Welcome to Battles of Faith.
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We're your hosts,
Ivor and Atonte Myers,
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and we're with Power
of The Lamb Ministries.
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In our last program, we
talked about the millennium
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and we learned
about what we'll be doing
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during those
1000 years in heaven.
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And today,
we're gonna talk about
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God's intense passionate love
for each and every one of us,
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and all that He's
doing to try to save us.
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That's right, our God has
a, has a burning love for us,
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a burning passion for us,
and He wants to see us saved,
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doesn't want to see anyone lost.
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And I think one of
the stories, Atonte,
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you and I have spoken about
before that I believe really
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illustrates God's love
first in amazing way is one that
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we're gonna share
today, and we want to actually
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open it up with a story.
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It's a figure that I've
just, we've kind of made up,
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but this, these events would
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actually happened
in the time of Israel.
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And so, we're gonna take
you through a little story,
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we want you to meet a
man by the name of Jiao,
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don't go look in
the Bible for Jiao.
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We're talking about
an imaginary figure here,
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but the story, the
event that would that happens,
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wouldn't happen very frequently.
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Jiao is living in Canaan,
he's in the Promised Land
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and all things are going good.
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He's got a family and
kids and he goes out to work.
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And one day at
work something happens
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that that changes everything.
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Jiao
accidentally kills a person.
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We don't know how it
happened, but we know that Jiao
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runs home to his family, he
tells his wife what happens.
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And they
immediately begin to weep
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because they
know what must happen.
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Jiao must run, he must
flee to what the Bible calls
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one of six cities of
refuge, the cities of refuge.
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And we're gonna read
about that for a little while.
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So let's go to the Book
of Deuteronomy Chapter 19,
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we invite you
to get your Bibles.
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Deuteronomy 19, we're gonna
read a little bit about these
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cities of refuge and
why they were established?
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So, 19 verses 1, how about I'll
read verses one through three
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and then you can read
verse five through seven?
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Okay, that's
right. Okay, it says,
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I'm gonna start
from verse three.
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It says, "Thou
shalt prepare thee a way,
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and divide the
coasts of thy land,
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which the Lord thy God,
giveth thee to inherit it,
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into three parts, that
every slayer may flee thither."
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Now here it says
three, but later on,
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we're gonna see the
three more cities were added.
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It says "And this is the
case of the slayer, which may,
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which shall flee
thither, that he may live.
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Whosoever killeth
his neighbor ignorantly,
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whom he hated not in time past,
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as when a man goeth into
the wood with his neighbor
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to hew wood, and his
hand fetcheth a stroke
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with the axe to
cut down the tree,
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and the head
slippeth from the helve,
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and lighted upon his
neighbor that he die,
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he shall flee unto one
of those cities, and live."
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"Lest the avenger of
the blood pursue the slayer,
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while his heart is
hot, and overtake him,
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because the way is
long, and slay him,
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where as he was
not worthy of death,
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in as much as he
hated him not in time past.
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Wherefore I
command thee, saying,
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Thou shalt separate
three cities for thee.
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And if the Lord thy
God, enlarge the coast,
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as he has sworn
unto thy Fathers,
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and give thee all the
land which he promised
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to give unto thy Fathers."
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Okay, now I'm going to
jump down to verse 12, verse 11.
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It says, "But if any
man hate his neighbor,
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and lie in wait for
him, and rise up against him,
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and smite him
mortally that he die,
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and fleeth into
one of these cities.
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Then the elders of his
city shall send and fetch him
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thence and
deliver him into the hand
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of the avenger of
blood that he may die."
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So, so let's recap
what we've just read here.
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Basically the Bible
was, is telling us that that
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when a person
accidentally kills someone,
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they could flee to one
of these cities of refuge.
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We'll read later in Joshua
20 that there were six cities.
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And they were to flee
to anyone of these cities
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and there they
would find refuge,
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if they were innocent,
if they had actually been
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guilty of intentional murder,
then the elders of the city
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took that man and put
him outside of the city,
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where the avenger of blood
would take vengeance upon him.
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Now, who is the
avenger of blood?
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The avenger of blood
here that the Hebrew term
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for the avenger of
blood, this is a term ga'al,
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and it means the nearest of kin.
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In other words, the
closest person to the,
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to the deceased had the
right to seek vengeance.
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Now imagine what
kind of stress that most,
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that would have been.
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You know, you
accidentally kill a person,
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you don't know
this person's family,
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you could be
walking in the streets,
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in the markets
somewhere, and a total stranger
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just walk up to you
think, maybe he's coming up
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to get directions
and he just takes out
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a knife and puts it in you.
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And then lets you
know, I am such and such as
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Nearest of Kin. Amen, wow.
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I mean, yeah, it
could have been a--
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And that was the
legal thing to do.
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That's right's, so what you
have here is our figure Jiao
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now realizes that he must
be on the run and off he goes
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to the City of Refuge,
doesn't have much time to pack,
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doesn't have much
time to gather things.
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He's gotta go,
he is not gonna see
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his family again
at least for sometime.
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And I can just
imagine, imagine the,
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the fear as you
hear the avenger of blood
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on your trail chasing
you, you can't see his face,
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it's dark, and you're terrified,
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but you're running
and you're trying to get
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to one of these
cities of refuge.
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I mean, just imagine what kind
of an experience that would be
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you want to get to
that City of Refuge.
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And you want to
get there quickly,
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you want to get there fast.
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Let's go ahead and go over to
the Book of Joshua Chapter 20.
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Joshua Chapter 20, and
while we're turning there,
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let me mention a few more things
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about the City of Refuge.
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The streets we just
read in Deuteronomy 19
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that that a way
was to be prepared.
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In other words,
these streets that led to
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the cities of refuge
were to be without ditches,
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without stones, or rocks,
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nothing that would
cause a person to stumble.
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It is said that there were
sign poles that were place upon,
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upon those, those, in
those streets that pointed to
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the City of Refuge,
saying, "Refuge, refuge."
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Almost like this is
the way run he in it.
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And it's amazing when we
begin to think about the,
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the analogy what the gospel,
when we realize that we have
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done wrong, off we
go, we realize, man,
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we need to get to
the City of Refuge
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because the avenger
of blood is on our trail.
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And I praise God because,
you know, the Bible says,
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"Ye are the light
of the world." Right.
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A city set on the
hill cannot be hid.
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In other words, beloved,
there are people out there
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that are looking for
the way of salvation.
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And God calls us, us as
Christians to be light poles,
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guiding those who
are seeking refuge,
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seeking Christ, seeking God,
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we're to be sign
poles on our duty's saying,
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this is the way walk ye in it.
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And I think, it's so powerful
that this City of Refuge
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in the Bible there,
there could be nothing
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in the way of the
person, nothing that would cause
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him to stumble or
fall or lose his way,
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and when you apply that
spiritually to us as Christians
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we are not to be
stumbling blocks,
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we are to assist and help others
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who are just
finding their way to Jesus.
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And to be so mindful of
these people and what could be
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possibly offensive to
them or harm them or make them
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misunderstand God in someway.
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And I think we need to take that
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responsibility very serious.
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That's right, that's right.
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Joshua Chapter 20, the Bible
tells us in verse, verse 3,
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it says, the siege of
refuge were be established.
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"That the slayer that
killeth any person unawares
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and unwittingly
may flee thither,
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and they shall be your refuge
from the avenger of blood.
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And when he that does flee
unto one of those cities shall
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stand at the entering
of the gate of the city,
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and shall declare his
cause in the ears of the elders
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of that city, they shall take
him into the city unto them,
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and give him a place,
that he may dwell among them.
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And if the avenger of
blood pursue after him,
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they shall not deliver
the slayer up into his hand,
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because he smote his
neighbor how unwittingly,
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and hated him not before time.
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And he shall dwell in that city,
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until he stand before the
congregation for judgment,
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and until the death of
the high priest that shall be
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in those days, then
shall the slayer return,
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and come unto his own
city, and unto his own house,
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and unto the city
from whence he fled."
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So, Jiao runs to the
city and he makes it.
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And when he gets to the city
we're told that that he had,
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if he was innocent he
could remain in that city,
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and have protection until
the death of the high priest,
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then he was free.
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That's an amazing thought.
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That it is the
death of our High Priest,
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Jesus Christ that sets us free
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from the
condemnation of sin and guilt.
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But the analogy here, Atonte,
is it really breaks down,
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you see the Bible tells
us that God is our refuge.
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And I'd say,
"Praise God for that." Amen.
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God is our
refuge, that's good news.
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But that good news indicates
bad news because if we need
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a refuge it means we
must be guilty of something.
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And we're going,
what would I be guilty
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of that I need to
run to a City of Refuge.
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Well, we're guilty of
crime, of sin, of murder.
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Murder? What are
you talking about?
00:10:06.69\00:10:09.09
Well, the entire human race
00:10:09.10\00:10:11.90
caused the death
of the Son of God.
00:10:11.91\00:10:16.22
And because of that,
because of our rejection of God,
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it caused the death of
His Son and because of that
00:10:23.42\00:10:25.90
we need a refuge, we
need to run, we need to flee.
00:10:25.91\00:10:29.81
And it's quite amazing because
once you got to the city,
00:10:29.82\00:10:34.33
if you were, if you were
not-- if you were not guilty of
00:10:34.34\00:10:42.16
intentional rejection
or intentional murder,
00:10:42.17\00:10:46.03
you could stay in the city.
00:10:46.04\00:10:47.21
But if you were
guilty of intentional murder,
00:10:47.22\00:10:50.13
you were put out of the city.
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Now guess what,
when we come to Christ,
00:10:51.52\00:10:52.74
which one of us can
say, it was an intentional.
00:10:52.75\00:10:56.69
Which one of us can say,
00:10:56.70\00:10:57.68
I didn't
intentionally reject you.
00:10:57.69\00:10:59.84
We all have turned our
backs at some point, you know,
00:10:59.85\00:11:03.45
we come to this
world, we do our own thing,
00:11:03.46\00:11:05.75
we live our own way,
and we come to the place
00:11:05.76\00:11:07.61
where we have to come to the God
00:11:07.62\00:11:08.77
and literally throw
ourselves at His mercy and say,
00:11:08.78\00:11:11.68
"Look, I know I
turned my back against you,
00:11:11.69\00:11:13.70
I know it's intentional.
00:11:13.71\00:11:14.96
You have every right to
put me out of your refuge,
00:11:14.97\00:11:18.14
out of your city, please,
will you have mercy on me."
00:11:18.15\00:11:21.28
And this is where the
grace and mercy of God,
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and the love of God is revealed,
00:11:24.22\00:11:25.75
that He doesn't put us out.
00:11:25.76\00:11:27.01
When we, when we
the declare guilty like,
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if we come and say, "Innocent."
00:11:29.93\00:11:31.74
God says, "Guilty."
But if we say, "Guilty."
00:11:31.75\00:11:35.64
God says, "Innocent."
By the blood of My Son.
00:11:35.65\00:11:38.55
By the blood of My Son. Amen.
00:11:38.56\00:11:39.91
It's an amazing thing,
it's an amazing thought
00:11:39.92\00:11:42.46
that God wants to be our refuge.
00:11:42.47\00:11:44.62
And it's, you know,
it's quite interesting,
00:11:44.63\00:11:46.98
Atonte, that when you consider
00:11:46.99\00:11:52.87
the character of
God and who He is?
00:11:52.88\00:11:56.84
I'd like to tell,
when we tell the story,
00:11:56.85\00:11:59.74
we like to share this
thought that, you know,
00:11:59.75\00:12:04.12
the person that you're
guilty of killing the avenger
00:12:04.13\00:12:08.56
of blood was the
nearest of kin to the person
00:12:08.57\00:12:12.88
you're guilty of killing.
00:12:12.89\00:12:15.43
Well, Jiao gets to the city.
00:12:15.44\00:12:17.82
You know, oh, let's say, "Yes."
00:12:17.83\00:12:19.10
We get to the city,
the kingdom of God, I mean,
00:12:19.11\00:12:21.05
you know, the refuge
of God and we're like God,
00:12:21.06\00:12:23.26
I'm so glad you saved me,
the avenger of blood was on my
00:12:23.27\00:12:26.35
trail and oh, man you should,
00:12:26.36\00:12:28.09
it seemed like he
was right behind me,
00:12:28.10\00:12:30.00
but there is something
strange about it because,
00:12:30.01\00:12:32.21
you know, it kind of felt like,
00:12:32.22\00:12:34.12
like he could have caught
me, but he didn't catch me.
00:12:34.13\00:12:38.77
And then God begins
to reveal something.
00:12:38.78\00:12:41.46
You see the avenger of
blood is the nearest of kin
00:12:41.47\00:12:44.68
to the one we
were guilty of killing.
00:12:44.69\00:12:48.05
When humanity
realizes, wait a minute,
00:12:48.06\00:12:50.63
we're guilty of killing
Christ, of rejecting him.
00:12:50.64\00:12:54.79
Who him--Who is the
nearest of kin to Jesus?
00:12:54.80\00:12:57.59
It's God. It's God.
00:12:57.60\00:12:59.16
The Father. The Father.
00:12:59.17\00:13:00.90
Remember Jiao
couldn't see his face.
00:13:00.91\00:13:03.72
He was running for his life.
00:13:03.73\00:13:05.31
And beloved, the point that
00:13:05.32\00:13:06.36
that we want you to
understand here's that,
00:13:06.37\00:13:08.23
sometimes, we think that God
is out to destroy us and kill us
00:13:08.24\00:13:12.71
when He's not
trying to do that at all.
00:13:12.72\00:13:14.92
He's simply trying
to chase us into safety.
00:13:14.93\00:13:19.09
That's right, the Bible says,
00:13:19.10\00:13:20.81
"That those who He loves
He rebukes and chastens."
00:13:20.82\00:13:24.93
That's right,
and we like to say,
00:13:24.94\00:13:26.82
those who, you know, those whom,
00:13:26.83\00:13:29.11
whom He loves He chastens
and He chases. That's right.
00:13:29.12\00:13:34.61
You know, God,
chases us, God is after us,
00:13:34.62\00:13:36.80
He's trying to
run us into that city.
00:13:36.81\00:13:40.36
And you know, I'd
like to share this way.
00:13:40.37\00:13:42.98
If you ever had a puppy,
you know, a brand new puppy.
00:13:42.99\00:13:45.89
Oh, the puppy's so cute
and the puppy habits to get out
00:13:45.90\00:13:47.88
of the house and there is
a dangerous highway nearby.
00:13:47.89\00:13:50.75
And you maybe come running,
bursting out the house trying
00:13:50.76\00:13:53.24
to save the puppy, but
the puppy is looking like,
00:13:53.25\00:13:55.37
"Oh, no, he's going to kill me."
00:13:55.38\00:13:57.31
He is not a
person. Yeah, no, no, no,
00:13:57.32\00:13:59.08
you're coming at this little
creature trying to save it,
00:13:59.09\00:14:02.64
that's the same thing God
is doing and I think about it.
00:14:02.65\00:14:05.41
You're coming at the puppy from
both all angles and all sides
00:14:05.42\00:14:08.62
because the puppy is just kind
of going wild. That's right.
00:14:08.63\00:14:11.12
So you're trying to
direct it back into the house.
00:14:11.13\00:14:13.71
That's right, exactly.
00:14:13.72\00:14:15.14
You know, it's amazing I think,
00:14:15.15\00:14:16.68
this verse really
jumps out of this.
00:14:16.69\00:14:18.40
Look at Isaiah
Chapter 54. Isaiah Chapter 54,
00:14:18.41\00:14:23.08
and we're gonna take a look
at verse 8 and 9, Isaiah 54.
00:14:23.09\00:14:27.68
So, if God is
chasing, chasing us
00:14:27.69\00:14:30.12
and the City of
Refuge represents Jesus.
00:14:30.13\00:14:33.25
It's, they're
all working together.
00:14:33.26\00:14:34.65
They're all working-- It's like,
00:14:34.66\00:14:35.74
you know, the Holy Spirit says,
00:14:35.75\00:14:38.04
"Okay, I'll be the one
that bring conviction."
00:14:38.05\00:14:40.58
God says, "Okay,
I'll be the refuge."
00:14:40.59\00:14:42.80
And Jesus says,
"Okay, I'll be the way.
00:14:42.81\00:14:45.14
No man can come unto the Father
but by me, I'll be the way."
00:14:45.15\00:14:47.65
So as almost like the God head,
00:14:47.66\00:14:50.22
the God head is working
together to try to get us
00:14:50.23\00:14:53.99
sometimes hard
headed, stubborn, you know,
00:14:54.00\00:14:57.71
sinners to get to
the City of Refuge,
00:14:57.72\00:15:00.88
so that we can be safe,
so that we can be saved.
00:15:00.89\00:15:04.64
Isaiah 54, Isaiah 54 verse 7.
00:15:04.65\00:15:08.31
The Bible says here,
"For a small moment have I
00:15:08.32\00:15:10.64
forsaken thee, but with great
mercies will I gather thee.
00:15:10.65\00:15:14.71
In a little wrath I hid my
face from thee for a moment."
00:15:14.72\00:15:19.03
Remember, Jiao
couldn't see his face.
00:15:19.04\00:15:21.54
Beloved, listen,
sometimes you may lose a job
00:15:21.55\00:15:23.17
and you're thinking, oh, man,
you know, this is the devil and
00:15:23.18\00:15:26.96
you know, you break
up with that girlfriend,
00:15:26.97\00:15:29.23
that boyfriend and
you know, you look back
00:15:29.24\00:15:31.22
and you begin to
realize, man, God.
00:15:31.23\00:15:33.24
What a blessing?
Yeah, what a blessing?
00:15:33.25\00:15:34.54
That was God trying to chase me,
00:15:34.55\00:15:36.20
that was God shutting down
doors and trying to save me
00:15:36.21\00:15:40.18
from this and save from that.
00:15:40.19\00:15:41.57
God wasn't out to destroy
you, He was not to make life
00:15:41.58\00:15:44.58
miserable for you, He
was out to try to save you,
00:15:44.59\00:15:47.51
He was out to try to get
you to move to come to Him.
00:15:47.52\00:15:51.54
Isaiah 54 verse, verse 8.
00:15:51.55\00:15:53.44
"And a little wrath
have I hid my face from thee,
00:15:53.45\00:15:55.69
but with everlasting kindness
will I have mercy on thee,
00:15:55.70\00:15:59.15
saith the Lord thy
Redeemer." Guess what?
00:15:59.16\00:16:04.04
This word redeemer is the
same Hebrew word that is used to
00:16:04.05\00:16:08.92
translate the avenger of blood.
00:16:08.93\00:16:12.13
It is the
Hebrew word Ga'al. Wow.
00:16:12.14\00:16:15.51
Nearest of kin. Wow.
00:16:15.52\00:16:17.86
God Himself declares
Himself the nearest of kin.
00:16:17.87\00:16:21.65
He is the one that's chasing us.
00:16:21.66\00:16:23.17
Whom God loves, He chases.
00:16:23.18\00:16:25.59
And, yes, whom He
loves, He chastens.
00:16:25.60\00:16:29.12
God is on a chase, He's
after you not to destroy you,
00:16:29.13\00:16:32.85
but to chase you into that
city before it is too late.
00:16:32.86\00:16:37.24
You're saying,
pastor, what city?
00:16:37.25\00:16:38.57
Hold on, we're getting there.
00:16:38.58\00:16:40.48
But I want you to
think about this concept.
00:16:40.49\00:16:42.06
Whom God loves he
chastens. What does that mean?
00:16:42.07\00:16:45.95
You know, if we can think
about a group of people that
00:16:45.96\00:16:48.02
God like seriously
chastened in the Old Testament.
00:16:48.03\00:16:51.75
We would think
about the Egyptians.
00:16:51.76\00:16:53.72
I would think
about the Egyptians,
00:16:53.73\00:16:55.51
like they got serious, serious
punishments from the Lord.
00:16:55.52\00:17:00.46
Yes, they did. But you see,
00:17:00.47\00:17:01.61
there is something behind that.
00:17:01.62\00:17:03.27
You see, when God
extending the rod.
00:17:03.28\00:17:05.88
You know, the Bible
says, "Spare the rod."
00:17:05.89\00:17:07.92
Or, you know, talks
about how if we spare the rod,
00:17:07.93\00:17:09.88
well I'm kind of
-- Yeah, kind of,
00:17:09.89\00:17:11.96
you know, putting that together,
00:17:11.97\00:17:12.94
but you spare
the rod and you can,
00:17:12.95\00:17:14.41
you know, the rod of correction
00:17:14.42\00:17:16.49
and reproof is a good thing.
00:17:16.50\00:17:18.41
When God sends Moses
with the rod into Egypt,
00:17:18.42\00:17:22.29
He is actually trying to
reach out to save the Egyptians.
00:17:22.30\00:17:27.69
Pastor, what did you
just say, save the Egyptians?
00:17:27.70\00:17:29.43
No, God hated the
Egyptians. Wait a minute.
00:17:29.44\00:17:31.72
When God turned
their water into blood,
00:17:31.73\00:17:33.98
He was trying to get them to
be thirsty for something better.
00:17:33.99\00:17:39.15
Because they
could have left too.
00:17:39.16\00:17:40.65
They could have left too.
In fact, Egyptians did leave.
00:17:40.66\00:17:44.36
What God was trying to
do, was He was trying to make
00:17:44.37\00:17:46.35
Egypt such a miserable
place to be that the Egyptians
00:17:46.36\00:17:50.81
would want to leave too.
00:17:50.82\00:17:52.16
I mean, you think about,
you're living in your place
00:17:52.17\00:17:53.73
and all of a sudden lice
begin to swarm your territory
00:17:53.74\00:17:58.24
and your water turns into blood.
00:17:58.25\00:17:59.92
How many of you would
actually stay in that area?
00:17:59.93\00:18:01.86
We're like, oh man, you
know what, this is so nice,
00:18:01.87\00:18:03.25
I think I'm
gonna stay here anyway.
00:18:03.26\00:18:04.58
I hate to sound so
haute, but if I turn on my facet
00:18:04.59\00:18:08.50
and blood comes out and
it's all around town, I'm gone.
00:18:08.51\00:18:11.81
Yeah. I only need one plague.
00:18:11.82\00:18:13.39
But these guys, yes, many
of us only need one plague.
00:18:13.40\00:18:15.90
These guys, you know,
9-10 plagues and they were
00:18:15.91\00:18:18.94
stubborn, resisting, God showed,
00:18:18.95\00:18:21.68
because when the
children of Israel left Egypt,
00:18:21.69\00:18:25.06
Egyptians left with them.
00:18:25.07\00:18:28.06
Many more could have
gone, but they chose to rebel
00:18:28.07\00:18:32.37
against the chastening
and the chasing of the Lord.
00:18:32.38\00:18:37.06
And many people are gonna
be lost because they refuse
00:18:37.07\00:18:40.72
the chastening and
the chasing of the Lord.
00:18:40.73\00:18:45.30
You see, so God is after
us, He's trying to chases us--
00:18:45.31\00:18:48.75
When you go to that club,
you used to love and all of a
00:18:48.76\00:18:51.50
sudden it's no longer
tasteful to you, you fine,
00:18:51.51\00:18:54.73
you know--I used to like
these things, but now I don't.
00:18:54.74\00:18:58.24
It's God coming in your life
and sending that rod to make
00:18:58.25\00:19:01.18
the things you once used
to like, to make you now go,
00:19:01.19\00:19:04.95
you know what, I don't think.
00:19:04.96\00:19:06.37
How can I've
enjoyed that before?
00:19:06.38\00:19:07.95
Oh, I don't think I
want to be here anymore.
00:19:07.96\00:19:09.79
And he's trying to get
you to leave your comfort zone
00:19:09.80\00:19:13.16
to head to the City of Refuge.
00:19:13.17\00:19:16.43
That's right, God can,
God can do that very quickly.
00:19:16.44\00:19:18.98
I hear a people
how are alcoholics
00:19:18.99\00:19:20.86
and they loved alcohol.
00:19:20.87\00:19:22.33
And now it just totally turns
their stomach and they have
00:19:22.34\00:19:25.01
absolutel no desire for it.
00:19:25.02\00:19:26.01
That's right, that's
right. God can do that.
00:19:26.02\00:19:27.83
These cities of refuge, Atonte,
well found in elevated places.
00:19:27.84\00:19:31.86
Read Joshua Chapter 20,
there were all in mountains,
00:19:31.87\00:19:34.95
mountains
lifted up, high places.
00:19:34.96\00:19:37.33
It's interesting
that Christ himself said,
00:19:37.34\00:19:41.20
"And I, if I be
lifted up from the earth,
00:19:41.21\00:19:45.36
will draw all men unto me."
00:19:45.37\00:19:47.38
I believe that we need to run
to Mount Calvary where Christ
00:19:47.39\00:19:53.13
and His shed blood on our
behalf becomes our refuge.
00:19:53.14\00:19:58.59
That's where God's
trying to chase us.
00:19:58.60\00:20:00.36
And when we get to the city,
00:20:00.37\00:20:02.13
we don't say,
oh, you know, what?
00:20:02.14\00:20:03.78
Because
remember, it was the death
00:20:03.79\00:20:04.78
of the high
priest that freed us.
00:20:04.79\00:20:05.96
When we get to that city, we
don't say what Jesus is dead,
00:20:05.97\00:20:09.05
Jesus died, so
now I can go back.
00:20:09.06\00:20:11.15
No, you stay in that city
because our high priest is no
00:20:11.16\00:20:15.09
longer dead, He is alive
and as long as He is alive,
00:20:15.10\00:20:18.87
you stay in the city.
00:20:18.88\00:20:20.23
You want to see
our family and friends?
00:20:20.24\00:20:21.89
Invite them to the city.
00:20:21.90\00:20:23.39
Tell them to
come on to the city.
00:20:23.40\00:20:25.20
And by the way, you know,
they all need to come because,
00:20:25.21\00:20:27.39
what, the avenger of
blood is on their trail
00:20:27.40\00:20:32.02
and God is trying to chase them,
00:20:32.03\00:20:33.64
that's what He's,
that's what He's doing.
00:20:33.65\00:20:34.87
He is trying to
chase them into that city.
00:20:34.88\00:20:38.15
So, what do we
have happening here?
00:20:38.16\00:20:40.79
Why is God trying
to chase us and into,
00:20:40.80\00:20:45.41
ultimately into what city?
00:20:45.42\00:20:48.55
We're gonna fast
forward, and we're now gonna go
00:20:48.56\00:20:51.04
to the very end of time,
the end of the millennium.
00:20:51.05\00:20:55.42
And I want you to
notice, just go with me
00:20:55.43\00:20:56.73
to the Book of Revelation.
00:20:56.74\00:20:58.77
Revelation Chapter
20, Revelation Chapter 20,
00:20:58.78\00:21:05.86
and I want you to
notice with me again.
00:21:07.85\00:21:11.27
Revelation Chapter 20, we're
gonna take a look at verse,
00:21:11.28\00:21:16.00
verse 11. "And I saw
a great white throne,
00:21:16.01\00:21:20.17
and Him that sat on it,
from whose face the Earth
00:21:20.18\00:21:23.13
and the heaven fled away,
00:21:23.14\00:21:24.61
and there was
found no place for them.
00:21:24.62\00:21:27.10
And I saw the
dead, small and great,
00:21:27.11\00:21:29.08
stand before God, and
the books were opened.
00:21:29.09\00:21:31.29
And another book was opened,
which is the book of life."
00:21:31.30\00:21:34.11
Okay, you can pause right there.
00:21:34.12\00:21:35.88
Here we have the Book of
Life and the judgment scene,
00:21:35.89\00:21:39.62
and the wicked are there
and they're about to be judged.
00:21:39.63\00:21:42.88
But guess where
the righteous are?
00:21:42.89\00:21:46.40
Go back up to
verse 9, the Bible says,
00:21:46.41\00:21:50.06
"And they, that is the wicked,
00:21:50.07\00:21:51.20
went upon the
breadth of the earth,
00:21:51.21\00:21:52.86
and compassed the
camp of the saints about,
00:21:52.87\00:21:56.78
and the beloved
city, the beloved city."
00:21:56.79\00:22:00.73
Okay, so what's happening here?
00:22:00.74\00:22:02.87
The second coming has occurred,
00:22:02.88\00:22:04.45
Jesus has taken the righteous
to heaven and they have
00:22:04.46\00:22:07.81
entered that
city, New Jerusalem.
00:22:07.82\00:22:11.99
At the end of the millennium,
that city is seen coming down
00:22:12.00\00:22:15.57
out of heaven while the wicked
who are now resurrected after
00:22:15.58\00:22:19.50
the one thousand
years are resurrected,
00:22:19.51\00:22:21.87
and what they do is, they
try to get around that city.
00:22:21.88\00:22:25.00
Now here's why this is
so important to understand.
00:22:25.01\00:22:26.89
Remember, God was trying to
chase us into the city, why?
00:22:26.90\00:22:35.26
Because if you met
the avenger of blood
00:22:35.27\00:22:38.76
and you were outside
the city, it was not good,
00:22:38.77\00:22:44.65
because at that point,
you were subject to death.
00:22:44.66\00:22:49.84
Do you see
what's happening here?
00:22:49.85\00:22:52.55
God knows that our time is
coming where the New Jerusalem
00:22:52.56\00:22:57.42
will be setup on this Earth.
00:22:57.43\00:22:59.17
He's trying everything
He can now in His power
00:22:59.18\00:23:01.83
to chase us to Calvary.
00:23:01.84\00:23:05.63
By the way, it's interesting.
00:23:05.64\00:23:07.01
We've been talking
about this blueprint,
00:23:07.02\00:23:08.81
plan of salvation
throughout our entire study.
00:23:08.82\00:23:11.54
And you see that there
were six cities of refuge,
00:23:11.55\00:23:14.17
it's interesting that
there were six articles
00:23:14.18\00:23:16.46
of furniture in the sanctuary.
00:23:16.47\00:23:17.88
Can we get our, our
picture up very quickly.
00:23:17.89\00:23:20.62
You're probably and
totally used to the picture now,
00:23:20.63\00:23:23.06
but you see there
the Altar of Sacrifice,
00:23:23.07\00:23:25.32
number one in the
sanctuary, the outer court.
00:23:25.33\00:23:29.05
And then you have the
Laver, that's item number two,
00:23:29.06\00:23:31.10
where you're baptized.
00:23:31.11\00:23:32.30
You have the Table of
Showbread in the Holy Place,
00:23:32.31\00:23:34.92
that's where the word
of God is represented.
00:23:34.93\00:23:37.85
The Altar of Incense
representing the seven the,
00:23:37.86\00:23:41.64
representing the prayer, and
the Seven-Branched Candlestick
00:23:41.65\00:23:45.26
representing
letting our light shine,
00:23:45.27\00:23:47.28
and then you have
the Ark of the Covenant
00:23:47.29\00:23:48.64
right at the
very top. There we go.
00:23:48.65\00:23:51.93
God is trying chase
us to station number one,
00:23:51.94\00:23:56.55
accept the sacrifice of Christ.
00:23:56.56\00:23:58.24
He's trying to
chase us to be baptized,
00:23:58.25\00:24:00.77
He's running after us, so
that we will move to accept
00:24:00.78\00:24:04.31
the word of God and
to pray and to accept
00:24:04.32\00:24:06.42
Christ's intersession,
and to let our light shine.
00:24:06.43\00:24:09.03
He's ultimately
trying to chase us into that
00:24:09.04\00:24:10.96
Most Holy Place,
so that He can come
00:24:10.97\00:24:13.39
and gather us up together
and take us to that city.
00:24:13.40\00:24:16.47
And as a result
many will be saved,
00:24:16.48\00:24:20.28
but those who refused
to be chased are gonna be,
00:24:20.29\00:24:23.73
are gonna meet
the avenger of blood.
00:24:23.74\00:24:27.18
Whose blood? His Son's
blood outside of the city.
00:24:27.19\00:24:32.98
What happens then?
00:24:32.99\00:24:34.89
This is where, Atonte, we
close this whole story off
00:24:34.90\00:24:40.56
with one of the most
emotional goodbyes ever.
00:24:40.57\00:24:43.74
You see, we like
to share in the Bible
00:24:43.75\00:24:46.56
that heaven is
like a City of Fire.
00:24:46.57\00:24:48.75
You know, God, the Bible
says, "God is a consuming fire."
00:24:48.76\00:24:51.84
The Bible says that that,
"His angels are like fire."
00:24:51.85\00:24:55.52
The Bible says, "His
throne is a throne of fire."
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In other words,
heaven is a City of Fire.
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There is a sea of
glass mingled with fire.
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And if we want to stand on
that sea of glass mingled with
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fire, we need to be fireproof,
we need to be fireproof.
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So that we're not destroyed.
So that we're not destroyed.
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And so, what happens is,
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why does God
manifest Himself as fire?
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It's very simple.
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The Book, Song of
Solomon tells us that God,
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that fire is
like a burning love.
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The reason why God manifest
Himself as fire is because
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He's passionate, He loves us.
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Imagine when God
created Adam and Eve,
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He could go up to them
and just, they weren't afraid,
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but when sin entered they
became fearful of that fire.
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God's ideal was to restore
man to a way in which He could
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dwell in the presence of
God forever and not be consumed.
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Amen. So we have
stories like the Burning Bush.
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The bush burned, but
it wasn't what? Consumed.
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Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego cast into the fire,
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nothing happens to
them, but the wicked
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who cast them in,
they were destroyed.
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This is exactly what's going
to happened at the end of time.
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God is a consuming fire.
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He is not destroying
the wicked with fire because
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it's the most painful
thing you can think of.
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The wicked are destroyed
because they are destroyed
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by the presence of God's love.
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The way I like
to share it, Atonte,
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is that God with
those great big arms of fire
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will reach out and embrace
the wicked one last time,
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in that embrace, the
wicked are going to feel
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the love that they had rejected.
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They're going to feel
what it would be like,
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heaven would be hell to them.
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God desires for the righteous
to be able to stand in his
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presence and burn
forever without being consumed.
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That's why he says, "Be
baptized with the Holy Spirit
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and with fire," because
God wants us to shine like the
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stars forever. Right.
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The wicked are brunt up
because they're not fireproof.
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That's right. They're
totally consumed and destroyed
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while the righteous get to stand
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in the presence of
God and not be consumed.
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Fire will be like air to them.
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God will be able to
commit to them, touch them,
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nothing because we're fireproof.
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That's right-- Why?
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Because we've been
baptized by that Spirit of Fire.
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That's what heaven will be like.
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That's what heaven will be like.
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A place of burning intense love.
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What a, what a sad farewell,
when God wipes away the tears
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from our eyes, because,
because at that time all sin
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and sinners will be destroyed.
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What a time that will be.
It's, it's a strange farewell.
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Yes. And yet imagine how
much it will hurt God's heart
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to have to say
goodbye in that way.
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Wow, He doesn't want to have
to say, goodbye in that way.
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We know that that
will be the end of some,
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but He is still at this
time pleading and wowing,
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and chasing all of us, so that
we will not make the decision
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to go-- Meet Him. That's
right. Outside of that city.
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He doesn't want to meet
you outside of the city.
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He wants you to be in the city.
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And we want you to
be in the city with God.
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And we want to be there as well.
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So with that,
thank you for joining us.
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Until next time, God bless.
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