Honoring the Sabbath

Greetings, Brothers and Sisters

May the glorious light of Yahawah, our Father shine in your hearts today through the grace of our Lord Yashawah, the Christ.

It is a great delight to write unto you today on the Sabbath of the Lord as an act of worship. The Sabbath is a gift from God to us. It should be kept with great joy and in holiness. A day dedicated to the worship of God; by prayer, reading and meditation in the holy scriptures, reflection with gladness of heart on all that God has done for us this week and throughout our lives. A day of praise and exaltation of His holy name. A day of rest and refreshing from all our labors. The Sabbath is blessed for all generations that mankind may learn to call on the name of Lord.

The Sabbath is an ancient institution. The word Sabbath means to rest. It was started at the creation of the universe. We read in Genesis 1:31, and Genesis 3:1-3 that God completed all His works on the sixth day. Then He rested from all his works on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath of the Lord. Therefore, He blessed and sanctified the seventh day, setting it apart from all other days. The Sabbath was thus instituted from the beginning of creation.

Let us, who trust in God, look to His Word and the tradition of the Apostles, who followed God in Christ, and lift up true worship in observance of the Holy Sabbath of the Lord. This was reaffirmed as a national command as part of God's covenant with Israel. In Exodus 20: 1-11 the Israelites were commanded to keep the Sabbath holy and free from pursuing their own desires for pleasure or gain. The prophet Isaiah reinforced the law and praised those who strive to keep God's Sabbath holy and free from human rebellion through the pursuit of carnal pleasures and greed (Isaiah 58:13). He also mentions the blessing God will give His faithful followers who boldly continue in the observance of His Sabbath, which He sees not only as an act of obedience but of love towards Him. Isaiah states, they will be blessed with the heritage of Jacob their father( Isaiah 58:14). According to the scriptures, they will inherit the Kingdom of God, which is the heritage of Jacob or Israel by Christ ( Gen. 28:10-15, Hebrews 11:8-10, 16, Psalm 46, Rev. 3:11-13).

Christ warns us, however, to avoid becoming over-righteous in our zeal to observe the Sabbath to the point of becoming ignorant of the essence of the law; where we would rather sacrifice than show mercy verses showing mercy rather than sacrifice-which is what God loves best ( Matt. 12:1-8). This understanding will allow us to avoid abusing the Sabbath. The misuse of the Sabbath would hold ourselves or others to such a strict code that we would rather refuse to do a good work if it resembled labor in order to keep the Sabbath. This type of orientation, as Christ explained to the Pharisees, overlooks the acts of the priest in the temple who work on the Sabbath day, yet were guiltless of breaking the Sabbath. Why? Because it was an act of worship to God, a good work, done out of love and a desire to do that which was holy before God. We must remember, God looks at the heart of man and not the outward appearances ( 1Sam. 16:7, John 7:21-24). One can keep the Sabbath outwardly, yet be of an evil heart. And another can perform acts or works of mercy on the Sabbath day and be guiltless before God because his heart was right before God.

Every act we do should be holy and to honor God on the Sabbath. This is how we keep the Sabbath; in praise, worship, prayer, reading the Word of God, coming together to celebrate Him, doing good works or acts of mercy and love towards our fellow man all to the Glory of God.

Remember, we were not made for the Sabbath; to be a slave to the Sabbath, where it becomes ideal worship turned into traditions and routines full of meaningless ceremonies. But, the Sabbath was made for us, so we may use it to reflect on, and if need be, act on the goodness of God our Father and love of our Savior Jesus Christ (Luke 3:15-17).

May God bless and keep you until we meet again,

Shalam

Zarach.

Heaven on my Mind

Greetings Brothers and Sisters,

May the glorious light of our God in the knowledge of our Lord shine in your hearts today.

It has been said many times, heaven is the crowning achievement of the followers of Jesus Christ-who we call Yashawah in the Hebrew tongue. This crowning is supposedly accomplished at the time of our death. Some denominations believe and commonly teach that to live a good life, one in obedience to Christ, assures an entrance into heaven upon death. Others acknowledge that to accept Jesus as Savior is necessary to enter heaven. The believer then will supposedly live with God, Christ and the angels in heaven for eternity. Therefore, the hope of living in heaven may dull their sensitivity to what they should be doing here on earth. The Bible, however, speaks a different message of Heaven and death. To walk or live according to the Gospel is not just to yearn for death to enter heaven, but to live in such a way that you will earn a better resurrection on the day that Jesus Christ stands upon this Earth once again in judgment ( Romans 2:5-11 )

This idea of the only goal in life being to get to heaven is based on scriptures that have been misinterpreted. To illustrate, the Zondervan Compact Bible Dictionary, when explaining heaven, states: it is the abode of God, the good angels; where the redeemed shall some day be. It quotes Matthew 5:12 and Matthew 6:20 as evidence of the last statement regarding the believers or redeemed of God. Matthew 5:12 speaks of a great reward in heaven for the faithful in Christ. This passage, taken out of context and hastily summarized, is taken to mean the believer will receive a reward in heaven some day. Therefore, the believer supposedly must be in heaven to get the reward according to this logic. However, this is incorrect upon further examining the Holy scriptures regarding heaven, death and the reward of the saints. This passage does not mean that believers will one day inhabit the place where God abides. It means their perseverance in Christ will be rewarded. Their reward will be received at the last judgment, when the kingdom of Jesus Christ will be established on earth; according to the will of God. The judgment is reserved with God, who is in Heaven. This is why the scripture states our reward is in heaven. It does not mean we will enter heaven to receive it, but rather it will come from heaven on the day that Jesus Christ enters through the atmosphere with his mighty angels to reward his faithful followers and to take vengeance on all his enemies, who know not God. ( Rev 19:11-14 )

Furthermore, The Bible states that the believer that endures to the end, though he may die before the coming of Christ, has his reward sealed with God in heaven. For it is God who promised this reward, therefore it is with Him and comes from Him. The scriptures states that our labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Cor.15:58). He will reward all our works and faithful obedience to Him. God does not call us to worship Him as an empty act or meaningless endeavor. Moreover, Rev 14:13 states, “blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:...and their works do follow them.” Death can not separate us from the hope we have in Christ through the promise of God, who is a faithful and true rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Heb. 11:6).

At the second coming of Jesus Christ the living will stand before Him and the dead will be resurrected. All will be judged according to their faith and their works. This event has never been mentioned in the scriptures to occur in the realm where God dwells, “heaven”. However, it has been described, both in the New and Old Testaments, as occurring here on earth. Jesus stated that at the final hour, all that are dead shall hear his voice and be resurrected and come forth: the believers to the resurrection of life (Holiness, immortality, and the Kingdom of God) and the evil to the resurrection of damnation (death, captivity, disease, distress, and never ending torture) John 5:28-29.

Thus, this is why the prophets and apostles speak of our reward coming from heaven, in the person of Jesus Christ, and is in heaven kept as a promise to us from God for our labors. The statement 'reward in heavens' in Matthew 5:12 should not be assumed to mean we will one day dwell in heaven. We must understand that the scriptures are at times written in symbols, allegories, and metaphors to describe events and explain subjects. To gain understanding you must search the scriptures, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things by the Word of God. It is by searching the entire Bible you will gain understanding on this subject. We can not base our faith on one verse or the teachings of theologians. We must seek Him, by going to the primary source: the Holy Bible. Jesus said He is found in the volume of the book. (Hebrews 10:7)

Those of you who wish to receive the reward from Jesus Christ, hold fast to the Word of God! Our faith should be active. (Hebrews 10:24-25, James 2:17) My hope is that we may all do this so you may boldly say, like Paul, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7)

Shalam,

May God Bless you and keep you till we meet again,

Zarach

Hear the word's of Christ:

Rev 22:12-13

Strive for the Prize

Shalam, Brothers and Sisters

I pray that all is well with you and hope that you are striving to grow in the faith of our Lord Yahawashi, the Christ; who is the Son of God.

As we move forward towards the day of Christ, it is most critical that we examine the state of our hearts in order to make our calling and election in Christ sure. (2 Peter 1:10) It is easy to become enthralled in the philosophy and teachings of the modern mind, which primarily focuses on the attainment of gain and advancement. The drive behind this philosophy is to achieve self-actualization or the point of reaching one's human potential in any endeavor. On the surface, this seems harmless and even good for one to pursue continued advancement in life. However, this mindset leads to a life of discontentment because once a goal is achieved another goal must be set. A pattern develops of setting new goal after new goal with no lasting comfort from reaching any one goal. One never truly comes to a point of contentment. In the end, the focus of our hearts shifts from seeking God's will to seeking our own will, which can never lead to true contentment.

How can we guard ourselves from this mindset of discontent? We must renew our minds and not take on the mindset of this world. (Romans 12:2) This new mind can only be formed through the Word of God, as written in the holy scriptures. Through constant reading, deep reflection, application of the word, and by the power and grace of God's Holy Spirit, the Bible is able to change our very souls, give life promoting wisdom, bring true joy to the mind, and illuminate the heart. God's Word is perfect, sure, right, and completely true. (Psalm 19: 7-9) It is through the word of God that true change occurs in the hearts of men. This change leads to genuine satisfaction and contentment in life. The understanding then, is that true contentment is achieved through the pursuit of godliness, which is great gain. (1 Tim 6:6 )

The modern mind will counter this idea of contentment as mediocrity. How can one be content with just the teachings from the Bible? Many think there is more to be learned in the sciences and natural world. Many claim that human knowledge brings change and advancement and should be pursued continually as if gain would lead to contentment. However, striving for more and more human accomplishments leads to nothing in the end. Jesus said in Matthew 16:26, what profit is there if a man gains the whole world but loses his own soul? The things of this world and all human accomplishments will pass away only those that do the will of God shall abide forever. (1 John 2:16-17) A heart or mind that is set on the things of God transcends mediocrity. He that does the will of God actually strives for something more excellent than he who strives for worldly gain. Those who hold to this world and it's beliefs, saying God is not enough, obtain a corruptible crown that leads only to discontentment, emptiness, and hopelessness because this life fades away (1 Cor. 9:25) The believer, through discipline and self-control in the Word of God, seeks the attainment of the incorruptible crown of immortality through Christ resulting in true contentment and joy in life. (James 1:12) Let us then, who hold to the hope in Christ and those whose hearts have been pricked by these words, choose that which brings true contentment and life: the Word of God. (Isaiah 8:20)

May God bless you and keep you till we meet again,

Zarach

Love is Supreme

Shalam, Brothers and Sister

I pray the grace of our God, Yahawah, be continually with you, and may the peace that was given to us by God through our Lord Jesus Christ keep your hearts always.



Brethren, as we draw closer to that day-the day of judgment; we must strive to build up our faith and bring it to full maturity or perfection. It is not a time for us to retreat, nor compromise with this world, but to press forward. Yet, the Bible informs us, "... if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strives lawfully (2 Tim.2:5)." In essence, this passage reveals to us that one who desires to achieve full maturity or perfection will not be crowned with success unless he does so according to God's law, which is the Bible. Perfection only means doing something the way it should be done-in our case, keeping God's commandments the way he instructed us to. Therefore, if our goal is to achieve maturity in our faith in Christ, we must do it the way God says to do it. This process can not be of our own devices or self-improvement strategies, nor can it be based on the teaching of man's philosophies or theories. The Bible must be our primary source of instruction towards perfection.

The above scripture also implies that as followers of Jesus Christ, one should strive for or labor diligently to achieve mastery. As Christians or Christ followers, we should never be content with idle, repetitious worship base on customs and traditions of men. We should earnestly desire the best that our faith could bring us to. We should covet that most excellent way: the way of Love, which leads unto perfection. This is what Christ taught us through the apostle Paul, that we should earnestly yearn for the best gift of our faith, which he rightly calls the more excellent way. The way is the way to Love ( 1 Cor. 12:31 )

What does it take to get to this most supreme level of Love? To answer this question, we must go to the source of love: the Holy Bible. In the Bible we read in 2 Peter1:5-11 that a saint of the Most high God in Christ should give all diligence to add to his or her faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and brotherly kindness charity (which is defined as love in the scriptures). These traits listed are character building traits, like the building blocks of a strong tower. They support and compliment each others, reaching to its highest level- love. One should never stop at faith on our journey with Christ towards the Kingdom of heaven. Faith alone wont give you the ability to endure to the end. The scripture states that you do well to believe that there is one God, who exist and is a living Spirit. The Devil also believes, and tremble at this fact ( James 2: 19 ). However, the Devil lacks Love; thus, he can never reach unto the perfection of holiness, but is given unto sin. This is why God encourages us, by his word, to develop our faith with diligence, laboring with a passionate and committed heart, moving through and adding to ourselves these first seven characteristics starting with faith and unto the final level of love. You will need the wisdom and understanding that each these character building traits provide to accomplish this.

Truly, the end of our faith is love, read 1 Tim.1:5. God's commandment and law if kept will lead us unto love. Because it is love, and obedience to it is love in action, read John 14:21. Our obedience to God opens the door for Christ to love us and make himself known to us, by giving us greater understanding of this way by the Holy Spirit through the word of God; and this is God's love towards us, so that we may be free from all sin. The Bible states that Love covers or protects one from all sins (proverbs 10:12).

According to 1 Tim. 1: 5, love proceeds out of a non-hypocritical faith in which we sincerely believe the word of God and put our hope in His son. It further states that love comes out of a good conscience and a pure heart. This implies that the mind, through learning and development, is able to judge what is right from wrong by applying God's standards. Thus, allowing them who possess this type conscience to avoid guilt and condemnation that occurs by doing what is wrong or sinning willfully (Heb.5:14, Heb. 10:22 ).
Our love must grow from the foundation of faith moving upward to its full maturity. 1 Peter 2:1-2 instructs us to do just this, by counseling us to put away all malice, all lies, and hypocrisies, and envies, and evil speaking. Similar to a new born, we should desire the sincere milk of the word, that we may grow thereby. No one starts at the highest level of the faith, which is love, but through obedience to God grows and matures unto it.

Therefore, beloved brethren, as Jude, the servant and brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, has encourages us to build up ourselves in our most holy faith, praying in the Holy spirit- so let us do so continually. Let us take hold of this exhortation and add to our faith: Virtue, Knowledge, Self-control, Patience, Godliness, Brotherly Kindness, and finally arriving to the top of our spiritual quest, Love. Furthermore, he stresses that we should keep or guard ourselves in the Love of God. This means we should constantly examine ourselves to know if we are living according to the commandment of God, which develops the above listed characteristics in us. And once we arrive at Love, realize that you can fall from it if you don't daily attend to it through obedience to the word coupled with actions done through love. The greatest act of love, as taught to us by Christ and the apostles, is to “Love each other as you would Love your very self to the point of being willing to lay down your life for your brothers (James 2:8, 1 Peter 4:8, John 13:34-35, John 14:15, 1 John 2:10-11).” This is the demonstration of God in us, because God is Love and He willingly gave his life for us that he may free us from sin and death. And if the Love of God be in us, then we will do the things of God and so fulfill the law of God (Romans 13:10). Our constant labor in Love brings us unto the reward of immortality through the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ at his second coming. If we endure, brothers, in this way of Love, we will have nothing to be ashamed of on that Day because, like the apostle said, “as he is, so are we in this world” ( 1John 4:17). Love truly is Supreme.

May God bless and keep you always

May His light shine upon you

May you be a light in this dark world to the Glory of our Great God

Amen

Shalam,

Zarach

Be strong in the Lord

Greetings, brethren, I pray all of you are growing closer to God by reading His word and continuing in prayer always; for it is by these two things that we connect with the spiritual realm. It is from this realm that we gather strength to face the realities of this physical world.

Therefore, it is important that we seek to understand what we read in God's Holy word to tap into this strength. To illustrate, lets read Ephesians 6:10, which states, " Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." This verse at first glance seems straight forward- we should stand strong in the Lord and in His might. However, if we stop and take a closer look at what God is saying, we will come to a deeper understanding.

Webster's dictionary defines strong as: to have physical or intellectual power. Strength gives one the ability to endure physical trails and cope with the mental strains of a difficult task. This definition help to spark our understanding of the above verse, but we must seek out the Bible's definition of this concept of strength. According to 2 Timothy 1:7, power or strength is the opposite of fear and is coupled with the spirit of love and a sound or strong, sober mind. These qualities are gifts given by God to His saints. Fear impedes power, because it demonstrates a lack of faith in God's ability to help overcome any difficulty. The Bible states Fear involves torment and the man that fears is not made perfect in love; perfect love cast out fear (1 John 4:18). Fearlessness through faith activates God's power. The life of Moses is an inspiring demonstration of this kind of faith. Read Hebrews 11:23-27, as evidence of this great act of strength. First, Moses parents put their faith in God realizing that their child was a unique child from God. They, through fearlessness and the mental courage to believe, rejected the kings command to drown their child in the Nile river; showing to the world the power of faith to overcome all fear. Years later, when Moses was a mature adult of 40 years, by faith and fearlessness he recognize his destiny as the prophet of God to his people Israel. He also, according to the scriptures, saw the hope coming to Israel and the world by God's messiah: Jesus Christ ( Duet. 18:15-19, Hebrews 11: 25-26). "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible ( Hebrew 11:27)."
On the contrary, the bible is explicit regarding the fate of the fearful hearted or those not operating in God' gift of power by faith. The book of Sirach 2:12-13 states, " woe be to the fearful hearts, and faint hands, and the sinner that goeth two ways! Woe unto him that is fainthearted! for he believeth not; therefore shall he not be defended." This is an urgent message to take hold of in our current age of wars and rumors of wars. We must not let our minds be overcome by fear or the stress of these times, but look to  the word of God to develop and obtain the power that comes by faith. Romans 10:17 states that faith comes by hearing the word of God. It also states that the preacher or those sent by God are a source for us to hear His word. Yet, let us be noble, and search the holy scriptures for our selves so that we may truly know and not blindly believe ( Acts 17:10-12). If our faith is based on His word, then you and I can  truly experience the power of God in our lives.
We, brethren, have been given a great gift from God: Faith. This Faith will help us to stand strong in the Lord. It will help us like Moses, to walk in strength and fearlessness; no matter the odds we face ( Isaiah 35:4). It is also through the faith that we, who believe, will be able to endure in this great battle of good against evil and gain the victory. This battle is ultimately for our minds, which determines our true allegiances by the choices we make-before us is the choice of life with God or death by following sin(Deut. 30:19-20). I pray that you will join us or continue with us in the faith showing yourself strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

May the light of God shine on you always,

Zarach

Join Us Next Saturday September 21, 2013 @ 11am Eastern
Bible Study Conference line:
Conference Dial-in number: (712) 432-1500
Participant Access Code: 220399#

Spread God's Word-share this

Bible Study telephone Conference with Alhaizar and Zarach

Greetings Brothers and sisters,
I am very  excited to announce that I will be hosting a new Bible study telephone conference with  Alhaizar starting this September:

The purpose:

This telephone conference line is design to give the listeners a deeper understanding of God's Holy Bible, using a lecture format with a question and answer period.

A variety of topics will be covered, from bible history, biblical prophecy, spiritual living, and  the teachings of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

When: Saturday, September 7th 2013

Time: 11am-12:30pm Eastern

Topic: Why The Bible?-Explore why the Holy Bible is so relevant for our times and individual lives

Who: All are invited, because salvation is open to all in Christ

How to access conference line:

Conference Dial-in number: (712) 432-1500
Participant Access Code: 220399#

Participant: On Saturday, September 7th at 11am Eastern call the above dial-in number; when prompted, enter the above listed Participant Access code, followed by the # key. Once connected to the live conference, every caller will be able to talk and further instruction will be given per lecture format.

Ground Rules:
1) Come in the spirit of Brotherhood and the Love of God
2) Don't interrupt others in the middle of their speech
3) No profanity allowed
4) Be respectful of the Lecturers
5) Ask questions that are pertinent to the topic or  that will bring greater clarity to all 


We look forward to meeting all of you and I personally look forward to meeting those of you that have been readers of my Blog.

Shalam,
May God Bless you and keep you till we meet  very shortly

Zarach

Also, let us know what topics you would be interested in learning about or would like us to cover on  future conference lectures. You can email me your ideas at:  Zarach144@yahoo.com
or post a comment below.

"Let us lift each others up, as we draw closer to God"...Zarach

Rules of Engagement

Greetings, Brother and Sisters,
I prayer that you, God's Elect and most precious jewels, would grow stronger and stronger in the faith of Jesus Christ, continuing instant in the love of the brotherhood and all who call on the name of the Lord according to the truth of the gospel. Today, I would like to continue with our topic on how we should engage this current system of the Beast by the wisdom of God.

In an era of modern lynching of young black men, mass public surveillance, drone strikes, and perpetual warfare in the name of fighting terror there are wicked men ,who like wolves and evil lions lurk in dark places seeking whom they may destroy ( Ps. 10:8-10). These wicked men in the form of dictators and oppressors continue to have no care for the lives of the poor, which they destroy daily.  They care for no one but their own agenda and interest, much less the saints of the Most High. And some people have joined forces with them thinking that they will be safe from their evil claws and fangs. But we, brethren, are not like the majority, who through ignorance, fear, and disobedience to God have made a covenant with Death; hoping to escape the evil that now is and is coming on earth ( Isaiah 28:15). We are the minority in Christ, who reject any agreement with this system of oppression and darkness choosing rather to walk in the light of Christ. This light is our wisdom, in this current system, that calls to remembrance his words, " Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves (Matt. 10:16)."  It is by the wisdom of God that we will be able to engage these Beasts and be victorious (Isaiah 33:6).

 In order to  confront dictators and global governments we need to understand God's instructions first. We must consider how to carry out our mission of preaching this gospel uncompromisingly in all the world ( Matt. 28:18-20) according to His word or else we will fail. Our success is dependent upon our ability to abide in God and skillfully apply the wisdom of His word ( Eph. 6:10-13).

The first thing we must understand is that, according to the Bible, there is no power on earth or in heaven but God: the powers-those in rulership and positions of influence, are appointed or established by God (Romans 13:1). It is God that create governments and appoint leaders, both the good and the bad (Isaiah 45:7). For example, He established David's kingdom in old Jerusalem and will establish the new Jerusalem by Jesus Christ (1 Samuel 16:1,13-14, Luke 22:29). It was God who put in motion the world empires, starting with Babylon and proceeding on through history to today's American new world order (Daniel 7:1-7, 15-17). He dose all things for His divine purpose (Isaiah 14:24), which will lead to the final confrontation with evil (Rev. 11:15-18). The empires of these nations were created to bring evil to it's fullest potential, which will usher in the last judgment of the wicked and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth ( Dan. 2:44, 2 Esdras 11:36-46 ).

Brothers and Sisters, let us who put our hope in God seek his word continually so that we may be able to stand in these evil days. It is only by the word of God that we will avoid errors as we engage this system. We can not blindly agree with it, nor foolishly try to resist it by our own devices. We have to go about it the way God wants us to. We most remember the lessons from the Bible. In the time of the Romans, the Hebrews were under Roman rulership. They had three roads they could follow to cope with Rome. A religious road with the Pharisees, which focus on individual righteousness to the point of detachment from things spiritual in God's word. The road of the Zealots, which saw Rome as the great oppressor that can and most be overcome by open resistance. They believed this to the point of being completely blind to the fact that God had establish the Romans for his purpose. They never considered that to resist the powers that be with open war is to resist the ordinance of God. The third road open to the Hebrews was the road Jesus Christ walked on and lead. Those that followed him on this road saw beyond the physical and understood that the spiritual realm controlled the physical world.  They understood that God was in control and to be victorious meant to gain wisdom and understanding of  God's will by his word, so that they may be able to reach their final destination: the Kingdom of God. Therefore, let us, today, choose the right path and follow Him: Matt. 11:27-30. This road is not an easy road, but it is the only one that brings hope and a true reward. Christ urges us to choose it and live, Matt. 7:13-14.

Shalam,
May God bless you and keep you till we meet again

Zarach

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