Daily Devotional, Year 2 – JANUARY 30 (The False Prophet, Part 4: Age of Accountability)

By admin On November 28th, 2014

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Daily Devotional – JANUARY 30

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The False Prophet,

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Part 4:

Age of Accountability

To read Part 1, click here…JANUARY 26 (The False Prophet: Lying Eyes!)

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Have you ever been selected to be on a jury?

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And on that jury, were you ever totally convinced of the guilt of the person accused; but then, when you hear the defense attorney’s side of the case, you realize that the person accused, is totally innocent?

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And then suddenly, you realize this following truth: when two opposing arguments are debated, it takes both sides presenting their arguments, in order to rightly decide just what the actual truth is!

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Lady justice jury – Wikimedia -US Public Domain

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BIBLE INTERPRETED SAME WAY

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And quite often, God has written the Bible in the very same manner. That is, truth cannot be arrived at, simply by hearing just one or two, or even three verses! No, in order to rightly divide “the Word of truth”, one must carefully and prayerfully examine each and every verse connected to any supposed theory, prior to establishing a church doctrine.

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And even then, an open mind must be maintained, since there may eventually be discovered, yet still more additional verses that will ultimately modify that church doctrine even further!

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

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AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY

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Now one false doctrine today, is a counterfeit doctrine tagged by theologians as, “The Age of Accountability”. And this totally non-biblical name describes a very ancient idea that those young children who die at an early age, will get a free pass to go to Heaven, because they were simply too young to know what they were doing, to be charged with sin.

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Now this totally unbiblical name, “The Age of Accountability”, **was given to this doctrine. But it was established because of another false doctrine, “eternal torment”!**

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The problem is, just like the totally unbiblical name “Eternal Torment”, the church doctrine, “The Age of Accountability” appears like an actual truth; at least it seems that way, until one examines both sides of the argument, concerning this questionable theory!

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Magnifying Glass – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

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HEARING ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE ARGUMENT

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Now perhaps the most convincing supporting passage in Scripture is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke… “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 19:14

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Now, if this was the only passage concerning children, then we would have to agree with this non-biblical name, “The Age of Accountability”! Yes, if this passage was all that we had on the subject, then it would seem as if little children were guaranteed safe passage into Heaven’s gates!

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First woman jury – Wikimedia – Public domain

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MURDER: AN ACT OF LOVE?!

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Let’s just think this through. If the surety of Heaven for each and every young child was true, then every Christian parent would do well to murder all their little children before they reach the age of accountability! Do you see the absurdity in this archaic old Catholic church-doctrine?

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And if this non-biblical doctrine was true, then the best thing to do is to have an abortion, thereby guaranteeing your unborn child’s eternal life! It would be the ultimate act of self-sacrificing love!

Rapture – Louis Janmot wikimedia US public domain

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“My brethren, be not many masters (teachers), knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation”

James 3:1

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**Now, just imagine all those Bible teachers who have been preaching such damnable heresies and “doctrines-of-devils”, known as “the age of accountability”.**

(See 1st Timothy 4:1 for doctrines-of-devils” reference)

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On Judgment Day, these erring teachers may have to hang their head in shame when they are shown that by teaching this heresy, many women may have been emboldened to abort their own babies, convincing themselves that their aborted baby will get an automatic free ticket to Heaven!

Aborted baby – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

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THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ARGUMENT

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And let’s face it! Any Bible student who happens to be a truth-seeker will not be satisfied by just accepting a doctrine merely because it is a traditional church doctrine, no matter how old that church doctrine is! Scripture must be compared with scripture. We must be willing to re-examine all supposed “orthodox dogma”!

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And eventually the Bible student will find Psalm 58, which states…. “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely. Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when He bendeth His bow to shoot His arrows, let them be as cut in pieces. As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.” Psalm 58:3-8

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Now here is a passage which seems to say that very young children are not so innocent, and do not automatically receive an unconditional pardon, should they die young.

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Huckleberry Finn with rabbit – Wikimedia – public domain

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BAD THEOLOGY OF YESTERYEAR

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Now this devotional will not attempt to strike the proper balance, but instead, will focus on why we just cannot rely on tradition or church dogma.

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And this “Age of Accountability” church-doctrine is a perfect example of the bad theology by the apostate churches of the earlier centuries. They just didn’t understand how to rightly divide the Word of Truth. And the Church today has tenaciously clung to many teachings of the apostate church of the past: “Eternal Torment”, “Purgatory”, “The deification of Mary”, are just a few of the many other similar false doctrines, which have somehow survived through the centuries.

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Nicaea icon – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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WRESTLING WITH SCRIPTURE!

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Listen to the Apostle, Peter, as he reveals the truth about the complexity of Scripture…“As also in all his (Paul’s) epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” 2nd Peter 3:16

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Now today, the very same error is being committed by many Bible teachers. Yes, teachers have the idea that they must cling to long-held church doctrines. And so, they take the position that their very favorite church doctrines must be defended at all costs.

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And so, when teachers are confronted by such passages as Psalm 58, they must somehow wrestle with Scripture until they have explained away all such contradicting passages.

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Jacob Wrestling with the Angel – Wikipedia – public domain

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COMPARING SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE

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One very important truth is found in 2nd Timothy 3:16, 17, in which the Apostle, Paul says… “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

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Now if we closely examine this above passage, we see that scripture corrects our understanding of scripture. And scripture reproves (confirms) our understanding of scripture! And so, for the purposes of confirmation or for correction, we need to study all scripture!

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And so, hearing both sides in a court case, is very instructional in helping us to understand more about how to rightly divide “the Word of truth”. And this “Age of Accountability” doctrine is classic example of how the Church has so often mis-interpreted the Bible!

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La Bible, Notre-Dame – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-Alike License

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To read Part 5, click Here…

JANUARY 31st (The False Prophet, Part 5: The Scofield Bible)

Cyrus Scofield – 1920 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Give me the desire and ability to study the Bible for myself, comparing scripture with scripture!

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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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“MOON SHALL BE ASHAMED”

“Then the moon shall be confounded (or “ashamed”), and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

But having said all this, why would God speak about the Moon as if it were a person? And why does He say that the Moon will be confounded? How can an inanimate object be confounded (i.e., “perplexed”, “confused”, “amazed”). And why does God refer to the Moon as “her” (“the moon shall not give HER light.” Ezek. 32:7)? Such odd language! But as you read this Moon Into Blood Trilogy, these questions will be answered, plus many more questions, as well.

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Tilt you head to the left

Do you see a man’s face?

It’s that proverbial “Man in the Moon”. We’ve always taken it for granted. But now we’re learning that God is responsible for creating this Nocturnal Watchman. You see, God has etched Signs in the Moon, long ago. A story? Yes. And just now He is revealing those Signs. Just now He is telling that story. Listen to what Scripture says…

God promised that His covenant with David (who represented Christ)“shall be established for ever as the Moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.” Psalm 89

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TOMORROW…

“JANUARY 31st (The False Prophet, Part 5: The Scofield Bible)”