Inauguration of the
Kingdom of God
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Let's pray together:
Father,
As we start on the seventh and last trumpet, we want to thank You for helping us discover
the meaning of the messages contained in this prophetic set.
Please give us the enthusiasm we need to share this precious knowledge with the people
around us.
In Jesus we pray.
Amen.
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Revelation 9:13,14
Then the sixth angel sounded.
And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to
the sixth angel who had the trumpet,
«Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.»
In the sixth trumpet, four angels of destruction launch a terrible army of
horsemen on the earth, a short time before the return of Jesus.
This assault has the effect of releasing a dreadful power of delusion on the apostate
Church and the unrepentant men, leading them to perdition.
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Revelation 9:20
But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these
plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons.
1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some
will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.
The strength of this power of delusion lies in men's stubbornness in rejecting
God's call to repentance, preferring to remain tied to attractive teachings which will
lead them to death and loss.
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Revelation 10:1,2; 11:3
And I saw still another mighty angel coming down from
heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun,
and his feet like pillars of fire.
And he had a little book open in his hand. (...)
And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred
and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.
Before going on with the seventh trumpet, the book of Revelation presents two
subjects:
- The first subject is the little open book. As we discovered in the lesson «The Little Open Book», this is the book of the
prophet Daniel, to which the seventh trumpet will often refer.
- The second subject is the two witnesses, which we will study in a future
lesson.
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Revelation 11:15
Then the seventh angel sounded. And there were loud
voices in heaven, saying,
«The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and
He shall reign forever and ever!»
Luke 1:32,33
[Jesus] will be great, and will be called the Son of the
Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no
end.
The seventh trumpet opens with the inauguration of God's kingdom.
At long last, the kingdoms of this world go from the dominion of Satan to the dominion of
Jesus.
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Matthew 4:8,9
The devil took [Jesus] up on an exceedingly high
mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
And he said to Him, «All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship
me.»
John 18:36
My kingdom is not of this world.
If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be
delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.
Indeed, Jesus confirms that, at the present time, the kingdoms of the earth
belong to Satan.
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Revelation 11:15
Then the seventh angel sounded. And there were loud
voices in heaven, saying,
«The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and
He shall reign forever and ever!»
Revelation 19:6
And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude,
as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying,
«Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!»
But, at His second coming, Jesus will take back the kingdoms of this world.
The institution of God's eternal kingdom is also reported in the book of Daniel, to which
the seventh trumpet often refers.
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The book of Daniel often announces the coming of God's eternal kingdom:
«And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will
set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to
other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand
forever.» (DANIEL 2:44)
«Behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the
Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and
glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His
dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one
which shall not be destroyed.» (DANIEL 7:13,14)
«Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom.» (DANIEL 7:27)
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Revelation 11:16,17 (NIV)
And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their
thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:
«We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have
taken Your great power and have begun to reign.»
The seventh trumpet goes on with the worship of God by the twenty-four elders.
Let's notice the words they use: «Lord God Almighty, the One who is
and who was», and let's compare them with the next verses...
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Revelation 4:8
They do not rest day or night, saying:
«Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!»
Revelation 1:8
«I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the
End,» says the Lord, «who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.»
Before the seventh trumpet, the description of God also contained the words «and who is to come».
But these words have disappeared from the seventh trumpet.
Why? Simply because this trumpet coincides with the coming of the Lord.
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Revelation 10:6,7
[The angel] swore (...) that there should be delay no
longer, but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound,
the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.
1 Corinthians 15:51,52
Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but
we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible.
At the seventh trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled.
What is the «mystery of God»? The apostle Paul indicates
here that this mystery is the gift of eternal life to all those who have faithfully
followed Jesus.
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Colossians 2:2 (NIV)
My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and
united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order
that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ.
1 Thessalonians 4:16,17
The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will
rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air.
The mystery of God is well and truly the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ.
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Matthew 24:30,31
Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,
and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming
on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together
His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Isaiah 27:13
So it shall be in that day that the great trumpet will be
blown; they will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, and they who are
outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
At the sound of the seventh trumpet, Jesus will come and gather His people,
granting them the gift of eternal life.
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Revelation 11:18
The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come.
Revelation 17:12,14
The ten horns which you saw are ten kings (...).
These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of
lords and King of kings.
On the other hand, what will happen to those having rejected God's offer of
salvation in Jesus Christ?
In our preceding lesson, we have seen that in the sixth trumpet, the ten kings put to
death the harlot, that is, the apostate Church.
Now, they want to attack Jesus and His people, but the seventh trumpet immediately
announces their punishment.
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Psalm 2:1-5
Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain
thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the
Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
«Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.»
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He
shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure.
Psalm 2 is a very good paraphrase of the seventh
trumpet: the nations want to attack God, but His wrath will reduce all their efforts to
nothing.
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Psalm 2:7,8,10-12
The Lord has said to Me, «You are My Son, today I have
begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the
ends of the earth for Your possession.» (...)
Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord
with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a
little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
The content of Psalm 2 really inspired the message
of the seventh trumpet.
It even gives a serious warning to the nations, calling them to follow Jesus, before His
wrath bursts out, at the time of His return.
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Revelation 6:15-17
The kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the
commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves
and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks,
«Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of
the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?»
Unfortunately, the nations stubbornly reject the offer of salvation in Jesus
Christ, and will have to face His wrath at the day of His imminent return.
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Revelation 11:18
The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come.
Isaiah 34:1,2
Come near, you nations, to hear; and heed, you people!
Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world and all things that come forth from
it.
For the indignation of the Lord is against all nations, and His fury against all their
armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to the slaughter.
When the wrath of God falls on the rebellious nations, there will be no doubt
about their fate: they will be completely annihilated.
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Revelation 15:1
Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous:
seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.
Isaiah 26:20,21
Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors
behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past.
For behold, the Lord comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for
their iniquity; the earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain.
God's wrath will consist of seven plagues, which we will study soon.
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Revelation 16:4-6 (NIV)
The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and
springs of water, and they became blood.
Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:
«You are just in these judgments, You who are and who were, the Holy One, because You
have so judged; for they have shed the blood of Your saints and prophets, and You have
given them blood to drink as they deserve.»
The seven plagues, described with the very same words as those of the seventh
trumpet, fall on the oppressor of God's people, just like the punishments of the first six
trumpets did.
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Revelation 20:4,12,15
And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was
committed to them.
And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the
word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark
on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a
thousand years. (...)
I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another
book was opened, which is the Book of Life. (...) And anyone not found written in the Book
of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Then the Millennium begins, as we will see in a future lesson. During this
period, the case of each unrepentant sinner will be examined and judged.
At the end of these thousand years, the verdict will be given, and the wicked will be
destroyed forever.
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Revelation 11:18
Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they
should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
and those who fear Your name, small and great.
Ecclesiastes 8:11,12
Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed
speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know
that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.
The seventh trumpet will therefore spare only those who fear God and follow
Him.
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Malachi 3:16-18
Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and
the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for
those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name.
«They shall be Mine,» says the Lord of hosts, «On the day that I make them My jewels.
And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.»
Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves
God and one who does not serve Him.
Confirming the message of the seventh trumpet, this passage shows that God sets
apart all those who commit themselves to Him, giving Him honor and respect.
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Revelation 11:19
Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark
of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an
earthquake, and great hail.
The seventh trumpet ends with this impressive scene: the temple of God is
opened in heaven, and the ark of the covenant is unveiled.
The heavenly sanctuary and its content, which are essential to a proper understanding of
prophecy, were the subject of three lessons: «The
Sanctuary», «The Sanctuary's Furnishings»,
and «The Sanctuary's Services».
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Revelation presents many times the final scene of the seventh trumpet:
«Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire
from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings,
and an earthquake.» (REVELATION 8:5)
«Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of
the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, "It is done!" And there were
noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and
great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth.» (REVELATION 16:17,18)
«And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and
as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent
reigns!"» (REVELATION 19:6)
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Many passages also describe the great hail of the seventh trumpet:
«And great hail from heaven fell upon men, every
hailstone about the weight of a talent. And men blasphemed God because of the plague of
the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.» (REVELATION 16:21)
«Have you entered the treasury of snow, or have you seen the treasury of hail, which I
have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?» (JOB 38:22,23)
«The Lord will cause His glorious voice to be heard, and show the descent of His arm,
with the indignation of His anger and the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering,
tempest, and hailstones.» (ISAIAH 30:30)
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Revelation 15:5,6
After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of
the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.
And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure
bright linen.
Revelation 19:11
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse.
And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and
makes war.
The opening of heaven and God's temple, at the sound of the seventh trumpet,
corresponds with the pouring-out of the seven plagues, and the return of Jesus.
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Exodus 25:21
You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in
the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you.
Hebrews 9:3,4
Behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which
is called the Holiest of All, which had (...) the ark of the covenant overlaid on all
sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded,
and the tablets of the covenant.
Let's remember that the ark of the covenant contains the tablets of the law,
that is, the Ten Commandments, expressing God's will and character.
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Revelation 11:18,19
Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they
should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
and those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the
earth.
Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His
temple.
Ecclesiastes 12:15
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God
and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
By unveiling the ark of the covenant in the heavenly sanctuary, the seventh
trumpet reminds us that true fear of God expresses itself through faithfulness to God and
obedience to His commandments.
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Revelation 11:18
Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they
should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
and those who fear Your name, small and great.
Matthew 5:11,12
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and
say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Finally, the seventh trumpet is an invitation to persevere, in spite of the
difficult times awaiting us, just as the prophets of God did.
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Let's pray:
Father,
It is written: «At that time Michael shall stand up, the great
prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of
trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time
your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.» (Daniel
12:1)
May our names remain written in Your Book of Life, until the sounding of the seventh
trumpet.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
Screen 1: In: «Photo Gallery 5,000 volume 2» by Media
Graphics International, 33_238.JPG. Screen 2: MANISCALCO, Joe. In:
«Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM256.BMP.
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Ellen G.), Pacific Press Publishing Association and Review and Herald Publishing
Association, 1950, p.290. Screen 4: First picture: BISHOP, Tom. «Angel
of Revelation 10». In: «New Pictoral Aid For Bible Study» (BREADEN, Frank), Australian
Division of Seventh-Day Adventists, 1970, chart #39. Second picture: «Apocalypse,
Depicting the Killing of the Seven-Headed Beast» from «Trinity Apocalypse»,
Anglo-Norman (c.1255-1260). Manuscript, Trinity College Library, Cambridge, England. In:
«Revelations - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997,
p.50. Screen 5: STEEL, John. In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (April 1993),
Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.10. Screen 6: In: «The
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Bible and Tract Society, p.7. Screen 8: BISHOP, Tom. «Stone strikes feet
of image». In: «New Pictoral Aid For Bible Study» (BREADEN, Frank), Australian Division
of Seventh-Day Adventists, 1970, chart #7. Screen 9: LIMBOURG BROTHERS.
«Saint John on Patmos Contemplating the Vision of the Lamb Enthroned, the Four Beings,
and the 24 Elders» from «Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry» (c.1413), Musée
Condé, Chantilly, France. In: «Revelations - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy),
Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.7. Picture edited by Cyberspace Ministry.
Screen 10: In: «Le Moniteur», Pacific Press Publishing Association, Second
Quarter 2000, front cover. Screen 11: MOTTEZ, Victor-Louis (1809-1897).
«The Resurrection of the Dead», Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lille, France. In: «Revelations
- Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.103. Picture
edited by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 12: JUSTINEN, Lars. In: «La
Sentinelle» magazine (November 1993), Pacific Press Publishing Association, front cover.
Screen 13: In: «Revelation Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson #6 («Le
Glorieux Enlèvement Selon l'Apocalypse»), p.1. Screen 14: MOLAN, Chris.
In: «Forever Stories, volume 5» (BYERS, Carolyn), Review and Herald Publishing
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Sistine Chapel, Vatican. In: «Michelangelo and Raphael in the Vatican», Vatican Polyglot
Press, 1983, p.105. Screen 16: MEMLING, Hans. «The Last Judgment»
(1466-1473), Pomorskie Museum, Gdansk, Poland. In: «Revelations - Art of the Apocalypse»
(GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.87. Screen 17: In:
«La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society, 1988, p.111. Screen 18: MARTIN, John. «The Great Day of
His Wrath» (1851-1853), Tate Gallery, London. In: «Revelations - Art of the Apocalypse»
(GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.96. Screen 19: Picture
from: Bodleian Library, Lincoln College, Oxford. In: «Revelation» (LORIE, Peter), Simon
& Schuster, Labyrinth Publishing Ltd, 1994, pp.182,183. Screen 20: In:
«La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society, 1988, p.222. Screen 21: In: «The Bible Story, volume 8»
(MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1956, p.148. Picture edited by
Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 22: HEASLIP, William. In: «The Bible Story,
volume 10» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1957, p.202.
Table of Screen 22: In: «Revelation Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson
#7 («Le diable enchaîné In un abîme»), p.4. Screen 23: STEEL, John.
In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (March 1996), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.4.
Screen 24: BLOCH, Carl. «Come Unto Me». Landskrona Church, Sweden.
Screen 25: Unknown source. Screen 26: In: «The Watchtower»
magazine (February 1, 1990), New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.24.
Screen 27: In: «The Bible for Children - Retold by Bridget Hadaway & Jean
Atcheson», London, Octopus Books Limited, 1973, p.101. Screen 28: JUSTINEN,
Lars. In: «Signs of the Times» magazine (August 2000), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, p.25. Screen 29: BISHOP, Tom. «The Earthly Sanctuary -
Interior (detail)». In: «New Pictoral Aid For Bible Study» (BREADEN, Frank), Australian
Division of Seventh-Day Adventists, 1970, chart #30. Screen 30: HARLAN,
Russell. In: «The Bible Story, volume 2» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1954, p.152. Screen 31: Photo from: Steve Welsh Studios. In:
«Signs of the Times» magazine (February 2001), Pacific Press Publishing Association,
front cover. Screen 32: In: «Photo Gallery 5,000 volume 2» by Media
Graphics International, 030_145.JPG.
Any copyrighted images not bearing a statement of permission, are used
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The test of Lesson 46 is waiting for you!