Today’s Devotional – June 28th (The Lost Keys of Heaven!)

By admin On June 28th, 2014

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Today’s Devotional – June 28th

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The Lost Keys of Heaven!

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Keys have played a significant role in many earthly stories written through the centuries. Yes, in many fictional tales, they held the http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barbebleue.jpgpromise of opening a door which hopefully brought good fortune to the one who turned that key and opened that door.

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Of course, as so often is the case, those earthly dramas were merely borrowing from the Bible.

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Yes, the Bible speaks of a miraculous key!

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Listen… “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;” Revelation 3:7

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So here, Christ seems to be speaking of the key to Heaven.

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Barbebleue – Key – Wikimedia – Public domain

 

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THE CROSS WAS THAT KEY!

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So just what is this mysterious key which Jesus mentioned to the Church of Philadelphia?

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What key had the ability to open the door of Heaven to this obedienthttp://www.joyfulheart.com/easter/tissot-passion.htm Church?

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Maybe this next passage will give us clarity… “And the key of the house of David will I lay upon His shoulder; so He shall open, and none shall shut; and He shall shut, and none shall open.” Isaiah 22:22.

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Yes, God laid that key upon the big shoulders of Jesus. And as Jesus carried that key to the top of Calvary, He did so with the joy of knowing it would unlock those doors which, as yet, were forbidden to humanity.

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James Tissot – Jesus carrying the Cross – www.joyfulheart.com – US Public Domain.

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KEYS WOULD BE GIVEN TO PETER

.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Caravaggio_-_Martirio_di_San_Pietro.jpg

When Peter gave his proclamation that Jesus was indeed the long-hoped-for Messiah, Jesus confessed to Peter… And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” Matthew 16:18, 19

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Now Jesus mentioned keys, plural, to Peter. So here is a complication of the matter. Why did Jesus speak of keys, plural?

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Crucifixion of Peter – Caravaggio Martirio di San Pietro – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA

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Now perhaps this next verse, which is a continuation to the message to the Philadelphian http://search.aol.com/aol/imageDetails?s_it=imageDetails&q=jigsaw+puzzle+wikimedia+commons&img=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fd%2Fdf%2FJigsaw.png&v_t=na&host=http%3A%2F%2Fcommons.wikimedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFile%3AJigsaw.png&width=167&height=155&thumbUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ft1.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcRLM79HioUsC0uFmnFCWh8TgixSM5KQpoVBqWoHRisvMyV7zSA851QuP_GC%3Aupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fd%2Fdf%2FJigsaw.png&b=image%3Fv_t%3Dna%26q%3Djigsaw%2Bpuzzle%2Bwikimedia%2Bcommons%26s_it%3DimageResultsBack%26page%3D2%26oreq%3D736c69c95704423abf3743fd90476f94%26oreq%3Dbc509182e46b47358f3bf2e9146dfb11&imgHeight=405&imgWidth=435&imgTitle=File%3AJigsaw.png&imgSize=75131&hostName=commons.wikimedia.orgChurch, will offer a little more clarity to the discussion…

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Listen… “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My Word, and hast not denied My Name.” Revelation 3:8.

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So here is another piece to the puzzle. Yes, even though that church had little strength, it nevertheless held fast to the Name of Jesus, and kept His Word!

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Jigsaw puzzle – Wikimedia Commons – public domain

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THE PHARISEES HAD TAKEN THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE!

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Maybe this next piece of the puzzle will add to the picture…

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Listen… “Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.” Luke 11:52

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So how did the lawyers take away the “key of knowledge”?

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Well, for one thing, they had kept the general populace greatly in ignorance concerning the basic tenants of Salvation.

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Jesus Speaks Near Treasury – James Tissot – courtesy Brooklyn Museum – US public domain

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SIMILAR SITUATION TODAY.

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And today we have a very similar situation in this high-tech society.

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This is because we now have a seemingly endless supply of Bible teachers available at the touch of our finger!

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And combined with the fact that the Enemy of Souls keeps us busy, busy, busy, with seeking after the pleasures and excesses of this decadent culture, it is much easier to just turn on some Bible study, and let the modern-day teachers of the Law, simply feed us with their opinion of what the Bible says.

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Evangelist Preaching – Church – Audience hands – cropped/altered image – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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FORSAKING ALL

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Now the Gospel of Luke gives the following description… “And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed Him.” Luke 5:11

http://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_65895/Edward-Armitage/Christ-Calling-the-Apostles-James-and-John--1869.

Now this is a very important truth. This is because this truth of forsaking all is one of those keys of knowledge that the people were not taught back in Jesus’ day, nor are the people in the church-world taught today!

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Listen to the very words of Jesus… “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:33

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Christ calling His Disciples – by Edward Armitage – 1869 – courtesy wikigallery.com – public domain

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FILLING OUR HEARTS WITH GOOD THINGS!

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Now the next key of knowledge, which was taken away from the multitudes, was that the Pharisees liked to make many rules to follow, as a means of working one’s way to Heaven.

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Yes, the Pharisees lived a very moral life with rules which gave the appearance of godliness. They were neat and clean and washed things often. And they lived a very moral and religious life! They were well-respected in their community, and performed various religious duties!

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And yet, inwardly, their hearts were filled with pride, judging, covetousness, lust, anger, and a host of other similar qualities. 

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Jesus Speaking to Sadducees & Pharisees by James Tissot www.catholic-resources.org US public domain

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PHARISEEISM TODAY

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And of course, there is a great majority of faithful church-goers today, who merely go through the motions of Christianity, live fairly moral lives, and yet have not that two-way communion with God.

.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USMC-06831.jpg

Yes, the Bible commands, “Oh how I love Thy Law (Word), it is my meditation all the day long” Psalm 119:97. 

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But the Bible also commands, “Pray with ceasing” 1st Thessalonians 5:17.

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It is because we fill our hearts with self-willed desires that we cannot have this constant two-way communion with God.  

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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THE GOOD NEWS: DOOR IS STILL OPEN!

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And so, if I have not these evidences in my own life, then I had better take inventory of my life and determine if perhaps I truly have those keys to kingdom of heaven, or if I am still locked out!

http://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_198722/William-Brassey-Hole/The-sorrow-of-king-David.

But the very Good News is, that God is giving us time to turn ourselves around. 

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Listen… “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? …Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.” James 4:4, 8-10

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Such a repentance as this above passage commands, is actually an ongoing experience of the true child of God!

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Yes, there is nowhere along that upward pathway in which we will have “finally arrived”! 

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And our chief desire will be to become molded into the glorious likeness of Jesus! 

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David’s sorrow – wikigallery – public domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Give me those keys which are missing from my Christian experience! Help me to put away all my self-willed ambitions and humble myself before Thee in constant communion…

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Question_book_magnify2.svg

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Revelation 12 Woman & The Narrow Gate Stars (Orion’s Gate to Heaven)” or you can also read… January 5th (The City of Morality)

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

 

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THE END

.Orion Constellation at Eagle Ridge

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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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7 STARS OF REVELATION

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“The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in My right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The SEVEN STARS ARE THE SEVEN ANGELS of the seven churches:” Revelation 1:20.

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The Bible speaks of a 7 Stars Constellation. “Seek Him that makes the seven stars and Orion,” Amos 5:8. Here is a reference to the constellation commonly known as the Big Dipper. It is the only 7 star constellation which is, beside Orion, the most prominent constellation in the sky. And in this verse from Amos, the Lord is speaking of Orion and the 7 Stars (“Seek Him that makes the seven stars and Orion,” Amos 5:8). 

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Orion and the 7 Stars are the two most prominent constellations in the sky. And as this web site points out, Orion represents Christ, and the 7 Stars represents the Church. For a deeper understanding of Orion, just click here… “The Orion Phenomena”

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WHY PLEIADES IS NOT THE 7 STARS

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Now some Bible versions translate this passage concerning the 7 Stars as “the Pleiades”, and not the 7 Stars (Big Dipper). So how is this reconciled?

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060109.html

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If you look at the Pleiades (photo to right), there are an indiscriminate number of stars. Besides the five or six brighter stars, there are a large number of lesser stars, and even small stars. So that puts Pleiades out of the running as being a constellation of 7 stars, spoken of in Revelation. The King James Version seems to be the trustworthy version once again.

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Now while Pleiades is not the 7 Stars, this constellation is nevertheless, a very important part of Signs Of Heaven. And so, to read more about the Pleiades, just click here… “The Pleiades: The Captive Angel & Mystery Harlot Constellation”

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Photo of Pleiades courtesy of Robert Gendler. Click for link. 

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Question_book_magnify2.svg

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The 7 Stars Constellation” 

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http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/Pictures/The%20Early%20Church%20Artwork/target8.html

TOMORROW: 

” June 29th (Paul’s Godly Example!)”

Paul Shipwrecked – Acts 27:41-44 – www.lavistachurchofchrist.org – Public Domain

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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 #177 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 details & tags, and all other necessary information 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.

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