Sometimes difficult topics come up…
Do we shy away from them, or do we explore them?
I say we explore them, but only if we use scripture as our basis for truth.

The concept of demons, and even more so, the concept of casting out demons came up on Shabbat this week.
Some were comfortable discussing this idea, and others were not.

If something shows up in scripture, then it is not something we should avoid. The mainstream church doctrine has set up boundaries between men, religion, and the spiritual realm.
Mainstream doctrine has especially set up a boundary between men and the evil side of the spiritual realm.
It is taboo…
It is superstitious…
It is evil…
We don’t go there.

Well, if it is in scripture, then we do go there.
We need to go there.
We need to understand.
We need to know what we are doing, and we should know what we should not be doing.

I will be studying this idea in the next few days.
Step 1 of study for me is to refer to every occurrence of a topic in scripture. I did a word search for ‘demon’ and this is where I’ll begin my study.

Here is what I came up with, for anyone who wants to join in and study with me [keep in mind, these are just references – be sure to read these scriptures with full context]:

Leviticus 17:7
They are no longer to offer their sacrifices to the goat-demons after which they play the prostitute. This will be a statute forever to them throughout their generations.

Deuteronomy 32:17
They sacrificed to demons, a non-god, gods they had not known— to new ones who came in lately, ones your fathers had not dreaded.

Isaiah 13:21
But desert creatures will lie there. Their houses will be full of owls. Ostriches will dwell there, and goat-demons will dance there.

Isaiah 34:14
Wildcats will meet with wolves, the goat-demon will cry to its kind— yes, the night monster will settle there and find itself a resting place.

Psalm 106:37
They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.

Matthew 4:24 
News about Him spread throughout all Syria. And they brought to Him all the sick—those tormented by various diseases and afflictions, those plagued by demons, the epileptics, the paralyzed—and He healed them.

Matthew 8:16
When evening came, the people brought to Him many who were afflicted by demons. He forced out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.

Matthew 8:28
[Freedom from Demons] When He came to the other side, into the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-plagued men coming from the graveyard met Him. They were so violent that no one could pass by that way.

Matthew 8:31 
The demons kept begging Him, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

Matthew 8:33
The herdsmen ran away, went into the town, and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-plagued men.

Matthew 9:32
As they were going out, a mute man plagued by a demon was brought to Him.

Matthew 9:33
After the demon was driven out, the mute man started speaking. The crowds were astounded, saying, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel!”

Matthew 9:34
But the Pharisees were saying, “By the prince of demons He drives out demons.”

Matthew 10:8
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with tzara’at, drive out demons. Freely you received, freely give.

Matthew 11:18
“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’

Matthew 12:22
[Whose Power Will Rule?] Then a demon-plagued man, who was blind and mute, was brought to Yeshua; and He healed him, so that he spoke and saw.

Matthew 12:24
But hearing this, the Pharisees said, “This fellow drives out demons only by beelzebul, the ruler of demons.”

Matthew 12:27
And if I drive out demons by beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason, they will be your judges.

Matthew 12:28
But if I drive out demons by the Ruach Elohim, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Matthew 15:22
And behold, a Canaanite woman from that district came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, O Master, Ben-David! My daughter is severely tormented by a demon.”

Matthew 15:22
Yeshua rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that very hour.

Mark 1:21
[Demons Flee at His Command ] And they went into Capernaum. Right away, on Shabbat, He entered the synagogue and began to teach.

Mark 1:32
When evening came, at sunset, the people brought to Him all the sick and those who were afflicted by demons.

Mark 1:34
He healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. And He would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

Mark 1:39
And He went throughout all the Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Mark 3:15
and to have power to drive out demons.

Mark 3:22
The Torah scholars who came down from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by beelzebul,” and, “By the ruler of demons He drives out demons.”

Mark 5:1
[Power Over Demons] They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes.

Mark 5:16
Those who had seen it described in detail what had happened to the man plagued by a demon, and they also told about the pigs.

Mark 5:18
As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been infested with demons kept begging to remain with Him.

Mark 6:13
and they were driving out many demons and anointing with oil many who were sick and healing them.

Mark 7:26
The woman was a Greek, from Syrophoenicia. And she kept begging Yeshua to drive the demon out of her daughter.

Mark 7:29
Then He said to her, “Because of this word, go your way! The demon has left your daughter.”

Mark 7:30
She went home and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Mark 9:38
John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.”

Mark 16:9
[He Is Risen] After He had risen early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Miriam of Magdala, from whom He had driven out seven demons.

Mark 16:17
These signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak new languages;

Luke 4:33
In the synagogue was a man who had an unclean demonic spirit, and he cried out with a loud voice,

Luke 4:35
Yeshua rebuked him, saying, “Quiet! Come out of him!” And when the demon threw him down in their midst, it came out without hurting him.

Luke 4:41
Even demons were coming out from many, shouting out and saying, “You are Ben-Elohim!” But He was rebuking them and not permitting them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Messiah.

Luke 7:33
“For John the Immerser has come not eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’

Luke 8:2
And certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Miriam, the one called Magdalene, out of whom seven demons had gone;

Luke 8:27
A demon-plagued man from the town met Yeshua as He was coming out onto the land. The man hadn’t worn any clothing for a long time and was living not in a house but in the tombs.

Luke 8:29
For Yeshua commanded the defiling spirit to come out of the man. For many times it had seized him so that, even though he was restrained and bound with chains and shackles, he would break the chains and be driven by the demons into the desert.

Luke 8:30
Yeshua questioned him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he said, for many demons had entered him.

Luke 8:32
Now a large herd of pigs was feeding on the mountain. The demons urged Yeshua to let them enter these pigs, and He gave them permission.

Luke 8:35
People went out to see what had happened. They came to Yeshua and found the man from whom the demons had gone—clothed and in his right mind, sitting at the feet of Yeshua. And they were frightened.

Luke 8:36
Now those who had seen it reported how the demon-plagued man had been restored.

Luke 8:38
The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with Yeshua. But Yeshua sent him away, saying,

Luke 9:1
[Sending Out the Twelve] Now when Yeshua called the twelve together, He gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.

Luke 9:42
And while the boy was still approaching Yeshua, the demon knocked him down to the ground and threw him into convulsions. But Yeshua rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and restored him to his father.

Luke 9:49
John replied, “Master, we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him because he doesn’t follow along with us.”

Luke 10:17
[Returning with a Good Report] Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Master, even the demons submit to us in Your name!”

Luke 11:14
[Crowds Demand a Sign from Heaven] Now Yeshuawas driving out a demon, and it was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute one spoke and the crowds were amazed.

Luke 11:15
But some among them said, “By beelzebul, the ruler of demons, He drives out demons.”

Luke 11:18
Now if satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say by beelzebul I drive out the demons.

Luke 11:19
But if by beelzebul I drive out demons, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason, they will be your judges.

Luke 11:20
But if by the finger of God I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

Luke 13:32
But Yeshua said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Indeed, I’m driving out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.’

John 7:20
The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who’s trying to kill you?”

John 8:48
The Judean leaders responded, “Aren’t we right to say you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”

John 8:49
Yeshua answered, “I do not have a demon! I honor My Father, yet you dishonor Me.

John 8:52
“Now we know You have a demon!” the Judean leaders said to Him. “Abraham and the prophets died. Yet You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste death.’

John 10:20
Many of them were saying, “He has a demon. He’s insane! Why listen to Him?”

John 10:21
Others said, “These are not the sayings of someone who is plagued by a demon. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can it?”

1 Corinthians 10:20
No, I’m saying that what the pagans sacrifice is to demons and not to God, and I don’t want you to become partners with demons.

1 Corinthians 10:21
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

1 Timothy 4:1
[ Advice to a Young Leader ] Now the Ruach clearly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, following deceitful spirits and teachings of demons

James 2:19
You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe—and shudder!

James 3:15
This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

Revelation 9:20
But the rest of mankind, those not killed by these plagues, did not repent and turn away from the works of their hands—they would not stop worshiping demons and the idols of gold and silver and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.

Revelation 16:14
For they are demonic spirits performing miraculous signs, who go out to the kings of the whole world—to gather them for battle on the great Day of Elohei Tzva’ot.

Revelation 18:2
He cried out with a mighty voice, saying: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a den for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit and for every unclean bird and for every unclean and detestable beast.

Almost daily in online Torah groups, I see posts regarding arguments, division, and bickering over the Word.

I have no problems with discussion of scripture. Iron sharpens iron. We should be discussing scripture among ourselves, as well as reaching out to others with the truth.

The problem (that I see) is how many people seem to be offended.
If someone disagrees with you, so what?
Even if scripture is clear and they disagree, still so what?
If someone insists on believing what they believe, even though you showed them something different using scripture, so what?
If someone gets angry about your position, so what?
If someone insults you, so what?
If someone trolls you, so what?
If someone makes a post about their disagreement with you, so what?
If someone slanders you, so what?
If someone attacks your character, so what?
Are we to be offended?
Are we to retaliate?
No.

Speak truth and leave it at that.
Do we need to defend the truth?
No.
The truth has been around for much longer than we’ve been around.
The truth will be ok, even if there are many who do not believe it.
There are many who will speak against the truth.
Don’t worry about them…
Be the one speaking truth instead.
Let the truth stand upon its own merit.
Do not argue about the truth.
Do not become angry about others’ disregard for the truth.

Did Yeshua give us any advice about this?
Matthew 10:14
“And whoever does not receive you nor hear your words, when you leave that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.”

Ok, ok, ok already…
But why can’t people just see the truth written on the pages before us?
Check out 2 Corinthians chapters 3 and 4.
It describes how people are veiled, and they cannot understand the truth.
It doesn’t matter how simply we break it down for them, and quote verses, and everything else…
They do not see truth.
Their veil prevents them from ‘getting it,’ no matter how much we want them to ‘get it.’

Instead of being upset or offended, just pray for them.
They need our prayers, not our debating skills.

Conjunction or Sliver?
There is much debate about whether the new moon is based upon conjunction (no light given) and the sliver, which is when the first hint of a crescent can be spotted in the sky.

The lack of straight-forward details in scripture is how this debate came to be.
Here are a couple of reasons why Tracy and I have settled on conjunction:

Reason #1
How does a time piece work?
When a clock approaches midnight, we have exactly sixty seconds to go once we hit 11:59pm.
We can watch the sweep of the second hand as it moves around the clock face. As it approaches midnight, we can count down…
Four, three, two, one — and then the second hand is exactly on the 12 and it is midnight.  Be sure to enjoy it, because it only lasts for a moment, and then it isn’t midnight anymore…
We can start counting up the seconds of a new day.
One, two, three, four…
And so on.

Genesis 1:14-15 tells us this:
“Then Yehova said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; ¹⁵ and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.”

We are told in scripture that the lights in the firmament will mark the days, and years, and they will mark the seasons. In other words, the sun, moon, and stars are a cosmic timepiece.
And we just discussed how timepieces work. Any point in time lasts only one second, and then it is no longer that point in time.

I believe the moon works the same way.
Over approximately 29.5 days, the moon goes from being full, to  giving no light, to being full again.
One whole cycle.
It is consistent, and has been so throughout recorded history.
How long does a full moon last?  If we know the light increases over time, reaching a maximum full moon, and then begins waning, we can accurately say that a full moon only lasts a moment, just as midnight only lasts for a moment.
That is the way cyclical things work.
In the same manner, a new moon lasts for but a moment. It goes from waning (reducing its light) to new moon for a moment (no light), and then it begins waxing, or gaining light.

We are told that the sliver of the waxing moon is not visible immediately, and could take as many as two or three days to become observable with the naked eye. This would put the moon well past its point of giving no light.
Do we wait until several minutes past midnight before we officially declare it is midnight?
No, we don’t. We know exactly when midnight is…  12:00am is midnight.
12:01 is not midnight.
12:02 is not midnight.
12:03 is not midnight…

So, having made a short story long, my first reason for believing conjunction is because I understand how a timepiece works, and Genesis tells us the heavenly bodies are a timepiece.

Reason #2
I believe this reason is much more compelling…
While it is difficult to see a tiny sliver around the time of a new moon, we have no such difficulty seeing when the moon is full.  A night before the full moon, the visual image of the moon is obviously not a perfect circle.  The same goes for a night after a full moon.  It is quite easy to tell, without any measuring instruments, that we are before or after a full moon.
What does this have to do with the new moon, though?

Leviticus 23:4-6
“These are the appointed feasts of Adonai, holy convocations which you are to proclaim in their appointed season. ⁵ During the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is Adonai’s Passover. ⁶ On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Matzot to Adonai. For seven days you are to eat matzah.

We know that half of a lunar cycle is about 14.75 days.
From the time of a new moon (no light), the First Day of Unleavened Bread is to be 15 days later.
The moon should be full for this feast.  If you establish the new moon using conjunction, the moon is ALWAYS full on the First Day of Unleavened Bread.
If you establish the new moon (and therefore the month) by sliver, the moon is always 1 to 3 nights past full.

This hint in scripture tells us that sliver is not correct.

We see the same thing a second time…
Leviticus 23:33-34
Adonai spoke to Moses saying: ³⁴ “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael, and say, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Feast of Sukkot, for seven days to Adonai. 

Once again, based on scientific fact of how long the lunar cycle lasts, the beginning of Sukkot will always have a full moon, if we count our fifteen days from the time of no light.
If we go by sliver, the moon will be past full, therefore, we know we ‘missed’ the new moon.

One could argue that scripture simply says these feast days begin on the 15^th of the month, without being tied to a full moon.
One could argue that if we establish the new moon by sliver, then it makes sense that the moon is past full for the beginning of these two feasts.
I willingly admit this to be the case…

Except for this in Psalm 81:4-5
“Blow the shofar at the New Moon,
at the full moon for the day of our festival.
⁵ For it is a decree for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.”

Yes, we are to blow a shofar at new moon.
But Psalm 81 adds “at the full moon for the day of our festival.”

This bit of scripture leads me to believe that those festival days beginning on the fifteenth of the month are on a full moon.
And if this is true, then it requires us to establish the new moon at conjunction and not at sliver.

Reason #3
The feast days are moedim.
Here is Strong’s definition for the moedim:
מוֹעֵד môwʻêd, mo-ade’; or מֹעֵד môʻêd; or (feminine) מוֹעָדָה môwʻâdâh; (2 Chronicles 8:13), from H3259; properly, an appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; specifically, a festival; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand):—appointed (sign, time), (place of, solemn) assembly, congregation, (set, solemn) feast, (appointed, due) season, solemn(-ity), synogogue, (set) time (appointed).

We also see this in Leviticus 23:1-2
hen Adonai spoke to Moses saying: ² “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael, and tell them: These are the appointed moadim of Adonai, which you are to proclaim to be holy convocations—My moadim.

The feast days are His.
They are not ours.

If we utilize the heavenly bodies as a time piece, just as Genesis says they are, then His moedim can be calculated in advance.  We will know exactly when His appointed times are.

If we go by sliver, it may be a night, two nights, possibly even three nights before man sees the sliver.  What if the sliver should be visible to us, but there is cloud cover?  This happens sometimes. Could cover prevents the sliver from being seen until the next night, thus changing His appointed times by our inability to see.

Are we to believe that His times, His ‘appointed’ times, are to be established by man?
I do not believe this for one second.
Leviticus 23 does not say His moedim are set by man.
It says these appointed times are His.
We do not get to say when His times are.

My conclusion…
As much as I would like it to, scripture does not tell us exactly how to determine the new moon. It would be much easier if we had Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, and there you go: New Moon.

But we get no clear instructions on how to do it.
For this reason, conjunction/sliver debate will continue.
The reasons I gave above seem clear to me, but they may not seem clear to others. What is quite logical to me may be easily dismissed by others.
When scripture isn’t blatantly clear, my goal is to glean as much information from scripture as I can, and make the best logical decision I can using that information.
Based on what I shared above, I land on conjunction.

Here is the good news, though…
One day, we will be told what is correct.
I don’t know if that will happen when the two witnesses arrive.
Maybe we have to wait until Yeshua returns?
Maybe we’ll know in some other way.
No matter, I will accept truth, even if it is different from what I believe today.
In the meantime, conjunction makes the most sense to me, based on the hints we see in scripture.

What do you think?

 Do you hear His voice?
What if His voice is saying something other than what your pastor teaches?
Then what will you do?
Will you reject Messiah and listen to your pastor, ‘because he’s the expert’?
Or will you set aside the traditions of men and listen to your Messiah?
I’ll help you out.
Here are some direct quotes of your Savior.
Do these words match what your church teaches?

John 14:15
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

John 14:21
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.”

 John 14:23-24
Yeshua 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 home 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.”

Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 19:16-17
Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” ¹⁷ So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

John 5:45-47
Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. ⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. ⁴⁷ But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

Matthew 5:17-19
¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. ¹⁹ Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 8:11-12
And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.¹² But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 13:41-43 
⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, ⁴² and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Matthew 24:11-12 
¹¹ Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. ¹² And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

Revelation 14:12 (revelation of Yeshua, describing the saints)
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
 
Revelation 12:17 (revelation of Yeshua, describing the remnant of the church)
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Yeshua.

Revelation 22:14-15
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Which of these two lists best describes your life?

LIST #1
You are cursed in the city.
You are cursed in the field and gardens.
Your basket (provisions) are not full, and bread does not come easily.
Your children are problematic. They will move away and not help you.
Your efforts do not produce good things.
You experience disease and illness, constantly battling for better health.
Nothing you do helps to get ahead, not even a little bit. 
Your enemies get the best of you.
Your mind is not at ease. 
Your ways are not prosperous. You falter in nearly everything, no matter how hard you try.
Other people take advantage of the things you do have.
Your spouse is not loyal to you. Marriage is an unsuccessful venture and is difficult. 
Animals are not loyal to you, and do not add value to your life.
You are placed under authorities who do not look out for your best interests.
You are driven to anger by the things you see and experience, but you cannot change any of it.
You are not a leader, and are subject to the leadership of others, no matter how hard you try.
You have a trembling heart and a despairing spirit.

LIST #2
You receive blessings in the city.
You receive blessings in the fields and gardens. 
You have children who are honorable and productive in this life.
Your baskets (provisions) are full, and your bread making is productive and good.
Offspring of your livestock will be healthy and your herds will increase.
You are blessed when you come in.
You are blessed when you go out.
Your enemies cannot harm you.
Everything you try to do is successful and productive.
Other people notice that your life is a blessing.
You will be a leader in all that you do.

Which of these two lists do you identify with the most?
Which of these two lists best describes your life?
Would you rather partake of the other list?
How do you change from a life of curses to a life of blessings?

I compiled these two lists by paraphrasing Deuteronomy 28.
God sets before us choices of life and blessings, or death and curses.
He does not choose which list belongs to us. We get to choose for ourselves which list we will live out.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28 tells us how to make this choice:
26 “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— 27 the blessing, if you listen to the commands of ADONAI your God that I am commanding you today, 28 but the curse, if you do not listen to the commands of ADONAI your God, but turn from the way I am commanding you today, to go after other gods you have not known.”

And again in Deuteronomy 30:19 -20
“I call the heavens and the earth to witness about you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20 by loving ADONAI your God, listening to His voice, and clinging to Him.”

And I’ll end with the words of our Messiah:
Rev 22:14
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

John 14:21
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

John 10:27-30
“My sheep hear My voice. I know them, and they follow Me. 28 I give them eternal life! They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. And no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

John 15:7-11
7 “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. 8 In this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples.”
9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you. Abide in My love! 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be full.

Luke 11:28
But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

And a Proverb for good measure:
Proverbs 19:16
He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul,
But he who is careless of his ways will die.

Proverbs 3:1-2
My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commands.
For length of days and years of life,
and peace they will add to you.

And what do the prophets think?
Jeremiah 7:23-24
‘Obey My voice and I will be your God to you and you will be My people. Walk in all the ways that I command you that it may go well with you.’ 24 But they did not listen or pay attention. Instead they followed their own counsel, in the stubbornness of their evil heart. They have gone backward and not forward…

Life and the circumstances of life are not random.
Will you choose life or death today?
Will you choose blessing or curse today?

Joshua 24:15
“But as for me and my household, we will worship Adonai!”