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The Number 7 – Truth or Coincidence??? Kristina Weinreich

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Kristina Weinreich with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 17, 2023 by paulthepoke

During my scripture studies, I have been reading about the number seven (7). I find the truth and reliability of the Scriptures reinforced in a number. When you see the number and the situations that stretch across the time of the Old and New Testaments, you cannot dismiss the divine as coincidence but see it as proof of its truth.

In the Old Testament:
There were seven days of creation. The seventh day being the day of completion and rest.

In Hebrew scriptures, there are seven words in Genesis 1:1 and 14 words in Genesis 1:2.

Also in Hebrew Scriptures, there are seven paragraphs from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3, which is the verse about the seventh day.

According to Jewish tradition, the creation of Adam occurred on September 26, which is the first day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar.

It is also believed that Jesus, the 2nd Adam, was born around this time, during the fall feasts. (Bethlehem & Herodium Hill)

There are seven sabbatical feasts:

  1. The Passover (Leviticus 23:5)
  2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6-8)
  3. The Feast of First Fruit (Leviticus 23:9-14)
  4. The Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15-21)
  5. The Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23: 23-25)
  6. The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-32)
  7. The Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-34)

There are seven colors in the rainbow that God created as a covenant after the flood.

Abraham swore an oath of ownership over a well at Beersheba. The well is called “The Well of Seven”. Seven lambs were given as payment. (Genesis 21:25-34).

At Jericho, Joshua was instructed to march seven days around the walls. On the seventh day, seven priests joined the march while blowing seven trumpets (Joshua 6:1-27).

In 2 Kings 5:1-19, Naaman was instructed to wash seven times in the Jordan River for healing.

Isaiah 11:1-2 speaks of the coming of Christ and the seven spirits (traits of perfection) that will upon him:

  1. The spirit of the Lord
  2. The spirit of wisdom
  3. The spirit of understanding
  4. The spirit of counsel
  5. The spirit of might
  6. The spirit of knowledge
  7. The spirit of the fear of the Lord

King David referred to God’s word “like gold refined seven times” (Psalm 12:6).

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In the New Testament:
There are seven petitions in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6: 9-13).

  1. Thy kingdom come
  2. Thy will be done on earth as in heaven
  3. Give us this day our daily bread
  4. Forgive us our debts
  5. As we (let us) forgive our debtors
  6. Lead us not into temptation
  7. Deliver us from evil

In Matthew 18:21-22, we are told to forgive not seven times but seventy times seven or seventy-seven (depending translation).

Christ used seven metaphors to describe himself as the path to salvation:

  1. The Bread of Life (John 6:35)
  2. The Light of the World (John 8:12)
  3. The Door to Salvation (John 10:9)
  4. The Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
  5. The Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25-26)
  6. The Way, The Truth, The Life (John 14:6)
  7. The Vine (John 15:5)

Jesus healed seven individuals on the seventh day of the week. He made them complete on the day of completion.

  1. A man with a deformed hand (Mark 12:9-13)
  2. A man possessed by an unclean spirit (Mark 12:23-26)
  3. Peter’s mother-in-law with fever (Mark 12:29-31)
  4. A woman with an eighteen year infirmity (Luke 13:10-13)
  5. A man with dropsy (Luke 14:1-4)
  6. An invalid man by the pool of Bethesda (John 5:5-9)
  7. A man blind from birth (John 9:1-7)

Christ made seven statements from the cross:

  1. “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:4)
  2. “Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
  3. “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” (Luke 2:45)
  4. “Woman, behold thy son” and in the same statement “Behold thy mother” (John 19:26-27).
  5. “I thirst.” (John 19:28)
  6. “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
  7. “My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me.” (Matthew 27:46)

In Revelation, there are:

Seven letters to seven churches
Seven seals to be broken
Seven trumpets blown by seven angels
Seven bowls of wrath to be poured out by seven angels

While this is not a comprehensive list of the number seven in the Bible, I believe this supports my belief in the truth of the scriptures. It is truth not coincidence.

Citations
Bethlehem & Herodium Hill. The Birth of Yeshua (Jesus) and the Fall Feasts, https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/birth-of-yeshua-jesus-fall-feasts/.

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Knowing Truth From Lies

Posted in #PaulthePoke with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 13, 2022 by paulthepoke

Scripture: 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude

Memory Verse: 3 John 1:4, I have no greater joy than this, to hear my children walking in the truth.

Key Theme: These four epistles offer concepts of contrasts. Ultimately, what is the truth and what is a lie?

God is the source of truth. All three persons of the Trinity are truth as a source. May God be found true (Romans 3:4). The Spirit is stated as truth in 1 John 5:7. Jesus proclaimed He is the truth in John 14:6. Jesus is the representation of the Father (Hebrews 1:3).

Truth can be learned from many sources. Some of these include the apostles. The apostles saw, touched, and heard the truth in Jesus for themselves (1 John 1:1-3). Truth can be learned from members of the church. A positive example would be Demetrius who received a good testimony from the truth itself (3 John 1:12). Truth can be learned from the spirits. But it is important to test the spirits to determine if they are from God (1 John 4:1). A teacher of the church can teach the truth for the building up of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12). Practically, the truth can be learned by reading the Word, our Bible.

There are consequences when choosing or rejecting the truth. Choices lead to practicing righteousness or sin (1 John 3:7-10). There is the choice of light (God) or darkness (lies), (1 John 1:5-6).

How do we handle the issue of sin? Are sins confessed or is personal sin denied? Confession of sins can lead to forgiveness and cleansing. Denying sin results in making Christ a liar (1 John 1:8-10). There are considerations of obedience and practice in regards to God’s commandments. Application of teaching determines whether or not one has God (2 John 1:6-9). Choose good over evil (3 John 1:11). The choice to love leads to life. He who does not love abides in death (1 John 3:14). Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer (1 John 3:15). It is important to practice what one believes. Ultimately, your eternity hinges on whether or not you believe the truth that Jesus died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3).

Jesus tells us in John 8:44 that truth is not found in Satan. He is the father of lies. It is his nature to lie. It is his desire to lie. Satan does not stand for the truth. He is a liar. Satan is a sinner from the beginning (1 John 3:8). Satan has many instruments at his disposal to dispatch lies. The antichrist of the future is noted in 1 John 2:18. Even now the spirit of the antichrist is at work (1 John 4:3). In Revelation 13 the beast from the earth or the false prophet dispenses lies. He calls for the worship of the antichrist. False spirits are called to be tested in 1 John 4:1. False prophets (1 John 4:1) are at work in the world. Satan also has demons at his disposal. He is the ruler of demons (Matthew 12:24). Members of the church are noted. Characteristics of these men are described in Jude 1:12, 13, and 16. A specific example of a man in the church would be Diotrephes. He rejected the authority of the apostles and was singled out with condemnation (3 John 1:9-10). Satan also has the world at his disposal. The whole world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19).

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Yoke of Slavery

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Freedom in Christ with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 7, 2022 by paulthepoke

Galatians 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. ESV

photo: istock

Slavery or δουλεία/douleia in the koine Greek of the day. The word is translated as slavery or bondage. The root word is δοῦλος/doulos or slave. Doulos is also translated as servant in the New Testament.

The Hebrew word for slave is ebed. Generally speaking, the word is translated as servant in the Old Testament. Ebed is used 800 times in the Old Testament. Ebed is from the word abad in the Hebrew.

As a nation, Israel is all too familiar with slavery. The nation Israel spent 400 years in Egypt as slaves. In the verse below, the term abad is used.

Genesis 15:13 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.

Click on the audio/video link below for teaching and commentary.

Humanity’s dilemma… What are we going to do? What are we going to choose? Fundamentally we have two choices, life or death.

Romans 6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

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What happens when one chooses a lifestyle of sin regardless of the specificity? God says we are a drift, thoughtless, and sensual. We are malicious, spiteful, greedy little haters. Again, the end result is death. And our path to death is not paved with good times and gold.

Titus 3:3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

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Don’t kid yourself. There is no way we can overcome sin on our own. We are currently in a fallen and broken state. We are not independently strong enough to break the yoke of sin. It is a monstrous and overwhelming burden.

Believers are called to be slaves to God the Father. Notice the progression in the verse below from Romans. Choose God and this leads to growth, purification, and holiness. The end result is eternity with the Father, Son, and Spirit.

Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

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Believers are called to be slaves to justice. We are called to do the right thing by God.

Romans 6:18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

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This is ultimately about your attitude and heart toward Jesus. He wants us to be a willing participant. Christ is not making us follow Him. As people, we have the free will to choose.

1 Corinthians 7:22 For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ.

A point of Galatians 5:1 is this. As a believer in Jesus Christ, the individual has broken away from the yoke of sin because of Him. One has become free. This is an appeal to the will. Don’t go back to being a slave to sin. Stay with Him and in Him.

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Be Deed & Truth, Not Words… Paul Beverly

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Paul Beverly with tags , , on June 22, 2021 by paulthepoke

Words are powerful, but your actions are truth. Talk is only talk if you aren’t showing your words are true. Be the truth.

Be honorable in all you do. Treat others with respect & be fair always. By doing this, they will see you as trustworthy & that’s what people need to see & feel from you. That’s what you want from others as well. Treat them as you want treated.

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed & in truth.

2 Corinthians 8:21 For we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also the sight of man.

Have a truthful and honorable filled day my friends!!!

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Honest Scales, Part 2… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , , , , on November 19, 2020 by paulthepoke

Jesus used “honest scales” to weigh the truth that He was given authority on earth to forgive sins, so that people could receive forgiveness from the Father through Him. If Jesus could perform the impossible that had to be proven to the natural eye (which means the Father is healing though Him), then He could also perform the impossible that can only be proven to the spiritual eye (which means the Father is forgiving through Him).

When we use these “honest scales” in every form of suffering that we encounter by balancing the side we don’t understand with the side we do understand (because we were able to weigh it which created an image in our mind), then revelation of what we don’t understand enters in and the suffering ends as the manifestation of the impossible takes place before our eyes. Because the scales simply balance without us forcing it, and the glory of God effortlessly manifests. Revelation transfers as light into our minds. That transfer of light comes from the Father’s throne of glory, where Jesus sits and reigns as Lord and King of glory.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Jesus is the access Door into the Father’s Presence. He and the Father are ONE. We are ONE with the Father too when we are “in Christ”. We walk through that Door into the Presence of the Father where all suffering ends and His glory manifests in both the supernatural and the natural realms.

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. If our suffering has not yet ended, it’s okay. It’s not anyone’s fault. The mind just needs to be renewed.

We need that transfer of light, that balancing of scales. The Holy Spirit (aka the Spirit of Glory, the Spirit of the Father) was given to us to teach us and reveal to us how to balance the scales and rightly divide the Word of truth. So we can receive everything that we need and so the glory of God is released in the earth through us in the same way the glory was released through Jesus, but with even “greater works” because Jesus went to be with the Father, where we too are seated in Christ, therefore in the Father, where the greater works come from. Until we receive from our Father in heaven we have no ability to change things that seem to be unchangeable.

Without Christ we can do nothing, but with Christ nothing is impossible. As soon as light (revelation of truth) transfers from the throne of glory into our minds, the thing we need manifests effortlessly. As soon as the scales are balanced, healing comes, answers come, God’s glory shows up.

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture (John 10:9).

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1).

The Lord hates dishonest scales, but he is pleased with honest weights (Proverbs 11:1).

But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mark 2:8-10)

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Straight Talk, Light and Truth… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , , , , on May 22, 2019 by paulthepoke

John 11:16 So Thomas, called the (Didymus) Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

The disciples didn’t want to go back to Judea because they didn’t want to die along with Lazarus (hence Thomas’ sarcastic comment in John 11:16). The Jews had just recently tried to stone Jesus there. But Jesus wasn’t worried because He could see perfectly all the way to the end of God’s glory being revealed when Lazarus would rise from the dead. He was called to go to Lazarus by the Father and nothing could stop that from taking place. Jesus didn’t need to know everything He would encounter along the way, although He probably did know beforehand. He only needed to see God’s glory being revealed at the end of it all. Jesus could see by the light of the glory, which is the Father who was always with Him.

The Father is what made Jesus the light of the world as long as He was in the world. Jesus gave us this same light to walk in as long as we are in the world, because He gave us the Father’s glory, the same glory Jesus had before the world was. Jesus restored us to our Father by making us One in Him (in Christ).

John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

The “light of life” is the Father of glory. It’s that “in Christ” position. It means His glory is awakened in us and we are the light of the world. This opens our eyes upon receiving, which even His glory causes us to receive so we don’t have to work at it. It’s already ours. We simply open our eyes by receiving this knowledge of His glory that makes us One with our Father and gives us His sight.

John 8:32 “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

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To Tell The Truth… Paul Beverly

Posted in Paul Beverly, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , on October 3, 2018 by paulthepoke

Been thinking about how to word this for days now. I’ll start by saying rape is as bad as it gets & will leave lifelong scars. Most never get over it & will be affected for the rest of their lives. I have no tolerance for a man that will rape a women or child & would want to see him castrated & hung.

wall st journal

Photo: Wall Street Journal

That being said, I don’t understand how anyone can willingly lie & try to ruin someone’s life for personal gain or political reasons. Why wait till the person is famous or has money? That’s pure evil in my books.

What if my sons were to become famous as a musician or ball player or heaven forbid a politician? What if some girl sees her chance for 15 minutes of fame & a chance to get rich? What if my boys turned them down at one time & out of scorn she chooses to ruin their lives?

It’s that easy, sadly. I’m honestly scared for my sons. I know this is a touchy subject & I’d probably want to kill anyone that wrongfully touched one of my daughters. The same is true for anyone that would willingly try to ruin one of my sons lives with lies.

Our country is a sick place with how far some of our politicians will go to have power. I could go on & on about this. But I will stop here & say that we should wish everyone well. We should always try to do the right thing & never willingly harm others. Let each other be.

Psalm 101:5 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look or an arrogant heart I will not endure.

Matthew 12:36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.

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Straight Talk… God’s Glory & Dividing Truth, Rodna Epley

Posted in Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , , on June 26, 2018 by paulthepoke

Rodna LightKnowledge of the glory is the only way we can “rightly divide” and accurately handle His Word of truth. The devil is doing everything he can to make sure minds stay blinded to this knowledge of the glory

2 Corinthians 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Even Christians like Thomas can be “unbelieving”. Anything outside of knowledge of the glory (knowledge of the Father) whom Jesus chooses to reveal (Matthew 11:27) is just us trying to use human reasoning to figure the Word out instead of the wisdom that comes from above (James 3:17).

Matthew 11:27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

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Just as the “Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world…” so was everything before His crucifixion and after already completed before the world was. The fact that we are still being perfected and “pressing on toward the goal” on earth doesn’t mean God didn’t already glorify us. It means where glorification is concerned, we received glorification when we were born-again in Christ, but releasing the glory from within us, which transforms our minds, happens “from glory to glory” on earth. It happens much more quickly to those who have made the willful decision to enroll in the school on the glory (so to speak) and walk so closely with the Holy Spirit as to learn how to operate in the glory. The church’s understanding of who the Glory is (the Father, see Exodus 33) and how He operates in man has been the problem all along.

Look closely at 2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The glory of the Father is transforming our minds now on earth for those who are in Christ. And the veil has been removed. It’s not someday. The process is now on earth.

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Myth or Truth, Islam is “Peace”… Thoughts from an American Soldier

Posted in American soldier with tags , , , , , , , , on May 30, 2018 by paulthepoke

Muslims often complain of misconceptions about their religion in the West. We took a hard look. The most prevalent myths of Islam are the ones held by Muslims and Western apologists.  The only exception may be the misconception that all Muslims are alike. They are not of course. But many Muslims apparently believe this as well. This is why there are various factions insisting that they are true Muslims. Those who disagree with them are either infidels, hijackers, or hypocrites.  Don’t be fooled! Hear the myths but know the truth.

islam slideshare

Islam Means “Peace”

The Myth: Muslim apologists sometimes claim that the root word of Islam is “al-Salaam,” which is “peace” in Arabic.

The Truth: An Arabic word has only one root.  The root word for Islam is “al-Silm,” which means “submission” or “surrender.”

There is no disagreement about this among Arabic or Islamic scholars. al-Silm (submission) does not mean the same thing as al-Salaam (peace).

Submission and peace can be very different concepts. But peace can be brought about by forcing others into submission.

As the modern-day Islamic scholar, Ibrahim Sulaiman, puts it, “Jihad is not inhumane. Despite its necessary violence and bloodshed, its ultimate desire is peace which is protected and enhanced by the rule of law.”

In truth, the Quran not only calls Muslims to submit to Allah, it also orders them to subdue people of other religions until they are in a full state of submission to Islamic rule.  This has inspired the aggressive history of Islam, its military, and demographic success in conquering other cultures.

 

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Deception…Thoughts from an American Soldier

Posted in American soldier with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 16, 2018 by paulthepoke

Matthew 24:4 Jesus answered, “See to it that no one deceives you…”

Πλανάω/planaó: lead astray, deceive, cause to wander. This Greek word is the source of the English word for planet, as in Jupiter, Saturn, Earth, etc. Definition provided Strong’s Concordance.

Jesus tells us to be on guard against deception. There is no deception in Christ.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me…”

Deception Getty

Photo: Getty Images

Quran 3:54 And they (the disbelievers) schemed, and Allah schemed (against them): and Allah is the best of schemers.

The Arabic word used here for scheme or plot is makara, which literally means “deceit”. If Allah is supremely deceitful toward unbelievers, then there is little basis for denying that Muslims are allowed to do the same. See also Quran 8:30 and 10:21. Taken collectively these verses are interpreted to mean there are circumstances when a Muslim may be compelled to deceive others for a greater purpose.

The 9/11 hijackers practiced deception by going into bars and drinking alcohol. These acts of deception were to distract. They did not want to create potential suspicion they were Muslim fundamentalists plotting jihad. These efforts worked well. John Walsh, the host of a popular American television show, claimed after the fact their bar trips were evidence of hypocrisy.

The transmission from Flight 93 records the hijackers telling their doomed passengers that there is “a bomb on board”. but that everyone will “be safe” as long as “their demands are met.” Obviously, none of this was true. These men were intensely devoted to Islam. They were willing to “slay and be slain for the cause of Allah” as the Quran puts it. The hijackers saw nothing wrong with employing taqiyya to facilitate their mission of mass murder.

The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) insists that it “has not now or ever been involved with the Muslim Brotherhood, or supported any covert, illegal, or terrorist activity or organization.”  In fact, it was created by the Muslim Brotherhood and has bankrolled Hamas.  At least nine founders or board members of ISNA have been accused by prosecutors of supporting terrorism.

The notorious Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is so well known for shamelessly lying about its ties to terror and extremism that books have been written on the subject.  They take seriously the part of Sharia Law that says, “It is permissible to lie if attaining the goal is permissible and obligatory to lie if the goal is obligatory.”

The goal is the ascendancy of Islam, and Sharia itself, on the American landscape.

Psalm 2:1-6 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”

He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

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