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Today’s Devotional – February 13th

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The True Pilgrim’s Pathway!

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“And an highway shall be there,

and a way,

and it shall be called

The way of holiness…”

Isaiah 35:8

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Yesterday’s devotional (click here) was on John Bunyan’s allegorical book, Pilgrim’s Progress.

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But today, there’s a question remaining to be asked: “Pilgrim’s Progress is regarding what progress?”

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Or maybe this question needs to be rephrased: “What or where was the Pilgrim progressing to?”

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Well, if we read the rest of the title we see it actually says, “Pilgrim’s Progress, From This World, To That Which Is To Come”. And so, “Pilgrim’s Progress” was merely a shortened title, for brevity’s sake!

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And so, Pilgrim was making progress toward his upward journey…to the Celestial City!

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Pilgrims Progress title page third edition 1679 – Wikimedia Commons – public-domain

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STORY REALLY BEGINS AT THE CROSS!

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So maybe that’s not such startling news!

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But here’s a real interesting aspect about this book! You see, upon reading this little allegorical tale, it is only mid-way through the book, until the heavily burdened Pilgrim comes to the Cross, where he finally unloads that heavy-laden burden.

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But that’s not where this story ends. No, Pilgrim (Christian) keeps progressing on his pilgrimage. He’s headed to the Celestial City. But as he journeys onward, he meets many different characters and encounters many different dangers and experiences along the way.

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Some of these try to discourage him.

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Others are for his encouragement and strengthening.

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Pilgrims Progress – His Burden Fell Off His Back – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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Now there are many who think that the Cross is where our battle ends. They mistakenly assume that the Cross is where they can stop searching. Stop fighting! The journey’s over, as far as they are concerned.

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Exclamation Mark – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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OUR PILGRIMAGE BEGINS AT THE CROSS

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And so here’s the point of today’s devotional: Just like Pilgrim, those who truly lay down their burden of sin and guilt at the Cross are to continue on, in our pilgrimage.

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Oh yes, the Cross is where the Christian receives everlasting life. But the Cross is really just where the road divides.

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“What road?”, you ask? Well as we all know, there are many who come to the Cross, yet not in sincerity. These are the pretenders! These are the false brethren! Coming in the spirit of antichrist!

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But those who truly receive forgiveness will take the same path that the Pilgrim took. The Spirit in them causes them to go forward and upward! And this is the upward path that leads to full surrender: to become crucified from self, and transformed into His divine image.

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But those who are pretentious will take that other path. They take that fork in the road! The road more heavily traveled! The Broad Way that leads to destruction!

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All Roads Lead To Rome (Except One) Public Domain www.signsofheaven.org

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WORLDLY WISE-MEN

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Oh yes, Bunyan repeatedly presented this same concept throughout the book, yet in different ways.

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For instance, there was one character, Mr. Worldly Wiseman, who directed the Pilgrim to the Village of Morality. This, of course, is the place where people can merely be moral and even with a degree of religiosity, without that genuine crucifixion from self!

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And here is where many church-goers end up. Oh yes, they have become baptized and they attend church, and even pay their tithes. But they mistakenly believe that being water-baptized and going to church one or two days a week and giving 10% of their income to the church will somehow allow them to continue seeking after the pleasures and pursuits of this selfish world.

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And so, in effect, these self-deceived ones veer off to that other pathway from that which the Pilgrim traveled. Oh yes, these erring ones may quit their bad habits, and live a moral life. But they have absolutely no intention of giving up this world!

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No, they figure as long as they pay their tithes, they can still withhold the rest to pay for a pleasurable life of worldly pursuits.

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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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Pilgrim’s Progress p34 Mr Worldly Wiseman – Wikimedia – public domain

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THE TRUE PILGRIM’S PATHWAY!

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But those who truly walk the Pilgrim’s pathway, go on to a greater and greater devotion and a deeper and deeper death-to-self!

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Yes, those who truly fix their gaze on Christ, will ever-so-gradually be “transformed into Christ’s image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of Holiness”. This is the true Pilgrim’s Pathway! (2nd Corinthians 3:18)

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Listen… “Concerning the works of men, by the Word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer. Hold up my goings in Thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.” Psalm 17:4, 5

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Notice that this above passage speaks of two paths?

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Yes, as this old picture depicts, there are two paths in this world: The Narrow Way and the Broad Way.

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Flickr trials and errors The Roads to Heaven and Hell, religious tract, ca. 1896 – cropped image – share-alike lic.

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“ANOTHER JESUS…ANOTHER SPIRIT”

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And this is why the apostle, John says… “They (false brethren) went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” 1st John 2:19.

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So, this above verse lets us know that the false brethren are walking a completely different pathway from the true worshippers of God! Oh yes, they still attend church. Oh yes, they still pay tithes and partake of the Lord’s Supper. They may even hold church offices and talk of God’s grace, and of His blessings, and of their many trials. But there is something vastly different about them, which only makes true worshippers a little nervous, when in their company!

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There just seems to be a lack of fear and trembling in these deceivers. And even though there may be a zeal about them. But it is not a zeal for the things of Heaven! But only a zeal for a religiosity which continues to embrace the world. A “Jesus” of their own making!

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Now while attending church, these evidences of apostasy are not so distinct.

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But the time is coming when that distinction will become totally clear!

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PS Krøyer – Hip hip hurra! Kunstnerfest pÃ¥ Skagen 1888 – Wikimedia – public domain

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“COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM!”

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Yes, the Bible speaks of a time when God will separate the wheat from the tares.

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This is spoken of in Matthew’s Gospel… “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into My barn.” Matthew 13:30.

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When this separation time comes, that is when… “ye (shall) return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not.” Malachi 3:18.

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Yes, there is coming the day (and even now is here!) when God’s people will be able to easily discern between the Believers and those who are merely vain deceivers.

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Winnowing Vannage_du_riz,_Uttarakhand,_India – cropped image – Wikimedia – share-alike lic.

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THE REALLY GOOD NEWS!

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Now there is some really Good News in all this!

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Yes, there are many in the Church who have been deceived by the pretenders in God’s house. Yes, there are many who have been unwittingly led astray, only to walk the wrong pathway.

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But before the very end, God is calling these deceived ones to return and walk the true Pilgrim’s Pathway! And those of us who finally get back on track will loathe ourselves from allowing ourselves to be so long-deceived.

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Listen… “And they that escape of you shall remember Me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from Me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall loathe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations. And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.” Ezekiel 6:9, 10

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This above passage was not only for God’s people way back then, but it is even more relevant for us today! Yes, it says that we will loathe ourselves for all our abominations! But at the same time, we will rejoice that God has graciously opened our eyes to our folly!

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We will rejoice that He has, as the Good Shepherd, brought us, like lost sheep, back into His fold!

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Brooklyn Museum – The Good Shepherd – James Tissot – Wikpedia – US Public Domain

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DON’T LISTEN TO THE FALSE SHEPHERDS!

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And though many false shepherds will constantly tell us, “Don’t ever question your Salvation! That’s a denial of faith!”, yet we must scrutinize and examine ourselves, whether or not we have become reprobates; and we must do this in spite of their presumptuous words!

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Listen to Paul… “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2nd Cor. 13:5

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Yes, we need to find that old Heaven-sent mirror that we have misplaced somewhere along the way, and once again gaze into that reflection of “Christ and me”! And as we prayerfully gaze at ourselves in His light, we will begin to see the work ahead for us.

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And by searching His Word, we can retrace our mis-steps back to the true pathway which leads to the Celestial City of the Lord.

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The_Pilgrim’s_Progress_by_Byam_Shaw – Wikimedia Commons – US public domain

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And from that day forward, we will be ever-so-careful, to not let that notorious wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing lead us astray, ever again!

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Exclamation Mark – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23, 24

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Revelation 12 Woman & The Narrow Gate Stars (Orion’s Gate to Heaven)” or you can also read… “Fleeing to the Mountains, Part 3: The Abomination in My Heart”

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 & Internation Astronomical Union (click here)

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THE NARROW GATE STARS

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LOCATION

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This most amazing phenomenon is seen throughout the winter. Although it can be observed most of the winter, it is seen best when it is the western part of the sky, at winter’s end (The end of winter being the final scene of this heavenly Gospel story). Orion , the Dragon, and the Glorious White Horse are beginning to descend into the western horizon (sketch to right is Winter Constellations descending into western horizon. This can actually be seen as early as December, in the pre-dawn hours).

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And at this point it is apparent that the Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation is veering toward the two bright stars, known as Castor and Pollux (sketch to left). But the Wide Gate Stars are composed of the two brightest stars of the Auriga Constellation, known as the star, Capella, and the star, Menkalinan. The two stars, Castor and Pollux, make up the concept of the Orion’s Narrow Gate Stars.

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This can even be observed into June in the western sky (for a short time just after dark). While a dark night is best for seeing the Woman Constellation, the 4 stars which comprise the Narrow Gate/Wide Gate Stars can be seen even under mediocre conditions. It begins with the Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation (AKA Ursa Major) going towards these two doors.

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The sketch to left shows, the two 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 are the two brightest stars of the wave of water 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 half the width of the Wide Gate (see sketch below left).

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(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. However, they are close enough to find them in the night sky. But as with most stars, it takes persistence to finally locate them.

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Revelation 12 Woman & The Narrow Gate Stars (Orion’s Gate to Heaven)”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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TOMORROW:

February 14th (By Beholding Jesus…Changed!)

Transfiguration – Bloch – cropped – Wikimedia Commons – US Public-Domain

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20 MINUTE+ AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH 

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THIS STUDY #44 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