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♪ theme music ♪

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(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,

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an in-depth, interactive study

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of the Word of God.

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I'm glad you joined us today

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as we continue a life-changing series

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of studies on the Gospel of Matthew.

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Today we're going to talk

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about "The Teachings of Jesus

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about the Last Days."

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A relevant topic,

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and I know you'll be blessed.

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So welcome to Hope Sabbath School

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and welcome to our team.

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What a great series of studies.

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I'm so thankful that the Spirit of God

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inspired a former tax collector,

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Levi Matthew, to write this account,

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and I'm excited today because

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one of our team, T ricia Lee,

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is going to be leading in our study.

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Tricia Lee, thanks for your commitment

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to the Word of God,

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and I know God is going to bless us

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in wonderful ways.

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We're just so glad

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that you're part of Hope Sabbath School,

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and when you write to us it brings joy

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to our hearts to hear[br]how God is blessing you.

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You can write to sshope@hopetv.org.

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You can also write a note

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on our Facebook page;

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we've got more than 150,000 followers

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on Facebook now, and it's wonderful.

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Sometimes we'll put a picture of you,

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if you send one.

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We're just part of a global family

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seeking God and wanting to be used

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to bless others with His Word.

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So thanks for writing.

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Ely writes from California.

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Anybody from California?

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Some of you have lived[br]in California, right?

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Okay.

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"Greetings to every Hope[br]Sabbath School member."

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Several of you look happy.

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"I watch your program every day.

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I learn a lot from the discussion.

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I also downloaded the app,

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and I love to watch the archives.

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I feast on the Word of God every day."

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Well, Ely, thanks for letting other

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Hope Sabbath School members know

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that if you go to our website,

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hopetv.org/hopess,

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you can not only watch programs

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in this series on the Gospel of Matthew

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that you might have missed,

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but you can watch a[br]multitude of past programs

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with wonderful topics

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that will be a blessing.

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If you have the app on your iPhone

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or your smartphone, you can access

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the archives there; you can watch

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all kinds of wonderful Bible studies.

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So thanks for putting in a little promo,

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Ely, for the app, and that's

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a wonderful blessing to many people.

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James writes from Ghana.

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Anyone with Ghanaian roots?

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We do have some occasionally on our team,

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don't we?

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"I enjoy your class and the contributions

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you make.

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I pick your contributions,

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and I replicate them in my class

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when I teach in my church."

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Is that good?

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(Team) Yes.

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(Derek) That's exactly[br]what we're hoping for.

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"Oh, how I wish I could contribute live,"

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says James.

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"Send my greetings to the[br]Hope Sabbath School team."

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Well, James, if you come over

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when we're filming, we'd love to have you

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as part of the program,

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but, you know, we're equally excited

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to know that you're leading a Bible study

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program there in your homeland of Ghana,

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and, along with tens of thousands

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who are downloading that outline,

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we're glad you're teaching[br]the Word to others.

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Benson writes from Kenya,

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and I know we've got one Kenyan.

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Eric, wave to your brother from Kenya.

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All right, a big smile for Benson

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writing from Kenya, "I[br]follow your programs.

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I am a Sunday School teacher."

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So Benson's teaching the Word

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in his church.

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"Please don't give up because your work

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is not in vain."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) Ah, that's awesome!

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"God bless you all, amen."

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Well Benson, to know that you're a witness

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there in your church in Kenya

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brings great joy to our hearts.

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You encourage

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your other Sunday School members

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to watch Hope Sabbath School,

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and they'll learn much more about

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the Word of God, too.

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Here's one last note, actually, I've got

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a couple here; lots of people writing.

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I want to thank Jean

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for writing from Russia.

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You say, "Jean doesn't sound Russian."

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Well, Jean is from Rwanda,

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studying in Russia.

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"I greet you in the might name of[br]our soon-coming Savior Jesus Christ."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) "Peace be with you.

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I am Rwandese, currently living

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and studying in Russia."

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Now I want you to listen[br]to Jean's testimony.

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"I discovered Hope Sabbath School

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in late 2014 shortly[br]after I came to Russia.

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I used to go through the[br]Sabbath School study by myself

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because I didn't have[br]anyone to study with me.

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Even after I discovered[br]a church in the city,

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it was still difficult because all[br]of the services were held in"...?

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(Team) Russian.

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(Derek) "...Russian, and I just[br]was learning the language.

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As a response to my longings,..."

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Somebody is going to say "amen" here,

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"As a response to my longings,

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God revealed Hope Sabbath School to me,"

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) "...and I was able to be part

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of the in-depth study of[br]the Word of God in English.

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It blessed me so much that even though

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I've now acquired enough language skills

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to discuss the lesson in Russian,

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I still watch Hope Sabbath School,

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and I'm blessed by that.

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I pray that you keep serving,[br]letting people know

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about the Word of God and that you

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might even broadcast[br]in different languages

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to reach many unreached[br]places for Christ."

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Well, Jean, I want to ask you to pray

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because we are moving forward [br]with closed captioning,

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and we are looking for the opportunity

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for volunteer translators in a multitude

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of different languages so that people

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who don't have English as their language,

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even a major second language,

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will be able to watch and[br]read the closed captioning

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because, you know this[br]Gospel of the KIngdom

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is going to go the whole World,

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and then Jesus will come back,

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isn't that right?

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) So thank you for[br]being a witness there

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while you're studying in Russia.

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One last note from Alexander in Zimbabwe.

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Anyone from Zimbabwe?

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Simiso, hold your hand up[br]and wave to your brother,

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and we'll get that on the screen,

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all the way from Zimbabwe.

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"Greetings, Hope Sabbath School team."

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(Team) Greetings!

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(Derek) "I'm blessed to be watching

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Hope Sabbath School in Harare,

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capital of Zimbabwe.

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I really enjoy the discussions;

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they're so interactive and informative.

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May God bless you, the entire[br]Hope Sabbath School team,

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for spreading the Word of God."

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Well, you say that's a lot of emails

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coming from around the world,

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and, you know, we are just so glad

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that we can be part of a global family.

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And we're going to sing together now

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as a global family,

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and then Tricia Lee's going to lead us

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in a powerful study of the Word of God,

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"The Teachings of Jesus[br]about the Last Days,"

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but were singing now, Psalm 148.

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I hope you've learned it for this series,

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"Praise Him in the Heights."

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♪ music ♪

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(Derek) You know, I've got a feeling

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when we're done with this series,

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we're going to be singing[br]this in our sleep,

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but what a great Psalm to sing,

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"Praise Him in the Heights,"

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and, Tricia Lee, as you lead our[br]study today, I know we'll have a lot

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to praise Jesus for as He gives[br]us hope for the last days.

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(Tricia Lee) Amen, amen.

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Let us pray.

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Dear Lord, we need your Holy Spirit

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to help us to understand the times

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that we're living in.

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We need your Holy Spirit to help[br]us understand Your Word to us

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about the Last Days.

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Please bless this study,

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in Christ's name we pray, amen.

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(Derek, Team) Amen.

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(Tricia Lee) I am so excited that God

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has not left us in the dark about[br]what to expect will happen

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in the Last Days.

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Some people are very anxious[br]or nervous about the things

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that happen at the end of time.

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Some people have heard rumors or[br]strange stories of the apocalypse

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or even science fiction zombies,

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but God's Word reveals[br]to us what to expect.

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So as we study together, let's just[br]thank God that He has not left us

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in darkness about what[br]will come in the Last Days.

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(Derek, Team) Amen.

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(Tricia Lee) Let us turn our study

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to the Book of Matthew chapter 23.

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Before we hear what Jesus[br]teaches about the Last Days,

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first we find our study right[br]after the Triumphal Entry.

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Jesus has entered Jerusalem, and[br]He has met the religious leaders,

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and unfortunately they are filled[br]with envy and anger towards Him,

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and with a sorrowful heart He beings[br]to pronounce series of woes to them.

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Woe means misery or trouble to come,

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bad things that are happening, so [br]He's arning them about the condition

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of their hard hearts and what that means.

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So let's see first, before[br]we talk about the Last Days,

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what Christ says to the religious[br]leaders and to the people at the time

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about these woes, this miserable[br]condition that they are unfortunately now

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finding themselves in[br]because they've rejected Him.

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Let's start in Matthew chapter 23.

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I'll ask Gary if he would[br]please read for us

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Matthew chapter 23, verses 1 through 12.

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(Gary) Okay, I'll be reading[br]from the New King James Version:

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(Tricia Lee) Amen.

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So before addressing the[br]Scribes and Pharisees,

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Christ first addresses the people,

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and He actually gives them some warnings.

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Nicole, would you summarize for us

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what has Christ warned the people[br]about in the verses we just read.

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(Nicole) Sure, I'm thinking back[br]to humility again and not being

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caught up in names and being[br]in certain places in society,

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and so I think He is warning[br]against being kind of hypocrites,

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you know, saying one thing out of[br]your mouth, but acting and living

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a way that's not reflecting[br]what you're saying.

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So I think this whole kind of 12 verses[br]talks about hypocrisy and warning

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against living a life that[br]you're not actually living.

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(Tricia Lee) That's correct.

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Let's keep reading now [br]n verses 13 through 15,

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where now Jesus is speaking directly

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to the religious leaders and[br]pronounces these woes upon them.

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Olric will you please read[br]Matthew chapter 23:13-15?

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(Olric) Yes, I'll be reading[br]from the King James Version:

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(Tricia Lee) Wow, wow, strong words

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from Jesus here.

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Jonathan,would you summarize for us

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what is the rebuke that Jesus is giving[br]to the Scribes and Pharisees here?

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(Jonathan) It seems like[br]He is just underpinning

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their whole approach to the religion.

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They had set up all these rules and[br]set up all these different things,

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and He's calling their bluff.

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It's like, "You talk about My Kingdom,

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but you don't actually want people in;

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you don't invite people to[br]really live these things out.

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It's more this external thing for you."

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(Tricia Lee) Strong[br]rebukes, but there is more.

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Juliana, will you continue reading for[br]us Matthew 23, verses 16 through 24?

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(Juliana) Sure, and I will be reading[br]from the New King James Version:

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(Tricia Lee) Wow, wow.

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Simiso, summarize for what is Jesus[br]rebuking the religious leaders.

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(Simiso) I think Jesus is rebuking

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the religious leaders to[br]be genuine and authentic

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and be ____16:30 rounded in terms of what

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Scripture requires of them.

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(Tricia Lee) That's correct.

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When we look at verses 21 and[br]22, it seems as though they have

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a lack of reverence for[br]the things that are holy.

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They're not really reverencing[br]what God is saying.

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What do we see in verse 24

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about the tithing of mint and anise?

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Olric, what is Christ telling them or[br]for what is Christ rebuking them?

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(Olric) They had this teaching[br]back then that they were not

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to eat anything unclean, and the[br]gnat would be an unclean animal.

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So they will take time to make sure

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that the water does not contain any

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of these little bugs, but, you know,

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He is saying, "Your hypocrisy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is so evident; you take time to pay tithe

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and cummin and this stuff.

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You're being outwardly religious,

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but inwardly you're not there because

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things like faith and mercy, love,

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that you don't have.

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You take time to look[br]at these little things,

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but there are bigger things[br]that you're not doing."

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(Tricia Lee) Have you[br]ever heard the phrase,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"the letter of the law but[br]not the spirit of the law,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
being able to keep[br]certain requirements

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but not really having and[br]living the love to motivate it?

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Let's keep reading.

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There's some more rebukes[br]that Jesus gives them.

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Jason, would you read for us[br]Matthew 23, verses 25 through 36.

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(Jason) I'll be reading from[br]the New King James Version.

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Matthew chapter 23, verses[br]25 through 36, says:

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(Tricia Lee) Wow, these[br]are some strong words.

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I can't even imagine calling[br]someone a viper or a snake.

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It's hard to even picture Jesus doing it.

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You can imagine Him with tears in His eyes

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
telling those people that he loved

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
those scathing rebukes.

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Why do you think the rebukes of Jesus

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
were so harsh?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Why was He speaking to them so severely?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Nathan.

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(Nathan) I think we can read this in two[br]different ways, but we should read it

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thinking of Jesus with tears[br]in His eyes and in His voice.

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When you look at the next verse that[br]follows, verse 37 in Matthew 23.

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Can I read it from the New King[br]James Version, where He says:

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I mean, the pain in His voice; He's[br]longing for them to be saved, and He says,

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"You're not willing to come to it."

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It reminds me of, I think in Isaiah, God[br]speaking through the prophet says,

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"All day long I stood with My[br]arms open wide to a stiff-necked

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and rebellious people," -- Here[br]He is calling you to salvation,

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and you're turning away, not just[br]turning away but rebelling against Him.

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(Tricia Lee) And it's sad; it's sad.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In a previous study, we've talked about[br]the choices that we all have to make,

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and that God wants us to choose Him,

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but we do have the free[br]will to choose otherwise.

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(Derek) You know, I'm thinking,

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Tricia Lee, I really appreciate what[br]Nathan said about the love of Jesus.

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And there were some Pharisees,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Nicodemus was a Pharisee

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and also a member of the Sanhedrin,

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who did repent.

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(Tricia Lee) Yes, praise God.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) So you know, if Jesus was

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just kind of harsh and kind of fighting

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with the weapons of this world

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or acting like they acted,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they'd have an excuse,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but I think He is speaking[br]with love in His heart.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And, praise God, some of[br]the Scribes and Pharisees

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
said, "We need to repent;

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we need to turn our lives around."

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(Tricia Lee) Amen, amen.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Reading through this passage,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
something was very interesting,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and I'd like to ask the[br]class this question:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
How could He say that the guilt of all[br]the righteous blood, all the martyrs

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
would fall on this generation?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What does that mean?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
How are they guilty of all these things?

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They're just living their little lives;

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
how is it that He can say that the[br]blood of all the righteous from Abel

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to Zechariah would fall[br]on this generation?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Any idea what was the significance[br]of that statement, Missy?

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(Missy)