The Last Judgment
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We invite you to pray with us:
Father,
Before the inauguration of Your new Creation, in which evil will be no more, a last work
must be performed: the Last Judgment.
We humbly ask You to enlighten us, by Your prophetic Word, about this important subject.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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1 Peter 4:17
For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house
of God.
And if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel
of God?
As we have seen many times in our lessons, the judgment began in the heavenly
sanctuary in 1844, with the examination of each believer's case.
This first stage of the judgment identifies those whose conversion is not true and
sincere, and their names are then blotted out from the Book of Life.
When this first stage is completed, Jesus will come to gather His people.
Then, the second stage of the judgment will begin, examining the case of each unrepentant,
and leading to the execution of the Last Judgment.
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Revelation 20:4,12
And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was
committed to them. (...)
And books were opened. (...) And the dead were judged according to their works, by the
things which were written in the books.
1 Corinthians 6:2,3
Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?
(...)
Do you not know that we shall judge angels?
In our last lesson, we have seen that God's redeemed people will assist Jesus
as He judges unrepentant men and fallen angels.
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Revelation 20:12
And books were opened.
And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.
Many books will be consulted during the judgment.
First, there is the Lamb's Book of Life, containing the names of all those who are
redeemed in Jesus Christ.
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Malachi 3:16
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.
Revelation 22:12
And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with
Me, to give to every one according to his work.
Next, there is the book of remembrance, containing all the good works of God's
children, which will justify the reward of each one on the New Earth.
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Amos 8:7
The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
«Surely I will never forget any of their works.»
Jeremiah 2:22
«For though you wash yourself with lye, and use much
soap, yet your iniquity is marked before Me», says the Lord God.
Finally, there are many other books, containing the bad works of all those who
rejected God's offer of salvation in Jesus Christ.
The content of these books will justify the punishment of each unrepentant person at the
end of time.
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Romans 2:12,13,16
As many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the
law; for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law
will be justified (...), in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus
Christ, according to my gospel.
James 2:12
So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law
of liberty.
The basis of the judgment will be the Law of God, His Ten Commandments.
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Luke 12:47,48
And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not
prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
But he who did not know, yet committed things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few.
Acts 17:30
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now
commands all men everywhere to repent.
As we can see here, the judgment will take into account each person's level of
knowledge.
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Revelation 20:12,15 and 21:8
Books were opened. And another book was opened, which is
the Book of Life.
And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the
books. (...)
And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (...)
[They] shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the
second death.
After the Millennium, those who rebelliously rejected God's call to salvation
will come back to life, to receive their verdict of guilt and their sentence: a total and
final destruction.
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Matthew 13:49,50
[Jesus said,] «So it will be at the end of the age. The
angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the
furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.»
2 Peter 2:9
The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of
temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.
The Bible indeed confirms many times that the punishment of the unrepentant
will take place at the end of the world, on the day of judgment.
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Romans 8:11
He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to
your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Many people teach that the wicked will suffer forever in the fire of hell.
But, in our lesson «The False Prophet», we
learned that man is a mortal being. No one has immortality dwelling within him.
So we can already note an anomaly in the doctrine of eternal sufferings: in fact, to
suffer eternally, man would have to be immortal, and that is not the case.
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1 Corinthians 15:53
This mortal must put on immortality.
1 Timothy 6:15,16
(...) the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has
immortality.
So, in order to live forever, man must receive immortality, which only God can
give.
Now, we must ask ourselves this crucial question: Will God grant eternal life to the
wicked as well, so that they may suffer forever in the fire of hell?
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Romans 2:6,7
[God] will render to each one according to his deeds:
eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and
immortality.
The answer could not be more straightforward: eternal life is reserved for the
righteous.
Only the people of God will receive immortality, at Jesus' return.
As for the wicked, they will keep their mortal nature, and thus won't be able to live
forever.
Many other verses of the Bible confirm this fact. Let's see...
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God will grant immortality only to those who have accepted His salvation:
«For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.» (ROMANS 6:23)
«Our Savior Jesus Christ (...) has abolished death and brought life and immortality to
light through the gospel.» (2 TIMOTHY 1:10)
«No murderer has eternal life abiding in him.» (1 JOHN 3:15)
«He who does the will of God abides forever.» (1 JOHN 2:17)
«He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.» (REVELATION 2:11)
«And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His
Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have
life.» (1 JOHN 5:11,12)
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Malachi 4:1,3
«For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven,
and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,» says the Lord of hosts, «that will
leave them neither root nor branch. (...)
You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the
day that I do this.»
Since the wicked won't receive eternal life, they will not burn forever.
This conclusion is confirmed by the Bible, teaching that the final lot of the wicked will
be a total destruction.
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Obadiah verse 16
For as you drank on My holy mountain, so shall all the
nations drink continually; yes, they shall drink, and swallow, and they shall be as though
they had never been.
Psalm 92:7
When the wicked spring up like grass, and when all the
workers of iniquity flourish, it is that they may be destroyed forever.
The Bible says that the wicked will be «destroyed», «cut off», «as a non-existent thing», «as though they had never been», «ashes
under the soles of your feet», and many other words expressing a complete
destruction at the end of time.
The wages of sin is death, and not eternal torture in hell!
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The Bible teaches that the wicked will be destroyed at the end of time:
«You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the
wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever. O enemy, destructions are
finished forever! And You have destroyed cities; even their memory has perished.» (PSALM
9:5,6)
«He has brought on them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own
wickedness; the Lord our God shall cut them off.» (PSALM 94:23)
«There will be no prospect for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.»
(PROVERBS 24:20)
«Those who war against You shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing.» (ISAIAH 41:12)
«Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the
land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it.» (ISAIAH 13:9)
«They shall be devoured like stubble fully dried.» (NAHUM 1:10)
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Matthew 25:46
And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but
the righteous into eternal life.
Now, let's look at some verses often presented by those who teach the doctrine
of eternal torment in the fire of hell.
Let's begin with this verse: some people say that the words «everlasting
punishment» mean «everlasting suffering».
But etymologically, «punished» means «cut off», «removed». So the sinner will be
totally, irrevocably cut off from life.
The punishment will indeed be eternal in its effect, since the sinner will never live
again.
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Isaiah 11:4
With righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide
with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His
mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
So the «everlasting punishment» is the
everlasting death of the wicked, which Revelation also calls «the
second death», a death without any possibility of a return to life.
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Hebrews 6:2
(...) of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal
judgment.
Psalm 30:5
For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life.
Likewise, the expression «eternal judgment» must
not be interpreted as eternal suffering.
The Bible is clear: God's anger is «but for a moment».
Let's think about it: how could a loving and righteous God inflict eternal sufferings on
someone whose rebellion has lasted only a finite, human lifetime? The Bible clearly
rejects this heresy.
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Matthew 25:41
Then He will also say to those on the left hand,
«Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his
angels.»
Here is another expression wrongly interpreted: the «everlasting
fire».
Yet, the Word of God clearly explains the true meaning of this expression.
Let's look at the following verses...
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Genesis 19:24,25
Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and
Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens.
So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what
grew on the ground.
Jude verse 7
Sodom and Gomorrah (...) are set forth as an example,
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
The «eternal fire» destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
Yet, this fire went out a long time ago!
The Bible also says that «Sodom and Gomorrah are set forth as an
example», but for whom?
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2 Peter 2:6
[God turned] Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned
them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly.
Proverbs 26:20
Where there is no wood, the fire goes out.
The punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah indicates the nature of the punishment of
the wicked at the end of time: a complete destruction.
They will perish in a fire which will go out only after having completed its work of total
destruction.
And after that, there will be only ashes left.
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Luke 16:19,22-24
There was a certain rich man. (...) The rich man also
died and was buried.
And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and
Lazarus in his bosom.
Then he cried and said, «Father Abraham, have mercy on me, (...) for I am tormented in
this flame.»
The parable of Lazarus and the evil rich man is also often presented to prove
that the wicked go to hell immediately after their death, even if that refutes the
teachings of all the rest of the Scriptures.
But a parable must not be interpreted literally, as we can see in the parable of the trees
that speak one to the other (see Judges 9:8-15).
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Revelation 20:10
And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake
of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are.
And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
The Greek words «eis aionas aionon» (literally, «unto ages of ages»), and the Hebrew equivalent «al yolam» (generally translated «forever»)
do not mean that the wicked will suffer eternally, just as the eternal fire that destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah no longer burns today.
Other verses using the words «forever and ever» will show
us their real meaning.
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Isaiah 34:6,9,10
For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great
slaughter in the land of Edom. (...)
Its land shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night or day; its smoke
shall ascend forever.
From generation to generation it shall lie waste; no one shall pass through it forever and
ever.
Jeremiah 49:13
Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste,
and a curse. And all its cities shall be perpetual wastes.
The words «its smoke shall ascend forever», «forever and ever», simply indicate a complete destruction, since
the cities are «perpetual wastes».
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1 Samuel 1:22,28
I will not go up until the child is weaned; then I will
take him, that he may appear before the Lord and remain there forever. (...)
As long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.
Exodus 21:6
His master shall pierce [the servant's] ear with an awl;
and he shall serve him forever.
Likewise, the word «forever» doesn't mean «eternally», but rather «for a lifetime».
In fact, a slave could serve his master «forever», that is,
all his life, but certainly not for all eternity.
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Psalm 83:17
Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; yes, let
them be put to shame and perish.
So, the wicked will be confounded and dismayed «forever»,
that is, for all the time they have left to live, before perishing in a total and final
destruction.
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Matthew 25:41
Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire
prepared for the devil and his angels.
Revelation 20:10
And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake
of fire and brimstone.
Will Satan be destroyed too?
Some people teach that, since Satan is an angel, God will not be able to destroy him.
Yet, the Bible teaches exactly the contrary: Satan will really be destroyed at the end of
time.
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Ezekiel 28:17-19
Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you
corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. (...)
Therefore I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon
the earth in the sight of all who saw you.
All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; you have become a horror, and
shall be no more forever.
In our lesson «The Great Dragon and his
Angels», we studied this prophecy of Ezekiel explaining how Satan came to rebel
against God.
Now, this same prophecy announces the coming destruction of Satan.
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Isaiah 27:1
In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and
strong, will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; and He
will slay the reptile that is in the sea.
Hebrews 2:14
[Jesus] Himself likewise shared in the same, that through
death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.
Romans 16:20
And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet
shortly.
Just like the wicked, Satan will be destroyed at the end of time.
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Revelation 20:14
Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death.
Isaiah 25:8
[The Lord God] will swallow up death forever.
1 Corinthians 15:26
The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
The lake of fire is «the second death», and not
everlasting suffering in hell.
And when the wicked are dead, death itself will be destroyed.
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Revelation 21:4,5
There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and
there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.
Then He who sat on the throne said, «Behold, I make all things new.» And He said to me,
«Write, for these words are true and faithful.»
Nahum 1:9
What do you conspire against the Lord? He will make an
utter end of it.
Affliction will not rise up a second time.
The happiness of God's people won't be disturbed by the rebels' cries of
suffering, for they will be no more, just like all the former things.
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Revelation 21:1-3,5
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first
heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying,
«Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall
be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. (...) These words are
true and faithful.»
After the execution of the Last Judgment, the New Jerusalem will finally come
down on the new earth.
This will be the subject of our next lesson.
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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.»
Yes, truly, the hour of God's judgment has come.
Do we all rely on Jesus Christ, the only Advocate who can really help us?
Do we depend upon His appearing for us before God's throne, to obtain forgiveness for our
sins?
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Ecclesiastes 12:13,14
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God
and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is
good or whether it is evil.
Let's remember that each believer's case is at present examined in the divine
court.
The only way to be acquitted of the accusation which hangs over us is to accept Jesus as
our personal Savior, for the forgiveness of our sins.
Then, we must make Him the Lord of our lives, so that we may grow in faithfulness and
obedience to the commandments of God.
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Let's pray together:
Lord,
This is a solemn time, for the hour of Your judgment has now come.
We humbly ask You to forgive our sins, through the most precious blood of Jesus, and to
transform our hearts, through the work of Your Spirit within us.
In this way, our names will remain written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and we won't have
to suffer the second death at the time of the Last Judgment.
In Jesus Christ, our Advocate, we pray and thank You in advance.
Amen.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
Screen 1: «Bryce Canyon National Park.» In: «Deluxe
Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia CD - 2000 Edition», Compton's Home Library, 1999.
Screen 2: In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (February 1992), Pacific Press
Publishing Association, p.10. Screen 3: 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.6. Screen 4: In: «La Révélation - le grand
dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.57.
Screen 5: VON CORNELIUS, Peter. «The Last Judgment» (1845), Ludwigskirche,
Munich. In: «Revelations - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press
Publishers, 1997, p.93. Screen 6: HEASLIP, William. In: «The Bible
Story, volume 10» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1957,
p.203. Screen 7: STEWART, Perry. In: «Signs of the Times» magazine
(September 1998), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.9. Screen 8: STEEL,
John. In: «The Triumph of God's Love, volume 1» (WHITE, Ellen G.), Pacific Press
Publishing Association and Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1950, p.306.
Screen 9: Digital Stock Photograph. In: «Signs of the Times» magazine (August
1999), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.8. Screen 10: MEMLING,
Hans. «Casting the Damned into Hell» from «The Last Judgment» (1467-71), Pomorskie
Museum, Gdansk, Poland. In: «Revelation - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy),
Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.114. Screen 11: Photo from the Web
site: http://leopardi.com/genealogy/grave_of_howard_emerson_and_eliz.htm Screen
12: HARLAN, Russell. In: «Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories, volume 5» (MAXWELL,
Arthur S.), Review and Herald Publishing Association and Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1976, p.92,93. Screen 13: REMMEY, Paul. In: «The Bible
Story, volume 9» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1957, p.181.
Picture edited by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 14: RUDEEN, Herbert. In:
«The Bible Story, volume 8» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association,
1956, p.146. Screen 15: MARTIN, John. «The Great Day of His Wrath»
(1851-53), Tate Gallery, London. In: «Revelation - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB,
Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.96. Screen 16: Picture
Collection «ClickArt 65,000» by Broderbund, CD #4, RELCL018.JPG. Screen 17: Photo
by RADOVAN, Zev. In: «Bible Then and Now» (ROBERTS, Jenny), MacMillan, 1996, p.93.
Screen 18: Picture from the Web site:
http://192.204.74.15/studpage/bill/belief.htm Screen 19: MANISCALCO, Joe.
In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software,
JM228.BMP. Screen 20: Justinen Creative Group. In: «Signs of the Times»
magazine (May 2000), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.21. Picture edited by
Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 21: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (May 1,
1993), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.10. Screen 22: COLEMAN,
Ralph Pallen. In: «The Way, the Truth, and the Life», Philadelphia, The John C. Winston
Company, 1958, p.7. Screen 23: «The shore of the Dead Sea» (presumed
site of Sodom and Gomorrah). In: «Deluxe Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia CD - 1998
Edition», Compton's Home Library, 1997. Screen 24: Anonymous Portuguese
painter. «Hell» (16th century), Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon, Portugal. In:
«Revelation - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997,
p.119. Screen 25: Picture from the Web site:
http://home.hiwaay.net/~scaudle/Animation/AnimationShots.htm Screen 26: Photo
by Comstock. In: «Bible Then and Now» (ROBERTS, Jenny), MacMillan, 1996, p.21.
Screen 27: In: «The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes» (TAYLOR, Kenneth N.),
Moody Press, Chicago, 1956, p.75. Screen 28: In: «The Watchtower»
magazine (June 15, 1993), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.1. Screen 29: In:
«La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society, 1988, p.292. Screen 30: In: «Vivez éternellement heureux
sur la terre!», Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1982, picture number 44.
Screen 31: DORE, Gustave. In: «La Bible de Gustave Doré», Lausanne, Edita,
1994, p.201. Screen 32: Photo by Viewfinder Colour Photo Library,
Bristol. In: «Revelation» (LORIE, Peter), Simon & Schuster, Labyrinth Publishing
Ltd, 1994, pp.38,39. Screen 33: In: «The Bible Story, volume 10»
(MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1957, p.207. Screen
34: PROVONSHA, Clyde. In: «God Cares, volume 2» (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific
Press Publishing Association, 1985, p.506. Screen 35: ANDERSON, Harry.
In: «The Triumph of God's Love, volume 2» (WHITE, Ellen G.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association and Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1950, p.416. Screen 36: In:
«Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories, volume 1» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Review and Herald
Publishing Association and Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1976, p.43.
Screen 37: «Cumbria County in England's Lake District.» In: «Deluxe Compton's
Interactive Encyclopedia CD - 2000 Edition», Compton's Home Library, 1999.
Any copyrighted images not bearing a statement of permission, are used
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The test of Lesson 95 is waiting for you!