the Andromeda Constellation (valley) Pegasus (Mount of Cursing (middle mount) & Destroying Mount (right)), and Pisces (Broad Way to Hell). The galaxy which appears to be climbing the Mountain of Blessing is the Andromeda Galaxy.
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The above Wikipedia star-chart shows this amazing constellation group as it appears from June to fall, just prior to the winter constellation group. Actually, this Valley of Decision Constellations appear in early summer in the pre-dawn hours. (Editor of this website has sketched in this constellation group onto this above Wikipedia star-chart.)
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To explore deeper into this subject, please read…
“The ‘Valley of Decision’ Constellation”
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TOMORROW
July 24 (Wine Is A Mocker: “How To Quit Drinking Wine”)
Alcohol bottles – photographed while drunk by Kotivalo for Wikimedia – cropped image – Share-alike License 3.0
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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 #202 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
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above picture: Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.org – Public Domain
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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 names, details, and tags, and all other necessary info 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.