And just for fun, let’s take a look at the thorn in Paul’s side…

Does it matter to Yehova whether we follow Him completely?
Does He care?
Mainstream church teaches us that “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the bible tells me so…”
We are taught that any level of commitment or dedication we make to Jesus is celebrated, no matter how much or little it might be.
But what does scripture tell us?
That is always my goal here.
Let’s sort out the truth, based on the inspired word of Yehova.

We see this in one of the most fascinating stories known to mankind, the Exodus story:
Numbers 32:11-13
¹¹ ‘The men who came out of Egypt, from 20 years old and upward, will not see the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for they have not followed after Me with a whole heart— ¹² except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they were wholehearted after Adonai.’ ¹³ The anger of Adonai burned against Israel and He caused them to wander in the wilderness 40 years until all the generation doing that evil in Adonai’s sight was gone.

We see in this scripture that Joshua and Caleb followed Yehova wholly and completely, and because of this, they were allowed into the promise land when no one else was.
The others?
They did not follow Yehova with their whole heart, and it was noted to be evil in the sight of Yehova.

Is it ok for us to follow partially?
Is it ok for us to commit our lives to Yehova just a little, but not a lot?
Is it ok for us to pick and choose which scriptures we are willing to accept and obey, while rejecting others?

I know someone who had studied Torah for nearly two decades.  This person, while very knowledgeable of the word, chose not to wear tzitzits.  They knew the scriptures. They fully understood that wearing tzitzits is commanded. But they intentionally chose not to do it.
Why?  They said they were angry with Yehova.  And this anger had been going on for more than a year.
Is open and intentional rebellion against Yehova acceptable to Him?
Based on all the stories we read in scripture, I would have to answer with no.
Is anger sin?
No, it is simply an emotion we have been equipped with by our Creator.  Our actions in response to anger may be sin, though.
Is it possible to be angry with Yehova?
Yes, I suppose it is possible.  But this is a time to get on your knees and resolve it through prayer.
Intentionally rejecting His commands in defiance is never a good plan.  The man who collected firewood on the Sabbath,  defiling His set-apart Sabbath, paid for this ill-advised action with his life.

Numbers 15:30-35
³⁰ “But the person who sins defiantly, whether native or outsider, reviles Adonai and that person is to be cut off from his people. ³¹ Because he has despised the word of Adonai and has broken His commandment, that person will certainly be cut off—his guilt will remain on him.”
³² While Bnei-Yisrael were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the Shabbat.
³³ Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron and the entire assembly. ³⁴ They kept him under arrest, not being clear what was to be done to him.
³⁵ Adonai said to Moses, “The man has to die. The whole assembly is to stone him with stones outside the camp.” ³⁶ So the whole assembly took him outside the camp. They stoned him with stones. He died just as Adonai commanded Moses.

No, we should not disobey in anger, thinking we are spiting the One who created us.

Will Yeshua give us credit for good behavior, while ignoring our bad behavior? Most Torah fellowships I have attended have one thing in common — the majority of people do not wear tzitzits.
Am I the tzitzit police?
No, I am not.
Am I legalistic?
No, I do not believe following a command to simply check off a box is what Yehova wants from us.
Legalism is not the answer.
But the wearing of tzitzits is a simple heart check.  We can quickly tell in a Torah fellowship if people have submitted themselves to the Father.  Do the things He says, or not…  Which is it?
If people know of the command to make and wear tzitzits, and choose to not do it…  Where does that put them?
It puts them in rebellion to the word, and in rebellion to Yehova.
But it’s ok, right, as long as they keep Shabbat, or celebrate the feast days?
What if they stop eating pork?
Yehova is looking down upon us, celebrating the things we are willing to obey, right? While ignoring the things we reject?

1Kings 11:6
Solomon did evil in the sight of Yehova, and did not fully follow Yehova, as did his father David.

Solomon was the wisest man to ever live.
And yet, things went poorly for him because he did not follow Yehova fully.
We are not graded on the extent to which we follow Yehova.
We are graded on whether or not we follow Him completely.

Church teaches us that even a minimal commitment to God is acceptable and is to be praised. However, scripture gives us many examples showing that partially following Yehova is a problem.
A big problem.

Yeshua Messiah tells us this:
Matthew 7:21-23
²¹ “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!’

Is this speaking about people who hate God?
No, it is not.
This is speaking of people who claim to follow Messiah.
This should be earth-shattering to us.
Is it possible to believe we serve Him, but one day find out He does not even know us? Could we be rejected and sent away by Messiah when we thought we belonged to Him? Yes, He says so Himself!!
How could this possibly happen?
By practicing lawlessness — that is how it happens.
What if someone keeps the feast days and Shabbat gatherings because they are fun, and fellowship is fun, and having meals with friends is fun?
But what if those same people don’t love the ways of Yehova in their heart?
What if they think tzitzits are stupid? What if they don’t want to mess up their sense of fashion? What if they think tzitzits are embarrassing to wear in public?
What if they eat clean, except for bacon?
What if they love-love-love bacon?
Can you be His people, and still eat bacon?
Just once in awhile, it’s ok right?
Do you follow Him completely?
Or do you follow Him enough to be comfortable?

Messiah asks this:
Luke 6:46
 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”
Is it ok to call Him our Master, but violate scripture?
Is it ok for us to follow Him partially?
Is it ok to pretend we belong to Him by doing some things right, but not other things?
Do you have a heart for the words and the ways of Yehova?
Or do you find some things acceptable, but not others?
Will He be ok with that?
Will you be told, “Well done, good and faithful servant” for following Him partially? Not according to the examples set for us in the Torah and Tanakh.

Am I saying we have to be perfect, mindless drones who follow commands without failure?
No, that is not what I’m saying.
We must have a heart for the words and the ways of Yehova.
We must show our love for Yeshua Messiah through our obedience to His word.
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 15:10
“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.”

But what if we mess up?
Romans 8:34
³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
We see here that Yeshua Messiah will intercede for us with the Father.

We see again in 1John that Yeshua Messiah will intercede for us:
1John 2:2-6
2 My children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Intercessor with the Father—the righteous Messiah Yeshua. ² He is the atonement for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.
Loving God Means Obedience
³ Now we know that we have come to know Him by this—if we keep His commandments. ⁴ The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. We know that we are in Him by this— ⁶ whoever claims to abide in Him must walk just as He walked.

The fact that Messiah will forgive us when we repent is the good news! It is great news!! Praise Yah!!
But we have a responsibility in this…
These scriptures about having an intercessor are not promoting the common hyper-grace message.
IF we have a heart for the words and the ways of Yehova, THEN if we fail and commit sin, we have an intercessor.
But if we reject the Torah, this does not apply.
How can I say this with absolute confidence?
Because scripture says so…

Hebrews 10:26-31
For if we keep on sinning willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but only a terrifying expectation of judgment and a fury of fire about to devour the enemies of Yehova.  ²⁸ Anyone who rejected the Torah of Moses dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much more severe do you think the punishment will be for the one who has trampled the Son of Yehova under foot, and has regarded as unholy the blood of the covenant by which he was made holy, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know the One who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “Yehova will judge His people.”  ³¹ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Numbers 15 tells us there is recourse for those who sin accidentally.
But those who sin on purpose?
Nada.
Nothing.
You will be cut off from the people.
Your sin will remain upon you.
Just as Hebrews 10 describes above.
There no longer remains a sacrifice…

John 3:36 tells us the same thing:
³⁶ He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

The religious systems of the world have committed fraud against the unknowing public.
False concepts of salvation are taught, generation after generation.
But warnings in scripture tell us very plainly that there are limits on grace.  There are limits on salvation.  There are limits on forgiveness.

Did you catch that?
I understand this will be very unpopular.
I’ll say it again:
The religious systems of the world have committed fraud against the unknowing public.
False concepts of salvation are taught, generation after generation.
But warnings in scripture tell us very plainly that there are limits on grace.  There are limits on salvation.  There are limits on forgiveness.

The book of Revelation is the final information given to us.
Just in case we missed concepts or information throughout all of the scriptures, we are given a summary of some things in Revelation.
Believe it or not, the idea of following Yehova completely or partially is specifically addressed in Revelation 3:15-16
¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. Oh, that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spew you out of My mouth.

We must follow Yehova fully and completely.
Partial obedience is not what He is looking for.
Follow partially (lukewarm) and you will be spit out.
This is not a good thing…

What will you choose this day?
…but as for me and my house, we will serve Yehova.

Please be aware, I do not have any authority.
I am not a leader or a teacher.
I do not presume to say who is saved and who is not saved.
I do not write these articles to criticize others.
I write these articles to encourage and motivate.
I share in order to show the warnings in scripture so that others might be aware of them.
If you disagree with me, so be it.
But please read your bible and investigate for yourselves…

 

Is your faith strong enough to withstand a thirty minute challenge?
Let’s find out!!

Here is my challenge:
Spend thirty minutes reading nothing but red letter direct quotes of Jesus.
That’s it.
Simple enough, right?
But here comes the challenging part.
If the things that Messiah said do not agree with what you’ve been taught, what will you do about it?

Seriously.
What will you do about it?
There is only One who can grant you salvation.
No one else can do it.
Do you think the things He says matter?
Do you know His voice?

Here is one thing He said:
“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” and this…  “I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me…” and this…  “My sheep hear My voice. I know them, and they follow Me.”

Thirty minutes.
That is all I ask.
Read the words of Messiah and nothing else.
Take notes.
Figure out what you will change in your life after you realize His words do not match what your church teaches about Him.

Do you know His voice?

James 4:14
For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

It is difficult for mankind to view our existence as Yehova does.
We live our lives minute by minute, day by day, decade by decade.
And then…
It is over.
It may seem like a very long time to us, but to Yehova, it is just a wisp.

Someone was able to boil life down to just four words:
Birth, School, Work, Death
I think they even made some t-shirts to sell.

But what does it all mean?
Some try to live for a higher purpose.  We could fit religion into this model for some…
Birth-School-Religion-Work-Death

Does it all matter?
Or should I say, “does it matter at all”?
What is our reason for living?
We could come up with a list a mile long.
There are things that are important to each of us.
Every person could contribute something special to the list.
But really, why are we here?

Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a man’s heart,
but the counsel of Yehova will stand.

What does it mean for something to stand?
To never erode.
To never wither.
To never change.
To be strong.
To endure.
To last forever.

If the plans of man are no match for the counsel of Yehova, then what are we to do?
Did you know the bible tells us?

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
¹³ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.

The purpose of man.
Right there it is, at the end of Ecclesiastes.
Fear Yehova.
Keep His commandments.
And then all will be judged.
What does it mean?

I like to put it this way:
This life is simply an audition.
Yehova told us His instructions for living.
Yeshua Messiah came and taught us the same things.
This life is to determine if we will accept His words and His ways.
Know the things He says, and do them.

Pass the test.
Matthew 25:23
His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant…
OR
Fail the test.
Matthew 7:23
Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!”
Which will it be?

Could I possibly be right about this, in any way, shape, or form?
Could it really be this simple?
Scripture tells us about this test, and lets us know how to tell if we are passing the test:

1John 2:3-6
³ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. ⁶ He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Men teach us that “The Law” [Yehova’s instructions for living] is nailed to the cross and done away with…
Messiah says otherwise:
Matthew 5:17
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.”
John 14:15
 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

Men teach that the law is hard to understand and is too hard for us to do. Scripture says otherwise:
Deuteronomy 30:11-14
¹¹ “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. ¹² It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ ¹³ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ ¹⁴ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

Men teach that the Law is a burden to us.
Scripture says otherwise:
1John 5:3
 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 

Men say they can do all things through Christ:
Philippians 4:13
 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
But then, they will say they cannot keep God’s law.
So which is it?
Can you do all things through His strength?
Or can you not?

Los Alamos National Laboratory

I was a reactor operator in the nuclear power field. I served on submarines and we carried nuclear weapons during the Cold War. I was a member of the Nuclear Security Force, assigned to be an armed member of our crew who would fight to the death to protect the security of our nuclear weapons should we come under attack.
I’m quite sure my life has crossed paths with the technologies developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Yesterday, my wife and I drove through Los Alamos, returning to Colorado Springs from Albuquerque.
Tracy asked me what the government did there. I told her it was a lab established for the Manhatten project during WW2.
She didn’t know what that was and asked what they did there.
I told her it is where our government/military develops ways to kill massive amounts of men, women, and children. The Manhatten Project was the development of atomic weapons.
Just as I said this, we drove past the building shown above.
Why did this building bother me?

Check out this building [Mayan Temple], dedicated to the sacrifice and killing of human beings:

Too far removed from our lives today to be considered relevant?
OK, check out this modern building, also dedicated to the killing and destruction of human beings on a massive scale:

Do you see the similarities?

Last year, I was surprised to see the Planned Parenthood building had the same architectural features as the Mayan Temples.
Both are buildings of death with similar construction.
I was completely surprised to find a third building of similar appearance. The building at Los Alamos has similar colored glass, and even has the exact same number of ‘steps’ in its construction.

Does it seem odd there would be three buildings in the world of similar shape,  and that all three are dedicated to killing humans?
I do not believe this is a coincidence…
I wonder if there are more buildings shaped like this, with direct links to the destruction of people?

 

Is it possible for a loving God to turn His back on people?
This is a tough question.
People generally don’t like to consider these types of ideas.
Why would I even bring this up?
What kind of craziness passes through my head?

In recent discussions regarding the direct quotes of Messiah, calling into question the status of the mainstream church, someone noted that “my idea” would mean no one was saved for over two thousand years.
Let’s explore this more, using scripture…

First of all, I do not get to decide who is saved and who is not saved.
This responsibility belongs to Yeshua Messiah.
Matthew 28:18
And Yeshua came up to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”
In my research and sharing of scripture, I am not trying to condemn anyone.  I am simply sharing the warnings that few seem to know about.  I do this to help others…
But how could my “study of scripture” result in the idea that no one was saved for over two thousand years, as my friend put it?
Let’s take a look at the words of our Creator:

Deuteronomy 31:20
²⁰ “For when I bring them to the land flowing with milk and honey that I swore to their fathers, and they eat and are satisfied and grow fat—then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and they will spurn Me and break My covenant.”

Yehova predicts (if you can call His omniscient knowing a prediction) that the people would serve other gods and break His covenant.
He knows this will happen.

Mosheh also knows this will happen, as shown by his words in Deuteronomy 31:29
²⁹ For I know that after my death you will certainly act corruptly and turn aside from the way I have commanded you. So evil will fall upon you in the latter days, because you will do what is evil in the sight of Adonai, provoking Him to anger by the work of your hands.”

The question is this:
What happens to the people when they break His covenant?
In Deuteronomy 28, Yehova outlines the blessings for following His instructions, and He also outlines the curses for disobedience.
Here are the scriptures telling us about the curses:

Deuteronomy 28:15-69
Curses for Disobedience
¹⁵ “But if you will not listen to the voice of Adonai your God, to take care to do all His mitzvot and statutes that I am commanding you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:
¹⁶ “Cursed will you be in the city, and cursed will you be in the field.
¹⁷ “Cursed will be your basket and your kneading bowl.
¹⁸ “Cursed will be the fruit of your womb, the produce of your soil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.
¹⁹ “Cursed will you be when you come in, and cursed will you be when you go out.
²⁰ “Adonai will send on you cursing, confusion and frustration in every undertaking of your hand that you will do—until you are destroyed and perish quickly, because of the evil of your deeds by which you have abandoned Me. ²¹ Adonai will make the plague cling to you, until He has put an end to you from the land that you are going in to possess. ²² Adonai will strike you with weakness, fever, inflammation, fiery heat, the sword, blight and mildew—they will pursue you until you perish. ²³ Your sky above your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. ²⁴ Adonai will make the rain of your land powder and dust—it will come down on you from the heavens, until you are destroyed.
²⁵ “Adonai will bring you to defeat before your enemies. You will go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. You will become a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. ²⁶ Your carcass will be food for every bird of the heavens and beast of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.
²⁷ “Adonai will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with hemorrhoids, with scabs and with itching, from which you cannot be healed.
²⁸ “Adonai will strike you with madness, with blindness, and with confusion of heart. ²⁹ You will grope at noon as the blind person gropes in darkness, and you will not prosper in your ways. You will be only oppressed and robbed all the time, and there will be no one to save you.
³⁰ “You will become engaged to a woman, but another man will sleep with her. You will build a house, but you will not dwell in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will not put it to use. ³¹ Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat of it. Your donkey will be stolen in front of you, and it will not be returned to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and you will have no one to save you.
³² “Your sons and daughters will be given to another people while your eyes look on, longing for them all day long—but your hand will be powerless. ³³ A people you do not know will eat up the produce of your soil and all your labor, and you will be only oppressed and crushed all the time. ³⁴ You will be driven mad by the sight that your eyes will see.
³⁵ “Adonai will strike you on the knees and thighs with severe boils, from which you cannot be healed—from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head.
³⁶ “Adonai will bring you and the king you set over you to a nation you and your fathers have not known—and there you will serve other gods, wood and stone. ³⁷ You will become a horror, a proverb, and a byword—among all the peoples where Adonai will drive you.
³⁸ “Much seed you will take out to the field—but little will you bring in, for the locust will eat it up. ³⁹ Vineyards you will plant and tend—but wine you will not drink or bring in, for the worm will devour it. ⁴⁰ Olive trees you will have in all your territory—but oil you will not rub on yourself, for your olives will drop off. ⁴¹ Sons and daughters you will father—but they will not be yours, for they will go into captivity. ⁴² All your trees and the produce of your soil the whirring locust will possess.
⁴³ “The outsider who is in your midst will rise up higher and higher above you, and you will go down lower and lower. ⁴⁴ He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him; he will become the head and you will become the tail.
⁴⁵ “All these curses will come upon you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed—because you did not listen to the voice of Adonai your God, to keep His mitzvot and statutes that He commanded you. ⁴⁶ They will be a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever. ⁴⁷ Instead of serving Adonai your God with joy and goodness of heart, out of the abundance of everything, ⁴⁸ you will serve your enemies, whom Adonai will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and lacking everything; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.
⁴⁹ “Adonai will raise up a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, just as the eagle swoops down—a nation whose language you will not understand, ⁵⁰ a brazen-faced nation that will not respect the old or be gracious to the young. ⁵¹ It will devour the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your soil, until you are destroyed. It will not leave behind for you grain, new wine, or oil, the increase of your herds or the young of your flock, until it ruins you. ⁵² It will besiege you within all your town gates throughout your land, until your high and fortified walls—that you trusted in—come down. It will besiege you within all your gates throughout your land that Adonai your God has given you.
⁵³ “You will eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and daughters Adonai your God has given you, in the siege and stress with which your enemies will distress you. ⁵⁴ The most tender and delicate man among you—his eye will become evil against his brother and the wife of his bosom and the rest of his children that he has left. ⁵⁵ He will not give to a single one of them from his children’s flesh that he will eat, because nothing else is left for him in the siege and stress with which your enemy will distress you within all your town gates. ⁵⁶ The tender and delicate woman among you, who never ventured to set the sole of her foot on the ground out of delicateness and tenderness—her eye will become evil against the husband of her bosom and her son and daughter. ⁵⁷ For in secret she will eat her afterbirth that issues from between her legs and the children she bears, for lack of anything else in the siege and stress with which your enemy will distress you within all your gates.
⁵⁸ “If you do not take care to do all the words of this Torah, the things written in this scroll, to fear this glorious and awesome Name, Adonai your God, ⁵⁹ then Adonai will make your plagues and the plagues of your descendants extraordinary—terrible and prolonged plagues, severe and prolonged illnesses. ⁶⁰ He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt that you were afraid of, and they will cling to you. ⁶¹ Also every illness and plague that is not written in the scroll of this Torah, Adonai will bring on you, until you are destroyed.
⁶² “You will be left few in number, instead of being like the stars of the sky in number—because you did not listen to the voice of Adonai your God. ⁶³ Now just as Adonai rejoiced over you to do you good and to multiply you, so Adonai will rejoice over you to ruin and destroy you; and you will be uprooted from the land that you are going in to possess.
⁶⁴ “Adonai will scatter you among all peoples from the one end of the earth to the other, and there you will serve other gods—wood and stone—that you and your fathers have not known. ⁶⁵ Among these nations you will find no rest, and there will be no rest for the sole of your foot. But there Adonai will give you a trembling heart and failing eyes, and a despairing spirit.
⁶⁶ “Your life will hang in the balance before you; you will be afraid night and day, and you will have no assurance of your life. ⁶⁷ In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!”—from the fear of your heart that you will fear and the sight of your eyes that you will see. ⁶⁸ Adonai will bring you back to Egypt in ships, by the way that I said to you, ‘You will not see it again.’ There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as slaves and maids, but there will be no buyer.”
Renewing the Covenant
⁶⁹ These are the words of the covenant that Adonai commanded Moses to make with Bnei-Yisrael in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant He made with them at Horeb.

Wow!!! Really?
Did you read those curses?
Even more importantly, do you believe these curses?
Let’s highlight a couple phrases that pertain to the topic of this study:
⁵⁸ “If you do not take care to do all the words of this Torah, the things written in this scroll, to fear this glorious and awesome Name, Adonai your God, ⁵⁹ then Adonai will make your plagues and the plagues of your descendants extraordinary—terrible and prolonged plagues, severe and prolonged illnesses.
And this:
⁶² “You will be left few in number, instead of being like the stars of the sky in number—because you did not listen to the voice of Adonai your God.
And this:
⁶⁴ “Adonai will scatter you among all peoples from the one end of the earth to the other, and there you will serve other gods—wood and stone—that you and your fathers have not known. 

Yehova says these curses will affect both these people and their descendants!!
Yehova says they will be few in number.

Hosea summarizes all of this is just a short statement:
Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Since you rejected knowledge,
    I will also reject you from being My saints.
Since you forgot the Torah of your God,
    just so I will forget your children.

Hosea says that the children of the people will be forgotten by Him, our Elohim.
Yehova says He will reject the people from being His saints.
Who are the saints?
Revelation 14:12 [NKJV]
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

This is what disobedience looks like.
This is what exile looks like.
It is horrific.
Rejection by Yehova!!
In fact, this is exactly what Messiah told us as well:
Matthew 7:21-23
²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
In Matthew 7, Messiah is not making up new doctrine, or creating a new warning.  He is simply repeating what the Father has already said.

Some people think the punishment for disobedience, being scattered among the nations, is all about being subjected to rule by their enemies.
While this is true, here is an even worse part of this punishment:
The people are exiled from Yehova and His ways…

I have given a very small sample of scripture regarding this punishment for disobedience, but we could spend hours and hours looking at other scriptures by the prophets.
The exile and banishment of the people are well documented in scripture, and the consequences are terrible.

Is this the fault of Yehova?
No, it is not.
Yehova gave instructions to the people, and told them how they would be blessed by simply following those instructions.
The curses, though…
It is the fault of the people, for turning away from Him.
It is the fault of the people for forgetting His Torah.

Proverbs 3:1-2
My son, do not forget my law,
But let your heart keep my commands;
² For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you.

Psalm 119:18-21
¹⁸ Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law.
¹⁹ I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.
²⁰ My soul breaks with longing
For Your judgments at all times.
²¹ You rebuke the proud—the cursed,
Who stray from Your commandments.

We are barely scratching the surface of what scripture says will happen to us if we turn away from Yehova.
In this incredibly small sampling of scriptures, we have learned the following:

1.  Disobedience leads to curse and death.
2.  Disobedience leads to exile, separation from Yehova.
3.  Separation from Yehova affects the descendants as well as the original offenders.
4.  What is the result of forgetting the Torah?  Destruction of people… This is serious business!!

The curses of disobedience affect the descendants according to scripture, but for how long? Let’s take a brief look at this (again, many hours and days could be spent on this one topic alone).

We see that the ten tribes were divorced from their covenant with Yehova in Jeremiah 3:8
⁸ Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce…
And we see this further into Jeremiah 3
‘I will not remain angry forever.
Only acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the Lord your God,
And have scattered your charms
To alien deities under every green tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.

A divorce from the covenant occurred, but Yehova says He will not remain angry forever.
We find out how long the people are to be banished in Ezekiel 4:4-7
⁴ “Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. ⁵ For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. ⁶ And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year.

The house of Judah gets 40 years, and the house of Israel gets 390 years!! That is a long time, but it gets worse!
Torah requires the unrepentant to have their punishment multiplied by seven.
Since Israel did not repent, their punishment/exile is multiplied by seven, becoming a whopping 2730 year exile!!
This began in about 820BC when the Assyrians defeated the house of Israel and began scattering them.
That means the punishment ended in approximately 2009/2010, which is when many people all around the world began returning to Torah.

Here is the thing to remember:
The 2730 year punishment of the people is not Yehova’s fault.
It is the fault of the people, who turned away from Him, serving other gods and forgetting His Torah.

Here is what scripture says about the restoration [just one of many, many references in scripture]:
Hosea 6:1-3
A Call to Repentance
6 Come, and let us return to the Lord;
For He has torn, but He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
² After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.
³ Let us know,
Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.
His going forth is established as the morning;
He will come to us like the rain,
Like the latter and former rain to the earth.

In many instances, a day in scripture equates to either a year, or to one thousand years.
In this scripture in Hosea, if the days mentioned are a thousand years, it matches the punishment of 2730 years.
The people are banished for the first 2 days (2000 years) and are restored during the third day (during the third 1000 years).

Am I saying that no one was “saved” for this span of time?
Was no one saved during the 2730 year banishment?
No, I am not saying that.
I am not Yehova.
I do not have the authority to decide who is saved and who is not saved.
What I am doing, is showing what scripture says about these things.
Men will say it is not possible for Yehova to turn His back on people.
Men say things that make the “importance and significance of men” a higher priority than the words of Yehova.

The few words I’ve shared from scripture in this article show us that, yes, it is possible that Yehova would turn His back on the people.
Not because He is unloving, but because He is just.
He told the people in advance what would happen if they forsake Him, and yet, they chose to forsake Him and his instructions anyway.
The negative consequences were chosen by the people, with complete knowledge of what would happen.

In today’s church culture, this idea comes across as ridiculous.
People think this idea is absurd, but it is spoken by Yehova, and then we see it play out before our eyes in the Word.
Why do we consider it absurd when we find evidence of it in the inspired word of God?

But still…
It just isn’t possible, right?
There is no way hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people could be separated from God.
Right?
Jeremiah speaks of the world’s religious systems in end times:
Jeremiah 16:19-20
¹⁹ O Lord, my strength and my fortress,
My refuge in the day of affliction,
The Gentiles shall come to You
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
Worthlessness and unprofitable things.”
²⁰ Will a man make gods for himself,
Which are not gods?

Jeremiah, who is speaking the words of Yehova, states that the Gentiles will one day realize they have been taught nothing but lies.
We are seeing this come to life right now.
People are “waking up” and returning to Torah, the ways of the Father.
But most are not willing to explore this idea, let alone accept it.
Most reject these thoughts, even though it is all written down for us so that we might know.
Messiah spoke of this problem, when He stated who will not be in the kingdom of heaven.
Revelation 22:15
But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

“…whoever loves and practices a lie.”
What if the lies He is speaking of are the lies that Jeremiah described?

I fully understand the ideas I’m presenting here are hard to swallow.
I would encourage you to study the scriptures before you reject them out of hand.
I have no authority.
I am in charge of no one.
I am in charge of nothing.
I do not make these kinds of decisions.

But the word is truth.
If difficult concepts are presented in and supported by scripture, we need to study and evaluate, and request understanding through prayer.

 

If you found a child in the desert, dying of dehydration, what would you do?
Obviously, we would provide them with water and get them medical care and try to help them live.
Knowing they would literally drink ANYTHING handed to them in their condition, would anyone give them household cleaners instead of water, knowing it would poison them?
Of course not.  That would be evil beyond imagination.
No mentally sane person would do such a thing.

And yet, it happens every day in other ways.
The Creator of all things, Yehova, gave His instructions to people. It is all recorded for us to read and study.
But His message has been distorted and corrupted by man.
There are things that Yehova said are forever, for all generations, never-ending, a perpetual covenant.
And man teaches those things are not forever.
Man teaches that God changed His mind.
Scripture says this has never happened and never will happen.
Scripture says the Word never changes, and that Yehova never changes.

Malachi 3:6
“For I am the Lord, I do not change”
Numbers 23:19
Yehova is not a man who lies,
or a son of man who changes his mind!
Hebrews 13:8
Yeshua the Messiah is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Men will then say those “forever things” were given to a specific group of people, and it does not apply to any of us today.
People buy it.
People guzzle that household cleaner.
People drink that poison, without even slowing down to evaluate it.

If we look at the things Yehova said are forever, we see that it is not just for a specific group of people.
He said those things are for the native-born Hebrews, AND for the strangers among them.
He specifically states there is one instruction, and it is for all.

Leviticus 24:22
You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the Lord your Elohim.
Exodus 12:49
One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.

If we read the bible starting in the beginning, we can establish some truths, not by our own ideas, but simply because Yehova spoke it.
People learn New Testament teachings from churches without knowing some of these base truths in the Old Testament.
People will say, “Of course God changed everything. He is God.  He can do whatever He wants.”
But scripture says this does not and will not happen.
But most people do not know these things.
Most people are dying of thirst, and don’t even know it.
The traditions of men are handed out to them, and they guzzle this poison as if it will save their lives.
Sadly, it will not.

Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Since you rejected knowledge,
    I will also reject you from being My saints.
Since you forgot the Torah of your God,
    just so I will forget your children.

People thirst for knowledge, but are being given false doctrine instead of living waters.

Messiah came and taught the instructions that Yehova gave to the people.  He did not come to teach a new plan for salvation.  He did not change anything that God had already spoken.

John 7:16
 Yeshua answered, “My teaching is not from Me, but from Him who sent Me. 

John 8:42-44
Yeshua said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for from God I came and now I am here. For I have not come on My own, but He sent Me. ⁴³ Why don’t you understand My speech? Because you’re not able to hear My word! ⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks lies he is just being himself—for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 12:47-50
⁴⁷ “If anyone hears My words but doesn’t keep them, I do not judge him; for I came to save the world, not to judge the world. ⁴⁸ The one who rejects Me and doesn’t receive My words has a judge; the word I spoke will judge him on the last day. ⁴⁹ For I did not speak on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that His commandment is life everlasting. Therefore what I say, I say just as the Father has told Me.”

But our churches teach us that He did change everything.
They teach that Messiah did away with the law, and that we no longer have to follow it.

Here are some things that Messiah said.
Will you listen to Him and live?
Or will you listen to the traditions of men and die of thirst?
Matthew 7:21-23
²¹ “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!’

Revelation 22:14-15
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. ¹⁵ But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

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 15:10
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.

Messiah said these things…
Do you hear His voice?
Do you believe Him?

John 7:14, 27
¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 
²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.“

Do you know Him?
1John 2:3-6
The Test of Knowing Him
³ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. ⁶ He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Why do I write these things?
I’ve learned that people love the promises and blessings in scripture.
I’ve also learned that people do not even know about the warnings in scripture.  Or if they do know about the warnings, they’ve been told they mean something other than what they say.
Or, that the warnings do not apply to them…

I have wiped my slate clean.
I have let go of the things I think I knew, and I study scripture without bias.
1Corinthians 3:18-19
¹⁸ Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool so he may become wise.  ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God.

Messiah gives many harsh warnings, and the consequences of His warnings are horrific.
I write these articles and share them, hoping people will see the warnings in scripture and evaluate them.
Please study and pray about these things!!

Psalm 119:142
Your justice is righteousness forever,
and Your Torah is truth.

I have spent the last 18 months studying the warnings in scripture.
Many of these warnings are direct quotes of Messiah, or are the direct words of Yehova.
I find that very few people know or understand these warnings, including many in Torah community.
My goal for studying and sharing is that people can see what these scriptures say, and look into it more for themselves.

Since Torah is being returned to the people, I’ve been involved in many discussions about the mainstream church.
The compassion of man creates an idea that those in the mainstream churches who do not understand Torah are victims of false teachers.
Makes sense, right?
People have been taught lies, therefore, they believe and follow those lies. They are completely unaware and not at fault, right?
And since they are not at fault, they will not be held responsible for false teaching, correct?

From man’s perspective, this idea makes sense.
But what does scripture say about it?
What does Messiah say about it?
Did you know He addresses this problem, more than once?

Messiah Himself tells us what will become of false teachers AND their followers:
Matthew 15
13 But He replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Leave them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Both the teacher and the follower go into the pit.

Matthew 23:13
“But woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not enter yourselves, nor do you let those enter who are trying to go in.”
The false teachers will not enter heaven, and neither will the people they teach.

Matthew 7:21-23 is another direct quote of Messiah, that tells the fate of those who believe false teachers [even though the teachers are not mentioned in this quote].
²¹ “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!’

Messiahs says those who practice lawlessness will be rejected.
It does not say, “unless they were taught lies” or “unless they have a bad teacher”.
There are no exceptions given. Does this sound harsh?
Maybe…
But it is not for us to decide.
These are the words of Messiah.
Do you hear them?

We see this concept in another quote of Messiah, some of His final words to us:
Revelation 22:14-15
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. ¹⁵ But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Those who do His commandments will be included.
Those who practice a lie will not be included.
Do you hear His voice?
Are you listening?
This quote of Messiah does not address where the lie came from.
Does it matter?
Do you think this is fair?
Do you think this is ok?
First of all, it is not up to us to decide these things.
Secondly, there are reasons for it.
Are you ready to look at more scripture, to understand why people might be condemned for following false teaching, when it seems it is not their fault?

So this is the question of the day.
Are people held accountable in scripture for following false doctrine or false teaching? It is the teacher’s fault, right?
The students are just victims, right?
In various places in scripture, we see that there is no excuse for believing and living false doctrine and false teaching. Let’s take a look.

If man is teaching lies that lead to the lake of fire, what can a congregant do to avoid this fate?
James tells us and it is quite simple.
James 1:5-8
⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Wow, can it really be that easy?
We just pray for wisdom, and Yehova will give it to us?
If one has been taught falsely, it can be remedied through prayer. If they listen to the Spirit, then they will not fall prey to false teaching.

John 14:26
²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

1John 2:26-27
²⁶ These things I have written to you concerning those who try todeceive you. ²⁷ But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

It really is that easy.  But we must have faith in what He reveals.
If we do not believe what He reveals to us, then we will receive nothing from Him.

To further this idea, we are told that salvation comes through grace, which comes by faith.  And faith comes by hearing the word of Yeshua Messiah.
If we hear the word from Yeshua, and doubt or reject it, then we do not have faith in the word of Messiah.
—– and that is where grace and salvation come from, according to scripture!

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves—it is the gift of Yehova. 
Where does this faith come from?
Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Messiah.

These are some of the many words of Messiah:
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.”

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

“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?”

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

Churches generally teach the opposite of what Messiah says.
People in the church believe Jesus did away with the law.
Are the people of the congregations listening to Messiah?
Nope.
Do they hear His voice?
Nope.
Are they His sheep?
Not according to what Messiah said.

If Messiah says one thing, and the church teaches the opposite, a choice has to be made by the people listening:
—The people can hear Messiah and know His voice and be His sheep.
—Or they can reject Messiah’s voice and believe the teachings of men.

If they stay in the church, and believe what is said, then who is at fault?
The teacher or the student?
Just the teacher, right?
Nope.
Both are at fault.
That is why Messiah says they both fall into the pit.
That is why Messiah says neither get to enter heaven.

Are we responsible for the truth?
No matter what church leaders teach, do the congregants have the truth available to them?
What if we have bibles available to us, but we don’t bother to study them?
What if we carry the truth under our arms in and out of churches for years or even decades, but do not study it for ourselves? [notice I said “study” not “read”]
What if the bible app on our phone just sits there, unused?
What if we relinquish the responsibility of studying the word to “religious experts” instead of studying it ourselves?
What if we go to a building each week and listen to some other guy tell me what scripture says and means?
All he may be capable of telling you is what other men told him in college.
What if we have the truth in the scriptures available to us, and we ignore it?
This is a problem.
This is happening.
Will Messiah give people a break for not knowing the truth, when it is all around them?
What if one day, on judgment day, a person takes a knee before Yeshua?  What if Yeshua Messiah asks them why they did not obey the truth?
Can they say, “I didn’t know the truth?”
Is that a valid excuse?
According to the very words of Messiah, it is not a valid excuse.
“I never knew you.  Depart from Me you workers of lawlessness.”

We have access to the scriptures.
We have UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS.
The words of Messiah are right there before our eyes, for all to see.
What if we don’t study them?
Or what if we read them, but ignore what He is saying, in favor of the teachings of men?

Just how important is it to hear the words of Messiah?
As in, REALLY LISTEN TO HIM?
Here is what He says about it:
John 7:14, 27
¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 
²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.“

These verses are short, but extremely important.
These verses are SIGNIFICANT.
Do you see what Messiah says?
His sheep hear His voice.
He knows His sheep, and His sheep know Him.

What if you are not His sheep?
“I never knew you.  Depart from Me you workers of lawlessness.”

 

OK, we’ve covered some difficult things.
But it gets even harder.
There is more:
Is there any chance that Yehova would intentionally withhold knowledge from people?
No, a loving God would not do that.
That could never happen.
What if I said it could happen?
What if I said it absolutely happens?
If I said that, would you believe it?
What if Messiah said it?
Would you believe it then?

Understanding of the truth is withheld from those with calloused hearts.
That is what Messiah says in Matthew 13:11-13, 15
11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ¹³ Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.

If you want to understand this better, read all of Matthew 13.  Yeshua is explaining why He teaches in parables.
Messiah DOES NOT WANT some people to know the truth.
Does that shock you?
Do we serve an unloving God?
No, we do not.
This problem is the fault of people, not Messiah.
They have calloused hearts.
They do not love the words and the ways of Yehova!!
And what truth does He withhold from them?
The knowledge of the kingdom of heaven!!
This is important stuff!!

Obviously, I have to be wrong about this.
There is no way Messiah would prevent someone from learning how to get to heaven.
Check this out:
“Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.”
This is also from Matthew 13, but it is a quote from Isaiah.
Do you realize this is earth-shattering?
Messiah is saying that He withholds the truth from those with calloused hearts. Why?
He does not want them to learn the secrets of the kingdom of heaven and end up being saved through knowledge.

People have to loveYehova.
People have to love the words and the ways of Yehova.

People who do not know the truth may love church.
People love their pastors.
People love their friends at church.
People love the idea of being a Christian, so long as they get to decide what they will or won’t do.
People love the potlucks.
People love the Christmas plays.
People love the youth trips.
I could go on and on.

But keep in mind, most of these people are REALLY NICE PEOPLE.
Most of these people are kind to others, and loving, and generous.
But why do they not understand the truth of the kingdom of heaven?
Because Messiah withholds it from them.
Intentionally.

People in church claim to love God and love Jesus, but when we show them the truth of scripture, most reject it and sometimes get mean about it.
Their true colors show.
I’ve seen some of the nicest church ladies get downright vicious in their rejection of the truth. If they were seeking the truth, then the truth would be music to their ears.  They would be drawn to it.
But they seem to hate it.
Why?
Because they do not love the words and the ways of the Father.

It does not matter how much someone says they love Jesus.
What matters is if they do love Messiah the way that He says to.
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 15:10
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.

I realize what I’m saying here is a tough pill to swallow!!
I get it.
But do not reject the truth, just because it does not sit well with you.

Do you want to know how to tell if someone loves Messiah?
We are told in scripture:
1John 2:3-6
The Test of Knowing Him
³ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. ⁶ He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

If someone says they love God, or they love Jesus, give them the test of 1John 2.
–Do they walk just as Messiah walked?
–Do they keep and honor Shabbat?
–Do they observe the appointed times, the biblical feasts?
–Do they wear tzitzits?
–Do they keep the commands?
If not, then they are liars and the truth is not in them.
Yes, that sounds harsh, but it is scripture and therefore it is truth.

So, if the truth is withheld from some, how can they possibly get it?
A loving God would surely provide a way, right?

2Corinthians Chapter 3 talks about what it takes to lift the veil of people who are blinded from the truth:
2Corinthians 3:14-16
14 But their minds were hardened. For up to this very day the same veil remains unlifted at the reading of the ancient covenant, since in Messiah it is passing away. 15 But to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart. 16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Those who have calloused hearts can change everything! They just have to turn to Yehova! They just have to humble themselves, and submit to the Father.
Many will say they are humble.
Many will say they have submitted to God.
But the evidence in their life will show if they have or not.

None of this is random.
Nobody is a victim of false teaching.
Scripture tells us this, and makes it quite clear, many times over.
People are victims of their own lack of love for the words and the ways of Yehova. They are a stiff-necked people, as it is put in the Old Testament writings.

I spent over thirty years in the mainstream church, not understanding the truth.
How did I come to understand the truth?
How was my veil lifted, so that I might understand Torah?
Extreme Crisis.

I found myself staring at my oldest son who was fifteen at the time.
Why was I staring at him in crisis?
Because he was in ICU on life support and his cat scan showed he was brain dead.
Homicide detectives officially declared his body a crime scene at 3am.
That is a tough crisis.
That is heartbreaking.
This will cause a grown man to crumble.
And I did crumble…

On this night, I got on my knees before my Creator.
For the first time in my life, I fully understood that He was the Creator of all that there is, and I was nothing.
I was the dirt of the earth, and worthless without Him.
I humbled myself before Yehova, and I turned my heart to Him.

I hope that others do not have to go through an extreme crisis in order to turn to Yehova.
But that is what Tribulation is for.
The world considers Armageddon the end of the world, the ultimate punishment.
It is not.
It is merciful.
Tribulation is how Yehova will “gift” people with crisis, so they might turn to Him.
Having our veils lifted, and being allowed to understand His truth is a gift far more valuable than anything else.
It is worth a bit of crisis.
Even Tribulation.

And by the way, Yehova gave my son his life back.
You can read more details here:
My Testimony

 

Deuteronomy 13
The Test of a False Prophet 
13 “Whatever I command you, you must take care to do—you are not to add to it or take away from it.
2 “Suppose a prophet or a dreamer of dreams rises up among you and gives you a sign or wonder, 3 and the sign or wonder he spoke to you comes true, while saying, ‘Let’s follow other gods’—that you have not known, and—‘Let’s serve them!’ 4 You must not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams—for Adonai your God is testing you, to find out whether you love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 5 Adonai your God you will follow and Him you will fear. His mitzvot you will keep, to His voice you will listen, Him you will serve and to Him you will cling. 6 That prophet or dreamer of dreams must be put to death! For he has spoken falsehood against Adonai your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to entice you from the way Adonai your God commanded you to walk. So you will purge the evil from your midst.