Is
There Really a Hell?
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1
Once again, welcome to this study of the Word of God! Let us pray:
Our Father,
We thank You for all Your mercies towards us.
Today, we turn again to You, asking for enlightenment on another subject that has fueled
many discussions: Hell. We know that Your Word can give us clear answers on this subject.
This is why we ask You to guide us in the truth, by Your Spirit. In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Psalm 73:12,16,17
Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease;
they increase in riches. (...)
When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me - until I went into the
sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.
The end of the ungodly...
Is it to burn forever in hell's fire? Or is it to be completely destroyed?
We will let the Bible answer these questions.
(We strongly advise you to study the previous two lessons «Body, Soul and Spirit» and «After Death...» before beginning this one.)
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Ezekiel 18:32
«For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,»
says the Lord God.
«Therefore turn and live!»
1 Timothy 2:3,4
This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
First point to establish clearly: God is love.
He takes no pleasure in seeing many people choose to reject His plan of salvation, and
thus receive the last punishment.
He rather invites us to accept Jesus as our Savior.
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Romans 2:4-6
Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance,
and longsuffering, not knowing that God's goodness leads you to repentance?
But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for
yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who
will render to each one according to his deeds.
God is Love, but He is also Justice.
If we reject His plan of salvation in Jesus Christ, He will have no choice but letting us
bear the consequences of our decision, and die in our sins.
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Matthew 13:40-42
[Jesus said,]
«So it will be at the end of this age.
The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all
things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the
furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.»
In our previous lesson about death, we have learned that no one goes to heaven
or to hell immediately after his death.
The dead are in a state of sleep, completely unconscious, waiting for the day of their
resurrection.
So the punishment of the wicked will take place only at the end of times.
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Matthew 13:49,50
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.
When will the punishment of the wicked take place?
The answer given by God's Word is straightforward: at the end of the world, on the day of
judgment.
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Revelation 20:9; 21:1
[The nations] went up on the breadth of the earth and
surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of
heaven and devoured them. (...)
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.
The Bible says that the wicked will be punished on this earth, whose surface
will be consumed by fire from heaven.
Thereafter, a new earth will become the dwelling of God's people.
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2 Peter 3:7
But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in
store by the same word, reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of
ungodly men.
Therefore, the wicked will be punished on earth, at the end of the world.
Having said this, what, then, will be the lot of the wicked? For a long time, it has been
taught that the wicked would suffer forever in the fire of hell...
Does the Word of God agree with this teaching?
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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.
First, let us note this essential point: man is a mortal being (please review
the lesson «Body, Soul, and Spirit» for more
details).
No man has immortality in himself.
Thus, we can already note an anomaly in the teaching of eternal sufferings: indeed, to
suffer eternally, man would have to be immortal, and that is not the case.
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1 Corinthians 15:53
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this
mortal must put on immortality.
1 Timothy 6:15,16
(...) the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has
immortality.
Therefore, to live forever, man must receive immortality which can only be
given by God.
Now, the question we have to ask is: Will God also grant eternal life to the wicked, 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 Bible answers in a very clear way: eternal life is reserved for the
righteous.
Only the people of God will receive immortality at the second coming of Jesus Christ.
As for the wicked, they will keep their mortal nature: thus, they won't live forever.
Many other verses of the Bible confirm this fact, as we will see...
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Immortality will be given only to those who will be saved:
«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)
«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 have eternal life, they won't burn forever.
This conclusion is confirmed by the Bible which teaches that the final lot of the wicked
will be total destruction.
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Obadiah verse 16
All the nations (...) 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 teaches that the wicked will be «destroyed», «devoured»,
«consumed», «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 times.
The wages of sin is death, not eternal torture in hell.
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The Bible teaches that the wicked will be destroyed at the end of times:
«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)
«[God] has brought on them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own
wickedness.» (PSALM 94:23)
«For there will be no prospect for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put
out.» (PROVERBS 24:20)
«[They] 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 us see some verses often presented by those teaching that the wicked
will be tormented throughout eternity in the fire of hell.
First of all they say that the expression «everlasting punishment» means «everlasting
torment».
Yet, etymologically, «punished» means «cut off», «removed». The sinner will be
definitively cut off from life.
The punishment will therefore be eternal in its effect, since the sinner will never live
again.
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Isaiah 11:4
But 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.
The «everlasting punishment» is therefore the everlasting death of the
wicked, whom God «shall slay», without any possible 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 eternal judgment should not be interpreted as an eternal torment.
The Bible is clear: God's anger is «but for a moment».
Let us think about it: how could a God of love and justice inflict eternal sufferings on
someone whose rebellion has lasted only a man's lifetime? The Bible clearly rejects this
heresy.
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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.
The Word of God does not indicate how long will be the punishment of the
wicked, before their final destruction.
However, it is clearly stated that they will be punished according to their deeds, the
greatest sinners receiving a more severe punishment than the others.
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Matthew 25:41
Then [the King] 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.»
Another expression wrongly interpreted: the everlasting fire.
Yet, God's Word clearly explains the true meaning of this expression.
Let us see the next 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 long
ago!
This was «set forth as an example», yes, but for whom?
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2 Peter 2:6
[God] turning the cities of 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 shows the wicked's punishment at the end
of time, that is, complete destruction.
The wicked will perish in a fire which will go out only after its work of complete
destruction.
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Luke 16:19-24
There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple
and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named
Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate. (...)
So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. 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 presented to prove that
the wicked go to hell immediately after their death.
However, we have already seen that a parable must not always be interpreted literally;
otherwise, we should also believe that trees speak, according to the parable in JUDGES 9:8-15.
Please review the lesson «After Death...» for
more details about this.
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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 as «for ever») do not mean that
the wicked will suffer eternally, just as the eternal fire that destroyed Sodom and
Gomorrah is no longer burning today.
Now, let's see other verses using the expression «forever and ever» which will show us
the real meaning of these words.
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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.
So the expressions «its smoke shall ascend forever», «forever and ever»,
simply mean a complete destruction, the cities being «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 his ear with an awl; and [the
servant] shall serve him forever.
Likewise, the expression «forever» does not mean «eternally», but rather
«a lifetime».
Indeed, the slave could serve his master «forever», that is, all his life, but certainly
not eternally.
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Psalm 83:17
Let them be confounded amd dismayed forever; yes, let
them be put to shame and perish.
Thus, the wicked will be dismayed «forever», that is to say for the time they
have left to live, before perishing in a total 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 won't be able to destroy him.
Yet, the Bible teaches us exactly the contrary. Satan will be destroyed at the end of
times.
Let us see some verses from the Scriptures confirming this point.
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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 «Why Does Evil Exist?»,
we have seen this prophecy of Ezekiel showing how Satan came to rebel against God.
The same prophecy also announces the near destruction of Satan.
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Just like the wicked, Satan will be destroyed at the end of times:
«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.» (ISAIAH 27:1)
[Note: The «fleeing serpent» in the previous verse is Satan: «The
great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives
the whole world.» (REVELATION 12:9)]
«Through death [Jesus] might destroy him who had the power of
death, that is, the devil.» (HEBREWS 2:14)
«The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.» (ROMANS 16:20)
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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] 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, not eternal torment in hell.
And after the annihilation of all evil, 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.»
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 will not be disturbed by the wicked's cries of
suffering, for they will have been destroyed, just like the former things.
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Romans 3:7
For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to
His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out
fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
Let's conclude our lesson with this point.
Some may believe that the doctrine of eternal suffering, true or not, will frighten the
sinner and bring him to repentance.
However God disapproves of such a thought. He wants us to follow Him out of love, not out
of fear.
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Let us pray together:
O Lord,
We thank You for having shown us that You are not a cruel God planning eternal sufferings
for the wicked.
On the contrary, You are a God of love, respecting everyone's choice to follow You or not,
destroying the wicked at the end of time because You know that they would not be happy
living in a World from which all evil is banished.
We also thank You for this wonderful hope You give us, by announcing that You will soon
establish Your everlasting kingdom, and then make all things new.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
Screen 1: «Pu'u O Volcano, Hawaii Volcano National Park.» In:
«Deluxe Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia CD - 1998 Edition», Compton's Home Library,
1997. Screen 2: «La Pure Vérité» magazine (Unknown date), Worldwide
Church of God, front cover. Screen 3: LEASON, Percy. In: «Votre Bible et
Vous» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Press Publishing Association, p.95. Screen 4: VAN
DER WEYDEN, Rogier. «Saint Michael» from «The Last Judgment» (1445-48), Musée de
l'Hôtel-Dieu, Beaune, France. In: «Revelation - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy),
Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.85. Screen 5: In: «Angels: An
Endangered Species» (GODWIN, Malcolm), Simon and Schuster, New York, 1990, p.148.
Screen 6: 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 7: BAERG,
Harry. In: «Signs of the Times» magazine (December 1999), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, p.10. Screen 8: Photo from Viewfinder Colour Photo Library,
Bristol. In: «Revelation» (LORIE, Peter), Simon & Schuster, Labyrinth Publishing
Ltd, 1994, p.38,39. Screen 9: Photo from the Web site:
http://leopardi.com/genealogy/grave_of_howard_emerson_and_eliz.htm Screen 10: 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 11: ZINGARO, Charles. In: «The Bible Story, volume 5» (MAXWELL, Arthur
S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1957, p.152. Screen 12: BISHOP,
Tom. «The New Earth». In: «New Pictoral Aid For Bible Study» (BREADEN, Frank),
Australian Division of Seventh-Day Adventists, 1970, chart #12. Screen 13: 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 14: Robert Harding Picture Library. In: «The Illustrated Guide to the
Bible» (PORTER, Joshua Roy), Oxford University Press, 1995, p.72. Screen 15: Photo
by RADOVAN, Zev. In: «Bible Then and Now» (ROBERTS, Jenny), MacMillan, 1996, p.93.
Screen 16: RUBENS, Peter Paul. «The Defeat of Sennacherib», Pinakothek, Munich.
In: «Great Bible Stories and Master Paintings» (RACHLEFF, Owen S.), New York, Abradale
Press Publishers, p.212. Table of Screen 16: HEASLIP, William. In: «The
Bible Story, volume 10» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1957,
p.204. Screen 17: Picture from the Web site:
http://192.204.74.15/studpage/bill/belief.htm Screen 18: MANISCALCO, Joe.
In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software,
JM228.BMP. Screen 19: Justinen Creative Group. In: «Signs of the Times»
magazine (May 2000), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.21. Picture edited by
Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 20: VON CORNELIUS, Peter. «The Last
Judgment» (1845), Ludwigskirche, Munich. In: «Revelation - Art of the Apocalypse»
(GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.93. 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
from 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: Digital Stock Photograph. In: «Signs of the
Times» magazine (August 1999), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.8. Screen
33: In: «The Bible Story, volume 10» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press
Publishing Association, 1957, p.207. Screen 34: BLOCH, Carl. «Come unto
Me». Landskrona Church; Landskrona, Sweden. Screen 35: In: «Photo
Gallery 25,000» by Media Graphics International, CD #2, AC074.JPG.
Any copyrighted images not bearing a statement of permission, are used
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law can be without the consent or endorsement of the copyright holder. Images lacking
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The test of Lesson 16 is waiting for you!