Magnificat Day - 2013-11-9- Fr Robert Barron - Reflections on Revelation 3:7-12

thank you all very much I was getting nervous the standing ovation before I begin speaking the one at the end is the one that you're like hey listen thank you for that very warm welcome and what an uplifting sight just to look out at this crowd you know I don't need to tell you moving through a difficult time in the church across this country the last 20 years but to see Catholics coming together with this sort of spirit this sort of enthusiasm and these numbers god bless you all so uplifting to all of us I say just a word as I begin of gratitude to mr. Jamal and to the Magnificat foundation what a great work in the church magnificat has been you know I was there around the time of the beginning of magnificat I had the privilege of doing my doctoral studies at the Institute catholique in Paris between 89 and 92 and it was the era of the great Cardinal Luce TJ and I used to walk down to neutral Dom every Sunday night he would celebrate Mass at 6:30 and he preached and in the French style that the sermon lasted 25 minutes or 1/2 hour but it never seemed long because Luce TJ was a preacher in the spirit of John Paul the second evangelical enthusiasm the centrality of the message of Christ for the whole world well Magnificat came up out of that great culture around the time of Luce TJ and John Paul - and if I can quote one of my old pastors it's done irreparable good in the church so god bless you mr. Jamal and god bless the whole magnificat foundation and thank you for having me today you know what some very rare in my life as a public speaker to be given a topic usually I'll be invited to give a talk and then I'll you know speak on a topic that I've prepared but I really enjoy the fact that magnificat gave me a topic for today and the topic was father speak on Jesus word in the book of Revelation to the Church of Philadelphia and right away it grabbed my imagination I thought was a beautiful recommendation you know well at the beginning of the book of revelations chapter 3 the Risen Jesus sends a word to seven churches clustered toward the western end of Asia Minor present-day Turkey the area originally evangelized by Paul himself and Jesus speaks a word to the angels of these churches Origen said it meant the guardian angels of the church san agustin i think a bit more plausibly suggested it might have meant the bishops of those churches the risen christ speaking to these early christian communities see friends here's the point these words resonate down through the Christian centuries to our present day and here's the thing about these words they're pretty harsh the Lord speaks to these seven churches Ephesus is told it's abandoned its early fervor Pergamum is told you've got to repent theater is told it's bedeviled by a false prophetess Laodicea the Lord says I will vomit you out of my mouth remember that famous passage you're neither hot nor cold if you want to hear by the way a great sermon on that go back to the archives and find a Fulton sheen sermon he said the word to Laodicea is the word given to America still a great sermon I won't steal any more from it but go back and look at it the most positive word that Jesus speaks is the word to the Church of Philadelphia there's something wonderful I think providential this Church of Philadelphia today which especially needs an encouraging word so I want to now just elaborate upon what Jesus to Philadelphia long ago and what I would suggest he is saying to Philadelphia into this whole country today here's what the Lord says now to the Church of Philadelphia these things say he that is holy and he that is true he that has the key of David he that opens and no man shuts and shuts and no man opens as Jesus addresses the Church of Philadelphia he identifies himself with David and Friends David is a pivotal figure in the biblical revelation because David stands in a certain way in the center and he looks back toward Adam he looks forward to Christ and he sheds considerable light in both directions so I want to spend a little bit of time talking about David and how he illumines what the Lord is saying here first go back to the beginning David looks back to Adam why did God create not out of need our great Catholic tradition says that over and over again God does not create out of need and that's great news for us why because it means the world in its entirety has been loved into being to love as to will the good of the other that's all God can do visa vie the world he doesn't need the world it adds nothing to his greatness as the liturgy says therefore the very existence of the world is a sheer act of love furthermore God places our first parents in the midst of a garden st. Irenaeus said glory add a home of events the glory of God is a human being fully alive he gives them a remarkable rangy permission you know we focus so much on the great prohibition don't eat of this particular tree we forget this range permission eat of the fruit of all the trees the church fathers are wonderful here they read that as God's desire that we be fully alive art literature philosophy science politics conversation friendship all those things that make human life wonderful its symbolized by the trees in the garden eat of all of them just hearing those wonderful handled pieces this morning uplifting that's what God wants for us he wants Beauty life flourishing science by the way the Church Fathers read Adam as the first scientist as he catalogs all the animals he's the prototype of philosophy knowledge science there's one tree we can't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil why why because that is God's unique prerogative to determine good and evil when we align ourselves with those great divine purposes then we flourish in all these ways but when we arrogate to ourselves that unique divine privilege then the flourishing garden of life becomes a desert now friends from the book of Genesis to the present day that's still the basic diagnostic move of the Bible when things go bad when we arrogate to ourselves the divine prerogative to determine good and evil when we surrender ourselves to God we come fully alive there is the Bible beginning to end do you see now how Adam before the fall is a king the Lord says till the garden take care of the garden don't we that simply as a sort of farmers instruction it's care for the flourishing garden of life be the king who respects the order of the garden the purpose of this king read the rabbi's on this from the early days the purpose of that king is now to conquer the world to eden eyes the world to make the whole world a place where God is honored and human beings flourish that's Adams kingship where's it go bend at that decisive moment when he era gates to himself the divine privilege and that move Adam becomes a fallen king and Eden devolves into a desert Adams more than a king he's also a priest Pope Benedict in 2005 at World Youth Day share with us that wonderful etymology of the word adoration odd or rat Co in Latin odd hora it means mouth to mouth to adore is to be mouth to mouth with God that means aligned unto God worshiping him that word worship from an older English word worth-ship what's of highest worth to you that's what you adore that's what you were mouth to mouth with when it's God then all of our powers become rightly ordered I mentioned studying in France I had the great privilege of giving tours at notre-dame Cathedral in fact the the tour group I work for was very secular and they said now don't talk about religion when you're giving the tour's just just tell them how tall the building is and when it was built I never listened to them I used to give sermons when I would give those tours why not we know those great rose windows in the Gothic cathedrals not just pretty pictures but they're symbols of the well-ordered soul aren't they at the center of the Rose is Christ and then wheeling around that Center and ordered harmonies or all the other midday on the French call them the medallions the images all connected by spokes to the center think of the midday all here as the mine the will the passions the emotions your body your public life your private life everything that makes you up as long as Christ is the center then the rest of you falls into a beautiful harmony around that Center that's Adam the priest giving adore wrought Co to God and around him grows up a beautiful garden that's a symbol if you want of the well-ordered society the well-ordered city the well-ordered culture john paul called that the culture of life didn't he a christ-centered cultural we say the liturgy glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of goodwill that's a formula isn't it everybody when you give glory to God in the highest not to wealth not to pleasure not to honor not to power not to any culture country political figure will you give glory to God in the highest then peace breaks out among us the Garden of Eden is realized again Adam before the fall is a great king who cultivates the garden he's a great priest who leads the garden in right praise what's the fall therefore it's a compromise of his kingship it's also a compromise of his priesthood eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil irrigating to himself the divine prerogative Adam worships now in the wrong way worshipping his own ego what that leads to immediately is a breakdown of the order that ought to obtain within him and the order that ought to obtain around him the garden devolves into a desert but God never gives up on his people does he what's the story of the Old Testament everybody but the story of God trying to restore the order and beauty and harmony of Eden how by calling forth priests and kings new Adams he calls Abraham Abraham listens as a revolution in that we're in sin come from it's the refusal to listen I'll speak good and evil to myself I won't listen to the voice of God Abraham listens and in that becomes the father of faith and the father of this new people Israel he becomes a king doesn't me leading them into the Promised Land he's also almost immediately a priest Abraham performs a sacrifice now walk through salvation history as God forms a people according to his own mind and heart a people that know his thoughts that know his will that know his desire that know how to praise him he raises up Isaac and Jacob and Melchizedek and Joseph and Moses and Samuel and Joshua who are all these figures but kings and priests attempting to govern the people Israel aright and to lead them in right worship they are a recovery of Adam before the fall and this brings us to David the one with whom Jesus identifies as he speaks to the Church of Philadelphia David after the debacle of Saul remember the prophet Samuel comes he sees all the sons of Jesse know that the ones that God wants do you have any other sons well yeah there's little David out in the field we'll bring him here Samuel sees him he anoints him priests and Kings were anointed weren't they and then it says the Spirit of the Lord rushed on David the Ruach Yahweh remember the very beginning of the book of Genesis the Spirit of God the same phrase the Ruach Yahweh hovers over the surface of the waters this is God's creative spirit the spirit by which the whole world is made now this great spirit settles on David because his coronation as king his anointing as priests is a moment of recreation is David a king oh yeah right away David battles the Philistines battles the enemies of Israel and then at a decisive moment he gathers the southern tribes at Hebron then he captures Jerusalem making it his capital and then it says all of the tribes came to him from the north all twelve tribes now come together what is that but the healing of a Riven and broken Israel bringing Israel together as one Kingdom why why so that it might become now a beacon to the whole world the whole world would see this United Israel that knows the mind of God it follows the will of God that knows how God should be worshipped and they become thereby a beacon to the nation's David the king unites Israel but David like Adam is also a priest how do we know because once he consolidates everything at his capital in Jerusalem he takes the Ark of the Covenant and he brings it up to Jerusalem and he come visit by a festive dance David wearing an ephod we're told the ephod was the garment of a priest David dancing and singing and sacrificing before the Ark of the Covenant is the great National High Priest teaching his people again how to worship a holy nation a priestly people a people set apart for their own privilege no no set apart that they might become the lumen gentium the light of the nations that's King David who looks back toward King Adam and who looks forward now to King Jesus remember in Matthew's Gospel the genealogies laid out and we hear there are fourteen generations and then another set of fourteen generations then a third set of fourteen generations that give rise to Jesus that's a cold because the only biblical hebrew every letter corresponds to a number and vice versa what's the number of de weed david is fourteen see if matthew saying David David David is coming where is he born but in Bethlehem of Judea that was David city and right away everybody from the beginning he is opposed just as all the great kings of Israel were opposed Herod tries to stamp him out Jesus then emerges on the public scene announcing what the kingdom of God they knew what he meant he meant the tribes are coming back together he meant Israel once again would find its identity in its purpose he call 12 apostles evocative of the United 12 tribes he then goes out doesn't he to the margins not just being a nice inclusive fellow but doing what David did drawing Israel back together well with the climax of his life he enters the holy city doesn't he amidst a festive procession as Zechariah predicted and calling to mind David's entry into the holy city once there he faces down the enemies of Israel hatred cruelty violence stupidity institutional injustice all of it comes at him but he fights not with the weapons of the world but rather this strange new king this strange new David allows the dysfunction of the world to wash over him and on the cross he swallowed it up in the ever-greater divine mercy and compassion that's why it is resurrection when this new david says Shalom peace to those who had betrayed him denied him run from him in his moment of need he says Shalom it's the peace that the world can't give it's God now having conquered all the darkness of the world and it means that Jesus reigns as king he's King yes he's also priest was John the Baptist say announcing to the crowds who Jesus is he says look the Lamb of God I did a kind of informal survey a few years ago just asking people in the parishes what does that mean you think when John the Baptist said behold the lamb of God or in the priest holds up the Eucharist and says behold the lamb of God and to a person everybody said it means Jesus is very you know meek and peaceful like a lamb it might be true but that's not what first century Jews would have heard they would have heard the Lamb of sacrifice they would have heard the language of Temple and priesthood what you go to the temple for in Jesus time you go to have your sins forgiven what does Jesus do now he says no come to me my son your sins are forgiven he becomes the moment of the the vehicle of forgiveness you came to the temple to be instructed Jesus has no come to me I will instruct you you came to the temple to be cured to be healed Jesus said no no I will cure you I'll heal you which is why he can say and it would have scandalized people in his time you have a greater than the temple here breathtaking again breathtaking for a first century Jew to say the temple was the dwelling place of Yahweh yeah and now Jesus says about himself I am the dwelling place of Yahweh I am the place where divinity and humanity are reconciled at the climax of his life having entered the holy city Jesus makes a beeline to the temple turns the place upside down condemns its corruption he said I'll tear this place down in three days rebuild it referring Saint John tells us to the temple of his body on the cross that body is sacrificed just like the lamb in the jerusalem temple having taken upon himself all the sins of the world he is sacrificed the roman soldier pierced his side out comes blood and water the blood of the eucharist the water baptism yes but also the fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy Ezekiel said when the glory of the Lord returns to his temple when the priesthood is reestablished when the temple begins it becomes once again the meeting of heaven and earth then water will flow forth from its side for the renewal of the world that's what happened as the water flows forth from the site of Christ he's the new king of a united Israel he's the new High Priest he's the new David which makes him Paul saw didn't he the new Adam notes please this little statue next to me of a bus and mother in the Christ child what are they wearing crowns crowns it's not just pious decoration it's making extraordinarily important point what's evangelization the declaration of a new king Paul now Corrine's around the world he wants to go to the ends of the world he wants to go to Spain which for him meant as far as you could go and announce a new king jaysus curiosity says over and over again doesn't he Jesus is the Lord with either watchword of the time was Kaiser kurios Cesar's the Lord hmm says Paul not Caesar in fact someone whom Caesar killed but whom God raised up he's the new king look Israel United in right praise listening to the Word of God is meant to become the lumen gentium the beacon to the nations Paul knew that Paul knew that studying at the feet of Gamaliel the rabbi now having seen the risen Christ he says how the moment has come the moment has come the light is shining the new king has appeared and therefore I must go to the ends of the world and declare you have a new king that's evangelization old and new now with that revisit this opening line of the risen Christ to the Church of Philadelphia I am the one that has the key of David that opens and no man shuts that shuts and no man opens Jesus is announcing himself as David high priest the one that teaches us how to praise and as the rightful king friends from the Garden of Eden until today the same formula obtains where do things go wrong when we follow bad Kings when we worship in the wrong way Christ is king and redoing the house chapel in our seminary and I'm filling a dedicating it to john paul ii and we're filling it with windows of great saints and blesses that he beatified and canonized one of them will be padre pro who as he was shot to death cried out Viva Cristo Rey long live Christ the king and he said it in the teeth of this worldly opposition that was deadly that's been true now from Paul's time till today we are those who say to the whole world Viva Cristo Rey we say to the whole world jaysus kurios Jesus is Lord that's the key to the flourishing of the ancient Church of Philadelphia and the Church of Philadelphia Pennsylvania today and of the whole country you know friends here's the thing about King Jesus don't just make that pious speech he wants to be the dome eNOS of your life that's just the Latin version of cure dominus Lord but I like that because it sounds like dominate in English what do we like to do with Jesus oh you know fascinating ancient figure oh yeah a teacher of timeless spiritual truths oh yeah I let him into my life you know once a week he gets a corner room in the house he wants to be king look at this statue yeah he wants to reign in you remember that great scene was Zacchaeus when Jesus looking up and says the key is come down quickly because I'm coming to your house today I'm moving in I'm moving into the living room into the dining room into the kitchen into the bedroom into the bathroom into the Attic into the basement I want to be the Dominos the lord of every aspect of your life oh I'll let you in Lord once a week you sit in the parlor there we'll chat for 50 minutes or so hmm that's not the that's not the relation to a king I remember some years ago on the feast of Christ the King a good-hearted person came to me and said hey you know father in America here we don't like Kings and we don't know what Kings are let's why don't we change it to you know the feast of Christ the president and I I said no no man because the trouble is the president thank God you know you can vote him out if you want now I'm not picking anybody that was not a political statement believe me and I think I like that I mean I'm an American we were born in a great act of revolutionary reaction to a king so I get all that but see Christ is not a president he's out of prime minister he's not a congressman ER he's a senator Christ is king he's King that's how he introduces himself to the Church of Philadelphia that's how he wants to reign in your life in your heart he's got the key of David you know they think the key of David wasn't like a little key that we have in our pocket it was a big tool a big instrument you probably wore across your shoulders Christ wields the key of David means he's the commander he's the king the lord of your life now here's the next thing he says that's my introduction by the way no I'm teasing and all the TV people are getting very nervous no I don't worry listen now as he speaks I've set before you an open door and no one can shut it wonderful so the new David the new King the new priest has arrived he's announcing a word now to the church and the great word is there's an open door two ways to read as I think one kingly one priestly first the kingly the open door of evangelism you the Church of Philadelphia who've honoured Christ worshiper right you've taken in the good news now there's an open door which means go announce your that book we always sing from called gather so it masks the book called gatherers our hymns very wise the theologian said to me there should be another book called scatter that we sink because you gather for the mass quite right you adore you submit to Christ the King your life becomes properly aligned and order again great great my spiritual eyes and order I should be happy no no your spiritual life's an order now go through the open door to announce it to the whole world you know it's a cliche but it's right that your faith will not develop unless you give it away your faith will will dissipate it'll it'll attenuate if you hang on to it think of the prodigal son who takes from the father hangs on to it as his own possession and then it fritters away no your faith will grow precisely in the measure that you leave that open door and you announce it to the world the great image here by the way is Noah's Ark so during a time of chaos that's our time that's every time God preserves a microcosm of his good order that's the church that's why I know as art becomes this great symbol of the church look at us now I mean this beautiful microcosm of what God wants people gathered together in love and prayer and listening to the Word of God but the minute the Ark comes to rest Noah opens the windows and opens the doors and lets the life out so as to reiden eyes the world the idea is that the crouched behind the walls of the ark the idea is now to flood the world with the life that's been preserved on the ark now if you want everybody there's Vatican 2 101 I've said when I was coming of age the reading of Vatican 2 was it was to modernize the church well I'm sure if some modernization was called for but there wasn't a purpose of Vatican 2 vatican 2 was a missionary council its purpose was not to modernize the church its purpose was to kristef i the world jazz they want to open the windows that's so much to let the modern world in but to let the church out you see I'm driving it that we we have this wonderful life it's our arts it's our it's our liturgy as the lives of the saints it's the theology of a church all this richness now as von Balthasar said is time to knock down the bastions what he meant was knock down the walls to let the life out to flood the world there's the word of Jesus to Philadelphia I've opened a door and nobody can shut it if this church wants to thrive again find its life again go out that door now there's a kingly sense of it think of Christ leading us through the open door into the world there's also I would say a priestly sense of the open door doors by the way in the book of Revelation are really important aren't they that beautiful image of Christ knocking at the door behold I stand knocking at the door will you let me in or not that's what what matters but Christ is there knocking at the door but also in the very next chapter chapter 4 the seer has a vision of an open door in heaven and he looks through that open door up into the heavenly realm was he seen he sees 24 elders press booty Roy that's the root of the word priests by the way he sees a great central elder on the throne he sees the Lamb of God he sees a scroll which will all be read he sees incense he sees candles he sees people bowing and prostrating read Scott Hahn and others to get all the details here but what's he seeing but the heavenly liturgy the eternal liturgy by which the saints and angels listen give write praise to God the adore azio of the heavenly Court all of them mouth to mouth with God and therefore aligned with each other the beautiful harmonic dance of heaven that's what he sees what's the mass the mass is our participation even now in that beautiful sacred order the mass is the open door if you want through which we look into the order and harmony of heaven here just before we sing the holy holy the priests ISM some version of may our voices blend with theirs right may our song imitate their song don't read that as just pious decoration it's making a very important spiritual point the singing of the saints and angels the harmony that they obtain that they attain that's the rightly ordered community ordered around the right praise of God what's the mass but our tentative looking through that open door so that we can see that harmony and we can begin to imitate it even now here below do you want the Church of Philadelphia Pennsylvania to thrive do you want the churches of America to thrive first go through the open door of evangelism announce the gospel but secondly come to Mass come to Mass come to the mass which is the link to the heavenly realm mission and mass everybody take one thing away from my talk take that mission and the mass are the ways the church revives itself century after century to the present day here's the next thing that Jesus says to the Church of Philadelphia you have limited strength and yet you've kept my word and have not denied my name great that's the closely comes to a reprimand the other church is he really lets them have it this is the closest he comes to in Philadelphia you have limited strength but see everybody in the in the Bible that's not really a bad thing what does Paul say I willingly boast of my weakness that the power of Christ might reside in me precisely those who say hey I'm okay and you're okay remember that song by Christina Aguilera I came about ten years ago I'm beautiful in every way and your words can't get me down well I'm really happy for you but you're beautiful in every way come on but see that's our self-esteem culture that you know I'm great and I trumpet my ego no no the Bible the Bible revels a certain way in acknowledging our weakness because that makes us reliant upon Christ and so he tells them I know you have limited strength yet you've kept my word Vatican to call for a revival of the Bible I think friends now 50 years later it's still a largely unrealized dream a revival of the Bible the Catholic people would would access the great treasure of the Bible that they would know this great story in their bones has it happened well I'm glad and I a lot of these wonderful Bible study groups that have sprung up that's wonderful in recent years but I submit to you look at the wider culture I think biblical illiteracy has grown look at if you see it like Spielberg's movie by Lincoln I find it wonderful when you see in them in the literature of that time how effortlessly people made biblical references because they assumed everyone knew the Bible now make biblical references even to very well-educated people they often don't get it but this is not just an academic question here's I want you to see you word that means you are people who understand the great drama of salvation it begins with creation it's followed by the fall followed by the formation of a people Israel followed by the coming of the Messiah the Messiah the new David followed act 5 by the age of the church when we announced the Messiah to the world that's not just our story that's the world's story our job is to keep telling the world its story she also said Billy Graham at his 95th birthday a couple days ago that's where he moved by something he said he said I often weep for America because so many have lost their connection to God he's dead right about there isn't he in our increasingly secularized society who speaks the Word of God who tells the world that story the church does this great army in front of me following the king this great army speaks the Word of God to the world you've kept my word Jesus has to Philadelphia may say to us today you've kept my word you know my word and you announce it secondly you've not denied my name Jesus Jesus terrified that Catholics are uneasy with the name of Jesus sometimes we'll say the Lord or Christ you know Jesus something I think that the evangelical community can teach us is a is a comfortability with the name Jesus Paul wasn't ashamed of it or uncomfortable jaysus heard all the time kristus jesu scuri oz Jesus who is he Oh mildly interesting first century a figure Oh a teacher of timeless spiritual truths Oh one proper among many if he is the heck woman it's all he is Jesus is the saving name Jesus is the incarnation of the lagos of God Jesus is the savior of the world Jesus is the one around whom everything else revolves Jesus is the Stillpoint Jesus is the center you've not denied my name he says to Philadelphia may say it to us that we allow the name of Jesus to be readily on our lips but every sermon has Jesus as its focus that you allow Jesus to come into your ordinary conversation that you introduce your friends and co-workers to Jesus Christ you've not denied my name you've spoken my name may say it to us as well okay I promise I'll bring this to a close now oh he going I don't know the TV people are all getting nervous you know I'll bring it to a close now how about this time of testing a time of testing the Lord assures that philadelphians from long ago that do to their fidelity they will be able to endure the time of testing that will come our friends again you don't need me to come from Chicago to tell you that we've been through a tremendous time of testing the last 20 years I was ordained a priest of 1986 the first wave of the sex abuse scandal hit in the early 90s in Chicago we've dealt with it there you've dealt with it here George why go calls it the long lent of the church the worst time of trial and testing in the history of the American church certainly how do we read it though don't read it primarily through a sociological lens or a psychological lens Retd friends through a biblical and Theological lens God always tests his people look at all the great figures up and down the Bible they're all tested figures somehow testing strengthens testing brings forth qualities we didn't realize we had like gold refined in the fire is the great biblical image you know the story the beginning of first samuel the story of Eli the high priest and his two sons hophni and Phinehas Eli is a high priest his sons of priests - and they're bad men they're abusing the people the people complain to Eli why don't you do something to stop these - Eli does nothing the result disaster for Israel we hear that 30,000 are killed the Ark of the Covenant taken when Eli hears the news he falls over backward and dies a disaster for Israel today that story strike you is familiar bad priests abusing the people people complaining to their superiors who don't do anything and disaster for the new Israel of the church read our times through a biblical lens but what did God do in the wake of that testing he raised up Samuel who anointed David and reestablished the Kingdom of Israel it was precisely in the wake of that time of testing that a renewal came the Lord says to the ancient Church of Philadelphia because of your fidelity you'll be able to endure the time of testing that's what we're going through now keep his word proclaim his name stay in the stance of utter Azio follow him as king and you'll endure the time of tests we all will together just the last word now the word to Philadelphia ends with this those who hold fast will be given crowns and will be established as pillars in the temple of God on them the name of the City of God the New Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven that's the best of words that God gives now to Philadelphia he's anticipating of course the end of the book of Revelation is named when the heavenly Jerusalem comes down the city there's no temple in the city how come how come because the whole city has become itself a temple a place where God is rightly praised do you see how the heavenly Jerusalem is the recapitulation of Eden this flourishing garden of life where God has given right praise where the king is followed and we're all if humanity comes to life well that's the heavenly Jerusalem no need for a temple because every aspect of the life of that place has become a place of right praise the church having announced the word having proclaimed the name having allowed his life to flood out into the world has now transfigured the whole world into this rightly ordered city into this heavenly place friends that's the wonderful fate foreseen for ancient Philadelphia it's the wonderful mission given to this church of Philadelphia today and the Church of the whole United States god bless you all for all you do thanks for listening today peace

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Length: 49min 6sec (2946 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 11 2013