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Welcome to The Word for Today.

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The Word for Today is a continuous study

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of the Bible taught by Pastor Chuck Smith

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of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California.

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Pastor Chuck is currently teaching from the Old

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Testament.

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And for those of you following along in

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your Bibles, we'll be continuing today in Isaiah

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chapter 9, beginning with verse 1, as we

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continue with an in-depth study.

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And now with today's study, here's Pastor Chuck.

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When at the first he lightly afflicted the

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land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

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and afterward did more grievously afflict her by

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the way of the sea beyond the Jordan

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and in the Galilee of the nations.

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Now God sort of gave them a warning.

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They went through some difficult times, times of

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real hardship and difficulty, but they failed to

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repent.

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They failed to turn to God, and thus

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God then dealt with them in a more

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severe way.

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God is merciful even in judgment, and God

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always gives to us the opportunity to repent.

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And sometimes He allows things to happen which

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are bad, which are only a foretaste of

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the worst things that will happen if we

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do not repent and turn.

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They are sort of just warnings of God

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to turn from your wickedness.

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Now I have often said that there are

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important lessons that we need to learn, and

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God intends that we learn these lessons because

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they are important to our own welfare.

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We have to know these things, just like

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there are certain things that your children need

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to know, important lessons they need to learn.

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Now there are many important things that we

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need to learn because our lives depend on

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it, and God is determined that we're going

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to learn.

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And as He is training us, maybe in

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the beginning it's just sort of a light

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reprimand in hopes that we will use good

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judgment and we'll see the danger and the

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folly of it.

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But if we persist as did the nation

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of Israel, then God becomes stronger and stronger

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in the methods that He uses to teach

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those important lessons.

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And so their affliction was rather light at

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the first, but it was a foreshadowing of

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that which was to come if they did

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not change.

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God has important lessons that you need to

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know that you must learn, and if you

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don't learn the easy way, you'll learn the

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hard way.

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For there is always an easy way and

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a hard way to learn things.

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And if we are stubborn, then we'll learn

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the hard way.

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And a lot of times people say, oh,

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why did God ever allow this to happen

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to me, you know?

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And oh, well, you just didn't learn, friend.

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You know, you needed to know, but you

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wouldn't listen.

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So you can make up your mind to

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learn the easy way or you can learn

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the hard way.

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It's up to you.

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They're going to experience this dimness.

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Not as bad when God first began to

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vex them.

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That was just slight.

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It's going to get worse until it will

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be complete darkness.

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The dimness will turn to darkness.

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But then out of that darkness, those people

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sitting in darkness, having been taken captive by

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the Assyrians, the people that walked in darkness

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have seen a great light.

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They that dwell in the land of the

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shadow of death, upon them hath the light

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shined.

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God, it seems, just never gives up.

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He continues to pursue.

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Even when we've turned our backs upon Him,

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even when we've gone into captivity, God continues

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to pursue.

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And they now sitting in this darkness, God

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brought to them a glorious light.

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The people who were walking in darkness have

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seen a great light and we know that

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that light is this child that was to

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be born.

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The sign of the virgin that would conceive

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and bear a child is the great light

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that is promised.

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They that dwell in the land of the

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shadow of death, this land had now been

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forsaken.

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It was empty.

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The villages were destroyed and the land was

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desolate, the land of Zeppelin and Naphtali.

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The Lord declares, you have multiplied the nation

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and increased the joy.

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The word not is, should be omitted from

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the translation.

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The joy before thee according to the joy

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and harvest, and as men rejoice when they

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divide the spoil.

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The day is coming.

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Those that are sitting in darkness are going

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to see the great light.

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It will be a day of tremendous joy.

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God will multiply the nation.

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He will increase their joy.

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It will be the same joy that they

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have at harvest time.

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As men rejoice when they've won a victory

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and are dividing the spoils of war.

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Because you have broken the yoke of his

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burden and the staff of his shoulder, the

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rod of the oppressor as in the days

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of Midian, the Midianites who were defeated by

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Gideon and actually defeated by the Lord.

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Gideon was the human instrument.

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And so will Assyria be broken, even as

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Midian was broken.

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For every battle of the warrior is with

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confused noise and the garments are rolled in

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blood.

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But this shall be with a burning and

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the fuel of fire.

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And this will all take place when unto

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us a child is born.

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Unto us a son is given and the

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government shall be upon his shoulder.

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So here we have now a further prophecy

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of the Messiah in 714.

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Behold, the Lord himself will give you a

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sign for a virgin will conceive and bear

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a son shall call his name Emmanuel, which

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being interpreted is God with us.

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Now we are given a little more information

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concerning this child.

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Unto us a child is born.

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He is the one that will bring light,

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bring light to the people.

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John said in the beginning was the word.

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The word was with God.

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The word was God.

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The same was in the beginning with God

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and all things were made by him.

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Without him was not anything made that was

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made and in him was life and the

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life was the light of men.

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This is the true light that shineth unto

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every man.

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Jesus said, I am the light of the

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world.

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He that abideth in me shall not walk

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in darkness, but shall have the light of

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life.

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And so those sitting in darkness have seen

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the great light, the nation of Israel in

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his darkness to them, the light did shine

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the glorious light of the gospel of Jesus

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Christ.

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The good news, the Messiah has come unto

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us.

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A child is born there on that special

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night in Bethlehem.

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We read in Luke's gospel that she brought

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forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in

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swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger

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because there was no room in the end.

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A child is born, but he's a special

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child.

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He is born of a virgin, but more

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than that, this child that was born in

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Bethlehem of the virgin Mary is the son

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of God.

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As the angel said to Mary, when he

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announced to her that she was highly favored

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of the Lord because she was to be

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the earthly instrument through which God would bring

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his son into the world, he said to

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her, he shall be great and shall sit

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upon the throne of his father, David, and

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spoke of the glorious government and the peace.

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So this child that is born is a

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son that is given.

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And the words of Jesus to Nicodemus, God

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so loved the world, he gave his only

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begotten son.

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And throughout the gospel of John, over and

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over, Jesus affirms that I did not come

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to do my own will, but the will

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of him who sent me.

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And he spoke of God as his father

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until finally they took up stones to kill

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him.

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And he said, I've done a lot of

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good works.

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For which of the good works are you

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stoning me?

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And they said, we're not stoning you because

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of the good works.

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We're stoning you because you being a man

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are constantly insisting that you are the son

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of God.

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And as you go through the gospel of

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John, you find that their charge is correct.

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He was constantly affirming that he was the

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son of God.

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Unto us a son is given.

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God gave his son.

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Now Isaiah here talks of the future glory

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of his son.

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Now the Bible tells us that the prophets

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in the Old Testament wrote of things that

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they did not fully understand.

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They desired really to know more completely the

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plan of God.

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And they were confused many times by the

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things they wrote.

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Because at times it seemed that they were

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writing things that were contradictory.

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And here Isaiah in speaking about this son

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that will be given speaks about the glorious

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reign, the eternal reign of this son.

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How the government will be upon his shoulder.

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At the increase of his government and peace,

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there shall be no end sitting upon the

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throne of David and upon his kingdom ordering

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it in justice or righteousness and judgment from

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henceforth, even forever.

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But later on in chapter 53, Isaiah tells

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us concerning this son that he will be

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despised and rejected by man.

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He will be a man of sorrow and

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acquainted with griefs.

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He will be put to death and in

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his death he will be put to death

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between thieves, transgressors.

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And he goes on to tell us though

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that his death is for us.

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That God laid on him the iniquities of

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us all.

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He was bruised for our transgressions, wounded for

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our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities.

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And God cries out for my people.

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He is afflicted.

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And so it seems to be totally contradictory,

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put to death, despised and rejected, and yet

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reigning forever a king.

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We find that in the first coming, the

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prophecies of the latter part of chapter 52

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and 53 were fulfilled.

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Jesus was crucified.

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He was despised and rejected.

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He was a man of sorrow and acquainted

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with grief.

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He was put to death, numbered with the

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transgressors in his death.

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The only way by which he can possibly

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fulfill the other prophecies is by coming again,

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empowering glory.

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And that's exactly what he told his disciples

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he was going to do.

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As he was getting ready to be put

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to death to fulfill those first part of

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the prophecies, as he was ready to be

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despised and rejected and hanged on a cross

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the night before, gathered with his disciples, he

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said, Let not your heart be troubled.

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You believe in God.

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Now believe also in me.

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For in my Father's house there are many

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abiding places.

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And if it were not so, I would

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have told you, and I'm going to prepare

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a place for you.

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And if I go and prepare a place

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for you, then I am going to come

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again and receive you unto myself, that where

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I am, there you may be also.

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And he spoke words of comfort, promising to

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come again.

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And he told his disciples earlier as they

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were saying, Lord, what will be the sign

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of your coming and the end of this

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age?

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And he said unto them, when giving them

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the signs, the great tribulation.

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But immediately after the tribulation of those days

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shall they see the sign of the Son

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of Man coming in the clouds with great

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glory.

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And so this particular portion of the prophecy,

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as Isaiah at this point, speaking about God

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giving his son, jumps over the first coming

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and goes to the second coming, the coming

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of Christ in power and glory.

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And you can only understand the prophecies concerning

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Christ when you see it in the aspect

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of his first coming and in his second

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coming.

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He came first to be an offering for

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sin, to provide for God a way by

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which he might forgive you your sins.

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By his taking your guilt and your sin

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and dying in your place, providing for God

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a righteous basis for the forgiveness of your

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sins.

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But he's coming again, not as a child,

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but as a reigning king to establish God's

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kingdom upon the earth, reigning over the earth.

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And thus the other prophecies of which the

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Old Testament is also filled, will come to

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pass when Jesus reigns as king over the

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earth.

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And so here the child is born, the

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son is given, jumping though the aspects of

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his first coming.

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His name will be called Wonderful Counselor.

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The word wonderful could also be translated and

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is translated in some of the translations, Marvelous

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Counselor.

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That is, as a leader, he will exercise

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tremendous wisdom.

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His ways are right.

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As a reigning monarch, he will be a

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wonderful counselor, for he is the mighty God.

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Now the mighty God is used again in

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the next chapter, and it can refer there

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only to God.

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The remnant shall return even the remnant of

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Jacob unto the mighty God.

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And so here that same title is given

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to Jesus, for Jesus is God.

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In the beginning was the word, the word

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was with God, the word was God, Jesus

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is God.

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And so his name will be called the

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Mighty God, the Everlasting Father.

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Now, another translation of this and more literal

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is the Father Eternal.

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And it speaks of the nature of Jesus

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as a Father.

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It does not really refer to God the

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Father, but Jesus in the characteristics of the

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Father Eternal, and finally, the Prince of Peace.

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You know, the world is so hungry for

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peace today, that we're willing, for the sake

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of peace, to even set aside good judgment,

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because we're so hungry for peace.

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And rightfully so.

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There's nothing wrong with desiring peace.

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God knows that war is a horrible thing.

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And the prospect of war with nuclear weapons

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is unthinkable.

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And thus, peace is a attractive, desirable thing.

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And we desire it so deeply that we're

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willing to lay aside our good judgment, and

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just the hope of peace.

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Why?

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You know, there are a lot of peace

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movements around the world today.

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And I sympathize with the desire for peace.

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However, I have just enough knowledge of man

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and of the Word of God, that I

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know that there will be no real peace

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until the Prince of Peace comes and reigns

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over the earth.

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As long as we have human governments, as

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long as we have man in government, there

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will be no peace.

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It is not until the Prince of Peace

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comes that the earth can really have a

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real, true peace on earth.

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Pastor Chuck Smith will return with a few

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closing comments.

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But first, I'd like to remind you that

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today's message is available in its unedited form

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00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:12,900
on cassette or CD.

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00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:15,760
Simply write or call and ask for ordering

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00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:19,800
details on tape or CD number C-3246.

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00:21:20,300 --> 00:21:24,120
Again, that's tape or CD number C-3246.

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00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:27,020
Well, it's that time of year again.

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It may seem innocent, but the symbols of

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00:21:29,260 --> 00:21:32,540
Halloween, like black cats, jack-o'-lanterns, and

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00:21:32,540 --> 00:21:35,420
trick-or-treat, all have roots in sorcery

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00:21:35,420 --> 00:21:36,280
and Satanism.

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We would never knowingly get involved with anything

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00:21:39,260 --> 00:21:42,240
related to Satan, but many Christians don't understand

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00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:44,320
what's really behind the pagan holiday.

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The word for today would like to offer

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00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:49,640
you a presentation hosted by Pastor Chuck Smith

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00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:53,600
called Halloween Trick-or-Treat that traces the

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00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:55,520
pagan origins and history of Halloween.

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00:21:56,060 --> 00:21:59,240
This powerful movie uncovers the mystic rites and

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00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:02,240
ceremonies of Satan and will forever change your

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00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:03,140
opinion of Halloween.

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00:22:03,740 --> 00:22:06,020
Every year as the end of October approaches,

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00:22:06,180 --> 00:22:08,440
we are faced with the dilemma of family

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00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:10,760
and friends pressuring us to participate in the

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00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:12,400
celebration of this pagan holiday.

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00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:15,880
This documentary will definitely challenge you to decide

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00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:18,100
whether or not you'll continue to participate in

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00:22:18,100 --> 00:22:18,700
this tradition.

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00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:22,220
If you'd like more information on Halloween Trick

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00:22:22,220 --> 00:22:24,940
-or-Treat, then simply write or call and

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00:22:24,940 --> 00:22:26,760
ask one of our operators for the ordering

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00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:27,360
details.

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00:22:28,060 --> 00:22:30,560
Again, it's called Halloween Trick-or-Treat.

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00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:32,560
And right now, if you place an order,

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00:22:32,660 --> 00:22:34,420
the word for today would like to bless

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00:22:34,420 --> 00:22:37,200
you with Pastor Chuck Smith's pamphlet, How Can

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00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:38,500
a Man Be Born Again?

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00:22:38,940 --> 00:22:39,920
Absolutely Free.

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00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:43,260
Instead of just giving candy this year, the

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00:22:43,260 --> 00:22:45,520
pamphlet is the perfect tool for Christians to

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00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:47,740
share the gospel with loved ones and friends.

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00:22:48,260 --> 00:22:50,260
Available in both English and Spanish.

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00:22:50,740 --> 00:22:52,700
Again, it's free when you call right now.

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00:22:53,380 --> 00:22:56,440
To order Halloween Trick-or-Treat for yourself

432
00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:58,760
or for a friend, you can call the

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00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:03,680
word for today at 1-800-272-WORD.

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00:23:04,460 --> 00:23:06,280
Or write to us at P.O. Box

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00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:11,020
8000, Costa Mesa, California, 92628.

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00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:13,560
Once again, that number to call is 1

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00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:17,060
-800-272-9673.

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00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:18,800
And for those of you that would like

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00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:20,520
to visit our website, you can do so

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00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:24,520
at www.twft.com.

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00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:26,600
Or if you would like to email us,

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00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:29,880
you can do so at info at twft

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00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:30,800
.com.

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00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:33,040
Well, coming up next time on The Word

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00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:35,740
for Today, Pastor Chuck will be continuing his

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00:23:35,740 --> 00:23:38,040
fascinating study through the book of Isaiah.

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00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:40,940
That's coming up next time on The Word

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00:23:40,940 --> 00:23:41,580
for Today.

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00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:52,080
And now, with a few closing comments, here

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00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:53,040
is Pastor Chuck.

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Now may the Lord be with you, and

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00:24:00,430 --> 00:24:04,190
watch over you, and preserve and keep you

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00:24:04,190 --> 00:24:06,550
in His law.

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And may you go forward in the things

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00:24:10,450 --> 00:24:17,490
of God, pressing on into that full, complete

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00:24:17,490 --> 00:24:21,730
relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

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Determining to live a life that is pleasing,

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a life that is acceptable.

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Denying the temptations to yield to the flesh

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and the things of the flesh.

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Resolved to live after the Spirit.

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And thus may your life be enriched and

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00:24:48,030 --> 00:24:52,550
blessed as you've chosen the good path and

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00:24:52,550 --> 00:24:54,130
you walk in the ways of the Lord.

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May you enjoy His fellowship and His love

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00:24:57,590 --> 00:25:02,750
and His Spirit working in your life.

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In Jesus' name.

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Lord, let

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me love You face to face.