Our Eternal Hope - 2 Thessalonians 1

Based on 2 Thessalonians 1 (New King James Version)

“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Why is it mentioned here that these had persecutions and tribulations? Why did they have suffering? Did they have less faith than the others and that was why they were doing poorly, so to speak? Did God love them less? Isn't everything supposed to be fixed when we come to Christ, that everything must go well for us as a blessing from God, and that we must have certain prosperity, and certain triumphs, and why not, even good health? This type of gospel is widely believed and preached, and in different ways. But I have to say “this type of gospel or doctrine” because it is not something that is consistent with the Word of God. In reality, this way of believing is against the true and sound doctrine of God, therefore, it is apostasy, part of the doctrines of demons that exist today, to lead to perdition those who wish to please their flesh and do their own will.

There are three irrefutable things within the Scriptures that compose sound doctrine to attain salvation, and these are: repentance and conversion from all sins (not just some sins), acknowledging and making Jesus Christ our Lord (which goes beyond recognizing Him as Savior), and finally, living to do the will of God the Father and not seeking to fulfill our desires and serve our appetites. These are the three things that make up sound doctrine. And this is what should be used to filter out, so to speak, all bad doctrine. For example, there are many who teach that to be saved, one must only believe in Christ and nothing else, that repentance and conversion are not necessary. There are many others who teach that you to come to Christ to fix all your problems, or that following Christ means that everything will work out for you (humanly speaking of course), and this attracts a large audience, but also, there is much error in this. And there are others who do not set limits where they should, using a supposed love as a shield (not the love that God teaches), and they do not live the reality that should exist in a believer who obeys God. Instead, they justify many things with this to get along with others and also, to justify their own interests and desires. Many other things can be mentioned, but ultimately, every error is proven when objectively compared to sound doctrine, and especially considering what God has for us, which brings us to the next point.

Salvation is a gift from God, it is by grace, but it has a great purpose, and that is to change our course from perdition back to God's purpose, to return us to the reason for why God created man to begin with. God did not make man to sin, but to serve him, and that is why Christ came, to change our course. So, are we saved by works? No. But, we are saved for good works, that is, to do the will of the Father, so our salvation depends on our service to God. There must be a product. Because if we do not fulfill the will of the Father in our lives, then we are not fulfilling the purpose of salvation, and God will simply discard in His great judgment who doesn’t serve Him. This is what the Word says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10. We are not predestined, but we were made for good works, and that purpose has to be fulfilled in our lives. We have to live for Christ. This is why Christ came. This is why He died on the cross, to give us the opportunity to reestablish the reason for our existence. Therefore, this concept that God exists to serve you, and to fulfill your desires, ultimately to do your will is totally against God, and therefore, it is something that is totally subject to Satan. It looks bad, but that's the reality. Satan is the one who wants his will to be done and not God's. Therefore, if a person only seeks to do their will, and even worse, seeks God to fulfill their own desires, they are following the most evil thing that exists. And just as bad, they are the same that believe and teach that you do not need works to be saved. So then, works are needed to be saved, because it is written: “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.” Matthew 7:21. Therefore, I am afraid to say that, if one compares this to what is taught in the vast majority of our churches, they will see that there is no longer sound doctrine, but only self-service, and flesh-pleasing, and this is not from God.

We must consider a very important detail that is seen in this passage, which is this: “…that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer.” How is it that we are considered worthy? Is it not taught that nothing more is needed, but only faith? There are some who think that we are made worthy because the Worthy One (the Lord) is in us. And yes, that is true, but also, we are considered worthy when we do the will of the Father, and not our will, and this is where both faith and works come in, as it is written: “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” James 2:17-20. So, when we encounter persecution or tribulation, (not because of our sins because our problems are sometimes a consequence of our sins), because we are being faithful to Christ, we have a great and eternal hope. Our hope is not on this earth (although it is possible that God can intercede miraculously, if it is in His will), but rather, in His kingdom, in the eternal, before His wonderful and great presence. May God say the following of each of us some day: “…‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’” Matthew 25:21b. So then, are you obeying the Lord, looking to do His will, so that you can obtain the eternal hope? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.

God Tests Us - 1 Samuel 30:1-25

Based on 1 Samuel 30:1-25 (New King James Version)

“Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, ‘Please bring the ephod here to me.’ And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. So David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?’ And He answered him, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.’ So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor. Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water. And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. Then David said to him, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you from?’ And he said, ‘I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick. We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.’ And David said to him, ‘Can you take me down to this troop?’ So he said, ‘Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop.’ And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, ‘This is David’s spoil.’ Now David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them. Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David answered and said, ‘Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man’s wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart.’ But David said, ‘My brethren, you shall not do so with what the Lord has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.’ So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.”

Why do unpleasant things happen in this life? The answer that God gives us through the Word is: because of sin, and that is why He hates sin. God made all things very good in the beginning, when He created everything. But, when sin entered, disorder, evil, destruction, and finally, death entered. Sin infected everything created, and that is why we have what we have today. But within all that, and the reason why God admitted that sin existed, is so that every living being would have free will, because having options is what makes free will then have its real value and function.

Now, is the reason unpleasant things happen to us individually because of our sin? The vast majority of the time, I am afraid to say that difficult things happen to us as a consequence of our own actions, and if we are honest, we would realize that fact. But, from time to time, God also allows us to be tested, and testing is something that happens when someone else sins (because sin will always be involved in this sinful world). In the case that we read today, we cannot see that David sinned there, and that the Amalekites invaded the places where David was because God had a problem with David (although we read that there were bad and perverse men with David). However, this problem did not arise because of David, but rather, because God wanted to test David and accomplish something else in his life.

We can see several things here, and among them is the pain and anguish that the Amalekites caused, and we see that they did it out of pure evil (this business of people invading in a cowardly and surprisingly manner and taking prisoner defenseless people is nothing new). But we see the wise and faithful actions of this David who loved God, despite his imperfections. Did David panic? Did he cower? Did he let himself be carried away by fear (because the people wanted to stone him for something he had not done wrong)? No. He was distressed though, as is very understandable, but he didn't let it go any further. What did he do? “But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” And the Word tells us this also: “So David inquired of the Lord…” And what happened? God answered him and told him what to do. Why? Because God saw his loyalty, his faith, and above all, his love for Him. His love for God was more powerful in David than his own anguish, his pain, and his worries. Why did God allow such things? Because God wanted to test David, to see what he would do, and if his love for Him was real (because it is very different to know something than to see it realized), and to see if he would be ready for greater things, especially for eternity and everything that comes with that. The Lord does the same with those of us who have decided to follow Him (because God does not test neither the world nor the unbeliever). The Word tells us this: “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…” 2 Corinthians 5:9-11a. We are tested to see if we are worthy to enter His kingdom through the Lord Jesus Christ (because true faith must always have its product, its work). And the only way we will be ready to act as we should, especially when we are tested, is through the Word, as it is written: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17. So then, are you getting ready for whatever test God may allow to happen? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.

Refusing to Believe - Luke 11:29-30, 32

Based on Luke 11:29-30, 32 (New King James Version)

“And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, ‘This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation…’ ‘…The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.’”

The vast majority of people invent many things to justify their disbelief, to be able to say that they cannot believe in God, and that they are right in not being able to believe. Some, for example, make the excuse that God has to do something supernatural for them so that they can actually believe. This is the sign the Lord spoke of in this passage. Others think that if they can't see God, then they can't believe in Him. Others doubt His Word, and think that it's just a book written by different people with a lot of creativity, and that's why they can't come to believe it. In short, the vast majority of people invent a lot in order to justify their disbelief.

I can say very confidently that they are mere excuses, and nothing more, because we all have the ability to have faith, to be able to believe in things that we do not see, and at every moment we exercise that faith, even from the youngest to the most incredulous people. There are many who risk even their lives daily by having faith in things that they do not even understand how they work. We can see very clear examples daily of how they exercise this ability of faith. For example, does a child hesitate when taking his first steps, when they try to do something that they do not even understand intellectually? Another example is related to those of us who work. We wake up on the days we have to work with the idea that we will receive payment for our work, right? But, while we work, are we seeing our boss or supervisor with our money in their hands while we work? I really doubt it. But all of us who work labor because we have the faith that when the time comes to pay us that we will see a check, or we will be given some cash, or as very commonly happens today, we receive a direct deposit in our bank account. Would we work if we lost trust or faith that we would be paid for our efforts? I really doubt it. And what else can we talk about since everything requires some kind of faith? Do you know what they did with your food before eating it? No, but you even eat it without asking anything. Were you in the pharmaceutical laboratory when they produced the pills you take for headaches? No, but when you have a headache, you just buy them and take them, right? When people travel by plane, do they first take aviation classes or do they go to college for several years to understand the engineering that makes it possible to fly a jet from one place to another with hundreds of people on board, and many suitcases? No, right? But, nevertheless, they travel great distances, over land, sea, and even mountains without having any idea of how things work, and with the certainty that they will reach their destination. That is faith.

Let's look at the example that the Lord Himself gave in the passage we read. The Lord spoke of the prophet Jonah and the Ninevites. And if you remember the story, the prophet Jonah was the one who was inside a big fish for three days because he did not want to obey God, and go preach to the Ninevites that they were going to be destroyed. Let's look at this in more detail. What was the message that Jonah preached in Nineveh? This is what the Word says: “And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’” Jonah 3:4. This was God's entire message to Nineveh through Jonah. There was no dissertation on what creation was like, no mention of the law of Moses, no explanation of morality, did not even mention that he was inside a large fish. He did not show them a degree from the great seminary in Jerusalem where the most illustrious prophets are trained (there was no such thing, just in case). He didn't even mention God in these simple and few words. This was the entire message: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And keep in mind that Nineveh was the center of the Assyrian empire, the enemy kingdom of Israel. So, what did they have to do with this prophet of Israel? But, nevertheless, all of Nineveh, the center of the Assyrian empire, not only heard, but believed the message, and the king ordered everyone to repent to see if God would turn from his wrath. This is what the Word says: “Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, ‘Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?’” Jonah 3:6-9. Those of Nineveh had faith, and such faith, in spite of their evil ways and great sins, that God did exist, as it says: “So the people of Nineveh believed God…”, and that He was sovereign and powerful to bring judgment upon them, and their faith extended to the point that they believed that they could touch the heart of God with their repentance. And so it was, as it is written: “Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.” Jonah 3:10.

Now, and having seen the great example of Nineveh, do you understand why there would be even greater judgment on those the Lord spoke to, and on us? The Lord did great and incredible works, and He had no need to prove anything else to anyone. There was no need to do signs, just like now. God does not have to do absolutely anything else because He has given us much more than what we need to be able to believe and follow Him as such. The problem is not the lack of faith as we have already shown, because each person has the capacity for faith, but the simple and great problem is that people refuse to believe, which is something very different, and totally punishable before God. Make up whatever excuse you want for not wanting to believe, it's worthless. The Word says this same thing, which helped Nineveh believe and it is also more than enough for man to believe today: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:18-20. And the Word says this also: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36. If a person truly believes in the Lord, they will do what He says, because many say they believe, but do not do what the Lord commands, beginning with complete repentance, like those of Nineveh did. And not only do we now have creation as a sign that God is God, but the death and resurrection of the Lord as the greatest sign not only of His power, but also, of His love. There is simply no excuse for not being able to believe and obey. So, do you really believe and obey the Lord for salvation, or do you still refuse to believe properly? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.

The Logic Behind Being Clean - Numbers 19

Based on Numbers 19 (New King James Version)

“Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come. You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him; and Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times directly in front of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned. And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer. Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening. And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be unclean until evening. Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of purification; it is for purifying from sin. And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening. It shall be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to the stranger who dwells among them. ‘He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him. ‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days; and every open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean. Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. ‘And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and running water shall be put on them in a vessel. A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, the slain, the dead, or a grave. The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean. ‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. It shall be a perpetual statute for them. He who sprinkles the water of purification shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of purification shall be unclean until evening. Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’ ’ ”

Cleanliness was (and is) something very important to God, and for reasons that should be obvious to us. But, as the saying goes: Common sense is not so common. What we read today explains to us the different care that the people of God had to take within certain circumstances, and the different measures that were necessary to take, not only in obedience to God, but also for the personal and public well-being of the people. Ultimately everything that God teaches is for the good of man, and unfortunately, the vast majority of people do not see it that way. They see what God teaches as an impediment, an obstacle, or as exaggerations in many cases, as things that no longer make any sense because human beings have “evolved” in some way. It should be clear to us that the more human beings believe that they have evolved, the more primitive and uncivilized they have become, and in the most important aspects. Cleanliness in all aspects, both physically and spiritually, is crucial, both to live better in the temporal world and to be ready for the coming judgment where we will all give an account.

Let's think for a moment, do we have to continue killing perfect cows to deal with the purification of our bodies and our homes? Not necessarily. But, there are things that must happen or should be adopted that are part of purity to avoid even physical complications. For example, eating clean foods, whether cleanly grown, cleanly raised, or even cleanly maintained, are good practices to avoid contamination or disease. There are many things that are done to food today that are filthy, or contaminated with things that are unhealthy. Just when you think you are eating something healthy, it may be the total opposite, because unthinkable things have been done to the most incredible things. We must be careful, at least with what is within our control.

But going further, there are things that are still very valid before God, and for our good. For example, this is what the Word says: “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” Acts 15:28-29. We could talk a lot about what is sacrificed to idols, and about blood and about what is strangled, but let's focus on something that even the world itself is very concerned about, something that is very common today: fornication or sexual immorality. Forbes magazine published this article on January 25, 2024, where they said the following: “Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a major public health issue, and the complacency surrounding their prevalence and impact is as infectious as the diseases themselves... The prevalence of STIs has significantly risen in recent years… Currently, one in five adults in the U.S. have an STI. That’s nearly 68 million people, with new infections totaling about $16 billion in direct medical costs. From the rampant spread of chlamydia to the dangerous nature of HIV, these infections know no bounds when it comes to wreaking havoc on our bodies, sometimes leading to expensive long-term health issues. With rising STI rates globally, understanding the reasons behind the increase, the importance of prevention and the cost – both monetary and personal – associated with these infections is more crucial than ever.” Forbes is not a Christian publication, but rather a very secular one. So, is God wrong to teach that fornication and adultery should not be practiced? And looking at it from the spiritual side, the most important one, the practice of sexual immorality affects eternity. Each person, and even Christians, will be held accountable for their actions in God's great judgment, and God will eternally punish everyone who practices such things. Sin will not remain unpunished on earth, but much less in heaven. So, purity is worth a lot, especially spiritual purity. The Lord died on the cross to cleanse us from all our sins. So, how can we continue doing the same things that the Lord cleansed us from, if we are Christians? So, think carefully, am I living a clean life before God, for my own good? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.

The Purpose of Prayer - Luke 22:39-44

Based on Luke 22:39-44 (New King James Version)

“Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation.’ And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.’ Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

The reason for praying or the purpose of prayer is something that the vast majority misunderstand. And I can't blame them much because it is something that is not so clear, not because God wants to make it a mystery, but because of our limited capacity, because of our sin. Sin corrupts everything, especially our way of thinking. One of the main things that God wants to accomplish in our lives is to bring order in every aspect. Sin is disorder. God is order and structure. How should we be able to understand this? Through creation. Even though all things have been affected by sin, there is still an order, the structure that God created. Within all the disorder, there exists an even greater order, a supreme structure in the grand scheme of things.

For example, many people today claim that the universe is the product of a supposed big bang, and that everything evolved from that big bang after millions of millions of years. But that is impossible. Things by themselves cannot take order or form. If you leave a newborn child in the middle of the desert unattended, with nothing to eat or drink, it will certainly die, and it will die horribly. He will not have the ability, nor the knowledge, nor the capacity to learn how to survive on his own. And that is a being that has all the necessary faculties, but not yet developed, because it needs the care of a mother, or at the least, of a person who has already developed and who does have the faculties to be able to help it survive. You may say: “That example is a bit extreme.” Is it exaggerated? Think about what space is like where there is no oxygen, something vital for us as human beings to live. How can beings that cannot even survive in the great void evolve from a supposed great disorder? If evolution made any sense, a newborn child would have better chances of surviving in the middle of a desert totally alone than a primate evolving from the vacuum of space without any oxygen.

So, returning to the issue of prayer (and it has everything to do with order, as we will see later), many people misunderstand the purpose of prayer, and as had been said, because of the sin that exists within our being, in our way of thinking. The vast majority think that prayer is a tool only to ask God for things, and of course, many think that God has an obligation to answer those prayers in the way we think. There are many who think, and even teach that, if one supposedly has enough faith, that God will answer their prayers as they want (and faith is another thing that is greatly misunderstood, but this is a topic for another time). Prayer is a way to communicate our requests to God, but it is not the whole point. That is actually the smallest part of the purpose of prayer. Let's think for a moment. The Lord Jesus Christ, being the only begotten Son of God, who could even raise the dead, could not change the horror of the cross with His prayer. We see in this passage that He asked that, if it were possible, that God Himself would pass this cup of His crucifixion, and it did not happen. The Lord died on the cross. What happened? Didn't He ask with enough faith? Did God the Father ignore His request because He lacked conviction? Impossible. That is why we must be very careful with the aberrations that are taught that have no Biblical basis. So, if God doesn't answer our prayers the way we want, then why pray? Or let's think even more, if God knows everything, and knows even our thoughts, and knows what we need or what we are going to ask before we pray, why pray? And even more, if things are going to happen just the way God wants, what is the point of prayer then? The main point of prayer is to bring our life closer and closer to the will of God through communion with God, because prayer is mainly the way we have to communicate with Him. That is why the Lord Himself when He taught His disciples to pray, He told them that they had to ask that the Father's will be done. He said this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9b-10. We saw this also in today’s passage when He prayed: “…nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” And blessed be God the Father that His will was done through the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, because there was no other way for our salvation to be possible. That is why God the Father did not take away the cup of His own Son, from which He drank so that we would be made free from sin and have the opportunity to have eternal life. The Father did not remove the cup, but He did answer the prayer based on His will. So why did the Lord pray? Because even though He was (and is) the only begotten Son of God, because He was also 100% man, He had to go through the process of bringing His flesh into the order of God. This is what the Word says: “who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.” Hebrews 5:7-9. Absolutely everything must return to the will of God, to the order of God. God is order. The devil and sin are disorder. God is construction and structure. The devil and sin are destruction. God is incorruptible. The devil and sin are corruption. God remains forever immovable, the devil and sin and all who submit to them will be cast in the end into the lake of eternal fire.

This is the great importance of prayer, which is ultimately for our edification, to bring us closer to God, to bring us ever closer to His order, and this suits us, because the only ones who will be saved, the only ones who will obtain the eternal life, the only ones who will receive eternal rewards that only God can grant are those who do His will, as it is written: “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.” Matthew 7:21. I know and understand that many times the will of God is not easy for our carnality, and that it is difficult for us to walk with the Lord when we see that our prayers are not answered as we would like, even when we think that we are asking for His will, but It is necessary to understand that prayer is to bring us back to the order that we so need, because there is eternal life only in His will. Therefore, we should be encouraged as the Word says: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2. Pray for His will in your life, even if it is difficult for you (because it is not easy), because that will save you. So, what do you pray for? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.

God Judges the Nations - Ezekiel 32:1-16

Based on Ezekiel 32:1-16 (New King James Version)

“And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him: ‘You are like a young lion among the nations, and you are like a monster in the seas, bursting forth in your rivers, troubling the waters with your feet, and fouling their rivers. ‘Thus says the Lord God: ‘I will therefore spread My net over you with a company of many people, and they will draw you up in My net. Then I will leave you on the land; I will cast you out on the open fields, and cause to settle on you all the birds of the heavens. And with you I will fill the beasts of the whole earth. I will lay your flesh on the mountains, and fill the valleys with your carcass. ‘I will also water the land with the flow of your blood, even to the mountains; and the riverbeds will be full of you. When I put out your light, I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights of the heavens I will make dark over you, and bring darkness upon your land,’ says the Lord God. ‘I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries which you have not known. Yes, I will make many peoples astonished at you, and their kings shall be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; and they shall tremble every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall. ‘For thus says the Lord God: ‘The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you. By the swords of the mighty warriors, all of them the most terrible of the nations, I will cause your multitude to fall. ‘They shall plunder the pomp of Egypt, and all its multitude shall be destroyed. Also I will destroy all its animals from beside its great waters; the foot of man shall muddy them no more, nor shall the hooves of animals muddy them. Then I will make their waters clear, and make their rivers run like oil,’ says the Lord God. ‘When I make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country is destitute of all that once filled it, when I strike all who dwell in it, then they shall know that I am the Lord. ‘This is the lamentation with which they shall lament her; the daughters of the nations shall lament her; they shall lament for her, for Egypt, and for all her multitude,’ says the Lord God.’”

In the year 605 BC, this prophecy against Egypt was fulfilled, something that was believed to be impossible to happen. At that time, the Egyptian kingdom had risen again and strengthened itself into a nation of great power, thought to be something that could not be shaken. However, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon completely destroyed the Egyptian army in the battle of Carchemish. And in this battle, not only did Egypt fall, but Babylon destroyed the Assyrian empire, and in such a way that the Assyrian empire completely disappeared after this battle. One should ask, “Why did God pronounce and come to make this great judgment against the nation of Egypt a reality?”

The serious problem for which God judged Egypt was because of its rebellion, its pride. Despite knowing God, and as a nation having seen the greatness of the Most High, they decided not to humble themselves before the God of heaven, but grew and became stronger only to challenge Him. And God could no longer bear their arrogance, and shamefully broke them and the one who accompanied them. God gave such power and strength to King Nebuchadnezzar that he used it to break the pride of Egypt completely.

The problem arises when a nation or a person knows the truth of God, and rebels against it, because God has great mercy on those who ignore His Truth. God does have mercy when there is genuine ignorance, when His Truth is completely unknown. We see this clearly in the Word when the Apostle Paul explains it based on his own ignorance, as he says: “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 1:12-14. But the Word also says this: “Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” Acts 17:29-31.

Now, when the truth is known, there is no excuse left. And the great truth that is known today is that there is an Almighty God, and that He, by His good will and grace, sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for the sins of humanity. If the knowledge of the law of Moses brought judgment on every nation and human being before, how much more will it not bring knowing the goodness of God and despising it? As it is written: “Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews 10:28-29. Who today does not know the meaning of the cross of Christ? Billions of people today know well the story of the cross, and how Jesus Christ died for all of us. And if so, and God judged Egypt for things less than the cross of Christ, what do you think awaits this world and its nations today? Will God overlook the rebellion that exists today against His person, and against the cross of Christ? This is what the Word says: “For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.” 2 Peter 2:21.

What can be done to escape God’s coming wrath? This is what His Word counsels us: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:6-7. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before.” Acts 3:19-20. The Lord is still leaving the door open today for repentance and conversion. The dispensation of God's grace through Jesus Christ still extends to this day. My best advice is not to ignore this opportunity. To you who know the Truth of God, stop despising Him or trying to use Him for your convenience. Seek the Lord while there is time because tomorrow may be too late. Serve Him as the Lord that He is so that you may not only obtain His forgiveness, but also His eternal life. There is life only in one Being, in the Lord Jesus Christ. Look for Him and follow Him as such. So, will you decide to suffer God's eternal judgment for continuing in your rebellion, or will you embrace the life that only the Lord can give? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.

The Difference Between Believing and Receiving - John 8:21-47

Based on John 8:21-47 (New King James Version)

“Then Jesus said to them again, ‘I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.’ So the Jews said, ‘Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?’ And He said to them, ‘You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.’ Then they said to Him, ‘Who are You?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.’ They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, ‘When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.’ As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. ‘I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.’ They answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father.’ Then they said to Him, ‘We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

In order to have a true relationship with the Lord, our faith must go beyond just believing if a person truly wants to obtain God's forgiveness and salvation. It is a mistake to think that one should just believe in the Lord, and that based on that, one can obtain eternal life. As we could see in this passage, there were many of the Jews who came to believe in Him, as the Scripture says: “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him…” But they had serious problems, because the Scriptures say that they even wanted to kill Him. How can it be that they believed in Him, and yet, that they wanted to kill Him at the same time?

The issue with just believing in the Lord is that it does not mean that they accept Him as such. They came to believe in Him because His miracles were undeniable. They could not deny certain realities because they were palpable and obvious. So, it was impossible not to believe in Him. Could these Jews deny all the miracles He had done, such things that they saw with their own eyes, even raising Lazarus before all the people after he had been dead for four days? No. So, yes, they could very easily come to believe in Him. But, because a person believed in the ability that the Lord had, it did not mean that they accepted or received Him, and that is the problem. For example, the Word says this: “But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” James 2:18-20. So, just because demons believe in God, does that mean that belief saves them from their eternal sentence? Impossible. Why? For the same prior reason, because the power of God is undeniable, but not being able to deny the greatness of God does not save anyone.

So, what should be the difference? How does one go above and beyond in order to obtain much-needed forgiveness and salvation? A person must not only believe in Christ, but should have such faith in Him that that faith compels them to complete obedience and subjection to the Lord. They must receive the Lord, as it is written: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12. And what does God command each person to do, without exception? There are three fundamental things that must happen: 1) complete repentance and conversion from all sin, without reservations, without exceptions, 2) accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your literal Lord, as the supreme authority in your life, and 3) follow that Lord as He is, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. The Word also says this: “…and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” John 13:20b. And what does receiving Him consist of? The Word also tells us this: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.’ These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can understand it?’ When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, ‘Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, ‘Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.’ From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” John 6:53-66. Eating His flesh and drinking His blood means to become one with the Lord, and in such a way that a person lets the fulness of His Word enter and do whatever It needs to do, no matter what, at whatever cost, without reservations or impediments. This is the great difference between believing in Him and receiving Him. So then, have you not only come to believe in Christ, but also become one with Him? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.

Apostasy - Deuteronomy 13

Based on Deuteronomy 13 (New King James Version)

“‘If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst. ‘If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, of the gods of the people which are all around you, near to you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth, you shall not consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him; but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. And you shall stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to entice you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. So all Israel shall hear and fear, and not again do such wickedness as this among you. ‘If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the Lord your God gives you to dwell in, saying, ‘Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’ ’—which you have not known—then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination was committed among you, you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it, all that is in it and its livestock—with the edge of the sword. And you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of the street, and completely burn with fire the city and all its plunder, for the Lord your God. It shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again. So none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand, that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy, have compassion on you and multiply you, just as He swore to your fathers, because you have listened to the voice of the Lord your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you today, to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God.”

For many, this passage must seem very harsh, or that the measures are very strict, that there is simply zero tolerance. And yes, you can say that. In the Lord there is really no tolerance for any deviation, there was none before, nor is there today. Now, are we to kill people today as He commanded, to kill even loved ones or entire cities for their apostasy? No. Today we live in what the Word calls the dispensation of God's grace, which means that God now gives the opportunity through the Lord Jesus Christ for everyone to repent of their sins, and for the penalty of death to come when God decides in His full decision, and not as He stipulated in his Word before Christ came. But we must understand this matter of apostasy or deviation from God so that it is not committed, because God will eternally punish a person if they depart from Him to follow other things.

Let's begin to look at this issue of apostasy or deviation so we can understand why it is so serious. The truth is that God does not punish deviation as by virtue of designating something as bad and for that reason it is punished. The truth or reality is that there is life only in one thing, or rather, in one Person, in the Lord, and if a person turns away from the Lord, deviating from the very straight and exact path towards Him, the natural consequence of that deviation is death. There is life, light, and eternity only in one person in the entire universe, in the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why He Himself said, proclaiming a reality, not a desire or an illusion of grandeur, but an irrefutable truth: “…‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6. So, turning away from the Lord brings eternal death as a natural consequence, and that is a person's decision, it is not something that neither God forces on someone, nor can the devil and all his hosts force this on a person. This is choice. And that is why there is such a thing as the final judgment before God, even during this time of the dispensation of God's grace. Apostasy continues to have the same consequence as before, eternal death.

Now, you may say: I can understand why God punished apostasy so harshly, because the people turned away to follow other gods. And yes, they would be right to think that. But, let's look even further at what apostasy really is, and this will surprise many people, because apostasy involves much more than foreign and strange gods. There are many times that we associate apostasy with obvious things, but we overlook the not-so-obvious things. Apostasy or deviation is preached and taught throughout society today, and be careful, in the vast majority of our churches as well. And there may be certain congregations that don’t teach apostasy, but just as bad, they live in apostasy. The vast majority today live in apostasy, and if they do not repent, they will die eternally in that apostasy. In order to understand what apostasy is, you have to go to the truth, to the path that leads to God, so then you can be able to see the apostasy, the deviation. The only way to be saved consists of three very fundamental things: complete repentance and conversion from all sins (not just some sins), literally recognizing and accepting Jesus as Lord (and not just as savior, or anything else), and to live that reality, to follow the Lord, to live for that Lord. This is the way to salvation, to eternal life. If there is any deviation in any of these three things, that is where the deviation occurs. So, if a person tells you that you only need to believe in Christ, and do nothing else to be saved, that is apostasy. If they tell you that you don't need to do anything else after accepting Christ, since we are not saved by works, that is apostasy. If a person tells you that God exists to fulfill your desires and help you achieve your goals, that is apostasy. If a person tells you that you do not need to serve the Lord, but that your faith is what saves you, that is apostasy. Anything that goes outside the line of repentance and conversion of sins, of the Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of living for that Lord, is simply apostasy, and that deviation will lead the person to eternal perdition if they do not repent in time. This is what the Word says: “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” Romans 14:7-9. Looking at things that way, can you see how apostasy is everywhere? So, the path to God the Father is simple and very exact. Therefore, for your own good, you must ask yourself this very simple question: Do I live for the Lord, to do His will, or do I live for myself, to fulfill my will, or for other things or people? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.

Aligning Ourselves with the Lord - Psalm 20

Based on Psalm 20 (New King James Version)

“May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you; may He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; may He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah. May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose. We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright. Save, Lord! May the King answer us when we call.”

I think we would all like for God to hear our prayers and to grant us our requests. And the good news is that it is possible for Him to hear our prayers and respond to our supplications. But we must align ourselves with the Lord. It is necessary to put our lives in order before the Lord so that He listens and works in our favor. The Lord is not a cosmic genie who is there to grant wishes and fulfill desires. Our relationship with God must be much more than that so that we can obtain what we really need, or else we will have serious and eternal problems in the not-too-distant future.

The first thing we must make sure of is that God is the One who answers our prayer, and for good. And with this there is a lot to consider. One of the key things is to understand that there is a much bigger world than the one we see, and that world is much more important and affects everything we see in the present. This is what the Word says: Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses… Hebrews 12:1a. Who are these witnesses? It is God, to begin with, and the most important witness, but there are also the heavenly hosts. But unfortunately, there is also the devil and his demons. We are not alone, not even when we are in a dark room with the door closed. We always have something or someone around us. And the serious problem with that is that everyone is listening to what we say, and this can be for better or for worse. What is the importance with all of this? That when we pray, there are beings who are listening, and depending on how we are spiritually, that is the way our requests can be answered. There are many prayers that may be answered, but be careful, it is not always God who answers them, and that is a very serious problem. The devil also answers requests and has the power to do many things in this world like the prince he is of all of this, and what's more, he will do anything within his power to keep a person following the wrong path to their perdition. Neither answered prayers nor apparent blessings are indicators that God is working on our behalf, but rather the opposite can be true. We read this in the Word when the Lord Himself was tempted by the devil: “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’” Matthew 4:8-9. The devil can give much, grant much, as long as a person remains on a direct course to their destruction. When you come to understand the nature of something, then you can understand what it is capable of. The enemy is all evil, and wants all humanity to be lost, and will do anything to make sure that happens. That's why you have to be very careful.

Some may say: “As long as my prayers are answered, I don't care who answers them.” And this would be a very foolish way of thinking, but unfortunately, this is a very common problem. The vast majority of people are so concerned with the present world that they live in such a way that they will have absolutely nothing in the world to come, in the eternal. They are so focused on this world that they will be lost in eternity. And unfortunately, many so-called Christians have this same feeling, because they seek God only so that He can serve them (as if it were possible). This is what the Word says: “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.” Matthew 16:25-27. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people sacrifice their souls for very small and fleeting things, such as not wanting to let go of sin. They prefer to continue in their fornications, and adulteries, and sexual deviations, and in so many other things, than to turn from all that in order to save their soul in eternity. Many people value having possessions more than having eternal life. The majority of people want to get to heaven, but without letting go of sin and the things of the world. And even more, they want God to serve them, yet maintain a very bad mentality before Him. So, many prayers could be answered, but as we established before, it may not be God who is answering. And the worst of all is that, if they continue in their folly, they could manage to have many things in the present, but they will be lost eternally. There will be no salvation for them, even if they proclaim to believe in God. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven…” Matthew 7:21a.  

So, how is it that God can answer our requests, and without us having to worry that there are evil forces involved? This is what the Word says: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.’” John 15:1-8. And here is a great example of answered prayer, as it is written: “Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:12-14. God heard Solomon's prayer, but when his heart was right before God. God did great wonders, but when there was unconditional obedience. Because the sad thing about the matter is that Salomon started very well, but ended very badly, by letting himself be carried away precisely by his disobedience. It is necessary to remain in the Lord so that God answers our requests, but even more importantly, so that we can obtain eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ. So, is your life aligned with the Lord, for your own good? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.

The Ark of the Covenant - Exodus 37:1-9

Based on Exodus 37:1-9 (New King James Version)

“Then Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits was its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold all around it. And he cast for it four rings of gold to be set in its four corners: two rings on one side, and two rings on the other side of it. He made poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold. And he put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. He also made the mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits was its length and a cubit and a half its width. He made two cherubim of beaten gold; he made them of one piece at the two ends of the mercy seat: one cherub at one end on this side, and the other cherub at the other end on that side. He made the cherubim at the two ends of one piece with the mercy seat. The cherubim spread out their wings above, and covered the mercy seat with their wings. They faced one another; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.”

The ark of the covenant and everything that composed it has a lot of meaning, and one could explore for some time the meaning of its materials, how it was made, and why it had the design and elements it had. In any case, and at first glance, so to speak, it was a fascinating object with incomparable value and craftsmanship, which had never existed before. It is believed to have been lost in approximately 586BC, when Babylon invaded Israel. Since then, there has been a lot of speculation of its whereabouts, but nothing has ever been known for certain. It remains lost to this day.

The ark fulfilled two fundamental things: to contain the stone tablets of the ten commandments, Aaron's rod, and a portion of the manna that Israel received in the desert. And the other was that it was the main way in which God's presence was manifested at that time and where He spoke to His people. In order to understand the true value of the ark, you must understand its functions. The ten commandments, Aaron's rod, and manna were part of the old covenant that God made with Israel. The old covenant was that God, by His grace, and out of love for Abraham His friend, would miraculously free Abraham's descendants from the hands of the Egyptians, who used them as slaves to build their great buildings and cities. God did His great deeds and miracles through Aaron's rod. And later, when the people of Israel were delivered from Egypt and began to cross the desert, God miraculously fed them in the middle of the desert with manna from heaven. And then, He took them to Mount Sinai where He would give them His Word, which would serve as a covenant between God and His people. This was the fundamental symbolism of its content.

And to continue explaining its functions, and the covenant that it established, when the tabernacle was made, God gave ordinances as part of the covenant to His people, so that if they fulfilled the conditions prescribed in the Law of Moses (which God also gave to His people), He would speak to them from this ark of the covenant. And God did it that way. He spoke to His people from the mercy seat. So, clearly we see in this covenant a deliverance by grace, and sustaining by grace, instruction by grace, and a way of communicating when fulfilling what God has prescribed.

Now, why was the ark lost? The answer is, because of Israel's constant sin and rebellion. Israel abused God's mercy for a long time. And God constantly sent His prophets to warn them of the evil that would come if they persisted in their sin, in their rebellion, in short, in their idolatry and spiritual adultery, trying to be right with God and with idols and demons, doing hateful things. before God, and also, humanly speaking, sacrificing even their children to other gods. And because of Israel's constant sin, God allowed their enemies, the Babylonians, to completely devastate Israel and Judah, thus destroying Jerusalem and the temple, where Nebuchadnezzar would take the ark and all the sacred things of the temple. And from there, it was no longer known what happened to the ark. And so, the ark was lost due to the constant and continuous sin of the people.

What do we have today since the ark has been lost? Only by the grace of God, and through faith, do we have a new covenant through the only begotten Son of God, through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our new ark of the covenant, based on the same principles of the old covenant. The old covenant was started by God with man, through Abraham. God spoke to Abraham, and Abraham believed God. That is the foundation of the old covenant, which later materialized over time through this ark of the covenant that we saw before. But now, and only by the grace of God (just as before), God the Father has given us a part of himself, because the Lord Jesus Christ is part of the Holy Trinity (He is God), as the eternal covenant, because the Covenant no longer consists of material things such as tablets of stone, or a rod, or manna, and even less of an ark made of wood with gold, but of the eternal person of God himself. That is why it is written: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6. The Lord Jesus Christ is the new and eternal covenant of God.

Now, for a covenant to be fulfilled, there must be two parties. It is impossible for a person to make a pact with themselves, because otherwise it is not a pact. And for an agreement to be fulfilled, there must be conditions that both parties meet. In the past, God made a covenant with man through faith but without His personal materialization, and it was mostly with the people of Israel. And I say mostly with Israel because there were men who did not belong to the people of Israel who did find the grace of God through faith, like Nebuchadnezzar, whom God called His servant. Nebuchadnezzar did remove his idols from before God and recognized the Most High God before all his kingdom, and proclaimed Him as his God. But that old covenant was broken by man, due to his rebellion against God. God more than did His part, but the people failed God. That is why God, by His grace, made a new covenant, and this time, through His own person, and made a blood covenant, because God shed His blood on the cross of Calvary for the salvation of man. But, for this covenant that is now in place to continue in each of us, what must happen? What is our part since God, as always, has already done more than what was required? We must repent and convert from all our sins and make the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives, literally, effectively, and completely (without reservation), and thus do His will. But, if a person practices sin and God finds them in that when He comes for them, just as the people of Israel did, that person is the one who breaks the covenant. In contrast, if we take up our cross daily to follow the Lord and to do the will of the Father, the covenant is eternally ratified, and we will receive eternal life with all its rewards, according to our works, which are only valid if our faith is the root of them. That is how we fulfill our part of the covenant. So, do you live as if you have a covenant with God for eternal life? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.

God’s Righteous Judgment - Romans 2

Based on Romans 2 (New King James Version)

“Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For ‘the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,’ as it is written. For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”

There is no doubt that God does care about everything we do, and that a judgment is coming where He will bring all our works to the light, without exception. And not only that, but He will bring to light the most important thing, the intention of each heart, which will be revealed on that great and terrible day. This is what the Word says: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:9-10. And God will make no exceptions, but both Jew and Gentile, every human being will be judged by their deeds.

So, what can be said with what we just read? We should be able to understand that it is necessary that each of us needs to be transformed entirely, starting with the most intimate part of our being, and that such transformation must yield a visible and tangible product for both God and for men. Nothing is gained if a person claims to have faith in the Lord if he does not do the will of God visibly. And also, nothing is gained if a person does things that appear to be good if the intention of their heart is not right before the Lord. We can conclude that we will be justified before God in the coming judgment if we have genuine faith in the Lord Jesus and good works as a product of that faith.

How does a person come to be able to have genuine faith that produces the fruit that God seeks? It all starts with not just believing in God but believing God, believing what He says in His Word. This is what the Lord Himself said: “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” Mark 1:14-15. So, what did He say first in His message? Repent. When faith first begins, there must be complete repentance and conversion from sins. Without this there can be neither forgiveness of sins, nor far less, eternal life. And this is where the vast majority find their biggest impediment. The vast majority have serious problems with repentance and conversion. The vast majority either do not wish to repent and convert, or only repent and convert from certain things, but not from all. Many feel guilty only for certain things, but they choose to not see other things as sin. And that stops God's forgiveness, because it is written: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before.” Acts 3:19-20. And what is the worst that happens when people refuse to accept sin as such, especially to be able to start a genuine faith with Christ? They do the unjustifiable because they put God as a liar, as also the Word says: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10. So, can a person find forgiveness if they insult the Holy Spirit when He brings conviction of sins, and instead of acknowledging a fact, they make God a liar? Can there be salvation if a person resists the Holy Spirit and insults Almighty God? No.

And what must follow this genuine repentance and conversion is leaving behind the old master, sin, and submitting to a new master and Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. A person must fully let go of all ties to the past, to which they were previously subject to, and unite and submit to the Lord God, the only One who can give us forgiveness, eternal life, salvation, and eternal rewards. That is why He has to be more than a prophet, more than a teacher, more than a Savior in our lives. He must be Lord, literally and effectively, so that we can do His will, which without that, no one will be able to enter the kingdom of God, as it is written: “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.” Matthew 7:21. These are the things that must happen in a person so that they can begin the eternal journey that God has called everyone to take, first the Jew, and then the Gentiles, so that through the Lord Jesus Christ there is only one lineage that reigns with Him. So, are you preparing for the final judgment? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.

God’s Order - 1 Corinthians 7:17-24

Based on 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 (New King James Version)

“But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches. Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24 Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.”

There are many people who are confused by this passage and believe that this means that when a person comes to Christ, that they must forget about the past life and remain as they are. And yes, God forgives our sins as the Scriptures say, but God also teaches through the Scriptures that in order to receive forgiveness, many things must happen for that to happen. That is, faith must always be accompanied by work so that God can see that it is genuine. Otherwise, faith and good intentions are useless if there is no tangible product.

For example, what would have become of us if God only told us that He loves us, but had not sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross? And, what would have become of us if the Lord had only told the Father that he loved Him and had not fulfilled the sacrifice of the cross? We wouldn't have any hope. But blessed be God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ for all eternity that His Word is not a hollow and empty thing, full of false promises, but rather they fulfilled all things, and demonstrated them by Their deeds. God and the Son demonstrated Their love with irrefutable facts. So, can we say that faith alone, without works, is sufficient for the forgiveness of sins and salvation? No!

According to the Word of God (as we will see next), the teaching is very clear that there must be genuine repentance and conversion that not only consists of words, but of actions that demonstrate to God our repentance and conversion. And this affects both one's past life, before coming to Christ, and also, after coming to Christ. For example, the Word says this: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. ‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:16-18. It is very clear here that we must seek judgment and restore the injured party. This means that, in seeking God's judgment, we must undo the damage we have done. That means doing justice. As part of conversion, a person must not only ask God for forgiveness, but must also try to repair the damage done, however possible. This is what true repentance and conversion consist of so that God can truly forgive. This is God's condition to be able to achieve His forgiveness. Of course, we cannot do this alone, but the work of restitution must be done as a fruit of the fact that we have given our lives to the Lord and seek to do His will. It is not about doing things alone, on our own, because those works do not save. John the Baptist also spoke about this when he preached about repentance: “Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’ So the people asked him, saying, ‘What shall we do then?’ He answered and said to them, ‘He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.’ Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than what is appointed for you.’ Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, ‘And what shall we do?’ So he said to them, ‘Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.’” Luke 3:7-14. So, we see clearly that the fruits worthy of repentance are about undoing or restoring the damage and about beginning to establish God's order in a person's life, that a person must begin to do the will of God, beginning with dealing with their neighbor. So, is there any room left to believe that when we come to Christ, that we do not owe anything to anyone, and even hide our past so that no one knows what we did (as many do), if God demands reparations and justice from us? Should we remain in the condition as when we came to Christ? No! We see, for example, this testimony of Zacchaeus in the Word, which further establishes this point of order that God establishes, as it is written: “Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’ So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, ‘He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.’ Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.’” Luke 19:1-10. When did the Lord say that salvation had come to the house of Zacchaeus? When He entered the house? No. It was when Zacchaeus proclaimed that he would give half of his assets to the poor and that he would repay fourfold to anyone he had defrauded.

And finally, the Lord does not want our offering until we fix the problems we created. And this applies to our past life, the present, and forever, as it is written: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.” Matthew 5:21-26. So then, are you living in God’s order, or doing things your way? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.

We Will Not Escape God’s Judgment - Judges 17

Based on Judges 17 (New King James Version)

“Now there was a man from the mountains of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. And he said to his mother, ‘The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you, and on which you put a curse, even saying it in my ears—here is the silver with me; I took it.’ And his mother said, ‘May you be blessed by the Lord, my son!’ So when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, ‘I had wholly dedicated the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son, to make a carved image and a molded image; now therefore, I will return it to you.’ Thus he returned the silver to his mother. Then his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a molded image; and they were in the house of Micah. The man Micah had a shrine, and made an ephod and household idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; he was a Levite, and was staying there. The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place. Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. And Micah said to him, ‘Where do you come from?’ So he said to him, ‘I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am on my way to find a place to stay.’ Micah said to him, ‘Dwell with me, and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your sustenance.’ So the Levite went in. Then the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man became like one of his sons to him. So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and lived in the house of Micah. Then Micah said, ‘Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!’”

We see through this passage that history has a great tendency to repeat itself, and unfortunately, not for the better. We read here of a family of the people of Israel who did things as they wanted, and they did them wrong because they insulted God with their actions. And to make matters worse, they thought that God would prosper them for all the things they did wrong. This happens today commonly. The vast majority of our churches follow and teach things that have nothing to do with what the Bible teaches, even though they use the Scriptures to support their evil and incomplete teachings, just as the Word said it would happen in these end times. It seems as if what they teach is the truth, but it is far from the truth. Many false prophets and teachers exist today in different places, teaching blasphemous things that are very attractive to the masses. But can that be any mystery if the devil himself tried to tempt the Lord Jesus Christ in the same way when He was here on earth, using the Word of God for evil? What is the worst issue that the vast majority of so-called believers today have with their doctrine? They do not believe that they will be held accountable in God's great judgment. The Word of God is very clear on this issue in that both the unbeliever and the believer, each of us will give an account and be judged by our deeds, without exception.

Another serious mistake that the vast majority make is to think that they have God's favor because things seem to be going well for them. They take the good things that happen to them as a reward and blessing from God, as if God is rewarding their disobedience. We read today about Micah’s family and that everything seemed to be going well for them, because we read that they were even rich, spending large sums of money on precisely things that were abominable to God. The same thing happens today. Many believe that they have God's favor by seeing that their wishes fulfilled and their prayers supposedly being answered. But momentary well-being is no indicator of spiritual well-being. And this leads us to another serious evil related to this, that the vast majority think that their opinion dictates reality, and that God is subject to what they think. The universe does not revolve around us, but rather, around God. Therefore, we must genuinely seek His will to be ready for the coming judgment.  

The Word of God says this regarding the coming judgment: “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:9-10. The Apostle Paul is the one that wrote this, and he includes himself in such a judgment. So then, this notion that us believers will not give an account for the good and bad we do is completely false. This also the Word says regarding God’s judgment upon His people: “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:26-31. And what is the standard that God will use to judge us? It is written: “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. 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?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23. If a person does not fear God, and does not seek to do God’s will, even though they may perform miracles and wonders, they will not enter God’s kingdom. And it’s not just about doing what is good before God, but also, about doing it with the right heart before Him that sees and knows everything.

And finally, God will never reward the useless, those that do not do His will, no matter if they believe they are His children or even His servant, for it is written: “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.’ ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 25:26-30. Am I saying that to be saved one has to have works? Absolutely, yes. Because faith without works is dead. And in the same way, there is no salvation for those who do not legitimately seek to do the will of God, without exception. Faith cannot save the person who does not seek God’s will. And in the final judgment God will weigh all our actions, whether good or bad. It's never too late to turn to God, but do it now, if you need to. So, are you looking to do your will or do God's will? What will God see when he reviews your entire life before His presence and before all His hosts? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.

The Lord’s Mercy - Psalm 103

Based on Psalm 103 (New King James Version)

“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them. The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!”

We all have many things to thank God for, although many may think that this is not the case. Before we begin to see all that we do owe Him, we must begin to understand something very fundamental, and that is God's position and our position. God owes us absolutely nothing by virtue of being God, the highest and most powerful Being in the entire universe. There is nothing and no one who can demand from God, or hold Him accountable for anything, or anything like that. He is completely sovereign. So, understanding that principle, we should be able to understand that everything He gives us is by grace, that is, as a gift, because that is what God does. He gives everything by His grace and mercy.

Having said this, then, what do we owe Him (because although something is a gift, or given by grace, it was finally given and becomes debt)? So, we can start with this, that we are beings created and made by God. We would not exist if one day God hadn’t decided to create man. And every human being after that creation that is born is because God allowed it, regardless of whatever the situation may be. God allowed a being to exist. That is why abortion is such a great sin, because if God allowed that being to have life, even within the womb, it is a living being, a being that God wanted to bring into the world. Every being exists and lives because God allows it, just as you and I exist at this very moment, because God allowed us to exist. This is what the Word says: “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13. So, each of us owes our existence to him. You exist because God by His grace allowed it.

In conjunction with existence, we owe God our every day, because He is the One who allows us to continue living. Nothing in the universe remains in existence without the will of God. This is what the Word says: “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16-17. All things, even you and I, subsist by the grace of God. Science can try to explain things in a practical manner what happens in each of us, but the only thing that science can try to do is to explain, but the matter of existing, of being responsible for the action of subsistence, is God's and not science or even ourselves. God is the one who allows your brain to function and make your involuntary actions happen, the breathing of your lungs, the beating of your heart, blood to flow through your arteries and veins, food to be digested, so many things that happen in each of us without us doing it consciously, everything that happens by the grace and mercy of God. And we are dealing with the things that happen within us. Think about everything that happens outside of us that also allows us to subsist, such as the cosmos, the position of the planets in our solar system, the air, the rain, the sun, so many things that must happen for us to exist that none of us can control. What would happen if God allowed an asteroid to hit our planet? What would happen if gravity suddenly stopped working? What if it never rained again? What could we do about it? Nothing. And what happens when a person's heart simply stops working? Everything subsists by the grace and mercy of God, because again, God owes us nothing.

And finally, what is the grace or mercy that we mostly owe to God (because existing and subsisting here and now has no real value if one day everything ends for a person)? The opportunity for salvation, what God did through His Christ on the cross at Calvary. Greater grace and mercy does not exist, because we all deserve to die eternally for our sins, for it is written: “For the wages of sin is death…” Romans 6:23a. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. Someone may say: “It sounds harsh that we have to die eternally for our sins.” Let us think for a moment about the injustice that is committed against God. We established everything that God gives us daily, and not only is He not appreciated, but everything is used for evil, to offend him, not to acknowledge or thank Him as such. Is it fair that human beings return evil to God for all the good He does? No! Therefore, sinning, whether a little or a lot, deserves eternal punishment because it offends the eternal God. But blessed be God who is very merciful, as it is written: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” Titus 2:11. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17. If it were not for God, we would have no hope. But He gives us the opportunity for salvation through His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This life and everything we have in it is a gift, but nothing compares to the gift of eternal life, nor does our best or worst day here and now compare to the eternal life that awaits all of us who choose to love and fear Him because that is how you legitimately obtain God's mercy. So, do you understand and appreciate His mercy, which He has made freely available to you? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.

The Promise of Rest - Hebrews 4:1-13

Based on Hebrews 4:1-13 (New King James Version)

“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: ‘So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ’ although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all His works’; and again in this place: ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, ‘Today,’ after such a long time, as it has been said: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.’ For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

If we read this passage well, and of course, supported by so many other places in the Scriptures, we would understand that free will and the capacity for faith exists in every human being. These things come with every human being as part of our likeness to the Almighty, as His creation. Each person, even children, have the ability to choose and have faith. And as such, the things of God are also that simple. Because God himself said that we had to become like children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.

You may ask: What does faith and free will have to do with the promise of rest we read at the beginning? Everything! We read that both the disciples of the Lord, and the people who preceded the disciples, before the Lord came to be born on this earth, and now we, have all been exposed to the Lord, and that there is rest in genuine faith in the Lord. From the beginning there has been that opportunity, since Adam and Eve, when the Lord covered their nakedness by making the first sacrifice for atonement of sins. Enoch walked with God, and in such a way that one day, God took him with Him physically. Noah condemned the entire world with his faith, because he believed God. What can we say about Abraham, the father of our faith? And what about David, from where God Himself was going to bring forth His Messiah, because he had to be the Son of David? And of course, we have all the apostles and the disciples who were with the Lord, and all those who followed them later, who are no longer here in this world, but are waiting for that great day when all of us who love the Lord will enter into His eternal rest. Everyone used their free will to choose to put their faith fully in the One who reigns for all eternity. And many of them chose to believe in such a way that, although they did not see the wonders of God in their lives, they considered it more worthy to die for faith in Christ than to deny such faith and preserve their own lives, as it is written: “Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” Hebrews 10:36-40. But unfortunately, we also read that there were (and will be) those who will not attain such rest from God because, although they received the Word, there was no faith, and that did not happen because they lacked the aptitudes, per say, but because they chose not to believe. Being able to attain the rest of God has everything to do with free will and faith.

Now then, what is this rest that God offers? The Word says this: “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’” Revelation 21:1-5. The place that God has prepared for those who love Him has nothing to do with sleeping for an eternity. The dead in Christ sleep at the moment, but one day they will be awakened so that all together, those of us who are still alive and those who died before, we will all be judged, and those whom God considers worthy to enter His kingdom, those are the ones who will enter in His eternal rest. And the rest that the passage speaks of consists of rest from sin and everything that sin brings—sadness, illness, pain, loneliness, in short, even death. God is going to end all evil someday, possibly not too far from today, and we will live eternally and forever with Him, in a unique and eternal kingdom, and most important of all, where sin will no longer exist.

So, what must be done to enter that eternal rest, the kingdom of God? We must use our free will to put our complete and total faith in the Lord, and esteem the Lord more than our own lives, because He is worth it, He is worthy of that and much more. And faith consists not of words, but of works, of service, of dedication, of sacrifice, all the things that are subject to our free will. That's why the Word says: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5. God is not going to let people who do not seek to do His will enter into His kingdom, into His rest. Why? Because what awaits us is too great. The promise is something that goes far beyond our ability to understand. And if we cannot be faithful to Him here and now, in the little, how can we receive things much greater than these? As the Word says: “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” Luke 16:10-11. The promise of eternal rest in God has much more value than anything we can have here, and it surpasses any difficulty we are experiencing at this moment (because this world is a moment compared to the infinity of eternity). So, do you choose to value more what God has in store for those who love Him in eternity than this temporary and imperfect world? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.

Order and Obedience - 2 Samuel 2:1

Based on 2 Samuel 2:1 (New King James Version)

“It happened after this that David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?’ And the Lord said to him, ‘Go up.’ David said, ‘Where shall I go up?’ And He said, “To Hebron.”

Can God speak to us today as He spoke to David? And the answer is: Yes. What's more, God is speaking personally to each of us all the time, from sunrise to sunset, all night long, and sometimes even in our dreams. God is always speaking to us and through different things and people. Right now, at this very moment, it is not I who speaks through these thoughts, but it is part of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through me as God is speaking to you at this very moment. God always speaks to us.

So, some may ask, “Why do I feel like He doesn't talk to me?” Or, “I am left without understanding how God speaks to me.” The problem is not that God does not speak to us, because we have already established that He does so at every moment. The issue is that, if a person does not realize that God is speaking to them, then the issue is not with God, but rather, the fault lies with the person not being able to listen or pay attention to God. That is rather the problem of why the vast majority of people cannot hear God, because they are not paying attention to Him, but, above all, because their life is not in order with the Lord. When a person does not have their life in order before God, God may simply be speaking to them every moment, but they will not hear or perceive when He does so. That's the problem. The problem is never the Lord. The problem always lies in man, because of sin, for not having their life in order before God.

Now, how is it that David could even have dialogue with God? If we look at David's life, especially in his best moments, David had his life in order before the Lord. That's why this could happen, because God obviously spoke to him, but the dynamic was different. God spoke at every moment, but David sought that communion with God, to the point of asking him what to do and not do. What does this teach us? The first thing is that David had established a relationship with the Lord. Not only did David believe in the Lord, but he sought Him, and through that search, he obeyed God. What there was in David's life were two things that were based on faith, and another one that is vital as the root. The two things were: order and obedience, and it must have that priority, that is, order first and then obedience.

What does the order consist of? The first is to recognize the Lord as such, and for this you do not need to be perfect, because David was never perfect, in the sense that he committed sins. He was a sinner. But that should give us a lot of hope, because none of us are perfect, or without sin. So, we can establish that being free of sin is not a requirement to be able to have communion with God. And there we begin to see the wonderful grace of God. But let's delve into the order. The order in our lives consists of not only recognizing the Lord, but of putting our lives in the order that He desires. Therefore, He must be more than Savior in our lives, He must be Lord. That's what it means to recognize Him for what He is. It must go far beyond simple words. It must be something that practically and literally happens in our lives. And that can only happen with something very precise, with total repentance and conversion of sins. That is part of the first step to establishing order. God allows us to approach Him as we are, but on the condition that we make a full decision to leave all our sins behind, without justifications, without reservations. It should be a 100% conversion. This is what the Word says: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9. This is the only way we can begin to put our lives in order before God, because the Lord is not going to enter a heart that has not repented and converted from all sin. And this is one of the serious problems today within Christianity, that the majority cannot be born again because there is no complete repentance, and therefore, the Holy Spirit does not enter a person. It is impossible. The Lord accepts us as we are, but we cannot remain in that condition. The condition again that must be fulfilled is repentance so that the Lord enters our lives. And the second step needed to establish order in our lives, after complete repentance, is to ask Jesus to be not only our Savior, but even more, our Lord, and to take the main place in our lives. The fulfillment of order in our lives is that the Lord must literally be the Lord of our lives. Why? Because the supreme authority of the universe must be authority in our lives too, without exceptions and conditions. This is the order of things, and our lives must fit into the natural order of the universe. Even the devil must submit to God, so how can we not, and for our salvation?

So, after order is established in our lives, the next thing must come, and that is obedience. That is where the practical side of faith comes in, that we must simply seek God's will and fulfill it. This is what David was doing in the passage we read. David asked the Lord because he genuinely wanted to do His will. Obedience is something critical and it must be a part of the life of every believer. This is what the Word says, for example: “So Samuel said: ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” 1 Samuel 15:22-23a. This is another serious problem that exists, that the vast majority of believers seek God so that God can grant them their requests, but not to do God's will. And this also keeps many people from being saved. I know that this verse is repeated many times, and it will continue to be repeated until God says and the people understand: “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.” Matthew 7:21. So, simply put, absolutely no one will have access to the kingdom of God if they have not done God's will with their life. It cannot be said more clearly. So, obedience to God to do His will is a requirement to gain access into the kingdom of God.

And as an end, what should order and obedience culminate in? In loving the Lord. It all should lead to the first commandment, that we are to love the Lord with everything we are. David loved the Lord unconditionally, and in such a way that the only begotten Son of God, the Messiah, was to be called: Son of David. So, is your life in order before God? Are you obeying the Lord? And finally, do you love the Lord above all things? Lord bless! John. Support Israel. Pray for Israel. God will bless those that bless Israel.

Do Not Trust in Yourself - John 13:18-30

Based on John 13:18-30 (New King James Version)

“I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’ Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.’ When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.’ Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke. Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ Jesus answered, ‘It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.’ And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What you do, do quickly.’ But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, ‘Buy those things we need for the feast,’ or that he should give something to the poor. Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.”

In the world, and even within places where people say they believe in God, it is taught that one must trust in oneself. We are encouraged to put our trust in our abilities, our feelings, and even our hearts. But if we read the Word of God, God's advice is just the opposite. And of course, it should not be a surprise because the world is totally against God, because the world and everything in it follows the prince of this world, Satan. And unfortunately, there is a lot of the world within our churches and congregations, especially in much of the leadership. That's why this idea of ​​trusting yourself is actually everywhere. But, this is a serious error, and such is the error of trusting in oneself that many will not attain God's salvation precisely because of this problem.

To begin, we could talk about Judas Iscariot, and how he trusted himself in such a way that he even sold the Son of God. Some would say: “But Satan entered into him, and that is why he did what he did.” And yes, the enemy entered him, but because Judas allowed the desires of his flesh to reign within himself. Satan did not force his way into his heart, but he rather let him in, because his desires were not with the Lord, but on other things. But unfortunately, Judas was not the only one who trusted in himself. The disciples also made that mistake. Of course, not to the point that Judas did, but they also failed, because they also trusted in themselves. This is what the Word tells us, for example: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.’ Peter answered and said to Him, ‘Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’ Peter said to Him, ‘Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!’ And so said all the disciples.” Matthew 26:31-35. All the disciples had good intentions, and they committed themselves to those good intentions, but they failed because although they had believed in the Lord, they had not yet let go of themselves, they had not put the Lord where He should have been in their hearts, as the Lord of their lives. That was the mistake. Now, some will say: “The Word had to be fulfilled, and that is why they abandoned him when they arrested him.” And yes, that is true, but all things happen as a complement between what God says and what is inside a person. God does not force anyone. And the devil doesn't force anyone either. Man was created with free will. That is why things come true, for better or worse, because everything is a complement of things. If it were not so, then God's judgment would have no purpose. But God will judge us by our actions.

But the point is that everything is written in the Word so that we learn, so that we do not repeat the same mistakes, so that we use our free will wisely, knowing that we will give an account before Almighty God one day. This is what the Word says: “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’ Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:1-12. So, the teaching should be clear, that we should not trust ourselves, nor our intentions, nor our feelings, much less our abilities. We can never feel firm in ourselves. Who else but the disciples could have trusted themselves since they had left everything to follow the Lord, their homes, their families, their jobs, absolutely everything to follow Christ? But we already know the result of the error, because everyone, without exception, abandoned the Lord, and even Peter, the one who had confessed him as the Christ, yet, who went so far as to deny him, just as the Lord had told him.

So, if we can't trust ourselves, then who should we trust? This is what God says: “Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. ‘Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:5-8. All our trust and faith should be in the Lord Almighty alone, and in no one else. We are all still flesh—ourselves, our loved ones, our friends, we all have this fallen and fallible nature. And we already saw that although people may have very good intentions, anyone can fail, and you are going to fail even yourself countless times. But the only one immovable is God. He is the Eternal Rock, the One who remains immovable forever and ever; He who was, is, and is to come. He will never fail you. And even though He may seem like He fails, He may be doing His greatest work, but you just can't see it yet. Therefore, and for your own good, put all your faith in the Lord and do not bring the curse upon yourself by trusting in yourself or others. So where is your faith? Lord bless! John. Support Israel. Pray for Israel. God will bless those that bless Israel.

The Need for Repentance and Conversion - Luke 13:1-5

Based on Luke 13:1-5 (New King James Version)

“There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.’”

Are those who apparently receive more blessings than others, those who live better lifestyles, less sinful? Are those who suffer more in this world more sinful? Do certain people receive better things because they have more faith than others? Do people who have more challenges in this life have less faith? Is the person who dies of hunger in Africa (although there are many in the world who die of hunger every day) less worthy of God's blessing than those of us who have a refrigerator full of food? Or does the child who is dying of cancer have less right to life than an athlete who lives a life of luxury because they can play a sport in excellent health? The Lord answered these questions through this same passage we read. We will delve into the matter a little more to be able to reach a greater understanding, because it is urgent to understand what the Lord said.

The point is that no one is better than another person in the eyes of God. In relation to sin, we are all sinners. Even so, all of us who have come to Christ for salvation are still sinners. The only difference between the unconverted and the one who has received the Lord is that they have received God's mercy, but we are still sinners. That’s the reality. And the issue of whether a person does well or not in this life really has nothing to do with faith, or sin, or anything like that. There is something beyond, something deeper. Therefore, it is not God's will for us to think that there is any kind of connection between the way a person lives in this life to faith or the forgiveness of sins. That is why these gospels of prosperity and healing are completely foreign to the truth of God. And be careful, what a person takes as a blessing from God, as a reward for his faith and conduct, may be the work of the enemy to keep them on a dark path that goes straight to perdition. You have to be very careful when things are going very well because it is very likely that they may be concessions from the enemy and not blessings from God when leading a life of disobedience.

So, what did the Lord want to achieve with this teaching? Everyone, every person, must be aware that no one is better than anyone else, and that all of us, without exception, must live lives in complete repentance and conversion. And that, whether you live a better life, per say, it has nothing to do with your spirituality. This, for example, the Lord also taught: “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14. Therefore, there must always be a spirit of repentance and conversion in us, and as part of that repentance and conversion, we must, by virtue that we owe everything to God, starting with His grace through the Lord Jesus Christ, serve God and stop serving sin. The Word gives us this counsel also: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.” Romans 6:15-22. Therefore, each person, especially those of us that have come to the knowledge of God’s salvation, whether we have a good life or not, should look for and do God’s will because we owe Him too much, and this is why we were created, made, and now through Christ, redeemed, for God’s service. The Word says this also: “…For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:48b.

A person that understood this very clearly was the Apostle Paul, and that’s why he explained it through the Holy Spirit’s inspiration. He taught this: “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14. Paul never thought that he had gotten to the goal until he saw his end very near. When do we get to the Lord’s goal? When we die, because after this, there is nothing left to be done with reference to our actions. And after death comes God’s judgment where each one of us will give an account for what we did, as it is written: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27. “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:9-10. And so, if a person only thinks about the things in this life, and that those things have something to do with faith, with God’s forgiveness, and the here and now, has not even begun the race. And if they remain in that mindset, even though they think they believe in God and Christ, they will not attain eternal life. The Word says this: “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.” Matthew 7:21. What is the Father’s will? That we repent and convert from all of our sins continually so that we can be useful to Him in this life, no matter what our condition is. Do you understand that God’s grace has as an end that you leave sin behind and that you fulfill God’s purpose in your life? Lord bless! John. Support Israel. Pray for Israel. God will bless those that bless Israel.

We Have a Greater Hope Than This World - Luke 6:20-26

Based on Luke 6:20-26 (New King James Version)

“Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: ‘Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. ‘But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”

Should we put hope in this world if we are followers of Christ? Does the believer's life have to be difficult now? Won't God help us while we are in this life? Is it necessary to pay for our salvation with suffering? These are questions that I imagine we have all asked ourselves or continue to ask ourselves. And of course, it should be clear that the answers to these questions, and all other questions that make sense can be answered through the Word.

To begin, I think we all know that this world is not a perfect place and sin makes it so, both the sins of our past generations, from Adam and Eve, and all the way to all of us now, both our personal sins and the sins of the people around us. That is why, no matter how much the vast majority do not want to accept that sin does exist, and that it does cause harm, we have very clear evidence to the contrary, that sin is destructive and deadly, that it can produce both physical death and the worst of deaths, spiritual death. We must always be clear on what has produced all these evils, both sin and Satan, because Satan is the agent that promotes all sin. So, if this world is full of sin, we should not put much hope in it, because it is completely corrupted. But part of the hope is that all of this is temporary.

And this leads us to answer the following questions, whether our life as followers of Christ should be difficult now. The answer is yes, because if we are with God, and follow His will, then we are against sin and Satan, which reign at the moment. We are in a war against the enemy to challenge what is today so that we can have better and eternal things after this. And this also answers the question of whether we need to suffer to obtain salvation. Now, does God really want us to suffer? No. Remember that everything God did was very good. Sin ruined everything. Remember that God gave the whole world to man at the beginning, but it was not enough for him. Deceived by Satan, man thought that God was hiding greater things from them, and that is why they ate the forbidden fruit, finally paying attention to a being they owed nothing to and disobeying the One who had given them everything. But let's not blame Adam and Eve so harshly because we would have done worse than them, because they were a better version. We were born corrupted, just as King David himself said: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” Psalm 51:5.

Now, will God help us in the meantime? Of course, yes, but we must understand the global and eternal issue, the one that surpasses the temporal. The Lord always seeks our good but looking towards eternity. As a fallen nature, we must be restored to the likeness we need to have in order to inherit the eternal. If we retain our present likeness, and of course, our way of thinking in the present, we will not be able to inherit the eternal, because the corruptible cannot inherit the incorruptible. Because if that happened, the cycle of corruption would never end. Sin corrupts everything, and therefore cannot be admitted into the heavenly places. And also, the Lord speaks that we will have authority over unimaginable things, eternal things. But, if we are neither ready nor prepared for that, how can He give them to us? Impossible. It's like giving the keys to a luxury sports car to a one-year-old child. If they could still start the car, what do you think a child who neither has the height, nor the skill, nor the knowledge, nor anything else he needs to be able to drive something like that responsibly do? So, for the Lord, preparing us for the coming kingdom will always take priority over what we think we need or want here and now. You have to see things from that point of view. Our sight and understanding are incredibly short and limited, and that is why we must simply let ourselves be led by Him and seek to do His will in all things. So, the Lord will always help us, but in the context of our greatest good, and not only our individual good, but the good for everyone that surrounds us.

And this brings us to our last point. Since God is always thinking of the universal view, He not only has your good in mind, but also the good of everyone around you. Being God is not easy, and blessed be He that He is the one who performs that function, so to speak. Think of it this way. Can you imagine trying to order the course of more than 7 billion people at the same time, and thinking about those who come after, and with an enemy with an evil army that only seeks to sabotage and change what God wants to do, and in a totally corrupted world which is destined for a certain destruction? It is impossible to think about it. But, nevertheless, and within all the challenges, what He tries to do most is to give the opportunity to an entire world to know the way to salvation, for a greater and eternal good. This is what the Word finally advises us about living in a world full of evil and sin: “For: ‘He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’ And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. ‘And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.’ But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 1 Peter 3:10-17. So then, are your eyes placed on Him that surpasses everything in the present? Lord bless! John. Support Israel. Pray for Israel. God will bless those that bless Israel.

God is Great in Mercy, but His Mercy has a Limit - Nahum 3

Based on Nahum 3 (New King James Version)

“Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery. Its victim never departs. The noise of a whip and the noise of rattling wheels, of galloping horses, of clattering chariots! Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear. There is a multitude of slain, a great number of bodies, countless corpses—they stumble over the corpses—because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot, the mistress of sorceries, who sells nations through her harlotries, and families through her sorceries. ‘Behold, I am against you,’ says the Lord of hosts; ‘I will lift your skirts over your face, I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame. I will cast abominable filth upon you, make you vile, and make you a spectacle. It shall come to pass that all who look upon you will flee from you, and say, ‘Nineveh is laid waste! Who will bemoan her?’ Where shall I seek comforters for you?’ Are you better than No Amon that was situated by the River, that had the waters around her, whose rampart was the sea, whose wall was the sea? Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was boundless; Put and Lubim were your helpers. Yet she was carried away, she went into captivity; her young children also were dashed to pieces at the head of every street; they cast lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were bound in chains. You also will be drunk; you will be hidden; you also will seek refuge from the enemy. All your strongholds are fig trees with ripened figs: If they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater. Surely, your people in your midst are women! The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies; fire shall devour the bars of your gates. Draw your water for the siege! Fortify your strongholds! Go into the clay and tread the mortar! Make strong the brick kiln! There the fire will devour you, the sword will cut you off; it will eat you up like a locust. Make yourself many—like the locust! Make yourself many—like the swarming locusts! You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of heaven. The locust plunders and flies away. Your commanders are like swarming locusts, and your generals like great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges on a cold day; when the sun rises they flee away, and the place where they are is not known. Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; your nobles rest in the dust. Your people are scattered on the mountains, and no one gathers them. Your injury has no healing, your wound is severe. All who hear news of you will clap their hands over you, for upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?”

The city of Nineveh (of which the prophet Nahum prophesied in this passage) has great significance, because you can see how God deals with us, how He can have mercy, and also, He can come to punish and even completely destroy when His great mercy is abused. This is one of the great errors that exist within the people of God, who think that God is only love and that He endures everything, and that He will never deal with sin, especially when there is recidivism or practice of sin. God is love, but He is also a consuming fire, and He will not tolerate the abuse of His mercy. The Word says: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” Psalm 103:8. But, that does not mean that His wrath will never come, and that His mercy has no limits. There is a limit to His mercy. That is why we must not only love the Lord, but also fear him.

In order to understand this matter a little more, we can see it very clearly through the people of Nineveh. The Lord had great mercy on the people of Nineveh through the prophet Jonah. God sent Jonah to give Nineveh a chance. If you remember the story, Jonah was called by God to prophesy against Nineveh, and Jonah refused to obey the first call. And God allowed a great storm to arise when Jonah was fleeing his responsibility on a ship heading towards Tarshish, going completely the opposite way of Nineveh. And the sailors asked to know why the storm came when they saw that they were going to die, and the lot fell on Jonah. And there Jonah confessed to them that it was his fault, and asked to thrown into the sea, and he was swallowed by a large fish that the Lord had prepared for him. And after three days, when Jonah repented, the fish vomited out Jonah, and there he set out again to Nineveh where he preached to them and they repented of their sins before the Lord, and the Lord had mercy on them. The Lord allowed all of this, because even though he had prophesied destruction to them, they repented and He had mercy on them, and did not destroy them. But why did He have mercy on Nineveh, despite all the evils they had done? Thus said the Lord to Jonah: “And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?” Jonah 4:11. The Lord had mercy on their ignorance. They did not fully understand the evils they were doing, and even less so, how they were directly offending God.

Now, in order to understand the point more clearly, you have to understand the times. It is estimated that the prophet Jonah preached to Nineveh and they repented before the Lord during the reign of Jeroboam, between 780 and 750 BC. It is estimated that the prophet Nahum wrote his prophecy against Nineveh between 615 and 612 BC. And the Assyrian empire and its capital Nineveh was destroyed in 612 BC by the Medes and the Babylonians, and never regained its significance after that. And this prophecy that the prophet Nahum wrote was fulfilled to the smallest detail. There was a period of many decades between their repentance and their relapse into sin, and the culmination of their destruction. Was God merciful? Yes. His anger was slow, and He was great in mercy. But there was a limit. The people of Nineveh did not stop their madness in time. They thought they could go on and on, repeating their sins without any consequences. But that was not so. You can never abuse God's mercy. God gives opportunities, and He gives them each morning, but He has a limit.

So, what are we to understand in all of this? The Lord has mercy when His truth is ignored, when a person does not know how they are offending God with their sins. But, when a person has been exposed to the Truth of the Lord, and relapses into their sins time after time, they can push God's mercy to its limits, and punishment can come suddenly, when one least expects it. The practice of sin will not go unpunished. Therefore, the most excellent advice that can be given is this: “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, ‘Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.’ So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him—a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?” Joel 2:12-14. And the Scriptures also say: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” Isaiah 55:8. If you know the Truth, and you are practicing sin, it is your decision to leave it behind, and end it before it is too late. It is believed that the same year that Nahum prophesied about Nineveh was when his prophecy was fulfilled, and God's punishment came. God did not wait long after giving notice. So, turn to the Lord with all your heart while there is still time. His call is for today. Why take God's mercy beyond its limits? Lord bless! John. Support Israel. Pray for Israel. God will bless those that bless Israel.