Signs Of Heaven

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Castor and Pollux & The Mystery Ship of Scripture

By admin On December 25th, 2011

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“And after three months we departed

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in a ship of Alexandria,

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which had wintered in the isle,

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whose sign was Castor and Pollux.”

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Acts 28:11

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THIS PAGE IS DIVIDED INTO TWO MAIN SUBJECTS:

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1. THE APOSTASY AND DIVISION OF TODAY’S CHURCH-WORLD

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2. THE DISCUSSION OF CASTOR AND POLLUX

& HOW THESE TWO STARS RELATE TO THE CHURCH

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PAUL’S JOURNEY ON TWO SHIPS…

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Acts Chapters 27 & 28 is the account of Paul’s journey to his own Judgment Day…in Rome. Acts 27 is greatly concerned with the first ship and with that terrible storm, Euroclydon. Paul warned all those on board, that if they all should abide in the ship, then not one soul would be lost. And so they all abode in the ship, just as Paul commanded.

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paul in a storm acts 27-21 www.breadsite.org public domain

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THEY LEFT THE BROKEN SHIP

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But finally, upon reaching land, the ship broke up by the impact of the crashing waves, and all had to abandon the ship and swim to shore. And so they all jumped into the water and some swam, and those who couldn’t swim, clung to pieces of the ship and floated to shore… 

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“they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land:” Acts 27:43, 44 

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Paul Shipwrecked – Acts 27:41-44 – www.lavistachurchofchrist.org – Public Domain

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WHAT DOES HENRY SAY?

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And sure enough, not one soul was lost! Listen to that great theologian, Matthew Henry… “When the church of God, like this ship, is tossed with tempests, and not comforted, when there is none to guide her of all her sons, yet God can bring her safely to shore, and will do it.” 

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Notice that Henry compares this ship to the Church of God. Matthew Henry speaks of this entire Acts Ch. 27 in spiritual terms, relating Paul’s journey to the many pitfalls and tribulations that God’s people must go through on our journey through this world.

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Well, Matthew Henry wasn’t the only student of Scripture who saw this story in spiritual terms. As a matter of fact, there are many who see this story, as the prophetic history of the New Testament Church. That is, this story appears to be a prophecy concerning the Church through the past two thousand years, all the way up to Judgment Day, using Paul’s judgment to represent the great Judgment Day which may soon burst forth upon the world.

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MatthewHenry Wikipedia Public Domain

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“THE DAWNING OF THE DAY”

Joshua 6:15

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“I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in Thy Word.” Psalm 119:147. This Psalm, and many other verses in Scripture speak of the “dawning of the day”. 

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Now, just as Henry says above, the ship (the churches and the Church-Elect) made it safely to land. Well almost! Actually the ship broke up in the waters just a little way from land. But Henry’s point was that the ship went through. And so, just prior to the ship breaking up, the Bible says… “And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat,” Acts 27:33.

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FOR THE PAST DECADES

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Many Christians have been faithfully searching the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, in attempt to know everything possible about Jesus Christ and His Salvation plan. And for decades now, God has been feeding His sheep with an abundance of spiritual meat, via faithful Christian ministries. Even world-wide radio stations have been trumpeting this message around the world.

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Chaplain reads Bible – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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DAWN HAS COME

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But the point to this observation concerning the “the dawning of the day” is this: Christ has not yet made a literal appearance, as He will undoubtedly do. But just prior to His literal Return, He will arise in the hearts of His faithful children.

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Peter speaks of this event in the following language… “until the day dawn, and the Day Star arise in your hearts:” 2nd Peter 1:19.

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Malachi speaks of this event in similar language… “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven…But unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings” Malachi 4:1, 2.

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Sunrise from Burrow Mump, Burrowbridge, Somerset – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

 

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NO MORE TIME TO WASTE

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So the bottom line is this. We are now at the time known as “the dawning of t he day“. Christ is just now arising as the Sun of Righteousness. He is rising as the Day-Star in our hearts.

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And seeing that we have arrived at such a momentous and fearful hour, we need to take heed to Paul’s admonition…  “And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat,” Acts 27:33.

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Yes, if ever there was a time to be taking a good healthy portion of spiritual meat (the Bible), it is now! If ever there was a time to become totally focused on our Salvation, it is now!  

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For more on this subject please read “Castor and Pollux (Part 2: The Return of Christ & The Dawning of the Day)” or you can also read… “The Crown of Revelation 12: What Is “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble”?”

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – public domain

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“GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL”

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“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matt.” 16:18

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Now, at this poi nt, many will undoubtedly object crying (as this above verse points out), “the gates of Hell will not prevail against God’s Church!” But in many passages, the Lord points out that there are two Jerusalems, which represent the two portions of God’s house: the “Jerusalem above” (that is, the Church-Faithful) and the “Jerusalem now in bondage” (the Church-Apostate) (see Galatians 4:22-31).

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Now while the gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church-Faithful (picture lower right), this statement cannot be made concerning the Church-Apostate (picture left). And so, the local congregations were to be vacated by God’s Elect, as is written… “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:4.

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NO ETERNAL SECURITY FOR CHURCHES 

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And don’t forget! There is a big difference between the “Church” and the “churches”. Remember that Revelation, Ch.’s 2 & 3, gave very little security to those 7 churches.

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Listen… “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

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And what about this… “I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.”  

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Or this… “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth.”  Revelation 2:4, 5 & Revelation 3:1, 16.

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So no congregation nor even any denomination was guaranteed an eternal security with God. Congregations were totally on a probationary basis. Their connection to God totally depended on their remaining faithful to obedience to the Bible.

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Now granted, the verses presented here give a lot to try to comprehend. But as the Reader reads this and other articles, there will be much explained in detail.

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Francken Hieronymus the Younger – Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins – c 1616-wikipedia-pub_-dom_

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THE CHURCH BROKEN UP…

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But the ship finally broke up, just prior to striking land. But what does this story have to do with Salvation? And how does all this relate to the Church of God?

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Listen to what Paul says about the Church in the last days… “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2nd Timothy 4:3, 4.

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Incredible! Just think! The Bible predicted that the day was to come, in which the churches would no longer endure sound doctrine, but began to clamor for “itching-ears” gospels. And notice it says they would “heap to themselves teachers…”. Like never before, Christians have heaped to ourselves teachers. There were so many ministries: on radio, on TV, on Internet. And many of these had programs designed for those “itching ears” which Paul mentioned in 2nd Timothy: so-called “Christian entertainment”, joking, sensual music, popular & stylish church services, energy-exhausting careers, exotic theories on Bible prophecy, “get rich”gospels, picking-n-choosing pet Bible verses, etc…

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ITCHING EARS GOSPELS

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Did we reach the day when Paul’s prophecy became true? There are many who believe we did reach that day. Many were frustrated with the condition of the churches. And they felt that the “itching ears gospels” which Paul foretold would come, and did finally come.

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Many frustrated Believers complained that they have wandered from house to house, seeking sound doctrine, only to find worldly-mindedness and self-seeking in every gathering. To a great degree, it seemed to many, that the churches had devolved, to a great extent, into sort of a “once-a-week Band-Aid”: many of the parishioners came, in the vain attempt to absolve themselves of their sin, so that they might return back to serving the world, with all its selfish pursuits, for the next six days of each week.

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And so life for many of us in the Church became a revolving door: one day attempting to get right with God, followed by six days of serving our other gods. And the next week was just the same. and the next, and the next, etc…. 

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Evangelist Preaching – Church – Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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THE SINS OF SODOM

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And if there did happen to be a gathering striving to remain Biblical, it was often fraught with the “leaven of the Pharisees” (see Matthew 16:11, 12). And other “conservative” congregations catered to “miracles”. Still others encouraged luxurious lifestyles, either from the pulpit or from the bad example of their own personal excessive lifestyle. This had been the complaint of many concerning the various churches. 

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Women Walking at Sunset – Wikimedia – Creative Commons License

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SODOM-LIKE AFFLUENCE

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Instead of encouraging simplicity and self-denial for our children, many of these so-called conservative gospels encouraged our young to seek after high-priced educations, encouraging the affluent lifestyles which usually resulted: the very affluence which led the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah down, down, into eventual destruction!

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Listen… “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” Ezekiel 16:49.

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“Pride, fulness of bread” are the first sins that God mentions in connection with the sins of Sodom. And because Sodom was an extremely fertile tropical paradise, it was no doubt a very wealthy city. And because great wealth often results in all sorts of mischief, then it can be seen that Sodom’s wealth played an integral part in her own ultimate destruction.

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New York Times Square – terabass – Wikipedia – Share-alike License

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GOD WARNED AGAINST EXCESS…

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Listen… “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.” 1st Timothy 6:9. How could those of us who claimed to love and revere the Bible, simply have ignored such passages as this?

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Or what about this… “Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate.” Romans 12:16. Did we Christians condescend to people of low-estate?

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