[uplifting instrumental]
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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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Glad to have you with us today.
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We are studying the Exodus,
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an incredible
period in earth's history,
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in the history of God's people,
that gives us some lessons
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that we can learn
for our day and beyond.
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We're going to dive
deeply into it today:
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lesson number
four, "The Plagues."
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If you've ever wondered
how we can better understand
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the plagues and
get more out of them,
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we're gonna see today
why God sent the plagues,
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their significance, and
what we can learn from them.
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Let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we thank You for
drawing us together today,
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and we ask that
You would bless us
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with a deeper
understanding of You,
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Your character, Your
will, and Your reasons for doing
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the things that You do.
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We ask Your blessing on
us today, and we thank You
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in advance for granting
that, in Jesus' name, amen.
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So we're glad that you
are here, but we are also glad
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that we have the
author of this quarter's
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"Sabbath School" lesson
with us, Dr. Jiri Moskala.
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Dr. Moskala, thank you
again for being with us.
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We're excited to learn something
that you have been excited
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about for a good long time.
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>>Dr. Jiri
Moskala: Yes, it's true.
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I am very
excited, and I'm very happy
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to be with you to
study this quarterly today.
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>>Eric: So we're
looking at the plagues today.
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We've kind of led up to
Moses' encounter with Pharaoh,
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and Pharaoh's not keen
on letting the people go
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and makes life
more difficult for them.
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And now the
plagues begin to come.
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Before we delve into--
or dive into--these plagues,
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I want to look at
verse number 1 of chapter 7.
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It's an interesting verse.
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It says, "So the
Lord said to Moses:
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"'See, I have made
you as God to Pharaoh,
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and Aaron your brother
shall be your prophet.'"
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Now, here we
have God telling Moses
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that He's made
Moses "as God to Pharaoh."
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What's all wrapped up in this?
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>>Dr. Moskala: Well, I think
it's a very beautiful imagery
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here that Aaron is
playing prophet, and Moses, God.
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So it's like a
very good definition
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to understand who is the prophet
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because the
prophet is a mouth of God.
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So it's like Moses
is speaking to Aaron.
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So he is the full authority,
like divine authority,
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because he is under
the God's commission.
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And now speaking to
Aaron, and now Aaron
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will be his
spokesperson to announce it.
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So this tells us
about the specific roles,
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that God is the God who is
in command, He is in charge,
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He is in control here.
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And prophet--and we
have so many instances
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in the Bible which
speaks about the prophets.
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A prophet is a spokesperson
for God and has authority
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coming from God.
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So when Aaron is
hearing the word from Moses,
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it's like hearing from
God and he's delivering it.
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And this is authoritative
word also for the audience.
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>>Eric: So this is a significant
role that Moses is playing here
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and a significant role
that Aaron is plaguing--
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[amused] Aaron is plaguing here.
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He's playing here, but it
has to do with the plagues,
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which we're
diving into right now.
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God typically
doesn't do arbitrary things.
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He has reasons for
doing the things that He does.
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And there are reasons
behind these 10 plagues as well.
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Help us to understand the reason
that God sends these plagues.
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What are they all
about? What's behind them?
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>>Dr. Moskala: Well, before
I will speak about, you know,
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why He's sending the plagues,
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I think it's also very
important to understand that
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God is not sending
these plagues right away.
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He is working
patiently, I would say,
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with the stubborn Pharaoh.
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We already heard in
chapter 5 that, you know,
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Moses and Aaron
came and tell him,
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"This is the word of
God: 'Let my people go,'"
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but he refused, and then
situation got worse and worse.
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But now, again,
Moses and Pharaoh is--
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and Moses and
Aaron is with Pharaoh,
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and the big
miracle is performed.
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You know, we read in
chapter 7 from verse 8
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that now, not
Moses', but Aaron's stick,
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you know, was put on the ground,
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then it changed for the serpent.
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But magicians
could do a similar thing.
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But the authority is very clear
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because we read very clearly
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that even though
these magicians could do it,
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it was the serpent of Aaron
which swallowed other serpents.
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And even though
this miracle was done,
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you can read at
the end of the miracle,
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verse 13, after Aaron's
staff swallowed up their staffs,
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"Yet Pharaoh's heart became hard
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and he would not listen to them,
just as the Lord had said."
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So now is for the second time
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when God really gave
the chance to Pharaoh.
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And of course there
were many other encounters
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we don't know exactly how,
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but the long
history of oppression here.
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And now it's the
culmination point.
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And before the plague starts,
God wants to persuade him,
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even with the sign,
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with a special
sign, that He is God,
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a living God is in charge here.
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And then even the
plagues are going on--
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there are
situations where Pharaoh
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has still possibility
to let God's people go,
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to really obey the word of God.
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Even in some point his
magicians is telling him
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this is the finger of God,
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this is the
intervention from God,
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"So you should"--
but no, he refused.
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So if you go to the
purpose of these plagues,
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I think that very significant
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is in chapter 12-- and
we can go to the chapter 12,
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verse 12, when it is stated
in regard to the last plague,
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you know, that what will happen:
"I will pass through Egypt
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"and strike down
every firstborn...
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"both [man] and animal,
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and I will bring judgment
on all the gods of Egypt."
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And I think that this is
very significant statement here,
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that what God was doing,
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He was not
fighting against Egypt.
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He was not
fighting against Egyptians,
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but He was fighting
against Egyptian gods,
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because Egypt, Egyptians,
and now even many Israelites,
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were like slaves
in their thinking,
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in their
feelings, in their behavior,
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were slaves to these gods.
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And there was a big
pantheon of different gods.
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So God intend to
liberate them, to be free,
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that they will be not
afraid of these forces
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and the
interpretation and mythologies
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and all the stories
which were associated with
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different gods, in order that
made them subjugated, enslaved.
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And then, of course, what
you worship or what you fear,
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you serve to it.
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And God is doing
these great things.
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And this lesson
actually is now speaking about
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the first nine plagues.
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And if you will
go to some, you know,
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companion book to
the study of this lesson
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and also teacher's edition,
I'm giving some more insights
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into these different plagues
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which are playing a
very significant role there.
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But simply stated, you
know, there are clusters
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like three, three,
and three of these plagues
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and then
culmination in the last one,
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which will be the
study for the next lesson.
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And these clusters are
also not only specifically,
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you know, related to
different events and so on,
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but also they are
showing that behind every plague
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is not one but very
often many Egyptian gods.
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And the
breakthrough must be done.
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And how God can do it?
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Well, first, by
very simple statements,
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but if you go
and see the plagues,
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their intensity, they
are more and more severe.
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And of course, the last
one is the biggest stroke.
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But again, God
was always warning
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and didn't want to
bring more and more.
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He want that the first one
will bring the right results.
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And if you go
through it, like, the blood,
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first, you know,
statement, the plague
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was about
turning water into blood,
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nobody would be hurt yet,
from the human perspective,
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from humans.
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It will be turning to show
that we are dependent on water,
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but the water, the
Nile, is not the Hapi god
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who is giving
the water and life.
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This is God who is giving it.
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So it was from the
very beginning that not Hapi
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or Osiris, but it is God
who is the giver of life,
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giver of water.
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And every plague was
against different gods,
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like the second one about frogs.
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And this is like the
very famous, you know,
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god of frog, Heqet,
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in Egyptian pantheon of gods.
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And again, God is showing that
He is really in control of it.
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He is the creator.
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And Egyptians, you know,
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cannot do
anything to take them out.
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So, like, those three
plagues are going for everyone.
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But then after the third one,
the fourth, it's intensified
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and is now must be
seen big difference
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between the
Israelites, between God's camp
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and the camp of the
Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
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And of course, if
people will associate
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with these Egyptian gods,
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the judgment which
comes upon the Egyptian gods
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will fall also upon them.
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But God always
is warning before.
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And this is probably also a
very important lesson for us.
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Then before God is
sending His judgment,
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He's always out of
love, is warning us,
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giving us His
fatherly, motherly advice,
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that this will come--
these are the consequences
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of wrong choices.
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If we have the decision
which is bad, of course,
00:12:03.95\00:12:09.92
then the life will
be reflected on that.
00:12:09.96\00:12:14.86
So all these plagues
playing the role that Pharaoh
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should come to his senses
and that he will surrender
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to God and open his heart
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and let God's people
go and liberate them.
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So God is teaching
the lesson of redemption,
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salvation through all of this.
00:12:40.49\00:12:42.62
>>Eric: So He's giving Pharaoh
opportunity after opportunity
00:12:42.66\00:12:45.96
to make a good decision.
00:12:45.99\00:12:47.86
But we see over and over again,
00:12:47.93\00:12:49.36
it says, "Pharaoh
hardened his heart,"
00:12:49.40\00:12:51.17
"Pharaoh hardened his heart."
>>Dr. Moskala: That's correct.
00:12:51.20\00:12:52.53
>>Eric: We're going to
see shortly that it says,
00:12:52.57\00:12:54.04
"God hardened Pharaoh's heart."
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But we're going to dive
into that after our break
00:12:55.54\00:12:57.67
and see what does that mean,
00:12:57.71\00:12:59.34
because a lot of
people have questions,
00:12:59.37\00:13:01.11
"What does it mean when it says,
'God hardened Pharaoh's heart'?
00:13:01.14\00:13:03.45
"If God hardened his heart,
then isn't that unfair of God
00:13:03.48\00:13:06.38
to harden Pharaoh's heart?"
00:13:06.41\00:13:07.72
We're going to come
to that very shortly.
00:13:07.75\00:13:09.58
You mentioned the
companion book to this quarter's
00:13:09.62\00:13:11.92
"Sabbath School"
lesson. Tell us a little bit
00:13:11.95\00:13:13.49
about what's in this
chapter of the companion book.
00:13:13.52\00:13:15.59
>>Dr. Moskala: Well, in this
chapter, I am really dealing
00:13:15.62\00:13:18.06
with the first nine plagues.
00:13:18.09\00:13:20.60
And I am showing
the characteristics
00:13:20.63\00:13:23.37
of these
plagues, what is behind,
00:13:23.40\00:13:25.70
what's going on,
which gods are associated
00:13:25.73\00:13:29.20
with different plagues.
Because each plague, as I said,
00:13:29.24\00:13:33.17
is, you know, connected with
one or even more Egyptian gods,
00:13:33.21\00:13:38.38
because this was a big
pantheon of gods in Egypt.
00:13:38.41\00:13:43.12
And He's helping them
to really break through.
00:13:43.15\00:13:47.42
So this is the insight
into it and the purpose
00:13:47.46\00:13:51.89
why these plagues and
what is the meaning, really,
00:13:51.93\00:13:56.23
of God's judgment.
00:13:56.26\00:13:57.90
>>Eric: So if you're
interested in digging
00:13:57.93\00:13:59.20
more deeply into
that, understanding
00:13:59.23\00:14:01.30
why God sent each
plague, which Egyptian god
00:14:01.34\00:14:05.04
God was endeavoring
to show to be powerless,
00:14:05.07\00:14:09.44
then grab ahold of
this companion book.
00:14:09.48\00:14:12.45
You will thoroughly enjoy it.
00:14:12.48\00:14:14.65
You can find the
companion book to this quarter's
00:14:14.68\00:14:16.65
"Sabbath School"
lesson at itiswritten.shop.
00:14:16.69\00:14:19.85
Again, that's itiswritten.shop.
00:14:19.89\00:14:21.92
Just look for the
companion book to this quarter's
00:14:21.96\00:14:24.06
"Sabbath School"
lesson on the "Exodus."
00:14:24.09\00:14:26.29
And incidentally, if you
happen to have missed picking up
00:14:26.33\00:14:29.70
the companion
books to any of the last
00:14:29.73\00:14:32.03
"Sabbath School"
lessons or the most recent ones,
00:14:32.07\00:14:34.54
you can also order those as
well and get caught up on them.
00:14:34.57\00:14:38.57
Again, itiswritten.shop.
00:14:38.61\00:14:40.58
We're going to come
back in just a moment or two
00:14:40.61\00:14:43.31
as we continue looking
at these plagues in Egypt,
00:14:43.35\00:14:47.12
here on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:47.15\00:14:49.88
¤¤¤
00:14:49.92\00:14:51.92
>>male announcer:
Loving well is a way of life.
00:14:55.39\00:14:59.13
And loving well means wanting
the very best for others.
00:14:59.16\00:15:03.50
"Go ye therefore"
becomes, "I'll go, send me."
00:15:03.53\00:15:08.04
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00:15:08.07\00:15:12.11
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00:15:12.14\00:15:16.71
And if I can't go
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00:15:16.75\00:15:19.55
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00:15:19.58\00:15:23.82
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00:15:23.85\00:15:26.25
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00:15:29.82\00:15:33.06
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00:15:33.09\00:15:35.83
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00:15:35.86\00:15:38.47
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00:15:54.82\00:15:59.29
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:15:59.32\00:16:00.96
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:16:00.99\00:16:03.06
We are delving
into those nine plagues,
00:16:03.09\00:16:06.23
the first nine of
the 10 plagues in Egypt.
00:16:06.26\00:16:08.73
And as I mentioned just
before we went to break,
00:16:08.76\00:16:10.30
you can get the companion
book that will give you
00:16:10.33\00:16:11.93
more insight and information.
00:16:11.97\00:16:13.87
You can also pick up
the teacher's edition
00:16:13.90\00:16:16.64
of the "Sabbath School" lesson,
00:16:16.67\00:16:18.37
and they also have it
available in Spanish as well.
00:16:18.41\00:16:21.14
So delve into those if
you would like to get more
00:16:21.18\00:16:23.58
out of the lesson today.
00:16:23.61\00:16:25.65
Dr. Moskala, before
we went to our break,
00:16:25.68\00:16:28.45
we talked about
Pharaoh hardening his heart,
00:16:28.48\00:16:31.19
but also we find that it says
God hardened Pharaoh's heart.
00:16:31.22\00:16:35.42
Help us to understand this.
00:16:35.46\00:16:37.26
We know God is love.
00:16:37.29\00:16:38.73
We know He's also
just, but how do we deal
00:16:38.76\00:16:41.80
with God
hardening Pharaoh's heart?
00:16:41.83\00:16:44.07
What's the explanation of that?
00:16:44.10\00:16:45.73
>>Dr. Moskala: Well, I
think that this is a big puzzle
00:16:45.77\00:16:47.54
for many students of the Bible.
00:16:47.57\00:16:50.07
And I was also
puzzled when, you know,
00:16:50.11\00:16:53.44
as a young theologian
and student of the Bible
00:16:53.48\00:16:57.81
was going through and I
said, "Well, God, help me
00:16:57.85\00:17:02.15
to make sense of
it, to make sense."
00:17:02.18\00:17:04.95
And so I studied
that very carefully.
00:17:04.99\00:17:09.09
And what I
discovered is that you have,
00:17:09.12\00:17:12.76
like, two statements there.
00:17:12.79\00:17:15.46
Yes, it's true, it stated that
God hardened Pharaoh's heart
00:17:15.50\00:17:19.67
or will harden Pharaoh's heart.
00:17:19.70\00:17:22.54
And then you have the statement
that Pharaoh hardened his heart.
00:17:22.57\00:17:27.68
So is a contradiction?
00:17:27.71\00:17:30.01
Is God like the capricious
God, that if He want to do
00:17:30.05\00:17:33.35
something good, He will
still, because He's sovereign,
00:17:33.38\00:17:38.25
harden us and we will disobey,
00:17:38.29\00:17:41.59
and so, and then He
will perform what He wants?
00:17:41.62\00:17:46.26
So where will be our
responsibility, right?
00:17:46.29\00:17:48.56
So how is it
with God's sovereignty
00:17:48.60\00:17:51.67
and also our freedom?
00:17:51.70\00:17:54.00
And it all plays here
a very important role.
00:17:54.04\00:17:57.74
So I studied this very
carefully and I discovered
00:17:57.77\00:18:01.88
that when we were
starting to read in chapter 4
00:18:01.91\00:18:05.91
that God said, "I
will harden his heart
00:18:05.95\00:18:08.85
so that he will
not let the people go,"
00:18:08.88\00:18:11.72
it's a prediction.
00:18:11.75\00:18:13.86
Then in chapter 7, it was for
the second time when God said,
00:18:13.89\00:18:17.86
yes, and in verse 3, "But I
will harden Pharaoh's heart,
00:18:17.89\00:18:23.80
"and though I
multiply my [miracles] signs
00:18:23.83\00:18:27.30
and wonders..., he
will not listen to you."
00:18:27.34\00:18:30.94
And then, this
is again prediction.
00:18:30.97\00:18:35.14
This is what He will do
because I am here in charge.
00:18:35.18\00:18:40.35
He will harden his--
I will actually do it.
00:18:40.38\00:18:44.82
So now, does it mean that
everything what will happen
00:18:44.85\00:18:50.53
will happen like
on God's intervention,
00:18:50.56\00:18:55.23
that Pharaoh
will be like a puppet?
00:18:55.26\00:18:57.63
If he wants or not, he will
need to do and play his role,
00:18:57.67\00:19:02.44
this negative role?
00:19:02.47\00:19:04.27
Well, now, after
these predictions
00:19:04.31\00:19:08.21
comes the story itself.
00:19:08.24\00:19:10.41
So narrative unfolds.
00:19:10.45\00:19:12.61
And the first
narrative with the performance
00:19:12.65\00:19:17.45
even of the sign that God
says, "Yes, let my people go.
00:19:17.49\00:19:22.59
"And here I am in charge,
I am showing you my power.
00:19:22.62\00:19:27.13
Your magicians are powerless."
00:19:27.20\00:19:29.33
Then, you know, "My serpent
will eat even your serpents."
00:19:29.36\00:19:33.60
Everything is different.
00:19:33.64\00:19:36.74
We read that even after
this prelude, I would say,
00:19:36.77\00:19:41.48
we have the statement,
00:19:41.51\00:19:43.85
"And Pharaoh's heart became hard
and would not listen to them."
00:19:43.88\00:19:52.29
So this is whose decision?
00:19:52.32\00:19:54.76
It's Pharaoh's decision, right?
00:19:54.79\00:19:57.46
And now you go
through the plagues.
00:19:57.49\00:20:01.20
And it's very significant
for me that at the end
00:20:01.23\00:20:05.53
of first plague you read,
00:20:05.57\00:20:09.57
like, in verse 22:
00:20:09.60\00:20:11.97
"And Pharaoh's
heart became hard;
00:20:12.01\00:20:14.68
he would not listen
to Moses and Aaron."
00:20:14.71\00:20:17.88
You go to the second plague,
it's like against frogs--
00:20:17.91\00:20:21.88
with frogs. At the end, you
have the statement in verse 15:
00:20:21.92\00:20:27.82
"And he"--Pharaoh--
00:20:27.86\00:20:29.76
"hardened his heart
and would not listen."
00:20:29.79\00:20:32.66
You go through the third plague,
the same statement at the end:
00:20:32.69\00:20:36.56
"But Pharaoh's heart was
hard and he would not listen,
00:20:36.60\00:20:40.24
just as the Lord had said."
00:20:40.27\00:20:41.84
So God said that because He
knew that Pharaoh will do it.
00:20:41.87\00:20:47.21
He will do it.
00:20:47.24\00:20:48.54
Now you go
through the fourth plague:
00:20:48.58\00:20:50.65
"And God said,
'Let my people go.'"
00:20:50.68\00:20:53.65
And again, when
you go to verse 32:
00:20:53.68\00:20:56.55
"But this time also
Pharaoh hardened...heart
00:20:56.58\00:21:00.26
and would not
let the people go."
00:21:00.29\00:21:02.72
You go to the
fifth plague, at the end:
00:21:02.76\00:21:06.70
"Yet his heart was unyielding
00:21:06.73\00:21:09.66
and he would not
let the people go."
00:21:09.70\00:21:13.13
Then you go to the sixth plague,
and suddenly there is a change.
00:21:13.17\00:21:17.67
So in the first
five and in the prelude,
00:21:17.71\00:21:21.81
it's always
decision of the Pharaoh.
00:21:21.84\00:21:24.71
Pharaoh is hardening his heart,
he's not listening to the Lord,
00:21:24.75\00:21:29.38
even though it's very clear
00:21:29.42\00:21:31.25
that this is
extraordinary work of God.
00:21:31.29\00:21:35.19
He's always after that
little end--"Well, yes,"
00:21:35.22\00:21:39.19
you know, "pray for me"; in
some situations, "I will do it,"
00:21:39.23\00:21:43.16
and then again, doing the
same, hardening his heart.
00:21:43.20\00:21:47.10
But now from the plague
six on, you have the statement,
00:21:47.14\00:21:52.97
"But the Lord
hardened Pharaoh's heart
00:21:53.01\00:21:55.91
"and he would not
listen to Moses and Aaron,
00:21:55.94\00:21:58.85
just as the Lord
had said to Moses."
00:21:58.88\00:22:01.35
So now it's God's intervention.
00:22:01.38\00:22:05.85
How to understand it?
00:22:05.89\00:22:08.06
I would give a
simple illustration,
00:22:08.09\00:22:10.09
what I give also to my audience
00:22:10.13\00:22:12.19
when we talk about that and
to my students, seminarians.
00:22:12.23\00:22:17.53
Imagine the sunshine
00:22:17.57\00:22:20.27
and then two
different materials:
00:22:20.30\00:22:23.30
One will be like
butter, and another will be mud.
00:22:23.34\00:22:27.68
So when the sun will
bring this warmness of his beams
00:22:27.71\00:22:35.02
to the butter,
the butter will melt.
00:22:35.05\00:22:40.56
But the same agent now
will work with the mud,
00:22:40.59\00:22:47.50
and the mud will be hardened.
00:22:47.50\00:22:50.13
And I think that
this is, you know,
00:22:50.17\00:22:52.33
like the condition of our heart.
00:22:52.37\00:22:56.07
And we should be not
like mud, but like butter.
00:22:56.10\00:23:00.64
And I think that
here is the very lesson
00:23:00.68\00:23:02.91
for each one of us, that our
heart should be not hardened.
00:23:02.94\00:23:08.75
This is why in the Bible
you have always the statement:
00:23:08.78\00:23:11.82
"If you hear
today the word of God,
00:23:11.85\00:23:15.09
listen, do not
harden your heart,"
00:23:15.12\00:23:17.89
as God's people in some
situation, or even Pharaoh here.
00:23:17.93\00:23:23.16
We need to melt
because of God's love.
00:23:23.20\00:23:27.24
We should open ourself to
God as the flower is opening
00:23:27.27\00:23:33.01
to the warmness of the sunshine.
00:23:33.04\00:23:36.68
And if we will
follow in this way,
00:23:36.71\00:23:39.18
then, of course,
it will be different.
00:23:39.21\00:23:42.12
But Pharaoh consistently
is hardening his heart.
00:23:42.15\00:23:47.49
So even though God
would love to save him,
00:23:47.52\00:23:51.56
any other action of God's love,
00:23:51.59\00:23:54.10
God's
intervention into his love,
00:23:54.10\00:23:56.73
is like the sun who
is beating on the mud,
00:23:56.77\00:24:04.11
hard, who is hardened
already, is like that mud,
00:24:04.14\00:24:07.31
and it's
hardening more and more.
00:24:07.34\00:24:10.18
And it's blind because, you
know, when we refuse God's Word,
00:24:10.21\00:24:15.95
we are more and more
blind, and then, of course,
00:24:15.98\00:24:18.62
more and more severe calamities
and judgments of God are coming.
00:24:18.65\00:24:23.53
>>Eric: So these are Pharaoh's
decisions. He is choosing
00:24:23.56\00:24:28.26
to be in defiance of
God. >>Dr. Moskala: Exactly.
00:24:28.30\00:24:31.83
>>Eric: And his heart is
that clay-type heart, as opposed
00:24:31.87\00:24:34.34
to a butter-like heart,
which God would have us have.
00:24:34.37\00:24:37.54
There's an interesting statement
00:24:37.57\00:24:39.01
in Exodus 8 and verse 19
00:24:39.04\00:24:41.34
made by the Egyptian
magicians, and they say,
00:24:41.38\00:24:43.58
"This is the finger of God."
00:24:43.61\00:24:45.35
They see the plagues
happening, and they say,
00:24:45.38\00:24:46.88
"This is the finger of God."
00:24:46.92\00:24:48.72
Help us, in the few minutes
that we have left, to understand
00:24:48.75\00:24:51.82
what they were recognizing
or what they were admitting.
00:24:51.85\00:24:55.19
>>Dr. Moskala: Well, they
are now recognizing that they,
00:24:55.22\00:24:58.49
even though before
they could counterpart
00:24:58.53\00:25:02.46
or make similar things,
but they could not reverse it,
00:25:02.50\00:25:07.27
because this was all
the magic, you know, play.
00:25:07.30\00:25:12.21
Now they are recognizing
that they are not even able
00:25:12.24\00:25:16.21
to make it similar,
to modify it somehow,
00:25:16.24\00:25:20.62
to look like they have
these powers of magic arts.
00:25:20.65\00:25:28.26
They have to even
admit, "We are powerless.
00:25:28.29\00:25:32.53
What is going on is
really God's finger."
00:25:32.56\00:25:36.06
It means it's
God's intervention;
00:25:36.10\00:25:38.43
it's God's judgment.
00:25:38.47\00:25:40.27
So if you are
dealing with God, be careful.
00:25:40.30\00:25:45.14
Surrender. Let God's people go.
00:25:45.17\00:25:49.04
But now Pharaoh is
not listening to God,
00:25:49.08\00:25:53.28
not listening
to Moses and Aaron,
00:25:53.31\00:25:54.98
but he's not listening
even to his close people,
00:25:55.02\00:25:59.32
whom he trusted all the
time and who are misleading him.
00:25:59.35\00:26:03.73
And now they are
openly, honestly saying,
00:26:03.76\00:26:06.83
"Well, we recognize
00:26:06.86\00:26:09.40
"it's not now
what is human power.
00:26:09.43\00:26:13.74
Even we recognize it's
God's power here is working."
00:26:13.77\00:26:19.47
>>Eric: And even
though they recognized it
00:26:19.51\00:26:21.31
and professed that, even then,
00:26:21.34\00:26:23.78
Pharaoh did not
soften his heart.
00:26:23.81\00:26:25.95
>>Dr. Moskala: That's correct.
00:26:25.98\00:26:27.28
>>Eric: We've got
just about a minute left.
00:26:27.32\00:26:28.62
I wanna give you an
opportunity to talk to somebody
00:26:28.65\00:26:31.09
who might be watching this
program, who looks at themselves
00:26:31.12\00:26:34.62
and they say, "I sense that
God has been reaching out to me
00:26:34.66\00:26:37.83
"and calling to me and
guiding me and directing me,
00:26:37.86\00:26:40.66
"but I've been
responding with a heart of mud,
00:26:40.70\00:26:42.80
a heart of clay
that has been hardened."
00:26:42.83\00:26:45.40
What would you tell
them if they're wondering
00:26:45.43\00:26:47.77
whether their heart
of clay or heart of mud
00:26:47.80\00:26:50.37
could be transformed
into a heart of butter,
00:26:50.41\00:26:53.54
to use your illustration--
what would you tell that person
00:26:53.58\00:26:56.14
about the
possibility of that happening?
00:26:56.18\00:26:57.95
>>Dr. Moskala: I would
say, if God is speaking to you,
00:26:57.98\00:27:01.58
listen carefully.
00:27:01.62\00:27:03.32
The very fact that
God is speaking to you
00:27:03.35\00:27:06.65
is already a sign of His grace.
00:27:06.69\00:27:09.19
So you don't need to
despair that now you already
00:27:09.22\00:27:13.16
in your life
hardened your heart so far
00:27:13.19\00:27:16.90
that you are a mud and
then you cannot make any change.
00:27:16.93\00:27:20.94
No, God is speaking to
you, and even though the voice
00:27:20.97\00:27:25.57
of the Holy Spirit
and His Word may be
00:27:25.61\00:27:28.91
very tiny and small, listen.
00:27:28.94\00:27:33.72
And more you will listen, and
you will be prompt to follow Him
00:27:33.75\00:27:38.82
because it's obedience is
also the result of God's call;
00:27:38.85\00:27:43.73
then you can
really open your heart.
00:27:43.76\00:27:47.86
And every step when you will
obey God's voice, it will be
00:27:47.93\00:27:53.90
easier and easier, and your life
will be happier and happier.
00:27:53.94\00:27:58.27
>>Eric: Thank you, Dr. Moskala.
00:27:58.31\00:27:59.84
And thank you for joining us.
00:27:59.87\00:28:01.74
I want to invite you to
join us again next week.
00:28:01.78\00:28:04.15
We're going to be
delving into the Passover
00:28:04.18\00:28:07.38
here on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:28:07.42\00:28:09.95
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00:28:09.98\00:28:13.99
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