Church Minute

God Is ALIVE

The Sovereign LORD God is alive and lives forever, reigning and ruling as the living Almighty God and only true Majestic King and Supreme Creator of the heavens and earth. The Holy Bible calls the living Sovereign LORD God the Everlasting and Eternal God, who created the heavens and earth, and He lives and reigns forever with ALL power, dominion, and authority. The Sovereign LORD God is the living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel), and the living God and Holy Father of Christ Jesus our Lord. Job, in the Old Testament, discovered during his times of trouble and suffering that God our Redeemer lives, and that He is the living God of all comfort, with faithfulness, compassion, and tender mercy. The Sovereign LORD God is the living God and Commander of heaven's armies - the LORD God of Hosts (Sabaoth), and He fights for and protects His faithful people throughout the world. 
 
Also, the Resurrected Christ Jesus our Lord is the Lord of All, and He also is alive and lives forever, reigning and ruling at the right hand of His Majestic Father in the heavens with ALL power, authority, and dominion. Christ Jesus our Lord is also the living God and the Author of Life, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who holds the keys of life and death. The prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament saw Christ Jesus’s glory, predicted Christ Jesus’s coming to bring salvation, and called Christ Jesus the Everlasting God and Prince of Peace. The Gospel writer John called Christ Jesus the Holy One of God, the Light and Life of the world, like His Righteous Father in heaven. Christ Jesus is our Living Hope, and He lives and reigns forever as our eternal High Priest to bring our heaven’s salvation, grace, and mercy for everyone who comes to Him by faithful obedience.
 
Moreover, the Holy Spirit of God is living and is called the fountain of Living Water that flows directly from the living Sovereign LORD God and His Righteous Son, Christ Jesus our Lord. The book of Revelation calls the Holy Spirit the “Water of Life” that comes from the Throne of the living God. Also, the Holy Spirit is the Living Water that baptizes, and the source and promise that bring God’s salvation, new spiritual life (rebirth), regeneration, cleansing, and spiritual gifting into our hearts and minds from living God the Father and His Son, Christ Jesus our Lord. The living Sovereign LORD God gives and freely pours out His Holy Spirit with blessings into the lives and hearts of those who humbly come to Him and His Son Christ Jesus with faithful love and obedience. However, the Holy Spirit departs and leaves those who are disobedient, rebellious, and unfaithful to the living God, leaving that rebellious person with a tormenting spirit of depression, anxiety, and fear. The Old Testament prophecy predicted the outpouring of the Holy Spirit when the living Sovereign LORD God’s salvation arrived with the Messiah (Christ) Jesus, which was fulfilled at Pentecost in Acts 2 after Christ Jesus death and resurrection. Importantly, the Holy Spirit is the Holy Presence and Power of the living God within His faithful and obedient people with holy fellowship to continue His good works and deeds with good spiritual fruit here on earth for His glory and honor.
 
The living Sovereign LORD God and His Righteous Son, Christ Jesus our Lord, as One, deserve all our first love, allegiance, and worship as the living LORD and Supreme Ruler and King of the heavens and earth. As One, the Sovereign LORD God and Christ Jesus our Lord are the living Great I AM (Yahweh), the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, and the Beginning and the End. Together, the living Sovereign LORD God and His Son Christ Jesus with the Holy Spirit of God created the heavens and earth. The living Sovereign LORD God and Christ Jesus our Lord together love faithful believers in Jesus, freed (redeemed) us from Satan’s darkness and evil, and made us a holy nation and kingdom of priests for God’s glory and service to the world. God’s love is an unending and unbreakable love for those who remain wholeheartedly faithful and obedient to Him.
 
Let EVERYONE seek and love the living God with all faithfulness, obedience, and humility so you can find divine heart peace and rest. Only a commitment to live a life of faithfulness and obedience to the living God leads to receiving God’s righteousness, mercy, abundant blessings, true life, and salvation from heaven. Jesus is LORD!

Keeping the Faith

The eternal message of the Holy Bible is the importance of keeping the faith and love to the living Sovereign LORD God. The Holy Bible promises the living Sovereign LORD God’s blessings with His divine grace, salvation, and peace (shalom) to those who continually love and obey Him with good fruit and righteous deeds of kindness, forgiveness, and mercy towards others. Everyone who wholeheartedly follows and obeys the living Sovereign LORD God’s ways and commands by faith is truly righteous and good in God’s eyes and heart. Obedience to the Sovereign LORD God and His holy ways and life reveals that one is already in a state of righteousness and a right standing before Him, obtained by faith. The living Sovereign LORD God (also known as Adonai Elohim, El Shaddai, and the LORD, translated as Yahweh and Jehovah) honors and blesses those who continually honor and love Him with wholehearted faithfulness and obedience for His glory.
 
The Holy Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, states that every soul belongs to the living Sovereign LORD God (Adonai Elohim), and that He punishes the soul with divine wrath and death who continually sins through rebellion, lawlessness, and disobedience against Him and His holy commands. Evildoing, sinfulness, and criminal living will not go unpunished, for Adonai Elohim holds everyone responsible and accountable for their own sinfulness and wrongdoing. The goodness of the good shall be upon oneself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon oneself. Adonai judges everyone according to their ways, actions, and deeds here on earth, and one receives either divine blessings or punishment according to one’s evildoing and crimes. 
 
Notably, the prophet Ezekiel spoke against the false use of the phrase “sins of the father,” generational curses, and inherited guilt because everyone is responsible for his or her life and deeds - whether good or bad. The Holy Bible teaches that everyone can break the chain of inherited guilt of shame and generational curses to find righteousness with divine and holy life through repentance (turning from lawlessness, wrongdoing, and crime) with an intentional heart with faith to follow and obey the living Sovereign LORD God and His holy ways - producing a harvest of good fruit and loving deeds for God’s glory. 
 
Here is the Good News: the Old and the New Testaments promise that if a wicked and evildoer repent and turn from all one’s sins and crimes which he has committed and turn to the living Sovereign LORD God with faithful obedience and does what is lawful, good, and right with a heart intention to sin no more that person shall surely live and not reap the penalty of God’s wrath and eternal death. That once sinful person who repents is forever FORGIVEN and receives NEW LIFE with a new heart and a fresh start, and ALL his past sins, crimes, and transgressions will be forgiven and wiped clean in God’s eyes. The living Sovereign LORD God brings His full forgiveness, abundant life, and mercy to everyone, including those who sinned and committed crimes, who repent and turn from evildoing and do what is lawful, good, honest, and right. The Holy Bible states that Adonai takes no pleasure at all in the death of the wicked but rather that EVERYONE (the saint and sinner) REPENT and turn away from ALL Satan’s evildoing, crimes, and sins and instead wholeheartedly turn to Him with continual faithful love, holy living, and obedience to find divine life now and for all eternity. 
 
Notably, the living Sovereign LORD God judges and condemns with His divine wrath, condemnation, and death those who continually commit without repentance such evildoing and wicked actions as idolatry, murder, stealing, robbery, adultery, lies, fraud, cruelty, and hurting others, including oppressing the poor, widows, and orphans, because they violated His eternal laws and commands. Adonai Elohim commands everyone - saint and sinner to flee and run away from such evil actions and dark deeds as idolatry (worshipping other gods), eating blood, hatred and murder, fornication and adultery (sex outside holy marriage), defiling women, witchcraft and sorcery, theft, robbery with violence, hurting and oppressing others, drunkenness, charging excess interest (usury), and lies with fraud and corruption. Christ Jesus promised that everyone who behaves and continually does these lawless works, dark actions, and evil deeds of Satan will not enter into His and His Holy Father’s good eternal Kingdom. 
 
Moreover, the Holy Bible warns that a good and righteous person who turns away from and rejects God’s goodness and righteous ways and turns to Satan by speaking and doing Satan’s lawless deeds, crimes, and wrongdoing shall die with condemnation, and all his previous good and righteous deeds will be forgotten. Importantly, the New Testament warns believers and others who have turned to the light and professed faith in Christ Jesus and His Holy Father, the living Sovereign LORD God, to never turn away from belief and the holy faith by turning to sinful, dark, and wicked living because such evildoing and dark living will lead to God’s wrath, fiery punishment, and death. 
 
Divine justice was illustrated in the life of David in the Old Testament. During his life, David lived a loyal and faithful life to the living Sovereign LORD God, which led to David receiving divine blessings and rewards. The Holy Bible calls David a “man after God’s own heart” in both the Old and New Testaments. However, David had a momentary lapse of wisdom and good judgment by pursuing an adulterous and envious relationship with Bathsheba and then lying by having Bathsheba’s husband killed, which resulted in David’s divine punishment and God’s wrath. Eventually, David repented of his sins and of his wrongdoing toward Bathsheba. Moreover, Adonai forgave David with his repentance and confession of his sins with Bathsheba; however, David’s sinfulness and momentary evildoing brought him and his family great pain and humiliation.
 
Importantly, Christ Jesus our Lord taught that everyone who does not succumb to and turn to Satan’s evildoing and seductive temptations but perseveres, endures, and remains wholeheartedly faithful with love, allegiance, and obedience to Him and His Holy Father will receive divine blessings and salvation. The living Sovereign LORD God, who is the Father of our Lord Christ Jesus, commands everyone to persevere and run one’s life race with never-ending faithfulness and obedience to Him and His Son Christ Jesus the Lamb, and always do what is good and right so that it will go well with them and their families. The Holy Bible promises that everyone who continues and runs the good race and good fight with enduring faithfulness to Adonai Elohim and away from sinfulness will receive the crown of righteousness with the holy saints.
 
The book of Revelation in the New Testament promises that those who will come into the new heavens and new earth to live with the living Sovereign LORD God and His Son, Christ Jesus the Lamb, forever will be those wearing fine linen, clean and bright, for their fine linen is their good deeds and righteous acts as God’s holy saints and faithful servants who remained faithful to Adonai Elohim with good works with moral fruit and did not succumb wicked works and worship the Evil One. Christ Jesus, who is the Eternal and Final Judge, taught and summarized in the New Testament at Matthew 25:1-46, before His departure to heaven, who will enter into heaven with Him and His Holy Father as His good and faithful servants. According to Christ Jesus our Lord, your deeds and behavior on earth will affect your final and eternal destination, whether heaven or hell because there are consequences to everyone’s actions and works. 
 
Here is even more Good News: It is never too late to REPENT! Even the lady caught in the very act of adultery and sinful living, Christ Jesus our Lord offered the lady forgiveness and mercy with His command to the lady to “sin no more” and turn from lawless and wicked living. If you repent of your sins and turn to God, you will be saved and forgiven from God’s condemnation, wrath, and eternal death and live with Him in paradise.
 
Let EVERYONE wholeheartedly seek and love with faithful obedience the living Sovereign LORD God and His Son Christ Jesus as One and turn away with genuine repentance from any and all wickedness, dark deeds, crimes, lawlessness, and cruelty so you can find divine life, mercy, grace, blessings, and peace (shalom) for your minds, hearts, and souls both now on earth and for all eternity. Christ Jesus our Lord, along with all His faithful and holy servants, calls everyone to REPENT by turning away from Satan’s dark and evil living, confessing their sins, and importantly turning with wholehearted faithful obedience to Him and His Holy Father. REPENT because the Lord God Almighty lives and reigns!

Holiness of God

The Holy Bible describes the living and eternal God of Heaven as “holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty” in the Old and New Testaments. The living God of Heaven is perfectly holy with absolute moral virtue and holiness in all His ways, nature, and character. Holiness with order and peace also describes the living God of Heaven’s character because He is without chaos, confusion, and discord. In fact, holiness is a fundamental and central attribute of the living God of Heaven, for He is morally and ethically pure without sin, wrongdoing, or evil. Moreover, the Spirit of the living God of Heaven is holy and true and without any sin, darkness, and evil. Christ Jesus our Lord addressed the living God of Heaven as His “Holy Father” while praying for His disciples (followers), and He also instructed His disciples to address His Father as Holy Father also during our daily prayers.
 
The living God of Heaven is called the Holy One, and He is majestic in holiness, goodness (righteousness), and truth. The Holy Bible has many names for the living God of Heaven including Adonai, Elohim, El Shaddai (God Almighty), and Yahweh (translated as the LORD, Jehovah, and I AM WHO I AM). The Name of the living God of Heaven is holy and good. The Holy Bible commands everyone to worship and praise the living God of Heaven with wholehearted fear and forever keep His Name in the highest honor, love, and respect at all times, including our prayers. Importantly, the Law of God, with the commandments and teachings of the living God of Heaven, is holy and good. The Holy Bible commands everyone to keep and obey the living God of Heaven’s holy Sabbath (Shabbat) to honor and worship Him.
 
Wherever the living God of Heaven dwells is holy. The angels of the living God are holy and are called His holy ones. Anything the living God of Heaven comes into contact with, including the ground, also becomes holy and consecrated (sacred) because of His Holy Presence. Notably, the Holy Bible calls Israel and Jerusalem to be holy as His treasured possession and will be renewed with Christ Jesus’s Second Coming. 
 
Significantly, Christ Jesus our Lord, who is the Son of the living God, is also called the Holy One of God. The angel Gabriel announced to Mary at the birth of her Son, Christ Jesus, that He would be called the Holy One and the Son of the living God. The Holy Spirit of God, as a pure dove, descended upon Christ Jesus our Lord at His baptism and empowered Christ Jesus with a holy anointing for His ministry as the Promised Messiah of God (Anointed One) while on earth. The Holy Bible describes Christ Jesus as holy, without sin, and blameless, and commands everyone to follow His holy ways with truth in our daily living and conduct. The Apostle Peter called Christ Jesus the “Holy One of God,” the “Holy and Righteous One,” and God’s “Holy Servant” in the New Testament. The book of Revelation calls Christ Jesus our Lord “holy and true,” and He is the Gatekeeper with the keys to open the heavens for those who come to Him with trust and faithful obedience. 
 
Let everyone continually live and worship the living God of Heaven with the beauty of holiness, truth, and goodness. Because of the living God of Heaven’s holiness, everyone must worship and honor Him along with His Son Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit of God with wholehearted love, respect, obedience, and importantly, fear and not contempt nor disrespect. The living God of Heaven and His Son Christ Jesus our Lord are holy, and as One, the earth is filled with God’s Glory. Jesus is Lord!
 

Living Holy Lives

The living God of Heaven wants His people to reflect His holiness, purity, and glory on earth because He is holy, pure, and glorious. The very nature and being of the living God of Heaven is holy and without sin. Here is the Good News: The living God of Heaven, as Redeemer, wants everyone to receive His gift of salvation and a new spiritual life from heaven by coming to His Son, Christ Jesus, through repentance (turning from sin) with faith and obedience in Him as Lord and Savior. Notably, the living God of Heaven makes believers in Jesus holy and righteous as saints when we trust and faithfully obey His Son, Christ Jesus, and His teaching as our Lord and Savior. Christ Jesus is our holiness, and He also makes us holy and righteous as we obey His truthful teaching, so we can dwell with His Holy Father, the living God of Heaven. The living God of Heaven and His Son, Lord Christ Jesus our Savior, sanctifies and makes us holy, clean, and righteous as we faithfully love and follow Him and obey His commandments and teachings. 
The New Testament commands believers in Jesus to fully give our lives and whole hearts as a living and holy sacrifice to the God of Heaven, by living good and moral lives in truth that honor and glorify Him. As believers in Christ Jesus, the only sacrifice and offering the living God of Heaven commands is the sacrifice of living holy and true lives that love and honor Him, producing good fruits and loving deeds towards others, and worshiping and praising Him with spiritual songs and psalms from our whole hearts and mouths. Our faithful devotion and allegiance to the God of Heaven, holy living, and our good works for His glory are our sacrifices, worship, and offerings that please and honor Him. 
Significantly, the Lord Christ Jesus, our Savior, taught that only those who repent of Satan’s evildoing and live holy in truth can enter God’s Holy Kingdom and see His Holy Father. Nothing impure or unholy will enter God’s Kingdom. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul’s teaching in the New Testament encourages believers in Jesus to live moral and holy lives, with goodness and humility, and to no longer follow Satan and the world’s dark living and deeds because of Christ Jesus’s abundant grace and sacrificial death for our sins, crimes, and wrongdoings. So let everyone live for Christ Jesus, wholeheartedly devoted to Him, producing an abundant harvest of His good and holy spiritual fruit in the world. Adonai and His Son Christ Jesus as One are our only Savior and Protector. Jesus is Lord! 

Resurrected Christ Jesus

The author of the book of Revelation sees the Resurrected Christ Jesus as the holy Lamb of God and the Bright Morning Star, who brings light and salvation to the world. The book of Revelation sees Christ Jesus as One in holy fellowship with His Majestic Father of Glory, who deserves all our honor, worship, and faithfulness just like His Eternal Father. The heavenly hosts sang a song of praise and worship to the Lamb of God, who was slain, to redeem, cleanse, and save us from Satan’s darkness and to deliver us to His Eternal Father by His precious blood so He could make us kings and holy priests for His Eternal Father to reign with Him forever and ever. Even more, the book of Revelation calls Christ Jesus our Lord, the Lamb that was filled with the Holy Spirit of God, like His Eternal Father. Importantly, the book of Revelation reveals the Resurrected Christ Jesus as the Passover Lamb of God who died for our sins, crimes, and wrongdoings so we can turn away (repent) and be cleansed from Satan’s dark deeds and evildoing such as lying, thief, witchcraft, drunkenness, sexual sins, greed (covetousness), and idolatry, so we can find salvation with abundant and new life now and for all eternity with Him and His Eternal Father.
The Resurrected Christ Jesus is our Eternal High Priest and Mediator, and He is seated ALIVE at the right hand of His Holy Father - the Majestic King of Glory, making intercession for our needs and pleading our cause of guilt to His Holy Father when we repent and turn to Him with faithful obedience. Here is the Good News: Christ Jesus as the sacrificial Passover Lamb of God gave His sinless life and precious blood by entering the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holiest) in the heavenly Tabernacle to atone and provide the final once and for all sacrifice for the sins of the world so that everyone that believes and obeys Him finds forgiveness, eternal redemption with a new spiritual life, and salvation forever. Here is more Good News: the precious blood of Christ Jesus cleanses us of all our sins, wrongdoings, and crimes when we humbly and genuinely REPENT (turn from Satan’s darkness), confess our sins to God, and turn to the living Sovereign LORD God and His Son Christ Jesus with love and faithful obedience. 

Passover Lamb of God

The sacrificial death of Christ Jesus is one of the most important events in the Holy Bible. The Cross of Christ Jesus brings together the Old Testament sacrifices and the New Testament’s truth and grace. Without the Cross of Christ Jesus, there would be no hope and salvation for the world!
 
The New Testament writers gave the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread a new meaning, forever linked with a Jewish Rabbi, Christ Jesus our Lord. In the Old Testament, the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread are annual holy days that celebrate and remember the Israelites’ deliverance and redemption from Egyptian slavery and bondage by the living Sovereign LORD God of heaven and earth (Adonai). The Passover (Pesach) and Feast of Unleavened Bread are mentioned throughout the Holy Bible. By far, the most well-known account of Passover is the Last Supper of Christ Jesus with the lamb, bitter herbs, and wine. Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, celebrated the Passover during His public ministry on earth as a perfect and sinless Jew (Hebrew), without wrongdoing, who fully obeyed the Law of God. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah predicted the Messiah (Christ, Anointed One) would be a Servant of God who suffered and then sacrificed unto death as a sinless Lamb to atone for our sins, wrongdoings, and crimes against Adonai (Yahweh) by His precious blood so He could bring salvation (healing), redemption, righteousness, and forgiveness to all people (Jews and Gentiles) of the world that look to Him with wholehearted faithful trust and obedience.
 
Christ Jesus our Lord became the final sacrificial Passover of Lamb for the sins of the world when He was crucified and died on Calvary’s Cross one Good Friday over 2000 years ago outside the city of Jerusalem. Before His crucifixion and sacrifice, Christ Jesus knew He would die on Passover for the sins of the world as predicted by Old Testament prophecy, but Christ Jesus also foreknew that He would rise again from complete death on the third day to rule and reign as King and Lord to provide liberation and deliverance from Satan’s slavery and bondage. Christ Jesus fulfilled the Passover celebration and the Feast of Unleavened Bread because He is our Deliverer and Savior of the World. The New Testament writers see Christ Jesus our Lord as the perfect and spotless Passover Lamb without blemishes and sins, who gave Himself as a final sacrifice on Good Friday to deliver and redeem us from Satan’s wrath, destruction, and death. The living Sovereign LORD God of heaven and earth so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son Christ Jesus to deliver us from sins and condemnation through faithful obedience to Him as Lord and Savior.
 
Let everyone REPENT and give Christ Jesus praise as our Deliverer and Lord! 

Christ Jesus and Our Atonement

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is considered the most holy day on the Jewish calendar for all Jews, both individually and collectively. On the Day of Atonement, the Jewish people rested from their work with a holy fast and recognized all their sins committed throughout the year against the living Sovereign LORD God (Adonai). Then, the high priest of Israel on this most holy day made a confession for their sins and the sins of the people and entered the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies) in the Tabernacle (Temple) with the blood of reconciliation to ask for forgiveness and to atone for the people’s sins against the living Sovereign LORD God so they would not reap the destruction and death because of their sins. Importantly, the living Sovereign LORD God pardoned and forgave the people’s sins and wrongdoing after the high priest’s atonement. Leviticus chapter 16 in the Old Testament goes into great detail about the Yom Kippur ceremony, which centered on the sacrifices of two goats - one goat slain as a blood sacrifice for sins and the other goat (scapegoat) removing the people’s sins. 
 
Here is even more Good News: Christ Jesus, our Great High Priest, fulfilled the Day of Atonement for all people! The living Sovereign LORD God of the heavens and earth so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus, by His grace as the final atonement, ransom, and sacrifice to deliver and free us from Satan’s sin and eternal condemnation. Christ Jesus’s sinless blood and sacrificial death on Calvary’s Cross (execution stake) as the Suffering Servant and Passover Lamb of God provided atonement for all eternity with both a propitiation (appeasement, and satisfaction of God’s judgment) and expiation (payment to God) for our sins so we would not experience God’s wrath and punishment but instead God’s grace, peace (shalom), redemption, salvation, and forgiveness through faithful obedience to Him. On Calvary’s Cross, Christ Jesus was displayed as the final kapparah (propitiation, expiation, ransom, and atonement) and our sacrifice to fulfill Yom Kippur, but even more as our Liberator and Jubilee to set us free from Satan’s slavery to sinfulness and sickness. Christ Jesus declared He is our Jubilee, and He is the “time for the LORD’s favor” and grace. The King and Savior of the World is found only in Christ Jesus our Deliverer, who is the Son of the living God. Through repentance with faithful obedience to Christ Jesus as Lord, the living Sovereign LORD God offers everyone atonement, salvation, and redemption with spiritual peace and rest on earth and for all eternity. Christ Jesus makes us holy and righteous before His Holy Father when we trust in Him and obey Him with faithful obedience as our Lord and Savior. Christ Jesus is our Yom Kippur! Let everyone REPENT and come to Christ Jesus as Lord! 

Good Rest - the Sabbath

Introduction
In the very beginnings of the heavens and earth, the living Sovereign LORD God created and designed the Sabbath day. The Sabbath (Shabbat) means the living God’s blessing of rest and renewal with Him. The living God of heaven and earth created an eternal day of blessed rest for all His creation so His creation can spend a holy time and day with Him in worship, and also so they recharge and renew physically, emotionally, and spiritually after working six (6) days of ordinary work. The Sabbath day rest emphasized God over money by stopping one day of regular work to worship and praise God. Without proper worship and rest, human strength and creativity fail. Also, the living God created the Sabbath day not only to worship Him but also to prevent burnout so His creation can recharge to sustain high performance for God’s glory and honor on earth. Even more, the Sabbath day is important because the Sabbath remembers and recognizes the living God as our only true King and Creator.
 
Sabbath and Creation
God’s eternal Sabbath commandment of rest has existed since the beginning of all creation, and the Sabbath is built into creation. In fact, the Sabbath (Shabbat) day existed before the Law of God given at Mount Sinai to Moses and the Israelites. The living God created and formed the heavens and earth with all its hosts in six days with wisdom. After working six days, the living God saw that all He had created and made was good, and so He rested from all His creative work and labor on the seventh day.
 
The Sabbath day is not only for the Jewish (Hebrew) people but for all of God’s creation and humankind. The prophet Isaiah stated that happiness and blessings come to everyone who observes and obeys the Sabbath rest of God and keeps themselves from doing evil. Also, the living God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah and commanded the people to perform no ordinary work nor carry loads on His day - Shabbat, which will lead to their blessings, rest, and renewal. For six days, Adonai commanded everyone to complete their ordinary work and regular chores, but the seventh day is a Sabbath (Shabbat) for complete rest and set apart as holy for Him. 
 
Sabbath and the Law of God
The Sabbath was so important to the living Sovereign LORD God as a holy and blessed day devoted to Him that He later included the Sabbath (Shabbat) requirement in His Ten Commandments and eternal covenant given at Mount Sinai (Horeb). The living God came down upon Mount Sinai and spoke from heaven His eternal commandments and covenant, which included the holy Sabbath day rest for the good of all people, and to stop regular work. After speaking from Mount Sinai (Horeb), the living God wrote with His holy finger on two stone tablets His eternal Ten Commandments, which included the command to observe and rest from ordinary work on His Sabbath (Shabbat) day. 
 
Moreover, the Holy Bible speaks of the Sabbath year and the Year of Jubilee. The eternal covenant recognizes the Sabbath year, the seventh year in which the land receives complete rest so it can be refreshed, regenerated, and renewed. In addition, the book of Leviticus recognizes the Year of Jubilee, which is seven sabbath years - seven times seven years of rest or the 50th year. During the Year of Jubilee, the living God commanded that all debts be cancelled, the liberation (freedom) of the slaves and indentured servants, and the return of all land to their original owners. 
 
New Testament and the Sabbath
The New Testament recognizes and references the Sabbath (Shabbat) day as a sacred and holy day of rest with no ordinary or regular work. Christ Jesus (Messiah Yeshua) our Lord, and the New Testament writers acknowledged the importance of the Sabbath (Shabbat) as a holy day. During His time on earth, Christ Jesus our Lord never violated the holy Sabbath commanded by His Holy Father. Christ Jesus as His custom regularly attended the weekly synagogue service on the Sabbath (Shabbat) day to teach from the Torah and Prophets and also to fellowship and worship His Holy Father with others. 
 
Significantly, Christ Jesus gave the Sabbath a new and fuller meaning. Christ Jesus announced in the New Testament that He had come to declare a Jubilee. During His ministry on earth, Christ Jesus announced Himself and His mission to the world as a Jubilee, because He had come to set the captives free from Satan’s sin and bondage, and to bring the LORD’s healing, grace, rest, peace, and restoration from heaven. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah predicted that the Messiah (Christ) would bring a Jubilee of healing, freedom, and restoration. Christ Jesus declared He is our Jubilee, and He is the “time for the LORD’s favor” and grace. 
 
Lord of the Sabbath
Notably, Christ Jesus proclaimed that He is the Lord of the Sabbath. The living Sovereign LORD God of heaven and earth has given ALL authority, power, and dominion to His Son, Christ Jesus our Lord, including the Sabbath. Christ Jesus is our lasting peace as the eternal Prince of Peace as predicted by the Old Testament prophecy. Christ Jesus keeps our hearts and minds in perfect peace and rest as we focus and trust in Him and His Holy Father with faithful love and obedience. 
 
Even more, Christ Jesus commands everyone to come to Him, all who are struggling and burdened, and He promised to give them divine peace and rest from heaven. Christ Jesus taught everyone to take His yoke upon them and learn from Him, because He is gentle and humble in heart, and we will find rest, joy, and peace for our souls, minds, and hearts. Christ Jesus brings us heaven’s peace (shalom) when we are with Him.
 
Honoring the Lord’s Day
Some biblical scholars argue that observing the Sabbath (Shabbat) is no longer mandatory for believers in Jesus. Christ Jesus and the early Christian community continued to honor the Sabbath as a holy day for worshiping and honoring the living Sovereign LORD God (Adonai). However, the early church and believers in Jesus now recognize Sunday - the Lord’s Day, which is  the first day of the week, as their Sabbath (Shabbat). Believers in Christ Jesus consider Sunday as their Sabbath day of worship and rest to Adonai, because Sunday was Resurrection Day of Christ Jesus and the day Christ Jesus gave new life and new beginnings to everyone through faith in Him. On Resurrection Day, Christ Jesus set us free and delivered from Satan’s sin, destruction, and death. 
 
Also, Sunday celebrates our Savior's resurrection from complete death after dying for the sins of the world on Good Friday on Calvary’s Cross. Believers of Jesus celebrate and recognize our Lord and Savior's resurrection after dying for the sins of the world on Good Friday on Calvary’s Cross. Christ Jesus our Savior died, rose, and then rose again on Sunday morning to become the Lord and Judge of the living and the dead. The writer of Hebrews encourages everyone not to forsake meeting together to worship Christ Jesus and His Holy Father - the living Sovereign LORD God.
 
Christ Jesus Is Our Rest
The Good News of the New Testament proclaims that the sinless blood of Christ Jesus offered a once-for-all sacrifice that atones for and cancels the sins of everyone who looks to Him as Lord and Savior, with repentance (turning from evildoing) and faithful trust and obedience. The living Sovereign LORD God of heaven and earth so loved the world that He gave His Son Christ Jesus as the sacrificial Passover Lamb of God so that everyone who looks to Him with faith and obedience shall not perish but have everlasting life and peace (shalom) with Him. Christ Jesus’s sinless blood and sacrificial death on Calvary’s Cross as the Suffering Servant and Passover Lamb of God provided both a propitiation (appeasement and satisfaction of God’s judgment) and expiation (payment to God) for our sins so we would not experience God’s wrath and punishment but instead God’s redemption, peace, and forgiveness. Through repentance with faithful obedience to Christ Jesus as Lord, the living Sovereign LORD God offers everyone salvation with spiritual peace and rest on earth and for all eternity. 
 
Since the beginning of all creation, Adonai has wanted to share His divine peace and rest with everyone. Now, the living Sovereign LORD God offers everyone atonement, forgiveness, and continual heart peace with holy rest when we repent and accept by faith and obedience Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior and His sacrificial death for ALL OUR SINS (past, present, and future). 
 
Significantly, Christ Jesus taught that ALL days under heaven, including the Sabbath (Shabbat), are meant for everyone to love and worship the living God, turn from evildoing (repentance), and to do acts of love, goodness, and mercy towards others. The living Sovereign LORD God and His Son Christ Jesus our Lord continually work and do acts of goodness, salvation, and healing for all people in need, even on the Sabbath (Shabbat). 
 
Also, Christ Jesus (Messiah Yeshua) announced that the Sabbath (Shabbat) day was made for the goodness of all humankind (Jews and Gentiles) and not humankind for the Sabbath, so His Holy Father’s creation - humans and animals can rest and be refreshed, but also so His Holy Father can be honored and worshiped. Without proper rest and peace with Adonai, one’s life becomes unhealthy and filled with anger, anxiety, and agitation. The living God wants everyone to live in peace and rest, trusting Him to provide for all our needs and wants. 
 
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Sabbath day is one of God's greatest gifts to all people, so they can rest in Him by faith with enjoyment and peace. The living Sovereign LORD God of heaven and earth has given the world His Son Christ Jesus as our forever Sabbath with good peace and holy rest every day when we look to Him in faith and turn from evildoing and sin. Our Jewish Messiah, Christ Jesus, is our Jubilee and Lord of the Sabbath who gives us rest and peace every day with Him! Enjoy your peace and rest by trusting in Christ Jesus, who is our Sabbath peace and our Jubilee. 
 
God bless you! 

Faith and Not Fear

The Old Testament story at Numbers chapters 13 and 14 stands as one of the most important stories of the entire Holy Bible alongside the story of the golden calf at Exodus chapters 32 through 34. These valuable stories teach the key principle of wholehearted faith in the living God with love and trust in Him. 
 
By way of background, the living Sovereign LORD God (Adonai) instructed the ancient Israelites at Mount Sinai (Horeb) for approximately one (1) year to teach them the importance of faith and obedience to Him. Israel would only be successful and prosper on their missions through faith and obedience along with Adonai’s grace and mercy and His mighty Angel with them. The Old Testament teachings from Exodus chapters 19 through 40, all of the book of Leviticus, and through Numbers chapter 10 gave the ancient Israelites’ sacred teachings and instructions from the living Sovereign LORD God (Adonai) through His faithful servant Moses at Mount Sinai (Horeb). Adonai wanted to teach the ancient Israelites the importance of faithfulness and obedience to Him as their living King, as well as to His holy teachings, instructions, and commandments. The ancient Israelites who left Egyptian slavery went to the mountain of God - Mount Sinai (Horeb), where the living Sovereign LORD God gave them His eternal covenant, and He also gave the Israelites various rituals, ceremonies, and other laws to follow so they would be His kingdom people as a holy nation with Him as their eternal King. 
 
After receiving His teaching at Mount Sinai, the living Sovereign LORD God commanded the people through His servant Moses to enter the good land He had promised to their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel). The ancient Israelites, led by Moses, left Mount Sinai (Horeb) guided by Adonai’s Glory Cloud and the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant, leading them towards the Promised Land of God - Israel-Palestine. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses stated it was only an eleven (11) day journey from Mount Sinai (Horeb) to the southern border of the Promised Land of God at Kadesh Barnea. 
 
The ancient Israelites came to Kadesh Barnea at the southern border of the Promised Land, which the living Sovereign LORD God had promised to give their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In the book of Genesis, Adonai promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to multiply their descendants as the stars of the heavens and give their descendants the land of Canaan - the Promised Land of God, which is now Israel-Palestine. The ancient Israelites had grown and multiplied into a powerful nation, as the LORD had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) in the book of Genesis. Moses instructed the ancient Israelites to be strong and courageous, to obey the living LORD, and not live in fear and doubt, because the living LORD was with them and had given them the victory to possess the land He had promised their ancestors. Notably, the living Sovereign LORD God also gave lands to Edom (Esau), Moab, Ammon, and the Caphtorites as gifts. Although Adonai had chosen Israel as His special nation, Adonai is the living and sovereign King of all nations, and He loves the world He created. 
 
Before entering His Promised Land, the living Sovereign LORD God instructed Moses to send spies from the twelve tribes to explore, search, and survey His land. According to Adonai’s command, Moses selected twelve men from the head of each tribe of Israel to explore and scout out the Promised Land of God - Canaan. Moses ordered the twelve spies to thoroughly investigate the land, its produce, resources, and the people living there. Moses wanted to know and discover whether the people were strong or weak, few or many, and whether the land was good or bad, rich or poor. Also, Moses instructed the men to bring some fruit from the Promised Land (Canaan).
 
The twelve spies traveled throughout the Promised Land of God for forty (40) days, from south to north, to explore, survey, and investigate the land, including its hills, valleys, and people. While surveying the land, the spies discovered the descendants of Anak were in the Promised Land of God. The descendants of Anakim were famous for their large size and strength. Also, the spies cut down a branch with a cluster of grapes, along with pomegranates and figs, so the people could see the abundance of good fruit in the Promised Land of God.
 
After surveying the land for forty days, the twelve spies returned to Moses and the ancient Israelites at Kadesh Barnea. The spies announced to Moses, Aaron, and the Israelite congregation that the land was indeed beautiful, gracious, and good, with abundant fruits and flowing with milk and honey, just as Adonai had promised their ancestors as an inheritance. However, the spies frightened Moses and the ancient Israelite congregation with a discouraging, evil, and disheartening message of fear: that the land had many large fortified cities, powerful people from various ethnic groups, and even giants who were big and strong, descended from Anakim. So, the Israelites' hearts became frightened, discouraged, and fearful, rather than trusting in the living Sovereign LORD God Almighty (Adonai) with all their hearts, minds, and souls to give them His Promised Land. 
 
Caleb, who was one of the twelve spies, tried to quieten the people’s fears and anxiety before Moses and encouraged the ancient Israelites to have faith in Adonai and go take possession of the good land He promised them and their covenant ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, the faithless spies who had gone into the Promised Land continued to discourage the people’s hearts with a message of fear and distrust in the living LORD. Even worse, the spies lied and gave the ancient Israelites a bad and evil report of the Promised Land as a land filled with the Nephilim, who were giant people of great size and descendants of Anakim that would defeat and devour them. 
 
Because of the faithless spies' lies and evil report, the ancient Israelites became scared with fear and lifted up their voices with cries of mourning and panic. The ancient Israelites rejected Adonai’s promises and rebelled against Adonai by deciding not to enter the Promised Land (Canaan) because they believed entering the land would lead to their and their families' deaths. Also, the ancient Israelites complained against the covenant LORD with ingratitude and forgot all His goodness, including the miracles, blessings, and mighty power that delivered them from the powerful Egyptians and cared for them at Mount Sinai. Then, people complained and grumbled with fear towards Moses and his elder brother Aaron, with desires to return to Egyptian slavery instead of trusting in the living LORD by faith to enter the good Promised Land of God. 
 
Moses and his brother Aaron fell on their faces and prostrated themselves before the ancient Israelites in frustration because of their ingratitude for God’s grace and goodness. The book of Deuteronomy states that Moses encouraged the people not to be afraid but to trust in Adonai by faith, because He would go before them into the Promised Land to fight for them and give the Israelites the land He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses assured the people that Adonai’s tender love and care as their Good Father was with them, and He would protect and provide for them in the Promised Land.
 
Next, Joshua and Caleb, who were members of the twelve spies who explored the Promised Land, spoke to the people in anguish and heartbreak. Joshua and Caleb informed the Israelite congregation that the land was very good, flowing with milk and honey, and that they should not fear but trust by faith in the covenant LORD and His promises to give them the good Promised Land. Significantly, Joshua and Caleb instructed the ancient Israelites not to rebel, not to complain against the living LORD, and not to fear the people of the land, because the living LORD was with the ancient Israelites and would provide for and fight for them as He had done many times in the past. However, the ancient Israelite congregation continued in fear with rebellion and wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb instead of trusting in the living Sovereign LORD God (Adonai) and His promises to fight for them and protect them so they could walk in the Promised Land. 
 
Then, the majestic glory of the LORD once again appeared in the Tabernacle (Tent of Meeting) before all the ancient Israelite congregations. In the Old Testament, the living Sovereign LORD God and His Glory Cloud were present with the ancient Israelites. The Glory Cloud of God was a visible Presence of Adonai in a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night as a divine banner that led the way for the ancient Israelites from Egyptian slavery, across the Red Sea, at Mount Sinai with His eternal covenant, and throughout the wilderness to protect, provide food, and guide them face to face. Moses and the ancient Israelites witnessed the living Sovereign LORD God’s power during their great exodus and deliverance from Egyptian bondage. Importantly, the living Sovereign LORD God’s  glory continues to fill the entire heavens and earth. The living God’s glory and power are often closely related in the Holy Scriptures.
 
From His Glory Cloud, the living Sovereign LORD God of the heavens and earth spoke with Moses about the ancient Israelites’ continual disobedience, contempt, and rejection of Him, despite all His goodness, mighty signs, and wonders that revealed His gracious power to protect and deliver them. For a second time, the living Sovereign LORD God wanted to disinherit and destroy the stiff-necked and stubborn Israelites with a plague and make Moses into a great and mighty nation with His blessings from Abraham. Moses once again interceded, praying for the ancient Israelites’ forgiveness, pardon, and mercy from the living Sovereign LORD God, because of their continued rebellion and unfaithfulness against Him and His promises. Moses pleaded with the living LORD that the Egyptians and the surrounding nations would hear of His great deliverance of His people from Egyptian slavery by His mighty hand, but He was powerless to complete His deliverance to bring His people into the Promised Land, and later destroyed them in the wilderness. Once again, Moses reminded the living Sovereign LORD God of His great patience (long-suffering), abundant mercy, and forgiveness, but by no means clearing the guilty and visiting the sins of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generation. 
 
The living Sovereign LORD God reigns and rules above the heavens and earth as Ruler and King of the Universe. Truly, the living God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and filled with abundant kindness and forgiveness (pardons) for everyone who repents to turn to Him with faithful love and obedience. The blessings of God and His abundant blessings would only come as we repent and wholeheartedly honor and trust the living God and walk with obedience to His holy commandments, ways, and teachings. The heaven and the highest heavens belong to the only true and living Sovereign LORD God of heaven and earth. The living Sovereign LORD God is good and faithful, and His love endures forever.
 
After Moses’ prayer, Adonai informed Moses that He had forgiven and pardoned the Israelites in accordance with Moses’ prayer. However, the living Sovereign LORD God became angry with that faithless generation of Israelites. Adonai informed Moses that the ancient Israelites had witnessed His majestic glory and power with His grace many times, but they continued to treat Him with contempt and to rebel against Him with unfaithfulness and disobedience. Because of their continued unfaithfulness and rebellion, the living Sovereign LORD God stated that those wicked Israelites who treated Him with contempt would reap the consequences of their sins by dying in the wilderness and never seeing the good Promised Land of God He swore to give their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel). Adonai called the ancient Israelites stubborn and stiff-necked people who continually did evil by complaining and rebelling against Him with an ungrateful spirit and heart despite His abundant goodness and love towards them. 
 
Because of the Israelites' lack of faith and disobedience to Him, the living LORD instructed the ancient Israelites to return to the wilderness for forty (40) years of wandering. Many of the ancient Israelites who left Egyptians slavery never saw the Promised Land of God and died in the wilderness. Adonai announced to Moses and his brother Aaron that He was saddened and angered by the ancient Israelites’ continued wickedness, including their complaining, grumbling, and faithlessness toward Him and His grace and many blessings. So, Adonai announced His death sentence on the ancient Israelites that everyone twenty (20) years or more will die in the wilderness, except Joshua and Caleb. Thus, everyone twenty (20) years or older, or approximately 630,000 fighting men plus women, along with a mixed multitude of other people who left Egyptian slavery, died in the wilderness because of their rebellion and unfaithfulness toward the living Sovereign LORD God, and they never saw the Promised Land of God. Only the children of these ancient Israelites saw the Promised Land that their parents had rejected.
 
Even God’s servants Moses and Aaron were not allowed to cross and enter the Promised Land of God, and they both died in the wilderness. Moses was a faithful servant and a great man of God with a humble spirit that Adonai knew face to face, but he was not perfect. Adonai forbade Moses from entering into the Promised Land because of his personal rebellion against Him although Moses blamed his rebellion on his fellow Israelites. Notably, Moses appeared with Christ Jesus our Lord at His transfiguration in the New Testament in the Promised Land of God, revealing the living Sovereign LORD God’s continued approval of Moses and his teaching.
 
However, the living Sovereign LORD God informed the ancient Israelites that their children, led by His faithful servants Joshua and Caleb, would cross over and see His good land and enjoy the abundant blessings of the Promised Land of God. The living Sovereign LORD God banished and punished the faithless and fearful ancient Israelites to wander in the wilderness for 40 years by way of the Red Sea and met their death due to their evildoing, unfaithfulness, and rebellion against Him. The ancient Israelites journeyed in the wilderness for forty (40) years. The forty (40) years represented each day of their 40 days exploring the Promised Land, but they failed to obey and trust the covenant LORD by faith.
 
After hearing their punishment and death sentence from Adonai, the ancient Israelites mourned bitterly with sadness, grief, and distress, and they also acknowledged their sin and disobedience against Him. So, the ancient Israelites rose up and decided to enter the Promised Land of God and take it by force, as the LORD had previously commanded. Moses informed the ancient Israelites that they would not succeed in this fight but would be defeated in battle because the living Sovereign LORD God and His spiritual presence would no longer be with them due to their rebellion, disobedience, and unfaithfulness to Him. Adonai sought obedience from His people, and obedience meant following His directions immediately. Once again, the ancient Israelites rebelled and would not listen to Adonai as spoken by His servant Moses, and they went into battle against their enemies without Adonai and the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant. The enemies of the ancient Israelites came down from the mountains and defeated them in battle.
 
The ancient Israelites remained outside of the Promised Land of God and wandered the wilderness for forty (40) years until their deaths, and a generation of Israelites arose who obeyed the living LORD and His commands by faith. Even in the forty (40) years of wilderness wandering, the living Sovereign LORD God, by His unending grace and mercy, continued to be with His people to provide and care for them in the wilderness, where there was no food and water.
 
For the next 40 years, the ancient Israelites wandered in the desert by Mount Sinai and died in the wilderness because of their sinfulness and evildoing, except the children of these rebellious ancient Israelites, Joshua, and Caleb. Sadly, the ancient Israelites lacked the obedience, courage, and faith to take and possess their inheritance of Israel-Palestine, so Adonai sentenced them to spend forty (40) years in the Sinai wilderness. Even more, the ten men with Joshua and Caleb who spied out the Promised Land of God and brought back an evil and bad report that discouraged the people died instantly of a plague from the living God. 
 
The living Sovereign LORD God sought faithfulness and obedience with humility from His people, and faithfulness and obedience meant following His directions immediately. Throughout the Holy Scriptures, the living Sovereign LORD God taught that pleasing Him was not about sacrifices, rituals, and ceremonies, but about wholehearted obedience and faithfulness to Him and His commands. Rebellion against the living LORD is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols, because stubbornness and rebellion are sins of the heart. Disobedience and rebellion against Adonai lead Him to send a tormenting, evil spirit into your life and heart instead of His Spirit of joy and peace (shalom). Even more important, the story of the ancient Israelites’ rebellion applies to New Testament believers of Christ Jesus. The New Testament writers warn EVERYONE to remember these events from Israel’s rebellious history by not rejecting Christ Jesus and thereby failing to enter Adonai’s rest and the eternal promised land awaiting those who love and trust Christ Jesus by faith and obedience.  
 
The living Sovereign LORD God made an exception for Joshua and Caleb, declaring that they would be the only Israelites to see His Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb had a spirit of wholehearted faithfulness and obedience toward Adonai. Only the faithful spies Joshua and Caleb did not succumb to fear and faithlessness, and possessed the good Promised Land of God - Israel-Palestine. 
 
Notably, Caleb was the first of the spies to encourage the people to have faith in Adonai and His power, so they could possess the land. Caleb was not a native of Israel (Jacob), as he was a Kenizzite, descended from Edom (Esau, Jacob’s twin brother), but he became associated with the tribe of Judah. Because of Caleb’s great faith in the living LORD and His power, Caleb of Judah defeated the giants living in the Promised Land to possess his allotted land. Notably, David of Judah also defeated the giant Goliath because David trusted in the living Sovereign LORD God and His great Name to defeat the giant and his enemies. Notably, the greatest of Israel’s Seed from the tribe of Judah came Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. 
 
Moreover, Joshua had a devoted spirit in Adonai. Joshua was originally called Hoshea, meaning “He saves,” but Moses changed his name to Joshua, meaning “the LORD saves.” Truly, salvation comes from the LORD alone. Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim, who was Joseph’s youngest son. The living Sovereign LORD God spoke to Moses and commanded Moses to place his hands on Joshua to anoint and commission Joshua with the Holy Spirit of God, who is the God of the spirits of all flesh, so Joshua could lead and shepherd His people with divine authority and power. The Holy Spirit of God was present with Joshua, and Joshua was a man filled with God’s wisdom and courage. Joshua faithfully served as Moses’ assistant and aide during the ancient Israelites’ times of wilderness wandering, and Joshua was also a battle warrior. 
 
The story of the ancient Israelites’ fearfulness in Numbers chapters 13 and 14 records a tragic watershed moment in Israel’s history. Despite numerous proofs of Adonai’s power and grace on behalf of the ancient Israelites, they became faithless and fearful at the evil spies’ report from the Promised Land - Canaan, and failed to trust and believe in Adonai by faith. The ancient Israelites’ fear led to open rebellion against Adonai rather than to faithfulness to Him. At the very border of the Promised Land of God, the ancient Israelites lost faith in the Almighty God (El Shaddai) and turned away from His blessings. In the face of such faithlessness and rebellion, Adonai decided to wait for a new generation of Israelites to arise to enter into and possess the Promised Land of God - Israel-Palestine (Canaan). Notably, the living Sovereign LORD God in the New Testament warns that cowards and the faithless will not enter the new heavens and earth with eternal life.
 
The entire account of the Israelites’ wilderness period from their departure from Egyptian slavery at Rameses after celebrating the first Passover until their arrival to the plains at Moab, opposite Jericho, can be found at Numbers 33:1-56. These verses recall Israel’s forty (40) year spiritual pilgrimage. This new generation of Israelites would finally invade Canaan and claim the promises Adonai made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel). In Egypt, the living Sovereign LORD God of heaven and earth defeated the gods of Egypt to deliver His firstborn son, Israel. 
 
Moses retold the story of the unfaithfulness of the Israelites who left Egyptian slavery and died in the wilderness to a new generation of Israelites once again on the border of the Promised Land of God at Kadesh Barnea. This new generation of Israelites witnessed and saw the deaths of their parents in the wilderness because they lived in doubt, fear, and rebellion against the living LORD, and not faith with obedience and trust in Him. The book of Deuteronomy, taught by Moses, renewed and reaffirmed the living LORD’s eternal covenant and summarized much of Adonai’s teachings and instructions found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. 
 
In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses prepared the new generation of Israelites led by his faithful servant Joshua to enter into the good Promised Land of God - Israel-Palestine. This new generation of Israelites learned the importance of living by wholehearted faith and obedience to the living LORD, not by fear, and they conquered and defeated the giants to possess the promises of God. At the border of Kadesh Barnea, forty (40) years had passed since the first Israelites left Egyptian slavery, and Moses addressed a new generation of Israelites after the deaths of their parents in the wilderness, and they were ready and empowered by Adonai by faith to possess the Promised Land He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The living Sovereign LORD God instructed Joshua to be strong and courageous, and to fully obey the instructions and commands He gave Moses, so that he could lead the new generation of faithful Israelites into the Promised Land He was giving to Israel. 
 
With the LORD, all things are possible, and nothing is impossible with the living Almighty God. If the living Sovereign LORD God is for you, who can be against you, because He always fights for and protects His people who look to Him in faith with love and obedience. The living Sovereign LORD God is faithful, and He keeps His covenant promises to those who are faithful and love Him.

Obeying Jesus

The living Sovereign LORD God of the heavens and earth commands everyone to listen to His Son, Christ Jesus, and obey Christ Jesus’s holy teaching and commands. Christ Jesus is the living and incarnate Word of God (Logos), and the fullness of the living God lived in Christ Jesus our Lord. From the beginning and foundation of creation, Christ Jesus as the living Word of God was the glorious light and life with the Sovereign LORD God and His Holy Spirit to create, govern, and sustain the heavens and earth. The living Sovereign LORD God and His Son Christ Jesus as one are the glorious light and life of the world, and believers of God share and shine that same glorious light and life when we walk in obedience to Christ Jesus’s teachings and commandments.
 
Since the Old Testament, the living Sovereign LORD God has always commanded the people to walk by faith and love with Him, and to follow and obey His holy ways, commandments, and teachings, so they can find life, wisdom, salvation (healing), peace (shalom), and blessings from heaven. The living Sovereign LORD God’s mercy and love are from everlasting to everlasting to those who faithfully love Him and obey His commandments. Without obedience to the living God, heaven brings destruction, disease, distress, depression, and death. There is no peace (shalom) and blessings for the wicked, rebellious, and evildoer. However, the living God promises to be with and tabernacle with His people, bringing them peace (shalom) when they love and obey Him and His holy ways and commandments, and humbly turn from following Satan’s evil and dark deeds with repentance. The living Sovereign LORD God loves the world, and He wants everyone to also walk in His love, goodness, mercy, and kindness towards others in the world for His glory and honor. 
 
Because of His love for the world, the living Sovereign LORD God sent His Son, Christ Jesus, to teach the world His holy ways and save them from Satan’s sinful living. The teaching, commandments, and words of Christ Jesus come directly from His Holy Father, because Christ Jesus’s teaching is the very words of His Holy Father that He has placed in His Son’s mouth. Christ Jesus has received all power, authority, and dominion from His Holy Father, and Christ Jesus is our Teacher and Lord. The teachings and words of Christ Jesus are life and truth because Christ Jesus is the Author of Life and the Lifegiver from heaven. Also, the teachings of Christ Jesus are authoritative, wise, and powerful because His teachings come directly from heaven. The prophet Moses predicted in the Old Testament that the living Sovereign LORD God would raise up a Prophet who would speak His words, and that prophecy was fulfilled in His Son, Christ Jesus, who speaks God’s words and commandments without limit.
 
Christ Jesus and His teaching are life and light that give new spiritual life and righteousness from heaven when we, by faith, trust and obey Christ Jesus and His teaching. The teaching of Christ Jesus is His Holy Father’s teaching on repentance and Kingdom living to live holy and godly lives. Everyone who truly loves Christ Jesus also obeys and trusts His commandments and teachings that come from His Holy Father. Love and obedience to Christ Jesus and His teachings lead to God’s abundant grace, answered prayers, right living, and divine blessings from heaven. As we love and obey Him, Christ Jesus sends from His Holy Father the Holy Spirit of God (Helper, Counselor, Advocate) to breathe upon you a rebirth with new life and truth from heaven to live inside our hearts and minds to lead, guide, and empower us into God’s righteousness, goodness, and holy living. In other words, faithful believers of Jesus become united and reconciled as one in body and spirit with Christ Jesus and His Holy Father by the Holy Spirit of God, enabling and empowering us to obey and love Christ Jesus and His teaching. The Holy Spirit is the Promise of heaven, bringing everyone peace, a new spiritual life, and fullness of joy from the Holy Father when we repent of Satan’s dark living and turn with love and obedience to Christ Jesus and His commandments with our whole hearts. Learning and obeying Christ Jesus’s teaching brings rest, salvation (healing), and lasting inner peace (shalom) to our hearts, minds, and souls from heaven. 
 
Christ Jesus’ teachings come in many ways, including His parables in the New Testament, His faithful disciples who spread His Gospel message, and through the Holy  Spirit of God, who gives a spiritual anointing from within our hearts to teach us the truthful and holy ways of God. During His public ministry, Christ Jesus taught that some people will accept His holy teachings of obedience with goodness and mercy towards others, which lead to finding heaven’s blessings and hope, while others refuse to repent and reject His teachings, only to find destruction, despair, and eternal death.
 
Christ Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and He connects everyone to His Holy Father through the Holy Spirit, who wholeheartedly loves Him and obeys His teachings and commandments by faith. John’s Gospel calls Christ Jesus the true and great Vine that connects everyone to His Holy Father, who is the living and true God of heaven and earth. As we connect and obey Christ Jesus and His holy teaching, Christ Jesus reconciles and makes us one with Him and His Holy Father through the Holy Spirit of God. Even more, Christ Jesus sanctifies, washes, and declares us clean and righteous as holy saints so we can bear and produce good fruit and good deeds in the world as we walk and live by daily faith and obedience to Him and His teaching. Christ Jesus brings the fiery Holy Spirit of God (Promise) from His Holy Father to cleanse our hearts and minds, and to bring new spiritual life with peace, so we can live as one with God and produce good fruits and good deeds. In other words, the Holy Spirit of God living inside obedient followers of Christ Jesus always helps believers to live holy lives and produces truth, good deeds, and love for one another. Believers of Christ Jesus who obey Him and follow His teachings receive and produce through the Holy Spirit of God working in their lives and heart a harvest of good fruit and light for the world to see of love, joy, peace, love, kindness, forgiveness, patience, and goodness. Without Christ Jesus and obedience to His teaching, we will die physically and eternally separated from the living God. Even worse, without obedience to Christ Jesus and His teaching, a person experiences Satan’s dark deeds and evil spirit of hatred, idolatry, witchcraft, lies, jealousy, discord, pride with selfishness, drunkenness, and sexual immorality.   
 
Obeying and walking with Christ Jesus means to repent and reject by dying to our dark and selfish desires (the flesh) and living a life by faith and love as instruments of righteousness that seek to please Christ Jesus and His Holy Father for God’s glory and honor. Everyone who refuses to walk in the light and love of Christ Jesus and obey His holy teaching by faith succumbs to separation from the living God, leading to Satan’s darkness, disease, and eternal death. However, love and faithful obedience to Christ Jesus and His teachings reveal that we are truly His disciples, devoted followers, and God’s divine children. Even more, Christ Jesus taught that when we follow Him by faith and obey His teachings, we are no longer His servant but His true friend - a friend of God and also become His fellow brothers and sisters inside God’s Kingdom family. As His friend and disciple, Christ Jesus protects us from the evil one and prays for us with intercessory prayer to His Holy Father.
 
Christ Jesus and His Holy Father love you with abundant and eternal love. If we obey Christ Jesus’s teachings and commandments, we abide in God’s divine love just as Christ Jesus loved and obeyed His Holy Father. The heart of Christ Jesus’s teaching and commandments is to love the living Sovereign LORD God with our whole heart and to love one another with good fruit of kindness, forgiveness, and mercy. To truly love the living Sovereign LORD God and His Son Christ Jesus is to love and obey Christ’s commands. When Christ Jesus is involved, the only true faith is hearing and obeying from our whole hearts and minds to Christ Jesus and His holy teaching. Faith and love for Christ Jesus also mean keeping His commandments and teaching, which cannot be separated. In other words, faith and obedience with good fruit cannot be separated! Everyone who lives without obeying Christ Jesus and His commandments does not have God nor love God, but everyone who accepts by faith and continues with obedience the teachings of Christ Jesus has truth and lives (abide) in both Christ Jesus and His Holy Father - the only true God of heaven and earth. Christ Jesus and His teachings are a strong and firm foundation (rock) that protects and keeps us when the storms of life come, and Satan attacks our lives.
 
Christ Jesus lives. Let everyone REPENT of Satan’s evildoing and turn with love to Christ Jesus by following Him and obeying His commandments so they can become fruit-bearing disciples of Jesus with goodness, mercy, and kindness. Christ Jesus is Lord and Savior of the world, so let everyone love and trust Him with wholehearted obedience. Jesus is Lord!