The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

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friendsofthe
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The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

Post by friendsofthe »

New blog, hope you find it to be edifying...

http://thebridegroomcometh.net/the-last ... l-be-last/

Let me know what you think...

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friendsofthe
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Re: The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

Post by friendsofthe »

Thought I'd post a part of the blog here and ask what you think... These verses in 3 Nephi speak of that part of the gathering of Israel which takes place after the coming of the bridegroom and before Armageddon.

In verses 11 and 12 (3 Nephi 22) we get a hint as to where their dwelling place might be, we read:
11 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted! Behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
Could it be that some will dwell in the New Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven while the earthly New Jerusalem is being built? We go to Rev. 21 to explore the possible connection, we read:
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God….
9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,…
18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

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LatterDayLizard
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Re: The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

Post by LatterDayLizard »

Thank you for sharing this! Before I comment further on this blog entry, let me just say that I appreciate all of your blogs, both for the calm logic of your arguments and also the humble way you present your ideas. Your theories are well researched and provide an excellent template for further study and pondering. They point us back to the scriptures and the prophets rather than keeping the reader tied to the blog for more understanding. It's easy to get caught up in our own cleverness and attached to, even proud of our own ideas. I feel like I can read your blog without the worry of being misled because your blogs are not written as heralds of how smart you are or how exclusive your understanding is of the gospel. So thank you!

Back to your current blog entry, I thought this one was very "meaty". Lots to chew on here for me. As I read I felt my understanding became clearer and it began to make more sense regarding how the building of zion will go down. It's always felt like something that would happen in the far distant future and the descriptions surrounding it were just so foreign.

It seems that the closer we get to that day the more certain concepts are clicking into alignment and can be understood, perhaps simply because we are coming within visual range and don't have to completely guess anymore what the scenery will look like.

It makes a lot of sense, as shown in the scriptures you quoted, that we might be given the template for how to build the new jerusalem from living among, and in, the old zion. That would be so amazing! You can really see in these scriptures the perfect order of God's plan for spreading the gospel in the last days.

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Alaris
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Re: The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

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Here here! I have been thinking a lot about the first and the last lately. Thank you for the blog. What do you think about the yellow dog prophecy?
(Source: Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, June 15, 1878, “A Vision, Salt Lake City, Night of Dec 16, 1877”):

John Taylor

Immediately after I seemed to be standing on the left bank of the Mis­souri River, opposite the City of In­de­pendence, but there was no city. I saw the whole state of Missouri and Illi­nois and all of Iowa, a complete desert with no living being there. A short dis­tance from the river how­ever, I saw twelve men dressed in temple robes, stand­ing in a square or nearly so (and I under­stood it repre­sented the Twelve Gates of the New Jerusa­lem.) Their hands were uplifted in consecration of the ground and lay­ing the corner stone of the tem­ple. I saw myraids of an­gels hovering over them, and saw also an immense pil­lar of clouds over them and heard the angels singing the most heav­enly music. The words were “Now is estab­lished the King­dom of God and his Christ, which shall never more be thrown down.”

I saw people com­ing from the river and from the desert places a long way off to help build the temple and it seemed that hosts of an­gels all helped to get material to build with and I saw some of them who wore temple clothes come and build the tem­ple and the city, and all the time I saw the great pillar of clouds hovering over the place.

Instantly, however, I found my­self again in the taber­nacle at Ogden. And yet, I could still see the building go on and I got quite animated in call­ing on the people in the tabernacle to listen to the beautiful music, for the an­gels were singing the same music I had heard be­fore. “Now is estab­lished the King­dom of God and his Christ, which shall never more be thrown down.”
Joseph Smith said the gathering would be a combination effort between angels and men.

I believe when Christ said destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it may be a dual prophecy. A sudden appearance of a temple would surely be a beacon to gather. Angels helping build New Jerusalem means it could be built way faster than we would consider possible. That would certainly explain why the wicked would fear and stay away.

Great enlightening blog as always. I especially enjoyed the reminder that our flight will not be in haste because the Lord will go before us and be our rearward.

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friendsofthe
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Re: The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

Post by friendsofthe »

Alaris wrote:
Here here! I have been thinking a lot about the first and the last lately. Thank you for the blog. What do you think about the yellow dog prophecy?

(
Source: Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, June 15, 1878, “A Vision, Salt Lake City, Night of Dec 16, 1877”):

John Taylor

Immediately after I seemed to be standing on the left bank of the Mis­souri River, opposite the City of In­de­pendence, but there was no city. I saw the whole state of Missouri and Illi­nois and all of Iowa, a complete desert with no living being there. A short dis­tance from the river how­ever, I saw twelve men dressed in temple robes, stand­ing in a square or nearly so (and I under­stood it repre­sented the Twelve Gates of the New Jerusa­lem.) Their hands were uplifted in consecration of the ground and lay­ing the corner stone of the tem­ple. I saw myraids of an­gels hovering over them, and saw also an immense pil­lar of clouds over them and heard the angels singing the most heav­enly music. The words were “Now is estab­lished the King­dom of God and his Christ, which shall never more be thrown down.”

I saw people com­ing from the river and from the desert places a long way off to help build the temple and it seemed that hosts of an­gels all helped to get material to build with and I saw some of them who wore temple clothes come and build the tem­ple and the city, and all the time I saw the great pillar of clouds hovering over the place.

Instantly, however, I found my­self again in the taber­nacle at Ogden. And yet, I could still see the building go on and I got quite animated in call­ing on the people in the tabernacle to listen to the beautiful music, for the an­gels were singing the same music I had heard be­fore. “Now is estab­lished the King­dom of God and his Christ, which shall never more be thrown down.

What you have posted here is towards the end of the document. Earlier in his account he speaks of sickness and destruction across the land if I remember correctly. As a whole I think his vision bridges both the devastation in America resulting form the burning of the whore and preparations to commence the building of the temple and the New Jerusalem after the coming of the Bridegroom.

Note that he says:
“Their hands were uplifted in consecration of the ground and lay­ing the corner stone of the tem­ple. I saw myraids of an­gels hovering over them, and saw also an immense pil­lar of clouds over them and heard the angels singing the most heav­enly music. The words were “Now is estab­lished the King­dom of God and his Christ, which shall never more be thrown down.”
And just where do these “myraids of an­gels” come form? Well, the answer is simple, they the host of worthy saints form all of the previous dispensations, including those of our own dispensation who will be resurrected. They come with Christ at his Second Coming. From D&C 133 we read:
54 Yea, and Enoch also, and they who were with him; the prophets who were before him; and Noah also, and they who were before him; and Moses also, and they who were before him;
55 And from Moses to Elijah, and from Elijah to John, who were with Christ in his resurrection, and the holy apostles, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, shall be in the presence of the Lamb.
56 And the graves of the saints shall be opened; and they shall come forth and stand on the right hand of the Lamb, when he shall stand upon Mount Zion, and upon the holy city, the New Jerusalem; and they shall sing the song of the Lamb, day and night forever and ever.
All of those mentioned in verses 45-55 “shall be in the presence of the Lamb” when he comes. At that same time “the graves of the saints shall be opened; and they shall come forth and stand on the right hand of the Lamb, when he shall stand upon Mount Zion, and upon the holy city, the New Jerusalem”.

Now that’s a lot of angels!

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Alaris
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Re: The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

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friendsofthe wrote: August 20th, 2017, 10:39 pm
Alaris wrote:
Here here! I have been thinking a lot about the first and the last lately. Thank you for the blog. What do you think about the yellow dog prophecy?

(
Source: Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, June 15, 1878, “A Vision, Salt Lake City, Night of Dec 16, 1877”):

John Taylor

Immediately after I seemed to be standing on the left bank of the Mis­souri River, opposite the City of In­de­pendence, but there was no city. I saw the whole state of Missouri and Illi­nois and all of Iowa, a complete desert with no living being there. A short dis­tance from the river how­ever, I saw twelve men dressed in temple robes, stand­ing in a square or nearly so (and I under­stood it repre­sented the Twelve Gates of the New Jerusa­lem.) Their hands were uplifted in consecration of the ground and lay­ing the corner stone of the tem­ple. I saw myraids of an­gels hovering over them, and saw also an immense pil­lar of clouds over them and heard the angels singing the most heav­enly music. The words were “Now is estab­lished the King­dom of God and his Christ, which shall never more be thrown down.”

I saw people com­ing from the river and from the desert places a long way off to help build the temple and it seemed that hosts of an­gels all helped to get material to build with and I saw some of them who wore temple clothes come and build the tem­ple and the city, and all the time I saw the great pillar of clouds hovering over the place.

Instantly, however, I found my­self again in the taber­nacle at Ogden. And yet, I could still see the building go on and I got quite animated in call­ing on the people in the tabernacle to listen to the beautiful music, for the an­gels were singing the same music I had heard be­fore. “Now is estab­lished the King­dom of God and his Christ, which shall never more be thrown down.

What you have posted here is towards the end of the document. Earlier in his account he speaks of sickness and destruction across the land if I remember correctly. As a whole I think his vision bridges both the devastation in America resulting form the burning of the whore and preparations to commence the building of the temple and the New Jerusalem after the coming of the Bridegroom.

Note that he says:
“Their hands were uplifted in consecration of the ground and lay­ing the corner stone of the tem­ple. I saw myraids of an­gels hovering over them, and saw also an immense pil­lar of clouds over them and heard the angels singing the most heav­enly music. The words were “Now is estab­lished the King­dom of God and his Christ, which shall never more be thrown down.”
And just where do these “myraids of an­gels” come form? Well, the answer is simple, they the host of worthy saints form all of the previous dispensations, including those of our own dispensation who will be resurrected. They come with Christ at his Second Coming. From D&C 133 we read:
54 Yea, and Enoch also, and they who were with him; the prophets who were before him; and Noah also, and they who were before him; and Moses also, and they who were before him;
55 And from Moses to Elijah, and from Elijah to John, who were with Christ in his resurrection, and the holy apostles, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, shall be in the presence of the Lamb.
56 And the graves of the saints shall be opened; and they shall come forth and stand on the right hand of the Lamb, when he shall stand upon Mount Zion, and upon the holy city, the New Jerusalem; and they shall sing the song of the Lamb, day and night forever and ever.
All of those mentioned in verses 45-55 “shall be in the presence of the Lamb” when he comes. At that same time “the graves of the saints shall be opened; and they shall come forth and stand on the right hand of the Lamb, when he shall stand upon Mount Zion, and upon the holy city, the New Jerusalem”.

Now that’s a lot of angels!
Since they will be standing on mount zion and the New Jerusalem and the first appearance is to the New Jerusalem then saints will be resurrected before He shows Himself to the world.

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friendsofthe
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Re: The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

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Alaris wrote:
Since they will be standing on mount zion and the New Jerusalem and the first appearance is to the New Jerusalem then saints will be resurrected before He shows Himself to the world.
Yes, you are correct. However, what your are saying here is just the tip of the iceberg… again… LOL…
Telling the whole story is going to require another blog… :)

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Alaris
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Re: The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

Post by Alaris »

friendsofthe wrote: August 21st, 2017, 12:33 am
Alaris wrote:
Since they will be standing on mount zion and the New Jerusalem and the first appearance is to the New Jerusalem then saints will be resurrected before He shows Himself to the world.
Yes, you are correct. However, what your are saying here is just the tip of the iceberg… again… LOL…
Telling the whole story is going to require another blog… :)
Indeed. The idea of working with resurrected and translated beings to build ZION before the Lord appears to all the earth is an extremely exciting prospect.

To be at AOA
...

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friendsofthe
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Re: The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

Post by friendsofthe »

LatterDayLizard wrote:

Back to your current blog entry, I thought this one was very "meaty". Lots to chew on here for me. As I read I felt my understanding became clearer and it began to make more sense regarding how the building of zion will go down. It's always felt like something that would happen in the far distant future and the descriptions surrounding it were just so foreign.

It seems that the closer we get to that day the more certain concepts are clicking into alignment and can be understood, perhaps simply because we are coming within visual range and don't have to completely guess anymore what the scenery will look like.

It makes a lot of sense, as shown in the scriptures you quoted, that we might be given the template for how to build the new jerusalem from living among, and in, the old zion. That would be so amazing! You can really see in these scriptures the perfect order of God's plan for spreading the gospel in the last days.

Wow, it’s extremely satisfying to know that someone out there understands. You said “perhaps simply because we are coming within visual range and don't have to completely guess anymore what the scenery will look like”. Yes, yes, yes… so profound! We can see the closeness of the Second Advent because we are witnesses to the unwinding of the 42 months in my opinion, that is, if we know what to look for!

No preceding generation had the opportunity to see it up close like we do!

RAB
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Re: The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

Post by RAB »

friendsofthe wrote: August 19th, 2017, 10:15 am New blog, hope you find it to be edifying...

http://thebridegroomcometh.net/the-last ... l-be-last/

Let me know what you think...
Thanks, I did find your post edifying. To me your references to the scriptures and explanations really help me put the latter-day events of our times in order. It can be very confusing jumping from one reference to another, so I like how you tied them together in a logical sequence.

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friendsofthe
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Re: The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

Post by friendsofthe »

Rab wrote:
Thanks, I did find your post edifying. To me your references to the scriptures and explanations really help me put the latter-day events of our times in order. It can be very confusing jumping from one reference to another, so I like how you tied them together in a logical sequence.
Well thanks Rab… In my years of research, writing and blogging on this subject I have come to understand that the answers we seek have been with us all along! We need only open our scriptures with the intent to get our questions answered. Joseph Smith said:
“… God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what he will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them. …” (Teachings, p. 149.)
Now there is a great promise we can all bank on because we don’t have to hold any particular position in order to qualify as a “least Saint”, do we?

In closing I’m going to bear testimony as to the great blessings available to us through the restoration of the gospel. Like the rest of Christendom we have the Old and New Testaments but that’s only a beginning! Through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith we’ve also been blessed with the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price as well as a plethora of inspired statements.

I bear witness that the standard works tell a very consistent story upon the subject of the Second Coming! It’s all there, pretty mush anything you would want to know about events leading up to the soon to unfold millennial reign of Jesus Christ and extending through the transitional period we call the half-hour of silence…. It’s all true!
Last edited by friendsofthe on August 27th, 2017, 8:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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GrandMasterB
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Re: The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

Post by GrandMasterB »

friendsofthe wrote: August 25th, 2017, 9:57 am
Rab wrote:
Thanks, I did find your post edifying. To me your references to the scriptures and explanations really help me put the latter-day events of our times in order. It can be very confusing jumping from one reference to another, so I like how you tied them together in a logical sequence.
Well thanks Rab… In my years of research, writing and blogging on this subject I have come to understand that the answers we seek have been with us all along! We need only open our scriptures with the intent to get our questions answered. Joseph Smith said:
“… God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what he will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them. …” (Teachings, p. 149.)
Now there is a great promise we can all bank on because we don’t have to hold any particular position in order to qualify as a “least Saint”, do we?

In closing I’m going to bear testimony as to the great blessings available to us through the restoration of the gospel. Like the rest of Christendom we have the Old and New Testaments but that’s only a beginning! Through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith we’ve also been blessed with the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price as well as a plethora of inspired statements.

I bear witness that the standard works tell a very consistent story upon the subject of the Second Coming! It’s all there, pretty mush anything you would want to know about events leading up to the soon to unfold millennial reign of Jesus Christ and extending through the transitionally period we call the half-hour of silence…. It’s all true!
Thanks for helping all of us lazy scholars out there. It takes a lot of effort to really dive into the scriptures and abridge all this information. I really like your blogs and hope you continue helping us see what we may have been missing in the scriptures. It truely is all there for us we just have to be willing to search. Or follow your blog.

OCDMOM
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Re: The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

Post by OCDMOM »

I like to also think that the First...the high and the mighty, the last...the lowly and meek. And then the First will be last and the last will be first.

CMajor
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Re: The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

Post by CMajor »

The Chiasum- The last shall be first, and the first shall be last.
General George Washington after winning an 8 year war was asked by the businessmen of his day to run for President.
Businessman Donald Trump was asked by Generals to run for Pres. because he couldn't be bought, but he may also be killed.

General Washington was one of the wealthiest colonists because of his land holdings, didn't take a salary as Gen. or Pres. Most knew him.
Donald Trump is one of the wealthiest Americans and isn't taking a salary either. Most people in America know him.

It is estimated that 2-3% of the population supported Gen. Washington. 1/3 supported the British, 1/3 moved to Canada. He was fighting the greatest army and navy in the world.
Those not supporting Donald Trump, the DNC, RNC, Media, CIA, FBI, NSA, etc who did I miss? He is at 'war' with the Deep State.

We're looking at the last President of the United States. We're in the Jewish period of ''Jubilee Restoration'' Pres. Trump is reversing all un-constitutional presidential executive orders, to restore the Constitution. He is also allowing Christianity back on to the national scene.

We're also heading into the Cleansing of the earth, signified by the 1st eclipse and ends at the 2nd eclipse. This is the also Jewish year 5777. President Trump's first day in office he was 70 years, 7 months, 7 days old. President Monson has said, "There are no coincidences" President Trump is willing to die for this country.

Are we willing to die for Christ, if called to do so?

This country was preserved in the beginning by the Hand of God, miracle after miracle. And now before our Lord and Savior can return there needs to be a cleansing of the evil that has enjoyed a period of great power thru unlawful acts and oppression of the people. Miracles are coming. Will you be one who makes them happen, watches them happen, or just wonders what happened...

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friendsofthe
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Re: The last shall be first, and the first shall be last…

Post by friendsofthe »

Cmajor wrote:
The Chiasum- The last shall be first, and the first shall be last.
General George Washington after winning an 8 year war was asked by the businessmen of his day to run for President.
Businessman Donald Trump was asked by Generals to run for Pres. because he couldn't be bought, but he may also be killed.

General Washington was one of the wealthiest colonists because of his land holdings, didn't take a salary as Gen. or Pres. Most knew him.
Donald Trump is one of the wealthiest Americans and isn't taking a salary either. Most people in America know him.

It is estimated that 2-3% of the population supported Gen. Washington. 1/3 supported the British, 1/3 moved to Canada. He was fighting the greatest army and navy in the world.
Those not supporting Donald Trump, the DNC, RNC, Media, CIA, FBI, NSA, etc who did I miss? He is at 'war' with the Deep State.

We're looking at the last President of the United States. We're in the Jewish period of ''Jubilee Restoration'' Pres. Trump is reversing all un-constitutional presidential executive orders, to restore the Constitution. He is also allowing Christianity back on to the national scene.

We're also heading into the Cleansing of the earth, signified by the 1st eclipse and ends at the 2nd eclipse. This is the also Jewish year 5777. President Trump's first day in office he was 70 years, 7 months, 7 days old. President Monson has said, "There are no coincidences" President Trump is willing to die for this country.

Are we willing to die for Christ, if called to do so?

This country was preserved in the beginning by the Hand of God, miracle after miracle. And now before our Lord and Savior can return there needs to be a cleansing of the evil that has enjoyed a period of great power thru unlawful acts and oppression of the people. Miracles are coming. Will you be one who makes them happen, watches them happen, or just wonders what happened...

I believe we are on the very precipice of the cleansing which will be kicked off by WWIII or when the beast burns the whore…

I know people who think there will never be a great nuclear war but I also believe that they have their head in the sand. Your don’t have to be a genius to see how likely such a conflict is given the circumstance we find ourselves in.

We only have limited opportunity to prepare for what’s coming. Once WWIII starts the grid will go down, preparation time will be past and we are just going to have to deal with the situation. No food, no water, no iodine, protective clothing, trekking boots, sleeping bags, etc… And of course no internet, no Amazon prime, no, no, no, no, no ???????

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