Category Archives: Eternal

Temporal and Eternal

We are eternal beings. We are not simply here for a few decades and then gone to some imaginary abyss. Yahweh created us in His image and we have eternity to keep in mind. Though I understand this well academically, I find it hard to keep it in my focus of every day life emotionally. What a concept! “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one be recompensed for [our] deeds in the body, according to what [we] have done, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10). There is more to pleasing God than simply acknowledging or even submitting to Jesus. We are to live as if He is Lord of our life and seek to please Him with our lives. He wants true submission, that of actions and attitudes, and not just submission in words.

When we truly become followers and believers of Christ, we no longer seek to obey and please Him out of a sense of duty or necessity (e.g. to avoid hell), but rather out of appreciation and love. We become new creations in Christ and our lives should show it. We are His ambassadors to the lost in this world.

2 Corinthians 5

The Temporal and Eternal

     1For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, 3inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. 5Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.

      6Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7for we walk by faith, not by sight— 8we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

      11Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. 12We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. 13For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

      16Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

      20Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

The only righteousness we can attain is that which is freely offered through the death of Christ and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. As Spirit-filled believers we are to act as ambassadors for the Lord in this life, living for Him rather than ourselves. However, just because we need not (and can not) “earn our way to heaven” through good works, does not mean that we are not held accountable for our life choices. We will all face the judgment seat of Christ when we die.

What a real challenge to live with eternity in mind, focused on the things of God rather than normal every day desires and distractions! I pray for His help for my family and me to pursue this wholeheartedly and encourage you to do the same.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ


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.

Reflect on the Greatness of Our God

As you read through this today, reflect on the greatness of our God. This is not a time for speed reading or hurrying. This is a time for slowly digesting the word and what it means in our lives.

Isaiah 40

The Greatness of God

1“Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.

      2“Speak kindly to Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her warfare has ended,
That her iniquity has been removed,
That she has received of the LORD’S hand
Double for all her sins.”

      3A voice is calling,
“Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

      4“Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;

      5Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

      6A voice says, “Call out.”
Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”
All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

      7The grass withers, the flower fades,
When the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.

      8The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.

      9Get yourself up on a high mountain,
O Zion, bearer of good news,
Lift up your voice mightily,
O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;
Lift it up, do not fear.
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”

      10Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might,
With His arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His reward is with Him
And His recompense before Him.

      11Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

      12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
And marked off the heavens by the span,
And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure,
And weighed the mountains in a balance
And the hills in a pair of scales?

      13Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD,
Or as His counselor has informed Him?

      14With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding?
And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge
And informed Him of the way of understanding?

      15Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales;
Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.

      16Even Lebanon is not enough to burn,
Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering.

      17All the nations are as nothing before Him,
They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.

      18To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare with Him?

      19As for the idol, a craftsman casts it,
A goldsmith plates it with gold,
And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.

      20He who is too impoverished for such an offering
Selects a tree that does not rot;
He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman
To prepare an idol that will not totter.

      21Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

      22It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

      23He it is who reduces rulers to nothing,
Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.

      24Scarcely have they been planted,
Scarcely have they been sown,
Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,
But He merely blows on them, and they wither,
And the storm carries them away like stubble.

      25“To whom then will you liken Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.

      26Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing.

      27Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”?

      28Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.

      29He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.

      30Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,

      31Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Take a few more minutes and ask the Holy Spirit to really bring forth the rich message in this scripture. Meditate for a few minutes on the greatness of our God. What impact should this have on how you live your life?

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ


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.

Trust in God’s Protection

As you read Isaiah 26, remember that the people of Israel had gone through tough times. Other nations had ruled them. They had drifted far from the LORD. There was a remnant that held tight to God. Think about the joy and praise emotionally that they were feeling when He rescued them from that and restored them! Whatever you are experiencing, you can put your faith in God and trust Him.

Rejoice in the LORD! Trust in Him for protection and sing songs to glorify Him. Praise Him.

Isaiah 26

Song of Trust in God’s Protection

      1In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
He sets up walls and ramparts for security.

      2“Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter,
The one that remains faithful.

      3“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You.

      4“Trust in the LORD forever,
For in GOD the LORDwe have an everlasting Rock.

      5“For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the unassailable city;
He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust.

      6“The foot will trample it,
The feet of the afflicted, the steps of the helpless.”

      7The way of the righteous is smooth;
O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.

      8Indeed, while following the way of Your judgments, O LORD,
We have waited for You eagerly;
Your name, even Your memory, is the desire of our souls.

      9At night my soul longs for You,
Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;
For when the earth experiences Your judgments
The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

      10Though the wicked is shown favor,
He does not learn righteousness;
He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness,
And does not perceive the majesty of the LORD.

      11O LORD, Your hand is lifted up yet they do not see it.
They see Your zeal for the people and are put to shame;
Indeed, fire will devour Your enemies.

      12LORD, You will establish peace for us,
Since You have also performed for us all our works.

      13O LORD our God, other masters besides You have ruled us;
But through You alone we confess Your name.

      14The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise;
Therefore You have punished and destroyed them,
And You have wiped out all remembrance of them.

      15You have increased the nation, O LORD,
You have increased the nation, You are glorified;
You have extended all the borders of the land.

      16O LORD, they sought You in distress;
They could only whisper a prayer,
Your chastening was upon them.

      17As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth,
She writhes and cries out in her labor pains,
Thus were we before You, O LORD.

      18We were pregnant, we writhed in labor,
We gave birth, as it seems, only to wind.
We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth,
Nor were inhabitants of the world born.

      19Your dead will live;
Their corpses will rise.
You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the dawn,
And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.

      20Come, my people, enter into your rooms
And close your doors behind you;
Hide for a little while
Until indignation runs its course.

      21For behold, the LORD is about to come out from His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
And the earth will reveal her bloodshed
And will no longer cover her slain.

Be encouraged! The LORD is our protector and our savior. There is nothing and nobody that is too big or too challenging for Him to handle.

I invite you to take a few minutes to pray.

Reflect on all that God has done for you. Give Him thanks and praise in a personal and specific manner. Then share with Him whatever challenges you still face and ask for His help. Put your faith in Him.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ


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.

Blessings, Honor, Glory, and Dominion Forever – YHWH and Yeshua Rather than Man

I will honestly say I do not take time to just stop and praise YHWH and Yeshua often enough. I mean for who they are and what they have already done, not just when they give me a personal victory. Our God is amazing. He is creator of all. He rules over all. He became man and died for us. Who are we that He should be concerned with each of us!?

Blessings, honor, glory and dominion for YHWH and Yeshua indeed. Let us not seek the glorification of man or his creation in His place.

Revelation 5:11-14

Angels Exalt the Lamb

      11Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
13And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

14And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

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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.

YHWH Is Worthy of Praise and Worship

There is much deep symbolism, rich with meaning, to be studied in Revelation. I do not claim to speak to it here in this brief article. For those who decide to study it, remember to test a few different sources and ultimately look for those who are testing the meaning by comparing it against the Bible itself rather than their own imaginations.

A key message that can not be missed in chapter 4 is that YHWH sits on the throne and He is full of power and majesty. He is worthy of worship and praise. We should remember to do likewise in our lives, to praise Him and worship Him. Do not get so busy in our own affairs that we do not have time to spend thanking Him and praising Him and worshipping Him. He is so much more than just a “genie in a bottle” that somehow we go to when we want stuff or when we need to get out of a tough situation.

Revelation 4

Scene in Heaven

      1After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” 2Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. 3And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. 4Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.

The Throne and Worship of the Creator

      5Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; 6and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. 7The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. 8And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,

“HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.”
9And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

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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.

YHWH Is, Was, and Will Be. In Him We Find Grace and Peace

As we take our time digesting the introduction to Revelation, we are reminded of some fundamentals we should keep in our thoughts as we learn what the LORD has to say.

The grace of YHWH to give us what we do not deserve should be ever present in the minds of His followers. So, too, the peace that comes with knowing Christ as our Savior. These are things to be valued.

YHWH is eternal. He is. He was. He will be. He is the alpha and the omega, the first and the last… and everything in between. There is nothing that exists without Him. He is king of the universe.

Yeshua is the faithful witness and firstborn of the resurrection and ruler over the kings of earth. He released us from our sin through His blood on our behalf. He made us to be a kingdom and priests to the Father. We should give Him glory and expect His return, in dramatic fashion

Revelation 1:4-8

Message to the Seven Churches

      4John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— 6and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

      8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

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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.

The Word Come To Life

1 John contains an interesting introduction which is easy to skip over if we are not careful. John starts with eternity in mind. What they learned and experienced through their relationship with Messiah was entirely consistent and unchanged since the beginning. YHWH does not change (Malachi 3:6). Consistent with the opening in the gospel of John, he also here refers to Messiah as the Word, in this case the Word of Life. This reminds us that the Messiah is the Word become flesh to walk among us. When we have questions about how we should live, we can not only study what Yeshua taught, but also how he and his disciples lived. We can be assured that the Word has not changed since the beginning, and as such we are called to study and learn the Torah and the writings of the prophets, not just the “New Testament”. They do not contradict when understood properly. None is obsolete or irrelevant. In fact the New Testament builds upon the Old Testament like a house on a foundation. Without the foundation, it is not complete and will not function properly (will be misunderstood in this case).

I find it encouraging but also challenging that he states that this message is proclaimed and shared so that they may have fellowship together and with the Father. The disciples were not content to let others continue in wrong understanding and wrong teaching but reached out to teach and instruct others. Where people are living according to an incorrect or incomplete understanding of the Word, the fellowship with fellow man and with YHWH is not complete.  Perhaps the most challenging is that these things are written to their joy may be complete. I pray the LORD sustains me in this way that I would find joy in bringing the word at all times and not get distracted and weighed down with the daily toils of life.

One more point to focus on here is that we are to have fellowship with the Father, not with Yeshua alone. Some Christians put all the focus on Yeshua and neglect our relationship with the Father. In fact, Yeshua always pointed to and lived the example and taught his disciples to look to the Father rather than himself. He was there to help us connect with the Father.

1 John 1:1-4

Introduction, The Incarnate Word

      1What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

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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.

Seek and Obey YHWH

Joshua was a great leader of YHWH’s people after Moses. Much of the promised land was conquered under Joseph’s leadership. He gave all the glory to YHWH rather than himself. After he passed, the people still sought YHWH and relied upon him. They obeyed him and he continued to give them victory.

Our leaders will change. People, even family we love, will pass in time. Only YHWH is constant. We can rely on him. He is unchanging. Let us be sure to hand down to our future generations the importance of seeking and obeying YHWH rather than doing things our own way or even according to family traditions.

Judges 1:1-26

Jerusalem Is Captured

      1Now it came about after the death of Joshua that the sons of Israel inquired of the LORD, saying, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” 2The LORD said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.” 3Then Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into the territory allotted me, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I in turn will go with you into the territory allotted you.” So Simeon went with him. 4Judah went up, and the LORD gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands, and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek. 5They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes. 7Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to gather up scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me.” So they brought him to Jerusalem and he died there.

      8Then the sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire. 9Afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country and in the Negev and in the lowland. 10So Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba); and they struck Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.

Capture of Other Cities

      11Then from there he went against the inhabitants of Debir (now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher). 12And Caleb said, “The one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will even give him my daughter Achsah for a wife.” 13Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah for a wife. 14Then it came about when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. Then she alighted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” 15She said to him, “Give me a blessing, since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

      16The descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the city of palms with the sons of Judah, to the wilderness of Judah which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people. 17Then Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanites living in Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called Hormah. 18And Judah took Gaza with its territory and Ashkelon with its territory and Ekron with its territory. 19Now the LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley because they had iron chariots. 20Then they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had promised; and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak. 21But the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem; so the Jebusites have lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

      22Likewise the house of Joseph went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them. 23The house of Joseph spied out Bethel (now the name of the city was formerly Luz). 24The spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance to the city and we will treat you kindly.” 25So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family go free. 26The man went into the land of the Hittites and built a city and named it Luz which is its name to this day.

Victory is our in and through the LORD. Let us seek him for all things in our life and worship and honor him.  Let us obey his instructions rather than making up our own or adopting those of other cultures. It is good to be different from those around you (in the right way). We are called to be set apart for the LORD.

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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.

YHWH Speaks Through Yeshua Our Messiah

Hebrews opens up with a powerful introduction focused on the importance and glory of our Messiah, Yeshua. It reminds us that YHWH has spoken to his people through the Torah (5 books of Moses) and the prophets and now speaks through Yeshua. We can plainly understand that YHWH is constant, unchanging and eternal. He did not now change what he has to say.

Malachi 3:6 6I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.

James 1:17 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Yeshua was in fact the word become flesh to dwell among us Yeshua is co-eternal with the Father. He does not change either. (John 1:1-14)

All of the Torah, the prophets, Yeshua’s example and teaching, and the writings of Yeshua’s disciples do not contradict or change what YHWH has said from the beginning. If we think they do, it is our understanding that is flawed. They fit together seamlessly.

As we read through Hebrews 1 and reflect on the glory, power, and significance of Yeshua, let us not miss the fact that he does not simply love everyone as they are and their sinful behaviors and attitudes. Taken out of context, his love and grace can be made to seem like an invitation to keep living however we want to live, convincing ourselves he accepts us as we remain in sin.

Don’t overlook verse 9, in which we see that Yeshua has loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. Lawlessness reflects the behavior in which we act according to our own ways instead of the clear instructions that the Lord has laid out for us.

Hebrews 1

God’s Final Word in His Son

      1God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

      5For to which of the angels did He ever say,
“YOU ARE MY SON,
TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU”?
And again,
“I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM
AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME”?

6And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says,
“AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.”

7And of the angels He says,
“WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS WINDS,
AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE.”

8But of the Son He says,
“YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER,
AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM.

      9“YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS;
THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU
WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS.”

10And,
“YOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH,
AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS;

      11THEY WILL PERISH, BUT YOU REMAIN;
AND THEY ALL WILL BECOME OLD LIKE A GARMENT,

      12AND LIKE A MANTLE YOU WILL ROLL THEM UP;
LIKE A GARMENT THEY WILL ALSO BE CHANGED.
BUT YOU ARE THE SAME,
AND YOUR YEARS WILL NOT COME TO AN END.”

13But to which of the angels has He ever said,
“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES
A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET”?

14Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

If Yeshua is this important, and he is, we should take care to live as he did, according to his example! Let us take great care to remember that he is our example. He was judged perfect against the standard of his fulfillment of the law of YHWH. The standard has not changed. We must resist the temptation to follow teaching within our society that continues to declare that because he obeyed YHWH’s law perfectly, now we don’t have to do so. He is our example, not our excuse! We must challenge hard any teaching that tells us we can and should act differently than the example he demonstrated.

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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.

God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man

I find it is truly difficult at time to focus on eternity. It is so easy to live in the “now” or in planning for the near future. Some of us may pat ourselves on the back as we plan decades ahead, but are we planning with eternity in mind? All we have will be left behind when we die. If we consider generations ahead, we know not what, if anything of our work is going to have lasting impact. Ultimately, with eternity in mind, none of our works or wealth have lasting impact.

It is good to seek and find satisfaction in doing good with our work. Solomon indicates this is a gift from YHWH. The only thing that lasts for eternity, however, is our relationship with YHWH and how we help others to submit to and worship him also.

Ecclesiastes 3:11-22

God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man

      11He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.

      12I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; 13moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God. 14I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him. 15That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.

      16Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. 17I said to myself, “God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,” for a time for every matter and for every deed is there. 18I said to myself concerning the sons of men, “God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts.” 19For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. 20All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust. 21Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth? 22I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see what will occur after 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.