(by Dennis B. Horne)
While
putting this piece together, I at first planned to quote Ether 4:4-5 and 2
Nephi 27:10-11, but those scriptures are found in the below quotations from
apostles explaining what they mean, so I suffice with this: “I have written
upon these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw; and there
never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest
unto the brother of Jared.” And: “They reveal all things from the foundation of
the world unto the end thereof.” And lastly from Ether 3:25: “he showed unto
the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also
all that would be; and he withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends
of the earth.”
For our
purposes, the two key phrases are “all things from the foundation of the
world”—the beginning of this earth—and, “all the inhabitants of the earth. . .
.” This means the creation of the earth and mankind; all of the children of God
assigned to this earth. So the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon contains a
detailed revelation of the period that scientists would say that evolution
happened.
While I find that a number of apostles and prophets have made reference to the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon in their teachings, most of those references are not detailed. As far as I can tell, Elder Bruce R. McConkie seems to have dwelt on the subject of what is written on the sealed portion of the plates the most among his apostolic associates. His views are stated in a number of quotations below, and amount to the fact that the sealed portion contains the vision of the brother of Jared in detail, including an account of the creation of the earth and all things by Jehovah, Michael, and their helpers among the noble and great spirits in the pre-mortal existence.
If the
biologists-evolutionists are right and evolution is true, what this means is
this hypothetically—that after his mighty vision the brother of Jared wrote
something like this: “It came to pass that Jehovah assigned Michael to cause a
lightening bolt (or acid) to strike a piece of mud in a swamp, and that
microscopic mud became a living cell. And it came to pass that this cell did
divide asunder and became two cells, and eventually did become an amoeba. And
it came to pass that the amoeba divided into more cells that became tadpoles
and worms and frogs and fishes. Thus was how I God created the beginning of
man. And I God caused the worms to evolve into bigger worms that evolved into other
animals that evolved into others, and I God saw that it was evolution caused
and directed by me. Michael and the other noble and great ones therefore had
nothing to do except hike and fish and roast marshmallows for 500 million years
while I directed evolutionary processes to create monkeys and apes. Thus were found
the ancestors of man, and I God saw that man was still evolving as I directed.
And it came to pass that an ape gave birth to a man, and I called his name
Adam. Or, perhaps it was to Adam’s hundredth great-grandfather and mother, and
then their descendants gave birth to Adam and Eve. And now, I cannot write
more, for this plate is full (of baloney).
I hope that
readers can tell the difference here between this hypothetical but evolutionary
account of the creation, and that of what is taught in the temple and the
scriptures. Perhaps an evolutionist would write it in a different way, but it
amounts to the same thing. Is this what the brother of Jared saw in vision? Did
he write the story of evolution creating Adam and Eve from his vision of all
these great things from the foundation of the earth? The BYU biology department
professors and instructors evidently believe this very kind of nonsense and
absurdity to have happened. Perhaps the same with the BYU Studies Quarterly
editors and contributors. They likely have specialized theories so they don’t
sound this stupid, but again, it all amounts to the same thing.
Alternatively,
we have the scriptural and temple accounts. Would the vision shown to the
brother of Jared reflect those instead, only much more detailed? Would Jehovah
reveal one thing to Abraham and Moses and Joseph Smith and something else
entirely to the brother of Jared?
Below are
the main statements given in books and talks by Elder McConkie, sharing his
views on what is contained in the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon. These
are followed by some commentary from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, and then some
other shorter items. As far as I can determine, this material represents most
of what is known in the Church about the contents of the sealed portion of the
Book of Mormon that Joseph Smith was commanded not to translate. There is some
repetition, but also further clues and warnings:
John the Revelator saw in the
hands of the Great God a book sealed with seven seals. “It contains,” as our
revelations tell us, “the revealed will, mysteries, and the works of God; the
hidden things of his economy concerning this earth during the seven thousand
years of its continuance, or its temporal existence” (D&C 77:6), each seal covering a period of one thousand years. As
John saw, no one but the Lord Jesus—“the Lion of the tribe of Juda,
the Root of David” (Revelation 5:5)—had the power to loose these
seven seals.
This same knowledge is contained in
the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon. For aught we know the two sealed
books are one and the same. Of this much we are quite certain: When, during the
Millennium, the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon is translated, it will
give an account of life in the premortal existence; of the creation of all
things; of the Fall and the Atonement and the Second Coming; of temple
ordinances, in their fulness; of the ministry and mission of translated beings;
of life in the spirit world, in both paradise and hell; of the kingdoms of
glory to be inhabited by resurrected beings; and many such like things.
As of now, the world is not ready to
receive these truths. For one thing, these added doctrines will completely
destroy the whole theory of organic evolution as it is now almost universally
taught in the halls of academia. For another, they will set forth an entirely
different concept and time frame of the creation, both of this earth and all
forms of life and of the sidereal heavens themselves, than is postulated in all
the theories of men. And sadly, there are those who, if forced to make a choice
at this time, would select Darwin over Deity. . . .
As the Lord Jesus alone has power to
loose the seven seals on John’s book, so the coming forth of the sealed portion
of the Book of Mormon depends upon our faith and righteousness.
When we rend the damning veil of
unbelief that now shuts us out from perfect communion with Gods and angels and
when we gain faith like that of the brother of Jared, then we will gain the
knowledge that was his. This will not occur until after the Lord comes. (See
Ether 4.)
Elder
Bruce R. McConkie; general conference:
We have yet
to gain that full knowledge and understanding of the doctrines of salvation and
the mysteries of the kingdom that were possessed by many of the ancient Saints.
O that we knew what Enoch and his people knew! Or that we had the sealed
portion of the Book of Mormon, as did certain of the Jaredites and Nephites!
How can we ever gain these added truths until we believe in full what the Lord
has already given us in the Book of Mormon, in the Doctrine and Covenants, and
in the inspired changes made by Joseph Smith in the Bible? Will the Lord give
us the full and revealed account of the creation as long as we believe in the
theories of evolution? . . .
As long as
we disagree as to the simple and easy doctrines of salvation, how can we ever
have unity on the complex and endless truths yet to be revealed?
Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal Messiah, Vol. 2:
This is
perfectly illustrated by the fact that we do not have the sealed portion of the
Book of Mormon. That treasure-house of Holy Writ contains an account of the
creation of the world, of the dealings of God with men in all ages, of the
Second Coming of the Son of Man, and of the millennial era when the earth shall
rest and Zion prosper to the full—all of which we are not prepared to receive.
The doctrines revealed to the brother of Jared, and which are recorded in the
sealed portion of the Book of Mormon, were had among the Jaredites; they were
known to the Nephites during their Golden Era; certainly they were known and
taught in Enoch's Zion; but when the Lehite people "dwindled in
unbelief," Moroni was commanded to "hide them up." "They
shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of
their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord," Moroni says.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal Messiah, Vol. 2:
The Sermon
on the Mount is not an assemblage of disjointed sayings, spoken on diverse
occasions, that have been combined in one place for convenience in
presentation, as some uninspired commentators have speculated. It is rather
selected sayings, all spoken by Jesus on one day, following the ordination of
the Twelve; it is that portion of his words, spoken on that occasion, which the
Spirit knew should be preserved for us and for all men who seek truth. It may
well be that the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon contains more of the
sermon than is now found in Third Nephi, and it may well be that future
revelations—accounts of others of the apostles, for instance—will bring to
light more that was said on the mountainous plain near Capernaum where Jesus
spoke the Spirit-guided words to his Jewish friends.
No doubt
what we receive in the future—as to this and all other scriptural
expansions—will depend upon our spiritual maturity. When we exercise faith like
unto the brother of Jared, we will learn by revelation what he knew, and feel
by the power of the Spirit what he felt.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal
Messiah, vol. 4:
Jesus now
did something among the Nephites that he had never done, as far as we know,
among the Jews. He "expounded all the scriptures unto them which they had
received." What a wondrous thing this must have been! On the Emmaus road
he expounded to Cleopas and Luke "in all the scriptures the things
concerning himself." (Luke 24:27.) But here to thousands upon thousands of
saints who had received the gift of the Holy Ghost and were prepared to receive
the mysteries of the kingdom, he expounded all that was written in their holy
books. They had the brass plates, which contain the five books of Moses, and
the prophecies of the prophets down to the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah,
including many prophecies and covenants of the Lord that have been lost from
our Old Testament. They had the plates of Nephi and other records telling what
the Lord had revealed to their fathers during the 634 years since Lehi left
Jerusalem. And, above all, they had the Jaredite scriptures, those inspired
accounts which are in the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon. When we think
that all these things were expounded unto them by Him who gave the holy word
and whose scriptures they were, it makes us feel somewhat insignificant
spiritually. When we compare the small stream of revelation we have received
with the mighty rivers of revealed truth that flowed to those of old, we long
for the day when the Lord will come and reveal all things to us so that we will
know what our counterparts of old knew in their days.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal Messiah, vol. 4:
Along with
the teachings given by Jesus in that day, the Nephites had also the inspired
writings of the brother of Jared. These accounts had been sealed up for some
two millenniums, so they would not "come unto the children of men until
after" Jesus had been "lifted up upon the cross." During the
golden era of Nephite worship they were opened before all the people. But when
these Israelites, after some two centuries of true worship, again dwindled in
unbelief, these sacred words were again sealed up and their glories withheld
from men. They are now found in the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon, and
of them Moroni said: "There never were greater things made manifest than
those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared." And with
respect to them, the Lord said:
They shall
not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their
iniquity, and become clean before the Lord.
And in that
day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother
of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto
them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them
all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the
heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are.
It is with
the writings of Jareditish Moriancumer even as it is with most of the Nephite
teachings of Jesus. They are reserved for the faithful, they can be understood
only by the power of the Spirit, and they have not been revealed as yet to us.
Though the milk of the word, as found in the translated portion of the Book of
Mormon, has been given to prepare us for the meat of the word, as found in the
sealed portion of that holy book, it is clear that our faith is not yet great
enough to enable us to receive the hidden mysteries of the kingdom. . . .
As we
recount these Nephite teachings, and as we learn thereby why Jesus has withheld
from the generality of men those great and wondrous things given to an elect
few in days gone by, we know exactly why our New Testament friends did not
record more of what happened on the mountain in Galilee. What there transpired
was for those then present. Such truths as found their way into the biblical
accounts were to prepare the way for the greater truths yet to come. The Lord
is testing our faith. When we believe the Bible and the Book of Mormon and the
other things he has revealed in our day, then will the greater things be
manifest unto us.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Millennial Messiah, chap.
54:
All things
are to be revealed in the millennial day. The sealed part of the Book of Mormon
will come forth; the brass plates will be translated; the writings of Adam and
Enoch and Noah and Abraham and prophets without number will be revealed. We
shall learn a thousand times more about the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus
than we now know. We shall learn great mysteries of the kingdom that were not
even known to those of old who walked and talked with the Eternal One. We shall
learn the details of the creation and the origin of man and what fools mortals
are to follow the fads of the evolving evolutionary nonsense that litters the
textbooks of academia. Nothing in or on or over the earth will be withheld from
human ken, for eventually man, if he is to be as his Maker, must know all
things.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Millennial Messiah:
Without any
question, however, the scripture that is yet to come forth, which will reveal
more of the mind and will and purposes of the Lord than any other, is the
sealed portion of the Book of Mormon. Moroni says that "there never were
greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the
brother of Jared." All of these things are recorded in the sealed portion
of the book. Of them, the Lord said to Moroni: "They shall not go forth
unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and
become clean before the Lord. And in that day that they shall exercise faith in
me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become
sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother
of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all
things that in them are." (Ether 4:4-7.)
Nephi spoke
similarly. He said: "The book shall be sealed; and in the book shall be a
revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof.
Wherefore, because of the things which are sealed up, the things which are
sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abominations of
the people. Wherefore the book shall be kept from them."
And
further: "The book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation
which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the Lord,
that they may come forth; for behold, they reveal all things from the
foundation of the world unto the end thereof." This causes us to ask: How
would the worldly-wise react if they learned from the book the falsity of their
evolutionary theories and how damning their views are about the creation of the
world? How would they react if they found detailed prophecies about Joseph
Smith and the dispensation in which we live? What if men found in them the
mysteries of the kingdom that are revealed in the temples? Would the Lord thus
be casting pearls before swine? Our present revelations do, of course, have
many allusions to things that are most assuredly set forth extensively and with
clarity in the sealed scriptures.
It seems
apparent, under all the circumstances, that the sealed portion of the Book of
Mormon will not come forth until after the Lord Jesus comes. Nephi's prophetic
word is: "And the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed
shall be read upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ;
and all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been
among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the
earth." (2 Ne. 27:7-11.)
To those
who suppose they believe the Bible but who do not now believe and accept all
that the Lord has given to the world, we simply quote what he has to say on the
subject: "Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my
word?" (2 Ne. 29:8.) Can men know too much of the mind and will and
purposes of their God?
And to
those who do not seek for added light and knowledge from on high, our sorrowful
word is: From you shall be taken away even that which ye have received.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles
of Faith:
Truly,
there is no book like the Book of Mormon. As of now only about one-third of it
has been translated. The sealed portion, which contains the deep and hidden
doctrines of the kingdom, is yet to come forth, probably not, however, until
the Millennial era. The portion we have received is to try our faith and
prepare us for that which is to come. When we exercise faith in Christ like
unto those who once rejoiced in the mysteries of the kingdom now withheld from
us, then we shall receive that which they enjoyed.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie, All Things: Their Creation,
Fall, and Redemption:
Granted
that in our day, we do not have long scriptural sermons on many of the points.
Granted that we do not have the full account of the creation as found in the
sealed portion of the Book of Mormon. Granted that our spiritual stature does
not enable us to feel what some of the ancient prophets and theologians knew
and felt. Yet we do have a sliver here, and a verse there, and a longer passage
somewhere else, which taken together paint a picture that is beautiful to
behold. We do have certain basic concepts revealed in plainness and perfection.
There are
of course revealed accounts of the creation which we do not have today. For one
thing the full account is in the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon, which
the Lord is deliberately withholding from us because our weak faith and low
spiritual stature does not enable us to comprehend it. When men again exercise
faith like unto the Brother of Jared—which means during the Millennial era—they
will again have these full accounts. This more expanded knowledge was had by
some of the Jaredites and by the Nephites during the Golden Era. It was also
known in the City of Holiness founded by Enoch and among the ancient patriarchs
and the saints assembled with them from Adam to Noah. Abraham, Moses, Joseph
Smith and a few of the spiritual giants among the true believers have also had
clear and spirit-born views about all that is involved.
The sealed
portion of the Book of Mormon contains a full account of the creation, which
also is deliberately withheld from the world at this time, but which will be
known again during the Millennium. There is no question that if it were
revealed to the world, or even to the generality of church members, at this
time, it would do more harm than good. Obviously it contains so much that is
diametrically opposed to the accepted theories of the day, so much that those
who are weak in the faith would not accept, so much meat for people who drink
only milk, that it would drive the evolutionists in the Church even farther
from the standard of truth than is now the case: The Lord in his infinite
wisdom grants unto the children of men only that portion of truth which they
are prepared to receive.
While speaking of Enoch and not the brother of Jared,
President Joseph Fielding Smith felt similarly about why the Lord has withheld
greater knowledge about how the earth was created and life began:
For some
good purpose, I think that those who are willing to believe might have knowledge
of some of these events, the Lord revealed to Enoch the history of this earth
and its inhabitants from the beginning to the end, but only a part of this has
come to us because of our hardness of heart and unbelief. If the Lord should reveal to us all that He
taught Enoch and other prophets, there would be many members of the Church who
would rebel and turn away in opposition to it. (Joseph Fielding Smith, The
Signs of the Times [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1970], 5.)
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Rending the Veil of Unbelief”:
After the
prophet stepped through the veil to behold the Savior of the world, he was not
limited in seeing the rest of what the eternal world revealed. Indeed, the Lord
showed him "all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all
that would be; and he withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of
the earth." The staying power and source of privilege for such an
extraordinary experience was once again the faith of the brother of Jared, for
"the Lord could not withhold anything from him, for he knew that the Lord
could show him all things."
This vision
of "all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that
would be . . . even unto the ends of the earth" was similar to that given
to Moses and others of the prophets. In this case, however, it was written down
in detail and then sealed. Moroni, who had access to this recorded vision,
wrote on his plates "the very things which the brother of Jared saw."
Then he too sealed them and hid them again in the earth before his death and
the destruction of the Nephite civilization. Of this vision given to the
brother of Jared, Moroni wrote, "There never were greater things made
manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared."
Those
sealed plates constitute the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon, which Joseph
Smith did not translate. Furthermore, they will remain sealed, literally as
well as figuratively, until future generations "shall exercise faith in
me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become
sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother
of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations."
The full
measure of this unprecedented and unexcelled vision—"never were greater
things made manifest"—are yet to be made known. But consider what was made
known in the course of one man's experience in receiving it, consider that the
time was approximately two thousand years before Christ's birth, and consider
what is not presently contained in the Old Testament canon of that period
regarding Jehovah and his true characteristics.
Jehovah,
the God of the pre-Christian era, was the premortal Jesus Christ, identified
here by that name.
Christ has
a role as both a Father and a Son in his divine relationship with the children
of men.
Christ was
"prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem [his] people,"
knowledge that had been shared before with Enoch and would later be shared with
John the Revelator.
Christ had
a spirit body in the premortal form of his physical body, "like unto flesh
and blood," including fingers, voice, face, and all other physical
features.
In some
manner Christ assisted in creating man, a creation ultimately performed by the
Father. In that process the bodies of the human family were like unto "the
body of [Christ's] spirit."
With a
spirit body and the divinity of his calling, the premortal Christ spoke
audibly, in words and language that could be understood by mortals.
Christ is a
God, acting for and with his Father, who is also a God.
Christ
reveals truths to some that are to be kept from others until an appointed time
(his "own due time").
Christ uses
a variety of tools and techniques in revelation, including the interpreting
power of "two stones" such as those used in the Urim and Thummim.
Christ had
past knowledge of all the inhabitants of the earth who had been and
foreknowledge of all who would be, showing all these to the brother of Jared.
Christ's
later atoning, redeeming role was clearly stated even before it had been
realized in his mortal life. Furthermore, in a most blessed way for the brother
of Jared, it was immediately efficacious: "I am he who was prepared from
the foundation of the world to redeem my people," Christ said. "In me
shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on
my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters."
Then the
brother of Jared had his redemption pronounced, as though the Atonement had
already been carried out: "Because thou knowest these things ye are
redeemed from the fall," Christ promised him, "therefore ye are
brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you."
This last
statement underscores the eternal nature of the Atonement, its impact reaching
out to all who lived before the Savior's birth as well as all who lived after
it. All those in Old Testament times who were baptized in Christ's name had the
same claim upon eternal life that the brother of Jared had, even though Christ
had not yet even been born. In the infinite and eternal matters of the
Atonement, as in all other eternal covenants, "time only is measured unto
men" and prophets could speak of events yet to be "as though they had
already come."
Moroni, in
recording the experience of the brother of Jared, added these additional
insights and revelations from the same encounter:
Future
disciples would need to be sanctified in Christ to receive all his revelations.
Those who
reject the vision of the brother of Jared will be shown "no greater
things" by Christ.
At Christ's
command "the heavens are opened and are shut," "the earth shall
shake," and "the inhabitants thereof shall pass away, even so as by
fire."
Believers
in the vision of the brother of Jared will be given manifestations of Christ's
spirit. Because of such spiritual experience, belief will turn to knowledge,
and they will "know that these things are true."
"Whatsoever
thing persuadeth men to do good" is of Christ. Good comes of none except
Christ.
Those who
do not believe Christ's words would not believe him personally.
Those who
do not believe Christ would not believe God the Father who sent him.
Christ is
the light, the life, and the truth of the world.
Christ will
reveal "greater things," "great and marvelous things,"
knowledge hidden "from the foundation of the world" to those who rend
the veil of unbelief and come unto him.
Believers
are to call upon the Father in the name of Christ "with a broken heart and
a contrite spirit" if they are to "know that the Father hath
remembered the covenant which he made" unto the house of Israel.
Christ's
revelations to John the Revelator will be "unfolded in the eyes of all the
people" in the last days, even as they are about to be fulfilled.
Christ
commands all the ends of the earth to come unto him, believe in his gospel, and
be baptized in his name.
Signs will
follow those who believe in Christ's name.
Those faithful
to Christ's name at the last day will be "lifted up to dwell in the
kingdom prepared for [them] from the foundation of the world."
In the glow
of this revelation comes an appeal to all who will one day receive it. Asking
the latter-day reader to pierce the limits of shallow faith, Christ cries:
"Come
unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the
knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief.
"Come
unto me, O ye house of Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great
things the Father hath laid up for you, from the foundation of the world; and
it hath not come unto you, because of unbelief.
"Behold,
when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your
awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then
shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation
of the world from you—yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with
a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath
remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of
Israel."
Reynolds and Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon,
Vol. 6:
Touch
them not. Moroni addresses this admonition to future translators. They must
leave the sealed portion alone, until otherwise directed by the Lord. There
must be some strong reason for this precaution. Our surmise is that the
exceedingly glorious manifestations of God on Mount Shelem, translated into
imperfect human language, would have been incomprehensible to the world at the
time of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and that ignorance and bigotry
at that time would have martyred the Prophet Joseph long before the completion
of his mission on Earth if these visions had been put into print.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell, But for a Small Moment:
The sealed
portion yet to come forth will be very valuable. (3 Nephi 26:10-11.) In fact,
this sweeping portion will contain "a revelation from God, from the
beginning of the world to the ending thereof" (2 Nephi 27:7, 10-11). Such
a cumulative record yet to be revealed is something to be awaited with
"anxious expectation" in that "time to come in the which nothing
shall be withheld," as the Prophet Joseph was promised in the prison-temple
(D&C 121:27-28).
For more on the Sealed Portion and Book of Mormon, see President
Anthony W. Ivins, Conference Report, April 1928.
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