Today’s Devotional – November 1st (THE TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE, Part 3)
By admin On February 7th, 2021.
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Today’s Devotional – November 1st
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THE TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE,
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Part 3
To read Part 1, click here…July 13th (Jacob’s Trouble, Part 1: Alone With God)
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“Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child?
wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins,
as a woman in travail,
and all faces are turned into paleness?
“Alas! for that day is great,
so that none is like it:
it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;
but he shall be saved out of it.”
Jeremiah 30:6, 7
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Jacob_Wrestling_with_the_Angel – wikipedia – public domain
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What in the world could this above verse be speaking of?!
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And how does this verse apply to me as an individual Christian? It seems to be speaking of the Day of the Lord, but it speaks of a man in travail with child!
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But it also refers to it as “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble”.
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Very, very confusing, to say the least!
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Question Mark – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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BIBLE IS THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY
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Okay, so by examining that story of Jacob wrestling with the angel of the Lord, then 
perhaps we can see what lies ahead.
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Listen… “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day…
And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me…
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel:
for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men,
and hast prevailed.”
(see Genesis 32:24, 26-28 condensed for brevity)
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Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.
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“For we wrestle…against principalities and powers…”
Ephesians 6:12
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The Bible tells us that there still exists in every Christian, a struggle between the spirit and the flesh.
Like Jacob, the Christian desires to gain the spiritual blessing of a fully sanctified life.
Esau, Jacob’s brother, a hunter, represents “the man of flesh” within us.
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Listen to Scripture…
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh…”
Galatians 5:17.
So, it now is evident that there exists a struggle in the life of each and every Christian.
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James Tissot – Jacob & Esau – The Mess of Pottage – Wikipedia – US Public Domain.
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THE OLD MAN & THE NEW MAN
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But as for Esau and Jacob representing the “Man of Flesh” and the “Man of Spirit”, respectively, just listen to this next verse…
“Lie not one to another,
seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
And have put on the new man,
which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him:”
Colossians 3:9,10
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And just as Jacob was trying to escape Esau, so the follower of Jesus is trying to flee from his or her own fleshy desires.
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But it seems that so many sincere Christians are too often falling into our fleshly lusts: pride, anger, judging, lusting, gluttony, worldly pleasures…etc….!
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Jacob deceives his father, Isaac – James Tissot – wikiart – US Public Domain
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THE WISDOM OF KNOWLEDGE
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“And 
have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him:”
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So, here we see that “The New Man” is renewed in knowledge after the image of Jesus. This answers just how this New Man begins to thrive within us: knowledge: knowledge of Jesus.
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Paul Shipwrecked Acts 27:41-44-www.lavistachurchofchrist.org –public domain
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NIGHT OF WRESTLING BEFORE US
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And so, just like the Apostle, Paul, I too, need to do the very same work in my own life. I need to crucify the 
“old man” so that the “New Man” can freely live out His life through me.
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I need to escape from the Esau within. The “old man” still wants to “run the show”, so to speak.
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But through the ever-increasing knowledge of the Word of Christ, the “New Man” within me, can become increasingly visible to the onlooking world!
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“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:13
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What I need, is to wrestle with God, not letting go of Him, just as surely as Jacob wrestled with the angel! And I need to wrestle until the Day Dawns, and the Sun of Righteousness arises in our hearts.
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Nevertheless, though it often seems as if we are alone in this struggle, the Bible reveals otherwise… “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13.
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Yes, it is God who is working in us, and it is God who allows those fiery trials, both big and little, which will ultimately purify us, as gold and silver are purified!
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Jacob Wrestlingwith the Angel – wikipedia – public domain
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TO READ PART 4, CLICK HERE…
December 10th (Jacob’s Trouble, Part 4: Apocalypse Now!)
Jacob – Wikimedia-US – Public-Domain
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to crucify the “Old man” with its affections and lusts. Help me to put on the “New man”, which is renewed in wisdom and knowledge…
Marine Praying – Wikimedia – USMC Public Domain
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The Crown of Revelation 12: What Is “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble”?” or you can also read…July 13th (Time of Jacob’s Trouble, Part 1: “Alone With God!”)
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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GLORIOUS CROWN CONSTELLATION…
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“A CROWN OF 12 STARS UPON HER HEAD” …
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If you have access to a very dark sky out in the country; if you watch this wreath, you will eventually see 5 more very faint stars, making a total of 12 stars, plus that single star in the middle. This wreath now becomes a crown of 12 stars. This goes along with Revelation 12, which tells of a crown of 12 stars upon the head of the Virtuous Woman of Revelation 12.
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… “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman…and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:” Rev. 12:1.
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But this crown is not yet upon the head of the Virtuous Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation (also known as Ursa Major). It is just above her head, as if she has yet to attain it. Of course, the 13th star in the middle would represent Christ (Who is our true Crown of our rejoicing). Ok, so we have a picture of Christ and His twelve tribes of Israel. But also we have a picture of Christ and His twelve apostles, which is a picture of His Church. So this heavenly crown is a multi-faceted concept.
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Laurel Wreath – Lorbeerkranz_Zypern – cropped photo – Wikipedia – public domain
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The 12-Star Crown Constellation of Revelation 12” or you can also read… “Woman of Revelation 12 (Woman in Travail)”
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TOMORROW:
“November 2nd (What’s In Your House?)”
Hearst-castle-Foto-Anke-Meskens-Wikipedia-Share-alike-License-e1434776124405
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY
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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 IS STUDY #303 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
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Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain
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