Daily Devotional – August 19 (How To Keep The Sabbath, Part 5: “The Mark of the Beasts”)
By admin On April 28th, 2021.
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Daily Devotional, Year 4 – August 19
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How To Keep The Sabbath,
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Part 5:
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“The Mark of the Beasts”
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“I said in mine heart
concerning the estate of the sons of men,
that God might manifest them,
and that they might see
that they themselves are beasts.”
Ecclesiastes 3:18
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“And on the seventh day God…rested on the seventh day…And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it”
Genesis 2:2
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When God created man and animals, on the 6th day of Creation, He had a further plan. Yes, there was one more day to be created…the 7th Day. And unlike all the animals created on the 6th Day, God brought mankind forward into His 7th Day Sabbath Rest.
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Listen…”And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made;
and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it:
because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.”
Genesis 2:2, 3
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Yes, mankind was invited into God’s finished Creation, rising above the beasts of the earth and into a godly Sabbath Rest with The Creator Himself!
Jan Brueghel – Garden of Eden – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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COATS OF SKINS FOR FALLEN MANKIND
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But as we all know, mankind fell from grace. No longer did mankind enjoy resting in God’s finished works. And “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21
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Now it’s true that those animal skins symbolized the future covering sacrifice of Christ, God’s eternal Son.
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But perhaps, those skins symbolized something more. Maybe, just maybe they also symbolized Man’s reversion back to the 6th day of creation, when both man and beast were both created.
Gustave Dore – Adam And Eve Driven Out Of Eden – www.creationism.org-public-domain
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“So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.”
Psalm 73:22
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Yes, if we really think about it, our behavior is constantly like mere animals.
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After all, doesn’t the Bible repeatedly compare fallen Man to animals?
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Dogs and swine? (see Matthew 7:6).
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Bulls? (Psalm 22: 12)
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Foxes? (Luke 13:32)
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Birds? (Jeremiah 5:27)
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Fish? (Mark 1:17)
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Serpents? (Psalm 58:3, 4)
Mask Murderer – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license
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ANIMALISTIC BEHAVIOR
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And on and on, throughout the Scriptures, God compares unsaved Mankind to various animals. And so, it’s no wonder that God has named His curse on mankind, “the Mark of the Beast” (Revelation 16:2 & 19:20)
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And if we really think about it, our behavior is animal-like in so many ways!
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For example, don’t we so often growl at a rude or fumbling cashier?
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And don’t many people flock together at their favorite local watering-hole?
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And like a wild coyote, don’t we “flawless” drivers sometimes grind our teeth and yap a hateful squeal at, “That Idiot!”?
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And don’t many fathers bark out orders at their children?
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And don’t young teens become very territorial in their school relationships?
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And don’t they quite often drive out certain unwanted individuals from “the pack”?
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And what about all the savage, senseless killings in today’s society? Like wild beasts, they kill!
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And don’t we so often fight over material possessions like a bunch of seagulls fighting over a morsel of food?
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And many thieves sneak up on their victims to steal, just like vampire bats who nightly sneak up on their victims to steal their blood!
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And just like so many animals, many hardened businesspeople will grind their competition to hopefully drive them out of business.
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And many married couples often “fight like cats and dogs”.
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And like a trampling herd, many ambitious employees will “step on the backs of others” to get that promotion.
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And like talking parrots, so many political junkies will “parrot” the very same demeaning insults they hear on their favorite daily talk show. And many Bible teachers often parrot the false doctrines which they hear other Bible teachers parrot.
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And like a herd of wild baboons, large mobs will violently bully others into tacit submission. And like a herd of elephants, they will mercilessly “trample” their opponents, and heartlessly bludgeon anyone who gets in their way!
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And like the double-tongued serpent, many politicians will speak out of both sides of their mouth!
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And like the Black Widow spider, many adulteresses will catch and ensnare their victims.
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And like the mere wild beasts of the field, so many will fornicate with just about anyone and everyone they can seduce! And then move on to their next victim!
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And like the changing colors of a chameleon, many will hypocritically change to a more advantageous position when convenient.
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Well, this little exercise could go on and on, all day long. Because, no matter where we look in the animal/insect world, God has created them to remind us of our sinful behaviors.
Cat and dog – Dont know whats comin – Wikimedia – Share-Alike License
Divorce – Wikimedia – the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Snap-Bar – Restaurant – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
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GOOD NEWS
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But in spite of this humbling and distasteful exercise, we have the option to reach out to the One who always behaved as the noble Being He was! Yes, and that majestic One walked the earth in self-sacrificing love, in search of repentant lost sinners: we lost sinners who behave so often like mere beasts of the field!
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And though He was the most noble and majestic Being to ever walk the face of the earth, He nevertheless humbled Himself to become a lowly lamb, only to be sacrificed for others!
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And unlike animals He willingly allowed us to hang Him upon that cruel Roman Cross, to bring us back into that 7th Day Sabbath Rest which we abandoned so long ago, back in the Garden! And even though we were like a pack of cruel dogs, as we ruthlessly nailed Him to that wooden Cross, He nevertheless looked down in love at us and prayed…“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” Luke 23:34
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And those who do turn from this animalist world, and return to God’s everlasting Rest, can once again be purified back into the noble beings we were originally created to be!
Cross of Jesus Christ – cropped photo – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Please do a work in me to drive out the works of the flesh from my heart…
USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read…Planet Of “Rest” – Finding “Rest Unto Your Soul” (Part 2, Perfect Peace), or you can also read…September 28 (How To Keep The Sabbath, Part 1: “Finding Rest Unto Your Souls!”)
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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The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament sheweth His handiwork!
Psalm 19:1
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THE SIGNS OF HEAVEN
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And speaking of glittering diamonds, just go outside on any clear and dark night and behold the glittering diamonds of the Signs Of Heaven!
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Yes, like precious jewels, these heavenly signs sparkle brightly as they proclaim the precious truths of God’s Word.
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And those who are willing to devote themselves to unceasing prayer and constant meditation of God’s Word, will begin to locate these heavenly messengers!
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So why not put away our vain search for earthly treasures and begin to search for the everlasting riches found throughout the Bible, and now to also seek after those precious gem-stones that God is revealing in the heavens…
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Starry Night at La Silla – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-Alike license
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Running The Christian Race (Part 2, Sensual Music)”
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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TOMORROW
August 20 (The False Prophet, Part 30: “The Right Horn/7th Head of Antichrist: Morality, Counterfeit of Christianity”)
ABOVE PICTURE: Satan, The False Prophet who offers a world-loving gospel
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THE NOBLE BEREAN IS ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS AUDIO BIBLE STUDY IN JEREMIAH (#286), CONCERNING THE SABBATH, CONDUCTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
Harold-Camping – courtesy Family Radio