All posts by John (HFJ Director)

I Have Prayed For You

Simon Peter was a bold follower of Christ. He was, however, overconfident in his faith to endure the difficult situation soon to arise. Yeshua warned him that Satan was trying to get permission to “sift [Simon Peter] like wheat”, which is not good for Simon Peter. How gracious and encouraging that Yeshua prayed for His friend, for his faith to not fail. Indeed this is a good example for all of us, to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, even the ones who seem so confident in their faith.

Simon Peter was later humbled through the situations which came as he denied Christ three times. It was devastating to him. I am sure the prayers of Yeshua helped him through responding to that failure.

Luke 22:31-34

    31“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” 34And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”

It is also worthwhile to remember that Satan needs permission to attack those who serve the Lord. YHWH is always in control. This premise is also demonstrated in the book of Job in more detail. Thus we can be assured, even when we are under attack, the Lord is with us. We can trust in Him and turn to Him for help and support.

I encourage you to pray for one another, in tough times yes, but even in times that seem quite good. Trouble will come. We don’t always see it on its way.

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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.

Who Is Greatest?

YHWH does not define greatness the way that we do. We do well to understand how He measures rather than continue measuring according to the ways of the world. Let this guide how we seek to be great.

Luke 22:24-30

Who Is Greatest

     24And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. 25And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ 26“But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. 27“For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

      28“You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; 29and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you 30that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Do you seek greatness? How do you measure it? Start by helping someone who can’t help you back. Give YHWH the credit.

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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.

Remembering Yeshua And His Sacrifice

Let us take time to reflect on the sacrifice of our Lord, Yeshua. He suffered and died for us. His body was bruised and His blood shed. Let us remember humbly and with thanksgiving, realizing that it is indeed us who deserve death rather than He.  Yeshua knew He was to suffer and die. In His last hours of freedom in His earthly ministry He chose to celebrate Passover with close friends and put forth some instructions about how we may remember His sacrifice. He wants us to remember it. Don’t let it become a habit so common and without thought that it loses significance, being reduced only to ritual. It should be emotional and spiritual experience in which we humble ourselves and ask forgiveness, remembering His sacrifice to make a path to forgiveness for us.

Luke 22:14-23

The Lord’s Supper

     14When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. 15And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; 18for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” 19And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. 21“But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table. 22“For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” 23And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing.

Pray the Spirit would guide you in remembering Christ as you participate in the Lord’s supper. Don’t let it become ritual without meaning… a check box on your weekly routine.

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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.

If Anyone Loves Me, He Will Keep My Word

Continually reflecting on the life of Yeshua continues to highlight what righteousness looks like. Sometimes I find it worthwhile to really dwell on certain parts of scripture that might just be quickly overlooked. Yeshua was well aware that the religious leaders were plotting to kill Him. He knew Judas would betray Him. Yet He came to Jerusalem in obedience to the Father’s plans. He did not mourn for Himself or the pain He would soon endure. He did not complain that the Father allowed Satan to “enter into Judas” to accomplish this plan. He did not hide or decide to just “live it up” in the last days, but stayed connected to the Father’s purpose for Him until the end.

It should be obvious how important Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are to Yeshua and to the Father. These were highlighted, not skipped, during the last days of Yeshua’s earthly ministry. We could easily ask ourselves, “why do so many disregard these holy days now, when Yeshua held them in high esteem and purposed to celebrate them?” The answer is not that YHWH changed His mind on these holy days or that Yeshua ever changed the command to celebrate these holy days. The death of Yeshua did not suddenly change the earlier commands of YHWH for His people in regards to the holy days. In fact, He came back after He died and reinforced that what He taught should be shared with the world. He did not indicate that YHWH’s instructions were now obsolete.

Matthew 28:18-20 (emphasis in bold mine)

18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Indeed, God did not change His commands, but rather man, under the guise of Christianity, chose to move away from YHWH’s commands and traditions in an effort to separate and be set apart from the Jewish people. This was not YHWH’s intent.

Luke 22:1-16

Preparing the Passover

     1Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. 2The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people.

      3And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. 4And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. 5They were glad and agreed to give him money. 6So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.

      7Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.” 9They said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?” 10And He said to them, “When you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters. 11“And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 12“And he will show you a large, furnished upper room; prepare it there.” 13And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

     14When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. 15And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

Let us pray the Spirit guides us and opens our eyes to the truth of scripture. Do not rely on what is commonly accepted or taught in churches as truth, but test everything against the truth of scripture. It takes time and devotion to the Lord to do this properly. It is a demonstration of love to YHWH and Yeshua to invest your time in searching and understanding scripture more fully. Learn and obey His instruction, regardless of what is popular amongst those claiming to be Christian. There are many who do not know Him that call upon His name.

Let us follow the example of Yeshua. Regardless of what challenges and hardships may come, let us learn and obey the commands and instructions of the Father and do so joyfully.

John 14:21-24

21“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” 22Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

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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.

Recount Your Blessings and Victories Which YHWH Has Delivered

Deuteronomy 3 reminds us to remember the victories which the Lord has given to us. While we journey through life with the Lord, He grants us many victories and blessings, in particular when we live in obedience to Him and with love for Him. Reflecting on what He has done for us can be very encouraging and remind us that He will continue to be with us, so long as we do not turn from Him.

Deuteronomy 3

Conquests Recounted

     1“Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og, king of Bashan, with all his people came out to meet us in battle at Edrei. 2“But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand; and you shall do to him just as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.’ 3“So the LORD our God delivered Og also, king of Bashan, with all his people into our hand, and we smote them until no survivor was left. 4“We captured all his cities at that time; there was not a city which we did not take from them: sixty cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5“All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates and bars, besides a great many unwalled towns. 6“We utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women and children of every city. 7“But all the animals and the spoil of the cities we took as our booty.

      8“Thus we took the land at that time from the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, from the valley of Arnon to Mount Hermon 9(Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir): 10all the cities of the plateau and all Gilead and all Bashan, as far as Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 11(For only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. Behold, his bedstead was an iron bedstead; it is in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon. Its length was nine cubits and its width four cubits by ordinary cubit.)

      12“So we took possession of this land at that time. From Aroer, which is by the valley of Arnon, and half the hill country of Gilead and its cities I gave to the Reubenites and to the Gadites. 13“The rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh, all the region of Argob (concerning all Bashan, it is called the land of Rephaim. 14Jair the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and called it, that is, Bashan, after his own name, Havvoth-jair, as it is to this day.) 15“To Machir I gave Gilead. 16“To the Reubenites and to the Gadites I gave from Gilead even as far as the valley of Arnon, the middle of the valley as a border and as far as the river Jabbok, the border of the sons of Ammon; 17the Arabah also, with the Jordan as a border, from Chinnereth even as far as the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, at the foot of the slopes of Pisgah on the east.

      18“Then I commanded you at that time, saying, ‘The LORD your God has given you this land to possess it; all you valiant men shall cross over armed before your brothers, the sons of Israel. 19‘But your wives and your little ones and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock) shall remain in your cities which I have given you, 20until the LORD gives rest to your fellow countrymen as to you, and they also possess the land which the LORD your God will give them beyond the Jordan. Then you may return every man to his possession which I have given you.’ 21“I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings; so the LORD shall do to all the kingdoms into which you are about to cross. 22‘Do not fear them, for the LORD your God is the one fighting for you.’

      23“I also pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying, 24‘O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours? 25‘Let me, I pray, cross over and see the fair land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’ 26“But the LORD was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me; and the LORD said to me, ‘Enough! Speak to Me no more of this matter. 27‘Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes to the west and north and south and east, and see it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan. 28‘But charge Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him, for he shall go across at the head of this people, and he will give them as an inheritance the land which you will see.’ 29“So we remained in the valley opposite Beth-peor.

Take time to list some of the major victories and blessings that the Lord has delivered to you in your lifetime or just recently. Consider writing it down and sharing it with someone. Surely I could not remember all of them in one sitting, but I could remember many key victories. There are many. YHWH is such a wonderful, loving, and generous Father! Praise Him! He alone is worthy of our worship.

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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.

We See Persecution; The Lord Sees An Opportunity For Our Testimony

I believe that Yeshua is speaking both about an event in AD 70 where Rome devastated the Jewish people and tore down the temple and also about the end of the age and the conditions leading up to His second coming. The threads are knit together in Luke 21.

What is most compelling to me is that Christ sees an opportunity for our testimony where I see persecution. My natural tendency is to try to make plans to defend myself. Yeshua says 13“It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. 14“So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; …”

I encourage you to read the passage with the thought that the end of the age and the persecution and suffering that come with it may come in our lifetime. Whether or not it does, is less relevant. We do not know when it will come but we can prepare ourselves. 

Luke 21:5-38

 5And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said, 6As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.”

      7They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” 8And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them. 9“When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.”

Things to Come

     10Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, 11and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

      12“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. 13“It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. 14“So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; 15for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. 16“But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, 17and you will be hated by all because of My name. 18“Yet not a hair of your head will perish. 19“By your endurance you will gain your lives.

      20“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. 21“Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; 22because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. 23“Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; 24and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Return of Christ

     25“There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27“Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory. 28“But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

      29Then He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees; 30as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. 31“So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. 32“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place. 33“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

      34“Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; 35for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. 36“But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

      37Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mount that is called Olivet. 38And all the people would get up early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him.

Shall we live in fear of these times? What are we to do in preparation?

9“When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.”

28“But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

   34“Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; 35for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. 36“But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

He shall not leave us nor forsake us, even unto the end of the age.

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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.

Where We Spend Our Money, There Our Heart Is Also

YHWH does not need our money, He desires our heart. He does not measure as men do, counting the dollar totals, but looks at our desire to submit to and please Him… our love for Him and for others.

Luke 21:1-4

The Widow’s Gift

      1And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. 2And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. 3And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; 4for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.”

Reading Luke 21 is a good time to reflect on how we use our money for His kingdom… or how we are not doing so. Do we give a bit from our extra or do we really submit to Him with all that we have and trust in Him?

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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.

Remember God’s Mercy Even In Hard Times And Ask For It

We are all sinful. Sometimes the Lord chooses to rebuke or punish His people for their sin for our benefit and His glory. He is a loving God but also a just God.

Remember God’s mercy even in hard times and ask for it.

Psalm 102

Prayer of an Afflicted Man for Mercy on Himself and on Zion.

A Prayer of the Afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD.

      1Hear my prayer, O LORD!
And let my cry for help come to You.

      2Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress;
Incline Your ear to me;
In the day when I call answer me quickly.

      3For my days have been consumed in smoke,
And my bones have been scorched like a hearth.

      4My heart has been smitten like grass and has withered away,
Indeed, I forget to eat my bread.

      5Because of the loudness of my groaning
My bones cling to my flesh.

      6I resemble a pelican of the wilderness;
I have become like an owl of the waste places.

      7I lie awake,
I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.

      8My enemies have reproached me all day long;
Those who deride me have used my name as a curse.

      9For I have eaten ashes like bread
And mingled my drink with weeping

      10Because of Your indignation and Your wrath,
For You have lifted me up and cast me away.

      11My days are like a lengthened shadow,
And I wither away like grass.

      12But You, O LORD, abide forever,
And Your name to all generations.

      13You will arise and have compassion on Zion;
For it is time to be gracious to her,
For the appointed time has come.

      14Surely Your servants find pleasure in her stones
And feel pity for her dust.

      15So the nations will fear the name of the LORD
And all the kings of the earth Your glory.

      16For the LORD has built up Zion;
He has appeared in His glory.

      17He has regarded the prayer of the destitute
And has not despised their prayer.

      18This will be written for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.

      19For He looked down from His holy height;
From heaven the LORD gazed upon the earth,

      20To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To set free those who were doomed to death,

      21That men may tell of the name of the LORD in Zion
And His praise in Jerusalem,

      22When the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

      23He has weakened my strength in the way;
He has shortened my days.

      24I say, “O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days,
Your years are throughout all generations.

      25“Of old You founded the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.

      26“Even they will perish, but You endure;
And all of them will wear out like a garment;
Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.

      27“But You are the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.

              28“The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You.”

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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.

Will You Trust YHWH And Joyfully Accept What He Chooses For You?

As we read Exodus and Deuteronomy, we see a focus on the people of Israel, who are the chosen people of YHWH. It is easy to think the entire focus of our Creator is only on them, but that is not true. In Deuteronomy 2, we see this emphasized. As YHWH was leading His people to the land He would give them, He told them multiple times He would not give them other land they had to pass through first. He had given that to others and deliberately. This is so easy to overlook, but I believe YHWH wants us to remember this principle in our daily lives as well.

From His perspective… Yes I am your God. Yes I have plans for you. If you will follow me, I will guide you. However, I have plans for others that go beyond you. I will not always explain them to you. You have to trust me as I direct you to what I want to give you. Do not just chase after the first opportunity that comes before you. Do not pursue or covet the things I have given for others, but focus on what I want to give you. I know best and I love you.

Deuteronomy 2

Wanderings in the Wilderness

      1“Then we turned and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke to me, and circled Mount Seir for many days. 2“And the LORD spoke to me, saying, 3‘You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north, 4and command the people, saying, “You will pass through the territory of your brothers the sons of Esau who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful; 5do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, even as little as a footstep because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. 6“You shall buy food from them with money so that you may eat, and you shall also purchase water from them with money so that you may drink. 7“For the LORD your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing.”’

      8“So we passed beyond our brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road, away from Elath and from Ezion-geber. And we turned and passed through by the way of the wilderness of Moab. 9“Then the LORD said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 10(The Emim lived there formerly, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. 11Like the Anakim, they are also regarded as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12The Horites formerly lived in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the LORD gave to them.) 13‘Now arise and cross over the brook Zered yourselves.’ So we crossed over the brook Zered. 14“Now the time that it took for us to come from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war perished from within the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. 15“Moreover the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from within the camp until they all perished.

      16“So it came about when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, 17that the LORD spoke to me, saying, 18‘Today you shall cross over Ar, the border of Moab. 19‘When you come opposite the sons of Ammon, do not harass them nor provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 20(It is also regarded as the land of the Rephaim, for Rephaim formerly lived in it, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummin, 21a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim, but the LORD destroyed them before them. And they dispossessed them and settled in their place, 22just as He did for the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them; they dispossessed them and settled in their place even to this day. 23And the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and lived in their place.) 24‘Arise, set out, and pass through the valley of Arnon. Look! I have given Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land into your hand; begin to take possession and contend with him in battle. 25‘This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under the heavens, who, when they hear the report of you, will tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

      26“So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, 27‘Let me pass through your land, I will travel only on the highway; I will not turn aside to the right or to the left. 28‘You will sell me food for money so that I may eat, and give me water for money so that I may drink, only let me pass through on foot, 29just as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I cross over the Jordan into the land which the LORD our God is giving to us.’ 30“But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land; for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to deliver him into your hand, as he is today. 31“The LORD said to me, ‘See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to occupy, that you may possess his land.’

      32“Then Sihon with all his people came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz. 33“The LORD our God delivered him over to us, and we defeated him with his sons and all his people. 34“So we captured all his cities at that time and utterly destroyed the men, women and children of every city. We left no survivor. 35“We took only the animals as our booty and the spoil of the cities which we had captured. 36“From Aroer which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon and from the city which is in the valley, even to Gilead, there was no city that was too high for us; the LORD our God delivered all over to us. 37“Only you did not go near to the land of the sons of Ammon, all along the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, and wherever the LORD our God had commanded us.

Will you trust YHWH and follow Him? Will you accept joyfully what He has chosen for you? Or will you chase and covet what He has chosen for others?

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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.

Beware Of Those Who Seek Personal Glory Rather Than God’s Glory

The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection after death. They were not genuinely seeking answers from Yeshua in Luke 20, when they posed an elaborate, unrealistic question about resurrection. They were trying to trap Yeshua to somehow weakening the true argument about resurrection after death. They were disingenuous.

There are many like this today leading churches and getting rich on other people’s money, though they do not really believe. They are not really part of the body of Christ, but they pretend to be for personal honor and gain. They  “…like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, 47who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

Luke 20:27-47

Is There a Resurrection?

      27Now there came to Him some of the Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection), 28and they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that IF A MANS BROTHER DIES, having a wife, AND HE IS CHILDLESS, HIS BROTHER SHOULD MARRY THE WIFE AND RAISE UP CHILDREN TO HIS BROTHER. 29“Now there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died childless; 30and the second 31and the third married her; and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children. 32“Finally the woman died also. 33“In the resurrection therefore, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.”

      34Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37“But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB. 38“Now He is not the God of the dead but of the living; for all live to Him.” 39Some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” 40For they did not have courage to question Him any longer about anything.

      41Then He said to them, “How is it that they say the Christ is David’s son?

42“For David himself says in the book of Psalms,
‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,
“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,

      43UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”’
44“Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord,’ and how is He his son?”

      45And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples, 46“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, 47who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

Avoid men and women such as these. Pray for discernment. Refuse to assume everyone who claims to be a pastor or church leader is genuinely part of the body of Christ. Judge by their fruit and by their personal actions. Are they humble? Even great men can be humble. Billy Graham was humble. Abraham was humble. Many today, like in the past, were seeking personal profit and glory. Seek and follow Christ with those who genuinely seek Him also.

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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.