Today’s Devotional – April 25th (Pilgrim’s Progress – The Wicket Gate! – Part 2)

By admin On April 24th, 2014

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Today’s Devotional -April 25th

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Pilgrim’s Progress –

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“The Wicket Gate! – Part 2”

TO READ PART 1, CLICK HERE

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In yesterday’s devotional (click here), the discussion centered on the watered-down gospel so often being taught in today’s pulpits.

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And one of the causes for this is that many of the passages of the Bible are no longer being taught.

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

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“OVER-CHARGED WITH THE CARES OF LIFE”

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And in this very opulent society, many Christians are so busy seeking after the various pleasures and aspirations, that they have little time nor inclination to engage in copious Bible study and meditation. And so, they must rely on what they are taught.

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Knowing this, Satan now comes through false shepherds, teaching a gospel which obscures the true Doorway to Salvation.

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Thus, today’s churches are filled with unregenerate and worldly-minded parishioners.

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ABOVE PICTURE: The False Prophet – signsofheaven.org – not for commercial uses

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MR. VAIN CONFIDENCE

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But this is nothing new! John Bunyan wrote about this condition in his book Pilgrim’s Progress!

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In his story, the Pilgrim ran into various characters who did not enter the Pilgrim’s Pathway via The Wicket Gate (symbolizing Christ).

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One such character was Mr. Vain Confidence, a man who came in “some other way”.

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This Wicket Gate of course refers to the passage from John… “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” John 10:1.

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Pilgrim’s Progress – Vain-Confidence – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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APOSTASY THEN!

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Now there is an interesting parallel to what is happening today, and what happened in centuries past.

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You see, during the Dark Ages, the apostate churches of Europe caused the Bible to be a banned book. And many Bibles were confiscated and even burned. And so, the Bible was out of reach for most people.

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Well, as we all know, the Reformation finally put an end to that. And with the invention of the printing press, Bibles began to be produced by the thousands and soon flooded Europe with the truth!

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And, the Bible was eventually in the hands in the masses.

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

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APOSTASY NOW!

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But after the reformation, Satan began a new strategy against God’s people.

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Yes, Satan flooded the Christian nations with the earthly Mammon of materialism. Material wealth, time-consuming, energy-sapping careers, various amusements, along with the manufacturing of countless goods, and houses, fertile lands, cars, boats, planes, resorts, TV, radio, games, and all the many other inventions which the abundance of money could buy! And thus began the mad rush to gather as much of this opulence as we possibly could!

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And as a result, the Christian world became mired in much the same opulence and decadence that the secular world was mired in.

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Eventually, apostasy spread through the church world like a malignant cancer!

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New York Times-Square – terabass – Wikipedia – share-alike-license

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APOSTASY BROUGHT “ITCHING EARS” GOSPELS

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So now, as a result of this rush for wealth and materialism, it seems that we’ve come to the day, which Paul prophesied of… “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; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2nd Timothy 4:3, 4.

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Yes, we’ve come to the day when pastors can no longer teach those self-sacrificing truths.

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Parishioners are hell-bent on seeking after the things of the world!

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And so, the sterner concepts of the Bible are no longer acceptable, to a great degree!

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And so, even though we no longer burn Bibles, yet many “unpopular truths” are no longer taught in today’s pulpits.

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The result is a watered-down gospel, in which church-goers remain in an unregenerate and worldly spiritual condition!

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

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VERY GOOD NEWS!

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So, just what is the remedy for this extremely great dilemma?

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The very Good News is, there is time to repent of this deadly error! But such a repentance can only be accomplished on an individual basis.

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The first step is found in James… “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.” James 4:8-10.

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Yes, as this above passage reveals that the individual Christian must work a thorough work of repentance, concerning these things.

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But we shouldn’t be discouraged! After all, the true spirit of Christianity is a spirit of daily repentance, as we see our un-Christlike behavior each day! This is the ongoing life of a true worshipper of God. The spirit of contrition and repentance is always present in the life of a Believer!

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David’s sorrow – Wikigallery – public domain

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PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!! STUDY, STUDY, STUDY!!!

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The next step is to pray unceasingly for the ability to study God’s Word, contemplating that Word through the day.

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Now such a blessing can only be truly realized when the church-goer finally and fully follows the Lord Jesus.

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As already mentioned in this article, Jesus defined the necessary devotion that a person must have, in order to become a true disciple of Jesus.

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

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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***SATAN HIDES* *KEY TO DOOR!***

Of course, Satan hates such passages as this above verse from Luke 14:33, because it holds the key to becoming a true disciple of Jesus!

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And this is why today’s pastors do not dwell at any length on such passages as this.

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Thus, Satan greatly prevents men, women, and children from finding and entering that Wicket Gate (the Narrow Gate) into Salvation!

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And such a whole-hearted commitment is required for one to enjoy the rich communion and Bible study that is needed in these perilous times!

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USMC- prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – public domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, I know that true Salvation is a gift. Please give me that gift! Please make me one of your true disciples. Give me the power and desire to diligently study Thy Word for myself, not relying on today’s Bible teachers to feed 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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***CASTOR AND POLLUX = THE NARROW WAY…***

LOCATING THIS GROUP…

These two sketches below are the same picture, one with stars only, the other with embellishments. These stars appear more or less like this when they are in the western sky, just before they sink below the western horizon (please excuse the less-than 100% accurate sketch). At the top of the sketches in the center is the Big Dipper. But with other surrounding stars, the Big Dipper is known as Ursa Major or the Great Bear. But as this website points out, Ursa Major is actually the Revelation 12 Woman. (Ursa Major appears much larger in the sky than this sketch shows. But in order to fit her into this drawing, the artist had to depict her much smaller)

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IN THE WEST

Revelation 12 Woman chooses Narrow Way

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This most amazing phenomenon is seen throughout the winter. It is seen best when it is the western part of the sky. Orion, the Dragon, and the Glorious Horse are beginning to descend into the western horizon. And at this point it is apparent that the Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation is veering toward the Narrow Gate Stars as you can see just to the left of the mountain. A dark night is best for seeing this. It begins with the Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation going towards these two doors. The doors are each composed of two bright stars. The two bright stars that comprise the Narrow Gate are the two brightest stars of the Orion the Reaper’s sickle. The two stars that comprise the Wide Gate Stars (to the right of the mountain) are the two brightest stars of the Wave of Water (AKA Auriga Constellation) that comes out of the Dragon Constellation’s mouth (for explanation of “Wave of Water”, just click here). The stars that make up the Narrow Gate are about one-third less the width of the Wide Gate. The two bright stars which symbolize the Wide Gate are Capella and Menkalinan. These are the brightest two stars of the Auriga Constellation. (For more information on Orion’s sickle, just click here, “Orion The Reaper”. )

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(Editor’s note: These sketches on this page are merely sketches. The stars are not in their exact place. But they are close enough to find them in the night sky.)

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TOMORROW:

“April 26th (Television: Enchanted Ground!)”

Pied Piper of Television – TV – www.theheavensdeclare.net – for non-profit use only – commercial use by permission only – – copyrighted by signsofheaven.org

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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 #115 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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