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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – DECEMBER 12

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Apocalypse NOW!

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Part 12:

“Peace, Peace, When There is No Peace!”

To read Part 1, click here…SEPTEMBER 5 (Apocalypse Now! Part 9: Has Judgment Day Begun? Part 1)

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“For they have healed the hurt

of the daughter of My people slightly,

saying, Peace, peace;

when there is no peace.”

Jeremiah 6:14 & 8:11

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

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TV: THE PROPHET OF PEACE

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We live in a society which desperately seeks after “peace and safety”. 1st Thessalonians 5:3

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For many decades, television has been the prophet of peace and safety! Just turn on the television, and watch the various talk shows. So much of these are concerned with how to have a peaceful and happy life.

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So what’s wrong with wanting a life of peace and happiness?

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Nothing is wrong with that!

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So why even dedicate a devotional to this subject if it (peace and safety) is already being discussed on a 24/7/365 basis? 

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Because, the big problem is, there’s a war going on!

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

Family watching television, c. 1958 – wikipedia – public domain

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INVISIBLE WAR ALL AROUND US!

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Yes, this world is neck-deep in the great spiritual conflict of the ages, between two opposing armies: the armies of God, and the armies of Lucifer, who became the enemy of God.

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So what’s all this talk about peace and safety?

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Well, to put it concisely, it’s just a big fat lie, perpetrated by the Father of Lies, Lucifer, who became the Devil, and Satan.

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

Gustave Dore – Paradise Lost illustration – Lucifer becomes Satan – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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JESUS CAME TO SEND A SWORD…

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Listen to the words of Jesus…“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.” Matthew 10:34-36

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Jesus came not to send peace on earth, but to declare war on this world!

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

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THE GREAT REBELLION

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Yes, this world is in stark rebellion against Heaven!

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And Jesus, the true Jesus, is universally hated by the people around the world, for the most part! The ways of Heaven are not the ways of this world!

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Oh yes, the people of the world would like to live in peace and harmony with each other. But God has no desire to make that happen.

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He wants to end this rebellion.

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He wants to convince the peoples of this lost and dying planet that only His ways are the ways of peace…and love…and happiness.

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And so, to a certain degree, He allows all the trouble and unrest resulting from our sin, to come upon us.

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

Anti-Christian rally in Chicago – cropped image – Wikimedia

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‘PEACE AND SAFETY’

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But the Devil has been working through his current-day prosperity-driven gospels to convince Christians that God wants them to have a nice, happy and peaceful life here on earth. And yet, the fact is, God has called us to be soldiers in His army, to fight against the forces of evil on earth!

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Listen to Paul’s declaration…“For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” 1st Thessalonians 5:3

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So here is seen that peace and safety in this world is not an option.

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

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SPIRITUAL PEACE IS POSSIBLE

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Oh yes, the Christian may have spiritual peace. And certainly, the Christian can live in total safety in Jesus. But that kind of heavenly peace and safety will be experienced even in the midst of the battle!

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But the Christian must get rid of the notion that we are going to live a nice little peaceful existence in this world of selfish desires and ambitious pursuits.

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Yes, the Devil has made it his mission to make life extremely difficult for every true son or daughter of God. 

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

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

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STUDY, STUDY, STUDY!!!

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The Good News in all this negativity, is that the Christian can achieve total peace and spiritual, “Rest unto your souls”. And this kind of peace comes from a daily study and contemplation of God’s Word…

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Listen… “Thou (God) will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon Thee! Because he trusts in Thee!” Isaiah 26:3

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Yes, now this kind of perfect peace can be enjoyed, for every one who decides to keep their minds fixed upon Jesus.

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

USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain.

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GET YOUR HEAVENLY ARMOR ON!

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And so, let’s get our spiritual armor on, and go out to battle today, and yet keep our minds stayed upon Jesus!

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For these are the two key ingredients to a life of, “peace of God, that surpasses all understanding” Philippians 4:7

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

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TO READ PART 13, GO HERE…

DECEMBER 22 (Apocalypse NOW! Part 13: “The Signs of the Times?”)

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

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to study, study, study, that I may be fully armored with the armor of God. Help me to find that perfect peace…

Pray for Our Nation sign – Wikimedia – Share-alike-lic.

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read…”The Abomination in the Apostate Church”, or you can also read this shorter article…February 9th (Waiting For The Church to Shine!)

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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THE END

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

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LOOSING THE BANDS OF ORION 

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God spoke several times of Orion, in Scripture. His question to Job was a very mystifying question, to say the least… “Canst thou…loose the bands of Orion?” Job 38:31. Such a strange question, indeed! How could a constellation have its bands loosed, much less, even have bands? Puzzling, puzzling!

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But now, He is revealing this bright and beautiful constellation in a way that has never before been seen. God Himself is loosing Orion’s bands, as He is just now unraveling this age-old mystery. And we are beginning to understand that this most infamous of all constellations is nothing less than a remarkable metaphor concerning Jesus.   

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MICHAEL, THE SOLDIER

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Last is Michael the Soldier, who battles against the Dragon: “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.” Revelation 12:7, 8.

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Contrary to popular opinion, Michael here represents Christ as He battles this dragon. This will be adequately proven in this article and in various other sections of this website. No, Christ is not merely an angel. Christ is very eternal God. But Christ is often represented as various entities, such as a rose, or a burning bush, as well as many others things in the Bible.

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… Flood Waters of Satan-Introduction

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TOMORROW…

DECEMBER 13 (Come Out of Her, My People! Part 29: What’s Wrong With The “Trinity”!?!)

Question Mark – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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EXCERPTS FROM THE OPEN FORUM QUESTION/ANSWER RADIO TALK-SHOW…

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This Open Forum show #30, is a small 30 minute sampling of the late Harold Camping’s nearly 50 year long series of 90 minute nightly talk shows…

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ABOVE PICTURE: Holy bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons lic.

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Click on image credit links below each photo, for licensing names, details, and tags, etc.. Most Images cropped & reduced in size.