Daily Devotional, Year 3 May 9 (We Wrestle Not Against Flesh & Blood! Part 2, “Dealing With Defiant Children!”)

By admin On May 30th, 2024

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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – May 9

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We Wrestle Not Against Flesh & Blood!

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Part 2,

“Dealing With Defiant Children!”

To read part 1, go here…JANUARY 15 (We Wrestle Not Against Flesh & Blood!)

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“Wherein in time past ye walked

according to the course of this world,

according to the prince of the power of the air,

the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”

Ephesians 2:2

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This above verse from Ephesians 2:2 is perhaps one of the most incredible, and yet despised verses in the Bible!

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Yes, this verse is a stinging condemnation of the entire world! Because it reveals just what power is working in the inhabitants of the world!

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The “Prince of the Power of the Air”!

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Obviously this is speaking of that wily old serpent, the Devil and Satan!

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

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“EVEN NOW ARE THERE MANY ANTICHRISTS!”

1st John 2:18

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This spirit is also called the spirit of Antichrist, even as is written…“They (Antichrists) are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.” 1st John 4:5

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An Antichrist is nothing more than a worldly-minded person. He may be a fireman, or a doctor, or a field worker or a school teacher…or even a pastor.

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In other words, an Antichrist is merely any unsaved person in this fallen world.

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People on Times Square – cropped photo – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License

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“THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH”

John 4:16, 17

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But those who have truly forsaken the selfish pleasures and proud and ambitious pursuits of this lost world, to follow Jesus, are now indwelt by another Spirit, the Holy Spirit!

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And now, that true worshiper of God has embarked upon a Heavenward sojourn.

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And even though they still must be employed in the workforce, and live in a house, go to school, and may even be a member of a family, the world is no longer in their heart.

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No, but rather, Heaven and Heaven’s Jesus now holds the #1 place in their heart!

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

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OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT THE PROBLEM!

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But what does all this have to do with raising children, and attempting to deal with defiant children?

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Well, just listen again to Paul’s letter to the churches in Ephesus 6:12… “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

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Here we see that our great strivings and struggles are not with mere humans, but are actually with the unseen forces of evil!

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Christian and Apollyon – Pilgrim’s Progress – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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CHILDREN ARE BORN IN SIN

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And so, Christian parents must study the Bible until they fully realize this profound truth!

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Children are just as likely to be filled with the wrong spirit as are adults!

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Listen to Isaiah…“The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.” Psalm 58:3

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Here is revealed that children go astray as soon as they are born!

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Baby crying – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

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“THAT SPIRIT WHICH NOW WORKS IN THE CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE”

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But since we cannot see these unseen fallen angels, we do not realize to what extent they are causing defiant behavior in adults and children.

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But we must remember that the Bible says that Satan is, “that spirit which NOW works in the children of disobedience”.

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**So he is “NOW” working in the children of disobedience.**

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

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SATAN: THE GOD OF THIS WORLD

2nd Corinthians 4:4

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Of course, this Bible truth goes against all the conventional thinking of this fallen world.

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But we must keep in mind that this world is under the control of, “the god of this world”, the Devil. (2nd Corinthians 4:4)

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And the last thing that Satan wants, is for the true extent of his workings in the lives of people to be revealed. That would cause pandemic alarm!

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And so, Satan fills up the television and self-help books with all sorts of godless, “psychological” half-truths and out-and-out lies, pointing us away from the spiritual battle being waged all around us!

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

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“WE ARE NOT IGNORANT OF HIS DEVICES”

2nd Corinthians 2:11

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What must be kept in mind is, Satan fully understands that he is most successful when he works in the shadows.

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Normally, he doesn’t want to needlessly alarm the general public by exposing his presence.

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And so, Satan and his unseen armies of evil angels try to cause trouble under the cover of natural occurrences. Maybe somebody had an extremely hard day. Maybe some unfortunate accident occurred. Or any number of other upsetting incidents. Well, Satan will often use these moments to cause that troubled person to lose their temper, lash out in revenge, etc….

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

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WHY DOES GOD ALLOW SATAN ACCESS INTO CHRISTIAN HOMES?

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But why would God allow the Devil such access into Christian homes? Isn’t the Christian home sanctified by the believing parent?

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Well yes, the Christian parent does enjoy the sanctification of his household…to a certain extent.

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But what we need to realize is, God also allows conflicts in the Christian home, just as Jesus foretold in Matthew 10:34-36…“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.”

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The Spanking – Conrad, Giorgio (1827-1889) Public Domain

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“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”

Ephesians 6:4

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One very great means of counteracting the great overflowing tide of evil in this fallen world is for the parents to make every effort to reflect the loving ways of Jesus to our children.

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In simpler terms, we must plead daily with God to give us the grace to live with our family in such a way as to show them that Heaven is a place of joy!

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And the parents need to show much heavenly love for our children. Whether engaging them in their little games and sports, or hugging them often, or just making life in the home nice and breezy.

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This is an integral part of what it means to “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”

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The Christian parents must, kindly, patiently, and gently, guide our children through their childhood in such a way which will cause them to desire, yes, even yearn, to walk side-by-side with us along the joy-filled highways and byways of eternity!

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Family eating meal – Wikipedia – Public Domain

Family Portrait – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

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DYING TO SELF, THAT CHRIST MAY REIGN

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And truth-be-told, God will use all these many various daily situations in the home, to work together to ultimately purge out our hidden, inward wickedness.

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**And there is nothing like a defiant child (or even a defiant spouse) to require us to exercise great patience, understanding, Christlike love, and even prudent silence when dealing with them.**

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And these fiery trials will invariably cause us to spend much time in our prayer closet, pleading, for grace, mercy, and strength to deal with these situations.

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**And ultimately, all these various trials will eventually cause us to die-to-self, so that finally, Christ can freely live out His holy life in us and through us!**

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This is God’s ultimate goal in our lives.

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Father & Son – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS, ARMOR UP!

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And so, let’s no longer suppose that our struggle is against mere humans.

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People are not the true source of our problems.

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No, but we must realize that we have been chosen to be soldiers in the cosmic battle between the forces of good and evil!

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Therefore, we must put on the armor of God that we can stand strong against the unseen forces of darkness which often come against us through various people of the world (or visa-versa)!

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And even if we are absent from our family, we can still protect them and bless them, as we draw closer and closer to Jesus in His Heavenly sanctuary, praying for them in that secret place of prayer.

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ABOVE PICTURE: soldiers of the cross – armor up! – Orion & The Revelation 12 Dragon constellation (comprised of Hyades & Pleiades and other constellations) – www.signsofheaven.org

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TO READ PART 3, GO HERE…

May 16 (We Wrestle Not Against Flesh & Blood! Part 3, “Political Correctness: Satan’s Righteousness!”)

No Political Correctness.svg – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Give me great insight and wisdom and patience in raising my children…

Girl Praying – 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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SIGN IN HEAVEN

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Well, If you look up and lift up your head, you just might see a wonderful sign, which God spoke about in Revelation 12. It is a constellation of a woman. The ancients only saw it as a great bear. It is commonly known as Ursa Major . It is also known as the 7 Stars (aka, The Big Dipper), but with the addition of various other stars.

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But with the eye of faith, it actually appears as the Revelation 12 Woman. You see, God has placed in the heavens, the symbol of His bride, the Church-Faithful.

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Listen… “And there appeared a great wonder (sign) in heaven; a woman…And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered…And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place… from the face of the serpent.” Revelation 12:1, 2, 14.

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

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***TRAVAILING* IN SUMMER, *FLEEING IN WINTER***

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In the summer night-sky, Just as this passage says, she appears as the woman-in-travail. But in the winter, she flips upside-down, to appear as the Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12, just as this passage states.

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But whether this Virtuous Woman is in labor pains, or fleeing to the mountains, she is the heavenly icon of God’s bride, His Church.

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And now we need to explore how this fleeing woman in the heavens relates to us, the Church. Just like this fleeing woman, we too, need to flee from the wrath to come.

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But how do we flee? And where do we flee to?

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Well just read this article and you will find out exactly what the Bible has to say about all this.

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Ursa Major Star-Chart (with Bible constellation drawn in by this website) – Wikipedia – share-alike license

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TOMORROW…

May 10 (Come Out of Her, My People! Part 44: “This World: Love It Or Leave It!”)

Picture – Lot Escapes – www.thebiblerevival.com offers free Bible clipart – 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 #127 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…

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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.

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Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Daily Devotional, Year 3 – May 8 (“He That Hath An Ear To Hear”, Part 3: “Do Ye Not Hear The Law veiled in Allegories?)

By admin On May 30th, 2024

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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – May 8

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“He That Hath An Ear To Hear”,

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Part 3:

“Do Ye Not Hear The Law veiled in Allegories?”

To read Part 1, click here…February 1 (“He That Hath An Ear To Hear”)

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“(According as it is written,

God hath given them (Israel) the spirit of slumber,

eyes that they should not see,

and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day…

Be not highminded, but fear:

For if God spared not the natural branches (Israel),

take heed lest he also spare not thee (today’s Christians).”

Romans 11:8, 20, 21

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Ear – Wikipedia – Share-alike-lic.

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**Vincent Van Gogh, one of the world’s most infamous artists, once cut off his ear (or part thereof), to prove his love for a certain “woman of ill repute”.**

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**And so, his unsuccessful attempt to woo this adulterous woman whom he loved, left Van Gogh without his one ear (at least in part).**

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Van Gogh with ear bandage – 1889 – Wikimedia – US Public Domain.

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WE TOO HAVE CUT OFF OUR EAR!

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Now today’s society laughs at Van Gogh’s foolish “sacrifice of love”.

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And yet, many Christians have cut off BOTH EARS, for the sake of a harlot woman’s love!

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Yes, many, or perhaps most of the professed people of God have made an even greater, “sacrifice of love” for a certain, “woman of ill repute”, which is the Bible symbol for the apostate portion of the Church!

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Van Gogh with ear bandage – 1889 – Wikimedia – US Public Domain.

ABOVE PICTURE – The whore city, Babylon, the apostate church-world – Burgkmair – 1523 AD – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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But how is this possible?

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How have we Christians cut off our ears for the sake of the harlot churches?

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

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THE TWO COVENANTS

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Listen to Paul…“Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory…” Galatians 4:21-24

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This above statement by Paul has only been partially accepted by theologians, Bible teachers, and parishioners alike!

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Oh yes, they accept Paul’s interpretation, that Hagar and Sara symbolized the two covenants.

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But that’s as far as they go with this revelation.

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They do not accept this revelation as an example of how we also must interpret all the other Old Testament stories.

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Van Gogh with ear bandage – 1889 – Wikimedia – US Public Domain.

Sarah & Hagar – Foster Bible Pictures – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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FORBIDDING US FROM SPIRITUALIZING

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In other words, they mistakenly believe that only Paul had some special directive from Heaven to make such an allegorical interpretation.

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And instead, today’s church leaders forbid anyone else from allegorizing all those Old Testament stories.

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In fact, there has been a longstanding theologian-concocted “hermeneutic”, forbidding anyone from making a spiritual interpretation of any part of the Bible, either Old or New Testament, unless context absolutely demands a spiritual interpretation.

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

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NOT HEARING THE LAW

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But the part of this passage from Galatians 4, which most theologians totally ignore, is the part in which Paul prefaces his allegorization by saying, “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?”

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In other words, Paul is asking the question, “Don’t you also see the allegorical nature of this story of Hagar, Sara and their two sons, without me having to tell you these things? Don’t you also hear these things in the law on your own?”

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Thus, Paul is revealing that the church of Galatia should have already understood this allegory.

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

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THE WHOLE BIBLE IS ABOUT THE GOSPEL

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Listen again…“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.” John 5:39.

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Here again, Jesus is scolding the Jews for not seeing that the Bible is all about the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

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In other words, the entire Bible relates to the Church and to Christ!

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**But the Bible student must study, “comparing spiritual things with spiritual”, to finally arrive at the “hidden manna” contained in those true, historical accounts.**

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Van Gogh with ear bandage – 1889 – Wikimedia – US Public Domain.

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ENTIRE BIBLE IS PROPHETIC

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Listen once more, “…for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10

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The entire Bible is the testimony of Jesus, thus being prophetic in its very nature.

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While many theologians claim that there are only 300, or so, prophecies in the Old Testament, the fact is, the entire Old Testament is, “the spirit of prophecy”!

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From Genesis through the prophets, prophecy after prophecy is hidden in those laws and testimonies and must be searched out through the biblical process of “comparing spiritual things with spiritual”! 1st Corinthians 2:13

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Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.

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A CARNALLY-MINDED CHURCH-WORLD!

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But the carnal mind is incapable of properly understanding spiritual things, just as it is written… “Which things also we speak…comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural (carnal) 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 2:13, 14

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**Here is revealed that the carnal (or, the “sensual mind”) is just not capable of discerning spiritual things, to a great degree!**

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No-Page svg question mark on book – Wikimedia – share-alike license

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CHURCH FILLED WITH ITCHING EARS!

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The sad fact is, we have come to the place in which Paul prophesied of… “For the time will come when they (the apostate church-world) will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth…” 2nd Timothy 4:3, 4

(parenthetical comment by this website)

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This is the current condition of today’s apostate, prosperity-driven church-world.

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There is little desire to understand the deeper truths of the Bible.

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To a great extent, the church-world has little or no desire to die-to-self in Christ.

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Van Gogh with ear bandage – 1889 – Wikimedia – US Public Domain.

Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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ONLY ONE CORRECT SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION

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But the faithful remnant who separate from the fallen and apostate church-community will carefully and prayerfully compare “spiritual things with spiritual”, and by so-doing, will arrive at the one correct spiritual interpretation.

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In other words, the Bible is a faithful Book.

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And by studying all related passages on any given subject, laying them upon each other (aligning “plum-line upon plum-line” see Isaiah 28) God reveals the one true allegorical meaning to each story.

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And by staying within the proper parameters, namely, the Gospel of Salvation, the Spirit-filled Bible student should be able to discover some aspect of the Gospel hidden between the lines!

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Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.

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WE ALSO HAVE, “AN UNCTION FROM THE HOLY ONE!”

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**And so, when Paul admonishes us by saying, “Do ye not hear the Law”, let’s not imagine that only Paul had the sole authority to allegorize those Bible stories.**

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Listen…“But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you…” 1st John 2:20, 27

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Here is a great statement by God, that the Holy Spirit can teach us all things we need to know, as long as we depend solely upon the Bible and the Bible only!

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And “all things” includes the spiritual allegorical truths hidden within all those wonderful Bible stories!

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Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.

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TAKE NO MAN’S WORD WITHOUT VERIFICATION

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Oh yes, we may choose to listen to some faithful Bible teacher at times.

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But we must always check out what he is teaching against what the Bible teaches to verify and confirm any and every supposed Bible truth which he presents.

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And for Heaven’s sake, we should never listen to any teacher who tries to compel us to follow that non-biblical hermeneutic which forbids us from allegorizing all those wonderful stories found in both Testaments!

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Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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THE READER IS ENCOURAGED TO SCROLL FURTHER DOWN THIS PAGE IS A SHORT HIGHLIGHT OF THE HOLY-GHOST-RIDER CONSTELLATION AND THE GLORIOUS WHITE HORSE WITH “EARS TO HEAR”

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ABOVE PICTURE – Holy-Ghost-Rider Constellation – later winter in the west

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The Reader is encouraged to listen to this 24 minute audio Bible study on Jeremiah and Amos concerning having “ears to hear”. This Jeremiah study (#251) is presented by the late Harold Camping

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Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

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TO READ PART 4, CLICK HERE…

August 9 (He That Hath An Ear To Hear, Part 4: “World Without Ears!” CONTINUED)

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

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Give me two ears to hear Thy Fatherly reproofs and corrections. Let me take account of my life each and every day, and turn away from my love for this present world, and begin to look steadfastly Heavenward…

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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THE HOLY GHOST RIDER CONSTELLATION

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This newest Signs Of Heaven Constellation (Fall, 2013) is by far the faintest of constellations, but is a very incredible and awesome one in a number of ways (which this article will explain).

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It is primarily comprised of the Camelopardalis Constellation (head and upper back), plus about 5 stars from the Cassiopeia Constellation (his leg), plus some random stars. It appears as an outline of a rider. Only the back of his head is detailed. And his back and the back of his legs are also detailed. Both sides of his arm are visible, and his hand is gripping the horses mane, and that is detailed by three stars (which are also part of the horse’s mane). The rider is in a position vaguely similar to a race-horse jockey. The two brightest stars in this constellation, are from the Cassiopeia Constellation, and are part of his leg. All the rest of the stars are very faint, and must be viewed on a very starry night.

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Since this constellation has just been revealed, there may be more to this constellation in the coming months. But if you can locate the Goodly Horse in Battle Constellation, then you shouldn’t have too much trouble locating this Rider Constellation, provided you have excellent star-watching conditions.

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The above picture is not a totally accurate, but hopefully close enough to locate these constellations in the night-sky. Scroll down this page to see actual star-charts.

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“HE THAT HATH EARS TO HEAR”

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“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;” Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29, 3:6, 13, 22

Holy Ghost Rider (above western horizon)

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As you can easily see, this horse has some very big ears. Of course, this presents a very big concept. And since this Rider represents the Holy Spirit, it is obvious that He is leaning close, as if to whisper His words in the horses’ ears. And so what is He (The Spirit) whispering in this horses ears? Well, primarily the messages to the 7 churches, found in Revelation Ch.’s, 2 & 3.

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But not everyone has ears to hear. Listen to Ezekiel… “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.” Ezek. 12:2. Yes, the rebellion amongst God’s professing people was great, and they had all but closed their ears from hearing truth.

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Well it’s the very same problem in the New Testament. Listen to Jesus… “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 7:16.

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So this Rider whispering into this Horse’s ears is a heavenly picture of this concept… “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;” Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29, 3:6, 13, 22.

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Now the great lesson to be learned, is that there are certain truths, which those who are rebellious in God’s house, will not be able to hear. And these messages to the 7 churches are those very types of messages, that many “Christians” just do not like to hear.

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And so, what is the bottom line. Well, it would be a very good idea, for each and every one of us to humble ourselves before God, and plead with Him to give us spiritual ears to hear these deeper truths which God is trying to tell us.

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TOMORROW…

May 9 (We Wrestle Not Against Flesh & Blood! Part 2, “Dealing With Defiant Children!”)

The Spanking – cropped photo – Wikimedia – Public Domain – Conrad, Giorgio (1827-1889)

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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 #126 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING. FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…

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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.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Daily Devotional, Year 3 – May 8 (“He That Hath An Ear To Hear”, Part 3: “Do Ye Not Hear The Law veiled in Allegories?)

Daily Devotional, Year 3 – May 7 (Paul’s Godly Example, Part 3: “Like Paul In Suffering!”)

By admin On May 30th, 2024

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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – May 7

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Paul’s Godly Example

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Part 3:

“Like Paul In Suffering!”

To read Part 1, go here…June 29th (Paul’s Godly Example!),

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“(I Paul) who now rejoice in my sufferings for you,

and fill up that which is behind

of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh

for His body’s sake, which is the church:”

Colossians 1:24

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

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Those of us who are weak in faith quite often fall completely apart when things don’t go our way.

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**Whether it’s some little set-back, grief, or annoyance, it will send many of us, into a tail-spin, as they say!**

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We just don’t handle life’s little difficulties very well, quite often.

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Maybe we don’t get the good news we were hoping for.

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Or maybe some disappointment, big or small, causes us to question God’s love and providence.

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Johann Heinrich Füssli – Woman Sitting, Curled up Google Art Project – US public domain

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“AND ALL THE CONGREGATION MURMURED…”

Joshua 9:18

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This faithless inadequacy was the very same situation during the wilderness wanderings of the children of Israel.

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If their water was delayed, they began to murmur against God.

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If their diet was too plain, they clamored for the fleshpots of Egypt which they had left behind.

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And God suffered their murmurings time-after-time during those years.

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Israel’s Escape From Egypt Through Red Sea – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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“FOR OUR ADMONITION”

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Of course, the Bible reveals that…“all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1st Corinthians 10:1

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Yes, truth-be-told, those Old Testament stories were actually recorded for our benefit in these last days, even more than they were for the Old Testament people (who mostly didn’t bother to really study the Bible, anyway).

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

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“THEREFORE, I TAKE PLEASURE IN MINE INFIRMITIES”

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But those of us who complain to God whenever we face some hardship, little or big, need to look to none other, than the Apostle, Paul, and his sterling example of faithfulness and fidelity in suffering!

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Listen to Paul…“And He (God) said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I (Paul) rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 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 12:9, 10

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This is perhaps, one of the most remarkable passages in the Bible and is worthy of memorization by each and every true child of God.

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Paul actually took pleasure in his infirmities!

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

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GOD’S GRACE: THE SECRET TO PAUL’S STRENGTH

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Yes, Paul actually took pleasure in his sufferings!

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Of course, this amazing ability was not the result of Paul’s own goodness.

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No, as Paul freely testified, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” 1st Corinthians 15:10

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And it was merely the grace of God working in Paul, that caused him to be the sterling role-model that he was! God raised up Paul, so that we might understand what He desires for us to become.

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Paul Converted – www.thebiblerevival.com

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CHEERFULNESS & HOPE IN SUFFERING,

A POWERFUL WITNESS

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The fact is, in a world in which we humans don’t handle our problems so well, quite often, the Christian can become a great witness, by handling his or her problems with faith and with grace, and with cheerfulness!

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This is a powerful witness to an unbelieving and faithless world!

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Anger during a protest – cropped photo – by David Shankbone – Wikimedia – Share-alike-License

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TO BECOME CHRISTLIKE

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And the fact is, this is one of the primary reasons why God allows us to go through our trials, big and small!

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He wants to strengthen us, that we might be transformed into the likeness of the One of whom it is written…“He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.” Isaiah 53:7

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Yes, Christ endured infinitely more suffering that we can know, that He could win the grand prize of our redemption from the grave!

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Brooklyn Museum – cropped photo – What Our Lord Saw from the Cross – James Tissot

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“QUIT YOURSELVES LIKE MEN!”

1st Corinthians 16:13

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And so, today’s encouragement is that we Christians need to quit crying out for deliverance from our trials as much as we need to cry out for the same grace that caused Paul to delight in his sufferings!

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Yes, our daily prayer should include the request, that God will make us to, “quit yourselves like men”, and to also, “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 (see also, 1st Corinthians 16:13)

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And with this kind of faith, we can begin to become real true witnesses for Christ, to both family and friends, as well as the entire onlooking world around us, “that God is in us, of a truth!” 1st Corinthians 14:25

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Munch Det Syke Barn – 1896 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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DO AS I SAY AND NOT AS I DO!

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Of course, giving such bold advice is much easier than actually living by that same advice.

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And so, please excuse the hypocrisy by those of us who give tough advice that we, ourselves can’t follow!

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But what we all can do is to humbly ask God to strengthen us.

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ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THE FOLLOWING AUDIO STUDY FROM JEREMIAH CONCERNING CHRISTIAN SUFFERING. THIS STUDY IS CONDUCTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING OF FAMILY RADIO…

Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

Dear Lord, Help me to catch that same fiery Spirit which caused Paul to joyfully suffer the loss of all things in his relentless pursuit of Christlikeness…

Praying Hands – Otto Greiner – Wikimedia – .bassenge.com – Cropped image – 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

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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 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!**

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

ABOVE PICTURE – 7 Stars Constellation as the Cross (aka Big Dipper) – winter – signsofheaven.org – not for commercial uses

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TOMORROW:

May 8 (“He That Hath An Ear To Hear”, Part 3: “Do Ye Not Hear The Law veiled in Allegories?)

Van Gogh with ear bandage – 1889 – Wikimedia – US 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 #125 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…

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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.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Daily Devotional, Year 3 – May 6 (The False Prophet, Part 15: “Deceiving The Elect With Loud Mics!”)

By admin On May 30th, 2024

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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – May 6

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The False Prophet,

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Part 15:

“Deceiving The Elect With Loud Mics!”

To read Part 1 of this series, click here… “JANUARY 26 (The False Prophet, Part 1: Lying Eyes!)”

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“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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Our signature verse today from Matthew 24:24, stands as a fearful warning that Satan will come with some very close counterfeits in these last days.

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Listen again… “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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ABOVE PICTURE: Satan, The False Prophet who now destroys the churches with a world-loving prosperity-driven false gospel – www.signsofheaven.org

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NOT SOME LITTLE GROUP

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One very important Bible truth, which has been greatly lost sight of, is that it is not some little cult that will deceive if possible, even the Elect.

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No, it’s not even some minor entity, such as a particular radio ministry that will lead astray God’s people in the last days.

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Oh yes, many are deceived by various false gospels. And certainly there are many apostate radio and television ministries.

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Witnessing Casaemcasa – Wikipedia – share-alike license – by Steelman

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LEADERS OF THE MAINSTREAM

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But listen to Isaiah…“O My people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. ” Isaiah 3:12

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As this above verse reveals, it was the mainstream leaders of God’s professed people which caused almost the entire nation to reject the Messiah, Jesus, and put Him on the Cross!

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These were the most famous, the most respected, and the most trusted persons in that nation, which deceived the people concerning Christ!

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Brooklyn Museum – What Our Lord Saw from the Cross – James Tissot – US public domain

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MAINSTREAM CHRISTIANITY

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And so it is today!

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And while many respected and revered church leaders will attempt to point the accusing finger at this or at that little group as being the greatest threat to God’s people, the fact is, it is mainstream Christianity itself which is leading God’s people down a false path, and into ultimate destruction!

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Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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MAINSTREAM CHURCH OF THE DARK AGES

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Just look at the Dark Ages!

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Was it some tiny cult or some rogue individual who caused God’s people to endure trials, hardships, lack of Bibles, banishment, imprisonment, torture, and death through those centuries?

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No, it was the mainstream church of Europe that caused the Dark Ages! But God’s tiny group of faithful worshipers at that time were merely a small remnant by comparison to the apostate and tyrannical church which ruled over the church-world of that day!

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

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THE GREAT APOSTASY OF MAINSTREAM CHRISTIANITY

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And so, while today’s church leaders are busy targeting “those cults”, as the big problem, the fact is, the great apostasy is found in mainstream Christianity, both in conservative and liberal churches alike!

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Listen again to the warning from Jesus…“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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Notice in this above verse, that the two words, “[it were]”, are supplied words and not in the actual original text. This is because Satan can and will, and already is deceiving the very Elect.

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Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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DECEIVED BUT NOT LOST

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Oh no, Satan cannot destroy the soul of even one of God’s true Elect!

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But Satan can deceive God’s Elect up to a certain point.

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And the fact is, God probably has many true worshipers interspersed within the ranks of the apostate church-world. (And He is now calling them out!)

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Prayer – USMC – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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A VERY CLOSE COUNTERFEIT!

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What many Christians do not take into account is, that in order to deceive the very Elect, the deception has to be really good!

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Therefore, there are many radio ministries and even some television ministries which sound so close to the true Gospel, it is almost impossible to distinguish them from the real thing!

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And these ministries have the biggest and loudest microphones! They are the most renowned and the most well-respected voices in Christendom! They teach right from the Bible, or so it seems. Many even go right through the Bible, verse-by-verse in their daily Bible studies!

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Announcer with microphone – svg – Wikimedia – Public-Domain

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UNBIBLICAL HERMENEUTIC

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One great problem is that most Christian ministries have adopted a false hermeneutic tagged by current-day theologians as the “Hermeneutic of Historical and Grammatical Literalism”.

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In other words, they hold to the totally unbiblical notion that the Bible must be interpreted literally, and not spiritually, unless context absolutely demands a spiritual, allegorical interpretation.

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This false doctrine is a man-contrived addition to the Bible, since nowhere in the Bible does such a command exist!

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“COMPARING SPIRITUAL THINGS WITH SPIRITUAL”

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Therefore, by this totally non-biblical hermeneutic, they have locked themselves out of much of the Bible.

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And so, when studying the Old Testament prophets, they, mistakenly, only apply those books to ancient Israel instead of seeing the spiritual application to the New Testament Church.

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Oh yes, those Old Testament prophecies did indeed apply to Old Testament Israel.

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But by “comparing spiritual things with spiritual”, there is a much more grand application of these Old Testament prophecies to the New Testament Church as well. (see 1st Corinthians 2:13 & 10:11)

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

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24/7/365 DENUNCIATIONS

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But day and night, night and day, these loud radio, television, and Internet voices continually hammer into the heads of their audience, their harsh denunciations of all those “who dare contradict our (false) hermeneutic!”

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After all, Satan fully understands that if he tells his lies long enough and loud enough, the greatly unlearned multitudes will eventually accept these deceptions as “truth”.

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Thus, in these last days, Satan has raised up false prophets, who by their personal charm, and wit, and intellect, have become the biggest and loudest voices in Christendom!

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announcer with microphone – svg – Wikimedia – Public-Domain (2)

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“COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE!”

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At this present hour, God is calling His people to, “Come out of her (the apostate churches), My people, that ye not partake of her sins, and receive not of her plagues!” Revelation 18:4

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Yes, the time has come for God’s true sheep to make their end-time exodus out of these apostate organizations which can often be so close to the truth, that they will, “deceive, if possible, the very Elect!”

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

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“BREAD SHALL BE GIVEN…WATERS SHALL BE SURE”

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And even though we must leave our comfortable social life within the churches, God’s promise to every fleeing Believer is, “upon every high (spiritual) mountain, and upon every (spiritual) high hill…(heavenly) bread shall be given him; his waters (of grace) shall be sure!”

(see Isaiah 30:25 & 33:16 (parenthetical comments by Editor))

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Yes, for those who join this end-time exodus out of the apostate churches, God promises to supply an abundance of heavenly bread and waters of grace.

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And the separated Christian will be delighted at how abundant and flourishing will be God’s provisions upon every high spiritual mountain in this current end-time exodus!

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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You may wish to listen to this 20-minute Bible study regarding Hebrews 6, in which God speaks about the impossibility of renewing to repentance of those who fall away. You may be surprised to learn the true meaning of this passage. (This study is conducted by Harold Camping former CEO of Family Radio.)

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ABOVE PICTURE: Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.

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TO READ THE NEXT PART OF THIS TOPIC, CLICK HERE…

July 7 (The False Prophet: “Deceiving The Elect With Loud Mics!” Part 15 CONTINUED)

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

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Give me an understanding of the apostate condition of Christianity today. Give me the faith and confidence that when I make my exodus, that heavenly bread will be given me, and my waters shall be assured…

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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THE VALLEY OF DECISION CONSTELLATION GROUP

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“Multitudes, multitudes in the ‘Valley of Decision’…

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for the day of the Lord is near in the ‘Valley of Decision’.”

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“The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining…

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“The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem…

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“And the heavens and the earth shall shake…

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“But the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

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Joel 3:14-16

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LOCATING THIS CONSTELLATION GROUP…

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“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” Micah 4:1, 2

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Look eastward in the early summer through fall. Find the Cassiopeia Constellation. Cassiopeia is the Mount of Blessing. In the sketch, it is the farthest mountain to the left. In the sky, it is the northern-most of these three mountains when facing eastward. It resembles a pyramid.

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Then find the second pyramid to its right (south).

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Then go a little further south to the next third pyramid. The third snow-cap is the Destroying Mountain Constellation.

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These three pyramids are the snow-capped portion of these three mountains in this sketch. (of course, you won’t see the snow-caps in the sky. They are just an embellishment in this sketch to present a concept-EDITOR).

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THE VALLEY OF DECISION CONSTELLATION GROUP. They appear in mid-summer in the eastern skies in pre-dawn hours. These are made of Cassiopeia (mount on left), and various stars from the Andromeda Constellation (valley) Pegasus (Mount of Cursing (middle mount) & Destroying Mount (right)), and Pisces (Broad Way to Hell). The galaxy which appears to be climbing the Mountain of Blessing is the Andromeda Galaxy.

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The above Wikipedia star-chart shows this amazing constellation group as it appears from June to fall, just prior to the winter constellation group. Actually, these Valley of Decision Constellations appear in early summer in the pre-dawn hours. (Editor of this website has sketched in this constellation group onto this above Wikipedia star-chart.)

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TOMORROW…

May 7 (Paul’s Godly Example, Part 3: “Like Paul In Suffering!”)

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

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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH

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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

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THIS STUDY #124 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…

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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.

.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

spiritual famine & itching ear gospels

By admin On May 30th, 2024

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“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.” Amos 8:11, 12

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This above verse from Amos foretells of a huge spiritual famine. Many theologians and Bible teachers speculate as to just when this famine of hearing God’s Word will take place. Some believe it has already happened. Others believe that it is an ongoing condition in the Church. Still others believe that this spiritual famine will occur at some point in the future. Some believe it will happen after the Church is entirely removed from the earth, during the so-called “Rapture”.

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One thing is for sure. There seems to be a definite connection between Amos’ prophecy concerning a spiritual famine and this next verse from 2nd Timothy…”For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2nd Timothy

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This prophecy by Paul is obviously speaking of a spiritual famine within the church-world in the last days. The true Gospel has been cut off. The congregations no longer tolerate the cutting truths of the Bible. Fables have come in to replace the infallible Word of Christ. And so, in all likelihood, these two prophecies are speaking of one-and-the-same event: the total apostasy and end of the era of the corporate body of the Church.

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What spiritual famine could be worse than that which Paul foretells of? This apostate condition described by Paul here, speaks of the end of the church-age for all intents and purposes!

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Now, of course, the true Church, made up of all true worshipers, will continue on for ever and ever. But the local congregations have no such guarantee. They were used for the purpose of housing the true wheat for the last 2,000 years. But the time finally comes for the true wheat to be separated from the chaff. This is the final harvest, spoken of in Luke (and other places)…”3:16 John answered, saying unto [them] all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
3:17 Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.” Luke 3:16, 17

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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – April 30 (Almost All Is Vanity! Part 6: “Tasting Our Own Mud Pudding!”)

By admin On May 30th, 2024

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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – April 30

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Almost All Is Vanity!

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Part 6:

“Tasting Our Own Mud Pudding!”

To read Part 1, click here…April 22nd (Almost All Is Vanity (Meaningless)! Part 1)

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“The proof of the pudding is in the eating thereof”

An old societal proverb

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It’s pretty scary out there right now, isn’t it?

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The world, that is…it’s pretty frightening what’s going on out there in the world, wouldn’t you agree?

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**As the old saying goes, “everything seems to be coming apart at the seams”, right now!**

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Boston Marathon Bombing – Wikimedia – Creative Commons 2.0

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Just a quick look around, is all it takes to realize that things are falling apart!

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Crowd of people – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

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“JUDGMENT IS TURNED AWAY BACKWARD”

Isaiah 59:14

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For instance, just look at our court systems!

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The rule of law has been replaced with partisan politics and political correctness!

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

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“GOD BE TRUE & EVERY MAN A LIAR”

Romans 3:4

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The news agencies have become so biased in their reporting, that we really need to apologize to William R. Hearst for frowning on him as the ultimate, “Yellow Journalist”!

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Yes, “yellow journalism” has now become the industry-standard within today’s journalistic media community!

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William Randolph Hearst – 1906 – Wizard of Ooze – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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SOCIETAL MADNESS?

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And who would have ever thought that the very nations which once championed the Christian Reformation, would now be inviting an anti-Christian, rogue religion to come in and take control?

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ISIL – Execution of man – September 2014 – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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FINANCIAL SUICIDE

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**And citizens are sitting by while corrupt and/or weak politicians are bringing these western societies down into financial suicide?**

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Stacks of money – Wikimedia – GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation

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SODOM ALL OVER AGAIN!

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And who would have ever imagined that those same nations are now beginning to allow public nudity, sodomy, bestiality, polygamy, pedophilia, and a host of other abominations, corrupting the minds and consciences of the citizenry, AND THEIR CHILDREN TOO, ultimately bringing these nations under the fiery judgment of Heaven!?

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Burning Man – 2013 -Chapel – cropped and altered image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons License

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WORLD’S PILLARS NOW CRUMBLING

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Well, this is just the short-list of how our societies are beginning to crumble.

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Suffice-it-to-say, it appears as if the very pillars of this world-system are now being toppled as surely as Samson toppled those infamous pillars of the Philistines.

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G. Dore – Death Of Samson – courtesy Creationism.org – Public Domain

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“and the cities of the nations fell”

Revelation 16:19

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And so, many concerned citizens are asking the question, “Why is our world failing?

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“Why are our societies beginning to fall apart?”

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“And why would a loving God just sit back while all these things are going on?”

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“And what can we do to stop all this?”

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

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“THE WORLD PASSETH AWAY!”

1st John 2:17

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What we must take into account is, that the Bible reveals that mankind’s various attempts to live independent of Heaven’s government are all destined to fail.

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After all, if our rebellion against the Bible ever became a huge success, then God would have to apologize and step aside to let us rule the universe, wouldn’t He?

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March – Protest – Thank God For Satan – cropped image – Wikimedia – GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or later version

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OUR CROOKED WAYS CANNOT BE STRAIGHTENED

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Listen…“I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.” Ecclesiastes 1:14, 15

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As the Wise Man explains here, man’s crooked ways will never bring success. Nor will our hollow ideologies ever become the path to victorious living.

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All man’s works will ultimately be discovered to be vain and useless, says the Wise Man!

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Castle romeo2 nuclear bomb Wikipedia Public-Domain

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“JUDGMENT COMETH & THAT RIGHT SOON!”

(poster in warden’s office in “Shawshank Redemption” movie, is a misquote of the Bible. Actual quote is, “God shall help her, and that right early.” Psalm 46:5)

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But there comes a time for man’s purposes and inventions to finally manifest themselves for what they really are: a big, gigantic failure!

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This is one reason why God has opened the floodgates of knowledge through the last century. God is allowing mankind to make our best attempt at succeeding without Him.

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The world has been literally flooded with every conceivable device and invention, designed to allow us every advantage to attempt to make a success of this, our rebellion.

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Redwing Apache Nuclear Bomb – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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EXPERIMENT IN SIN

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And over the past centuries, God has permitted us to experiment with various ideologies and governments to see if there might be some successful form of thought or government.

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Charles Darwin – by John Collier (artist) – www.wikimedia.com – Public Domain

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GOD HAS ALLOWED US TO TRY THEM OUT

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But one-by-one, all these ideologies eventually manifest themselves to be utter failures!

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Whether it be atheism and communism, or socialism, or some religion or false gospel, God has allowed us to try them all, to see if perhaps, some of them might possibly work out.

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Karl Marx – Wikipedia – public domain

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MUD PIE OF OUR OWN MAKING!

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But they won’t work out!

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They are all destined to fail by their own innate inadequacy. And when they do finally fail, only then will mankind realize that Heaven’s government is the only way to true and lasting peace and victorious living.

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It’s like the old adage, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating thereof!” And for the past millenniums, God has purposely allowed us to try out and experiment with Lucifer’s government of selfishness, for that very purpose!

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That is, we are finally beginning to, “taste the mud pudding of our own making”!

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We are now finally eating this poisonous pudding of our own selfish ways.

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boy with chocolate on face – cropped image – Wikimedia – GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

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THE GOOD NEWS!

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But the Good News in all this is, that there is a patient and forgiving One who is calling to each and every stubborn rebel in this fallen and hopeless world.

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And He holds out His hands and lovingly calls out…“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

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Yes, in the midst of all mankind’s continuing rebellion against Heaven, there is one here and one there who will finally reach the point of utter discouragement with all this world’s madness and confusion.

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Cross of Jesus Christ – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

ABOVE STAR-CHART (constellations found on Wikipedia and Bible constellations drawn in by this website) – Sign of the Son of Man – www.theheavensdeclare.net – Not for commercial uses

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ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND

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And these pilgrims will cross over the bridge from death to life, only to enter into the true Promised Land which will go on forever!

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And all those who do enter into that Land will never more question the ways of Heaven.

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Because they will only have to look back and remember how terrible and horrible and hopeless was this world of selfishness in which we once lived in our rebellion against God.

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River of Water of Life – H. Melville – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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TO READ PART 7, CLICK HERE…

October 17 (Almost All Is Vanity, Part 7 – “It’s a Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad World!”)

Orphan on Mothers Grave – Wikimedia – Public-Domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to fully comprehend what Solomon is saying to us today! Help me to keep my eyes looking ever-upward, so that the things of earth will grow strangely dim…

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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“THE GLORY OF MAN,

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AS THE FLOWER…

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FALLS AWAY”…

1st Peter 1:25

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WiltedRose wikimedia public domain

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FLOWER OF THE FIELD IN HEAVEN

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This is perhaps one of the most amazing constellations that God has created. It truly looks like a flower, and appears to be blowing in the direction of westward. But as autumn draws near, this constellation appears to bow itself down, just like the flowers of Earth bow down, at the summer’s end.

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And these are not merely obscure stars. These are among the biggest and brightest stars in the night heavens.

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**The Two Turtle-Doves Constellation is also known as Sagittarius .**

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The Flower of the Field is also known as Scorpio .

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But there is another obvious aspect to this constellation group. Notice that the birds are flying in the same direction as the flower is bending; it is as if the east wind is blowing these heavenly messengers. “The wind blows where it desires, and you hear the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it comes, and where it goes: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 3:8. So here is another incredible Bible concept, written in the heavens! And God has spoken of these signs! Listen… “For ever, O LORD, Thy word is settled in (the) heaven(s).” Psalm 119:89

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THE ZODIAC CONSTELLATION NAMES

By the way, it is not the purpose of www.theheavensdeclare.net to give any validity to the Zodiac or any pagan deities. But the common names of many constellations must be given, solely for the purpose of locating them on star-charts.

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WHY IS THIS FLOWER POINTING UPWARD?

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To the right is a star-chart from Wikipedia. The editor of this site has sketched in the Flower of the Field Constellation on this constellation commonly referred to as the Scorpio Constellation (plus a few other close-by bright stars). Do you see the long blade of grass growing from the base of the Flower of the Field? This is made of the two highest stars of the Lupus Constellation, and the two lowest stars of the Libra Constellation. As this sketch shows, the flower appears to be pointing to Arcturus and the Revelation 12 Woman (shown in sketch below). Arcturus represents Jesus, as He leads His sons (and daughters) on a spiritual journey up a heavenward pathway, as is written… “Canst you bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or can you guide Arcturus with his sons?” Job 38:32.

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TOMORROW:

May 1 (Flee To The Mountains, Part 19: “How To Escape The Big City”)

Time-New-York-City-Night-lights-Wikimedia-Creative-Commons-2.0-Generic-License-e1426597008396

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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 #120 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…

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

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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – April 29 (The Devil Made Me Do It! Part 9: “When ‘Beautiful’ Becomes ‘Devilish’!”)

By admin On May 30th, 2024

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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – April 29

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The Devil Made Me Do It!

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Part 9:

“When ‘Beautiful’ Becomes ‘Devilish’!”

To read Part 1 of this little series, click here…October 13th (The Devil Made Me Do It! Part 1)

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“Wherein in time past ye walked

according to the course of this world,

according to the prince of the power of the air,

the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”

Ephesians 2:2

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Back in the 1970’s, a certain saying was popularized…“The Devil made me do it! The Devil made me do it!”

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And this was merely mocking fundamental Christians who were seemingly obsessed with pointing the finger at the Devil as the cause of so much evil in the world.

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And so, Satan helped out unbelievers of the world by popularizing that sarcastic, mocking saying, “The Devil made me do it!”

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Then the world could all mock ***“the silly and absurd notion”* that Satan is a very active and powerful force controlling the world, by laughingly saying…*“The Devil made me do it! The Devil made me do it!”***

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Flip Wilson – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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SATAN, “THE GOD OF THIS WORLD”

2nd Corinthians 4:4

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But the horrifying fact is, the Devil does indeed cause the vast percentage of the world’s inhabitants to do a great amount of things!

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After all, this above verse from Ephesians 2:2 reveals that Satan is indeed… “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”

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And let’s face it! To admit that the entire world’s inhabitants are filled with this world-loving, antichrist spirit is more than anybody is willing to accept, much less admit!

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

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MINSTRELS OF THE WORLD

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Wikipedia has a very complimentary article highlighting certain musicians/singers/songwriters who once dominated a good portion of the folk/pop music scene for many years.

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Their warm and rich ballads and flawless musicianship made such an impact that they are credited for defining much of the folk/pop music of their era.

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End of Guitar – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

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SONGS OF LIFE

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And their songs were all about life in this world: songs about work, songs about love and romance.

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Songs about being young, and songs about getting old. Songs about winning and songs about losing.

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Songs about the western culture, and songs about the beauty of life, and even about some of the not-so-beautiful aspects of life!

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12 string guitar – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

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HOW CAN EVIL SEEM SO GOOD?

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So, considering how these nice and pleasant songsters/composers made so many adoring followers fall in love with both them and with their folksy, down-to-earth, breath-of-life, beautiful music, why are they being mentioned in this “The Devil Made Me Do It!” series?

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

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THE LINE OF DEMARCATION

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Listen to this revealing verse from Isaiah 8:20…“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

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God has written His Word in such a way that it draws a “red-line-in-the-sand” as they say.

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Ten Commandments – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike License 4.0

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A DISTINCT BOUNDARY LINE

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You see, God doesn’t want His people to be deceived into embracing any aspect of this Luciferion world.

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And so, the Bible has such verses as this above verse from Isaiah 8:20 to be a safe-guard, showing us where the actual boundary-lines lay, which God has placed between Heaven and Hell (Hell being this present world, as well as the grave).

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Listen again to Isaiah 8:20…“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

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Book of Isaiah – Wikimedia – C.C. Share-alike License

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SATAN OBSCURES THAT LINE

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**On the other hand, the “the god of this world” would love nothing more than to obscure those boundary lines in attempt to lure God’s sheep back onto his, Satan’s enchanted ground!**

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**And so, Lucifer (now given the title “The Devil” and “Satan”, and “The Dragon”) has made it his mission to create many seemingly beautiful and wonderful things in the world.**

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fence – All fence-sitters are mine I own the fence!

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TRACES OF EDEN STILL REMAIN

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Oh yes, God has allowed various remnants of the former unfallen world to remain.

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The many beauties of nature.

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The joys of our daily labor and nightly rest.

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Our daily bread.

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The innocent laughter of little children.

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The unity of the family.

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But even though these earthly joys cause us to “taste and see that the Lord is good”, we must not confuse these God-given joys and blessings with Satan’s Antichrist kingdom of selfishness! (Psalm 34:8)

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Family Portrait – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

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THE ENTERTAINMENT WORLD

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Because Satan works hard to confuse the human race.

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This Master-Deceiver has produced so many seemingly good and harmless things to ensnare the simplistic hearts of God’s people!

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But the Bible warns us in 2nd Timothy 3:5…“(The people of the world) Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

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**And so, we will probably encounter many things which seem to have “a form of godliness”, and yet they do not speak of the law and testimony of Jesus Christ.**

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Café de Flore coffee house – Wikipedia – public domain

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“EARTHLY, SENSUAL, DEVILISH”

James 3:15

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**Yes, even though Satan so often cloaks his ministers (and even his minstrels) with an aura of supposed goodness and light, let’s not be foolishly ignorant of his craftiness!**

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***“That spirit which now works”* in the people of the world is the spirit of Antichrist! *(see the opening verse at the top of the page: Ephesians 2:2)***

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And thus, even those warm, sweet, rich lyrics are, in reality, actually inspired from the depths of Hell!

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Guitar Band set up Lincoln Hall – Wikimedia –

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BIBLE FOCUSED ON THE LAW & TESTIMONY

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Yes, the Bible is concerned about the salvation of the lost souls of this fallen world.

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The Bible, from start to finish always stays focused on this salvational message.

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The Gospel of Jesus is written between each and every line of the Holy scriptures!

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Chaplain reads Bible – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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THIS WICKED WORLD

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Now as far as the world goes, the Bible plainly reveals that this entire world-system is wicked…“And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” 1st John 5:19.

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Satan is called, “the god of this world”! 2nd Corinthians 4:4

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**And so, when a poet or novelist attempts to portray this world as “a pretty-nice-place, after all”, God’s people must not be deceived.**

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

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THE THREE FUNDAMENTAL SINS

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**Here in 1st John 2:15-17 is revealed that this present world-system is totally saturated with these three qualities, “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”.**

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These three fundamental sins are literally oozing from every pore of this present world-system, though quite often they are not so clearly seen.

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And if the poetry and prose of this world were carefully analyzed, it would be discovered that these three sins are likewise woven into so much of the literary productions of this world, though often veiled behind a thin veneer of false goodness.

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Shakespeare – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

Mark Twain – 1909 – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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HIGH-TECH SOUL-MURDER

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Yes, Satan loves nothing more than to normalize, romanticize, and glorify this fallen, evil world of selfish pleasures and ambitious pursuits!

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And sad to say, God’s people have been deceived to a great extent by his artful gilding of so many aspects of this fallen world.

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And though this has always been Satan’s purpose, yet today, through television, Internet, and the music world, Satan can now more easily conform the minds of men into his selfish image.

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And of course, God’s sheep are his primary targets!

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MUCH MUSIC NOW HATEFUL

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Well, it’s 50 or so years later, and even though much of the music of the past may have been beautiful in many ways, things have devolved, to say the least!

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Instead of the lovely and soft melodies, and the inspiring lyrics, the dominant music of today is just the opposite!

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Just hear what many young people are now listening to. Yes, there’s some really violent and hateful music out there, these days! And violence begets violence as we are now witnessing in major cities!

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Oh, yes, the secularists got their foot in the door by means of the really lovely sounding music/lyrics of the past. But now a good portion of today’s music and television shows have devolved so much, that it appears that God is now judging this debase and perverted society.

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God has allowed Satan to show his true colors in so much of the entertainment world!

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Darkness I Am – Rap music – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

Antifa @ Protest Trump in Phoenix – 8-22-17 – Wikipedia – GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

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“COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE!”

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Well, the Good News is that God is now calling His true sheep to, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean (thing), and I will receive you, saith the Lord, and will be a Father to you.” 2nd Corinthians 6:17

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Thus, God is now calling us to come out of this Babylonish world.

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Oh yes, we must still work and eat and raise our families.

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But to embrace any aspect of this fallen and corrupt antichrist world-system, thinking it to be good, wholesome, and right, is a fatal error that God no longer tolerates!

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Maybe in times past, God winked at our naivety and ignorance. But no more! The time has fully arrived to come out of this Babylonish confusion!

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It is now time for the Elect of God to shine as the Sun in the purity and holiness of the uncompromised Word of Christ!

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

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TO READ PART 10, GO HERE…

May 12 (The Devil Made Me Do It! Part 10: “Mass Insanity, Or Devilish Design (or Both)?”)

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

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to be wise as a serpent regarding this very deceptive world. Let me not be ignorant of Satan’s devices, nor of his power over this world…

Woman praying – Heinrich Seufferheld – 1893 – 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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7 HEADS, 10 HORNS, & 7 CROWNS OF THE DRAGON

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“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.” Revelation 12:3

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**In Revelation, the Dragon of Revelation 12 is described as having seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns. However, the Dragon Constellation up in the night sky does not.**

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But God has faithfully created the wave of water, in such a way, as to illustrate this same concept of the seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns. Because this wave of water is basically composed of ten stars.

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The main body of the wave has seven stars (#‘s, 1 thru 7). And the tip of the crest of the wave has the other three stars (#’s, 8, 9 & 10). So we have this 7 and 10 numbering. And this gives us a great clue, as to where in the Bible we should look, to find out the riddle as to just what or who do these 7 heads, 10 crowns, and 7 horns represent. Because, the Bible speaks very much about floods and waters as being associated with Satan (the Dragon).

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TOMORROW

April 30 (Almost All Is Vanity! Part 6: “Tasting Our Own Mud Pudding!”)

boy with chocolate on face – Wikimedia – GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

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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.

.

THIS STUDY #119 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…

.

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

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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – April 28 (Come Out of Her, My People! Part 43: “Jesus Doeth All Things Well!”

By admin On May 30th, 2024

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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – April 28

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Come Out of Her, My People!

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Part 43:

“Jesus Doeth All Things Well!”

To read Part 1, click here… “May 12th (Come Out of Her, My People?)”

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It’s really too bad that many or perhaps even most young folk in the Church are caught up in the current prosperity-driven gospels being pushed by the Enemy of Souls, “the god of this world”, the Devil, Satan. (see 2nd Corinthians 4:4)

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It’s so sad that so many young people follow the exciting, charismatic preachers whose words are, “smoother than butter”. Psalm 55:21

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Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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THOMAS BROOKS ON JOKING PREACHERS

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Yes, these laughing, joking preachers were foretold by that Reformation author, Thomas Brooks…“They (apostate teachers) preach more to please the ear than to profit the heart…False teachers handle holy things rather with wit and trifling, rather than with fear and reverence. False teachers are soul-murderers. They are like evil surgeons, that skin over the wound—but never heal it…False teachers are Hell’s greatest enrichers.”

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Here above, Thomas Brooks nails down the current state of affairs in so many of today’s pulpits.

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But unfortunately, the young just seem to gravitate to these, “Hell’s enrichers”, because they talk the same “hip language” that the world likes to talk.

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ABOVE PICTURE: Thomas Brooks after Unknown artist – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

ABOVE QUOTE: Thomas Brooks on, “The 7 Chacteristics of False Teachers”

ABOVE PICTURE: Laughing – (cropped and color added) – Fotothek df roe neg – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

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SOUR MILK

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One of the great problems with following these “smoother than butter” preachers is that their audience listens to a lot of funny jokes, interesting stories, and tearful pleas!

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And yet, these audiences receive little of the true, “milk of the Word” necessary to grow into a genuine relationship with Jesus.

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They hear very little Bible and a whole lot of highly emotional, worldly chatter mingled with quasi-Christian sentiments.

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Hands – cropped image – Wikimedia – share-alike license

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“SINCERE MILK”

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Now of course, it’s not that God wants to thrust these young people immediately into the Christian battle.

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Rather, when a new Christian begins the upward heavenly sojourn, God, quite often allows a grace period for that neophyte Christian to enjoy and grow by the “sincere milk of the Word”, and the softer, more pleasant aspects of the Christian life.

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Prayer – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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DRINKING THE KOOL-AID

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But the problem is, so many of today’s young Christians are getting fed little more than “sugar-water Kool-Aid” by these smooth preachers whom Satan loves to give very big microphones.

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And so, there is very little, if any, Christian growth during these really popular extravaganzas.

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Rock Music Christian CHURCH Pomona – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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ANEMIC LYRICS

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And then comes the song service which plays a lot of upbeat danceable music combined with very anemic lyrics, which often are little more than meaningless chants, “I love you Lord! I praise You! You are awesome, and I praise Your holy name!”

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With such thin, anemic lyrics, the young people leave these big events on an emotional high, only to lose their excitement and enthusiasm after a few days!

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And then, they become even more spiritually depleted than they were before they attended that vain convocation!

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Music Song Singer – cropped and darkened image – Wikimedia – C.C. Share-alike License

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THE OLD HYMNS

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Much to the contrary, the composers of hymns back in previous centuries often filled their lyrics with rich, poetic sentiments which taught the critical, basic truths of what a genuine relationship with Christ is all about.

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Isaac Watts – Wikimedia – US Public Domain {PD-Art}}

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FANNY CROSBY

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Take for example, the lyrics of Fanny Crosby, the blind writer of Christian poetry-put-to-music…“All the way my Savior leads me, What have I to ask beside? Can I doubt His tender mercy, Who through life has been my Guide? Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort, Here by faith in Him to dwell! For I know, whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well; For I know, whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well!”

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Fanny Crosby – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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“WHATE’ER BEFALL ME, JESUS DOETH ALL THINGS WELL!”

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This above verse is filled with various aspects of the Christian’s faithful following of Jesus!

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But perhaps, one of the greatest lines in all of Christian hymnals was penned by Mrs. Crosby, when she wrote these following 11 words, “For I know, whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well!”

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Simple words? Yes, very simple!

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Profound words? Very!

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Munch – Det Syke Barn – 1896 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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IGNORANT OF THE WORD!

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The sad truth is, that so many young people are just not spiritually equipped to go through the suffering that will come upon most Christians at some point in their lives.

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But as these above lyrics reveal, all that befalls the Christian, both good and bad, have been allowed by Jesus, as a means of strengthening the faith of the Christian: experiences when the Lord showers us with our happy moments, but also when He brings us safely through our various trials, some of which can be very fiery!

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Girl Praying – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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“IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS!”

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Of course, Fanny’s lyrics were merely poetically paraphrasing such Bible verses as this…“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1st Thessalonians 5:18

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Yes, to give thanks in all things, both happy and not-so-happy, becomes the essence of what it means to trust Jesus and know that He only allows those things which are for our eternal good!

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But Fanny said it poetically like this…“For I know, whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well!”

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Lady in sling – Photo by Liz Roll – FEMA – Elderly cared for in Louisiana – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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MANY OTHER “MUSTY” OLD HYMNS!

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Oh, there are many other of these so-called, “musty old hymns”, which today’s fashionable churches have discarded!

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**But to a great degree, today’s pulpits would rather appeal to the unsanctified, worldly tastes of the young, by playing the fashionable, sensual, empty-as-a-rice-cake songs, so often heard today!**

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Music Song Singer – cropped and darkened image – Wikimedia – C.C. Share-alike License

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STRIKE OUT ON YOUR OWN!

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But there are some young people who desire to find true wisdom!

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And those with such heaven-sent discernment may wish to retrieve one of those old discarded hymnals from the church basement.

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And then, they might begin to privately enrich themselves with the many wonderful and true sentiments of the Christian life, so often revealed in these long-forgotten songs of Christianity-past.

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ABOVE PICTURE – fall & winter Constellations – Woman of Revelation 12 flees to the mountains – (Ursa Major, a winter constellation) flees to the mountains – Mark 13:14 – Dragon comprised of Hyades, Pleiades, etc…Valley of Decision mountain comprised of Cassiopeia, etc… (This is not a star-chart, but merely a concept picture since this mountain is not in this position, but is actually seen in the fall months)

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“COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE!”

Revelation 18:4

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And so, here we have just one more reason why God now considers today’s church-world, “Babylon”!

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And this is one more reason to join the end-time exodus away from these fallen churches and denominations!

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But never fear! God has provided delicious heavenly manna and abundant and pure waters of grace, “…upon every high mountain and every high hill in the day that the towers (churches) fall!” Isaiah 30:25

(parenthetical comment by website host)

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

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TO READ PART 44, GO HERE…

May 10 (Come Out of Her, My People! Part 44: “This World: Love It Or Leave It!”)

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

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to cast off this sensuality which has taken control of the church-world. Give me the understanding and wisdom to know that it’s time to vacate the fallen apostate churches…

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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***MEANING OF THE* *SUMMER CONSTELLATIONS…***

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So the Summer Constellations are a picture of the more pleasant aspects of the Gospel. And just as summer-time is the more pleasant season for much of the world, so too, the discipleship portion of the Gospel is the more pleasant aspect of the Christian life; Bible-study, fellowship, sitting at Jesus feet and learning of His ways. Spreading the Gospel. Most of us would like this to be the total sum and entirety of our Christian life. But just listen…

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***“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” Jeremiah* *30:7.***

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But as this verse points out, there is another side to Christianity: Christian warfare. And this Woman of Revelation 12 will also be present in the Winter Constellations. But by then, she will be ready to do what she must, during the winter battle scene: FLEE!

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So let’s take a look at the Winter Constellation Group…The warfare we must fight. The good fight as God calls it. It is also the race we must run. The sin we must flee from. And these sterner aspects of the Gospel are what the Winter Constellations are all about.

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TOMORROW

April 29 (The Devil Made Me Do It! Part 9: “When Beautiful Is Devilish!”)

End of Guitar – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic 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 #118 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…

.

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

.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Daily Devotional, Year 3 – April 27 (Planet Earth, Devil’s Island, Part 5: “Name Your Prison!”)

By admin On May 30th, 2024

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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – April 27

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Planet Earth, Devil’s Island,

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Part 5:

“Name Your Prison!”

To read Part 1, click here…March 13th (Planet Earth: Devil’s Island!)

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“How art thou fallen from heaven,

O Lucifer, son of the morning!

how art thou cut down to the ground,

which didst weaken the nations!

For thou hast said in thine heart,

I will ascend into heaven,

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…

They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee,

and consider thee, saying,

Is this the man that made the earth to tremble,

that did shake kingdoms…

that opened not the house of his prisoners?”

Isaiah 14:12, 13, 16

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Whether we like it or not, the plain truth is, that this world is Satan’s prison-house of sin and selfishness!

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It is a type of prison-island in which God has allowed the Devil to keep humanity under lock and key, so to speak.

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

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WHAT’S KEEPING US IN BONDAGE?

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So, where are the iron bars to hold us in?

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What keeps us from making a jailbreak?

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What is it that holds us captive here?

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One very important passage which explains our hopeless condition is found in 2nd Corinthians 4:3, 4…“But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

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Here above, we are informed that Satan, “the god of this world”, has blinded our minds to the degree that we cannot see the wonderful and glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ who came to set us free from sin and death!

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A WORLD FILLED WITH EARTHLY PLEASURES & LUSTS

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Now, one way that Satan has kept us under lock and key was to create a world in which we have become the hopeless slaves of sin and selfishness.

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And rather than return to Heaven’s government of selfless brotherly love, we instead have become mired in the selfish wares-and-ways of this sin-cursed world!

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And Satan, whom Ephesians 2:2 refers to as “the prince of the power of the air”, is an indwelling spirit that fills our hearts with the desires of the flesh, and of the mind, so that we take great pleasure in sin and selfishness!

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Thus, we have a world in which we are held captive at Satan’s will.

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New York Times Square – terabass – cropped image – Wikipedia – Share-alike License

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SATAN’S PRISON-HOUSE OF SIN

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This Devil’s Island prison-house has been carefully designed by “the god of this world”, Satan, to hold each and every person in a personal prison cell: a prison-cell made of our own selfish desires.

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The Devil well understands that in order to keep the earth’s inhabitants under lock & key, he must provide a lifestyle which causes each person to be content existing without Jesus (the true Jesus which is strictly defined by the entire Bible, since there are many “false Christs”.).

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

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WHAT AM I WILLING TO TRADE FOR MY SOUL?

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And so, the question that each of us must ask ourselves is this, “What am I willing to trade my soul for? What lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, or proud pursuit will satisfy me to the point that I refuse to renounce this selfish world and refuse to walk the upward pathway to the Celestial City of God?”

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Chess-game – checkmate – by Friedriech Moritz August Retzsch – Wikigallery.org – Public domain

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GLUTTONY?

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Perhaps my own personal prison cell is made of a selfish life of watching television, eating and drinking.

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Maybe this is all that I need to trade away my soul.

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Gluttony – cropped and colored image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

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PROUD PURSUITS?

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Or maybe my prison-cell is comprised of some proud pursuit of a prestigious career, which consumes my time, and saps my energy by a life of flurry and over-commitments.

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And along with my “impressive” high-paying career, my prison-cell is made of a great-looking home, nice cars, sports vehicles, and wonderful vacations…just the kind of modern-day gods this opulent, decadent, cornucopian society produces!

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WANDERLUST?

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And maybe my prison-cell is made up of a selfish life of travel, ease, pricey resorts, and exotic restaurants.

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Woman in Mediterranian – Wikipaintings – US Public Domain

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OTHER THINGS?

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Or maybe my personal prison-cell is made of political talk shows and finger-pointing news reports, which consume my time, my thoughts, and crowd out my love for personal Bible study, Bible contemplation, and unceasing prayer.

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politics-March for Womens Lives detail – Wikipedia – share-alike-licence

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THE LUSTS OF THE EYES?

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Maybe my personal prison-cell is made up of shopping malls and buying sprees.

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

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AMUSEMENTS?

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Or maybe my prison-cell is made of various sports.

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Or maybe it’s comprised of copious TV sports shows, chips-n-dip, a six-pack of beer or soda pop. Maybe this is all I need to reject the wonderful gift of Salvation!

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Or maybe all I need is a life of selfish hobbies or amusements to fill up my day, and while-away the precious hours of my probation here on Devil’s Island, Planet Earth.

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Super Bowl XLIII Thunderbirds Flyover Feb 1 2009 – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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IRRESPONSIBILITY?

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Or maybe a life of “doing my own thing”, living a life of self-gratification, regardless of God’s call to vacate this selfish world, calling to all others to do the same thing!

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

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FALSE GOSPELS?

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Or maybe my prison-cell is comprised of a superficial religion with, “another Jesus”, combined with a life of self-seeking.

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Just enough religion to deceive me into thinking I have Heaven in one hand, while clinging to this world in the other hand.

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ABOVE PICTURE: Satan, The False Prophet who offers a world-loving gospel – www.signsofheaven.org

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MANY OTHER TYPES OF PRISON-BARS

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Well, this little exercise is somewhat overly-simplified, since there are a variety of combinations of these selfish pursuits which work together to keep us in chains of bondage and spiritual darkness, we the prisoners of this Devil’s Island prison-house called Planet Earth.

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Pilgrim’s Progress 15 p. 45 – There Sat A Man In An Iron Cage – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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PRISON BARS ABOUT TO BE BURST ASUNDER

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But the Good News is, that God is now calling us out of our prison-cell, offering freedom and liberty to anyone willing to turn once again to the One who came to earth to set us free!

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Listen to Luke…“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18, 19

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Global Warning – Christ Coming by Julian Osley – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share Alike License

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“LET MY PEOPLE GO!”

Exodus 5:1, etc…

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Yes, we have now reached the hour in which the iron-like bars of the Devil’s prison-house of sin are about to be burst asunder!

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And this is the great climactic finale’ to this longstanding battle between Heaven and Hell, in which God is now freeing Satan’s prisoners from their hard bondage to sin!

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And then, we will enter into the New Heaven and New Earth, that soon-coming Promised Land where we will live forever in joy and peace and brotherly love!

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And there we will truly be free, and forever young!

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Christ’s Second Coming – by Jan Luyken – Wikipedia – Public domain

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

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TO READ PART 6, CLICK HERE…

May 5 (Planet Earth, Devil’s Island, Part 6: “Are We In Hell?”)

Welcome To Hell – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to make my little corner of the world into a little corner of Heaven! Help me separate myself, as far as possible from the corrupting ungodly influences all around me…

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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REVELATION 12 DRAGON IS NOT DRACO!

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First, let it be stated, that this Dragon Constellation is not the same constellation commonly referred to as “Draco” (photo to right is Draco).

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This Revelation 12 Dragon from Signs Of Heaven, has not been previously recognized. But you will discover that it is a very intricate and complex constellation, once you are comfortable locating it (picture below, right).

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Draco, (Picture right) Ursa Minor – Wikipedia – share-alike license

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REVELATION 12 DRAGON

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The star-charts below (below, right) are from Wikipedia and are combined into one chart to show these three constellations, which the editor has sketched over with these three constellations, as they appear when in the west. Hopefully, this will be an assist in locating these constellations in the night-sky.

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LOCATION…

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The Revelation 12 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 also known as the head of Taurus the Bull. The Dragon’s tail-tip is Pleiades and the lower shaft of his tail is partly of Aries and Pisces. Then with aid of a dark and starry night, you may begin to connect the mouth and the tail with a very long body in an oval shape. The front and back legs are made of a few stars: the front legs partially of stars from Taurus . The back legs and rear fin are made of 6 stars from the Cetus Constellation.

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BODY HARD TO SEE

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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 .

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TOMORROW

April 28 (Come Out of Her, My People! Part 43: “Jesus Doeth All Things Well!”

Fanny Crosby – Wikimedia – 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 #117 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…

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

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Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Daily Devotional, Year 3 – April 12 (Revelation 18:2: A Cage of Every Unclean & Hateful Bird! Part 7: “Parrots of Prophecy!” CONTINUED)

By admin On May 30th, 2024

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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – April 12

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Revelation 18:2: A Cage of Every Unclean & Hateful Bird!

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Part 7:

“Parrots of Prophecy!” CONTINUED

To read Part 1, go here…January 15 (Revelation 18:2: “A Cage of Every Unclean & Hateful Bird!”)

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“And he (the mighty angel) cried mightily with a strong voice,

saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen,

and is become the habitation of devils,

and the hold of every foul spirit,

and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”

Revelation 18:2

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Bat – Wikipedia- Creative Commons 2.5

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CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY’S DEVOTIONAL (click here to read)

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“ADD THOU NOT UNTO HIS WORDS!”

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**(CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY)… But the fact is, the God-given name for Christ’s Return is, “The Coming of the Lord” (1st Thessalonians 4:15).**

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This totally biblical name cannot be improved upon, nor should anyone attempt to do so!

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And anyone who does continue to ignore God’s warning to “add thou NOT unto His Words” (Proverbs 30:6), insisting on a name which God has not named, may just be in for a big surprise when standing before the Judge of the world, in the coming days or months!

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Parrot – Sun conure puzzle – cropped image – Wikipedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

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“STRONG DELUSION”

2nd Thessalonians 2:8

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The great heresy and deception in all this are that Satan desires for Christians to believe in two distinct and separate Comings of the Lord.

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That way, he can mislead them into believing that they don’t have to prepare for the battle, but can continue to enjoy many of the selfish pleasures and ambitious pursuits of this hedonistic and opulent society (not to mention that they get a second chance if they miss out on the so-called, “Pre-Trib Rapture”).

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Christians do not understand that Revelation has been unfolding ever since the day it was penned by the Apostle, John…“And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this Book: for the time is at hand.” Revelation 22:10

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This and four other similar Revelation statements are given as a warning that Revelation is for NOW and not just for the end of time.

***(See also:* Rev. 1:1, *Rev. 1:3, Rev. 1:19, and Rev. 22:6).***

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Oh yes, there is going to be a grand finale at the end, make no mistake! And the Church is not going to miss out on that grand finale!

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Parrot – Sun conure puzzle – cropped image – Wikipedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

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“YE HAVE LIVED IN PLEASURE ON THE EARTH!”

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“Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter” James 5:5

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The way that apocalyptic events are unfolding in today’s world, it is amazing that Christians are still thinking that they will be whisked away prior to the grand finale! Already, Satan is beginning to marshal his forces against God’s people!

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And yet at this present fearful hour, God’s people are still drinking from the broken cisterns of this world with great gusto: television, radio, ungodly Internet sites, dramas, comedies, politics, clubs, parties, games, sports, social gatherings, needlessly expensive pleasure vehicles and homes, energy-sapping-proud-careers, and a host of other world-loving pursuits have all but crowded out the preparation necessary to stand in the evil day! (see Ephesians 6:10-18)

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Well, why should they prepare if they’re going to miss out on the great and terrible Day of the Lord?! They’ve all been Raptured away! Right? Or so we have been told.

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And even if they miss the so-called “Rapture”, they still can have a second chance!

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“PROVE ALL THINGS…HOLD FAST THAT WHICH IS GOOD!”

1st Thessalonians 5:21

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But let’s get back to the subject of Bible prophecy and these last days.

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Now of course, there is nothing wrong with reading one another’s books, as long as that author is reliable. Nor is there anything wrong with listening to one another’s CD’s, as long as they are faithful to Scripture.

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The problem comes in when the general populace in Christendom put their confidence in these theologians merely because the vast majority are all in agreement concerning Bible prophecy.

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And that’s the current-day dilemma! Perhaps one might say that today’s Christendom is full of “prophecy parrots”, parroting one-another!

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Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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“MANY FALSE PROPHETS…SHALL DECEIVE MANY!”

Matthew 24:11

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Let’s not forget the true historical account of Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal (plus the 400 prophets of the groves).

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**It was those 850 prophets (450 of Baal & 400 of The Groves) who agreed with one another, standing against one lone prophet of the Lord!**

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And yet, which side actually had their theology correct? The 850? No, it was the one lone prophet, Elijah, who stood against them. It was Elijah whose theology was correct!

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And yet, those 850 false prophets were in complete agreement with one another! And the general populace had been erroneously following the incorrect teachings of those 850 “false prophecy parrots”!

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Elijah and the two altars -1st Kings 18-38 – www.thebiblerevival.com – Public Domain

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A WARNING FROM ISAIAH

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Doesn’t this apostate condition back in Elijah’s day remind us of the Isaiah 3:12 prophecy…“As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O My people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths”?

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And doesn’t this above verse remind us of the current situation in today’s church-world, as well?

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Women pastors, and sensual worship services designed to cater to the carnal appetites, fashions, and whims of the young people in the current-day prosperity-driven church-world!

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Church music – Singers & Dancers – Wikipedia – Share-alike License

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“MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED FOR A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE”

Hosea 4:6

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But listen again to the even more frightening part of this above verse…“O My people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths”

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This above verse warns that the church leaders who lead astray God’s people are the most frightening aspect of this above Bible prophecy from Isaiah 3:12!

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In other words, by these great multitudes of today’s churchgoers placing their trust in the vast majority of church leaders, it has a frightening resemblance to the situation back in Elijah’s day!

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Rock Music Christian CHURCH Pomona – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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THE GOOD NEWS!

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Well, the Good News is, that God is now calling His faithful remnant out from among this horrible situation…“And I heard another Voice from Heaven, saying, Come out of her (Babylon, the harlot church), My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:4

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Yes, God is now calling all those who hear His voice, and respond to this call and this warning!

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And just like those who responded to the call from Elijah, so too, there will be many who respond to this above call from Heaven!

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

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DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK!

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So, let’s stop relying on our religious leaders to tell us what to believe, and begin studying with the intent of discovering Bible truth for our own selves.

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And maybe it would be wise to begin by studying those teachers who biblically refute this “Pre-Tribulation” theory, merely to hear the opposing viewpoint.

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Perhaps, like those “noble Bereans” in Acts 17, we can study day-by-day, week-by-week, with an open mind and not with a prejudiced eye and not with a biased mind-set!

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And hopefully, by prayerfully and carefully examining both sides of the issue, truth can finally be arrived at, instead of merely parroting what others tell us!

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to come out of this Babylon of confusion, and worship Thee 100%…

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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 (sign) in heaven; a woman…

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And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness”

Revelation 12:1, 14

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ABOVE PICTURE: Winter – Revelation 12 Woman with Eagle Wings at Eagle Ridge Oregon (aka Ursa Major, including The Big Dipper)

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***FROM WHERE &* *TO WHERE DOES SHE FLEE?***

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WOMAN ROTATES THROUGH THE SEASONS…

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This page is about the Big Dipper, also called the Great Bear constellation (Ursa Major ). However, the ancient pagan cultures did not see this constellation as God intended it to be seen. It is actually a headless woman in childbirth. This is seen in springtime. It is seen in the northern skies.

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But as the seasons progress, this travailing woman flips upside down, now appearing as a woman with upraised arms like eagle wings who is running (eventually flying, as shown in sketch on right) into the wilderness (westward). The single star representing her birth-child (Christ) now becomes her head (“Christ is the head of the church.” Ephesians 5:23

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The 7 Stars (Big Dipper) is easy to see with its very bright 7 stars. But the Revelation 12 Woman (Ursa Major) must be seen on a dark starry night, away from city lights.

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These are star charts from Wikipedia, with sketches of the Woman added.

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TOMORROW…

April 13 (Free-will? What Free-will? Part 5: “Salvation By Good Works”)

Scouting Merit Badges – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic 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 #102 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…

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

Devouring Fire.com

Daily Devotional, Year 3 May 9 (We Wrestle Not Against Flesh & Blood! Part 2, “Dealing With Defiant Children!”)

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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – May 9

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We Wrestle Not Against Flesh & Blood!

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Part 2,

“Dealing With Defiant Children!”

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“Wherein in time past ye walked

according to the course of this world,

according to the prince of the power of the air,

the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”

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This above verse from Ephesians 2:2 is perhaps one of the most incredible, and yet despised verses in the Bible!

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Yes, this verse is a stinging condemnation of the entire world! Because it reveals just what power is working in the inhabitants of the world!

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The “Prince of the Power of the Air”!

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Obviously this is speaking of that wily old serpent, the Devil and Satan!

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“EVEN NOW ARE THERE MANY ANTICHRISTS!”

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An Antichrist is nothing more than a worldly-minded person. He may be a fireman, or a doctor, or a field worker or a school teacher…or even a pastor.

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In other words, an Antichrist is merely any unsaved person in this fallen world.

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“THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH”

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And now, that true worshiper of God has embarked upon a Heavenward sojourn.

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And even though they still must be employed in the workforce, and live in a house, go to school, and may even be a member of a family, the world is no longer in their heart.

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No, but rather, Heaven and Heaven’s Jesus now holds the #1 place in their heart!

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OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT THE PROBLEM!

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Well, just listen again to Paul’s letter to the churches in Ephesus 6:12… “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

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Here we see that our great strivings and struggles are not with mere humans, but are actually with the unseen forces of evil!

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**So he is “NOW” working in the children of disobedience.**