Daily Devotional, Year 4: October 15 (Noble Bereans, Part 23: “The Messages of the Three Angels of Revelation 14”)

By admin On July 11th, 2023

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Daily Devotional, Year 4: October 15

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Noble Bereans,

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Part 23:

“The Messages of the Three Angels of Revelation 14”

To read part 1, click here…”September 2nd (Noble Bereans?)”

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So, in this little series, the subject of those noble Bereans has been introduced. And today, it is still worthy of a little more exploration into another area of concern.

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Let’s look at the key Bible passage…

“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea:

who coming there, went into the synagogue of the Jews.

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica,

in that they received the word with all readiness of mind,

and searched the scriptures daily,

whether those things were so.”

Acts 17:10, 11

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St Paul Preaching in Athens – (Raphael, 1515) – Wikipedia – US public domain

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AN OPEN-MINDED SPIRIT IN BEREA

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Okay, so those in Berea were more noble, because they:

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1. “Received the Word with all readiness of mind.”

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2. “And searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

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And so, the Bereans were ready to receive new teachings, which no doubt, conflicted with the supposed, “orthodox” teachings of that day.

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Thus, there was an open-mindedness which permeated their hearts, and a willingness to search the Scriptures daily, in hopes that these seemingly new teachings were indeed true!

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And their open-mindedness was in contrast to vast close-minded majority of that day, who merely listened just long enough until heard some supposed error in Paul’s teachings, giving themselves an excuse to reject him altogether!

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La Bible, Notre-Dame – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-Alike License

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REVELATION WAS WRITTEN FOR ENTIRE CHURCH-AGE

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The Book of Revelation was given for the Church in every age, even as it is written…”Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: FOR THE TIME IS AT HAND.” Revelation 22:10.

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Yes, the Book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ is just as its title reveals: it is the revelation of Jesus Christ, and His marvelous workings in a world steeped in sin and woe.

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Revelation – Wikimedia – courtesy www.pre.org

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CHURCH-WORLD IN DENIAL

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But since about the mid-twentieth century, the apostate portion of the Church has been misleading the Christian community into the notion that the last 19 chapters of Revelation concerns only the literal Jews and are greatly irrelevant for the Church.

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And to further bolster this notion, the man-made name, “The Rapture” was invented and added to the teachings of theologians and Bible teachers, to bring about the deception that there will be two separate returns of Christ, presenting the fallacy that the Church would be snatched away prior to the last 7 years of earth’s great end-of-days tribulation.

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This is a fatal error, and is easily disproved by such passages as this above verse, plus many other similar passages such as this…

”Blessed is he that readeth,

and they that hear the words of this prophecy,

and keep those things which are written therein:

FOR THE TIME IS AT HAND.”

Revelation 1:3

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“THE TIME IS AT HAND”

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Now why does God pronounce those to be blessed, “who read and hear and keep the words of this prophecy”?

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Simple! Because “the time is at hand.”

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In other words, the entire Book of Revelation was given to be a comfort for God’s people at any point in time in the New Testament era, as it reveals how Jesus works with and works through His Church-elect.

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Yes, persecution against Christians by Satan’s armies began soon after Christ’s ascension!

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Burned at the stake – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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MAN-MADE UNBIBLICAL HERMENEUTIC

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However, the problem came in when apostate church theologians decided that Scripture must be interpreted as literal as possible, to avoid all the indiscriminate misinterpreting of Scripture by many unsanctified minds.

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But as the saying goes, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater!” Just because some theologians came up with wrong ideas, did not necessitate the forbidding of all spiritualizing away of the many types, shadows, allegories, etc…

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Yes, by judiciously comparing scripture with scripture, and spiritual things with spiritual, one may find the true spiritual meaning veiled behind the various allegories, parables, types, and shadows found throughout both testaments.

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ABOVE PICTURE: Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.

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“SPIRITUAL THINGS ARE SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED”

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And concerning the allegorical nature of the Bible, even Paul asks the question… ”Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?…Which things are an allegory.” Galatians 4:21, 24

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Paul here was gently scolding the Galatians for not discerning the allegorical nature of the Law which would have revealed to them the deeper truths which these Galatians could not see by reason of their spiritual blindness.

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Yes, the Bible is a spiritual book. But the carnal heart cannot properly discern that spiritual nature, nor does it even desire to do so.

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And to further lock them out of truth, Satan stealthily brought in this false non-biblical hermeneutic which demands that scripture must only be interpreted literally, as far as possible.

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

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Now, in tomorrow’s devotional, the message of the 1st Angel will be touched upon. To read Part 24, click here…

October 16 (Noble Bereans, Part 24: “The Message of the First Angel of Revelation 14”)

Angel with trumpet – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to be an open-minded seeker of truth, even if it means giving up a very highly regarded Church opinion! Let me be willing to investigate any seemingly new teaching if it appears to have some biblical validity…

ABOVE PICTURE: Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.

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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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***FINALLY WALKING UPWARD* INTO THE HIGHWAYS *OF ETERNITY***

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Day by day, you will find yourself walking, like the Disciples, spreading the precious Gospel seed wherever the Spirit leads.

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Taking the lovely name of Jesus, with every word spoken. Walking through this sin-darkened world, witnessing to those who take notice that of a truth, Jesus is present within you. Even like faithful Enoch, walking through the highways and byways of life in this world, spreading the Gospel-seed of unpretentious love.

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Day by day, you will become more and more closed in with God. Moment by moment, your heart will become intertwined with God’s heart, eventually two hearts beating as one heart.

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And just like Enoch, when the appointed time of sojourning on earth is finally done…you will walk onward…and upward…and into the highways and byways of eternity. (“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Genesis 5:24).

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ThomasCole-Pilgrim of the Cross at the End of His Journey wikimedia US public domain

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TOMORROW…

October 16 (Noble Bereans, Part 24: “The Message of the First Angel of Revelation 14)