IT CAME TO PASS THAT THE EARTH WAS FORMLESS AND EMPTY, DARKNESS WAS OVER THE SURFACE OF THE DEEP, AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD WAS HOVERING OVER THE WATERS. GOD CALLED THE LIGHT "DAY," AND THE DARKNESS HE CALLED "NIGHT." AND THERE WAS EVENING, AND THERE WAS MORNING THE FIRST DAY. THEN THE GOD SAID TO HIS ANOINTED, "STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND TOWARD THE SKY SO THAT DARKNESS WILL SPREAD OVER EGYPT DARKNESS THAT CAN BE FELT." SO GOD'S ANOINTED STRETCHED OUT HIS HAND TOWARD THE SKY, AND TOTAL DARKNESS COVERED ALL EGYPT FOR THREE DAYS. ON THE MORNING OF THE THIRD DAY THERE WAS THUNDER AND LIGHTNING, WITH A THICK CLOUD OVER THE MOUNTAIN, AND A VERY LOUD TRUMPET BLAST. EVERYONE TREMBLED. THE PEOPLE REMAINED AT A DISTANCE, WHILE GOD'S ANOINTED APPROACHED THE THICK DARKNESS WHERE GOD WAS. HE PARTED THE HEAVENS AND CAME DOWN AS DARK CLOUDS APPEARED UNDER HIS FEET. I SAW THE ANOINTED MOUNT ON THE CHERUBIM AND FLY; HE SOARED ON THE WINGS OF THE WIND. THE ANOINTED MADE DARKNESS HIS CANOPY AROUND HIM AS WELL AS THE DARK RAIN CLOUDS OF THE SKY. THEN GOD'S ANOINTED SAID, "OUR CREATOR HAS SAID THAT HE WOULD DWELL IN A DARK CLOUD; WHEN I MADE THE CLOUDS ITS GARMENT AND WRAPPED IT IN THICK DARKNESS, HE MADE DARKNESS HIS COVERING AND THE DARK RAIN CLOUDS OF THE SKY HIS CANOPY. I SAW CLOUDS AND THICK DARKNESS SURROUND GOD'S ANOINTED, I KNEW THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE FORMED THE FOUNDATION OF HIS THRONE. I SAW GOD CREATE A DARKNESS THAT MADE THE LAND DARK, I KNEW HE HAD DONE THIS BECAUSE THEY REBELLED AGAINST HIS WORDS. I HEARD IN THE DISTANCE A MAN CRY OUT "IF WE HAD NOT CURSED OUR FATHER AND MOTHER, OUR LAMP WOULD NOT HAVE GONE OUT LEAVING US IN PITCH DARKNESS. I THEN LOOKED TOWARDS THE EARTH AND SAW ONLY DISTRESS AND DARKNESS AND A FEARFUL GLOOM, AND KNEW THAT THEY WOULD BE THROWN INTO THE DARKNESS. I HEARD A GREAT VOICE SAY "THE PEOPLE WALKING IN DARKNESS HAVE SEEN A GREAT LIGHT, LET ALL LIVING ON THE LAND OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH SEE THAT FINALLY THE LIGHT HAS DAWNED." THEN I HEARD COMING FROM THE SKY A GREAT VOICE SAY "THE STARS OF HEAVEN AND THEIR CONSTELLATIONS DID NOT SHOW THEIR LIGHT AND THE RISING SUN WILL SOON BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT ON THAT DAY." GOD SPOKE VIA HIS ANOINTED AND SAID "I WILL LEAD THE BLIND BY WAYS THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN, ALONG UNFAMILIAR PATHS I WILL GUIDE THEM; I WILL TURN THE DARKNESS INTO LIGHT BEFORE THEM AND MAKE THE ROUGH PLACES SMOOTH. THESE ARE THE THINGS I WILL DO; I WILL NOT FORSAKE THEM. I FORM THE LIGHT AND CREATE DARKNESS, I BRING PROSPERITY AND CREATE DISASTER; I, YOUR CREATOR, WILL DO ALL THESE THINGS. THE ANOINTED ASKED "WHO AMONG YOU FEARS GOD AND OBEYS THE WORD OF HIS SERVANT? LET HIM WHO WALKS IN THE DARK, WHO HAS NO LIGHT, TRUST IN GOD AND GOD ALONE. I WAS SHOWN THE EARTH, AND IT WAS FORMLESS AND EMPTY, AND THERE WAS NO LIGHT IN THE SKY. I SAW THE EARTH MOURN. I HEARD A VOICE SAY " HE HAS DRIVEN ME AWAY AND MADE ME WALK IN DARKNESS RATHER THAN LIGHT. HE HAS COVERED THE HEAVENS AND DARKEN THE STARS, HE HAS COVERED THE SUN WITH A CLOUD, SO THAT THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE US ITS LIGHT. IT WAS THEN THAT I SAW THE EARTH SHAKE AND THE SKY TREMBLE. THE ANOINTED APPEARED BEFORE ME AND SAID "DO NOT GLOAT OVER ME, MY ENEMY! THOUGH I HAVE FALLEN, I WILL RISE, THOUGH I SIT IN DARKNESS, OUR CREATOR WILL BE MY LIGHT. KNOW THE EYE IS THE LAMP OF THE BODY AND IF YOUR EYES ARE GOOD, YOUR WHOLE BODY WILL BE FULL OF LIGHT, BUT IF YOUR EYES ARE BAD, YOUR WHOLE BODY WILL BE FULL OF DARKNESS. IF THEN THE LIGHT WITHIN YOU IS DARKNESS, HOW GREAT IS THAT DARKNESS. KNOW TO SHINE ON THOSE LIVING IN DARKNESS AND WALKING OVER THE SHADOW OF DEATH, KNOW TO GUIDE YOUR FEET INTO THE PATH OF PEACE." MANY WILL SEE THE LIGHT COME INTO THE WORLD BUT THOSE WHO PRACTICE EVIL TO THEM ONLY DARKNESS WILL BE SHOWN. KNOW THAT EVERYONE WHO DOES EVIL HATES THE LIGHT, AND WILL NOT COME INTO THE LIGHT FOR FEAR THAT HIS DEEDS WILL BE EXPOSED, BUT WHOEVER LIVES BY THE TRUTH COMES INTO THE LIGHT, SO THAT IT MAY BE SEEN PLAINLY THAT WHAT HE HAS DONE HAS BEEN DONE THROUGH GOD." IT WAS THEN THAT THE ANOINTED SAID" I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. WHOEVER FOLLOWS ME WILL NEVER WALK IN DARKNESS, BUT WILL HAVE THE LIGHT OF LIFE, THEY I FORGIVE AND SANCTIFY BECAUSE OF THEIR FAITH IN ME."
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