How easy for anyone to say God is alive. But how deep and profound is that belief? Perhaps, if one asks something from God, and thinking that the petition was granted, that is the evidence for him that, indeed, God is alive.

How many people see the "life" of God through His words? God is represented by His words. A spirit God without His words could never relate to the people. And, there can never be words (of God) without Him "uttering" them. Thus,

John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Deliverance from slavery

The Israelites found themselves in Egypt when Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, was appointed Prime Minister (Genesis 41:39-41) of that country to supervise the provision for the seven years of famine (Genesis 41:46-48). They were settled in Goshen, in the Northeastern section of the Nile delta region, where they stayed for 430 years until God took them. They were the descendants of Abraham, chosen people of God in the Old Testament, enslaved in that country for 430 years (Exodus 12:40). God finally made a plan to deliver them (Exodus 3:17), so that they could serve and worship Him "upon this mountain." (Exodus 3:12) Later, we will ask God why He preferred to be served and "worshipped upon this mountain."

God chose Moses

It was Moses, assisted by his brother Aaron, who was appointed by God to lead His people be delivered from slavery.

EXODUS 4:1-5 "And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee."

EXODUS 4:10-17 "And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. "And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do...And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs."

The servants of God were never volunteers. It was God Who appointed them. And it was He Who gave them wisdom and strength to fulfill their task. God is the principal. They were only His agents. The servants cannot act nor speak on their own. It is God Who is the head and the SPEAKER. The servants are only the LOUDSPEAKERS.

It took God many miracles to force Pharaoh free His chosen people from slavery in Egypt:

1. Rod of Aaron turning into a serpent (Exodus 7:8-14)

2. Water turning into blood (Exodus 7:19-21)

3. The plague of frogs (Exodus 8:1-8)

4. The plague of lies (Exodus 8:16-19)

5. The plague of flies (Exodus 8:20-24)

6. The murrain of beasts, the plague of boils, blains, and hail (Exodus 9)

7. The plague of locusts, of darkness (Exodus 10)

8. The Passover and the death of the first-born (Exodus 11-14)

THE GREAT ESCAPE

The last miracle of the Passover softened the stand of Pharaoh, and virtually drove the Israelites out of Egypt:

EXODUS 12:29-31 "And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said."

EXODUS 12:33 "And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men."

EXODUS 12:37-38 "And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle."

EXODUS 13:20-22 "And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people."

EXODUS 14:1-10 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so. And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him: And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid; and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord."

Crossing the Red Sea

EXODUS 14:13-31 "And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to them: so that the one came not near the other all the night. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, and took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea...and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses."

Using human understanding, the foregoing events simply convey a spectacular story of deliverance. The word of God, however, is more than a story. It is a "living word" if we are to listen to God’s explanation of His words.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."

Spiritual Israelites

We therefore ask God regarding the relevance of the story to the present time. "LORD, HOW DO YOU PROVE THAT YOUR WORD IS ALIVE IN OUR TIME?" As if God is saying: "Don’t you know that I am speaking "spiritual things?" Don’t you know that I am speaking in parables?

Ezekiel 20:49 "Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?"

The (physical) Israelites, My chosen people, and Egypt are only symbols. Here are My spiritual chosen ones:

GALATIANS 3:29 "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

GALATIANS 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."

"You will note, therefore, that it is not necessary to be a physical Israelite or a Jew in order to be one. In fact, not all Jews are Israelites. I told this to Paul and John:"

ROMANS 2:28 "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:"

REVELATION 2:9 "...I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."

"You may therefore qualify as a spiritual Israelite if you are one inwardly, whatever is your nationality:"

ROMANS 2:29 "But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter..."

The message of crossing the Red Sea is intended only to the spiritual Israelites, the real Christians, who are now being held captive by the enemy of God in this world.Are these not the chosen people of God? They are identified by the following:

MATTHEW 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

The "poor in spirit" are further identified by Jesus Christ in:

MATTHEW 18:3 "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."

The "little children" are further portrayed in the following:

ISAIAH 28:9 (KJV only) "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts."

These people cannot be literal-physical infants. God is speaking His SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE. These are the people like Peter, Mary Magdalene, John, Andrew, Philip, Paul, and other disciples of Christ who were all qualified to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus Christ addressed the real Christians as "little children."

John 13:33 "Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you."

Like little children the disciples never doubted nor argued with Christ. Christ is represented by Truth or the Word. They did not use their human intelligence refuting the Word. They were "little children, drawn from the breast, or sucklings" in the eyes of God. Like infants, spiritually, they could not walk, a spiritual walk, (Galatians 5:25) by themselves; nor eat spiritual food (Jeremiah 15:16) without being fed. They were fully depended upon God, as physical infants are to their parents.

Today, one can identify himself as a spiritual Israelite from the foregoing criteria. Are they many or only a few (Matthew 20:16)?

Spiritual Egypt

Egypt under Pharaoh was against God and His people. If God represents light, Egypt portrays spiritual darkness:

JOB 10:22 "A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness."

PROVERBS 4:19 "The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble."

So is the world, as Paul referred to it in the following:

EPHESIANS 6:12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world..."

Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, symbolizes the prince and god of this world:

JOHN 14:30 "Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this worldcometh, and hath nothing in me."

2 CORINTHIANS 4:4 "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ..."

Light cannot mix with darkness. Righteousness cannot associate with evil. God represents the light:

PSALMS 27:1 "...The LORD is my light and my salvation..."

ISAIAH 60:20 "...the LORD shall be thine everlasting light..."

So are God’s chosen people:

PSALMS 112:4 "Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness..."

MATTHEW 5:14 "Ye are the light of the world..."

God is now demonstrating the deciphering of His SPIRITUAL LANGUGE. As if God is telling us: "Did I not say that I am speaking in parables (Psalms 78:2)? Have you not read in the Scriptures that even My Disciples could not understand My language without explaining it to them (Matt. 15:15-16, Mark 4:34)? Remember My words are like "prophecies" that will never pass away:

MATTHEW 5:18 "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

"And My words, like prophecies, no man can interpret them:

2 PETER 1:20 "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation."

"It is I alone (Daniel 2:22) Who can explain My words -- not any man:"

CORINTHIANS 2:10-13 "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God...Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual."

"The ‘Israelites’ therefore are the real believers in Christ in your time, and ‘Egypt’ is the world where you live. Are you not in this dark world? Do not think that My people will be taken out physically from this world as I took the Israelites from physical Egypt. Rather, I will ‘take them spiritually’ that they will be ‘set free’ from the power of the Prince of this world, the spiritual Pharaoh (John 14:30). To you, probably, slavery is mistreatment and abuse by some powerful tyrants. I tell you it is very far from what you think. This was what I told the physical Jews but they did not understand Me:"

Spiritual Freedom

As if God is telling us: "This is spiritual freedom for Me. Perhaps, to many people it is not so important."

JOHN 8:32 "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

"It is only when you have My Spirit that you will know the truth and then obtain liberty."

2 CORINTHIANS 3:17 "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

"Do you know what the physical Jews told Me?

JOHN 8:33 "...We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?"

"Those people were physical Jews. They did not recognize My voice (John 10:14). They did not believe Me. Therefore, they were not spiritual Israelites and did not belong to Me. Only a few, My Disciples, were SPIRITUAL ISRAELITES. Now you are begining to see the distinction between physical and spiritual Israelites. Until now the physical Jews do not believe in Me."

"Spiritual bondage and prison for Me is to be out of the Way of Truth. Do not forget, spiritual freedom is the knowledge of truth. The prophecy that I would set the prisoners free was actually the preaching of the TRUTH:"

ISAIAH 61:1 "The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."

"This prophecy was fulfilled in My time when I preached the TRUTH in Israel (Luke 4:18-21), and warned My disciples of the wrong doctrines of the RELIGIOUS LEADERS who lead the people astray:"

MATTHEW 16:6 "Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."

MATTHEW 16:12 "Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."

"I rebuked them for, like Pharaoh, they held My people in spiritual slavery:"

LUKE 11:52 "Woe unto you, lawyers (teachers of the law)! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered."

MATTHEW 23:24-27 "Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."

MATTHEWS 23:33 "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"

We must remember that the words of God do not pass away. They are like prophecies being fulfilled all the time in a spiritual way. Did not our Lord remind us of this truth in:

MATTHEW 5:18 "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law (word), till all be fulfilled."

Crossing the Red Sea during the time of Christ

As if God is telling us: "The message of ‘Crossing the Red’ is intended only to the spiritual Israelites who are being held spiritually captive by the Prince of this world."

"To be able to understand the great message of deliverance, I need to tell you first the spiritual meaning of the terms. "Sea" is not a body of water that you know. For Me, "sea" refers to people:

REVELATION 17:15 "...The waters which thou sawest...are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."

"With My omniscience, I knew My Disciple beforehand. Before they heard My voice, they were restricted and restrained by the spiritual Red Sea or people? They could not escape from this world, the spiritual Egypt, because they were surrounded and controlled by the influence and teachings of the people. During My time, the spiritual sea were the Teachers of the Law, the Pharisees, and Sadducees. Just as the Israelites could not pass through the Red Sea without My intervention, so My Disciples also could not "pass through’ the teachings of these people without My divine power. What did I say is the attainment of spiritual freedom? Is it not the knowledge of TRUTH? Were they not the people, with their human precepts, doctrines, and philosophies, that prevented My Disciples from finding the TRUTH? Did I not rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees for this during My time?

MATTHEW 23:13 "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."

MATTHEW 23:15 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."

"Just as it was impossible for the Israelites to cross the Red Sea, so it was equally impossible for My Disciples ‘to cross’ or pass through the beliefs, teachings, and doctrines of the RELIGIOUS LEADERS who were the spiritual Red Sea."

Crossing the Red Sea in our time

Let us now ask God how this "crossing of the Red Sea" apply in our time. "LORD, HOW COULD WE BE IN THE SHOES OF THE ISRAELITES AND YOUR DISCIPLES WHO ALSO WANT TO CROSS THE SPIRITUAL RED SEA?"

As if God is telling us: "First, you must identify yourself as a spiritual Israelite. Are you ‘poor in spirit’ (Matthew 5:3)? Have you been ‘converted into a little child’ (Matt. 18:3)? Are you a spiritual ‘suckling and weaned from the milk’ (Isaiah 28:9)? Could you do as I, Jesus the model, showed by example:

JOHN 5:19 "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself...

JOHN 6:38 "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."

JOHN 14:10 "...the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me..."

"If you will notice, the characteristic of a spiritual Israelite is real spiritual humility in My eyes. After satisfying those requirements, then you are, indeed, a "seed of Abraham" and be counted as Mine ( "of Christ").

GALATIANS 3:29 "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

Only a few are chosen

As if God is telling us: "Remember, spiritual Israelites were not many in proportion to the Egyptians; so were My Disciples in relation to the total population (Acts 1:14-15). Could you accept that you belong to the minority? This is the truth:

DEUTERONOMY 7:6-7 "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:"

"True to My words, I call many but choose only a few: While My Word is like a 2-edged sword in sharpness (Hebrew 4:12), these Chosen Few wholeheartedly accept it, that I make My words sweet as honey (Psalms 19:7-10).

JEREMIAH 3:14 "...and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:"

"My people increase in number by accumulation over time. But all the time, they are always in the minority. Now you may identify yourself whether you are really a spiritual Israelite."

"Do not forget that the world you live in is the spiritual Egypt. I have to take you out from this world by crossing the Red Sea. The spiritual Red Sea are the people. If My Disciples were overwhelmed by the vastness of the influence and power of the religious leaders, so are you equally drown by the predominance and fashionableness of the different RELIGIOUS BELIEFS (Revelation 12:9) OF PEOPLE in your time. Religions and many Christian denominations which are all people-oriented compose your Red Sea. Each of these claims the truth. Is there more than one truth? Would you believe Me if I tell you:

2 CORINTHIANS 4:3 "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:"

GALATIANS 1:8-9 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

It is the purpose of this article to project the Bible as the Word of God -- not with the explanation or interpretation of men, but by the explicit exposition of the great spiritual message through the very words contained therein. Man’s interpretation has caused division and spawn the establishment of the different denominations. Added to this are the many RELIGIONS formulated and established by men baseds on human reasoning and emotionalism.

They are all attractive; otherwise, they would not have won billions of followers over time. All religions espouse morality, that is the cleanliness of man on the "outside." This is why people are deceived into believing that all religions are "Godly." Jesus Christ rebuked the religious people for their limited cleanliness on the outside only. Christ preached spirituality and not religiosity. Religiosity is "cleanliness on the outside." Spirituality is "cleanliness in the inside."

MATTHEW 23:24-26 "Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel...for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess...cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also."

As if God is saying: "Are not the people deceived by the attractive human precepts and religious traditions which I condemned?

Colossians 2:8 "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

Do you know the description of My enemy? He is pictured as "an angel of light."

2 CORINTHIANS 11:14 "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."

2 THESSALONIANS 2:9 "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,"

"No wonder you find many "miracles" or wonders that people thought came from Me. How could I perform miracles for those people who reject My words? Those "miracles" are counterfeit that come from My enemy!"

"I have to take My Chosen Few from this dark world -- the spiritual Egypt. I will bring them in the wilderness where I will feed them with Manna. There I am free to refashion them in My image as when I created man. Did I not create man in My image? But this image of Mine was shattered upon the Fall.

GENESIS 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

Walking on Dry Land

As if God is telling us: "You have seen how the Israelites passed through the sea. By means of a strong wind, water was cut apart. I also made My people walked on dry land.

EXODUS 14:21-22 "...and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east windall that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left."

"Do you know the spiritual significance of the ‘strong wind’? I made mention of this when Nicodemus went to see Me one night.

JOHN 3:8 "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."

"The wind symbolizes the Holy Spirit Who has the power to separate the water and make the land dry.

ACTS 2:1-2 "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting."

"Do not forget water symbolizes the people. My Chosen Few have to ‘pass through the people’ and should not ‘be drenched’ that I have to separate the water. This means, My people should be freed from human and mundane considerations."

"Not only that, they have to pass on dry land. Land symbolizes man himself. In the Parable of the Sower, land symbolizes man (Matthew 13).

GENESIS 3:19 "...till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

GENESIS 18:27 "And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:"

"When I take My Chosen Few and make them pass through the water, they have to walk on dry land. This means ‘dead to oneself’ or self-denial. They should not be tainted with selfishness, egotism, and worldliness. You remember how I told My Disciples regarding this.

MATTHEW 16:24 "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

"Just as the Israelites were able to settle in the wilderness, and My Disciples separated from the Jews under the leadership of the RELIGIOUS LEADERS, so also you, if you are a true spiritual Israelite, will also be living in the spiritual wilderness in your lifetime."

IN THE WILDERNESS

After crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites finally found themselves separated from the pursuing men of Pharaoh. In thanksgiving, they sang this song:

EXODUS 15:1-12 "Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.

How beautiful is the spiritual message of this song. Real Christians feel the power of God in their deliverance from spiritual slavery, parallel to the literal-physical.

The bitter water at Marah

In the wilderness, the Israelites got thirsty and found no water. They reached Marah, but the water there was bitter and they could not drink it. God, therefore, showed them a miracle by making the water sweet.

EXODUS 15:25 "So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur...and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them."

As in other biblical incidents, without God’s explanation of His words, this event is just a simple story that happened in the past. Unlike other people, however, like a true spiritual Israelite, I depend on God and wait for the great message of His words. Let us now ask God regarding the message of the bitter turning into sweet water. "LORD, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THIS BITTER WATER? WHAT IS THE TREE THAT YOU SHOWED MOSES THAT WHEN IT WAS CAST INTO THE WATER, THE WATER TURNED SWEET?

As if God is telling us: "You will notice that many references are made of My words. In one instance, as I showed you before, water stands for people (Revelation 17:15). But here, water has another meaning. What do you think does water symbolize in the following?

EPHESIANS 5:26 "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,"

JOHN 15:3 "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you."

We answer God and say, "LORD, WATER HERE SYMBOLIZES YOUR WORD! NOW, WHAT IS BITTER WATER AND SWEET WATER? OR, WHEN DOES YOUR WORD BECOME "BITTER" AND WHEN IS IT SWEET?" As if God is saying, "If you cannot drink bitter water, then you will die for lack of it. Sweet water on the other hand, which you drink, is part of your life. So also is My word. This is the bitter and sweet Word:

2 CORINTHIANS 3:6 "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."

"The letter in My Word, or the literal-physical, taken alone does not give "life." The letter in My word is just like a simple story or some events in the past. But the spirit, or the spiritual message, in My word makes it alive like a prophecy being fulfilled in your time. Perhaps you still recall My words of: "being able to walk on water if you focus your sight on Me, and telling the mountain to go to the sea if you have faith as big as a mustard seed; and here in the wilderness, My words about the bitter and sweet water. Did I not say that My words will never pass away?

MATTHEW 5:18 "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

"And it is I alone Who can "interpret the prophecy" or explain or give meaning to My words."

2 PETER 1:20 "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation."

As if God is saying, "Remember, My people had already crossed the Red Sea, and had been delivered from slavery when they encountered this bitter water at Marah. Have you also crossed the spiritual Red Sea that you can now distinguish the bitter from sweet water?"

"Do not forget that I alone can give meaning to My words -- not any man (1 Corinthians 3:18-21). And I can explain My words in many ways and the message is in perfect harmony taken as a whole. Now I give another reference for water. What do you think is the spiritual meaning for water in the following?

JOHN 7:37-39 "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"

JOHN 4:14-15 "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw."

"You have recognized here that water symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Could this be the bitter water? Of course not. It is the sweet water! The tree that was cast into the water that made the water sweet refers to the tree of the crosswhere I fulfilled My Testament:

1 PETER 2:24 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness..."

"Remember it was after My death on the cross that My Testament was fulfilled. You know I made a Testament with Abraham together with his seeds, actually the Israelites (Genesis 17:7). And this Testment can only be fulfilled by the death of the Testator (Hebrew 9:16). It was only after My death on the cross or the fulfillment of My Testament that the HOLY SPIRIT was made available to My Disciples at Pentecost. Is not the Holy Spirit symbolized by water as I stated a while ago? Is not the Holy Spirit therefore, that is symbolized by water, the sweet water? Now you understand what I told the Samaritan woman that ‘whosoever drink this water shall never thirst and a well shall spring up unto life everlasting, is what one gets."

Our question: "LORD, WHAT IS THE BITTER WATER THEN?" As if God is saying: "Here is another reference to bitter water. If sweet water symbolizes the Holy Spirit which is Godliness and righteousness, bitter water is inquity:

JOB 15:16 "How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?"

"Not only that, bitter water also refers to spiritual affliction. May I remind you of how you should read your Bible (Isaiah 28:10 "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:")

1 KINGS 22:27 "And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace."

"Is it not a nice feeling to have the Holy Spirit? This is ‘drinking sweet water.’ Does every ‘nice feeling’ indicate the presence of the Holy Spirit? During My time, the RELIGIOUS LEADERS, the Scribes and Pharisees, also had a ‘nice feeling’ about Godliness. Does that indicate the presence of the Holy Spirit? You know that they rejected My words. They had rejected the Holy Spirit!"

"What they felt, therefore, was only the religious spirit. This is the "water of afflication" that they were drinking. It was abominable and filthy in My sight. That is why I rebuked them (Matthew 23). This is religious emotionalism which hinders the acceptance of the two-edged sword in the truth (Hebrew 4:12). It is sincerity that is not based on truth and knowledge (Roman 10:2). And for being ignorant of what is truth (Luke 6:39), they established their own standard of righteousness which is apart from My standard of Godliness (Romans 10:3)."

"If the Holy Spirit is symbolized by sweet water, is it not bitter water that they were drinking? My Chosen Few, the Israelites, can distinguish between sweet and bitter water. They did not drink the bitter water at Marah. Could you now discern the bitter water in your spiritual Marah?"

"Bitter water," or the religious spirit as against the "sweet water" or Holy Spirit, is precisely the subject matter of this article. This is the basis of all religions and religious sects, where human wisdom through philosophy (Colossians 2:8) and emotionalism (Jeremiah 17:9) are the foundation stock. Later, we will ask God why He referred to religion (James 1:27), and the explanation of His concept of pure religion. We will ask God what He meant by the "fatherless and widows and their affliction." Using man’s wisdom, we only get the "letter of the word" in this case.

Manna

In the wilderness, the Israelites had to be provided with food aside from "sweet" water. There, they roamed the place for 40 years before they reached Canaan, the Promised Land. Here is God’s way of providing food to His chosen people:

EXODUS 16:4-6 "Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt:"

EXODUS 16:14-15 "And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing...And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat."

EXODUS 16:17-18 "And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating."

EXODUS 16:21 "And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted."

EXODUS 16:31-35 "And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan."

NUMBERS 11:7-9 "And the manna was as coriander seed..., "And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it. And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it."

This is the description of the "bread from heaven" which is called Manna. The Manna dropped from above at night. It was like seeds that is to be ground, baked in pans and made into cakes. It was white in color and tastes sweet as honey.

To simply take the "letter" of the word of God, this is a plain story that happened in the past. At most that people appreciate in the event is the great miracle of God; His love and mercy of providing His people with bread, and sustaining them till they reached the Promised Land. If that is all to the Word, what relevance is that to the Disciples of Christ? What applicability is it to the present-day Chosen Few? This is the "bitter water" that was just explained by God in the preceding section.

Now we ask God to make the water sweet: "LORD, WHAT RELEVANCE IS THIS WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE OF THE ISRAELITES TO YOUR CHOSEN FEW IN OUR TIME? COULD YOU SHOW THAT YOUR WORDS REALLY NEVER PASS AWAY?"

Manna dropped from heaven

As if God is saying: "Son, have you noticed that the Manna was dropped from heaven? Remember, it did not come from the ground but from above. This indicates that it came from God and not from man. I hope you still recall that ground symbolizes man. No man, therefore, can duplicate what God had given His chosen people for food. If people are thinking of literal food, the message is actually the spiritual food.

Manna dropped during the night

NUMBERS 11:9 "And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it."

As if God is saying, "Take note also that the Manna was not dropped during the day but at night. It was at night when the Israelites were sleeping. They were oblivious of what was happening around them. It was at this time that they were like babies who know nothing and unaware of anything.

"Today, I also give the "living" Manna, My words, to My people "at night" when they are oblivious of things and "sleeping like babes.

Matthew 18:3 "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."

The spiritual light to other people are the religious traditions and human precepts that I condemn (Colossians 2:8)." Ever since, the message to My words was already spiritual (Romans 7:14). How many people realized this? The Israelites were still in the wilderness when I said:

DEUTERONOMY 8:3 "And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live."

Manna dropped with dew

As if God is saying: "Have you noticed that Manna was dropped with dew? Dew is particles of water. Do you know why I did this? Remember that water symbolizes the Holy Spirit (Matthew 7:38-39). Manna symbolizes My words. Therefore, My words with the Holy Spirit’s revelation is the real spiritual food for My people.

Manna is like seeds to be ground

As if God is saying, "Remember, the Manna is food for My people. It takes the form of a seed, for the seed has life (Luke 8:11). So also is My Word that I feed My people today has life in it. If the Israelites ate literal food in the wilderness (although the message is spiritual); today, My people eat spiritual food. My Word is the spiritual food of My people.

MATTHEW 4:4 "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

JEREMIAH 15:16 "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts."

"Remember, I did not let the Israelites eat the Manna in its original form; so do I allow My people to "eat" My words in their original form "to the letter." The Manna should be changed in form; so is My Word. The Manna was ground into small particles. So My words be "rightly divided."

2 TIMOTHY 2:15 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

"Have you noticed how I guided you to ‘rightly divide My words?’ I directed you in reading My book by ‘precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little.’ After grinding, as the Manna changed its form, so are My words gradually revealing the spiritual message after taking some lines in the different verses of My book. In so doing, you found ‘life’ in My words. My words have become ‘living bread’ to you as the Manna to the Israelites in the wilderness."

"My words are contained in a book sealed with 7 seals, that no one open nor even see:"

Revelation 5:1-6 "And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book... sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God..."

"I have demonstrated how I opened the 7 seals that the contents of the book are now revealed to you."

In the wilderness

"Have you realized that you are now living in the spiritual wilderness? Using your human wisdom, you could not have done what you are doing now with My words. You cannot hold yourself getting the context of the story in My words. But no spiritual message can be extracted from that. It is only the story and the events that are given importance, instead of the spiritual explanation. At most, only moral lessons that appeal to many people. Of course this will make one righteous before men. The ‘wise men of this world’ try to inject life in My words through philosophy. Coupled and enhanced with emotionalism, which you now found as the religious spirit and mistaken for Holy Spirit, different doctrines are formulated resulting in the division in beliefs about My words."

"Each religious denomination professes to preach the truth. But now your eyes are gradually being opened. This is the message of opening the eyes of the blind during My time. Did not the blind man after opening his eyes recognized Me, while the Scribes and Pharisees who had their physical sight did not recognize Me (John 9:37-41)?" Does the Natural Man see it that way (1 Corinthians 2:14)?"

"Like the Israelites, I feed you with the spiritual Manna, the ‘living bread.’ This is the great spiritual message in My words. Remember it was only to the Israelites that I gave this Manna for their food. Other peoples, like the Amalekites, Jebusites, Hittites, Canaanites, were never fed with this ‘bread from heaven.’ So also today. Not everybody is given the ‘living bread’ which is the great spiritual message of My words."

"Perhaps, spiritual things are getting clearer to you now. Did I not promise My flesh to be eaten and My blood to be drunk?

JOHN 6:53-56 "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him."

"Remember I am the Word."

REVELATION 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God."

JOHN 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...full of grace and truth."

"And the Word is your spiritual food."

JEREMIAH 15:16 "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts."

REVELATION 10:10 "And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey...

"Did the Jews understand what I said? Look how they reacted?"

JOHN 6:52 "The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

"Is this not also expected in your time when you talk spiritual things to people who have not yet crossed the spiritual Red Sea? Just as the Amelikites, Jebusites, Hittites, and Canaanites had never access to the Manna, so are the present-day non-spiritual Israelites not having access to the ‘bread from heaven.,’ They cannot understand the great message in My words."

"Now, why do I require My people to drink My blood? Could this be literal-physical? Do you not know that with the shedding of My blood, the Testament of the God of Abraham was fulfilled (Genesis 17:7)? And, with the fulfillment of the Testament, the Holy Spirit is made available to the real believers (John 7:39)? "Drinking My blood" therefore, is simply to be dwelt in by the Holy Spirit. In that case, you avoid drinking the "bitter water of Marah."

Manna has to be baked

NUMBERS 11:8 "And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it...

"Why is there a need to bake the Manna? After explaining to you why the Manna is in the form of a seed, now I will tell you why fire is needed before it is ready for eating. Do not forget that Manna symbolizes Me as the ‘bread from heaven.’ I am the Word from heaven. My words, taken literally as I have told you before, is not yet the spiritual food. The Holy Spirit’s revelation of the spiritual message is needed. Is not the Holy Spirit symbolized by fire? Thus, the baking of Manna in fire (Exodus 19:18)."

ACTS 2:1-3 "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them."

Manna is white and sweet

As if God is saying, "How easy for people to say My word is sweet and white. But once My words hurt their feeling and rational thinking, is it still white and sweet? On the contrary, to them, it is a two-edged sword and they try to avoid it. But to My Chosen Few, My words are truly sweet like honey:

EZEKIEL 3:3 "And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness."

PSALMS 119:103 "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

REVELATION 10:9 "And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall be... in thy mouth sweet as honey."

"My words really are white to My Chosen Few. But to those who cannot relinquish their human reasoning and cannot rid themselves of emotionalism, they are black. They are not sweet but sharp like two-edged sword.

"Without God explaining His own words, ‘without the Lamb of God breaking the 7 seals of the book,’ who can identify the spiritual Israelites or the Few Chosen in our time? Who can give the significance of crossing the Red Sea? Could we understand the meaning of "bitter water" in our spiritual Marah? Who can expound on the great "qualities" of the Manna? How many are being fed with Manna in our time? Many or only a few? How many were saved from the Great Deluge? How many were saved from the fires of Sodom and Gomorrah?

How many people truly ate the spiritual Manna during the time Jesus Christ? Were they not only 120 Disciples ?

Acts 1:15 "And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)"

Who are favored in the eyes of God ?

Deuteronomy 7:6-7 "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:"

Emotion resists the truth. The word of God is a two-edged sword. During the time of our Lord, the religious sects, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, had access to the Word of God. Did they eat spiritual Manna in the eyes of Jesus Christ? Today, many people read the Bible and listen to religious preachers. How many are "eating the living bread?"

To people, wilderness is just a place. But with God’s explication of His words, one who has the Holy Spirit’s revelation can find himself in this "place" in our time. In fact, God’s Chosen Few are now presently "roaming this place" for a spiritual 40 years before reaching Eternal Life, the Promised Land. As to how long this "40 spiritual years" is, God can be asked of it. In fact, no question remains unanswered by God through His words. Things written are revealed to His Chosen Few :

DEUTERONOMY 29:29 "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law."

The secret things are those that are not written:

Revelation 10:4 "And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not."

Jesus Christ told this to His Disciples whom He called friends, instead of servants:

JOHN 15:15 "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."

Paul confirmed this truth when he wrote:

COLOSSIANS 1:26 "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:"

Like the Israelites, the thief at the right hand of Jesus Christ was delivered from spiritual slavery. He crossed the spiritual Red Sea. He roamed the spiritual wilderness for 40 years! To man, this is only a few hours. He was fed with spiritual Manna and drank the sweet converted water at Marah. He reached Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey -- ETERNAL LIFE, THE SPIRITUAL PROMISED LAND!

Luke 23:39-43 "And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."

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