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.

The Lord Fulfills His Promises - Luke 2:25-35

Based on Luke 2:25-35 (New King James Version)

“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: ‘Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.’ And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’”

What we can completely trust is the Word of God. There is nothing more reliable, nor anything more solid in the entire universe. Many will say: “It sounds like fanaticism.” But, if you saw God as who He truly is, in all His reality, you would know that it is not fanaticism, but something totally logical. To begin, the Word of God itself explains to us that no one has an excuse for not being able to believe in God, because everything that surrounds us, even our own existence, speaks of His greatness, majesty, and incredible ability and intelligence. This is what the Word says: “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 1:20. Everything speaks of God. We see so many things that are beyond our control and reach, and they all happen and exist without the will of man. We breathe, we think, and we do many things involuntarily (as science says) at every moment not because of our ability, but because the being of God allows it, and makes it possible, as it is also written: “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. And how were all of these things done and are? Through one thing alone: the Word of God, as it is written: “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” Hebrews 11:3. So, there is more than enough proof and evidence to be able to not only know who the Lord is, and what He is capable of, but also to be able to fully trust Him. Now, if a person says that they cannot come to have (or live) such faith is no longer a matter of lack of evidence, but rather, it is a choice, that they simply do not want to accept undoubted facts, and this leads us to the following.

Everything about the Lord is conditional with regard to how He fulfills His promises in us. God has set immovable things like these examples: salvation, eternal life, and eternal rewards through the Lord Jesus Christ. It's all by His grace. But ultimately, we will receive those things if we do what we must. And God is interested in the intention and the fruit of those intentions than the work itself. If we look at today's passage, we saw this Simeon who was given revelation by the Holy Spirit, and who would not see death before he saw the Lord's Anointed. The revelation was by grace. The promise was by divine decision. But, Simeon lived his life in a way that demonstrated with actions the faith he had. The Word emphasizes certain things in the life of Simeon, that he was a righteous and godly man, that he looked forward to the consolation of Israel, and that the Holy Spirit was upon him. So, what do we mean by this? That although God gives things by grace like this revelation and promise, there was a complement. Simeon lived according to such faith that the Holy God of Israel had granted him something because he genuinely believed in Him, because he lived according to that faith. There are many people who think that they can live as they want, without seeking the will of God, even less, without any repentance of sins, nor taking Jesus as the Lord of their lives. And they think that because God gives out of grace, that God in His goodness will give everything else as well. Some will say, “Do you believe that something must be added to faith in order to receive forgiveness of sin, salvation and eternal life, and the eternal rewards of God?” And based on the Word of God, I can say very surely yes, because if a person does not live the faith they say they have, I'm sorry, but there is no forgiveness of sins, there is no salvation or eternal life, and even less, eternal rewards. Simeon lived a true faith, in such a way that even before the dispensation of the grace of God through the Lord Jesus Christ, he lived justly and piously, waiting on the Lord, and even more and by virtue of his faith in God, he had even the Holy Spirit upon him. We see this passage that solidifies the Word of God, and how things are fulfilled in us, depending on how we live our lives: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. ‘But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. ‘Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 24:35-51

The Word of God is very clear. Even though a person may supposedly be a servant of God, if there isn’t a true faith, they will receive absolutely nothing. They cannot have any right to any of God’s promises, no matter what they think. And what’s worse is that if a person does not live a faith that shows God that it is real, they will be punished harshly, and He will appoint him his portion with the hypocrites where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. There is only one place that God describes in that manner, and it is not heaven. Perfection is not a requirement because no one can be perfect in this temporary condition. But, yes, there should be a true walk with the Lord. So then, do you live your life in a such a way that you will receive God’s promises, focused only on Him? Lord bless! John. Support Israel. Pray for Israel. God will bless those that bless Israel.

Peace Even Among Enemies - 1 Samuel 29

Based on 1 Samuel 29 (New King James Version)

“Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish. Then the princes of the Philistines said, ‘What are these Hebrews doing here?’ And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, ‘Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.’ But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, ‘Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men? Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?’ Then Achish called David and said to him, ‘Surely, as the Lord lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you. Therefore return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.’ So David said to Achish, ‘But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?’ Then Achish answered and said to David, ‘I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.’ So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.”

We can see in this passage that when a person loves the Lord, and lives according to that decision, God makes even his enemies be at peace with that person. As background, David had serious problems with King Saul, not because he had sinned against Saul, but because Saul had a serious problem of rebellion against God. And Saul was so rebellious against God that he even saw his servant David as an enemy and persecuted him as such. And David was forced, to save his life, to go to the land of the Philistines. David had to leave his home and his people for whom he had fought for years and live with the enemies of Israel due to the rebellion and madness of a man who did not fear God, nor did he want to honor him as such, the same God who had given him life and made him the first king of Israel.

And how can we see such peace that God gave David with the Philistines, bitter enemies of Israel (the same ones that Israel has today, because everything has its origin)? By David fleeing to be with Achish, a Philistine king, it would have been very easy for Achish to have killed David and all his men, because David had killed thousands of the Philistines in battle when he fought for Israel and Saul. But, even though Achish was a Philistine, he was a man who feared the Lord at the very least. And even though he was an enemy, he respected David and gave him refuge in his time of need. God had given David such peace that he was able to live in peace among the Philistines until his time to return to Israel was fulfilled. How can this be? David did not fight against the Philistines for pleasure, nor for his own glory, nor for any human reason, but because he wanted to please God. Whether you understand it or not (although today we can see why God commanded certain things to be done back then), it was God's will for Israel to fight against the Philistines. And although the Philistines were not God-fearing at that time, God made them reason that David had finally done his duty to his nation, and even in those wars, David did it justly and rightly, soldier against soldier, sword against the sword, and not with the cowardice of attacking women, the elderly, and children by surprise as the descendants of these Philistines (Hamas) did on October 7 of this same year. I believe that if King Achish were alive today, he too would seek to put an end to such who act with such cowardice and abomination. Nonetheless, although David was not perfect, but because his heart was with God, and he loved him, as a result, God gave him peace, even with his enemies. This is what the Word of God says: “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:7. God’s counsel is perfect. If we do as God commands, with an upright heart, the Lord can also do the same for us today. God can also give you peace even with your enemies.

Now, there is only one exception where we may have peace with everyone, even when we are seeking to please God, and that is when we have to deal with people who are in rebellion against God, like the example we saw between David and Saul. Saul had no reason to seek David's life. David had been very faithful and never did Saul any harm. But Saul had such rebellion against God that that same rebellion ended his life. This is what the Word says, as an explanation of why we can have problems with other people: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12-13. When there are people that simply have a severe problem with God, they can rise up against us because they are influenced by spiritual evil, even when we are doing everything possible to be well with the Lord. And this is how God counsel’s us: “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 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. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:8-18. Finally, that is why we must have good works as a fruit of our love for the Lord, because everything we do has a consequence, for eternal good if we choose to do the will of God, although we may have momentary affliction for that now, or for worse if we do not choose to love the Lord and honor him with our actions. So, are you seeking to love the Lord and do as He commands? Lord bless! John. Support Israel. Pray for Israel. God will bless those that bless Israel.

The Word made Flesh - Matthew 1:18-25

Based on Matthew 1:18-25 (New King James Version)

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.”

During this time of Christmas, we should celebrate part of the great miracle and love of God. The point of Christmas is not about gifts or parties, or days off, or vacations, and not even about family gatherings or friendships. The point of Christmas is to celebrate a magnificent miracle, a historical fact, an unprecedented event that occurred only once in the history of all humanity, and that will never, ever happen. This matter of God becoming flesh through Mary is something humanly incomprehensible, if we really understand the magnitude of what happened. That is really the incredible miracle that occurred, and we should consider the magnitude of what happened.

To begin, if we really understand who the Lord was (and is), we should be able to understand why it was so difficult for the Jews to believe. From the moment there was a possibility that He was the Messiah, it meant that He was God. And in most of them, there must have been this question: How could it be that this man is God? Let's think about the matter for a moment, and I use the Jews as an example because they were the only ones who had a clearer thought of Who God was. We Gentiles, honestly, have no idea. We would never understand who God was like they did, and how they had experienced Him as a people. For example, we see this written that happened in the life of Elijah: “Then He said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” 1 Kings 19:11-13. So, how could this Jesus be God, the same one who just by passing through a place produced wind that broke mountains, that broke rocks, that produced earthquake and fire? And what could we say about what Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and the people of Israel witnessed, and even the entire nation of Egypt that lived through the great plagues, and Joshua and David, and all the others who saw wonders and miracles, divine and supernatural acts demonstrated by God? So, could we judge the Jews so harshly that they couldn't get the idea of ​​who this Jesus of Nazareth was (and is)?

But, despite this reasoning, Jesus was and is the Messiah, the only begotten Son of God, in short, He is God. And therefore, even much more powerful than what those great people of antiquity witnessed who did believe in Him. This is what the Word of the Lord 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. The Apostle John also wrote this: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ” John 1:14-15. And through the works He did on earth, He demonstrated who He was. Everything He did, how He lived, and even how He died and was resurrected spoke about Him being God. The Word also tells us this: “And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.’” Matthew 11:2-5.

And as an end, we have the divine and celestial revelation which describes in part His position in the heavenly places. The Word says this: “And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.’ And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.’ Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’ And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’ Then the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.” Revelation 5. All of these are just glimpses given to us so that we can comprehend who the Lord Jesus Christ is. So then, it is necessary to see beyond our senses and limitations, and cling on to genuine faith that will give us the ability to believe as we need to believe and live. So, do you believe in Jesus Christ as God? Lord bless! John. Support Israel. Pray for Israel. God will bless those that bless Israel.

The Price and Reward for Obeying the Lord - 2 Kings 25:22-26

Based on 2 Kings 25:22-26 (New King James Version)

“Then he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left. Now when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, ‘Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.’ But it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.  And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.”

Should things go well for us in this world if we do God's will? This question is not a bad question, because if it is answered according to the Scriptures, then we would find the answer to practically everything, especially to why we exist. For starters, it may go well for us doing God's will in this world, or it may not (humanly speaking of course). Doing the will of God does not guarantee great human successes, or earthly glories, or prosperity in the here and now. There is not always a happy ending like in fairy tales when you do what God wants here and now. We see in this same passage that it did not go well for Gedaliah when doing God's will, and especially when he tried to lead others to do God's will also (because it was God's will for Judah to submit to his servant, King Nebuchadnezzar). And I know that this is what weakens the supposed faith of many, and what makes following God unattractive or undesirable. Talking about realities simply does not sell very well. But it is necessary to delve deeper.

For the Lord, it is no great mystery or anything new that there is a certain rejection by people because things do not go as they would like. This, for example, is written on the subject: “‘Your words have been harsh against Me,’ says the Lord, ‘Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the Lord of hosts? So now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; they even tempt God and go free.’ ’ Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. ‘They shall be Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.’” Malachi 3:13-17. Now, this passage does remind us of something very important, the most important thing in the universe for man, and where we should put our most excellent attention if we have any reasoning. It says: “…the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him…” So, what should we understand here? That the Lord hears and knows everything, and that, somewhere, everything is being written down, even what is most intimate in our being. So, there is a pencil (sort of speak) at this very moment writing everything you are doing, even what you are thinking, in a book somewhere before the presence of Almighty God. Why? Because God does care about what we do, and He will open that book when we give account at the end, before His holy throne. The Apostle Paul wrote this same thing, inspired by the Holy Spirit, of course: “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 this reveals the greatest mistake that many believers have, such a mistake that was produced by none other than Satan himself through the doctrines of his demons that have spread so well in many of our churches. All, without exception, even those of us who follow the Lord will give an account. What does the apostle say? “…we make it our aim…”, that is, he includes himself in the matter, and it should be clear that if Paul includes himself, possibly the person who came closest to resembling the Lord, what will be left for us? And it also says that we will receive the things done in the body, whether good or bad. From the moment he mentions good and evil, it is because God will weigh our actions, what we did with our faith.

If we continue to delve deeper, we see in the Word what the Lord said about 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. 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. What can we understand with this? That we will only enter the kingdom of heaven if we not only do works worthy of His kingdom, but that we also do them for the right reasons, regardless of the circumstances. This is also written: “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’ But He answered and said, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ’ Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ’ 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.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Matthew 4:1-10. What is the point of all this? Simply put, the devil tried to tempt the Lord to do his will and not the Father's will. This is what absolutely everything in this life is about, whether we decide to do the will of God while we are here, despite the circumstances, or whether we obey the devil and sin. There is no excuse for not doing the will of God. Risking losing your life is not an excuse. Because as we read before, Gedaliah lost his life for doing the will of God. He paid a price. But in conjunction with the price, the reward must be weighed. And that is what God wants to lead each human being to do, to decide if He is worth more than everything else. Why? Because we have to be worthy through genuine faith in the Lord to receive such a reward that only God can give. God is not going to give anyone what He has reserved for those who truly love Him only. “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9. So then, are you willing to pay the price now to be able to receive the reward God gives when we love and obey Him faithfully? Lord bless! John. Support Israel. Pray for Israel. God will bless those that bless Israel.

The Lord Must Be Our Focus - 1 Corinthians 1:10-13

Based on 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 (New King James Version)

“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”

What was the real problem that was happening with these Corinthians? The most serious matter was that many had already stopped putting their eyes on the Lord. This is what causes division not only in a church, but everywhere, the issue that there are not many with their eyes fixed on the Lord. This is a serious problem that must be corrected in a person if they really want to attain all that God gives. Otherwise, if a person does not have their eyes fixed on the Lord, if He is not the focus of everything in their life, not only will divisions simply continue to occur, but even worse, there will be no salvation. This problem of having the focus on other things or other people is critical and, unfortunately, very common.

The Word of God is very clear on this matter. And this is precisely what makes getting to God very difficult for many, the issue of not staying focused on the Lord. Many say they believe in God, but either they have set their sights on another person, or on other things, or they even set their sights on a generic God, so to speak. The point is that a person must have defined God’s identity for themselves, especially for salvation and eternal life. This is the first thing. Believing in a generic God does not save a person. And it should be very clear that looking to other human beings like us, no matter how special they are or have been, cannot save a person either. According to the Word, there is an exact point, or an exact Person where you should set your eyes, on the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what the Word says: “This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11-12. The Word of God also says this: “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.

To clear up the issue, we could start with the apostle Paul himself on this matter of following or having our eyes focused only on the Lord, where he said: “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1. And this is why Paul admonishes the church, because he himself clarifies that he was neither crucified for them, nor were they baptized in his name. Although the Corinthians owed Paul respect, who was the one who brought them the gospel, in the end they could not set their eyes on him (although ironically and sadly, we read that this church did stray from the Lord and was very ungrateful to Paul, and they even judged him). The other person who said very clearly to do as the Lord commanded was Mary. Although she was chosen by God to be part of the miracle of conceiving the Lord Jesus Christ, she also made it clear that our attention should be on the Lord and not on her, as it is written: “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Whatever He says to you, do it.’” Juan 2:1-5. And finally, and the most culminating of all is God the Father's own testimony. This is what the Scriptures attest: “Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!’ When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.” Luke 9:28-36. Although Moses and Elijah were present, and are quite special, God the Father said from heaven that His Son, Jesus Christ, is the one we should listen to. And Moses and Elijah were taken away at that moment, and the Lord was found alone, so that there would be absolutely no confusion or doubt. The Lord Jesus Christ should be the One we follow. We should put our focus on Him.

And finally, this is the heavenly focus in the kingdom of God, as it is written: “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.’ Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’ And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’ Then the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.” Revelation 5:8-14. That is why the Lord Himself said this: “…‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6. There is no other way. There is no other place or person where we should have set our eyes on, where we should place all the attention of our being. The Lord Jesus Christ should be the focus of our existence. So, where is your focus? Lord bless! John. Support Israel. Pray for Israel. God will bless those that bless Israel.

Loyalty to the Lord - 2 Timothy 1

Based on 2 Timothy 1 (New King James Version)

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day—and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus.

We see through this passage one very crucial thing: loyalty. And even more exactly, loyalty to the Lord. Here we see people who were loyal to the Lord and others who were not. Some who were so loyal that they even worried about the faith being passed from generation to generation, and others who abandoned the Lord to follow the world. Loyalty is something crucial in the Lord and for two reasons, which we will see later.

But in order to understand this issue of loyalty, it is necessary to understand why there is such a thing as loyalty. Free will is what needs to exist for loyalty to mean anything. Without free will, loyalty would have no point. God made man with free will. He did not make us robots, nor did He set its path beforehand. In general, we are all free to choose our path, whether to follow the Lord or not, whether to be faithful to Him or not. As Joshua said in ancient times: “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15. And the Word also says: “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.” Deuteronomy 30:15. So, we are free to choose, to decide our path, whether we want life or death. Even being in the Lord, each person can decide to remain in the Lord or leave the path as those from Asia did, such as Phygellus and Hermogenes. Even Judas Iscariot himself could have decided otherwise with the Lord. Everything had to be fulfilled, but it is up to each person how the Word of God is fulfilled in them. As it is written: “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” Matthew 18:7. So, each person has the power to choose whether they want to be loyal to the Lord or not, whether they want to obtain life or follow death.

And why then does this free will exist? Because God subjected everything to love. And in love, there is no obligation. Everything in love consists of choice, of decision, of choosing. So, this matter that one has no power over oneself when involved in love is not true. A person finally chooses what to love, even people. We are beings made with reason, because God created us that way (we are not the product of a cosmic accident). We are not animals, nor irrational beings, although many today heading that way due to their sin (but that is a message for another day). This is what the Word says: “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” John 3:19-20. So, each person chooses either to love God or to love sin. Loyalty goes hand in hand with love. A person is loyal to the one they love, in the general course of things.

Having said this, what are the two reasons why we should be loyal to the Lord? The first is considering everything we owe him. God chose to love us, as it is written: “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.” John 3:16. God did everything without any obligation. God does not owe anyone anything. We owe everything to Him, even the air we breathe today. And the second reason is, because if we are not loyal to Him, if we do not abide in Him, we will not have salvation. As the Word also says: “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.” John 15:4-6. “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:7-8. And that is why God urges us in this manner: “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. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” Hebrews 12:1-3.

So then, do you understand that you should be loyal to the Lord because He deserves it, and because it is the only way to legitimately attain salvation? Lord bless! John. Support Israel. Pray for Israel. God will bless those that bless Israel.

Being Persecuted for the Right Reasons - Acts 25:1-12

Based on Acts 25:1-12 (New King James Version)

“Now when Festus had come to the province, after three days he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem. Then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul; and they petitioned him, asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem—while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him. But Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was going there shortly. ‘Therefore,’ he said, ‘let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man, to see if there is any fault in him.’ And when he had remained among them more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Paul to be brought. When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove, while he answered for himself, ‘Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended in anything at all.’ But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, ‘Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things?’ So Paul said, ‘I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you very well know. For if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.’ Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, ‘You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!’

In this life, people live and die for many reasons. There are people who live to enjoy the things of this world, for pleasures, to have goods, to achieve fame and fortune. Others live for nobler things, like for a family and loved ones. And there are people who not only live, but have died for certain things. There are people who have given their lives for things that are not noble or considered not good, and also, others have given their lives for noble things, for loved ones, for a duty, for the love of a country (as we celebrate in the United States this month. May God bless our veterans!) Finally, it is inevitable, as the beings we are, whatever we do, we live and die, and there are always reasons for both. We are created beings, and as such, everything created has a purpose, a reason, it has a function, but everything depends on what we choose to follow.

As we know from the Scriptures, the apostle Paul was persecuted, tried, imprisoned, and ultimately even killed. In today's passage we see part of his experience. And we would have to ask: “Was Paul wrong, and that is why he suffered? Did he lack faith? Was it a mistake to appeal to Cesar? Much of what is taught today in many places would lead one to think that Paul did not do things well, and that is why he went through hardship. For example, it is still as strong as ever, but it has taken different forms, this prosperity gospel where it is taught that, if you have enough faith, or if you supposedly do things well, everything will turn out well for you. Such teachings would show in Paul that he did not have enough faith, because if he had faith, he could have moved these mountains of affliction. There are others who would argue that he was not wise enough, and that he was simply wrong. In short, there are many erroneous teachings circulating today that would misjudge Paul. Paul was not perfect, because simply, no human being is perfect. The only one who was perfect in all His ways in the flesh was the Lord Jesus Christ. But I would venture to say that Paul was the one who most resembled the Lord in his walk. What happened to Paul was foreseen by the Lord Himself, when He said: “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.” Luke 21:12-13. So, very clearly, Paul did not make a mistake, but did do what was necessary. Therefore, what happened to him had nothing to do with a lack of faith, or a lack of wisdom, or anything like that. That is why we must be very careful with what is taken as truth, because the devil distorts and changes the Holiness of God to make the lie look like the truth. He doesn't change his tactics.

So, what should we understand through all of this? If we live and suffer persecution, or even if we have to give our lives, let it be for what leads to eternal life. We should not suffer, first of all, because we sin. This is what the Word says: “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, if we are faced with difficult situations, let it not be because we did wrong, or because we were religious, or because of arrogance and haughtiness (because there is a lot of arrogance in the so-called people of God today, many who believe themselves superior to others).

Why was Paul finally persecuted? “But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. ‘Now after many years I came to bring alms and offerings to my nation, in the midst of which some Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with a mob nor with tumult. They ought to have been here before you to object if they had anything against me. Or else let those who are here themselves say if they found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before the council, unless it is for this one statement which I cried out, standing among them, ‘Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged by you this day.’ ” Acts 24:14-21. Paul was persecuted for this: “…‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die…” John 11:25b-26a. The only reason why he lived and died was for Christ, because he wanted to please and follow Him who is worthy forever and ever, the only One who can give an incomparable reward, for whom one must live and even die, if necessary. It is difficult to follow Him here and now because everything has a price, but there is no greater reward. So, who do you live for? Lord bless! John. Support Israel. Pray for Israel. God will bless those that bless Israel.

Obeying the Lord - 1 Kings 13:11-34

Based on 1 Kings 13:11-34 (New King James Version)

“Now an old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king. And their father said to them, ‘Which way did he go?’ For his sons had seen which way the man of God went who came from Judah. Then he said to his sons, ‘Saddle the donkey for me.’ So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it, and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. Then he said to him, ‘Are you the man of God who came from Judah?’ And he said, ‘I am.’ Then he said to him, ‘Come home with me and eat bread.’ And he said, ‘I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. For I have been told by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.’ ’ He said to him, ‘I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ’ (He was lying to him.) So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water. Now it happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back; and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord, and have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the Lord said to you, ‘Eat no bread and drink no water,’ your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’ ’ So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse. And there, men passed by and saw the corpse thrown on the road, and the lion standing by the corpse. Then they went and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. Now when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard it, he said, ‘It is the man of God who was disobedient to the word of the Lord. Therefore the Lord has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him.’ And he spoke to his sons, saying, ‘Saddle the donkey for me.’ So they saddled it. Then he went and found his corpse thrown on the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by the corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse nor torn the donkey. And the prophet took up the corpse of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. So the old prophet came to the city to mourn, and to bury him. Then he laid the corpse in his own tomb; and they mourned over him, saying, ‘Alas, my brother!’ So it was, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, ‘When I am dead, then bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. For the saying which he cried out by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel, and against all the shrines on the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, will surely come to pass.’ After this event Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but again he made priests from every class of people for the high places; whoever wished, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. And this thing was the sin of the house of Jeroboam, so as to exterminate and destroy it from the face of the earth.”

The only thing that produces life in man, especially eternal life, is the Word of God. There is no life in anything else. As it is written: “…‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” Matthew 4:4b. If we are even breathing at this very moment, it is because the Word of God is making it possible. We saw in today's passage that, because a prophet was not zealous for what God had commanded him, he died for his disobedience. Disobedience always has consequences, especially when we are judged.

Some may think, “Why did God judge him if the other prophet had lied to him?” Because we are not supposed to get carried away by what others say, no matter who they are. Finally, each person has to learn to hear the Word of God for themselves. And at this time, even more so, because there is very little truth everywhere. We have more apostasy today than ever because of the sin that abounds in the people of God. So, today more than ever we must cling to the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. And today people have less than ever the excuse that they do not know the will of God. There are Bibles everywhere. Today there are even free applications for smartphones. The Word of God has been spread throughout the planet, and for many years now. We must search for His Word, because it is written: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” Hosea 4:6. If you do not seek the knowledge of God today, it is because you are simply discarding it, and not because of lack of access. And everything that is preached must be verified. You can't take everything as truth, especially if it sounds attractive. We see this same example in the Word: “Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” Acts 17:10-11. You need to verify what is being said.

Today more than ever we must be careful with false gospels and doctrines of demons because they are very subtle and attractive. What is the biggest lie that exists today in most of our churches? That we will not be judged by our actions. Yes, we will ALL give an account before God for all our actions. Do not be fooled. This is what the Word says: “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 the Word says this also: “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, for your own good, learn to listen to God for yourself, through the Holy Spirit and by studying His Word. And of course, obey Him. You don't want to find out in the final judgment that you lived wrongly. And don't make the mistake of believing that life here is some kind of indicator of how you stand before God. He who does the will of God may encounter great challenges today. And also, if a person is prosperous here, it does not mean that they are well before God. So, are you obeying the Lord for eternal life? Lord bless! John. Support Israel. Pray for Israel. God will bless those that bless Israel.

The Sacrifice that Does Please God - Leviticus 9:1-7, 22-24

Based on Leviticus 9:1-7, 22-24 (New King James Version)

“It came to pass on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. And he said to Aaron, ‘Take for yourself a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. And to the children of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘Take a kid of the goats as a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering, also a bull and a ram as peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the Lord will appear to you.’ ’ So they brought what Moses commanded before the tabernacle of meeting. And all the congregation drew near and stood before the Lord. Then Moses said, ‘This is the thing which the Lord commanded you to do, and the glory of the Lord will appear to you.’ And Moses said to Aaron, ‘Go to the altar, offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people. Offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them, as the Lord commanded.’ Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.”

Why did God establish sacrifices, to begin with, as sin offerings, for peace between Him and His people, so that His presence would be revealed? It was established so man would understand the price of sin. When man fell into sin in the Garden of Eden, something big changed, there was something that happened that would change all things for the worse, both the planet, nature, and of course, even the carnal state of man, and their eternity. When man sinned, he brought curse on all the good that God had created. And every time we continue to sin, especially voluntarily (because we sin even without realizing it), we perpetuate that curse more and more on the earth, whether we want to recognize it and accept responsibility for it, or not. Just because you don't want to accept something doesn't invalidate its effect. That is why we cannot put all the blame on Adam and Eve, if we also continue to do as much or worse than them, because we inherit the nature of sin in our members. Then, God established sacrifices, as a beginning, so that man would learn that their sin itself has a very great price, so that they would see the suffering of innocent animals die for their evils, see the innocent die for the guilty. These sacrifices were not moments of rejoicing, but rather solemn and sad moments, where the priest would feel for a few moments the pain of the animals when they were killed.

Now, blessed be the God of all mercy, that these sacrifices are no longer necessary, and in reality, it was never the plan for them to be permanent. This was always His will, and now more than ever as a result of the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ: “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. The way God's grace is manifested is through repentance and conversion, by doing things that are worthy of Him. Now, some will say: “But aren't we saved by grace alone, because of what Christ did on the cross?” And I would say that, yes, that is the foundation of our salvation, but there must be a product of that faith, something as a result, if there is in fact such a faith. Because the Lord's sacrifice alone cannot do anything in our lives if we do not make it our own and produce something as a result. This is the will of God, and the sacrifice that God continues to seek from each of us, as it is written: “Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, ‘Which is the first commandment of all?’ Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’ So the scribe said to Him, ‘Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ ’ Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ But after that no one dared question Him.” Mark 12:28-34. Notice that the Lord confirmed what the scribe answered, that loving God and our neighbor were always of more value than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. And love is shown in action, not with words. That is why faith without works is dead. A person can say all they want about their faith, but if there are no works that fulfill the true will of God in their life, then such faith is useless.

So then, there is something we need to offer to God. What does the Word say regarding this? “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. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:15-23. So, what is the offering that God seeks? The sacrifice of our free will, to stop subjecting our only belonging (free will, our will) to sin and subjecting it to Him, giving Him our free will to love Him and serve Him, to do His will on earth. That is the sacrifice that God has sought from the beginning, since He created man, because we were made for Him, for His glory, for His purpose, as it is written: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10. So then, do you continue sacrificing your only belonging to sin and death, or to God that has given you everything, and without any kind of obligation? Lord bless! John. Support Israel. Pray for Israel. God will bless those that bless Israel.

The Need for a Spiritual Leader - Exodus 14

Based on Exodus 14 (New King James Version)

“Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.’ And they did so. Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, ‘Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?’ So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses, ‘Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.’ And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.’ And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.’ And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, ‘Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.’ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.’ And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.”

In this passage we see something very clear, that there must be a spiritual leader for God to manifest Himself in power and glory here on earth. God obviously does all things, but with the complement of a person who decides to truly believe God, seek after God, and urge others to do the same. That is the type of person that is necessary to find that complement to see God work. God will not work otherwise if there is not such faith, such desire to follow and urge others to follow.

I was once asked, “Why don't we see the miracles that there were before?” And the answer was: “Because of the abundance of sin.” It is a sin not only to do the immoral things that the Bible talks about, but also to lack faith, to lack obedience to the Word of God, and of course, for following things and beliefs that are not in line with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. All of this is a sin too, and many times, even more serious than those that others consider bad or ugly, because although all sin is injustice, before the eyes of God there are differences in consequences and offense. We all continue to sin, even when we are in Christ, because we are imperfect beings, but there are differences between one sin and the other. But the greatest sins before God are lack of faith and cowardice; two things that were totally absent in the life of Moses when God was visibly working.

When Moses had his encounter with God, there was something that happened within him, something that transformed him, a faith that was born that was unshakable. From then on, through his faith, God did great things through Moses. And Moses, by his faith, confronted entire nations, from Pharaoh and the Egyptians to the rebels within the people of Israel. Moses was not a coward. And his faith was not based on his desires, as many false prophets and teachers teach today. Moses' faith was rooted in the will of God, in God design. Moses never tried to make God his servant as is very commonly done today. But on the contrary, he sought to fulfill God's will and obey it. That is true faith, believing God and obeying Him, and urging others to do so. Moses never bowed to Pharaoh, not because he was a rebel, but because his trust and obedience were totally subject to God. But Moses submitted to God under his own will, he decided through his free will to follow the Lord God as his God, and to follow Him and do as he was commanded, no matter what it cost him. That's what being a spiritual leader is all about. It is not men who choose these leaders. These leaders mainly emerge on their own when they decide for the Lord. Those are the ones we need today more than ever. Another leader also said this: “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15. So then, have you decided to be a leader where you are so the glory of God can be manifested? Lord bless! John. Support Israel. Pray for Israel. God will bless those that bless Israel.