YEHOVAH'S FAITHFULNESS IS OUR STRENGTH

One of the most important verses in all of scripture is found in Peter’s first epistle where the apostle speaks of the necessity of having our faith tested:

“That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to be praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus the Messiah” (1 Peter 1:7, NKJV).

The Greek word used for trials here means “examining or testing with difficulties and adversities.” This passage suggests that Yehovah our God is saying, “Your faith is precious to me, more precious than all the wealth of this world that will one day perish.

In these last days, when the enemy sends all manner of evil against you, I want you to be able to stand strong with unshakable faith.”

Peter says: “Yehovah our God knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment” (2 Peter 2:9). The Greek word here that is used for temptation means “putting to proof adversities.” Clearly, Yehovah our God does not want to keep us in our trials. Why would he be interested in keeping us in the midst of temptation and affliction? He doesn’t get any glory from testing his children but He does get glory from the results of our testings!

There is only one way to escape our trials, and that is by passing the test. Think about it. When you were in school, how did you finally escape? You passed the final exam. If you didn’t pass, you were sent back to class.

That was the case with ancient Israel. When God brought them to the Red Sea, he was testing his people, trying them, proving them. He brought them to the very brink of destruction, surrounding them by mountains on two sides, a sea on another and an approaching enemy on the other.

Yes, Yehovah put Israel in that circumstance expecting a certain reaction. He wanted his people to acknowledge their helplessness. He wanted to hear them say, “We remember how God delivered us from the plagues. We remember how he brought us out of the furnace of affliction where we made bricks without straw and had no rest. God delivered us then, and he will do it again! Let us rejoice in his faithfulness. He is God, and he has given us promises he will keep. He will protect us from every enemy who comes against us.”

Such faith is a sweet-smelling incense/fragrance to God

Brothers and sisters, we are indeed living in the last days. The end of this age is very near. We are all going to be tested and tried more and more as the end approaches, especially as we go through the coming tribulation that will have an effect around the world. We are already seeing the results of climate change that is affecting people around the world and this is only the beginning of Woe! We all need to ask for our God and Father Yehovah to enable us by His Spirit to have the strength and power to be able to hold fast to the end of our lives or this age! Without His help and amazing grace we are completely helpless to be able to withstand what is coming.

May our God and Father Yehovah be our strong tower and our sure defense, our rearguard and guiding light as we walk on the narrow path through this sin-sick world toward entrance into His soon-coming Kingdom.

May we inculcate the words He spoke to Zerubbabel: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says Yehovah of hosts." Also the words He spoke to the Apostle Paul: My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

And Paul's reflection: Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of the Messiah may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for the Messiah’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9,10)

Psalm 18:2: Yehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Psalm 62:7: In Yehovah is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in Yehovah.

Isaiah 12:2:  Behold, Yehovah is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD YEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.

Written By David Wilkerson (1931-2011) and edited by Bruce Lyon

HOW LONG WAS JESUS IN THE TOMB?

Try as you might, it is impossible to fit three days and three nights between a late Friday burial and a Sunday morning resurrection. The Good Friday -Easter Sunday tradition simply isn’t true or biblical.

About one billion Protestants and another billion Catholics believe that Jesus the Messiah was crucified and entombed on a Friday afternoon; “Good Friday” and raised to life again at daybreak on “Easter Sunday” morning, a day and a half later.

Note: When we compare this to what Jesus himself said about how long he would be entombed, we find a major contradiction

How long did Jesus say he would be in the grave?

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40).

The context in which Jesus the Messiah said these words is important. The scribes and Pharisees were demanding a miraculous sign from him to prove that he was indeed the long-awaited Messiah. “But he answered and said to them:

‘An evil and adulterous generation seek after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah’” (verse 39).

This was the only sign Jesus gave that he was the promised Messiah:

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (emphasis added throughout).

Traditional timing doesn’t add up

The Gospels are clear that Jesus died and his body was hurriedly placed in the tomb late in the afternoon, just before sundown when a Sabbath began (John 19:30-42).

The traditional “Good Friday-Easter Sunday” timing is from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown is one night and one day. Saturday night to Sunday daybreak is another night, giving us two nights and one day.

So where do we get another night and two days to equal the three days and three nights Jesus said He would be in the tomb?

This is definitely a problem

Most theologians and religious scholars try to work around it by arguing that any part of a day or night counts as a day or night. Thus, they say, the final few minutes of that Friday afternoon were the first day, all day Saturday was the second day, and the first few minutes of Sunday morning were the third day.

The trouble is, it doesn’t work. This only adds up to three days and two nights, not three days and three nights.

Note: John 20:1 tells us that “on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.”

Did you catch the problem here? John tells us it was still dark when Mary went to the tomb on the first day of the week t[hat for Jews began at sundown], and found it empty. Jesus was already resurrected well before daybreak, in fact just before the weekly Sabbath sundown. Thus he wasn’t in the tomb any of the daylight portions of Sunday, so daytime Sunday cannot be counted as a day.

That leaves us with, at most, part of a day on Friday, all of Friday night, a whole daylight portion on Saturday, and Saturday night. That totals one full day and part of another, and one full night and most of another; still a full day and a full night short of the time Jesus said He would be in the tomb.

Clearly, something doesn’t add up

Either Jesus misspoke about the length of time He would be in the tomb, or the “Good Friday–Easter Sunday” timing is wrong according to the scriptures.

Obviously, both cannot be true. So which one is right?

The key to understanding the timing of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection lies in understanding God’s timetable for counting when days begin and end, as well as the timing of His biblical festivals during the spring of the year when these events took place.

We first need to realize that God doesn’t begin and end days at midnight as we do. Genesis 1:5 tells us quite plainly that God counts a day as beginning with the evening (the night portion) and ending at the next evening; “So the evening [nighttime] and the morning [daylight] were the first day.” God repeats this formula for the entire six days of creation.

In Leviticus 23, where God lists all of His holy Sabbaths and festivals, He makes it clear that they are to be observed “from evening to evening” (Leviticus 23:32); in other words, from sunset to sunset, when the sun went down and the evening began.

This is why Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, followers of Jesus, hurriedly placed his body in Joseph’s nearby tomb just before sundown (John 19:39-42). A Sabbath was beginning at sundown (John 19:31), when work would have to cease.

Two kinds of Sabbaths cause confusion

As John tells us in John 19:31: “Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies [of those crucified] should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken [to hasten death], and that they might be taken away.”

In the Jewish culture of that time, the chores of cooking and housecleaning were done on the day before a Sabbath to avoid working on God’s designated day of rest. Thus the day before the Sabbath was commonly called “the preparation day.” Clearly, the day on which the Messiah Jesus was crucified and his body placed in the tomb was the day immediately preceding a Sabbath.

The question is, which Sabbath, weekly or annual?

Most people assume John is speaking of the regular weekly Sabbath day, observed from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. From John’s clear statement here, most people assume Jesus died and was buried on a Friday; thus the traditional belief is that Jesus was crucified and died on “Good Friday.”

Most people have no idea that the Bible talks about two kinds of Sabbath days; the normal weekly Sabbath day that falls on the seventh day of the week, and seven annual Sabbaths days, listed in Leviticus 23 and mentioned in various passages throughout the Bible, that could fall on any day of the week.

Because traditional Christianity does not keep the annual or weekly Sabbaths they have failed to recognize what the Gospels plainly tell us about when Jesus the Messiah was crucified and resurrected.

Most people fail to note that John explicitly tells us that the Sabbath that began at sundown immediately before Jesus was buried in the tomb was one of those annual Sabbath days. Notice in John 19:31 his explanation that “that Sabbath was a high day” A “high day” being a term used to differentiate the seven annual Sabbaths from the regular weekly Sabbath days.

So what was this “high day” that immediately followed Jesus Christ’s hurried entombment?

The Gospels tell us that on the evening before Jesus was crucified, he kept the Passover with his disciples (Matthew 26:19-20; Mark 14:16-17; Luke 22:13-15).

Leviticus 23, which lists God’s festivals, tells us that on the day after the 14th of Nisan, a separate festival, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, begins (Leviticus 23:5-6). The first day of this Feast is “a holy convocation” on the 15th of Nisan on which “no customary work” is to be done (Leviticus 23:7).

This day is the first of God’s annual Sabbaths. This is the “high day” of which John wrote. Several Bible commentaries, encyclopedias, and dictionaries note that John is referring to an annual Sabbath here rather than the regular weekly Sabbath day.

Passover [the 14^th day of Nisan] begins at sundown and ends the following day at sundown when this annual Sabbath began. Jesus kept the Passover with His disciples, then was arrested later that night. After daybreak the next day He was questioned before Pontius Pilate, crucified on the afternoon of the 14^th of Nisan, then hurriedly entombed just before the sunset when the “high day [the 15^th of Nisan],” the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, began.

Leviticus 23 tells us the order and timing of these days, and the Gospels confirm the order of events as they unfolded.

Jesus was crucified on Wednesday afternoon [the 14^th of Nisan in 31 A.D.].

Several computer software programs exist that enable us to calculate when the Passover and God’s other festivals fall in any given year. Those programs show that in A.D. 31, the year of these events, the Passover meal was eaten on our Tuesday night and Wednesday sundown marked the beginning of the high day – the 15^th of Nisan,” the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Jesus, then, was crucified on Wednesday morning around 9 A.M. and died around 3 P.M. in the afternoon and buried before sundown on Wednesday afternoon.

Try as you might, it is impossible to fit three days and three nights between a late Friday burial and a Sunday morning resurrection. The Good Friday -Easter Sunday tradition simply cannot be proved from the scriptures.

Can we find further proof of this in the Gospels? Yes, indeed we can!

Let’s turn to a seldom-noticed detail in Mark 16:1: “Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.”

In that time, if the body of a loved one was placed in a tomb rather than being buried directly in the ground, friends and family would commonly place aromatic spices in the tomb alongside the body to reduce the smell as the remains decayed.

Since Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb just before that high-day Sabbath began, the women had no time to buy those spices before the Sabbath. Also, they could not have purchased them on the Sabbath day, as shops were closed. Thus, Mark says, they bought the spices after the “high day Sabbath” had passed.

But notice another revealing detail in Luke 23:55-56: “And the women who had come with the Messiah from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath [the 15^th of Nisan, a “high day” Sabbath] according to the commandment.”

Do you see a problem here?

Mark clearly states that the women bought the spices after the Sabbath [the 15^th of Nisan] - “when the Sabbath was past.” Luke tells us that the women prepared the spices and fragrant oils, after which “they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.”

So they bought the spices after the Sabbath, and then they prepared the spices before resting on the Sabbath. This is a clear contradiction between these two Gospel accounts - unless two Sabbaths were involved!

Indeed when we understand that two different Sabbaths are mentioned, the problem goes away

Mark tells us that after the “high day” Sabbath, which began Wednesday evening at sundown and ended Thursday evening at sundown, the women bought the spices to anoint Jesus’ body. Luke then tells us that the women prepared the spices; activity which would have taken place on Friday; and that afterward “they rested on the Sabbath [the normal weekly Sabbath day, observed Friday sunset to Saturday sunset] according to the commandment.”

By comparing details in both accounts, we can clearly see that two different Sabbaths are mentioned along with a workday in between.

The first Sabbath was a “high day”; the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which fell on a Thursday. The second was the weekly seventh-day Sabbath.

The original Greek in which the Gospels were written also plainly tells us that two Sabbath days were involved in these accounts.

In Matthew 28:1, where Matthew writes that the women went to the tomb “after the Sabbath,” the word Sabbath here is actually plural and should be translated “Sabbaths.” Bible versions such as Alfred Marshall’s Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, Green’s Literal Translation Young’s Literal Translation, and Ferrar Fenton’s Translation make this clear.

When was Jesus resurrected?

We have seen, then, that Jesus the Messiah was crucified and entombed on a Wednesday, just before an annual Sabbath [15^th of Nisan] began; not the weekly Sabbath.

So when was He resurrected?

John 20:1, as noted earlier, tells us that “on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.” The sun had not yet risen; “it was dark,” John tells us when Mary found the tomb empty.

John 20:1 ¶  The first day of the week came Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and sees the stone taken away from the sepulcher. Then she runs, and comes to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and says unto them, They have taken away the lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter, therefore, went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulcher.  So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulcher. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then comes Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and sees the linen clothes lie,  and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

But Mary stood [didn't go but stayed after Peter and John had gone]  next to the sepulcher weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher, and sees two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why are you weeping? She said unto them, Because they have taken away my lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself around and saw Jesus standing, and didn't know that it was Jesus [because it was dark]. Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? who are you seeking? She, supposing him to be the gardener, said unto him, Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned herself, and said unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus said unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Obviously, then, Jesus was not resurrected at sunrise on Sunday morning. Actually, he had risen just before sundown on Saturday.

So when did this take place? The answer is plain if we simply read the Gospels, and Jesus the Messiah’s own words, and accept them for what they say.

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth,” said Jesus (Matthew 12:40).

As we have proven, Jesus was entombed; placed “in the heart of the earth” just before sundown on a Wednesday [the 14^th of Nisan]. All we have to do is count forward. One day and one night bring us to Thursday at sundown. Another day and night bring us to Friday at sundown. A third day and night bring us to Saturday toward sundown.

According to Jesus Christ’s own words, He would have been resurrected three days and nights after He was entombed, at around the same time; close to sunset.

Does this fit with the Scriptures?

Yes, as we have seen, he had already risen and the tomb was empty when Mary arrived “while it was still dark” [probably an hour or two after Saturday sundown] on what the Jews refer to as the first day of the week, which begins at sundown or what we call Saturday night.

While no one was around to witness His resurrection (which took place inside a sealed tomb watched over by armed guards), Jesus the Messiah’s own words and the details recorded in the Gospels show that it had to have happened three days and three nights after His burial, near sunset toward the end of the weekly Sabbath.

Try as you might, it is impossible to fit three days and three nights between a late Friday burial and a Sunday morning resurrection. The Good Friday - Easter Sunday tradition simply cannot be proved from the scriptural record.

However, when we look at all the details recorded in the Gospels and compare them with Jesus’ own words, we can understand the truth; and it matches perfectly.

The words of the angel of God, who so startled the women at the empty tomb are proven true: “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said” (Matthew 28:5-6, New International Version).

Let’s not cling to the traditions of men and ideas that aren’t supported by the word of God.

Addition and Subtraction: Passover dates 26 A.D to 34 A.D.

26 A.D.	Fri.    Mar. 22, 0*	Sat.   Apr.    6,  7 a.m.	Sun.    Apr.   7	Mon.   Apr.  8	Sun.   Apr.  21
27 A.D.	Sun.  Mar. 23, 6 a.m.	Wed. Mar. 26,  7 p.m.**	Fri. Mar. 28	Sat.    Mar. 29	Fri. Apr. 11
28 A.D.	Mon.  Mar. 22, noon	Tues. Apr. 13,   2 p.m.	Wed.   Apr.  14	Thurs. Apr.15	Wed.   Apr. 28
29 A.D.	Tues. Mar. 22,  6 p.m.	Sat.   Apr.   2,   7 p.m.**	Mon.    Apr.    4	Tues.  Apr.   5	Mon.    Apr. 18
30 A.D.	Wed. Mar. 22,  0*	Wed. Mar. 22,  8 p.m.***	Fri. Mar.  24	Sat.    Mar. 25	Fri. Apr.   7
31 A.D.	Fri.    Mar. 23,  5 a.m.	Tues. Apr.  10,  2 p.m.	Wed.   Apr.   11	Thurs. Apr.12	Wed.   Apr.  25
32 A.D.	Sat.   Mar. 22, 11 a.m.	Sat.  Mar.  29, 10 p.m.**	Mon. Mar.     31	Tues.  Apr. 1	Mon.    Apr.  14
33 A.D.	Sun.  Mar. 22,  5 p.m.	Fri.   Apr.  17,   9 p.m.**	Sun.  Apr.      19	Mon.   Apr. 20	Sun.     May    3
34 A.D.	Mon. Mar. 22,11 p.m.	Wed. Apr.   7,   2 p.m.	Thurs. Apr.     8	Fri.     Apr.   9	Thurs. Apr.  22

Some historians place Herod's death at 4 B.C. which means that Jesus would have been born 6 B.C. if that is so then the year he died would be 28 A.D. The math calculation: 6 B.C. - 1 for the change over from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. = 5 B.C. - 33 [Jesus was 33 years old when he died] = 28 A.D. plus 2,000 years = 2028 as the end of this age. Notice from the above Jewish Passover Calendar that the Passover in 28 A.D. was on Wednesday [April 28]

Recently a lot of historians have placed the death of Herod at 1 B.C. which means Jesus was born 3 B.C. So let's do the math: 3 B.C. -1 for the change over from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. = 2 B.C. - 33 [Jesus age when he died]  = 31 A.D. plus 2,000 years = 2031 as the end of this age. Notice that according to the Jewish Calendar that the Passover in 31 A.D. was on Wednesday [April 25]

I have chosen 2031 as the date for the end of this age, and subtract 7 years from that time and we will probably be witnessing a treaty [the covenant of death] being signed between the nation of Israel and the leader of the 10 Muslim nations that surround Israel. 31/2 years after the treaty, the leader of the 10 nations [the Beast Power] will break the treaty and invade Israel which will be the beginning of the great tribulation, which will last to almost the end of this age. My calculations are based on a day = 1,000 years.

YEHOVAH PROVIDES A WAY OF ESCAPE FROM TEMPTATION

The Spirit of Yehovah indwells those that are His, and the power of Yehovah works on their behalf even when they are tempted. We know this because Paul clearly states in his letter to the Corinthian congregation, “No temptation has come your way that is too hard for flesh and blood to bear. For God can be trusted not to allow you to suffer any temptation beyond your powers of endurance. He will see to it that every temptation has a way out so that it will never be impossible for you to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13, Phillips).

We live in a culture today that doesn’t comprehend that the Messiah Jesus offers a way to overcome temptation. They don't understand that the lord Jesus was crucified to become a sin-offering sacrifice in order that they could be reconciled to his God and his Father Yehovah by that sacrifice!

This world offers many ways that one can escape fleshly temptations, but only Jesus acting as the agent commissioned by Yehovah can provide the way to resist temptations. The Messiah Jesus clearly states, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Just as an aside: We are to follow Jesus' example and show people the way to obtain salvation - deliverance, bring them to understand the truth of God's plan that leads to age upon age lasting life in the ages to come!

Yehovah says that He will provide, as His shows in the life of Abraham His called-out servant. Let's read through Genesis 22:1-14:

Yehovah tested Abraham and called to him, “Abraham!”“Yes, here I am!” he answered. Yehovah said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will show you.”

Note: Is Isaac a type of the lord Jesus the Messiah who became a sin-offering sacrifice, a burnt offering sacrifice for us.

Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place that Yehovah had told him about. Two days later Abraham saw the place in the distance.

Then Abraham said to his servants, “You stay here with the donkey while the boy and I go over there. We’ll worship. After that, we will come back to you.”

Notice this example of a faith believing in deliverance from a trial:

Yehovah commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on the mountain He would show him, yet he says to his servants that after he goes up to that mountain, he and his son will come back!

Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and gave it to his son Isaac. Abraham carried the burning coals and the knife. The two of them went on together.

Notice: Abraham takes burning coals with him in order to be able to sacrifice his son on an altar as a burnt offering. Can you imagine taking your son up on a mountain in order to tie him up on a pile of wood in order to burn him up, cremate him? Yet Abraham doesn't hesitate for one second. He was totally committed to faithfully obeying his God Yehovah, believing Yehovah would provide a way for him and his son to go back down the mountain. Did Abraham believe that if he killed his son that Yehovah would bring him back to life, resurrect him? I think he did.

Isaac spoke up and said, “Father?” Yes, Son?” Abraham answered. Isaac asked, “We have the burning coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God will provide a lamb for the burnt offering, Son.”

Notice: Is this statement a reference to a type of Jesus the Lamb of God?

The two of them went on together. When they came to the place that Yehovah had told him about, Abraham built the altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied up his son Isaac [who submitted to him doing so, even as Jesus submitted to the will of his Father to become a sin-offering sacrifice] and laid him on top of the wood on the altar.

Next, Abraham picked up the knife and took it in his hand to sacrifice his son. But the Angel of Yehovah called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!”  “Yes?” he answered. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear Yehovah, 

because you did not refuse to give me your son, your only son.”

When Abraham looked around, he saw a ram behind him caught by its horns in a bush. So Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son [even as Jesus, as the lamb of God, became a sin offering sacrifice, a burnt offering for us, in place of us].

Abraham named that place Yehovah Will Provide. It is still said today, “On the mountain of Yehovah it will be provided.”

This was the same place where Solomon would build the temple of Yehovah, where God provided a place for his people to meet with him.

When we finally admit, “My way of doing things doesn't work. My way is not the right one,” and in faith obedience totally commit to following Yehovah’s way, we will have His powerful provision working in us to be able to overcome any temptation/test/trial.

Yehovah provides the indwelling life-enabling power we need as His servants/slaves to live according to His love and righteousness in all we say and do. When we do so in faith obedience we will be enabled by His indwelling presence to overcome every temptation, test, or trial that comes our way. Then we can pray that the mountain - temptation, trial, will be cast into the sea and it will be gone. (Matthew 21:21)

WHAT ARE WE, AS WE SERVE THE LIVING GOD YEHOVAH?

We are to serve our God and Father Yehovah with a bountiful cheerful spirit. We experience joy and peace of mind in whatever we do for Him. We as priests serve and take care of our brothers and sisters, who are members of the body of the Messiah Jesus, the called out Assembly of Yehovah?

We have been called to take the message that Yehovah gave to His uniquely begotten son Jesus His anointed one to give to us. The message of the soon-coming Kingdom [Kingship] of Yehovah and all that message of hope entails!

Our God and Father Yehovah has given us all the resources we need to carry out what he wants us to do. He has given us by His indwelling Spirit, strength, ability, wisdom, and His all-encompassing love! We have a reservoir of power within to draw upon as we walk on the path He wants to walk upon through this sin-sick world reaching out to others to pull them out of the fire into His wonderful light. This being true there ought to be absolutely nothing that can hold us back from accomplishing His will for us.

He has shown you, O man, what is good: and what does Yehovah require of you, but to do justly, and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

For God will not forget your work, and the love which you have shown to His name, having ministered to the saints (holy ones)…. (Hebrews 6:10)

No one has seen God at any time: if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:12)

…. God is love. (1 John 4:8)

Brothers and sisters do we realize what we are as a result of our God and our Father’s amazing grace?

Notice:

2 Corinthians 6: 16, 18: … you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk-in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

And I will be a Father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord [Yehovah] Almighty.

Galatians 4:4-7: When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the Law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons; God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore you are no more a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through the Messiah.

Philippians 2:12-16: …. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure. Do all things without murmuring or disputing: That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life….

1 John 3:1-2: Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knows us not because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God. It does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. Wow!

Ephesians 2:19: Now, therefore, you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints (holy ones), and members of the household of God;

Galatians 6:10: As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

We indeed have the opportunity to do good to all men by bringing the good news message to them as ambassadors of the Messiah Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21; 6:1-2: Now then we are ambassadors for the Messiah, as though God did beseech you by us: we ask you in the Messiah’s stead, be you reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he says, I have heard you in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I scoured you: behold,  NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION.)

Conclusion:

We know that Yehovah is love and as His sons, we are to reflect His love in all we do and say. We are the temple of the living God because His powerful Spirit indwells us. We are the sons of Yehovah by the Spirit of adoption and as such have been placed as sons and daughters in His household. As we read Roman chapter 11, we see that we have been grafted into the Israel of God of which the Messiah Jesus is the representative man. We know that in the Messiah we are new creations, members of the New Humanity Yehovah has been creating since Adam. We are priests of Yehovah (Revelation 1:6; 5:10).

This is what we are in the lord Messiah Jesus and as God is Love and Jesus was the outshining of the nature of Yehovah, so as new creations, in the Messiah, we ought to be the outshining of his love, as his ambassadors toward all people. That love will enable us to reach out to all men and women with the message of salvation - deliverance that will be backed up by the Spirit of Yehovah and the Messiah in us as we speak to them!

DEALING WITH OUR FEARS

We have to learn to fight our own battles if we want to become mature believers. You can’t depend on someone else for your deliverance. Perhaps you have a prayer warrior friend you can call and say, “I’ve got a battle before me. Will you pray for me?".

Now that is scriptural, but it is not your God and your Father's complete will for you. Yehovah wants you to become a warrior! He wants you to be able to stand up against the rulers of the darkness of this world.

Note: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)

Note: When Israel was being oppressed by their enemies, God promised Gideon, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man” (Judges 6:16, NKJV). God told Gideon, “I have sent you; I will be with you.”

Notice: Judges 6:11-16: Then the angel of Yehovah came and sat under the pistachio tree in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. The angel of Yehovah appeared to him and said to him: “You valiant hero! Yehovah is with you!” “Excuse me, sir,” answered Gideon, “but if Yehovah is with us, then why is all this happening to us? And where are all his miracles our ancestors told us about when they said,  Didn't Yehovah bring us up from Egypt?’ But now, Yehovah has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” Yehovah [the angel acting as Yehovah's agent] turned to him and said, “Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hands of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” But Gideon answered him, “Forgive me, Yehovah, but with what am I to save Israel? For my family is the poorest in Menasheh, and I’m the youngest person in my father’s house!” Yehovah [the angel acting as Yehovah's agent] said to him, “Because I will be with you, you will strike down Midyan as easily as if they were just one man.”

Things will begin to change the moment you are fully persuaded that God is with you.

Like Gideon, you may be fearful and wonder, “How can I fight? I’m weak and inexperienced.” Remember what God told Gideon:

“Go in this might of yours” (Judges 6:14). “What might?” you ask. Gideon’s might was bound up in coming to believe, to have faith in God’s promise to him:

“Surely I will be with you.”

Beloved, those same words, “I am with you”, is your strength! You will receive strength being enabled by the indwelling Spirit of Yehovah to carry out and do whatever He commissions you to do!

We know that we as His priests have been commissioned to preach the good news message that Jesus preached to the nations!

Note: Grace be unto you, and peace, from Him [Yehovah], who is, and who was, and who is to come; and from the seven angels which are before His throne; And from Jesus the Messiah, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And has made us kings and priests unto his God and his Father; to Him [Yehovah] be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Revelations 1:4-6)

Jesus told his disciples after his resurrection from among the dead: "repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem". (Luke 24:47)

When they received the power from on high that Jesus sent down on the Day of Pentecost they went forth from that time preaching the message he gave them to all the nations beginning at Jerusalem. They did so knowing that the lord Jesus was with them every step of the way, even as he is with us every step of the way as we carry the message he received from his God and his Father to give to us to take to the nations! This is what we have been commissioned to do.

When we do so we are "Yehovah's valiant warriors" acting as His agents.

HOW ARE WE TO - LOVE YEHOVAH ELOHIM - GOD?

A teacher of the law asked Jesus: “what is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, the first commandment is:

Hear, O Israel: YEHOVAH our ELOHIM (God), YEHOVAH is one: (CJB)

And you shall love YEHOVAH your ELOHIM (God) with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your resources. Deuteronomy 6:4 [Complete Jewish Bible]

These words spell out that in order to love YEHOVAH ELOHIM (God) we need to be absolutely, completely, totally committed to Him.

We are to love YEHOVAH ELOHIM (God) with all our heart, all our being, all our resources. The triple “all” encompasses:

1.   totality of devotion – all your heart

2.   totality of person – all your being

3.   totality of action – all your resources

Note: Realize that you cannot do this on your own, using your own resources. In order to be able to become totally committed to Yehovah Elohim (God) you need to commit to dying to self, and then enter the waters of baptism as one who is dying to self and coming out of the water becoming a new creation in the lord Messiah Jesus receiving the Yehovah’s Spirit, that will give you the indwelling enabling power to become totally committed to Him in all you say and so.

In answering the scribe Jesus follows up with the second great commandment, which shows us one more way we can be committed to loving Yehovah Elohim (God)

Mark 12:31: The second is this: “You are to love your neighbor as yourself”.(CJB)

When we love our neighbor as ourselves, we love all those who reflect the image of Yehovah, which means everyone. So in loving our neighbors as ourselves, we love Yehovah!

That is the creed of the Messiah Jesus, the simplicity of his message of deliverance – salvation!

THE PREPARATION FOR THE KINGDOM AND MESSIANIC MARCH

The Organizing of the Kingdom When Jesus returns with his angels (2 Thessalonians 1:7), he descends toward the earth, is met in the air by the “caught up” body of Christians (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), and continues his descent to land on a particular point on earth. But where will this touchdown place be? One indicator can be found in Psalm 68 which shows that:

“The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, with thousands doubled. Yehovah is among them at Sinai, distinctive in victory. You have ascended on high; you have led away captives” (Psalm 68:17-18 LEB).

Less literally it is rendered:

Although this passage speaks of these things concerning “Yehovah God” as coming from Sinai they actually apply to the “lord Messiah” as God’s representative, agent: i.e. Jesus. Indeed, just as Yahweh God prepared the ancient Israelites for setting up the Kingdom of Israel under Moses at the base of Mount Sinai in the Arabian Desert (Galatians 4:25), so too, the future establishment of Yehovah’s Kingdom under Jesus may also happen in this same place. So instead of the traditional view that Jesus will descend to the Mount of Olives, he likely will descend to the base of Mount Sinai. In fact, both Psalm 68:7-8 and Deuteronomy 33:1, 2, also show that Mount Sinai is part of this scenario which fits well with the other Scriptures that we shall examine concerning a Messianic march northward toward Jerusalem.

This event may take place during the additional 30 or 45 days after the return of Jesus as shown by the difference between the 1,260 and 1,290 days as well as the 1,335 days stated in Daniel 12:11, 12.

If the above scenario is correct then the time spent at the remote area of Mount Sinai may well concern the Messianic banquet spoken of in Isaiah 25:6, “And on this mountain, Yehovah of hosts will make for all peoples a rich feast, a feast of aged wines, fat-filled with marrow, filtered aged wine.” This fits with Jesus’ statement at the last supper when he said:

“I have intensely desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer,”...“I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes” (Luke 22:15-18).

After the time of the magnificent and glorious display in earth’s atmosphere to demonstrate Jesus’ return (Matthew 24:29-30) and during this time of the Messianic banquet, Jesus and the complete body of his brothers and sisters will be out of sight from the world. This as Bible scholar George N. H. Peters, in his third volume of The Theocratic Kingdom, shows that “the second advent, to be appreciated, must be comprehended in its several phases, being at first secret, hidden to carry out certain purposes, and finally open, revealed.”

So rather than a pre-tribulation rapture approach, all these events occur after the great tribulation. Indeed, after this time spent near Mount Sinai Jesus and the complete body of his people will be openly displayed to the world once again as they begin the march northward.

NOTE. The angels in Acts 1:11 did not say that Jesus would come back to the same place from which he ascended i.e. the Mount of Olives. Also, the text in Zechariah 14:4 only says that Jesus’ “feet will stand on the Mount of Olives” rather than his landing there. So, his feet can be there on his arrival at that place.

Marching from Sinai through the Desert

“O God, when you went forth before your people when you marched through the wilderness, the earth quaked; Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God” (Psalm 68:7-8).

“A voice is calling in the wilderness, “Clear the way of Yahweh! Make a highway smooth in the desert for our God! And the glory of Yahweh shall be revealed” (Isaiah 40:3-5 LEB).

“Yehovah came from Sinai, and he dawned upon them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came with myriads of holy ones, at His right hand a fiery law for them” (Deuteronomy 33:1, 2 LEB).

Of course, it is not Yehovah Himself, but His chief representative, agent, the Messiah who leads this march through the desert and on toward the Edomite districts of Teman and then Bozrah near Mount Seir.

“Yehovah comes from Teman and the Holy One from Mount Paran ... His radiance is like the sunlight, He has rays flashing from his hand, and there is the hiding of His power. Before Him goes pestilence, And plague comes after Him; He looked and startled the nations” (Habakkuk 3:2-6).

Jude 14 and 15 confirms this scenario when referencing a prophecy from Enoch stating:

Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about them, saying, “Take note: Yehovah came with countless thousands of His holy ones. He came to execute judgment against all and to convict all the ungodly concerning all the ungodly activities that they committed, and concerning all the harsh things that ungodly sinners spoke against Him.”

This is no march of peacemaking, but of Messiah’s indignation at his enemies in Edom and their destruction as he marches on in conquest (Psalm 2):

“The mountains saw you and quaked ... sun and moon stood in their places; they went away at the light of your arrows ... In indignation, you marched through the earth; in anger, you trampled the nations. You went forth for the salvation of your people ... you struck the head of the house of evil to lay him open from thigh to the neck” (Habakkuk 3:11-13).

Isaiah also describes this destruction that the Messiah brings upon Edom and its aftermath on his northward march:

“Who is this who comes from Edom, With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, this One who is majestic in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? ‘It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. ‘Why is Your apparel red, and your garments like the one who treads in the winepress? ‘I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the many peoples there was no man with me...and their lifeblood is sprinkled on my garment ... For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption has come’” (Isaiah 63:1-4).

A similar picture to this is given in Revelation 19:11-18:

“Then I saw the sky opening up. There was a white horse, and the one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True.” With justice, he judges and wages war. His eyes are like a fiery flame, and there are many diadem crowns on his head. He has a name written that no one knows except himself. He is clothed with a robe that had been dipped in blood, and his name is called “The revelation of God.” The armies in the sky kept following him on white horses. They are dressed in white and clean fine linen. A sharp sword extended from his mouth so that he can strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron scepter, and he will trample the winepress of the fury of the retribution of God, the All-Powerful. He has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Then I saw one particular angel standing in the sun, and he shouted out in a loud voice to all the birds flying in mid-air, “Come and gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of powerful people, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of everyone, both free and bond-servant, and lowly and prominent!”

Although all the details of this complete scenario give no thought of a pre-tribulation rapture, it does show that Messiah Jesus comes in two phases (not two returns) with a time that is hidden from the world in a remote area of Sinai in Arabia. During this time the messianic banquet is held and the preparation of God’s people to be a part of the Theocratic Government will be developed to rule over God’s Kingdom, during the Messiah Jesus 1,000 year rule over the nations.

LOVE SHOULD BE OUR ALL

The following verses are given for all of us to meditate on, and act upon, living them out in our lives as we are enabled to do by the indwelling enabling power of the Spirit of our God and our Father Yehovah!

Matthew 5: 43-45:

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.'

But I tell you this: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. In this way, you show that you are children of your Father in heaven.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13:

I may speak in the languages of humans and of angels. But if I don't have love, I am a loud gong or a clashing cymbal. I may have the gift to speak what God has revealed, and I may understand all mysteries and have all knowledge. I may even have enough faith to move mountains. But if I don't have love, I am nothing. I may even give away all that I have and give up my body to be burned. But if I don't have love, none of these things will help me.

Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not jealous. It does not sing its own praises [brag]. It is not arrogant. It is not rude. It does not think about itself. It is not irritable. It does not keep track of wrongs. It is not happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, and never gives up. Love never comes to an end.

There is the gift of speaking what God has revealed, but it will no longer be used. There is the gift of speaking in other languages, but it will stop by itself. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will no longer be used.

Our knowledge is incomplete and our ability to speak what God has revealed is incomplete. But when what is complete comes then what is incomplete will no longer be used.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I no longer used childish ways.

Now we see a blurred image in a mirror [mirrors in the first century did to reflect a very good reflection]. Then we will see very clearly. Now my knowledge is incomplete. Then I will have complete knowledge as God has complete knowledge of me.

So these three things remain faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

2 Peter 3:7-15:

But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same [prophetic] word [of Yehovah], are kept in store, and reserved unto fire until the Day of Judgment [White Throne Judgment period – Revelation 20:11] and perdition of ungodly men.

Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord [Yehovah] as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.

The Lord [Yehovah] is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The day of the Lord [Yehovah] will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Seeing then that all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conduct and godliness [which is love, as God is love – 1 John 4:8], looking for and moving forward unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness.

Note: Read all of Revelation 21; which is speaking about the coming New Age when the new heavens and new earth are brought into being and only those whose names have been written in the book of life will be in that New Age, i.e. vs. 24, 27.

Note: We will have all of this that will take place after the White Throne Judgment when we as members of the New Humanity as glorified immortal men and women enter into the New Age when Yehovah will come down to the earth and dwell with us at Zion. Only those who are glorified immortal men and women in the lord Messiah, whose names are written in the book of life will enter into that coming New Age!

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that you look for such things, be diligent that you may be found by Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

And know that the longsuffering patience of our Lord [Yehovah] is salvation…

Ephesians 4:1-3:

I, therefore, the prisoner of the lord [Jesus], beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

I Thessalonians 5:14-15:

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all men. 

See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good [loving], both among yourselves, and to all men.

James 5:7-9:

Be longsuffering, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the lord [Jesus]. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and later rain. Be you also are to be longsuffering, and to establish your hearts: for the coming of the lord [Jesus] is coming soon. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest you be condemned: behold the Judge stands before the door.

Notice what Nehemiah says about Yehovah’s attitude toward His hardened, rebellious people, showing the greatness of His love for them:

Nehemiah 9:17:

And [Israel] refused to obey, neither were they mindful of your wonders that you did among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great [loving] kindness, and forsook them not.

Romans 2:4 – An example of God’s love that we are to emulate!

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness [loving kindness] of God leads you to repentance?

Titus 3:3-5:

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

But after that, the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy [acting according to His nature which is love] He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit;

Ephesians 4:31-32:

Get rid of your bitterness, hot tempers, anger, loud quarreling, cursing, and hatred.

Be kind [loving] to each other, sympathetic, forgiving each other as God has forgiven you through the Messiah.

Ephesians 2:7: Another example showing us that God is love, and we ought to love as He loves enabled to do so by His indwelling Spirit.

That in the ages to come He [Yehovah] might show the exceeding riches of His grace in his [loving] kindness toward us through the Messiah Jesus.

Luke 6:35-36:

But love you your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to those who are evil. Be you, therefore, merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Philippians 2:1-5:

Do you have any comfort from love? Do you have any spiritual relationships? Do you have any sympathy and compassion? Then fill me with joy by having the same attitude and the same love, living in harmony, and keeping one purpose in mind. Don't act out of selfish ambition or be conceited. Instead, humbly think of others as being better than yourselves. Don't be concerned only about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others. Have the same attitude that the Messiah Jesus had.

Note: All that Jesus said and did was out of love towards the people he was talking to and the words he spoke were the words his God and Father gave to him to give to the people.

Romans 12:9:

Love sincerely. Hate evil. Hold on to what is good.

1 Peter 3:8-11:

Finally, everyone must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble. Don't pay people back with evil for the evil they do to you, or ridicule those who ridicule you. Instead, bless them, because you were called to inherit a blessing. "People who want to live a full life and enjoy good days must keep their tongues from saying evil things, and their lips from speaking deceitful things. They must turn away from evil and do good. They must seek peace and pursue it.

The Lord's [Yehovah’s] eyes are on those who do what He approves. His ears hear their prayer. The Lord [Yehovah] confronts those who do evil."

When we walk in love, we always forbear, always believe, always hope, and always endure in all things.

1 Corinthians 13:7:

Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, and never gives up.

I Peter 4:8:

And above all things have fervent love among you: for love covers a multitude of sins.

Hebrews 12:2-3 – another example of what love is!

We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross [as a sin-offering sacrifice for all mankind, reconciling us to his God and Father Yehovah] and ignored the disgrace it brought him. Then he was resurrected to receive the highest position in heaven, seated on the right hand of his God and Father Yehovah. Think about Jesus, who endured opposition from sinners, so that you don't become tired and give up acting in love toward all men and women.

1 Corinthians 2:9:

But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.

Note: We show our love for our God and Father Yehovah by loving our neighbors [who have been created in the image of Him] as ourselves. Everything else is commentary.

Note what Jesus says:

Matthew 12:30: He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathers not with me scatters abroad.

A lack of love scatters and doesn't lead men and women to the truth of God. The love of the Messiah and our God and Father in us gathers people to believe and trust in His plan of salvation - deliverance, and fills them with hope for an awesome future!

HOW WE ARE ENABLED BY YEHOVAH'S GRACE TO BECOME VICTORIOUS

Whenever opposition arises, our God and Father Yehovah's grace thrives in us. Think about what happens to a tree when a great storm beats violently against it. The wind threatens to uproot the tree and carry it away. It breaks off branches and blows away its leaves. It loosens its roots and blows off its buds. When the storm is over, things look hopeless.

Yet, look closer; the same storm that opened crevices in the earth around the trunk of the tree has helped the roots go deeper. The tree has access to new, deeper sources of nutrition and water. It has been purged of all its dead branches. The buds may be gone, but others will grow back more fully. That tree is now stronger, growing in unseen ways. Just wait till harvest because it’s going to bear much fruit.

John 15:4-8:

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.

If a man abides not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples.

Maybe you are in a storm right now. The wind is blowing hard, shaking you violently, and you think you’re going to be uprooted. Brothers and sisters, don’t panic! You have to got to know that when the tempest -trial, tribulations subside, you will have been enabled by the Spirit of Yehovah to put down deep spiritual roots. Yehovah is developing in you a deepening humility, greater mourning, and sorrow for sin, a heightened hunger for His righteousness, all that you have need of to enter into His glorious soon-coming Kingdom.

Paul says, “.... we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance - steadfastness” (Romans 5:3, NKJV).

In 2 Corinthians 4:16-17, we read, “... we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

The word ‘working’ in this verse is the same as ‘produces’ in Romans 5:3.

Yehovah is enabling you by His Spirit to become a seasoned Messianic soldier, battle-scarred but battle-smart and courageous.

You may get discouraged at times, but your God and Father Yehovah will always lift you up! The fact is that He can act sovereignly at any time to pluck you out of your struggles, but most of the time He does not because He is using them to rely on Him to enable you to live out your life victorious over all that comes your way.

It never ceases to amaze me how awesome our God and Father Yehovah takes care of all of us, His sons and daughters. He knows us better than we know ourselves and is always working out all that is best for us, short-term and long-term that will lead to entry into His soon-coming Kingdom, as glorified men and women. All we have physically and spiritually comes from His hand. Amazing Grace indeed!