Category Archives: Eternal

Blessed, Curse, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Eternal, Faith / Trusting God, Immutable (unchanging), Obeying God, Provider

Walk With The Lord, Do Not Turn Away

Imagine a home where you have instructed your children in the way they behave and they have clearly understood. Now imagine that they flagrantly defy you and do the opposite of what you instruct. Imagine they have no respect that it is your house and they do what they want regardless of your instructions. They ignore and openly defy you. You are still master of the house… how many of us would be pleased? Angry? Should there be consequences?

What about a city or town in which part of the population totally disregards the law and does as they please? Would others be angry? should there be consequences?

All of us would be angry and yes, there should be consequences. It is funny to consider why people assume YHWH will just continue to accept their rebellious behavior without consequences and without Him getting angry when they defy Him more and more, despite having every opportunity to access His instructions in the Bible.

We do not obey to “earn salvation”, but our obedience is a reflection of our love and respect for our Father. To say we have not been taught right and blame pastors or someone else calls for us to remember we are each personally accountable to YHWH and in our country essentially all of us have excellent access to a Bible.  All of us reading this post have the internet, which has free online Bible and study resources. If we choose not to put forth the time to study ourselves, it is a poor excuse. If we love Him, why not put forth that time as priority to know Him?

We can be sure that YHWH knows our hearts, our intentions, and certainly our behaviors. He is not fooled as easily as we fool ourselves or others by excuses about being busy. As a matter of fact, we are reminded that He is timeless. He knows the past, present, and future. He already knows what we have done, are doing, and will do. He loves us enough to give us a chance to go the right way or to even repent and come back after we start the wrong way. He is gracious and loving. However, we still must choose Him if we are to expect His blessing. We must choose Him not just with words, but with the actions and attitude. We must submit, ask forgiveness, and change our ways to be like His ways.  To say we have submitted, without changing our ways is to lie, perhaps even to ourselves at times.

Deuteronomy 31:14-22

Israel Will Fall Away

     14Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, the time for you to die is near; call Joshua, and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.” So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. 15The LORD appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the doorway of the tent. 16The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17“Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will come upon them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?’ 18“But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods.

      19“Now therefore, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel. 20“For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant. 21“Then it shall come about, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify before them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants); for I know their intent which they are developing today, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.” 22So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel.

Let us as a people be far from false gods and the ways of the world. Let us embrace His ways, laid out in the Bible. They are timeless and unchanging, like our Creator. If we rebel against Him and break the covenant He offers, He will allow us this choice. However, we also reap the consequences. Wherever you are in life, turn toward YHWH. Submit to Him. Ask forgiveness. Turn away from sin and toward Him. We are all sinners. He has made a way for us to be forgiven all our sins. Let us not turn away from such a gift as this.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Eternal, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Immutable (unchanging), Jesus (hearing from God), Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Study the Word, Through Prophets, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Keep The Commandments Of The Lord

Obeying the law that YHWH has provided to His people is important to Him. Moses knew it and repeated it over and over for the people. Yeshua followed it perfectly and set the example for us to follow. Do not just blindly assume what is taught in churches today is accurate… that God no longer cares if we obey His law, His instructions. Grace is not an excuse to disobey God. Jesus following the law is not an excuse for us not to. God has not changed His mind on how we live. Test everything against the truth of scripture.

Deuteronomy 4

Israel Urged to Obey God’s Law

     1“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2“You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. 3“Your eyes have seen what the LORD has done in the case of Baal-peor, for all the men who followed Baal-peor, the LORD your God has destroyed them from among you. 4“But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive today, every one of you.

      5“See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. 6“So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7“For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD our God whenever we call on Him? 8“Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?

      9“Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. 10“Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ 11“You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the very heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud and thick gloom. 12“Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—only a voice. 13“So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14“The LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it.

      15“So watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire, 16so that you do not act corruptly and make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the sky, 18the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water below the earth. 19“And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. 20“But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession, as today.

      21“Now the LORD was angry with me on your account, and swore that I would not cross the Jordan, and that I would not enter the good land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. 22“For I will die in this land, I shall not cross the Jordan, but you shall cross and take possession of this good land. 23“So watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against which the LORD your God has commanded you. 24“For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

      25“When you become the father of children and children’s children and have remained long in the land, and act corruptly, and make an idol in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD your God so as to provoke Him to anger, 26I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will surely perish quickly from the land where you are going over the Jordan to possess it. You shall not live long on it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27“The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD drives you. 28“There you will serve gods, the work of man’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. 29“But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. 30“When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. 31“For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.

      32“Indeed, ask now concerning the former days which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and inquire from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything been done like this great thing, or has anything been heard like it? 33“Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard it, and survived? 34“Or has a god tried to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders and by war and by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm and by great terrors, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35“To you it was shown that you might know that the LORD, He is God; there is no other besides Him. 36“Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire. 37“Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, 38driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is today. 39“Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other. 40“So you shall keep His statutes and His commandments which I am giving you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may live long on the land which the LORD your God is giving you for all time.”

      41Then Moses set apart three cities across the Jordan to the east, 42that a manslayer might flee there, who unintentionally slew his neighbor without having enmity toward him in time past; and by fleeing to one of these cities he might live: 43Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, and Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.

      44Now this is the law which Moses set before the sons of Israel; 45these are the testimonies and the statutes and the ordinances which Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, when they came out from Egypt, 46across the Jordan, in the valley opposite Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites who lived at Heshbon, whom Moses and the sons of Israel defeated when they came out from Egypt. 47They took possession of his land and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites, who were across the Jordan to the east, 48from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon, even as far as Mount Sion (that is, Hermon), 49with all the Arabah across the Jordan to the east, even as far as the sea of the Arabah, at the foot of the slopes of Pisgah.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Blessed, Eternal, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, His Timing Not Ours, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Humility, Learning To Pray Effectively, Loving / Kind, Obeying God, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Unteachable / Foolish, Wise

God’s Eternity and Man’s Brief Life Span

It is good for us to focus on the Lord, His eternal nature. He is far above even our ability to fully understand Him. We are transitory… each of us with a brief life in which even that which we create will fade in short time. Only in the Lord is there eternity and I choose to spend eternity with Him.

This prayer does well to remind us that our time is brief and all that we think is important to “accomplish” is not going to last. Our relationship with the Lord, and any we can help lead to Him… those things are eternal.

With that in mind, is the focus of your life on the right things? Are you placing your value in career and business? hobbies? or serving the Lord and leading and supporting others to submit to and serve  Him as Lord?

Psalm 90

BOOK 4

God’s Eternity and Man’s Transitoriness.

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

     1Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.

      2Before the mountains were born
Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

      3You turn man back into dust
And say, “Return, O children of men.”

      4For a thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it passes by,
Or as a watch in the night.

      5You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep;
In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew.

      6In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew;
Toward evening it fades and withers away.

      7For we have been consumed by Your anger
And by Your wrath we have been dismayed.

      8You have placed our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your presence.

      9For all our days have declined in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a sigh.

      10As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, eighty years,
Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow;
For soon it is gone and we fly away.

      11Who understands the power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?

      12So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

      13Do return, O LORD; how long will it be?
And be sorry for Your servants.

      14O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness,
That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

      15Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the years we have seen evil.

      16Let Your work appear to Your servants
And Your majesty to their children.

      17Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, confirm the work of our hands.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Eternal, Faith / Trusting God, Grace / Patience, Guide, His Timing Not Ours, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional

Patience And Obedience Are Characteristics of Faith

Typically we are in more of a hurry than is our Lord. He is patient where we are not. He is eternal where we have finite lifespans and attention spans. He sees the big picture where we can be very focused on self and how things affect us.

As I read Numbers 10, I am reminded of these truths. As the people left Egypt in search of the promised land, I am sure they did not imagine how long the journey would be. They caused much of it themselves, by refusing to go into the land when commanded, but even before that we can see that God had a plan and it was not rushed.

We read in verse 11 that they set out from Sinai in the second year. They spent some time there. Likely God was preparing them to transition from the mindset of slaves in Egypt to a free people following Jehovah. This is no small transition for a people to make.

We can trust God in our personal lives as well that He has a purpose when He calls for us to wait and He has a plan when He calls for us to move. This may be geographic relocation or other actions He calls us to do. Let us learn to trust Him in waiting. While we wait, let us prepare and seek Him. Let us focus our lives toward Him. Thus we will be ready when He calls for us to move out. Also as with Sinai, He will come with us when He sends us forth. When we go, let us go in obedience not only to “what” He asked us to do but also to “how” He instructed us to do it.

Numbers 10:10-36

The Tribes Leave Sinai

     11Now in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony; 12and the sons of Israel set out on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai. Then the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran. 13So they moved out for the first time according to the commandment of the LORD through Moses. 14The standard of the camp of the sons of Judah, according to their armies, set out first, with Nahshon the son of Amminadab, over its army, 15and Nethanel the son of Zuar, over the tribal army of the sons of Issachar; 16and Eliab the son of Helon over the tribal army of the sons of Zebulun.

      17Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who were carrying the tabernacle, set out. 18Next the standard of the camp of Reuben, according to their armies, set out with Elizur the son of Shedeur, over its army, 19and Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai over the tribal army of the sons of Simeon, 20and Eliasaph the son of Deuel was over the tribal army of the sons of Gad.

      21Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy objects; and the tabernacle was set up before their arrival. 22Next the standard of the camp of the sons of Ephraim, according to their armies, was set out, with Elishama the son of Ammihud over its army, 23and Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur over the tribal army of the sons of Manasseh; 24and Abidan the son of Gideoni over the tribal army of the sons of Benjamin.

      25Then the standard of the camp of the sons of Dan, according to their armies, which formed the rear guard for all the camps, set out, with Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai over its army, 26and Pagiel the son of Ochran over the tribal army of the sons of Asher; 27and Ahira the son of Enan over the tribal army of the sons of Naphtali. 28This was the order of march of the sons of Israel by their armies as they set out.

      29Then Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out to the place of which the LORD said, ‘I will give it to you’; come with us and we will do you good, for the LORD has promised good concerning Israel.” 30But he said to him, “I will not come, but rather will go to my own land and relatives.” 31Then he said, “Please do not leave us, inasmuch as you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will be as eyes for us. 32“So it will be, if you go with us, that whatever good the LORD does for us, we will do for you.”

      33Thus they set out from the mount of the LORD three days’ journey, with the ark of the covenant of the LORD journeying in front of them for the three days, to seek out a resting place for them. 34The cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set out from the camp.

      35Then it came about when the ark set out that Moses said,
“Rise up, O LORD!
And let Your enemies be scattered,
And let those who hate You flee before You.”

36When it came to rest, he said,
“Return, O LORD,
To the myriad thousands of Israel.”

This message rings very true for me. I feel as if the Lord has called me for something and is preparing me, but He has yet to send me forth. I am in the waiting and preparing phase. It is so important for me to stay focused on trusting His plans for me and His timing. For me sometimes the timing is the tough part. I seem to expect a microwave when God cooks more typically in a crock pot.

May the Lord help me with my patience and obedience in preparing while I wait. May He do the same for whatever He calls you to do as well.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Eternal, Salvation, Study the Word

What’s In A Name?

For those who do not know it, many names within the Bible have been changed or translated over the years in addition to the text. Good, God-fearing translations are an awesome way of getting God’s word into the language in which a people can understand it without them having to learn a different language, which can be a barrier. However, I have found it quite helpful and enlightening at times to dig deeper into the history of Greek and Hebrew translations of the Bible for better understanding of context and meaning. Clearly it takes more time, but not that much more. A good keyword study bible can give you a lot of background on the original Hebrew and Greek meaning of key words. More recently, I have begun a journey to learn Hebrew. I want to understand God’s instructions to us in the context of the language He created for us.

Two quick examples, which perhaps some of you already know, to illustrate the point.

Jesus was originally pronounced “Yeshua” in Hebrew, though I am typing it in English letters here. The Hebrew letters are very different and I need to figure out how to load a “Hebrew” keyboard onto my computer to be able to enable Hebrew characters. Yeshua means “salvation”. The Romans changed the ending from an “a” sound to an “s” so as to denote  masculine in their language.  Later the English added the letter “J” to the alphabet and it changed again.

Jehovah essentially means “eternal one”. He will be, He is, and He has been. I may not be getting the grammar structure quite right, but you get the idea.

Anyway, you can see with a little digging  to get closer to the original roots of the scripture the meaning starts to open up more and more. It is not just a name, but each name has significance. It brings us closer to knowing what God intended.

Learning another language is not for everyone or for everyone right now. But I do encourage you to consider a key word study Bible for Hebrew and Greek and to start using the internet to explore the meaning of the scripture more deeply for yourself. Of course, test everything against what scripture says. You can not believe everything that someone says on the internet. Even those of us who are well-intended will not get everything right. Seek God Himself and His help on your journey. He will not fail you.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Eternal, Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Hope, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Peace / Rest, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

It’s Not About Us or the Physical Things Around Us… It’s About Him

Each of us who choose to follow Jesus as Lord, must submit our lives and ministry to the Father as He did. Let our witness not be about ourselves, but rather let it be about Him. We are imperfect and perishable. He is perfect and eternal.  When we submit to Him we seek to be transformed by the Holy Spirit so that we are no longer of the world but rather reborn in the spirit.

2 Corinthians 4

Paul’s Apostolic Ministry

      1Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, 2but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

      7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12So death works in us, but life in you.

      13But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE,” we also believe, therefore we also speak, 14knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. 15For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.

      16Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Put not your trust in your own health of body and mind, but only in Jehovah Himself.  As we share the gospel, let us not make the focal point to be about us or our ministry or our witness.  Do not anchor your faith in the things of this physical world we live in for it is only temporary. It is only the things which are not seen which are eternal. Let our lives bear witness of Christ by leading others to Him.

Eternal

What’s In A Name?

What’s in a name? A name can at times carry a great deal of significance. When we, as followers of Christ, call upon “God” or praise “God”, even a Muslim or Hindu can agree and praise god, but who are we praising? who are we asking for help?

As followers of Christ we certainly know the name of Jesus Christ and if we have studied the Bible we see much power and significance in the name of Jesus. However as we come to know our Father in heaven and relate to Him throughout our lives, why not call Him by name? Yes, His name is holy and should not be used in vain. But calling to our Father by name is not using His name in vain. Praising our Father by name is not using His name in vain.

So what is His name? There is some degree of debate on whether His name is Jehovah (pronounced “Yehova”) or Yahweh. We can welcome this civil debate and study as brothers and sisters in Christ. We need not divide over this, but it does matter. How many of us want to be called by the wrong name? We may not get angry at our children if they call us the wrong name, but we certainly appreciate those that take the time and effort to learn it properly as they get more mature.

As an introduction for you to the matter, I have included some discussion from an article at HopeOfIsrael.net. Click through the link to read the whole article.

Therefore “Jehovah” is the english equilvant of “Yehovah”. This pronunication has been verified by ancient manuscripts predating the New-testament. The other way we know that “JeHoVah”is correct because it is broken into three syllables “Je” from “yehi” meaning “He will be” (translated one time in the KJB as “JAH”); next is “Ho” from “hove” meaning “Being”; lastly “Vah” from “hahyah” meaning “He was” . Therefore the meaning of “Jehovah” is the ETERNAL ONE. That is what the Lord Jesus was saying about Himself, that he was Himself Jehovah – defining it in Rev 1:4, 8; 4:8; 11:17. That  Jesus therefore has validated the correct pronunciation by defining the three syllables of JE-HO-VAH.

What’s in a name? A lot. Jehovah carries the significance of God’s eternal nature and is used in scripture to demonstrate further that Jesus is one with the Father. When we address our Father, why not start calling Him by name, Jehovah, as we do when we refer to Jesus?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.