The Springs of Water
Turned to Blood
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Welcome to this lesson! Let's pray:
Father,
As we go on with the study of the seven bowls, please continue to give us a message which
fills us with confidence and hope in Your promises, just as You have so far.
We thank You in advance, in the precious name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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Revelation 15:1; 16:1
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.
(...)
Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels,
«Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.»
After the close of probation, the wrath of God will show itself through the
pouring out of seven bowls, containing seven plagues which will strike unrepentant men.
In this lesson, we will study the third bowl.
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Revelation 16:4
Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers
and springs of water, and they became blood.
After turning the sea into blood and greatly paralyzing the economic activities
of this world, the wrath of God will turn the rivers and springs of water into blood.
This plague will pose a very short-term threat to the survival of every living being on
earth.
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Revelation 8:10,11
Then the third angel sounded.
And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the
rivers and on the springs of water.
And the name of the star is Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood; and many
men died from the water, because it was made bitter.
The correlation between the judgments of the trumpets and those of the seven
bowls is still present here.
The third trumpet and the third bowl both strike the rivers and springs of water, making
them undrinkable.
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Revelation 8:10,11
And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch,
and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.
And the name of the star is Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood.
Revelation 16:4
Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers
and springs of water, and they became blood.
Here again, the impact of the bowl is far greater than that of the trumpet.
In fact, whereas the trumpet struck only «a third of the rivers»
and «a third of the waters», the third bowl strikes «the rivers and springs of water».
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Revelation 15:2,3
And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with
fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and
over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.
And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God.
As we have seen in our last lessons, the seven bowls remind us of the plagues
which struck Egypt, in the time of Moses.
This link between the two series of divine punishments was already announced in the scene
introducing the seven bowls.
In fact, this scene presents the redeemed singing the song of Moses, to praise God for
having saved them from the enemy.
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Exodus 7:19-24 : The river and springs of
water also turned into blood.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, «Say to Aaron, "Take
your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over
their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become
blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood
and vessels of stone."»
And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck
the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his
servants.
And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. The fish that were in the
river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So
there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. (...)
And Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said. (...) So
all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not
drink the water of the river.
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Revelation 15:1; 16:2-4
Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous:
seven angels having the seven last plagues. (...)
So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth (...).
Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea (...).
Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water.
From the scene introducing the seven bowls, to the third bowl, the action has
moved from one place to another, following this itinerary:
- heaven;
- earth;
- the sea;
- the springs of water.
This sequence is not the result of coincidence. Its purpose is to remind us of two
important messages...
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Exodus 20:8-11
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the
Lord your God. In it you shall do no work (...).
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
and rested the seventh day.
Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
First, the sequence «heaven, earth, sea, and springs of
water» invites us to return to our Creator, and to keep holy His day of rest, the
Sabbath.
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Revelation 14:6,7
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth - to every nation,
tribe, tongue, and people - saying with a loud voice,
«Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him
who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.»
Second, the sequence «heaven, earth, sea, and springs of
water» reminds us that it is all the more important to return to God our Creator
since the hour of His judgment has come.
Now, let's note what follows...
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Revelation 16:4-7
Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers
and springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying:
«You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have
judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have
given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.»
And I heard another from the altar saying,
«Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.»
Indeed, the message of the sequence «heaven, earth, sea,
and springs of water» is immediately confirmed by the third bowl, proclaiming the
carrying out of God's judgment!
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The true and righteous judgment punishes the oppressor of God's people:
«For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due. (...) Even so, Lord God
Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.» (REVELATION 16:6,7)
«True and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who
corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His
servants shed by her.» (REVELATION 19:2)
«Your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, (...)
[are] manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, (...) since it is a righteous
thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, (...) when the Lord Jesus
is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those
who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.»
(2 THESSALONIANS 1:4-8)
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Revelation 13:15,17
(...) that the image of the beast should both speak and
cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark
on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who
has the mark.
In the lesson «The Time of Jacob's
Trouble», we have seen that, after the pouring out of the first two bowls, Satan will
lead men to believe that God's people are the cause of these calamities, since they refuse
to observe Sunday as day of rest.
A death decree will then be issued against these believers who remain faithful to God and
His commandments.
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Revelation 16:4-6
Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers
and springs of water, and they became blood.
And I heard the angel of the waters saying:
«You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have
judged these things.
For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to
drink. For it is their just due.»
Since God will protect His people during the plagues, this death decree won't
have any effect.
However, this additional effort to annihilate the faithful believers will really fill the
«bowl» of God's wrath to the brim, and this is why the judgment of the third bowl is
pronounced with such power.
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Revelation 13:10
He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he
who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword.
Matthew 7:2
For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and
with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
So, the seven bowls of the wrath of God are judgments carried out on the basis
of reciprocity: unrepentant men are treated just as they have treated God's people.
The third bowl is the most eloquent example of this reciprocity.
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Revelation 17:5,6
And on her forehead a name was written: «Mystery,
Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth.»
And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs
of Jesus.
Revelation 18:21,24
Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown
down, and shall not be found anymore. (...)
And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the
earth.
In fact, Babylon was found guilty of shedding the blood of the prophets of God,
the saints, and the martyrs of Jesus...
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Revelation 16:4-6
Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers
and springs of water, and they became blood.
And I heard the angel of the waters saying:
«You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have
judged these things.
For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to
drink. For it is their just due.»
... and, consequently, the judgment of the third bowl, based on the principle
of reciprocity, gives Babylon and all those who support her blood to drink.
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The reciprocity of the third bowl's judgment is also described elsewhere:
«Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and
prophets, for God has avenged you on [Babylon]! (...) And in her was found the blood of
prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.» (REVELATION 18:20,24)
«The nations were angry, and 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.» (REVELATION 11:18)
«Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will
kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from
city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth.» (MATTHEW
23:34,35)
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Revelation 6:9,10
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the
souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they
held.
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, «How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You
judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?»
Revelation 16:5-7
You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and
who is to be, because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints
and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. (...) True and righteous are Your
judgments.
The righteous judgment of the holy and true Lord, at the time of the third
bowl, will also answer the request of the martyrs in the fifth seal, as we have seen in
the lesson «The Souls Under the Altar».
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Revelation 21:6
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
John 7:37
Jesus stood and cried out, saying,
«If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.»
The third bowl, like the previous ones, also bears a symbolic message.
In fact, before the period of probation comes to an end, each of us is invited to accept
Jesus Christ's living water which leads to eternal life.
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John 4:14
Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will
never thirst.
But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up
into everlasting life.
John 6:35
And Jesus said to them,
«(...) He who believes in Me shall never thirst.»
This living water, which Jesus offers us today, symbolizes a life revived
through the work of the Holy Spirit within us.
This water, «springing up into everlasting life», will
completely quench our spiritual thirst.
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Jeremiah 2:13
They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and
hewn themselves cisterns - broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Proverbs 14:12
There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is
the way of death.
Unfortunately, men reject the living water that God offers them, preferring to
follow their own way, which will inevitably lead them to death and loss.
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Revelation 17:1,2
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came
and talked with me, saying to me,
«Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot. (...) The inhabitants of the
earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.»
Revelation 18:2,3
Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen! (...)
For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
As a spiritual beverage, men choose the wine of Babylon, that is, an
intoxicating mixture made up of seductive but deceitful doctrines.
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Revelation 14:9,10
If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives
his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the
wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation.
Having rejected God's living water, and preferred the wine of Babylon, men will
soon have to drink the wine of the wrath of God, contained in the seven bowls of His
anger.
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Amos 8:11-13
«Behold, the days are coming,» says the Lord, «that I
will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of
hearing the words of the Lord.
They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro,
seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it.
In that day the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint from thirst.»
So the bowls will cause not only a physical, but also a spiritual thirst.
It will no longer be possible to quench this thirst, since God's Spirit will have
withdrawn from the earth.
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Isaiah 65:11-14
«But you are those who forsake the Lord (...). When I
spoke, you did not hear, but did evil before My eyes, and chose that in which I do not
delight.»
Therefore thus says the Lord God:
«Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, My servants shall drink,
but you shall be thirsty; behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed;
behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart,
and wail for grief of spirit.»
Whereas the third bowl deprives unrepentant men of springs of drinkable water,
God's people will be protected and supplied with pure water.
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Judges 15:18,19
Then [Samson] became very thirsty; so he cried out to the
Lord and said,
«You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die
of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?»
So God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out, and he drank; and his
spirit returned, and he revived.
The Word of God gives us other examples of people miraculously supplied with
drinking water.
Samson was one of them.
And we can find another very interesting example of this, earlier in biblical history.
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Exodus 17:3,5,6
And the people thirsted there for water, and the people
complained against Moses, and said,
«Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our
livestock with thirst?» (...)
And the Lord said to Moses, «Go on before the people, and take with you some of the
elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go.
Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock,
and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.»
After the deliverance of the Red Sea, which reminds us of the second bowl, God
miraculously supplied His people with drinking water, making it come out of a rock, which
now reminds us of the third bowl.
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Nehemiah 9:15
[You] brought them water out of the rock for their
thirst, and told them to go in to possess the land which You had sworn to give them.
1 Corinthians 10:1,4
I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were
under the cloud, all passed through the sea, (...) and all drank the same spiritual drink.
For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
Before entering the Promised Land, we will go through the desert during the
pouring out of the seven bowls.
But water, both physical and spiritual, will be supplied.
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Isaiah 48:20-22
Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldees! With a
voice of singing, declare, proclaim this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say,
«The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob!»
And they did not thirst when He led them through the deserts; He caused the waters to flow
from the rock for them; He also split the rock, and the waters gushed out.
«There is no peace,» says the Lord, «for the wicked.»
So, the same deliverance which was granted to the Hebrew people who came out of
Egypt will be granted to spiritual Israel - God's people -, at the fall of Babylon.
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God will deliver His people from the thirst caused by the third bowl:
«These are the ones who come out of the great
tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (...)
And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor
thirst anymore; (...) for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them
and lead them to living fountains of waters.» (REVELATION 7:14-17)
«They shall neither hunger nor thirst, neither heat nor sun shall strike them; for He who
has mercy on them will lead them, even by the springs of water He will guide them.»
(ISAIAH 49:10)
«Do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For
all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need
these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.»
(LUKE 12:29-31)
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Isaiah 33:14-16
The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness has seized
the hypocrites:
«Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with
everlasting burnings?»
He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly (...): he will dwell on high; his place of
defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure.
Let's persevere in Jesus Christ.
If we cling to God and His will, He will cover us and protect us.
The third bowl, just like the other six, won't affect us, for God will guarantee drinking
water to each one of us.
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Let's pray before closing this lesson:
Lord,
Your Word says: «The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!"
And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. And whoever
desires, let him take the water of life freely.» (Revelation 22:17)
This wonderful invitation is still given to us today, and we sincerely thank You for it.
Please help us to always choose Your living water, rather than the poisoned wine of
Babylon, so that we may inherit eternal life. In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
Screen 1: Picture Collection «ClickArt 65,000» by Broderbund,
CD #4, NATTR012.JPG. Screen 2: Picture from: Bodleian Library, Lincoln
College, Oxford. In: «Revelation» (LORIE, Peter), Simon & Schuster, Labyrinth
Publishing Ltd, 1994, pp.182,183. Screen 3: In: «La Révélation - le
grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988,
p.222. Screen 4: In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement est
proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.137. Screen 5: Picture
Collection «ClickArt 65,000» by Broderbund, CD #4, NATOT362.JPG. Screen 6: GIOTTO.
«The Last Judgment» (1306). Arena Chapel, Padua, Italy. In: «Revelations - Art of the
Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.79. Screen 7: In:
«The Illustrated Children's Bible» (CHRISTIE-MURRAY, David), Grosset & Dunlap, New
York, 1978, p.41. Screen 8: Picture Collection «ClickArt 65,000» by
Broderbund, CD #4, NATOT150.JPG, NATOT222.JPG, NATOT132.JPG, NATOT191.JPG. Composite
picture by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 9: ANDERSON, Harry. In: «Uncle
Arthur's Bedtime Stories, volume 5» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Review and Herald Publishing
Association and Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1976, pp.142,143. Screen 10:
MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD», Chosen
Works, MLI Software, JM221.BMP. Screen 11: 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 12: Michelangelo.
«The Last Judgment», Sistine Chapel, Vatican. In: «Michelangelo and Raphael in the
Vatican», Vatican Polyglot Press, 1983, p.105. Screen 13: MOLAN, Chris.
In: «Forever Stories, volume 5» (BYERS, Carolyn), Review and Herald Publishing
Association, 1990, p.55. Screen 14: BONDOL, Jean, and Nicolas de
Bataille. «The Shipwreck» (c.1373-81), Tapestry, Musée des Tapisseries, Angers, France.
In: «Revelation - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers,
1997, p.24. Screen 15: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (February 15,
1991), New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.1. Screen 16: In:
«La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society, 1988, p.245. Composite picture by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 17: The
Justinen Creative Group. In: «Signs of the Times» magazine (September 1998), Pacific
Press Publishing Association, p.25. Screen 18: In: «The Bible Story,
volume 6» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1955, p.172.
Screen 19: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD»,
Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM249.BMP. Screen 20: BLOCH, Carl. «Come
Unto Me». Landskrona Church, Sweden. Screen 21: In: «Adventist Review»
(unknown date), Review and Herald Publishing Association, p.14. Screen 22: KNOX,
Harry. In: «Ministry» magazine (June-July 2000), Seventh-day Adventist Ministerial
Association, p.19. Screen 23: The Justinen Creative Group. In: «Signs of
the Times» magazine (October 1998), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.25.
Screen 24: JORDAENS Jacob. «Come Unto Me». Landskrona Church, Sweden. In:
«Revelations - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997,
p.76. Screen 25: DORÉ, Gustave. In: «La Bible de Gustave Doré»,
Lausanne, Edita, 1994, p.133. Screen 26: Photo by IVANY, Jason. In:
«Canadian Adventist Messenger» magazine (May 1999), SDA Church in Canada, front cover.
Screen 27: DAVIS, Dennas. In: «The Beginner's Bible» (HENLEY, Karyn), Questar
Publishers, 1989, p.123. Screen 28: RAPHAEL. «Moses Causes Water to Gush
from the Rock». Loggia, Vatican. In: «Charlton Heston Presents the Bible», GT
Publishing, New York, 1997, p.111. Screen 29: HARLAN, Russell. In: «The
Bible Story, volume 3» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1954,
p.43. Screen 30: VERLEYE, J. In: «The Catholic Children's Bible»
(THEOLA, Soeur Mary), The Regina Press, 1983, p.80. Screen 31: Picture
Collection «Corel Gallery Magic» by Corel, 1997, CD #7, Photo Library 1, 27032.PCD.
Screen 32: In: «Adventist Review» (January 6, 2000), Review and Herald
Publishing Association, p.8. Screen 33: In: «Photo Gallery 5,000 volume
2» by Media Graphics International, 63_196.JPG.
Any copyrighted images not bearing a statement of permission, are used
for the purpose of non-commercial scholarly commentary or criticism in accordance with section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law, and with article 29 of Canada Copyright Act (Chapter C-42), which by
law can be without the consent or endorsement of the copyright holder. Images lacking
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The test of Lesson 84 is waiting for you!