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Unmistakable Signs of the End of the Age

by with No Comment Biblical Studies

It would take naivety and innocence to affirm that political leaders will somehow find answers to all this chaos.

Likewise, just as it happened in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. Luke 17:28-30

On several occasions, Yeshua declared that prior to His return, the situation would be similar to the days preceding the Flood and the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah. And what were those conditions? Nothing more and nothing less than the ones we are witnessing. Let’s see:

  • Abortions – equivalent to the sacrifices of children offered to demons, disregarding the life given by the Creator.
  • Greed – Insatiable desire for material things. At present, almost all activities in life revolve around buying and selling some product. Humanity is insatiable and is not ashamed of it.
  • Unions outside of marriage – Fornication – Adultery. Relationships have been degraded to the purely physical level, and in the best cases, marriage is just a social activity without any commitment.
  • Excesses in food and drink – Today, the proliferation of exotic and unhealthy foods leads to gluttony and dependence on them; the same happens with drinks, and poor health is the consequence of these excesses.
  • Industrial food production – Through genetically manipulated seeds, a few companies produce food for humanity because most people are clustered in cities, disconnected from Creation and its Creator.
  • Unprecedented construction – as a response to the needs of the crowds crowded in urban centers.

Faced with all of the above, you don’t need to be a scientist or a prophet to identify the current conditions. Just open your eyes and look around. Of course, we haven’t mentioned all the other situations that are also already present: frequent earthquakes, diseases due to people’s blind trust in official health systems, pollution of our planet, complete imbalance in the delicate system created by YeHoVaH… etc.

So, ask yourself if you truly believe that this will improve through a political party or a human leader. If your answer is negative, ask yourself this other question: how long will this situation last? It would take naivety and innocence to affirm that political leaders will somehow find answers to all this chaos. No. The situation will worsen because it’s foreseen to.

Yeshua warned us in advance that this would happen; moreover, He encouraged us to lift our faces because when this is being fulfilled, it means our liberation is near. It is planned that these things will happen before His return to establish a real kingdom of justice and peace.

There’s no room for fear because we have hope in the promises of our Eternal Father YeHoVaH, who will intervene in due time to rescue His faithful remnant who have separated themselves from the contaminated system and placed their trust in Him. It’s time to align your daily life with His commandments. If you haven’t done so yet, what are you waiting for?

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Shabbat, the First Commandment

by with No Comment Biblical Studies

In these erratic times in which we live, where we spend most of our time working to acquire material possessions, separating the Sabbath day from the rest of the days is a true sign (Exodus 31:17) that reminds us of whom we truly serve.

When a person begins to delve into the study of the Bible and leaves behind religious conditioning, they realize that there are numerous commandments contained within the pages of the Torah. Not coincidentally, the word Torah is translated as “law,” despite the more appropriate translation being “instruction.”

These instructions were not created by the Almighty to overwhelm us or confine our existence to religious confinement, but rather to learn how to navigate this world and guide our families and communities.

According to rabbinic accounts, there are 613 commandments contained in the first five books of the Bible. It is important to note that not all of these apply to everyone. Many of these commandments are exclusively related to the service of the Temple and the priesthood, while others are specific to judges, women, men, and so on.

Most people are familiar with the Ten Commandments, which represent the statements that the Creator Himself spoke from Mount Sinai and dictated to Moses:

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write these words, for according to the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.’ So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.” Exodus 34:27-28

Among these Ten Commandments, which even most Christians pride themselves on observing, is the Sabbath, the fourth commandment:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11

Although this verse speaks of “remembering” the Sabbath, in the recounting of the commandments in Deuteronomy 5, it speaks of “keeping” it.

Why is the Shabbath the first commandment?

When the commandment of the Sabbath was first declared by the Creator in Exodus 20, it appears in the fourth position. So why do I say that the Sabbath is the first commandment?

Simple, when we follow the chronology of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, on their way to Mount Sinai, in the second month, they complained and received manna from heaven. A few days after the manna started to fall, Moses told them:

“Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.” Exodus 16:23

This is how we can see that the Sabbath was introduced weeks before the Israelites reached Mount Sinai and had implications regarding the collection and preparation of food.

Where does the Sabbath come from?

The Sabbath is defined in the creation week at the beginning of the book of Genesis. Thousands of years before the Torah was given and even before Abraham was chosen, the Creator established this model and pattern of seven days. When we study different elements of Creation, we realize that the number 7 is extremely relevant and cannot be altered, whether it’s the 7 musical notes (do re mi fa sol la si), the 7 colors of the rainbow, or the 7 days of the week. Throughout the Biblical narrative, we encounter this number time and time again.

Conclusion

Being the first commandment that appears after the Israelites’ liberation from slavery, we see that it holds special importance. It is no coincidence that most believers interested in the Hebrew roots of Christianity begin with this very commandment.

In these erratic times in which we live, where we spend most of our time working to acquire material possessions, separating the Sabbath day from the rest of the days is a true sign (Exodus 31:17) that reminds us of whom we truly serve.

For more information about the Sabbath day, click here.

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The Feasts of YeHoVaH

by with No Comment Biblical Studies

Modern lifestyle has disconnected us from nature – Yehovah’s Creation – and has connected us to an artificial life that prevents us from understanding the way God acts.

We were created to interact with Creation at all its levels. The original mandate was: “fill the earth and govern it.” Instead of that, we have grouped ourselves to live in paved cities, full of skyscrapers, highly polluted, and we have lost sight of the Garden in which we were originally placed.

Modern lifestyle has disconnected us from nature – Yehovah’s Creation – and has connected us to an artificial life that prevents us from understanding the way God acts.

In this condition, we do not know or understand the Festivals that were given to us, as they are linked to nature and the cycles of food cultivation.

Not only have we lost the opportunity to recognize the hand of our Father in nature, but we also ignore the meaning of the Appointed Times gave by Him. Yehovah our Father determined multiple celebrations throughout the year:

For the Spring season:

  • The Celebration of Pesach (Passover).
  • The Feast of Matzot (Unleavened Bread).
  • The celebration of Bikkurim (First Fruits).
  • The Feast of Shavuot (Weeks or Pentecost).

For the Fall season:

  • The celebration of Yom Teruah (Trumpets).
  • The celebration of Yom Kippurim (Day of Atonements).
  • The Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles).

We then have Four Celebrations and Three Festivals each year. But we also have at the beginning of each month, the celebration of Yom Kodesh or the beginning of the lunar month (see topic: Yehovah’s Calendar), and every week, we have the Shabbat, a gift from our Father so that we can suspend the routines that sometimes overwhelm us and take a break in His presence (see topic: Shabbath, the First Commandment).

In general, we can affirm that these Celebrations and Festivals have several purposes:

Setting aside time to be with Him, knowing Him, and thanking Him for His constant provision.
Keeping us alert to the development of His perfect Eternal Plan.
Identifying ourselves as His people by honoring Him.
Recreating and rejoicing in the proper and non-harmful manner.
When we practice these Celebrations and Festivals, we are acknowledging that Yehovah is the center of our existence, so we orbit around Him throughout the year, and in that way, we testify that He is the most important person in our lives. Additionally, these are opportunities to develop our interpersonal relationships and take time to rest and enjoy the things He provides for us.

Decide to participate in Yehovah’s Festivals because you will gain an understanding of His Word that is not possible to achieve otherwise.

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The Calendar of YeHoVaH

by with No Comment Biblical Studies

The practice of Yehovah’s Calendar will help us to understand more clearly the prophetic times, the Scriptures and our Father’s Plans.

The emphasis on the importance of knowing and understanding Yehovah’s Calendar will never be overstated because the prophetic events of the Scriptures are not aligned with the calendar that the world uses day by day. Because of this, many will be taken by surprise like a thief in the night. Here is a brief introduction to the topic.

The Days

From the moment we are born, the counting of time begins for each of us. According to the date our parents claim we were born, we start counting the days, weeks, months, and years. That special day we celebrate every year begins at 12:00 a.m., that is, midnight, and ends one second before midnight of the next day. However, our Eternal Father defined the start and end of days differently. When we read the account of Creation in the Bible, each stage of the process is described as:

“And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” Genesis 1:5

Therefore, days begin at sunset and end 24 hours later when the sun sets again.

The Weeks

Scripture only gives a name to the seventh day: Shabbat in Hebrew (Sabbath in English). The other days are recognized as the first day of the week, the second day of the week, and so on until the sixth day. English translations keep the name Sabbath for that day. However, some translations into other languages have substituted the Hebrew word Shabbat for the word Saturday, or for the expression “day of rest”, thus making it difficult to recognize both the Shabbat and the fulfillment of what our Eternal Father commanded.

The Months

According to the Scriptures, months begin with the new moon or the appearance of the first crescent of the moon after nights when it has not been visible. (Clarification: The astronomical new moon is a calculated event that occurs at an instant when it enters conjunction with the sun, one of the nights when the moon is not visible.)

Moon Cycles

Moon Cycle

When the Temple in Jerusalem was still standing, it was imperative for two witnesses to testify before the high priest that they had observed the first sliver of the moon with the naked eye. The high priest would then declare that day (which had already begun at sunset) as the beginning of a new month.

The Years

The calendar we currently use is solar, which means we calculate time based solely on the sun. However, our Father Yehovah governs His Creation according to His lunar-solar calendar, making use of both celestial bodies.

God determined when the years begin:

“The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ‘This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.'” Exodus 12:1-2

At that time, the Hebrew people were about to be liberated from their slavery in Egypt. It was spring, when all plants are greening, and life returns after the cold winter. The beginning of that first month was determined by the new moon. Later, Yehovah gave instructions regarding a second condition to be considered in determining the start of the years: the maturity of the barley:

“Today you are going out in the month of Aviv.” Exodus 13:4

“You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in the month of Aviv you came out of Egypt.” Exodus 34:18

Aviv was not the name of the month but the condition of the barley. If it is in a certain state of maturity and close to being harvested, it is said to be “aviv.”

Now we know everything we need to determine how to start the years today, following the Torah’s instructions. In summary, if

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Why is it important to study the Torah?

by with No Comment Biblical Studies

The holy books were never secret documents, but the patrimony of the whole community.

While it is true that the priests and the Levites were entrusted with the custody of the sacred books, they were also entrusted with the responsibility of teaching the Torah — YeHoVaH’s instructions — to the people. However, the Levites were not the only ones who had the responsibility of studying and knowing it.

In fact, the very survival of YeHoVaH’s people has depended upon their faithfulness to YeHoVaH’s instructions; it’s the responsibility of everyone who trusts in the God of Israel! For this reason, ignorance of the Torah is no excuse among the children of YeHoVaH. This is why Moses was tasked with reading these instructions to everyone — both the literal tribes of Israel and the “mixed multitude” who escaped Egypt with them:

“And he (Moshe) took the Book of the Covenant and read in the ears of the people”
~ Exodus 24:7

One of the provisions of the Torah specifically calls for the reading of the entire book of Deuteronomy before the assembled people — specifically so that those who did NOT know the God of Israel would understand what He expected of anyone who would consider themselves as part of Israel:

“And Moshe commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time of the year of remission, in the solemnity of Tabernacles (Sukkot), when all Israel go to appear before YeHoVaH your Elohim in the place which He has chosen, you shall read this Torah before all Israel in their hearing. You shall gather the people, men, women, and children, and your stranger who is in your gates, that they may hear and learn, and fear YeHoVaH your Elohim, and keep the words of this Torah to do them. And that their children who do not know it may hear and learn to fear YeHoVaH your Elohim, all the days that you live in the land where you are going, past the Yarden, to take possession of it.
~ Deuteronomy 31:12

So it was that every seven years, and during the Feast of Sukkot of each Sabbath year, all the people of Yisrael were summoned to be instructed by the priests and Levites, making it clear from the beginning of their existence as a nation, that they were the people chosen by YeHoVaH to develop that unique identity. This is the reason why the holy books were never secret documents, but the patrimony of the whole community.

If we are to affirm our identity as YeHoVaH’s people, we need to keep immersing ourselves in His Word, otherwise, we will not be able to discern the Truth from the multitude of voices and messages that reach our ears every day. The path is narrow and staying on it requires our full attention to the Torah — the instructions — that our Father has provided to us.

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Bikkurim – Yeshua Presents the First Fruits

by with No Comment Biblical Studies

Could Yeshua enter the Heavenly Sanctuary saying, “Here I am; I am the First Fruits”? This clearly makes no sense…

Traditionally, we pay a lot of attention to the celebration of Pesaj, and we are rightly moved to remember the departure of our ancestors from Egypt, because in this way we show our obedience to the commandments of YeHoVaH. However, we often pay very little attention to the Bikkurim or First Fruits Celebration, which shows us the resurrection of the first saints who were presented by Yeshua before YeHoVaH on the designated day.

Let’s read closely the words of Matthew 27:50-53:

Yeshua shouted again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom; the earth quaked and the rocks were split. The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And they came out of the tombs after his resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.

If we really consider that nothing in the scriptures can be added on a whim, here we have a problem to solve, because no one has truly explained the rationale or the hidden meaning of the details described here.

Note carefully that when Yeshua died, the graves were opened, but the bodies of the saints did not come out until after the resurrection of Yeshua, an event that took place on the Shabbat of that week, thus fulfilling the prophecy announced by himself as the only sign that would be given to that generation of unbelieving leaders:

But he answered them:

“An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.” (Matthew 12:39-40)

Thus, exactly three days and three nights after giving up his life on Wednesday at the chosen hour, Yeshua rose again along with those saints whose graves had been opened at the time of their death, and it was then that “they entered the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27:53)

And John 20:1 describes what happened afterward:

“On the first day of the week [Sunday], Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.” Moments later, Yeshua appeared to Miriam, and after a short dialogue, told her:  “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father—to my God and your God.” (John 20:17)

In those moments, Yeshua was on time to present to the Father the offering of the First Fruits – Bikkurim: the first resurrected who had been raised on Saturday afternoon after he had risen. Thus, while the high priest presented the cut sheaf the night before and the food offering that they had prepared during the night (Leviticus 23:10-11), Yeshua presented before YeHoVaH the resurrected First Fruits.

There are those who would affirm that Yeshua alone is the First Fruits, but if so, then we would have another dilemma, because the Torah gives a very clear instruction in YeHoVaH’s pronouncement in Exodus 23:15 – “No one is to appear before me empty-handed.”

So, since Yeshua had to fulfill the Torah perfectly, he could not appear before the Father that morning with no offering! He had to bring something to present to his Father, because that was precisely the day of Bikkurim – the Day of the First Fruits. Could Yeshua enter the Heavenly Sanctuary saying, “Here I am; I am the First Fruits”? This clearly makes no sense, for Yeshua had to take something with him as an offering of First Fruits to his Father, and this provides the only possible explanation for the resurrection of those saints referred to in Matthew 27:50-53 – they were the First Fruits that Yeshua presented as his Bikkurim offering before our father YeHoVaH.

Perhaps we are wondering: who were those who were resurrected? Unfortunately, the story tells us nothing further about it, but we do have records in the Tanakh or Old Testament that many righteous prophets and kings were buried in and around Jerusalem. Therefore, we can infer that some of them who were chosen by YeHoVaH were resurrected and therefore are in heaven with Yeshua and with YeHoVaH. Will they be the 24 elders referred to in the Book of the Revelation? It is probable, because the truth is that the rest of those who have slept are awaiting resurrection on the day of the Messiah’s return.

Let us rejoice! Because when there are First Fruits, this means that there is going to be a harvest later, and in the very manner that those saints were resurrected, we will also be, if the Messiah does not come before.

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Unmistakable Signs of the End of the Age

by with One Comment Biblical Studies

“Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed” (Luke 17:28-30).

Repeatedly, Yeshua declared that, prior to his return, the times would be similar to those before the flood and the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah.  And what was happening then?  Nothing more nor less than what we are witnessing in our own day and age.  

Consider:

Abortion – literal child sacrifices offered to demons, despising the life given by the Creator. 

Greed – The insatiable desire to obtain material things. At present, almost all activities in life have to do with the purchase and sale of a product. Human beings are “materialized” and not ashamed of it.

Free unions – Fornication and adultery. Relationships have been degraded to mere physical contact and marriage to little more than a social activity, without any commitment.

Excesses in food and drink – Today, the proliferation of exotic and unclean foods leads to gluttony, dependence, and even addiction.  Something similar occurs with drinks of all kinds, and poor health is often the consequence of such indulgence.

Industrial food production – Using genetically engineered plants, a select few companies produce food for the entire world because most people are housed in cities, disconnected from Creation and their Creator.

Unprecedented scale of buildings and construction – A response to the needs of crowds seeking life in urban centers.

Hence, you don’t need to be a scientist or a prophet to recognize these current conditions. Just open your eyes and look around you. Of course, we have not mentioned all the other situations that are already too familiar: frequent earthquakes, diseases spread by people who blindly continue to trust the official health systems, and the contamination of our planet’s resources, creating a dangerous imbalance of the delicate system created by YeHoVaH.

So, ask yourself if you really think this state of affairs is going to improve, thanks to a political party or an idealistic leader. If your answer is negative, ask yourself another question: How long is this situation going to last?  It would be ludicrous to claim that political figures will somehow find the solution to all this chaos.  No, the situation is going to get worse because that’s how it has been planned.

Yeshua warned us in advance that all of this would happen.  And what’s more, he encouraged us to be attentive, because when his prophecies are being fulfilled, it means that our redemption is near.  He is planning these things to occur before he returns to establish a kingdom of royal justice and peace.

Yet there is no place for fear in this scenario, because we have placed our hope in the promises of YeHoVaH, our eternal father who will intervene in time to rescue his faithful remnant who remain separated from the world’s corruption, and who have placed their trust in him.  It is time to align your daily life with his commandments.  

And if you haven’t done it yet… what are you waiting for?

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How to Identify a True Prophet?

by with No Comment Biblical Studies

Yeshua comes to the Temple to teach, and some of the chief priests and elders of the town question the provenance of his expertise:  “By what authority are you doing these things?  Who gave you this authority?” (Matthew 21:23).

Immediately, Yeshua answers by asking them a question that puts them on the spot: “Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from men?” (Matt 21:25).  The dynamic that Yeshua presented to them was very simple – if they answered his question, Yeshua would answer their initial question.

But the chief priests and elders decided otherwise, for they came to the conclusion that they would be exposed before Yeshua and the people, as detailed in Matthew’s account:

“They began to argue among themselves, ‘If we say, “From heaven,” He will say to us, “Then why didn’t you believe him?” But if we say, “From men,” we’re afraid of the crowd because everyone thought John was a prophet.’ So they answered Yeshua, ‘We don’t know’” (Matthew 21:25-27).

Something of vital importance that we can derive from this confrontation between the priests and Yeshua is their knowledge that the people recognized Yochanan Ben Zejariah, known to many as John the Baptist, as a true prophet, one who had been sent from YeHoVaH.

This popular awareness is also associated with the prophet Samuel:  “All Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a confirmed prophet of YeHoVaH” (1 Samuel 3:20).

Today, we observe many people who proclaim to the world at large that they are sent from heaven. But how can we know whether someone is a true prophet of the Most High?  How could our ancient counterparts distinguish between a man of YeHoVaH and a false, self-proclaimed teacher?  1 Samuel 3:19 gives us a clue:  “Samuel grew, and YeHoVaH was with him, and He fulfilled everything Samuel prophesied.”

This supports one of the criteria that Moses gave us in the Torah to distinguish between true and false prophets:  We are told that if a prophet arises and “speaks in the name of YeHoVaH, and what he said does not happen, nor does it come to pass, it is a word that YeHoVaH has not spoken; with presumption the said prophet spoke it; don’t be afraid of him” (Deuteronomy 18:22).

The Torah offers yet another touchstone for identifying a false prophet: “When a prophet speaks in the name of YeHoVaH, and the message does not come true or is not fulfilled, that is a message YeHoVaH has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him” (Deuteronomy 13:1-3).

Beloved brothers and sisters, the Bible truly enables us to distinguish between the true men of YeHoVaH and those who would prophesy in vain.  So let us be diligent and continue to study and apply the Holy Scriptures!

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Yeshua Heals a Leper – and Leaves us a Great TEACHING

by with No Comment Biblical Studies

Levi, son of Alphaeus – better known as Matthew the Levite – tells us at a certain point in his gospel narrative about how Yeshua heals a leper just after finishing his famous speech, the so-called “Sermon on the Mount.”  Lepers were people who were in a condition of physical uncleanliness (Lev 13:44) and who literally had to shout “unclean, unclean” (Lev 13:45) and be isolated from others (Num 5:2).  They were utterly unwanted by people in the community, and rejected because of their impure condition.

Matthew tells us that a leper came before Yeshua and prostrated himself before him, and told him that if he wished, he could cure him.  Moved with mercy, Yeshua answered him “I will do so!” and immediately, he was cleansed of his leprosy.

Every time I read this passage, I have no doubt that Yeshua had the authority, the power, and the proper disposition to heal the leper, but I came to realize that it was not until the leper surrendered to him, bowing before him and acknowledging his lordship, that Yeshua performed his miracle.

How many times have we gone through difficult situations involving illness, pain, or even torment, waiting for YeHoVaH to “do the work,” only for nothing to happen? We know that our heavenly Father has the power to heal us, and that by Yeshua’s wounds we have been healed (Is 53:5).  But even so, we remain afflicted.

Yet even in the midst of all this frustration, we can perhaps learn something from the example of this leper.  YeHoVaH knows our pain and knows what we need, but sometimes He allows sickness to touch us – remember the example of Job! – because He is waiting for us to turn to Him and bow down, saying “Lord, if it is your wish, you can heal me up.”

Shalom!

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The Confession

by with No Comment Biblical Studies

Many people do not refrain from doing evil to others in order to achieve their personal goals…

When YeHoVaH created us, we were endowed with a conscience. This is a type of “judge” that was designed to direct us to what is right or wrong according to the eternal Torah that reflects the righteous character of the Creator, and by which He rules all of His Creation.

But as we grow and begin our journey through this world, that conscience is influenced, refined, distorted, and even contaminated, all in such a way that we can lose our sense of justice completely.  And as this happens, many people do not refrain from doing evil to others in order to achieve their personal goals.  Hence the famous expression: “These people have no conscience!”

But when we have a genuine and transformative encounter with Yeshua, something supernatural happens: That sense of conscience is restored and renewed to align once again with YeHoVaH’s Torah, and a new beginning – a new life – emerges, as described by Paul (Shaul):

“…if anyone is in the Messiah, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.”  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Then, the potential to keep us acting honestly and justly is reactivated.  However, we inevitably make mistakes again because of our habits, and we run the risk of returning to our old patterns, ignoring or underestimating our conscience that is now awakened by the Spirit of YeHoVaH that dwells in us.

What to do? How do we deal with these problems? It is in these moments when we must take advantage of the resource provided by our Father to be restored in our journey: The Confession.

But I am not talking about going before another man to render an account of what we have done, but about talking with God, with YeHoVaH, to affirm what He himself defines as injustice, and then to accept that He is right, acknowledging that what we have done is sinful. Immediately afterward, we accept by faith the forgiveness that has already been granted to us through Yeshua and we carry on, redefining our spiritual journey.

You may ask yourself: “What if I have acted unfairly with someone; how have I done so?”  There will always be situations in which we must go to the person we have hurt to admit that we have acted wrongly, for that too is confession. In other words, let that person know that you did wrong and then ask forgiveness for such behavior.  But do not demand forgiveness; instead, you must grant him the option, through his own volition, to make that decision.

YeHoVaH provides us with a special day during the festive season of autumn – Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, or the day of liberation from the guilt that we have been carrying throughout the year. The tenth day of the Seventh month of YeHoVaH’s Calendar is set aside for us to audit ourselves. On such a day we are commanded to humble ourselves before YeHoVaH by following the biblical example of fasting. That day is considered a Shabbat in which no work should be done, when we must retire into silence and stillness to start fresh with our Creator.

In fact, to be able to do this we need to adequately prepare ourselves in the days leading up to this occasion, cultivating an attitude of introspection with the help of our Father, to bring to mind those intentions, attitudes, and behaviors that need to be corrected or repaired.  And the first step to achieve this is The Confession, as we have mentioned before.

But more importantly, we should not wait until the annual arrival of Yom Kippur to mend our relationships with our Father and with others. This is something we need to do every day, just as we do with our bodies when we breathe.  Just as we exhale toxins and inhale fresh, pure air, so also let us release our injustices through confession, and let us take in the forgiveness and justice that come from YeHoVaH through Yeshua, our Lord and Messiah.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  (1 John 1:9)