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Today’s Devotional – June 22

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The Natural Man’s Bible Prophecy

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There is a great error in many of today’s schools of Bible interpretation. It comes about when The Natural Man decides to attempt to interpret what only the Holy Spirit can rightly reveal.

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Oh, you want to know just who is The Natural Man?

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Listen…  “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things…we have the mind of Christ.”  1st Corinthians 2:14-16

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So it says here that the “natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him”. And so here is the big problem. 

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

 

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“COMPARING SPIRITUAL THINGS WITH SPIRITUAL”

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But this passage goes on to further say… “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 1st Corinthians 2:13.

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And here it reveals what true interpretation is: “comparing spiritual things with spiritual”.

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This is perhaps the greatest problem with much of today’s Bible prophecy interpretations: the attempt to interpret prophecy as merely the prognosticating of future events.

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

 

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ISLAM AND THE BIBLE

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Let’s take for instance, the attempt to bring Islam’s Jihad into Bible prophecy.

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Now the first mistake is when we look at current events and then try to make the Bible correspond to those current events. And there are many today who are now trying to make the Bible coincide with what’s going on in the news

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Now, the Bible makes no mention of either Islam, nor of Jihad.

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But it does mention “Ishmael”, who is one of the many progenitors of the Arabic race.

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

 

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ISHMAEL AN ALLEGORY

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So, let’s look at one aspect of Bible prophecy and try to understand just where we are going wrong…

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Listen to Paul… “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: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” Galatians 4:22-26

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Paul here is correctly interpreting the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, as a spiritual allegory.

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

 

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TWO PORTIONS OF JERUSALEM

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By comparing spiritual things with spiritual, Paul is seeing that both Jerusalem as well as Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar & Ishmael are being orchestrated by God to be spiritual concepts.

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And by comparing these spiritual concepts together, Paul interprets these things as concerning the New Testament Church: both the apostate Jerusalem, and the faithful Jerusalem.

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Yes, Hagar and Ishmael represent the “Jerusalem which is now, and is in bondage with her children”: this is the Church-apostate, which is still in bondage to the flesh.

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And Sarah represents the Church of promise, “which is free and is the mother of us all”.

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Paul – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

 

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THE ENTIRE BIBLE IS ABOUT SALVATION

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So now we begin to see that God is not prophesying about Muslims at all!

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Hagar and Ishmael do not represent Islam, but in truth, represent the apostate portion of the Church!

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These accounts in the Old Testament are concerning the Church, as is with the entire Bible! That’s right, the entire Bible is all about Christ and His Church, and the battle against the Devil and his followers.

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Oh yes, all these Old Testament stories are true and literal historical accounts! But God orchestrated them to present allegorical truths. That’s just how God preferred to present truth to us.

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And so, for us to see anything beyond Christ, His Church, and the battle against Satan and his followers is to incorrectly interpret Scripture!

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Brooklyn Museum – The Foolish Virgins – James Tissot – US Public Domain

Five Wise Virgins – Matt 25 – www.thebiblerevival.com – Public Domain

 

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THE NATURAL MAN IS NOT SO CONCERNED ABOUT MATTERS OF THE HEART!

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But those who “stumble at the Word” cannot see nor appreciate this spiritual interpretation by Paul. They desperately want to squeeze Islam into all this, merely because Islam is all over the news these days!

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The fact is, the Bible is greatly concerned with the matters of the human heart. But the “natural man” is not so concerned about the matters of the heart.

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But to Natural Man, forecasting mere earthly, future events, is far more important! Such literal forecasting makes that natural man look like an enlightened  prognosticator.

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And this only further bolsters the natural man’s proud, carnal heart, if others see that he (or she) can indeed correctly predict future events!

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

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LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF NO SPIRITUAL VALUE

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But the fact is, even though radical Islam is all over the news these days, yet Islam provides absolutely no spiritual help for God’s people.

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But Paul’s interpretation helps our understanding of the Bible immensely!

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Yes, when a Christian accepts Paul’s interpretation of Ishmael, it completely opens up the entire Bible to our understanding! Now we begin to see that all those fiery Old Testament prophets were actually prophesying concerning the New Testament Church! And so now, all of a sudden, the Book of Revelation begins to open up to our understanding as we begin to see that Revelation is all about the Church!

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And also, the Books of Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and all of the Old Testament prophets now come alive, as we see that God is actually prophesying regarding the Church!

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Paul the Apostle-Artist-Valentin de Boulogne or Nicolas Tournier- wikipedia – circa 1500s

 

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“TODAY IF YE WILL HEAR HIS VOICE, HARDEN NOT YOUR HEARTS”

Hebrews 3:15

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But the sad fact is, you probably won’t have much success trying to convince carnal Christians of all these things.

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Because carnal Christians reject the Holy Spirit’s interpretation of these spiritual truths, as was foretold… “But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him”. 1st Corinthians 2:14.

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And let’s face it, the natural, sensual, carnal man can easily be seen in today’s church-world via the sensual-sounding music, carnal dress-codes, and silly, giddy, worldly talk and behavior so prevalent in current-day churches.

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Audience hands – cropped & altered – Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain

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A “VESSEL UNTO HONOR”!

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So what is the remedy for those of us who are yet in our carnal, natural condition?

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Well, there is the hope of Salvation! Yes, the carnal, natural, sensual person has yet to receive Salvation.

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Yes, O Christian! If you and I can humble ourselves under the chastening hand of God, God can transform us into a “vessel unto honor”. (2nd Timothy 2:21) 

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

 

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MOURN & WEEP!

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But for those of us who do turn to the Lord, with weeping and mourning, God says… “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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This is the remedy for those of us who are still living in the flesh. This is the remedy for the “natural man”. Then we will no longer be citizens of the “Jerusalem which is now, and is in bondage with her children”.

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But instead, we will then become citizens of the “Jerusalem above, which is free, and is the mother of us all”: we who have truly “crucified the flesh, with its affections and lusts!” Galatians 5:24

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David’s sorrow – Wikigallery – Public Domain

 

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Give me a repentant heart that seeks Thy grace. Help me to see the spiritual message of the Bible…

Marine Praying – Wikimedia – USMC Public Domain

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “November 22 – (The Greatest Jig-saw Puzzle Ever!)“ or you can also read… “November 23 – (The Two Spirits In The World)“

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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THE END

 

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

 

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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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BIBLE VERSES PICTURED IN THE HEAVENS

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“With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground.” Ezekiel 26:12

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THIS STAR-CHART: This is a Wikipedia star-chart, in which this site’s editor has sketched in these three constellation (without the Holy-Ghost-Rider Constellation). Notice how the right front hoof is trampling on the tail of the Dragon. Also notice his eye is a star.It’s best seen when in the western half of the sky. It is found in mid-sky traveling from east to west. In January, it is in the west after midnight. As winter progresses, it can be seen earlier and earlier in the evening. a dark sky with good star-visibility is best, but not absolutely necessary to see this constellation. It is found on the opposite side of the Dragon Constellation from Orion. And as already stated, this Goodly Horse Constellation can be seen best in mid-winter when it is in the western side of the sky, and you are looking at it while you are facing west. The nose and head of this horse is partly made from the Perseus Constellation. The tail and rear end is partly of the Cassiopeia Constellation. The hind-leg is made partly of stars from the Andromeda Constellation.

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READ MORE…

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

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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TOMORROW:

” June 23rd (The Natural Man’s Prosperity Gospel)”

Audience hands – cropped & altered – Wikimedia – Universal 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 #171 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

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

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Those who are interested in using photos on this page may click on provided link below each photo, to get to Wikimedia Commons for various licensing details & tags, and all other necessary information on any particular photo. Most tall, narrow photos have been cropped or reduced by this website to make them a better fit on phone screens.

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