JMD Devotional 165 Revelation 14, Ezekiel 8 A Few Good Men
Revelation 14:1-5 THEN I looked, and behold, the Lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 [men] who had His name and His Father's name inscribed on their foreheads.
And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of great waters and like the rumbling of mighty thunder; the voice I heard [seemed like the music] of harpists accompanying themselves on their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne [of God] and before the four living creatures and before the elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin]. No one could learn [to sing] that song except the 144,000 who had been ransomed (purchased, redeemed) from the earth. These are they who have not defiled themselves by relations with women, for they are [pure as] virgins. These are they who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These are they who have been ransomed (purchased, redeemed) from among men as the first-fruits for God and the Lamb. No lie was found to be upon their lips, for they are blameless (spotless, untainted, without blemish) before the throne of God.
Where will God find 144,000 people of impeccable character and conduct? Will you find just one in the pew next to you? Can you see just one such person your own mirror?
Ezekiel 8:1-3, 12, 13
AND IN the sixth year [of the capitivity of King Jehoiachin], in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house [a captive of the Babylonians] with the elders of Judah sitting before me, the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me. Then I beheld, and lo, a likeness of a Man with the appearance of fire; from His waist downward He was like fire, and from His waist upward He had the appearance of brightness like gleaming bronze. And He put forth the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heavens and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the door of the inner [court] which faces toward the north, where was the seat of the idol (image) of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. Then said He to me, Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his [secret] chambers of [idol] pictures? For they say, The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land. He also said to me, Yet again you shall see greater abominations which they are committing.
'Men of God' provoking God to jealousy by worshipping 'idol pictures' 2500 years before internet porn. Nothing is new under the sun; and the battleground is still the human heart. I cannot tell you where God will find 144,000 people of untarnished virtue because you and I are not made of that quality of stuff: only by God's divine power and by the imparted righteousness of Christ can we hope to stand in His presence. This is a proper place for shame for our common depravity; we have abundant reason to be humble.
Dear God,
Who am I to point a finger at anyone? Forgive my iniquity and idolatry. My heart aches at the missions You could not send me on because of my secret sins and divided loyalties and false piety that made me unfit for service: continue burning off the dross until I am a suitable servant of Jesus Christ! Forge integrity, consistency, perseverance, humility, faithfulness, purity and charity in my heart and life and conscience until all of this is REALLY ME. I am totally dependent upon You do create goodness in me; may this life bring You pleasure and glory due to your handiwork.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
http://SaintJamesPoetry.blogspot.com
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
http://jamesezadventures.blogspot.com/
And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of great waters and like the rumbling of mighty thunder; the voice I heard [seemed like the music] of harpists accompanying themselves on their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne [of God] and before the four living creatures and before the elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin]. No one could learn [to sing] that song except the 144,000 who had been ransomed (purchased, redeemed) from the earth. These are they who have not defiled themselves by relations with women, for they are [pure as] virgins. These are they who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These are they who have been ransomed (purchased, redeemed) from among men as the first-fruits for God and the Lamb. No lie was found to be upon their lips, for they are blameless (spotless, untainted, without blemish) before the throne of God.
Where will God find 144,000 people of impeccable character and conduct? Will you find just one in the pew next to you? Can you see just one such person your own mirror?
Ezekiel 8:1-3, 12, 13
AND IN the sixth year [of the capitivity of King Jehoiachin], in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house [a captive of the Babylonians] with the elders of Judah sitting before me, the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me. Then I beheld, and lo, a likeness of a Man with the appearance of fire; from His waist downward He was like fire, and from His waist upward He had the appearance of brightness like gleaming bronze. And He put forth the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heavens and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the door of the inner [court] which faces toward the north, where was the seat of the idol (image) of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. Then said He to me, Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his [secret] chambers of [idol] pictures? For they say, The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land. He also said to me, Yet again you shall see greater abominations which they are committing.
'Men of God' provoking God to jealousy by worshipping 'idol pictures' 2500 years before internet porn. Nothing is new under the sun; and the battleground is still the human heart. I cannot tell you where God will find 144,000 people of untarnished virtue because you and I are not made of that quality of stuff: only by God's divine power and by the imparted righteousness of Christ can we hope to stand in His presence. This is a proper place for shame for our common depravity; we have abundant reason to be humble.
Dear God,
Who am I to point a finger at anyone? Forgive my iniquity and idolatry. My heart aches at the missions You could not send me on because of my secret sins and divided loyalties and false piety that made me unfit for service: continue burning off the dross until I am a suitable servant of Jesus Christ! Forge integrity, consistency, perseverance, humility, faithfulness, purity and charity in my heart and life and conscience until all of this is REALLY ME. I am totally dependent upon You do create goodness in me; may this life bring You pleasure and glory due to your handiwork.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
http://SaintJamesPoetry.blogspot.com
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
http://jamesezadventures.blogspot.com/
posted by James M. Dinsmore at 11:44 AM
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