Floodgates of Heaven Devotions: Innocent Ignorance, or Deliberate Denial?

Today’s Reading: 2 Chron. 23-24, John 15

Today’s Reflection: John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.

“…but now they have no cloke for their sin.” The word cloke in the Greek dictionary literally means “an outward showing”, like that of pretense, or like that of putting on a show. It carries with it the idea of a hypocrite, also known as an actor.

Many actors “pretend” to be something or someone they are not, by wearing a disguise or a costume. In fact, Webster defined the word cloke as “a cover; that which conceals; a disguise or pretext; an excuse; a fair pretense.”

Thus, we understand that the word cloke is deeper than just simply a covering; it is a covering with the intent of deceiving. I’m sure you’ve heard this expression before, “They must have something to hide!” This is the idea behind this word cloke that Jesus uses!

It’s important to understand this, or you might be tempted to THINK that before Christ preached truth to them, that they were innocently ignorant of their sin. But the truth of the matter is, they already knew that they had sin, or they would have had no need for their cloke of pretense.

The very fact that they even have a cloke to start with proves that they were not innocently ignorant, but rather that they were in deliberate denial of their sins.

So, what Jesus did was simply expose them for who they really were, so that they could no longer hide behind their masks. What had previously convinced others of their alleged spiritual superiority was completely stripped from their hands so that they could no longer act as if they were not living in sin.

And so goes a true prophet of God; he will preach truths that strip people of their unrighteous coverings. He will simply proclaim from the roof tops what God has revealed to him through the Word of God.

And when the prophet preaches what he sees, it is usually what his audience is previously blinded to, sometimes by ignorance, but more times than not, by denial and false pretense.

This explains why so many religious circles literally hate to be exposed for any hypocrisy in their camps; no one wants to be exposed!

But dear reader, if we are to have a REAL walk with God, then we are going to HAVE to come into agreement with God about our fig-leaf religion which has only pushed us further from God because of its deception. May God help us all to embrace TRUTH!

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Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 156 of 365

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