Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 26 (Eating Like A Bird!)

By admin On May 31st, 2015

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 26

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Eating Like A Bird!

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Endangered Bird – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

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“I have esteemed the Words of His mouth

more than my necessary food.”

Job 23:12

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Have you ever heard the expression, “She eats like a bird”?

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Of course, this refers to a person who purposely eats far less than is required to maintain proper weight.

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Well, there once was a beautiful young lady with an equally beautiful voice, named Karen Carpenter. Unfortunately, her career was tragically cut short because she literally starved herself to death. You see, for some reason, Karen just couldn’t eat enough food.

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Karen Carpenter – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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WISDOM OF THE WORLD

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Now the people of the world have a certain worldly wisdom…

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Listen to the words of Jesus… “for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. Luke 16:8

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Yes, the people of this world are worldly-wise more than Christians are Heavenly-wise! And so, the wisdom of the world can often be translated into Heavenly wisdom.

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Thai Food – Wikimedia – C.C. Share-alike License

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PHYSICAL & SPIRITUAL FOOD!

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For instance, just take our opening little worldly proverb… “She (or he) eats like a bird!”

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This little expression can very easily be translated into spiritual truth, if we just look at how little that most Christians study the Bible. Pollsters have discovered that the average Christian spends very little time, if any, studying our Bible!

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Oh, you need proof?

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Well, the general consensus in Christendom says that if you asked the average Christian to recite the Ten Commandments, they couldn’t do it!

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Listen… “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea 4:6

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Sadly, as this above statement from Hosea 4:6 was true in Old Testament times, it is just as true today!

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Family watching television – c. 1958 – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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ONE TINY MEAL PER DAY?

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Most dedicated church-goers probably spend perhaps 15 minutes per day studying the Bible. And if we translate that into worldly terms, that would be like eating one small meal per day!

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But can a person survive on one small meal per day? No, eventually that person would starve to death!

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But that’s exactly what is happening in today’s church-world! We get so busy with our secular lives that Bible study gets squeezed out, almost completely!

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US Navy – Chaplain Lt. Jason Gregory reads Bible on weather deck – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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SATAN KEEPS US BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

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Now of course, if we could pull back the curtains, we would see that this has been the very strategy of the unseen forces of the darkness of this world!

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Yes, the Enemy of Souls has put forth herculean effort in designing this complicated society for that very purpose: to get Christians so busy in the world, that they put their prayer and Bible study on the proverbial, “back-burner”!

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Listen… “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that Day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Luke 21:34-36

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**Such a frightful and sobering warning as this from Luke 21:34-36, should cause us to re-assess the priorities in our lives!**

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Multitask – Wikimedia – C.C. Share-alike License

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NO DIGESTION EITHER!

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Now, if this weren’t a bad enough situation, it even gets worse, since most Christians do not contemplate what they read in the Bible!

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In other words, when we close our Bibles in the morning, we get so busy with the cares and pleasures of life, that we simply forget to contemplate God’s Word as we go about our daily tasks!

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And so, this condition would be akin to eating that one small meal, but not even digesting the little food that we did eat! And even a very overweight person could not survive more than 100 days at the most, if they are not digesting their food!

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Hunger breeds madness – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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LOVING TO EAT GOD’S WORD!

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The Bible says… “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” Jeremiah 15:16

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Yes, Jeremiah’s love for the Bible should likewise be our same love! And listen to Job… “I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” Job 23:12

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Yes, both Job and Jeremiah share the same love for God’s Word!

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Now just listen to one more verse… “Oh how I love Thy Law (Thy Word)! It is my meditation all the day long!” Psalm 119:11

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Now these three verses from Job, Jeremiah and Psalms should be the very same spirit which permeates through my own daily life!

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Prophet Jeremiah Dictates to Baruch – Wikiart.com – US Public Domain

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STILL TIME TO CHANGE!

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The Good News is that this is still the Day of Salvation! And we know that time is short!

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So, why not plead with God to fill up our daily life with His Word! And then let’s turn off the world, as much as possible and fill our ears with God’s Word! No, not some book about the Bible! But maybe get the Bible on audio, and listen to it as we wake, and as we walk and work, and as we lie down at night! Let’s make our entire day a nice healthy slice of Heaven! Let’s get lost in God’s Word! And let’s let go of any and all unnecessary worldly pleasures and pursuits, and instead, immerse ourselves in God’s Word!

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And then, by so-doing, we can fulfill God command to, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…”

Colossians 3:16

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Give me the desire to totally dedicate my life to the knowledge of Thee as revealed in Thy Word…

Marine Praying – Wikimedia – USMC Public Domain

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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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LOCATING THIS 3RD FACE

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The 3rd face of the Moon is a bit more difficult to locate, because it is mostly upside down. But this photo and this sketch are how this face would appear if it was turned right side up. (In the southern hemisphere, however, this is how the Moon would appear.)

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The third face is the most difficult to see in the northern hemisphere, but once you do, it then becomes easy. This face is like a furry creature of the field. Maybe a rabbit. Maybe a squirrel. Perhaps a chipmunk. Probably a mouse. All “seekers”; all foragers or scavengers.

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And while this picture shows this little “beast of the field” right side up, this 3rd face is always pretty much in an upside-down position.

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The other two faces appear right-side-up, and are easier to locate. This photo and this sketch are both turned around to help you see this 3rd face easily. This enhanced sketch to the above right is merely to help you to see this face more easily. (As already stated, this 3rd face is right side up in the southern hemisphere.)

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Moon – by James Bowe – 3rd Face – cropped & highlighted photo – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

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BUT WHY A FORAGER?

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“So I went in (into God’s temple), and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.” Ezekiel 8:10

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The above verse is speaking of all sorts of unclean creatures, big and small, sinfully portrayed on the temple wall. And these creatures were being worshipped by God’s people, as this verse indicates.

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The photo below is a replica of the Ishtar Gate to ancient Babylon, which also had unclean beasts portrayed upon its wall. So, was God in the above passage saying to us, that His Temple had become like Babylon?

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WHY A BEAST OF THE FIELD?

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And of all the ferocious beasts that exist in this world, why would God choose such a furry little critter to represent the Mark of the Beast? And why would the Lord inscribe this face in the Moon’s surface? Obviously, He does nothing indiscriminately! So what then can be the purpose for this 3rd face?

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**Well, one thing is for sure! Unbelief is a quality that exists in the hearts of Men.**

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And, well, maybe this little beast of the field can give some biblical information about the subject of faithlessness. And maybe after an exploration of this furry forest creature, it will be discovered that this little varmint was exactly the correct beast for God to inscribe on the Moon’s surface!

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And by reading onward, this all may begin to make much more sense! And it may even start to gnaw away at our own self-righteousness, as we begin to see that Sadducee-ism exists in our very own heart!

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Mouse – Wikipedia

Ishtar Gate at Berlin Museum by Rictor Norton & Wikipedia share-alike lic. 3.0

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TOMORROW…

JUNE 27 (Eternal Torment? Part 10: Endless Stripes?)

whipping – forty-stripes – Wikipedia – US-public-domain. (2)

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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 #541 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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Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 25 (Eternal Torment? Part 9: No Sympathy In Heaven!?!)

By admin On May 28th, 2015

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 25

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Eternal Torment?

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Part 9:

“No Sympathy In Heaven!?!”

To read Part 1, click here… “September 8th (Eternal Torment?)”

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“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;

and there shall be no more death,

neither sorrow, nor crying,

neither shall there be any more pain:

for the former things are passed away.”

Revelation 21:4

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A number of long-held traditional false doctrines have been handed down to the present-day Church: the various Catholic holidays, the “Age of Accountability”, and the doctrine of “Eternal Torment”, and “Free-Will Salvation”.

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And there are many zealous proponents of “Eternal Torment” in today’s church-world.

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And even though this false doctrine of an underground chamber-of-eternal-horrors was conceived by abject ignorance of proper Bible interpretation during the Dark Ages, the apostate churches of today are still somewhat ignorant of proper Bible interpretation.

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Hell’s Torment and Tormentor – Wikipedia – Public Domain (2)

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DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED

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So just why is Revelation 21:4 so damaging to this so-called doctrine of “Eternal Torment”?

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Because either “Eternal Torment” is true, or Revelation 21:4 is true!

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But they both cannot be true!

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In other words, Revelation 21:4 reveals the absurdity of the “Eternal Torment” doctrine.

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Hell – G. Dore – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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NO MORE SUFFERING

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Listen again… “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4

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Now just think this above passage all the way through, regarding the New Heaven and New Earth. Is there anything here that suggests that “Eternal Torment” is the punishment for sin?

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After all, it says here that, “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away!”

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The River Of The Water Of Life by H. Melville – Wikimedia – Public Domain (3)

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NO MORE DEATH, SORROW, CRYING OR PAIN!

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And so, we can assume that God means exactly what He is saying here… “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away!”

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Because, if all these horrible things will be passed away, then why do we insist that they will still exist in the New Heaven and Earth?

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After all, if the lost souls of our loved ones will be crying and begging for mercy, wouldn’t those cries for mercy be echoing within our hearts for all eternity?

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Or will our hearts become so calloused or jaded that we won’t sorrow for them anymore?

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After all, the Bible does indeed confirm that there won’t be any more sorrow there!

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Buddhist Hell – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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NO SYMPATHY IN HEAVEN!?!

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And what about sympathy?

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Listen to what it says… “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep….Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.” Romans 12:15 & Hebrews 13:3

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So here above is the eternal Word of God commanding us to weep and to suffer and to be bound with those who weep, and suffer and are bound.

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Vincent van Gogh – Old Man in Sorrow (On the Threshold of Eternity) – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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NO MORE TEARS FOR LOVED ONES?

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And so, if our unsaved friends, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and our children are being supposedly endlessly tormented, then will we be so satisfied with God’s justice that we won’t even shed a tear for their torment and eternal pain?

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After all, if God has spent so much time teaching His children here on earth to be tender and sympathetic towards the sufferings of others, then are we really to believe that when we get to Heaven, we’ll just forget all about the things that God taught us?

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Is it really Good News to imagine that a relatively small percentage of redeemed ones will be happily and joyfully flying through the eternal heavens, knowing that 95 percent or more of humanity throughout history, will be suffering in some giant netherworld torture chamber?!

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Hardly Good News, wouldn’t you agree?!

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Doesn’t this sound totally ridiculous? Of course it does!

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Orphan on Mother’s Grave – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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WEAK DEFENSE

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Well, many who still try to weakly defend this doctrine of “Eternal Torment”, will answer, “Well, God’s redeemed will be perfectly at peace knowing that those people in Hell are getting their just reward for sinning against such a holy God!”

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Do you see how impossible is this church-tradition called, “Eternal Torment”, in the light of Revelation 21:4, and knowing that “God is love” and “His mercy endures forever” (1st John 4:8, 16 & Psalm 136, etc…)

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Brooklyn Museum – The Rich Man In Hell – James Tissot – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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THE LAKE OF FIRE

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During the Dark Ages, the tyrannical, apostate church of Europe did some really poor Bible interpreting, taking certain verses out of proper context.

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Such verses as Revelation 14:11 & 21:8, speaks of “the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever”, and “The Lake of Fire”, along with the “Parable of The Rich Man in Hell, tormented in flames” were chief passages to bolster the use of torture chambers being used on all dissenters/rejecters of that apostate church during those dark centuries.

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But through a prayerful, consecrated study of the entire Bible, the Holy Spirit-filled Believer will begin to realize that these verses must also be balanced together with other, mostly ignored verses, such as Job 3:17-19…“There (in “Sheol”, also called “Hell”, or “The Grave”) the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest. There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor. The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.”

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This above passage and many like it speak of Hell as the grave, a place of escape from the sufferings of this world! You probably won’t hear such merciful verses as this ever being quoted by “eternal torment” defenders! No, as the saying goes, “they would rather not confuse you with the facts!”

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And, of course, Dark Ages theologians likewise, pretty completely ignored many such passages as Job 3, as this would have greatly hindered their attempt to justify their own use of torture chambers on genuine Christians. Yes, through the centuries of “The Dark Ages” this monstrous church-organization tortured and murdered those faithful Christians who truly loved the Bible, an otherwise much-hated book which that apostate organization attempted to banish and burn completely out of existence!

Burned at the stake – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

Torture devices – The Wheel – Calas Chapbook – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

Book Burning – Santo Domingo y Los Albigenses – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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***SODOM AN EXAMPLE OF ETERNAL* *VENGEANCE***

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Now does the Bible ever give an example of such an eternal punishment? Oh yes! Just listen to Jude… “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jude 1:7

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**Now, if Sodom & Gomorrah are “set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire”, then that eternal fire must still be burning.**

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Right? But it’s not! Oh yes, you can still find a multitude of little balls of brimstone surrounding the region where Sodom once existed. But the fire went out shortly after Sodom’s fiery judgment. And now, it’s covered with water (The Dead Sea).

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Oh yes, their punishment was eternal. But they were simply destroyed. The fire was eternal in the sense that it sealed Sodom & Gomorrah’s eternal destiny.

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But since it was set forth as an example of the punishment of eternal fire, then we can take comfort that those citizens of Sodom & Gomorrah are now in Sheol (the Grave) of which it says in Job, “There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.” Job 3:17

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Picture – Lot Escapes Sodom – www.thebiblerevival.com offers free Bible clipart – Public Domain.

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STUDY CHRISTIAN! STUDY!

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And so, seeing that “Eternal Torment” does not harmonize with Scripture, we can take comfort that we won’t be crying in sorrow for this church-fabricated chamber-of-horrors!

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And if the Reader will simply study the many articles on this false-doctrine, then there will begin to be full assurance that God does not eternally torment our unsaved loved ones!

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US Navy – Chaplain Lt. Jason Gregory reads Bible on weather deck – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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To read Part 10, click here…

JUNE 27 (Eternal Torment? Part 10: Endless Stripes?)

whipping – forty-stripes – Wikipedia – US-public-domain. (2)

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Give me a love for truth which causes me to insist on finding any and every related passage on any questionable doctrine …

Woman Praying – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

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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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LOCATING THE DRAGON

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THE DRAGON of REVELATION 12 CONSTELLATION . The Dragon Constellation can be located by finding Orion in winter months. The Dragon is to Orion’s left, and the Dragon’s mouth is right next to Orion’s shield. This Dragon’s mouth is the V-like constellation The Hyades Cluster, which is the very same constellation that comprises the head of Taurus the Bull. In other words, Hyades is also known as the head of Taurus the Bull. And Hyades is the mouth of this Dragon.

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The tip of the Dragon’s tail is composed of that star-cluster known as The Pleiades. The Pleiades is actually in the shape of a lion’s furry tassel tip of his tail. The sketch below shows this Pleiades as the tail tip.

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Now with aid of a dark starry night, you may begin to connect this mouth and the tail with a very long body in an oval shape. The front and back legs are very well-defined with stars. The front legs are made partially of Taurus. The back legs and rear fin are made of the Cetus Constellation. But the long oval-shaped body has relatively few stars, but can been seen, howbeit with a dark starry night. The four stars of the front fins are made partially of Taurus. This Dragon constellation appears in the eastern horizon about mid-summer in the pre-dawn hours, spewing his flood-waters northward toward the Woman of Revelation 12 (Woman in Travail). The Wave of Water is primarily composed of the Constellation Auriga. The are two more less bright stars which are closest to the Dragon’s mouth. These two dimmer stars are also part of this Wave of Water.

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TOMORROW…

“JUNE 26 (Eating Like A Bird!)”

Saltine Crackers on plate – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

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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 #540 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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Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 24 (And The Nations Were Angry, Part 2: “Made of One Blood, All Nations”)

By admin On May 28th, 2015

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 24

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And The Nations Were Angry,

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Part 2:

“Made of One Blood, All Nations”

To read Part 1, click here…Today’s Devotional – October 24th (And The Nations Were Angry! Part 1)

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“And (God) hath made of one blood

all nations of men for to dwell

on all the face of the earth,

and hath determined the times before appointed,

and the bounds of their habitation”

Acts 17:26

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Beginning with the civil war, and continuing with the ongoing efforts to eradicate racial injustice, the western nations have made herculean efforts to overcome prejudice against those of varied skin-tones.

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But in spite of the great success of the western nations in this area, things have become far worse, as of late.

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Yes, just when we thought that racism was beginning to subside in the western culture, this particular form of hatred is now rising up on a scale that we’ve never seen before!

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The obsession with racism is currently rising to insane levels in some areas of society. Especially in today’s political arena, there is a mania concerning skin color that is absolutely consuming the mass-media rhetoric like never before in history!

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Handshake icon – GREEN-BLUE – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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RACISM: A PANDEMIC CRISIS

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And just look at the “ethnic cleansing” going on in other nations! It’s frightening, to say the least!

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And of course, the Jews have always been hated and persecuted, even since the days of Moses, right up to this present hour!

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Handshake icon – GREEN-BLUE – Wikimedia – Public Domain

Anti-Jew – Anti-Zionist RallyFeb16, 2003

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COVERT RACISTS

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For the most part, citizens of the western cultures attempt to treat others equally, regardless of skin-tone.

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But in spite of this vastly improved situation, there has arisen a movement to bring this form of senseless hatred back into the forefront, now turning against people of various skin colors, be it against people who are black, white, brown…

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Indeed, racism knows no bounds, as far as its targeted ethnic group.

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Racism is an equal-opportunity hater!

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Handshake icon – GREEN-BLUE – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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“MADE OF ONE BLOOD: ALL NATIONS”

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A well-known public figure has recently written a book on this subject of racism.

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And his purpose is to reveal what the Bible says concerning the different races…“And (God) hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation” Acts 17:26

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In this above verse from Acts, in which Paul is addressing a group of unbelievers, this author makes the case that we are all children of Noah, and even from Adam. We’re all relatives of each other: “made of one blood, all nations!”

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This book also reveals that ALL humans have color, howbeit different amounts of the pigment, “melanin”. And those who are considered “white people” are also a shade of brown, although a much lighter shade than many others.

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Handshake icon – GREEN-BLUE – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against…spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Ephesians 6:12

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But credit must be given to where credit is due! And truth-be-told, it is not humans who are causing this tidal wave of overwhelming hatred and prejudice in our land!

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No, but rather, it is the unseen forces of the darkness of this world who are the true instigators of ever-increasing pandemic hatred of others, based upon skin-tone!

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Yes, our true war is not against mere humans, but against Satan and his vast army of unseen evil-angels as they work through the unsaved citizens of his Satanic-Majesty’s kingdom, which this fallen world truly is!

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Satan presiding at the Infernal Council – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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SATAN, THE FATHER OF THOSE WHO HATE

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And like never before, in these last days, Satan has stirred up the multitudes to fill them with rage against one-another, merely because of different skin-tones! He has even written schoolbooks, promoting racism, and social-distrust to schoolchildren!

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And now we are seeing horrible racial hatred and even racial violence, both in this nation, as well as in many other nations.

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And isn’t it amazing that those who decry racism are often the most racist of all?! They seem to view most all matters of life through the prism of skin-tone!

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Satan presiding at the Infernal Council – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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THE BITTER ROOT OF SIN REMAINS

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As already mentioned, the western nations have put forth tremendous effort to eradicate all slavery and prejudice. And since the middle of the last century, our western societies, led by genuine Christian, have put forth great efforts to repent of the sins of past generations, in abolishing racism.

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But just like pulling weeds in one’s lawn, if the gardener does not get to the root of the problem, the weed will simply grow back, maybe two or three-fold worse!

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And because mankind has pretty much turned its back on Jesus, the bitter root of sin still remains in the hearts of this world’s citizenry! And all our tireless efforts to eradicate evil, in whatever form it manifests itself, are absolutely futile, at best!

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Handshake icon – GREEN-BLUE – Wikimedia – Public Domain

Taraxacum officinalis plant – Dandelion root – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

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“That which is crooked cannot be made straight”

Ecclesiastes 1:15

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Yes, the bitter root of sin remains in this unsaved world! And as long as we remain in rebellion against the ways of Heaven, the problems we suffer will never go away!

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In other words, the more hospitals we build, the sicker humanity gets! The more laws we enact, the more that lawlessness abounds! The more humanitarian programs we institute, the more humanitarian crises will rise up!

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The Bible says…“That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting (lacking) cannot be numbered (filled).” Ecclesiastes 1:15. As this verse so poetically declares, mankind is incapable of straightening out our crooked ways.

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And we are powerless to supply the needs of the hearts and lives of humanity.

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Handshake icon – GREEN-BLUE – Wikimedia – Public Domain

Dandelion – sun – wikipedia – avmaier – cropped image – share-alike-license

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APOSTATE CHURCH-WORLD LIKEWISE HELPLESS

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And even in the current-day church-world, Jesus has kept His promise…“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of My mouth.” Revelation 3:16.

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Yes, because we have gone headlong after many of the earthly pleasures and proud pursuits of this decadent cornucopian super-society, we have been spewed out of Jesus’ mouth. Thus we have, “reap(ed) the whirlwind”, “neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen”. Hosea 8:7 & Isaiah 26:18

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**Judgment has begun “in the house of God”, and has moved beyond, into society at large! The Church has not fallen, neither has society!**

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Therefore, without a 100% devotion to Jesus, our best efforts, and even our lifting up hands in fervent prayers are less than worthless to help society, nor to even help our own apostate churches…“And when ye spread forth your hands (in prayer), I will hide Mine eyes from you…For let not that (double-minded) man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” Isaiah 1:15 & James 1:6, 7

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Sadly our prosperity-driven church-world is very double-minded!

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And tragically, as a result of our double-minded love for this world’s riches and pleasures, we have been spewed out, just as Jesus warned us!

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Handshake icon – GREEN-BLUE – Wikimedia – Public Domain

Hands – CROPPED IMAGE – Wikimedia – share-alike license

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GOOD NEWS! GOD’S LOVE IS COLORBLIND!

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The Good News is, that even in this late hour, God is willing to pour out of His great love into the hearts of any individual who is sick and tired of all this current (and senseless) hatred, based upon skin-tone: he or she can call upon His name, and turn away from all ungodliness! And filled with God’s wonderful love, the redeemed one can have compassion for all children of God, regardless of skin color!

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No, God is no respecter of persons, regardless of a person’s skin color! And that same, godly brotherly love, for all God’s children, is available to each and every needy soul, young and old alike!

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“Red, brown, yellow, black, and white, they are precious in His sight”!

(Lyric from “Jesus Loves the Little Children”, click here to listen)

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Bible Study Group – cropped – Wikimedia – Share-Alike License

Handshake icon – GREEN-BLUE – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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TO READ PART 3, CLICK HERE…

October 4 (And The Nations Were Angry! Part 3: “Summer of Love, Winter of Hate”)

Flower Power Demonstrator – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to begin the joyful exodus out of this sad world and into the upward pathway to the celestial city of God…

Family Prayer Before Meal – Wikimedia – US-Govt. – Public-Domain

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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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THE GLORIOUS 12-STAR CROWN CONSTELLATION

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If you were to go out on a dark and starry night in the summer months, and lift up your head, you might just see this constellation group. Looking at this sketch, do you see this woman as she tries to take hold of that crown?

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Well, this is a heavenly fulfillment of the above Bible verse (“And there appeared a great wonder (or “sign”) in Heaven; a woman…and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:” Revelation 12:1).

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**And this woman is known as the Revelation 12 Woman, and that crown is known as the Revelation 12 Crown.**

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You can see this constellation group in the summer months by looking in the western skies.

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TOMORROW…

JUNE 25 (Eternal Torment? Part 9: No Sympathy In Heaven!?!)

Brooklyn Museum – The Bad Rich Man in Hell – James Tissot – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH

.

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.

.

THIS STUDY #539 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

.

above picture: Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.org – Public Domain

.

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.

.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 23 (Love Is Not A Pick-n-Choose Buffet, Part 4: God’s Chastisement!)

By admin On May 26th, 2015

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 23

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Love Is Not A Pick-n-Choose Buffet,

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Part 4:

“God’s Chastisements!”

To read Part 1, click here…February 27th (Love Is Not A Pick-N-Choose Buffet)

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NOT A PICK-N-CHOOSE BUFFET

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The problem with the kinds of “itching ears” driven gospels preached today, is that we just can’t treat the true Gospel as if it’s some sort of a “pick-n-choose” buffet!

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Love is a multi-faceted virtue.

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Jesus is love. But His love is not merely like the anemic, diminished love of this world!

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And so, we just cannot take one or two facets of His love and ignore the other facets.

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And by so-doing, we end up taking a few of the more pleasant aspects of Jesus, and rejecting His other more stern qualities, simply because they are too self-denying!

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Vegie buffet – cropped – Wikimedia – GNU Free Documentation License

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“PURIFY YOUR HEARTS!”

James 4:8

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The churches today, for the most part, place minimal emphasis on the purification of the heart.

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Either by word or by example, most Christians are not being encouraged enough to engage in the type of heart-purification that will cause us to “walk, even as He (Jesus) walked”! 1st John 2:6

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And the vast majority of congregations may make an occasional mention of this purification process. But they do not make this their over-arching theme!

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And the consequence of this is, most parishioners today remain in a spiritually undone condition, still unpurified.

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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FIVE BASIC COMPONENTS

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Now there are a number of individual components involved in heart purification: 1. daily Bible study and contemplation of the Bible. 2. Unceasing prayer. 3. Separation from ungodly influences. 4. And accepting, and even joyfully enduring the fiery trials which purify us as gold and silver is purified. 5. And finally, to walk even as Jesus walked.

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These are the five basic components necessary for purifying the heart of a Christian.

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Prayer – USMC – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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“SONS OF LEVI…AS GOLD & SILVER”

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But the fact is, many Christians do not understand just what the fiery tribulations are, and why we must endure them.

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Listen… “And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi (Christians), and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.” Malachi 3:3

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Now of course, this above verse speaks of the sons of Levi. But spiritually speaking, Christians have been chosen to be a royal priesthood, as pointed out in Part 2 of this little devotional series (click here to read). And so, we too are the New Testament sons of Levi, spiritually. Therefore, this above verse from Malachi 3:3 is actually speaking of us today!

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Gold bars – cropped – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

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“PURIFY…A PECULIAR PEOPLE”

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Listen… “Looking for that blessed hope…Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 23, 14

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So here we see that it is the Believer who is to be purified as silver and as gold…

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Goldkey logo removed – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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“VESSELS OF GOLD & SILVER”

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Listen again… “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” 2nd Timothy 2:20, 21

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And so, we see this same theme about being purified as silver and gold continues through the New Testament.

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Golden Bowl from shipwreck – cropped – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

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DEVIL OFTEN BRINGS TRIALS

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Now there are many Believers who are going through heavy trials.

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And just as the Devil got permission to bring the man, Job, through horrible fiery trials, so too, he likewise sends us through similar trials today.

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Job (oil on canvas) by Bonnat, Leon Joseph Florentin (1833-1922) – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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BEING DRAGGED THROUGH THE MUD

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Now there are some Christians who just cannot seem to get the victory over certain nagging sins. And because of this, many sincere Believers begin to doubt their Salvation.

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But listen… “The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways…” Proverbs 14:14

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And as this above verse reveals, the Lord in His great love will drag such Christians through the mud, so to speak.

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But God is merely allowing Satan to make them miserable in their former lusts, so that they may eventually stand firm one day, when their trials are over.

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And all this would be utterly impossible without the strengthening power of the Holy Spirit working within that true Believer!

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David’s sorrow – Wikigallery – Public Domain

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SATAN TORMENTED PAUL

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Now the Apostle Paul experienced heavy trials from Satan. And, we are in good company, when we also experience heavy trials by the hand of Satan…

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Listen… “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” 2nd Corinthians 12:7

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Yes, Paul was buffeted at the hand of Satan, yet for his ultimate good!

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Paul – www.thebiblerevival.com US public domain

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AFFLICTIONS FOR OUR GOOD!

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And even though Paul prayed for these trials to be removed, the Lord replied… “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2nd Corinthians 12:9

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Yes, the Lord knew that such trials were necessary for Paul’s own good.

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

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“IN HEAVINESS FOR A SEASON”

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And so, dear darling soul, take heart in the fiery trials and apparent failings, knowing that they will, “work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” 2nd Corinthians 4:17

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It’s true that, “though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:” 1st Peter 1:6

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And so, Peter says here that our trials will undoubtedly bring heaviness upon us.

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Vincent van Gogh – Old Man in Sorrow (On the Threshold of Eternity) – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

Weeping-Woman-Van-Gogh-Wikimedia-US-Public-Domain-183×300

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PAUL TOOK PLEASURE IN TRIALS

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And yet, the Apostle Paul had come to the point in life, that he actually rejoiced in his trials… “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” 2nd Corinthians 12:10

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And we also must plead for the grace that we too might likewise rejoice in our heavy trials, knowing that when we are weak, then will we be strong in the Lord!

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

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to endure the trials in my life, knowing that they work a far more exceeding glory which will endure throughout eternity future…

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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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A SIGN IN HEAVEN

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“And there appeared a great wonder (sign) in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:” Revelation 12:1

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You see, God has placed in the heavens, the symbol of His bride, the Church-Faithful. In the summer night-sky, she appears as the woman-in-travail. This is the constellation, Ursa Major. And this article will introduce you to this amazing sign of Heaven, and what it means to you and to me.

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DOUBLE ENTENDRE OF REVELATION 12 WOMAN

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“For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church: and He is the Savior of the body.” Ephesians 5:23

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This page concerns the constellation which is commonly known as “The Big Dipper” and the “Great Bear”.

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It actually appears in the summer months as a woman travailing in child-birth. God has purposely given her no head. But God did this to present a very important concept.

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Yes, this woman represents the Church, the “Jerusalem above, which is free, and is the mother of us all” (see Galatians 4:26).

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You see, the single star she is giving birth to typifies the Christ child. Reading in Ephesians that Christ is the “head” of the Church, this single star is logically going to become her head. But how will that be accomplished?

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ABOVE STAR-CHART: Ursa Major – IAU.svg – Star-Chart – Wikipedia – Share-Alike License

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WOMAN FLIPS AROUND IN WINTER

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Now, if this Woman-in-Travail were all that the Lord created in the heavens, it would be nothing short of amazing! But God, in His infinite power and majesty, has made this a great sign in Heaven, just as Revelation 12 proclaims. Because as the summer passes, this constellation begins to slowly flip around, until the stars representing her arms now become her legs. And the stars that once represented her legs now become her arms. And finally, it appears as the Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12. And at that point, this single little star in her womb-area, representing the Christ-child, now becomes her head! And of course, this reminds us of the passage… “And He (Christ) is the head of the body, the Church…” Colossians 1:18.

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ABOVE STAR-CHART: Ursa Major – IAU.svg – Star-Chart – Wikipedia – Share-Alike License

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TOMORROW…

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JUNE 24 (And The Nations Were Angry, Part 2: “Made of One Blood, All Nations”)

Bible Study Group – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-Alike License

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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH

.

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.

.

THIS STUDY #538 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

.

above picture: Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.org – Public Domain

.

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.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 22 (Love Is Not A Pick-n-Choose Buffet, Part 3: Heart Purification!)

By admin On May 26th, 2015

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 22

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Love Is Not A Pick-n-Choose Buffet,

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Part 3:

“Heart Purification!”

To read Part 1, click here… February 27th (Love Is Not A Pick-N-Choose Buffet)

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In the first installment of this, Love Is Not A Pick-N-Choose Buffet (click here) devotional, today’s Christianity was compared to an all-you-can-eat buffet in which many church-goers attempt to pick-n-choose what they like or do not like from the Gospel.

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**In other words, there are many who simply want a Christianity made only of the softer aspects of the gospel, such as “being kind to others”.**

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This would be akin to going to an all-you-can-eat buffet and loading up on dessert and refusing everything else!

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Well, this is nice. But true agape love is comprised of many different facets of truth. You just cannot decide to choose one or two aspects of the Gospel, and refuse the rest. Salvation doesn’t work that way!

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Forain – The Buffet – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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ANOTHER GOSPEL

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**In yesterday’s devotional, Part 2 (click here) of this series, was shown the aspect of our commission to be a “royal priesthood”. And so many gospels today are missing this aspect of love.**

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And there is a certain very popular evangelist who promotes this kind of gospel. And he is big on being very emotional and even very, “warm and fuzzy”, as they say. And he constantly speaks of helping those around the world who are in great need. And he almost seems on the verge of tears, as he speaks about Christ’s love for sinners, and our lack of love for God, and the need of Salvation for all. And all this sounds great…on the surface!

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The problem is, this very nice and pleasant man combines this highly emotional gospel with lots of world-loving behavior!

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Evangelist Preaching – Church – Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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NOT A PICK-N-CHOOSE BUFFET

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The problem with this kind of a gospel is that we just can’t treat the true Gospel as if it’s some sort of a “pick-n-choose” buffet!

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Love is a multi-faceted virtue. Jesus is love.

.

We just cannot take one or two facets of His love and ignore the other facets.

.

And so, we end up taking a few pleasant aspects of Jesus, and rejecting His other, more stern qualities, simply because they are too self-denying!

.

Vegie buffet – cropped – Wikimedia – GNU Free Documentation License

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“PURIFY YOUR HEARTS!”

James 4:8

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Now in yesterday’s devotional (click here), our commission to be a royal priesthood was showcased.

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But today’s devotional will highlight the great commission to purify our hearts. This aforementioned evangelist places very little emphasis on the purification of the heart, when speaking to an audience.

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But the Bible doesn’t slight this important aspect of the Gospel. As a matter of fact, this is the greatest work of the Christian’s life!

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To purify our heart is the greatest desire and the supreme accomplishment in a true Believer’s life!

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Chaplain reads Bible – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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PAUL’S GREATEST DESIRE

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Listen to Paul’s testimony… “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ…That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death;” Philippians 3:8, 10

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Here is one of the most powerful statements in the Bible! It encapsulates the greatest commission given to humanity, and more specifically, to the individual Christian.

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

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PURIFIED AS CHRIST IS PURE

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Now listen to the Apostle, John… “And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He (Christ) is pure.” 1st John 3:3

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And so we have two similar statements, one by Paul and one by John. And both of these present the chief desire of every true worshipper of God: to purify the heart and be changed into the image of Jesus Christ.

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John The Apostle – by Alonzo Cano 1635-1637 – wikipedia – public domain

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“GOD…WORKS WITHIN”

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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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But how is this greatest of all commissions from God to be accomplished? How can a man, woman, or child become changed into the likeness of Jesus?

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Obviously, this is a supernatural work! But God reveals that He is behind the scenes working in a Believer’s heart…“Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Philippians 1:6

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US Navy – Chaplain Lt. Jason Gregory reads Bible on weather deck – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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THE HARVEST WITHIN

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So it is God who works in us to bring about this change of heart. Oh yes, when we were first saved, God planted His seed within us. But that seed must grow.

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So then we must become the husbandmen (farmers) who are responsible to make sure that seed will grow and become a fruit-bearing tree of life within our heart! The water of grace of His Spirit, the fertile and weed-free soil of a humble and purified heart, the sunlight of the daily Word of God: these are the elements which cause that seed to grow and prosper within us.

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Harvest Seed (altered picture) – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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TOTALLY WRONG FOCUS

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And so, this evangelist really misses the main thrust of what true Christianity is all about.

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Oh yes, he may mention such things every once in a while. Because if he never even mentions this, then he will be subject to criticism. And so, he briefly mentions these things.

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But this is the great spiritual crisis in Christianity today! And this much-neglected truth should be constantly trumpeted to God’s apostate people!

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Magnifying Glass – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

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COMPONENTS OF HEART PURIFICATION

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Yes, and what are the various components of that message?

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To study and contemplate God’s Word.

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To separate from all ungodly associations and corrupt influences.

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To cheerfully suffer God’s many chastisements.

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To become holy in all conduct, even as Christ is holy.

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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PHONY LOVE

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And so, as we look at the supposed Christian love within the apostate church-world, just what can we conclude?

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Well, it’s just as Ezekiel revealed… “And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as My people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.” Ezekiel 33:31

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Yes, we see in the Christian community, very many who make the pretense of searching the Scriptures for truth. And yet, their heart goes after their covetousness.

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And so, their “much love” that they speak of, is as phony as the proverbial three-dollar bill!

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THREE DOLLAR BILL (altered & cropped photo) – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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GOOD NEWS! TIME STILL!

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Now of course, these things do not have to be! God has given us just enough time to turn away from these sins, and begin to truly seek after His godliness…

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Listen… “In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth.” Isaiah 2:20, 21

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Yes, in these last moments of time, God’s people (on an individual basis) will cast away our worldly desires and tinsel-like trinkets, and flee from the wrath to come, hiding ourselves within God’s soul-saving Word.

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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TO READ PART 4, CLICK HERE…

JUNE 23 (Love Is Not A Pick-n-Choose Buffet, Part 4: God’s Chastisement!)

David’s sorrow – Wikigallery – Public Domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to embrace all the Bible and not just pick-n-choose what I like. Help me to seek after all the qualities and virtues of Jesus and not just some…

Marine Praying – Wikimedia – USMC Public Domain

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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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ARK SEEN IN HEAVEN

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“And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His Testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” Revelation 11:19

.

The above verse from Revelation, speaks of God’s Temple in Heaven being opened. But this great constellation, the Sagittarius Constellation is actually the constellation of the Ark of the Covenant. So these two events go hand in hand simultaneously. The Ark Constellation, as sketched into this Wikipedia star-chart, is a representation of the heavenly Ark, as God begins to open up the spiritual

concepts of that true Ark to our minds.

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Star-chart from Wikipedia (this Website has taken the liberty to sketch in this Ark Constellation)

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TOMORROW…

JUNE 23 (Love Is Not A Pick-n-Choose Buffet, Part 4: God’s Chastisement!)

David’s sorrow – Wikigallery – Public Domain

.

20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH

.

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.

.

THIS STUDY #537 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

.

above picture: Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.org – Public Domain

.

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.

.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 21 (Love Is Not A Pick-n-Choose Buffet, Part 2: Our Royal Priesthood)

By admin On May 25th, 2015

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 21

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Love Is Not A Pick-n-Choose Buffet,

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Part 2:

“Our Royal Priesthood!”

To read Part 1, click here…February 27th (Love Is Not A Pick-N-Choose Buffet)

.

In the first installment of this “Love Is Not A Pick-n-Choose Buffet” devotional (click here), today’s Christianity was compared to an all-you-can-eat buffet in which many church-goers attempt to pick-n-choose what they like or do not like from the Gospel.

.

In other words, there are many who simply want a Christianity made only of the softer aspects of the gospel, such as “being kind to others.”

.

This would be akin to going to an all-you-can-eat buffet and loading up on dessert and refusing everything else!

.

Well, this is nice. But true agape love is comprised of many different facets of truth.

.

You just cannot decide to choose one or two aspects of the Gospel, and refuse the rest! Salvation doesn’t work that way!

.

Forain – The Buffet – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

.

ANOTHER GOSPEL

.

**There is a particular popular evangelist who promotes this kind of gospel. And he is big about being very emotional and even, “warm and fuzzy”, as they say.**

.

And he speaks of helping those in the world who are in great need. And he almost seems on the verge of tears, as he speaks about Christ’s love for sinners, and our lack of love for God.

.

The problem is, this very nice man combines this highly emotional gospel with world-loving behavior. And listening to him is like going on a roller-coaster ride of emotions, ranging from his tears of remorse to fits of laughter at his well-timed jokes.

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And besides his rather fashionable manner of speaking and dress, he occasionally mentions his favorite TV shows and other worldly pursuits.

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Audience hands – cropped & altered – Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain

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DECEIVING THE SIMPLE-HEARTED

Romans 16:18

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Well consequently, this particular evangelist has a great appeal among young adults who are not so well-seasoned in knowledge of the Bible.

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Yes, his gospel is very popular among those who desire a gospel which combines so-called love for Heaven with the love for many elements of this selfish world.

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After all, to have a great love for others, and yet, still pursuing the many exciting aspects of the world is just the type of religion which the world is looking for! A religion which does not require dying to this present world of selfishness! And along with this evangelist’s charismatic personality and his ability to charm his audience with jokes or tearful stories only makes for a very appealing gospel!

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ABOVE PICTURE: Satan, The False Prophet who offers a world-loving gospel

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A PICK-N-CHOOSE BUFFET

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But the purpose of even using this man’s ministry, is not to merely criticize him.

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But his kind of a gospel is so close to the true gospel, that it clarifies a great deception which is commonly seen today! And it reminds us of Jesus’ warning… “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Matthew 24:24

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You see, this kind of a pick-n-choose gospel takes the most appealing aspects of Christianity, while ignoring and rejecting those more holy aspects of Christ.

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Vegie buffet – cropped – Wikimedia – GNU Free Documentation License

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A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD

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For instance, there is very little emphasis upon the fact that Christians are called to be, “…a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar (purchased) people…” 1st Peter 2:9

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Well, just why is this missing ingredient important?

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The fact is, if we read about the office of a priest, we begin to understand just what a high and holy calling we have from the Lord!

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the Holy of Holies – www.thebiblerevival.com – Public Domain

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THE HIGH AND HOLY CALLING!

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The priests in the Old Testament were to live and walk in holiness and purity.

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And should they take their duties casually and presumptuously, they were in danger of being struck dead by God. (Historians even mention that when a priest went into the tabernacle to minister before the Lord, that they attached a rope to their ankle, in which they could be pulled out, should the Lord strike them dead! Because no one but the priest was allowed within the walls of that Holy Place!)

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Tissot – The Two Priests Are Destroyed – Wikipedia – Public Dom.

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“THE PEOPLE…ROSE UP TO PLAY”

1st Corinthians 10:7

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And yet, in today’s Christianity, our behavior is anything but holy!

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Oh yes, we might behave reverently during church service. But after a few hours of pretentious solemnity, we return to our world-loving pursuits and mundane giddiness!

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But the fact is, we are called to God’s service in the following manner… “But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1st Peter 1:15, 16

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PS Krøyer – Hip hip hurra! Kunstnerfest på Skagen – 1888 – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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HOLY PLACE OF THE HEART

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We have been called to minister in God’s Holy Place in our heart. And just as the Levite priests purified themselves from every trace of worldliness and defilement, so too must we, if we expect to remain in that most holy office of priest!

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Oh no, God will not strike us dead, like He did to those Old Testament priests. But by our continual carelessness and presumptuous trifling with the holy things of God, we place ourselves in danger of grieving the Holy Spirit and ultimately losing our connection with Heaven…

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ABOVE PICTURE: Most Holy Place – Signs Of Heaven

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A MOST SOLEMN WARNING!

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Listen to this most solemn warning… “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Revelation 2:5

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Here is a most solemn warning for Christians. Our hearts are the Holy Place in which Christ, our High Priest, desires to be a co-priest with Christians.

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But more often than not, instead of cleansing our soul-temple, we rather emulate the nonchalance and foolish giddiness of the world!

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ABOVE PICTURE: Unfunny Judgment Day Cartoon – companys-coming – revised

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“GOOD NEWS FROM A FAR COUNTRY!”

Proverbs 25:25

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Well, the Good News is that the Lord is very willing to forgive us and return us to our priestly duties.

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It simply remains for us to begin to take our royal priesthood seriously! And God has extended our time, in hopes that we will turn and repent and call out to God for deliverance from our spiritual lethargy.

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And hopefully, that misguided evangelist will realize his error and turn again to the agape love which embraces all of the Bible, and not just some of the Bible!

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David’s sorrow – Wikigallery – Public Domain

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***“THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT* *IS LOVE, JOY PEACE…”***

Galatians 5:22

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And don’t think for one moment that we cannot have joy and peace as we live such a holy life, as we minister and pray in the Lord’s Temple!

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When the Holy Spirit truly comes to abide in our heart, we will share in Heaven’s joy and peace: a peace which surpasses all understanding!

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And as we go about our daily earthly duties, we will become a tabernacle in the wilderness of this world: a walking and breathing and living tabernacle!

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Family Portrait – cropped – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

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To read Part 3, click here…

JUNE 22 (Love Is Not A Pick-n-Choose Buffet, Part 3: Heart Purification!)

ABOVE PICTURE: Most Holy Place within the heart – Signs Of Heaven

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to embrace all the Bible and not just pick-n-choose what I like. Help me to seek after all the qualities and virtues of Jesus and not just some…

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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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ARK SEEN IN HEAVEN

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“And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the Ark of His Testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” Revelation 11:19

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The above verse from Revelation, speaks of God’s Temple in Heaven being opened. But this great constellation, the Sagittarius Constellation is actually the constellation of the Ark of the Covenant. So these two events go hand in hand simultaneously. The Ark Constellation, as sketched into this Wikipedia star-chart, is a representation of the heavenly Ark, as God begins to open up the spiritual concepts of that true Ark to our minds.

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Star-chart from Wikipedia (this Website has taken the liberty to sketch in this Ark Constellation)

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TOMORROW…

JUNE 22 (Love Is Not A Pick-n-Choose Buffet, Part 3: Heart Purification!)

ABOVE PICTURE: Most Holy Place within the heart – Signs Of Heaven

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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 #536 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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Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 20 (Eternal Torment? Part 8: Orphans in Scripture)

By admin On May 23rd, 2015

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 20

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Eternal Torment?

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Part 8:

“Orphaned Scriptures”

To read Part 1, click here… “September 8th (Eternal Torment?)”

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“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you,

neither shall ye diminish ought from it,

that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God

which I command you.”

Deuteronomy 4:2

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**A number of false doctrines have been handed down to the present-day Church: the various Catholic holidays, the “Age of Accountability”, and the doctrine of “Eternal Torment”, etc…**

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**And still there are many zealous proponents of “Eternal Torment” in today’s church-world.**

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And even though this false doctrine was conceived by reason of ignorance as to what constitutes proper Bible interpretation rules, the apostate churches still cling to it.

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Hell’s Torment and Tormentor – Wikipedia – Public Domain (2)

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ORPHANS

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Prior to the current convenient method of disposing our unwanted babies, there were many orphanages.

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And those children were institutionalized until they were taken in by some concerned and hopefully loving adults.

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Acts of Mercy – Orphans – painting by Frederick Cayley Robinson – 1915 – Wellcome Library – London – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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ORPHAN MINISTRIES

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There are those who for one reason or another, decide to share their love with others, by adopting an orphan.

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And there are a few ministries which operate in Asia and other places, providing room and board and Christian-based education for just about $600.00 per year, per orphan.

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One of these ministries is called “Child Impact International”. Their phone number is 1-866-569-7933

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Orphan on Mother’s Grave – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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WIDOWS & ORPHANS

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Now, just how can we relate this to the Bible? What kind of orphans do we see in Scripture?

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Listen… “Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.” Lamentations 5:1-3

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Yes, in the destruction and Babylonian captivity of Jerusalem, God looked upon His disobedient people as widows and orphans.

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James Tissot – The Flight of the Prisoners – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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ORPHANED VERSES

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But this article will deal with another kind of orphan.

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Yes, in today’s Christian community there is another kind of orphan. You see, the so-called “orthodox” churches and denominations have a number of pet doctrines. And among those doctrines is the doctrine of “Eternal Torment”.

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And even though the Bible never speaks of eternal torment, the churches, long ago, came to the conclusion that the Bible definitely speaks of “Eternal Torment” as the fate of all those who reject the invitation to become a child of God.

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ABOVE PICTURE – Adding to or taking from God’s Word, the Bible

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RICH MAN & LAZARUS

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Now, to be balanced, it must be stated that there are a number of passages which seem to suggest that there will be torment for those who reject Jesus: the Parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus for one.

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But also in Revelation 14, it speaks of the “smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” Revelation 14:11

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These are the two chief passages which seem to suggest that torment, eternal torment awaits all who refuse God’s mercy.

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Rich Man & Lazarus – Wikigallery – Public Domain

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ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE STORY

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Now, from watching the TV court programs, most people have learned that you cannot decide any court-case until you hear both sides present their case.

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But after hearing BOTH sides of the story, then you realize that the case is much more complicated than you originally presumed.

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First woman jury – Wikimedia – Public domain

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LACKING A LOVE FOR TRUTH

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And so it is with some Bible doctrines.

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For instance, in the case of “Eternal Torment”, most churches and Bible teachers behave more like prosecuting attorneys, than truth-loving guardians of Scripture! Most often, they only present one side of the issue, not even mentioning many or any opposing verses!

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And after hearing their lop-sided version of the truth, most church-attendees are convinced that “Eternal Torment” is indeed, the punishment that awaits all unbelievers!

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Audience hands – cropped & altered – Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain

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ORPHANED PASSAGES

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**And so, those verses which refute this notion of “Eternal Torment” are among the “Orphans of Scripture”.**

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**Because these “Hell-is-the-grave” verses hardly ever get mentioned when this church-doctrine of “Eternal Torment” is taught!**

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And so, this devotional will reveal just a few of these Orphaned Scriptures, and let the Reader decide if there is enough of these contrary verses to warrant a careful re-examination of this church-doctrine commonly known as, “Eternal Torment”.

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ABOVE PICTURE – Adding to or taking from God’s Word, the Bible

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JOB’S REVELATION CONCERNING ETERNITY

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Well listen again… “Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?…For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest…There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest. There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor. The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.” (to read entire passage, click here…Job 3:11-19)

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Be sure to read this above passage carefully. Because, it too, is the infallible Word of God. And it tells a completely different story concerning the state of Eternal Punishment!

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Job (oil on canvas) by Bonnat, Leon Joseph Florentin (1833-1922) – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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MAN’S THOUGHTS PERISH

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But listen again… “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” Psalms 146:3, 4

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Well, if man’s thoughts perish on the day of his death, then that well-known parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus must be spiritually understood to properly harmonize with this above passage!

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Old Jewish Cemetery – Prague Czech Republic – cropped – Wikipedia – Share-alike License

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NOTHING AT ALL IN THE GRAVE (SHEOL, OR HELL)

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“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave (Sheol, or Hell), whither thou goest.” Ecclesiastes 9:10

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Here again, this above verse presents a totally different condition to Hell than does our traditional understanding!

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Old Jewish Cemetery – Prague Czech Republic – cropped – Wikipedia – Share-alike License

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BIASED & CRAFTY SPIN-DOCTORS?

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**Well, there are many other “orphaned scriptures” throughout the Bible!**

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But the bottom line to all this, is that these orphaned verses are given very little prominence, much less even get a mention by those biased teachers who merely teach a one-sided, lop-sided examination into the Scriptures regarding the eternal fate of the Lost.

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Scale of justice – by Wikimedia & user-DTR – Public Domain

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STILL THE DAY OF SALVATION

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The Good News to all this, is that it is still the day of Salvation! And we can cry out to God for mercy and grace. And we can use the little time left to begin to study for our own self, instead of relying on mere humans to tell us what or what not to believe!

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**Listen, we are all in trouble with God (including the pen-man of this article!) All of us need to fall to our knees (spiritually) on a daily basis and plead for forgiveness and restoration!**

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And then, let’s consider adopting these orphaned scriptures, instead of aborting them like so many Bible teachers are doing right now!

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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To read Part 9, click here…

JUNE 25 (Eternal Torment? Part 9: No Sympathy In Heaven!?!)

Brooklyn Museum – The Bad Rich Man in Hell – James Tissot – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Give me a love for truth which causes me to insist on finding any and every related passage on any questionable doctrine …

USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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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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LOCATING THE DRAGON

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THE DRAGON of REVELATION 12 CONSTELLATION . The Dragon Constellation can be located by finding Orion in winter months. The Dragon is to Orion’s left, and the Dragon’s mouth is right next to Orion’s shield. This Dragon’s mouth is the V-like constellation The Hyades Cluster, which is the very same constellation that comprises the head of Taurus the Bull. In other words, Hyades is also known as the head of Taurus the Bull. And Hyades is the mouth of this Dragon.

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The tip of the Dragon’s tail is composed of that star-cluster known as The Pleiades. The Pleiades is actually in the shape of a lion’s furry tassel tip of his tail. The sketch below shows this Pleiades as the tail tip.

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Now with aid of a dark starry night, you may begin to connect this mouth and the tail with a very long body in an oval shape. The front and back legs are very well-defined with stars. The front legs are made partially of Taurus. The back legs and rear fin are made of the Cetus Constellation. But the long oval-shaped body has relatively few stars, but can been seen, howbeit with a dark starry night. The four stars of the front fins are made partially of Taurus. This Dragon constellation appears in the eastern horizon about mid-summer in the pre-dawn hours, spewing his flood-waters northward toward the Woman of Revelation 12 (Woman in Travail). The Wave of Water is primarily composed of the Constellation Auriga. The are two more less bright stars which are closest to the Dragon’s mouth. These two dimmer stars are also part of this Wave of Water.

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TOMORROW…

JUNE 21 (Love Is Not A Pick-n-Choose Buffet, Part 2: Our Royal Priesthood)

Temple – Holy Place – High_Priest_Offering_Sacrifice_of_a_Goat

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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 #535 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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Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 19 (Eternal Torment? Part 7: The Hypocrisy)

By admin On May 21st, 2015

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 19

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Eternal Torment?

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Part 7:

“The Hypocrisy”

To read Part 1, click here… “September 8th (Eternal Torment?)”

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A number of false doctrines have been handed down to the present-day Church: the various Catholic holidays, the “Age of Accountability”, and the doctrine of “Eternal Torment”.

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And there are many zealous proponents of “Eternal Torment” in today’s church-world.

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And even though this false doctrine was borne out of ignorance of proper Bible interpretation, the apostate churches are still ignorant of proper Bible interpretation to a certain degree!

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Hell’s Torment and Tormentor – Wikipedia – Public Domain (2)

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BABYLONISH CONFUSION

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Now if things weren’t already bad enough, the liberal, apostate churches and what has been dubbed as “cults” are now beginning to reject “Eternal Torment”, which only further confuses the issue, giving “Eternal Torment” advocates even more ammunition to fire at those earnest Bible students who question this church tradition.

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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License

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WHERE’S THE PROPORTIONATE RESPONSE?

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**But let’s set aside all the arguments both for and against this church doctrine of “Eternal Torment”.**

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**Let’s just suppose for a moment that “Eternal Torment” is indeed, the punishment for all rejectors of God’s grace.**

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If those Christians who believe “Eternal Torment” is the wages of sin, then where is the proper response from these Christians?

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WHERE’S THE TEARS?

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After all, the proponents of “Eternal Torment” do not seem to shed even one tear when they talk about this church doctrine! They do not seem to be very bothered at all about this unthinkable idea!

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Because if we are truly indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit, then we would love our fellow humans, as we love our own self. You would think that Spirit-filled Christians would be crying out daily, yea hourly, for God’s mercy and Salvation for the lost multitudes who are slipping into eternal torment every minute of the day around the world!

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If eternal torment was truly the punishment for rejecting God’s grace, then where is the proportionate response from those advocates of this unthinkable and hideous idea?

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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License

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“BE AFFLICTED, MOURN & WEEP!”

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The Good News is, that it is still the day of Salvation! And for those of us who have lived a lukewarm spiritual life, there is time repent and return to God! Yes, there is time to put away our silly and foolish ways, and humble ourselves in the sight of a holy God…

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Listen… “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God…Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 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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Here is what today’s church must do on an individual basis! And such a thorough repentance may just bring us to the place where, “it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger.” Zephaniah 2:3

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David’s sorrow – Wikigallery – Public Domain

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TO READ PART 8, CLICK HERE…

JUNE 20 (Eternal Torment? Part 8: Orphaned Scriptures)

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to live my religion, instead of merely talking about it. Set me on fire for Christ, instead of just being another lukewarm professor …

Prayer at Day’s End – Angelus by Jean-François Millet – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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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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7 STARS IMITATE THE CROSS OF ORION

(LOCATING THESE TWO CONSTELLATIONS)

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This phenomenon begins in late October, in the pre-dawn hours. It then begins a little earlier each night.

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This Wikipedia star-chart to the left, has this Orion Constellation sketched in. You must locate Orion, when it is mid-sky, between east and west. You’ll be facing southward most likely, unless you are far south. Try to imagine it as a Cross on a steep hill. The 3-star belt of Orion becomes the crest of the hill. The 3 very faint stars that make up Orion’s head become the very top of the Cross.

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Next, locate the 7 Stars Constellation. This 7 Stars Constellation is seen by facing northward. It stands upright a little later in the night. Eventually, Orion will lay down and no longer be seen as an uplifted Cross! Beginning in November, the 7 Stars (AKA Big Dipper) can be seen as a Cross a little bit later in evening.

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**When you are comfortable in locating Orion & The 7 Stars Constellations, then show a friend. This can be a great witnessing tool!**

ABOVE CHART: The Cross of Orion Constellation star-chart – wikipedia star-chart with orion drawn in by this website – not for commercial use

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TOMORROW…

JUNE 20 (Eternal Torment? Part 8: Orphaned Scriptures)

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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.

.

THIS STUDY #534 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

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above picture: Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.org – Public Domain

.

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.

.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 18 (Rollie-Pollie Bug Christians! Part 4: Building A Hedge Against Satan)

By admin On May 20th, 2015

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 18

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Rollie-Pollie Bug Christians!

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Part 4:

“Building A Hedge Against Satan”

To read Part 1, click here…September 6th (Rollie-Pollie Bug Christians!)

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Are you a Rollie-Pollie Bug Christian?

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Well are you?

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Are you one of those Christians who respond to all the troubles which assail you, by simply curling up into a little ball, and hiding in God’s Secret Hiding Place?

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Do you sometimes just pull your covers over you and hide yourself in God’s protective shell which He surrounds you with?

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Do you just roll yourself up in a little ball and pray to Him? Do you just close out the world and listen to some quiet music, or maybe a Bible reading?

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Well, if you are one of those types, then you are definitely a Rollie-Pollie Bug Christian! That’s for sure!

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But that’s not necessarily a bad thing! You see, a “Rollie Pollie Bug” is one of those little garden bugs who wears a little coat of armor. And when threatened or attacked, this little bug simply curls up into a little ball, and completely surrounds itself with its coat of armor!

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Photo, above left: Armadillidium vulgare – Pill Bug – cropped – Wikipedia – Share-Alike License

Photo, above right: Rollie-Pollie Doodle-Bug – Slater rolled up – cropped – Wikipedia – Share-Alike License

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BUILDING A HEDGE

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Well, this little bug can teach us further lessons, than merely curling up with God during times of trouble.

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You see, most of us Christians are struggling to build a hedge (wall) against the Devil and his evil angels. And the fact is, most of us don’t do so well, a good share of the time, do we?

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Photo, above right: Rollie-Pollie Doodle-Bug – Slater rolled up – cropped – Wikipedia – Share-Alike License

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WHAT IS THAT WALL?

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The Bible repeatedly speaks of walls of protection…

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Listen… “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” Proverbs 25:28

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Right here in Proverbs is the key verse to understanding just what God is trying to get us to understand, when He speaks of walls.

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Western Wall 9th Avenue – Stones – Wikipedia – Public domain

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JOB’S HEDGE

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But perhaps, an even more revealing passage is found in the true account of the man, Job…

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Listen… “Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nothing? Hast not Thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?” Job 1:9, 10

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So here is a very remarkable truth, which should arrest the attention of every child of God who struggles with sin, and suffers the attacks of Satan. A protective wall! What a concept!

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Job (oil on canvas) by Bonnat, Leon Joseph Florentin (1833-1922) – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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HOW DO I BUILD A WALL?

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And this raises the question… “How can I have that same impenetrable wall around my own life? How can I have that same hedge which neither Satan, nor his evil cohorts can break through?”

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Well, obviously, the short answer would be, “perfect obedience”.

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**The problem with such an answer as “perfect obedience” is, that it seems like a mountain too high to climb!**

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Dry stone wall building in South Wales – Wikimedia – Creative Commons License

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FOLLOWING JESUS

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So let’s merely ponder for a moment about, “how can I, a weak and stumbling Christian, can ever hope to have such a wall of protection around myself?”

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The very first thing for the Christian to understand is that the Christian life is a journey, and not the destination.

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And just as those first disciples forsook all, to follow Jesus, so too, we Christians today have the very same calling! Jesus calls us to forsake this selfish world and begin to follow Him as disciples! What a wonderful purpose! What a great commission!

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Jesus Discourses with His Disciples – James Tissot – by Brooklyn Museum – by Wikipedia – Public Domain

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RE-LEARNING NEW PRINCIPLES

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Now a disciple is merely being, “a student”. Yes, the Christian life is a life of learning. Or rather it is a life of re-learning!

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And let’s face it, we have been reared up in the ways of this Babylonish world! Our hearts have been filled to the brim with the principles of this fallen world! And all around us are those who walk in worldly affections and lusts, and stand in rebellion against the principles of Heaven!

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And so, becoming a disciple of Jesus, is the spiritual journey which we must continue throughout all the days of our life: a quest out of this fallen world, and upward in search of our new Heavenly home!

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US Navy – Chaplain Lt. Jason Gregory reads Bible on weather deck – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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EVEN THE WEAKEST CAN WIN!

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Now this journey doesn’t require physical strength or even great mental abilities.

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And we can begin our heavenward ascent wherever we are: in a wheelchair, or hospital bed, or in incarceration.

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Listen…“Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25

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Quite a promise, wouldn’t you agree?

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ABOVE PICTURE: Prayer – Wherefore He is able to save to the uttermost…” Hebrews 7:25

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FORSAKING ALL!

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**But it does require a total forsaking of this world. And here is where most people fail. Yes, today’s churches, either by precept and/or by example, fail to encourage this forsaking of “all”.**

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And no, to forsake the world does not mean that we quit our job or give away all our belongings. But when the Holy Spirit truly begins to indwell our hearts, the things of the world slowly lose their grip on us.

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It’s like that old song… “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face! And the things of the world will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace!”

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Woman with Bible – Braet von Überfeldt – 1866 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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MEEKNESS OF HEART

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Now as we read about those first disciples, we begin to understand that they were very erring and weak and stumbling.

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But none of them were stubborn nor hard-hearted! Even Peter quickly repented when rebuked by Jesus. And this too, must be our attitude if we expect to continue our heavenward journey. Yes, the Bible presents many new concepts of life.

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And the Christian pilgrim must be willing to accept this new way of living, and not stubbornly refuse to change or try to rationalize our way out of obedience!

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Tissot – The Sorrow of Peter – Joyful Heart.com

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BRAND NEW PRINCIPLES!

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For instance, the Bible says… “Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.” Proverbs 4:6

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Yes, here in this opulent and hedonistic society, we have been conditioned to believe that we are to pursue the so-called “Babylonish Dream” of becoming wealthy. And so, this above proverb is not something that comes natural to our thinking.

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And if we truly expect to find peace of God, as well as the protection from the Enemy of Souls, we must begin to hide these many Bible precepts within our heart, that they eventually become the sum and substance of the basic principles of our life!

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Thus, the Christian life begins to become the process of removing those old corrupt principles of the world, and re-filling our minds with these new divine heavenly principles.

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ABOVE PICTURE: Dream Maker of Babylon – Signs Of Heaven.org

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JOY IN BECOMING LIKE JESUS!

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And what a joy it is to follow Jesus, as He patiently instructs us, His disciples, in the ways of Heaven! (Of course, such joy in heavenly things is a gift given by the indwelling of God’s Spirit within the heart of every true worshipper)

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And what a wonderful experience it is, when we can begin to live by each and every one of these new Heavenly precepts…

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Listen… “Consider how I love Thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to Thy lovingkindness.” Psalm 119:159

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Yes, the Spirit which now indwells our heart gives us joy in such obedience!

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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“WITH ALL THINE HEART”

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“And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

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But those who do not yet have this joy must begin to seek after this priceless treasure! Ceaseless prayer and constant striving after this gift of grace, is what pleases God.

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Oh yes, it is a gift of grace! But God, in His infinite wisdom causes us to seek for it, as if it were by our own mere human strength. And yet, behind the scenes, God works within us, giving us the desire and ability to seek after these things!

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ABOVE PICTURE: Prayer – Wherefore He is able to save to the uttermost…” Hebrews 7:25

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BE LIKE THE ROLLIE-POLLIE BUG

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So today’s admonition is to begin our journey up the pathway to Heaven, and to begin to enclose ourselves in the heavenly armor of God’s Word and unceasing prayer!

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Just like the Rollie-Pollie bug encloses his self with his protective armor.

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Photo, above right: Rollie-Pollie Doodle-Bug – Slater rolled up – cropped – Wikipedia – Share-Alike License

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Well, this is just an introduction to this topic of building up the walls of protection around us. And hopefully, more devotionals will be written concerning this very important work of the Christian.

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TO READ PART 5, GO HERE…

JUNE 25 (Rollie-Pollie Bug Christians! Part 5: “Curling Up With God”)“

Rollie-Pollie Doodle-Bug – Slater rolled up – Wikipedia – Share-Alike License

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, I want that wall of protection against the attacks of the Enemy, and the total indwelling of the Spirit of God. Let this be the all-consuming purpose of my life…

Woman Praying – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

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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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ORION THE SOLDIER

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The pagan cultures saw this incredible constellation as a hunter, with a club.

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Well, they weren’t too far off. Actually, God created it to appear like a soldier. This is because all nature presents aspects of the Gospel.

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Listen… “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” Psalm 19:1.

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And so now we are amazed to discover that beyond the awesome grandeur of the starry night-heavens, God has actually written the Love of God upon the heavenly scroll!

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Orionurania – wikipedia – public domain

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7 MAJOR STARS OF ORION…

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Orion Constellation can best be seen all winter (but even in August in the pre-dawn hours of morning in eastern skies) traveling east to west through the night, in mid-sky.

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To find the seven major stars of Orion (one star on each shoulder and one star on each foot, plus the three stars which make his belt), you can locate on just about any clear night regardless of the blackness of the night. To find Orion’s other stars, you need more star-visibility…a darker, moonless night, and possibly away from city lights.

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Orion – wikimedia – share-alike license

ABOVE PICTURE: soldiers of the cross – armor up! – www.signsofheaven.org

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TOMORROW…

JUNE 19 (Eternal Torment? Part 7: The Hypocrisy)

Buddhist Hell – Wikipedia – 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 #533 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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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – June 17 (A Form of Godliness, Part 1: To Kill A Mockingbird Fantasy!)

By admin On May 17th, 2015

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – June 17

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A Form of Godliness,

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Part 3:

“To Kill A Mockingbird Fantasy!”

To read Part 1, click here…SEPTEMBER 20 (A Form of Godliness: Humanitarianism)

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One of the all-time favorite movies was, “To Kill A Mockingbird”!

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And we all loved that heartwarming 2-hour nostalgic peek at America’s past, even though it was centered around the great injustices of that period of time.

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And we all admired the sterling Rock-of-Gibraltar character of Atticus Finch, played by an actor who looked like the very essence of morality and virtue!

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To Kill a Mockingbird – Wikipedia – Fair-use Rationale

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AN EVIL WORLD!

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But we must remember that it was only a movie!

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It wasn’t really true. And not just because it was a fictional story!

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Oh yes, the injustice part of the movie is certainly a reality. And yes, the world is full of rascally little kids.

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But Atticus Finch? Now that’s another story!

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Oh yes, there are lots and lots of moral people in the world. But underneath the thin outer shell of morality always lies sin, sin, and more sin!

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And that’s the big lie of that movie! It wants us to believe that there are humans who are good to the very core of their being, as was Atticus. But as charming as he was, it’s just not true!

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To Kill a Mockingbird – cropped – Wikipedia – Fair-use Rationale

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“THE WHOLE WORLD LIETH IN WICKEDNESS”

1st John 5:4

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Listen to God’s assessment of humanity…“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

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There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

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They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable;

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there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

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Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit;

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the poison of asps is under their lips:

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Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

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Their feet are swift to shed blood:

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Destruction and misery are in their ways:

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And the way of peace have they not known:

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There is no fear of God before their eyes. ”

Romans 3:10-18

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Now just how many Atticus Finch’s does this above passage leave room for?

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“No, not one!” (verse 10)

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To Kill a Mockingbird – cropped – Wikipedia – Fair-use Rationale

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“NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO NOT ONE!”

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Oh yes, there may be people somewhere out there who look and behave like Atticus Finch! But underneath the glossy surface, and under that thin coating of morality lies wickedness! And none of us are any better!

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**Listen to Jeremiah 17:9…“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Now here again, Jeremiah is saying the same thing as Paul, yet much more concisely!**

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Desperately wicked!

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That’s the condition of every heart!

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And deceitful above all things! That’s us!

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Yes, each and every one of us possesses a heart that God describes as, “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked!”

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To Kill a Mockingbird – cropped – Wikipedia – Fair-use Rationale

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MERELY, “A FORM OF GODLINESS”

2nd Timothy 3:5

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So then, just why are there so many seemingly good and moral people in the world?

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Because that’s the big lie of the False Prophet, Satan! He wants the world to believe that goodness can exist apart from God!

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And since Ephesians 2:2 reveals that Satan is the, “spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience”, Satan can and does create a, “form of godliness” in the world! (see 2nd Timothy 3:5)

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But do not be deceived. As already pointed out, “there is none righteous, no not one!” The heart of each and every human is “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked!”

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Shoppers in Toronto – cropped – Wikimedia – share-alike license

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“THE WHOLE WORLD LIETH IN WICKEDNESS”

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And let’s not forget God’s assessment of this world as He spoke through the Apostle, John…“And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” 1st John 5:19

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Now John here doesn’t say that SOME of the world lies in wickedness. Nor does he even say that ALMOST ALL the world lies in wickedness.

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No, but John actually says that, “the WHOLE world lies in wickedness!”

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Satan presiding at the Infernal Council – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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“THERE IS NONE GOOD BUT…GOD”

Matthew 19:17

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Now it is not a pleasant duty to rip apart a movie that so many people adore (including the Editor here). But even though the truth is quite often unpleasant to hear, nevertheless, it is only “the truth shall make you free!” (see John 8:32)

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But after all that has been said, it must also be declared that Jesus Christ is totally righteous, through and through! There is not even one dark spot in His character! (see Ephesians 5:27)

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Transfiguration – Bloch – Wikimedia Commons – US Public-Domain

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“CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST”

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And this very righteous Savior is very willing to come and live inside of any man, woman, or child, who allows Him to crucify our sin and selfishness!

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It’s like Paul declares…“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me!” Galatians 2:20

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Now Paul and John, who have been quoted in today’s devotional are probably the closest thing this world has, to totally righteous humans! Oh yes, there was Daniel, and John the Baptist, and Peter and the rest! And if there was ever truly a genuine Atticus Finch, these men were it!

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And you too, if you let God, He will mold you and make you into a genuine Atticus Finch!

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

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TO READ PART 4, GO HERE…

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October 7 (A Form of Godliness, Part 4: “3-dollar-bill Love!”)

THREE DOLLAR BILL – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Let me not be naive concerning Satan’s deceptions. But make me wise as a serpent, by the knowledge of Thy Word…

Prayer – USMC – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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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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“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman…And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads…And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.” Revelation 12:1, 3, 15

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THE FLOODWATERS OF THE REVELATION 12 DRAGON…

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**The Wave Constellation is primarily comprised of the Auriga Constellation plus one star from Taurus, plus one more star.**

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The Winter Constellations are depicted in this below sketch to the right, and shows this constellation group as they are seen in early winter, as they rise in the eastern skies. The Woman is in the north. The Dragon and Orion are farther south from the Woman.

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WINTER CONSTELLATIONS-SEEN IN FALL: This sketch to the right is how this constellation group appears in the eastern sky in fall. This is the four primary constellations of the Winter Constellations. They can be seen in this position, in the late fall above the eastern horizon. The Woman of Revelation 12 is commonly called Ursa Major or The Big Dipper and appears in the north. Orion the Soldier is the at the bottom is to the south of the Woman. The The Dragon of Revelation Constellation’s mouth isThe Hyades Cluster, and the tip of his tail is Pleiades, and his Wave of Water is primarily the Auriga* constellation. The Glorious Horse Constellation* head is of Perseus Constellation and his rear end is Cassiopeia Constellation.

(Editor’s note: It is impossible to make this chart accurate, and visually correct, because the dome effect of the sky makes these constellations look different than they appear when placed on flat paper.)

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TOMORROW…

JUNE 18 (Rollie-Pollie Bug Christians! Part 4: Building A Hedge Against Satan)

Rollie-Pollie Doodle-Bug – Slater rolled up – Wikipedia – Share-Alike License

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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 #532 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.

.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Devouring Fire.com

Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 26 (Eating Like A Bird!)

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JUNE 26

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Eating Like A Bird!

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“I have esteemed the Words of His mouth

more than my necessary food.”

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Have you ever heard the expression, “She eats like a bird”?

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Of course, this refers to a person who purposely eats far less than is required to maintain proper weight.

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Well, there once was a beautiful young lady with an equally beautiful voice, named Karen Carpenter. Unfortunately, her career was tragically cut short because she literally starved herself to death. You see, for some reason, Karen just couldn’t eat enough food.

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WISDOM OF THE WORLD

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Now the people of the world have a certain worldly wisdom…

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Listen to the words of Jesus… “for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. Luke 16:8

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Yes, the people of this world are worldly-wise more than Christians are Heavenly-wise! And so, the wisdom of the world can often be translated into Heavenly wisdom.

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PHYSICAL & SPIRITUAL FOOD!

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For instance, just take our opening little worldly proverb… “She (or he) eats like a bird!”

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This little expression can very easily be translated into spiritual truth, if we just look at how little that most Christians study the Bible. Pollsters have discovered that the average Christian spends very little time, if any, studying our Bible!

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Oh, you need proof?

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Well, the general consensus in Christendom says that if you asked the average Christian to recite the Ten Commandments, they couldn’t do it!

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Listen… “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea 4:6

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Sadly, as this above statement from Hosea 4:6 was true in Old Testament times, it is just as true today!

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ONE TINY MEAL PER DAY?

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Most dedicated church-goers probably spend perhaps 15 minutes per day studying the Bible. And if we translate that into worldly terms, that would be like eating one small meal per day!

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But can a person survive on one small meal per day? No, eventually that person would starve to death!

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But that’s exactly what is happening in today’s church-world! We get so busy with our secular lives that Bible study gets squeezed out, almost completely!

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**Such a frightful and sobering warning as this from Luke 21:34-36, should cause us to re-assess the priorities in our lives!**