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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – June 5

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Cease Ye From Man!

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Part 4:

“A Heath in the Desert!”

(Continued)

To read Part 1, click here… “August 21st (Cease Ye From Man!)”

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“Moab is destroyed;

her little ones have caused a cry to be heard…

Flee, save your lives,

and be like the heath in the wilderness.”

Jeremiah 46:4, 6

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Joshua tree – cropped – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

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If a person has ever been in the deserts of the western United States, they can appreciate the Joshua Tree. These hardy types of vegetation are among the few plants that can survive in such barren and arid regions.

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The name, “Joshua Tree” came about during the 1800’s, when Mormon settlers proclaimed that the Joshua Tree reminded them of the biblical Joshua when he raised his hands up in prayer to God.

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And in yesterday’s devotional (click here), Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning the “heath in the desert” was showcased in relation to judgment coming upon those who trust in the wares-n-ways of Mankind!

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Joshua Tree – cropped – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution

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FLIP-SIDE OF TRUTH

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But today’s devotional will look at the flip-side of this little earthly object-lesson, which, in King James English is referred to as the “heath”.

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The translators of the Bible have concluded that the heath was a juniper. But the Hebrew word for “heath” merely speaks of a lone tree or plant.

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And so, the Joshua Tree fulfills that word, “heath” very nicely!

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Joshua Tree – cropped – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution

Joshua Tree Magic – cropped – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

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DOUBLE-ENTENDRE

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You see, there are many parabolic symbols in the Bible which can be looked at from two vantage-points.

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And the heath can be seen from two entirely different perspectives.

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Joshua Tree – cropped – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution

Joshua Tree under stars – cropped – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

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HEATH = MEAGER SPIRITUALITY

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In yesterday’s devotional (click here), the heath symbolized something bad: it symbolized the dried up, bleak and meager spiritual life of those who place their affections and trust in this world of selfish pursuits and faithless ways.

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Joshua Tree – cropped – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution

Utah Juniper Juniperus osteosperma – Red Rock Canyon Nevada – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Share-alike License 3.0

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FLEEING FROM MOAB (APOSTATE CHRISTIANITY)

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But today, the focus will be on the juniper, as it symbolizes a somewhat different aspect of the life of a Christian…

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Listen again to Jeremiah… “Moab (the worldly churches) is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard…Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness.” Jeremiah 46:4, 6

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Now the Bible is telling us to become like a juniper or Joshua Tree! How odd!

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Jesus in Jeans by Peter Royle – cropped image – WIKIMEDIA SHARE-ALIKE LICENSE

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“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned”

1st Corinthians 2:14

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The Bible has many similar passages which can be confusing. But through careful/prayerful study, “comparing spiritual things with spiritual”, every seemingly erroneous and contradicting passage can be rightly discerned, thus confirming that the Bible faithful and true!

(Click here to read 1st Corinthians 2:12-16 for entire context)

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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FLEE TO THE MOUNTAINS!

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So why in the world would we want to become like a juniper or Joshua Tree!?

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On one hand, God doesn’t wish for us to become like a lonely Joshua Tree. But when it comes to fleeing out of the world-loving churches, God wants us to become like a lonely tree!

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PICTURE – Constellation- Woman of Revelation 12 flees to the mountains Mark 13:14 This is not a star-chart, but merely a concept picture

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MOAB = BABYLON

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You see, God could not come right out and openly tell us to vacate the apostate churches. That would have caused the Church too much confusion in decades past, prior to the God-appointed hour of this end-time exodus.

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But a plain call for exodus from the apostate churches of these last days would also have caused even the “make-believers” to vacate the fallen, apostate churches. And then there would have been no clear line of demarcation between the true Believers and those “make-believers”, causing even more confusion!

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And so, He had to speak in veiled, allegorical language. And God decided to present this, “Flee out of Babylon” command in allegorical language…

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Listen… “Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD’S vengeance; He will render unto her a recompense.” Jeremiah 51:6

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And whether God calls the apostate churches, “Babylon”, or whether he refers to it as, “Moab”, it is all speaking of the apostate church-world.

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Joshua Tree – cropped – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution

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

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MOAB = SODOM = JERUSALEM = CHURCHES

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Listen to Isaiah, as he speaks of Moab… “My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar,” Isaiah 15:5

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Notice it says here that Moab’s “fugitives shall flee unto Zoar.” Zoar was the little town which Lot and his two daughters fled to, away from doomed Sodom. And so, God is making a comparison between Sodom and Moab.

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But a number of times in Scripture, God has also compared Israel to Sodom, such as in in Ezekiel, Chapter 16.

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And God has often used Israel to symbolize the Church! (see Galatians, Chapter 4, for instance)

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And so, just as Lot had to flee from Sodom, so too will be the judgment of the apostate portion within God’s house.

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

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NEW TESTAMENT AGREES

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Even in the New Testament, God refers to Sodom…

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Listen… “But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” Matthew 17:29-33

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So here again the Lord is foretelling of that day in which God’s people must flee. And this takes us full-circle back to Jeremiah 17:6, in which God tells us to, “Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness.” Jeremiah 46:6

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Joshua Tree – cropped – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution

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

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SEPARATION NOT OPTIONAL

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And so now it becomes evident that we must become, “like the heath in the wilderness”, in the sense of separating ourselves from our past ungodly associations in the apostate churches.

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Listen… “Wherefore come out from among them (unbelievers), and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” 2nd Corinthians 6:17, 18

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Our relationship with the Lord must be a very personal, one-on-one relationship, apart from the corruption and selfish gospels being preached in the local congregations (and the various radio and television ministries.)

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Joshua Tree – cropped – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution

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

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HIDE TILL THE STORM PASSES BY

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This website has spoken exhaustively, concerning the various ways in which the churches have become apostate.

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Certainly this little devotional cannot even begin to enumerate all the various abominations which have entered into the church-world.

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But the oft-repeated passage from Isaiah, Chapter 26, is a good way to end this little discussion…

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Listen… “Come, My people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.” Isaiah 26: 20, 21

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ABOVE PICTURE: Hide Thyself in thy Chambers – inspired by Tornado Over Kansas by Curry

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NO TIME FOR DELAY

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Yes, in spite of our apostate and world-loving ways, the Lord is desirous that we turn again and finally cleanse ourselves, “from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2nd Corinthians 7:1

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Wickedness is coming upon this society like a flood. There is no remaining time to dilly-dally in the world! We must shut ourselves in, as if we are going into a storm shelter, and hide ourselves in God’s secret pavilion, trusting in His total providence, until the great “indignation be over-past”.

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ABOVE PICTURE: Hide Thyself in thy Chambers – inspired by Tornado Over Kansas by Curry

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TO READ PART 5, CLICK HERE…

June 7 (Cease Ye From Man! Part 5: A Heath in the Desert! Who is Moab? Continued)

Joshua tree – cropped – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to come out from among the apostate churches and take my refuge in Thy secret pavilion. Help me become as a heath in the wilderness, lifting up my hands to Thee, even as these Joshua Trees seem to do…

Joshua Tree – cropped – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “How To Be Hidden in the Day of Wrath”, or you can also read… “May 12th (Come Out of Her, My People?)”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU 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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“FLEE TO THE MOUNTAINS”

Matthew 24:

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“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:” Matthew 24:15, 16

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So the above verse is a warning to all those who are living over there in Palestine. “Flee to the mountains!”. And this photo of the mountains of Judea just might be a good place to flee to. But with today’s tracking devices, it probably wouldn’t be too long until they found you.

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But does this passage have a message for us Christians who are scattered elsewhere around the world? Listen once again…

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“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:” Matthew 24:15, 16

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Notice it says in the above verse, “whoso reads, let him understand”. So there needs to be an understanding of this complex issue. There needs not only to be an understanding of the Abomination of Desolation, but also an understanding of just what it means “to flee”.

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Judean Hills Panorama from beth meir – wikipedia – share-alike license

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HEAVENLY MOUNTAINS

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Well, as just stated, the Lord has created a constellation which shows a woman fleeing. It is called the Revelation 12 Woman Constellation, also known as Ursa Major or The Big Dipper.

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So if we explore this constellation in the light of the Bible, there can be a wealth of information discovered on this very topic. So come along and dig into this study. And after reading about this heavenly revelation, you just might find yourself fleeing to the mountains. And maybe, just maybe, there are some much better mountains to flee to, than the ones in the above photo of Palestine! Mountains in which you can hide, where tracking devices and black helicopters are useless against you!

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Picture to right: Ursa Major, also known as The Big Dipper

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Woman of Revelation 12 (Flees to the Wilderness)”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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TOMORROW…

“June 6 (Cease Ye From Man! Part 5: A Heath in the Desert! Who is Moab?)”

Joshua tree – cropped – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

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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 #521 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 4

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Cease Ye from Man!

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Part 3:

“A Heath in the Desert!”

To read Part 1, click here… “August 21st (Cease Ye From Man!)”

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“Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

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For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

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Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters…”

Jeremiah 17:5-8

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Juniper in Desert – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution

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If a person has ever been in the deserts of the western United States, they can appreciate the various types of junipers, either bushes or trees.

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These hardy forms of vegetation are among the few plants which can survive in such barren and arid regions.

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Juniper Tree Canyonlands National Park – Wikimedia – GNU Free-Documentation 1.2

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HEATH IN THE WILDERNESS

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And God Himself has chosen to use these often solitary trees and shrubs to present a spiritual concept.

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Listen… “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath (juniper) in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,” Jeremiah 17:5, 6

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Here is presented a person who trusts in people and trusts in the ways of the world, comparing such a one to the lonely junipers which are found in desert places.

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Juniper Tree Canyonlands National Park – Wikimedia – GNU Free-Documentation 1.2

Utah Juniper Juniperus osteosperma – Red Rock Canyon Nevada – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Share-alike License 3.0

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CLINGING TO THE WORLD

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Yes, there are so many within the church-world, who attempt to have a relationship with Christ, while still living according to the course of this faithless and rebellious world.

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But listen to this prophecy concerning the end of time… “And they (God’s people) shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake terribly the earth…Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?” Isaiah 2:19, 22

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Here is another passage which agrees with today’s signature passage from Jeremiah 17. And this above passage from Isaiah 2, is connected to the last hours of earth’s history: the very day in which we are now living!

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And so, this concept will obviously be an integral part of these last days and the tribulation which awaits us! And it commands us to “Cease ye from man”.

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Juniper Tree Canyonlands National Park – Wikimedia – GNU Free-Documentation 1.2

Sodom and Gomorrah – by John Martin – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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EVERYTHING PROVIDED

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And isn’t it true that this high-tech opulent society tries to create a completely man-centered solution for every situation in life?

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Just look around! Practically everything has been provided for us! Our food is all prepared and waiting at the stores. Our clothing has all been manufactured. Our vehicles, our homes, our furniture, our insurance policies, our entertainment, our recreation, our resorts, our children’s education, our clubs, our boundary-lines, and even our houses of worship: everything has been neatly manufactured to specification.

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Very little is left to chance in this modern-day society.

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Oh yes, to a certain degree, we can choose from a number of different styles.

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But we love to trust in our human strength and all our faithless means of getting our own way in the world: our anger, our wrath, our impatience, our greed of gain, our joking & jesting, our human love, and all our other faithless ways in which we conduct our lives in this self-seeking world!

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Juniper Tree Canyonlands National Park – Wikimedia – GNU Free-Documentation 1.2

Mall Market culture – Jakarta – Wikimedia – share-alike-lic.

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SATAN STILL NOT HAPPY

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And you would think that the leaders of society would be happy with all the present-day conformity and orderliness!

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But alas, the unseen forces who have created our super-society are still tirelessly working behind the scenes to bring us into further conformity and totalitarian control! “The noose is being tightened”, so to speak! The walls of societal control are closing in around us, it seems.

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Our freedom of individuality is being taken away right under our noses!

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Juniper Tree Canyonlands National Park – Wikimedia – GNU Free-Documentation 1.2

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

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FAITH STILL POSSIBLE

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But at present, the Christian can still live out the tenets of the Bible, while existing in this ever-increasing totalitarianism. Yes, we are still able to live by faith in a society which requires little or no faith in the Bible.

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And though the television tells us how we should handle the various situations of life, the Bible often lays down Heaven’s principles of faith in very different ways!

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And for the moment, the Christian can still use all the modern-day conveniences to our advantage, allowing them to free us up, so that we can spend our extra time studying the Bible and sharing it with others.

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Juniper Tree Canyonlands National Park – Wikimedia – GNU Free-Documentation 1.2

Mall witnessing, Panama City, Panama

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TWO GROUPS IN CHURCH

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And so, in the church-world are two very different camps: those who strive to live by faith, and those who do not! And from all outward appearances, everyone is seemingly worshiping Jesus.

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But the fact is, the Bible tells us that most church-goers are still enamored by this faithless and selfish world. We still try to manipulate life’s circumstances, to attain our desired results!

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And isn’t it true that we still love our proud careers, our costly insurance policies and our leisurely retirement plans! And instead of consulting the Bible for advice, we simply turn on our TV and hear what the world’s spokespeople tell us to do and how to live! Instead of praying for heavenly strength, we stubbornly rely on our own mind-&-muscle to get us through our day.

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Juniper Tree Canyonlands National Park – Wikimedia – GNU Free-Documentation 1.2

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EVERY SECRET REVEALED!

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But the Bible foretells of a Day in which, “God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ”.

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Yes, the Day is just now coming upon us, in which, “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.” Romans 3:13

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And as these above two verses reveal, there will be a Day in which those who strive to live by faith will be separated and clearly distinguished from those who merely paid lip-service to Jesus, but still secretly loved and lived for this present faithless and selfish world.

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TWO TYPES OF TREES

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And in that Day, there will be two distinct classes of persons: those FAITHLESS ones who will be, “like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.” Jeremiah 17:6

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But there will also be those FAITHFUL ones who will be, “as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8

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Juniper Tree Canyonlands National Park – Wikimedia – GNU Free-Documentation 1.2

Willow by J D Forester – Wikipedia

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TIME TO REPENT!

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But the Good News is that God has mercifully allowed us time to correct our faithless ways. And if we will only begin to flee from the wrath to come, by immersing ourselves in His wonderful Word, and praying for grace to walk in His ways!

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Yes, we can choose what kind of tree we want to be: a scrubby little juniper out in the desert, or that luscious green fruit-bearing tree, planted by rivers of living waters!

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Fruit – Date Palm Tree – cropped – Wikimedia – Creative Commons – Share-alike License

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To read Part 4, click here…

June 5 (Cease Ye From Man! Part 4: A Heath in the Desert! Continued)

Joshua tree – cropped – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

 

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to study and contemplate Thy Word each day! Give me grace to hide that Word in my heart, so that it becomes a living and active part of my everyday life. Make me like a tree planted by rivers of waters…

Willow by J D Forester – Wikipedia

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Television & The Image That Speaks” or you can also read… January 10th (Why Doesn’t My Christianity Work?)

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU 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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MILKY WAY RUNS THRU THIS HOLY-GHOST-RIDER

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Now one thing that is noticeable and makes this constellation even more dramatic, is the fact that the Milky Way runs right through it. And the question that must be asked is, “What biblical implications does this constellation/Milky Way connection have?” Well, very simply put, if stars represent Believers, then this rider works in the world through His True-Worshippers, to a great extent.

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WHY IS THIS CONSTELLATION SO INCOMPLETE IN APPEARANCE

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So why is this constellation merely an outline? Well it does show his back, rear end and leg…and arm. But unlike, say, Orion, this constellation is very vague, even mysterious in appearance. Almost vacant in appearance. Yes this horseman represents Christ. But even more than this, it represents the Holy Spirit of Christ. And as we all know, the Holy Spirit is very, very, un-intrusive, almost impossible to detect His presence.

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The Holy-Ghost-Rider Constellation”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

 

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TOMORROW…

June 5 (Cease Ye From Man! Part 4: A Heath in the Desert! Continued)

Joshua tree – cropped – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

 

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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 #520 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.