Awake Out of Sleep ! CHRIST the KING+ Ever Reigns on High +

O Come, Let Us Adore HIM+ !

Advent Meditations for 2014

Photo courtesy of  www.pravoslavie.ru

Scriptures selected from the listings in the  Three-year Cycle of Readings, Year A, New American BIBLE; Scripture portions quoted from KJV courtesy of Biblegateway.com .

ROMANS 13:11 

And that, knowing the time, 

that now it is high time 

to awake out of sleep: 

for now is our salvation

nearer 

than when we believed.

[ A note from Sr. Judith Hannah  + + +  :   Not being Roman Catholic, I thought it odd that this passage was included in the readings for the year involved Romans 13. In pondering this before The LORD, I realized that HE+  is indeed speaking to His+ Body about the current season of humanity upon this earth. ]

May The LORD add His+ blessing to the reading of His+ Holy Word.  

Let me tell you WHO IS awake .... the 10 kings ( aka the 10 horns ) of Revelation 17:12 !

Yes, the enemy --- empowered by these 10 wicked beings --- is coming in like a flood.  

Yes, the days of Noah are upon us, but where is the Ark of Salvation going to be found during this flood?  

And yes again, this will be a WORLD-WIDE FLOOD of evil engulfing the globe. 

Salvation in Traditions ? 

Traditions will shatter with the first blast of persecution. They will cripple those whose security is based on traditions. Christmas traditions will not carry anyone through a beheading or the torture chamber. 

Awake out of sleep !  the Word says. 

Salvation in the Organized Religious Systems ?

Unfortunately, the organized religious systems have HISTORICALLY been in the forefront leading the persecution of followers of JESUS, turning traitor to extend its own life. 

They have done it in the past; they will do it in the future. Ichabod has long been stamped on these systems, easily identified by their ignoring, distortion, and avoidance of The Word of GOD  .... in practice .  

The Ichabod organizations include those 

• who never stand against abortion, 
• who tolerate same-sort marriages, 
• who promote women in the pulpit, and 
• whose elders "prudently" invest their funds in the Mammon-serving stock markets. 

Ichabod organizations are those who USE the Name of CHRIST, preach HIM+ on the street and across the air-waves, dissect, analyze, and study His+ Word in all the original languages. 

Yet, these same Ichabod religious systems --- knowing well the Word of GOD --- will not take a step towards non-resistance but rather honor the killing-machines of the uncivilized Western "civilization." 

And men loved to have it so ! 

Awake out of sleep !  the Word says.

From LUKE 21:28  

 And when these things begin to come to pass, 

then look up, 

and lift up your heads; 

your REDEPTION+ draweth nigh.

Yes, look up to JESUS+. Firmly fix yourself on HIM+. Firmly afix yourself onto His+ Cross. 

Finding Salvation in your house and land ?

Aha!  Do you think you own your "own" house and land? 

Better look at reality. 

Don't pay your taxes and you will discover the hidden truth about property ownership. 

If you cannot pay your property taxes because the money system fails OR you wisely refuse the mark of the beast ~  you will soon find out that certain agencies ( not "we the people") own ALL the land and property ! 

Owners are simply renters too,  ~ high-cost renters ~  renting their property from the tax collectors .... or rather, from agencies acting under higher agencies established years ago by those 10 kings in a well-oiled system.

And NO... you will not be able to pay your property tax in onions or chickens .

Awake out of Sleep, the WORD says !

But let us look up.  We cannot ~ we do not dare ~ look unto earthly men nor earthly religious organizations nor earthly civil systems for our security and Salvation. 

Yes, Eternity IS costly. It has cost Our REDEEMER+ His+ Life to bring it to us.  It will also cost us our lives, to obtain it. 

But, let us LOOK UP !  

JESUS told us, 

"There shall not an hair of your head perish ! "

O Precious REDEEMER+, WHO+ laid down Thy+ Head not only in a manger but also upon the Cross, we thank THEE+ for making a way out of the destruction of mankind for us. 

O Precious LAMB+ of GOD, slain from the foundation of the world, THOU+ didst come, knowing full well what awaited THEE+.  THOU+ knowest what awaits us ! 

We thank THEE+ for preparing us a place in Thy+ FATHER'S House.  

And by THY+ coming to be slain, THOU+ has made us Thine+ own brethren.

And by Thy+ coming to be slain, we can say, "Our FATHER WHO art in Heaven, " also. 

And by Thy+ coming to be slain, we live.

CHRIST The KING+ has descended from on High;

O COME, LET US ADORE HIM+  ! 

xxx

AWAKE, SLEEPER !

Ahh, spiritual sleep.  

Such sweet repose

instead of spiritual warfare...

a dangerous condition for all !

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If you sleep a spiritual sleep , you will join the ranks of several mentioned in Scripture, such as  the 5 un-wise virgins who were unprepared for the coming of the Bridegroom+.
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You also join the ranks of the disciples of CHRIST who would not fight their sorrow of heart nor weariness of body to stay awake and keep watch with Our LORD before HE+ entered into HIS+ Passion, HIS+ Sacrifice for us.

.~  ~  ~

Now, an aside: In ancient times, the bridegroom and his bride had entered a covenant, a betrothal, a contract involving BOTH parties, that they would be joined into one new unit.  This was a very serious contract. If the bride had played the harlot before the wedding day, she was supposed to be stoned.  If the bridegoom did the same with another woman, it was likely that the bride's parents would have stopped the contract.

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But if both parties did their part and were faithful, the covenant would be fulfilled. According to our Pastor's sermon on Sunday, in the Hebrew culture, the bridegroom was usually away from his birth home, building a house for his new bride and the family to come.

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The bride knew the "season" that he would be coming, but she and her wedding party did not know the exact hour. I believe it usually was at the fall of evening. She simply had to be prepared at all times for his arrival as the "day" drew nearer and nearer. Also, her bridesmaids had to be ready for whenever the bridegroom appeared.

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Usually, a spotter would be watching. He'd announce: "The bridegroom is coming! He's coming! "  Then came a flurry of excitement as the bridal party gathered their things, fixed their garments, trimmed their lamps to await the bridegroom's party at their doorstep. When the bridegroom arrived, they all moved in joyous procession lit by torches and lamps to the place prepared with the wedding canopy and feast established. 

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That is how it will be when Our Divine BRIDEGROOM+ comes for HIS+ Bride, the called-out ones, the sanctified ones, who have remained Virgins (undefiled by the world), prepared solely for HIM+ and HIS+ New Life. When we are spiritually sleeping we are in danger of missing the call that "the BRIDEGROOM+ cometh!"

~ ~ ~

A Cure for Spiritual Sleep

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How do you "cure" the condition of spiritual sleep ? [Assuming you love the LORD and have entered into the Covenant through Holy Baptism and Communion, you are then able to put this into practice.]

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Spiritual discipline awakens the soul. It becomes watchful, on a spiritual level.

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The first step is to submit the physical body to a spiritual life. 

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Flesh must become

subject to the Spirit.

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If you don't rule over the flesh,

your flesh will rule over you.  

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Thus, you must put into practice those things which will bring your flesh into submission:

>>> Make the flesh a wee bit uncomfortable. Walk in the cold or rain or snow, if you must, while you pray or recite Psalms or Scriptures. Do something. 

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>>> Pray outloud. Clean the atmosphere around you, as it were. Find a room... attic, cellar, or other place where your eye will not be tempted to think of temporal duties or things.

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>>> Change physical position.  Get on your knees with nothing to lean on. Stand. Walk. Make the sign of the cross as you mention HIS+ Name in your prayers. Raise your hands, your arms. Kneel as the knights did, on one knee, with their arm and fist across their body and heart, pledging their fidelity to their king.

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>>> Pray the Scriptures. Chant the Psalms with an easy one or two-note chant of your own making.

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.>>> Keep the 9, noon, and 3 o'clock prayer stations. Set an alarm to remind you. If you have children, call them into order at that time: stop your and their activities for a 5-minute prayer station.
It will teach them to honor The LORD, that HE+ comes before temporal activities... a valuable training! When they are old, they will not forsake your training.
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The Prayer Stations:  Recall the time of HIS+ crucifixion, for us. Recall how the world was darkened at the noontime hour. Recall HIS+ Words at 3 p.m.: FATHER, forgive them for they know not what they do. Give thanks, give thanks, give thanks... and repent of any sins The LORD brings to mind.
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[ Email me if you would like copies of the prayer stations we use here. They are Scriptural in nature, recalling what happened at those 3 hours. We also have worship Scriptures from Revelation. To do these stations takes less than 5 minutes, but they become anchors for your day, recalling you to CHRIST'S side every 3 hours. ]

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>>> Set aside the 6 p.m. hour for prayer and meditation with HIM+.

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>>>> Relate to all through CHRIST JESUS our LORD. Do not allow carnal nor simply "natural" interactions with others. Be pleasant, but redeem the time with your attitudes and words. Pray even as you interact with them.  

>>> Do what you can and HE+ will meet you there.

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Awake, Sleeper!

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