Celebrate The Harvest

 ~ Turn Halloween To Praise ~

 

Avoid  ~  Practices which the Scriptures clearly warns against.  Do not glorify that which God has told His people to have nothing to do with.

 

Ghosts  ~  “Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary.  I am the Lord.  Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them.  I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:30-31).  

 

Wizards  ~  “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations.  There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.  For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.  You shall be blameless before the Lord your God.  For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you” (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). 

 

Witches  ~  Consider God’s statement to His chosen people Israel: “You shall not permit a sorceress to live” (Exodus 22:18). 

 

Vampires  ~  “Moreover you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, whether of bird or beast.  Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people” (Leviticus 7:26-27).   

 

Quote  ~  “I’m glad that Christian parents let their children worship the Devil at least one night out of the year.” —Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan. 

 

Do Celebrate  ~  The blessings of God to you, your family, your local church, your community, and your nation. 

 

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.  Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:16-18).

Fall is a good time to reflect on the cornucopia of blessings which we have received throughout the year!

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Myth, 116

 ~ Christians Shouldn’t Talk About Hell ~

 

Myth  ~  Believers shouldn’t discuss hell with unbelievers.  After all, God is a God of love.  

 

 

Reality  ~  First, while it is true God is a God of love and the source of love, it is also true that God is a God of wrath and judgement.  Second, Jesus Christ, our example and role model, talked about hell while He was on earth. 

 

 

Background  ~  Interestingly, the word most often translated as hell in our New Testament is Gehenna, the Greek equivalent for “the valley of Hinnom.”  The history of this valley which is immediately southwest of Jerusalem (and still visible today) was historically a place of human sacrifices and dumping of garbage.  During New Testament times there were always fires burning.  

 

 

Scripture  ~  “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed” (2 Thessalonians 1:3-10).

 

“And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.  The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are.  And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation20:9-10). 

 

 

Comment  ~  Do you really know God?  Are you an adopted child of God?  If not, why not?  You never know when your life is going to end!  It could be before you wake tomorrow.  

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Joseph Introversion

 ~ Introversion of the Life of Joseph ~ 

 

Introduction  ~  The Biblical account of the life of Joseph is recorded in Genesis 37-50.  His life is in many ways a “type” or foreshadowing of Jesus Christ (potential subject for future posts). 

 

What follows is an outline of Joseph’s life. 

~1~ The beginning of the Joseph account – 37:2-11

~~2~ Jacob mourns Joseph – 37:12-26  

~~~3~ Reversals of the first born – 38:1-30

~~~~4~ Joseph enslaved in Egypt – 39:1-23

~~~~~5~ Favor and disfavor before Pharaoh – 40-41

~~~~~~6~ Joseph’s brothers journey to Egypt – 42-43

~~~~~~~7~ JOSEPH REVEALS HIMSELF TO HIS BROTHERS – 44:1-45:20

~~~~~~6~ Jacob journeys to Egypt – 45:21-46:30

~~~~~5~ Favor before Pharaoh – 46:31-47:12

~~~~4~ Joseph enslaves in Egypt – 47:13-27

~~~3~ Reversals of the first born – 47:28—49:28

~~2~ Joseph mourns Jacob – 49:29-50:14

~1~ The conclusion of the Joseph account – 50:15-26 

 

Note  ~  The origination of this particular introversion is believed to be by Greg Trull.   

 

Comment  ~  Abundant Life Now has previously published introverted outlines (or parallel outlines known as chiasms).  For those who would like to review them here are the links to those prior posts. 

Does History Repeat Itself? ~  Around and around we go! ~ January 25, 2011  

Bible Introversion  ~ Introversion Outline of the Bible ~ April 15, 2017

Bible Hourglass   ~ This Bible Outline Encompasses All Time ~ April 22, 2017

10 Commandments Today, 14of14  ~ Notice the Introversion of the Ten Commandments ~ June 28, 2018

Bible Introversion, 2 ~ Introversion Outline of the Bible, 2 ~ September 10, 2020

EXTRA: 2020 Election ~ Nation’s Historical Cycle Throughout History ~ October 21, 2020

Noah Introversion ~ The Symmetrical Account of Noah ~ January 21, 2021 

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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