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823. Bible Study: Ezekiel 1 (Ezekiel's Vision) · Faith by annm2705

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We are starting a new book today, The Book of Ezekiel from
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the Bible and starting with chapter 1.
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And this time I actually have an additional resource besides the
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study Bible that I have and I'm reading simultaneously with the
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chapters that we're covering this new book that was released
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by Amir Sarfati called Exploring Ezekiel, and I highly recommend
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it. You can buy it on Amazon or
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probably through Behold Israel is his website.
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But Amir is spelled AM, IR Sarfati is TSARFATI.
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And this book about Ezekiel, here's his caption from it.
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The next big war, Earth's final days, and your eternal
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destination. So this is really going to be an
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interesting book to get through. And I'm just going to take it
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chapter by chapter as I've done before.
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And let's get started. First, let's pray, Dear Lord,
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please be with us as we read through this chapter.
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Give us wisdom and insight and understanding.
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We ask this in Jesus name, Amen. So let's get started here.
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In my 30th year, in the fourth month, on the 5th day, while I
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was among the Exiles by the Kibar River, the heavens were
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opened and I saw visions of God. Now there's some things that I
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don't really have to add. Actually, there's a little bit
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more. Let's continue verse 2 on the
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5th of the month, it was the fifth year of the exile of King
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Jehoiachin. The word of the Lord came to
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Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kibar River in the
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land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the Lord was
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on him. So there's some things that I
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this is what I so appreciate things that Amir shares and I do
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think it's very worth it to get the book.
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Like I said, I just started reading it, but it's very, very
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good so far. Just the things, the commentary
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that he says it's easy to read, not, you know, like in a very
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conversational type book. So the one thing that when we
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get into this, there's going to be a lot of strange imagery
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that's talked about. And I love that Amir, you know,
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immediately says this vision is not an allegory and that that is
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important for us to keep in mind.
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And and then it's not a myth. And Ezekiel ties his visions and
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events to specific days in history.
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And so I think what I'll do is I'm going to just read a few
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paragraphs from Amir's book because he says it's so much
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better than I could. So the 4th month was Tammuz,
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which was the Babylonian name given to honor the Mesopotamian
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God of fertility. The Hebrews called it Nissan.
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The 30th year most likely was referring to Ezekiel, marking
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the age when one in the priestly line could begin his service.
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Now see, that's something that I wouldn't know.
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And I think Amir is from Israel. So he is he can add so much
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light to the Old Testament and understanding what Jewish,
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Jewish culture holds. And I think that is just so
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important when we read the Bible is to have that perspective.
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So that's another reason why I highly recommend his books.
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Plus he is a man of God. Great speaker too.
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If you're not following him, he's on Telegram.
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If you want to keep up to date on world events that are
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happening and how they relate to the Bible.
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He's also on YouTube. It's called Behold Israel is the
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name of his website and I think his YouTube account and also,
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well, Telegram is his name, but he has a lot of pretend follow.
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Well, he has a lot of fake accounts that use his name, but
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he has probably the last time I looked, I guess over 600,000
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followers. So if you follow him on
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Telegram, if you want to stay up to date with probably a lot of
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what this book is going to be about, he'll be featuring on
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that Telegram channel as it unfolds.
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Anyway, getting back to Ezekiel, so he the 30th year, most likely
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referring to Ezekiel marking the age when one in the priestly
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line would begin his service. See, that is something only
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someone from from Israel would know.
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Knowing Knowing that, we would need a more definite temporal
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anchor than his personal timeline.
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Ezekiel also told his readers that it was the fifth year of
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King Jehoiachin's captivity. That was a date that every
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Israelite could place. King Jehoiachin, also known in
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the Bible in some Bible translations as Kunaya, was the
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second to last monarch of Israel, grandson to the last
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good King Josiah, and son of Jehoiah Kim.
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He came to power after his father rebelled against
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Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar was the king of
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Babylon. Some translations have
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Jehoiachin at age 8 and some at 18 when he ascended to the
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throne. Most likely the latter is true
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because three months later, when Nebuchadnezzar exiled him to
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Babylon, he brought with him his mother and his wives, among
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others. As we mentioned earlier, this
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was the same exile that took Ezekiel and 10,000 others to
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Babylon, the Last King in the Davidic line.
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Jehovah's godless legacy is one that fits the history of the
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Jewish people of this failed monarch.
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Jeremiah wrote thus says the Lord, write this man down as
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childless, a man who shall not prosper in his days, for none of
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his descendants shall prosper sitting on the throne of David
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and ruling anymore in Judah. So Jeremiah who was a prophet
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also, I'm adding to this now. Jeremiah who was a prophet also,
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he, his prophecy came true. Again, this when prophecies come
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true and they come to fruition. This just shows us that the
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Bible is real, the Bible is true, prophecy is true.
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And we can look at this book of Ezekiel as another.
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It is a prophetic book and that these things will come to pass
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someday when it gets into the prophecy.
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This part is not necessarily about prophecy, so I just have a
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little bit more to read. Again, most Israelites would
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recognize the fifth year of Jehoiachin's reign.
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However, that particular event doesn't show up on most of our
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wall calendars today, so let's interpret it.
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Let's interpret up placing the date as July 31st, 593 BCA real
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day on a real timeline. So that is some insight from
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Amir and another thing that he mentions in his book.
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What you are about to read has had theologians puzzled and
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confounded for 2 1/2 millennia. And we he reminds us that the
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imagery that we see was not the purpose of this vision that
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Ezekiel has. It wasn't to understand what he
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was seeing, but the purpose was to give Ezekiel A commissioning
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to for God to tell Ezekiel what he wanted him to do.
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So it was different than the book of Daniel, which we just
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read. This is what Amir says.
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To Daniel, God wanted to give insight into the future.
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To Ezekiel, God wanted to give a glimpse of himself.
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So let's get started back to the book, the Bible.
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I looked and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north, an
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immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by
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brilliant light. The center of the fire looked
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like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like 4
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living creatures in appearance. Their form was human, but each
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of them had four faces and four wings.
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Their legs were straight. Their feet were like those of a
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calf and gleamed like burnished bronze under their wings.
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On their four sides they had human hands.
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All four of them had faces and wings, and the wings of one
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touched the wings of the other. Each one went straight ahead.
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They did it. They did not turn as they moved.
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Their faces looked like this. Each of the four had the face of
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a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a
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lion, and on the left side of an ox each also had a face of an
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eagle. Such were their faces.
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They each had two wings spread, spreading out upward, each wing
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touching that of the creature on the other side, and each had two
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wings covering its body. Each one went straight ahead.
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Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning
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as they went. The appearance of the living
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creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches.
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Fire moved back and forth among the creatures.
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It was bright and lightning flashed out of it.
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The creatures speed back and forth like flashes of lightning.
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As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the
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ground beside each creature with its four faces.
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This was the appearance and structure of the wheels.
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They sparkled like Topaz, and all four looked alike.
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Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel as
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they moved. They would go in any one of the
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four directions. The creature's face.
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The wheels did not change directions as the creatures
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went. Their rims were high and
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awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.
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When the creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved, and
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when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also
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rose. Wherever the spirit would go,
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they would go, and the wheels would arise along with them.
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Because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels,
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when the creatures moved, they also moved.
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When the creatures stood still, they also stood still.
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And when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels along
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with them, because the spirit of the living living creatures was
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in the wheels. Spread out above the heads of
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the living creatures was what looked something like a vault,
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sparkling like crystal and awesome.
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Under the vault, their wings were stretched out, one toward
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the other, and each had two wings covering its body.
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When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings,
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like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty,
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like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they
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lowered their wings. Then there came a voice from
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above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings
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above the vault. Vault over their heads was what
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looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the
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throne was a figure like that of a man.
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I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like
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glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from down there
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down he looked like fire and brilliant light surrounded him.
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Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so
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was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the
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likeness of the glory of the Lord.
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When I saw it, I fell face down and I heard the voice of one
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speaking. That's the end of chapter 1.
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So this entire description that Ezekiel went through is
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something that is also was also seen by John in the Book of
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Revelation. And Ezekiel himself shares
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another vision that even elaborates more in chapter 10.
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He calls them cherubim. Ezekiel 10 verse 14.
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Each of the cherubim had four faces.
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One face was that of of a cherub, the second the face of a
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human being, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the
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face of an eagle. And he also, he, he says then
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the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures
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I had seen by the Kibar River. So he sees them a second time in
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chapter 10. He talks about these creatures
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that he saw. Now what's similar is what John
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saw in the Book of Revelation that he documented in two
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chapters, Revelation 4 and Revelation 14.
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So in chapter 4 verse 6 of Revelation, John says also in
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front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of of
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glass crystal clears crystal. In the center around the throne
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were four living creatures. They were covered with eyes in
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front and in back. The first living creature was
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like a lion. Remember this, the the ones that
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Ezekiel saw had these four different faces.
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It says the first living creature was like a lion, the
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second was like an ox. The third had a face of a man.
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The 4th was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living
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creatures had 6 wings and was covered with eyes all around.
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Even under its wings, day and night, they'd never stop saying
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Holy, holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is
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to come whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and
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thanks to Him who sits on the throne.
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Whenever the creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him
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who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever.
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The 24 elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and
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worship him who lives forever and ever.
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They lay their crowns before the throne and say you are worthy
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our Lord and God to receive glory and honor and power.
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For you created all things, and by your will they were created
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and have their being. Then in Revelation chapter 14,
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it says that it talks about them again.
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This is this is about the 144,000.
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So Revelation 14 verse 3 and they sang a new song.
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These are the 144,000 before the throne and before the four
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living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song
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except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
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So that's a whole nother story. But these are several different
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visions of the throne of God where these same things are
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seen. And it's interesting in the
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Bible how, you know, God established that the testimony
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of two witnesses is required for something to be truth.
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So God in his, you know, design of law and order, he actually
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has two witnesses, Ezekiel and John, who share the same thing.
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Now, one other thing that these cherubim are also angels.
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They are a certain type of angels.
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And as I've appreciated that Amir said this because in if you
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have been listening to the podcast, there was some
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speculation that I gave about them being angels.
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And we know that there are some good angels and there are some
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what we call fallen angels or angels who rebelled against God.
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So here's another a sample from Amir's book.
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What Ezekiel and later John saw surrounding the throne of God
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were angels. However, they were very
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different than the cute little diapered Valentine cherubs who
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live on Hallmark cards. Aren't angels supposed to be
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beautiful and ethereal rather than cow faced or eagle beaked?
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Sometimes they are almost our most infamous among the cherubim
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is Lucifer, of whom the Lord said through Ezekiel.
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So we'll read about this in the future.
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You were the perfect seal, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
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You were the anointed cherub who covers I established you.
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You were on the holy mountain of God.
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You walked back and forth in the midst of the fiery stones.
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You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created
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till iniquity was found in you. Your heart was lifted up because
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of your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for
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the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground.
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I laid you before the kings that they might gaze at you.
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And that will be found in Ezekiel chapter 28 verses 1214
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through 15 and 17. So we do know that, you know,
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Lucifer rebelled against God. He wasn't satisfied with who God
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created him to be and he wanted to be more.
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He wanted to be a God, which brings about the speculation
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that I had in a prior chapter, which I think it's just
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interesting to contemplate and the reality.
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I mean this, this also to me, this also a comes to the
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authenticity of the Bible. So go back in ancient time, in
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ancient history in Mesopotamia, in Egypt, in all of these other
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countries, the ancient countries and look at the gods that they
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worshipped. And you will notice, you will
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see like a God with an eagle head, You will see gods with
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wings. You will see a bull God like I
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think Molech was that where they sacrificed children to that God
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and they they aren't gods. The point is.
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But here's what I believe. This is a theory and it just
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seems like it's affirmed in so many different ways
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archaeologically, when we find artifacts, when the world finds,
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discovers artifacts from ancient times and they see these
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depictions. I don't think these depictions
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were myths that people made-up. I think these people, they
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weren't, I don't think they were dumb people back then.
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I think that they, they were, you know, I don't think they
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were ignorant, stupid, whatever you want to call it.
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I, I don't think they were like Stone Age type people.
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I think they were intelligent people, as intelligent as we
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are. And they literally saw things
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like Ezekiel saw these, you know, he is having this reaction
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to this vision that he's like falling down on the ground like,
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Oh my Lord, what is this? Could you imagine if you had
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this vision, if you were out in the woods somewhere or out by a
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river somewhere and all of a sudden you are, I don't know, I
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guess he was with other people here, but all of a sudden you
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saw these things. I mean, it would be kind of
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terrifying or maybe peaceful, depending on if you, the spirit,
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the spirit that was behind it. And so Ezekiel saw this.
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I think other people in ancient history saw these things too.
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And that's how they, they called them gods because that's what
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they saw. That's the only thing they saw.
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That's what they thought God was.
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And then they started worshipping it.
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But I think these were actually the fallen angels who wanted to
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be worshipped like God. And so all these different old
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ancient religions that were established that worship these
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entities are beings other than the true God himself.
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They're actually worshipping fallen angels and don't even
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know it. The angels seem to have a way
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about coming to people with quote new revelations that take
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away Jesus out of the picture because Jesus is essential for
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salvation. So Jesus is the way, the truth
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and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through
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him. So and then Jesus gives us the
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Holy Spirit and in order to inherit the Kingdom of God, we
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need the Holy Spirit. So these fallen angels don't
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want us to share in God's Kingdom.
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They don't want us to inherit the Kingdom of God.
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So what do they have to do to make that not happen?
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They have to make people take Jesus out of the picture.
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Keep doing your religion, but take Jesus out and don't talk
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about the Holy Spirit because it's so critical and crucial for
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us to have to be in the Kingdom of God.
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So I really think this is kind of like eye opening information
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and look it up yourself. Look at all these different
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ancient gods that the Egyptians worshipped that you know,
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Babylon, Mesopotamia and the the gods of the you know, the small
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G gods, which I believe are fallen angels that the Bible
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talks about, and they could be other beings.
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Maybe they aren't fallen angels, but you know, there are some
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that you know, the bull face. I mean it just and then you have
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a human also, which could be, you know, cursor for the
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Antichrist, the lawless one. But these are some created
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beings that God created that want to be a God that came and
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manifested and were seen by human beings.
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So very interesting stuff. And this book, you know, it has
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a has a lot in it. It's a great book to read.
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So I will wrap this up today. Don't want to make it too long.
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This is probably my shortest one in a while, but I hope if you,
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if you want to get closer to God, it says faith comes by
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hearing the word and hearing the word about the gospel message
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about God's Kingdom, when we hear about God's Kingdom and
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that his intention is for us to be there.
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That's why I am reading a chapter a day every day and
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doing this podcast. Hopefully someone else will
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listen to it as well. And if you want to be on the
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same path and start the new year, right, we're just a few
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days into the new year. Subscribe to the podcast and
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come back and listen to it when you can.
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I know a lot of them tend to be long.
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So whenever you get the chance to do it, it's great for drive
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time or maybe even walking because walking is a good thing
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to do to get some exercise. So maybe you can get a lot of
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exercise and listen to one of these podcasts.
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Anyway, I hope your year is starting out well and that you
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subscribe and that you come back and that you share this with
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other people because ultimately we all are here.
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Anybody who's studying the Bible, we all want people to
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enter the Kingdom of God because that's God's will.