יְהוָֽה־ מַלְאַ֥ךְ
Why we should all understand Yehovah's laws
‘My soul He refreshes, He leads me in paths of
righteousness, for His Name’s sake’
There is a huge amount of deception in the world on this subject, as Satan has been hard at work from the time of Adam and Eve onward trying to convince humans that they don’t need to obey Yehovah. So many humans fall for this deception, including billions of so-called Christians all over the world. It is quite amazing how stupid and gullible most people are, given that the scriptures are very clear on what our obligations are to Yehovah God under His righteous and perfect laws.
Please note well, ‘Love thyself as you love thy neighbour’ contains the Greek word ‘agape’ love, which means, literally, ‘what Yehovah God prefers’. So, agape yourself, your neighbour and my Father in heaven by doing what He prefers. How do we know what He prefers? He tells us in the laws He gave to His servant Moses at Mount Horeb in Sinai, so simply obey them, they all still apply except for temple laws and sin offerings, as the Lord Yahshua was sacrificed to pay for our sins (as well as to give us the holy spirit so we can permanently defeat sin).
The vast majority of churches everywhere these days are lawless, they never explain that my Father in heaven requires our obedience to His laws, commands and statutes. They deceive and explain ‘you’re under grace, not the law’, whilst forgetting to mention that the grace of my Father in heaven was for your prior sins, and that the sacrifice of my Father’s only begotten perfect son, the man and messiah and Lord Yahshua (Jesus), was not just to atone for YOUR PRIOR SINS, but also, following baptism, to give you the spirit of Yehovah God Himself, within your body and mind, to enable you to be purified, so that you can conquer Satan and conquer sin (all of the book of 1st John should be read on this subject). You are freed from the death penalty of the law and your sin debt record was nailed to the cross, not the law itself, and only the righteous will stand in the presence of my Father in the New Jerusalem.
I will write separately and will deliver a sermon on the subject of grace, but this section of the website is simply a very large shed-full of scripture that talks about righteousness, obedience and the law. Remember, sin IS lawlessness.
I am not going to write much myself in this section, and will mostly use scriptures to show you why you should be keen to learn about and follow God’s laws.
So, given that we’re all followers of Christ, let’s focus on what he had to say on the matter shall we? Here are a few pertinent quotes from our Lord (I have highlighted some key verses in bold type), and we’ll start with an obvious example, one that everyone knows, but so many choose to ignore or misunderstand:
‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name,
10Your kingdom come, Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us this day our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation*, but deliver us from the evil one.’
(*Temptation to sin, by breaking His laws, of course).
‘If ye love me, keep my commandments.
15If you love (agape) Me, you will keep My commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.
18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19In a little while, the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
22Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him, “Lord, why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?”
23Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. The word that you hear is not My own, but it is from the Father who sent Me.
25All this I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.
‘Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.’
And having come to them, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on the earth has been given to me. 19Therefore having gone, disciple all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age.”
5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’
31It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 32But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love (agape) thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44But I say unto you, Love (agape) your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? 47And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? 48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
15Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
7But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
8And when he comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because they do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world has been condemned.
16“My teaching is not My own,” Jesus replied. “It comes from Him who sent Me. 17If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own. 18He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is a man of truth; in Him there is no falsehood.
19Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps it. Why are you trying to kill Me?”
28So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own, but speak exactly what the Father has taught Me. 29He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him.”
43Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. 44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me!
46Which of you can prove Me guilty of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
14I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me, 15just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.
17The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”
44Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me. 45And whoever sees Me sees the One who sent Me. 46I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.
47As for anyone who hears My words and does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
49I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it. 50And I know that His command leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what the Father has told Me to say.”
34A new commandment I give you: Love (agape) one another. As I have loved (agape) you, so also you must love (agape) one another. 35By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love (agape) one another.”
No Greater Love (agape)
9As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love. 10If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
12This is My commandment, that you love (agape) one another as I have loved (agape) you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
14You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 17This is My command to you: Love (agape) one another.
1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples: 2“The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
You will not find one single word from the Lord Yahshua where he tells us to ignore my Father’s will, His laws and commands.
For obvious reasons: he was the perfectly obedient son, Our Father’s laws and commands are perfect, and are the basis for how we live righteous lives, they literally define sin versus obedience.
Every message from the Lord noted above was telling us with complete clarity that we need to do the same as he did, obey my Father’s will, otherwise we’re rejecting the salvation offered by God to mankind through the sacrifice of His Son. It is plainly impossible to even be a faithful Christian without desiring to keep my Father’s will.
Anyone that preaches or teaches otherwise is working to deceive, or is deceived, but either way, they are lost, not saved. If they preach that the laws of God no longer apply, it’s likely they’re deceiving you, and working for God’s enemy.
Now we’ll have a look at some words on this subject from the apostles, many of whom were with the Lord Yahshua. All of them, obviously, echo his teachings, and many add further insights into how we are affected by the Spirit of God once we are born again:
For you brothers were called to freedom, but not the freedom for an opportunity to the flesh. Rather, serve one another through love. 14For the entire Law is fulfilled in this one word: “You shall love (agape) your neighbour as yourself.”a 15But if you bite and devour one another, take heed, lest you might be consumed by one another.
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
If we live by the Spirit, we should also walk by the Spirit.
What then shall we say? Is the Law sin? Never may it be! But I have not known sin, if not by Law. And indeed, I had not been conscious of covetousness if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”But sin, having taken an occasion by the commandment, produced in me all covetousness; for apart from the Law, sin is dead.
So indeed, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I was fleshly, having been sold under sin.
So then, I myself indeed with my mind served God’s Law; but with the flesh, (I served) the Law of sin
For as many as have sinned without the Law also will perish without the Law; and as many as have sinned in the Law will be judged by the Law, 13for not the hearers of the Law are righteous with God; but the doers of the Law will be justified.
19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.
29Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.
1What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? 3Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4We therefore were buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.
15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not! 16Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that, though you once were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Release from the Law
(Galatians 3:15-25)
1Do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? 2For instance, a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. 3So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not an adulteress, even if she marries another man.
4Therefore, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 5For when we lived according to the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, bearing fruit for death. 6But now, having died to what bound us, we have been released from the law, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
God’s Law Is Holy
7What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”a 8But sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from the law, sin is dead.
9Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10So I discovered that the very commandment that was meant to bring life actually brought death. 11For sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through the commandment put me to death.
12So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.
2For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
35The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. 36The one believing in the Son has eternal life, but the one not obeying the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
For indeed it is righteous with God to repay those oppressing you with affliction, 7and to you being oppressed, repose with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with His mighty angels, 8in a fire of flame, inflicting vengeance on those not knowing God and on those not obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus, 9who will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power
29But Peter and the apostles answering said, “It is necessary to obey God rather than men. 30The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed, having hanged Him on a tree. 31God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32And we are witnesses of these things, and also the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those obeying Him.”
He in the days of His flesh, having offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One being able to save Him from death, and having been heard because of reverent submission, 8though being a Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered, 9and having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all those obeying Him
3And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we should keep His commandments. 4The one saying, “I have known Him,” and not keeping His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But whoever may keep His word, truly in him the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6The one claiming to abide in Him ought also walk just as in the same way that He walked.
27And you, the anointing that you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But just as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is no lie, and just as it has taught you, you shall abide in Him.
28And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we might have boldness and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.
29If you know that He is righteous, you know also that everyone practicing righteousness has been begotten of Him.
4Everyone committing sin also commits lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5And you know that He appeared, so that He might take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6Anyone abiding in Him does not sin; anyone sinning has not seen Him, nor has he known Him.
7Little children, let no one lead you astray; the one practicing righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8The one practicing sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this reason the Son of God was revealed, so that He might destroy the works of the devil.
9Anyone having been born of God does not practice sin, because His seed abides in him, and he is not able to continue sinning, because he has been born of God. 10Through this, the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: anyone not practicing righteousness is not of God, and also the one not loving his brother.
21Beloved, if our heart should not condemn us, we have confidence toward God, 22and whatever we might ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and we do the things pleasing before Him. 23And this is His commandment, that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another, just as He gave the commandment to us. 24And the one keeping His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us: by the Spirit whom He has given to us.
15Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16And we have come to know and have come to believe the love that God has as to us. God is love (agape), and the one abiding in love (agape) abides in God, and God abides in him.
1Everyone believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone loving the One having begotten Him also loves the one having been begotten from Him. 2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3For this is the love of God, that we should keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
18We know that everyone having been born of God does not continue to sin, but the One having been begotten of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the evil one. 20Now we know that the Son of God is come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Was anyone called having been circumcised? Let him not be uncircumcised. Was anyone called in uncircumcision? Let Him not be circumcised. 19Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God.
And now I implore you, lady, not as though I am writing to you a new commandment, but that which we have had from the beginning, that we should love one another. 6And this is love, that we should walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.
8If indeed you keep the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” you are doing well. 9But if you show partiality, you are committing sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.
Therefore, beloved, expecting these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and without blemish.
15And esteem the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom having been given to him, 16as also in all the letters, speaking in them concerning these things, among which some things are difficult to be understood, which the ignorant and unestablished distort to their own destruction, as also the other Scriptures.
Therefore beloved, knowing this beforehand, you beware, lest you should fall from the own steadfastness, having been led away by the error of the lawless. 18But grow in grace and in knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.
I hope you will all re-read Peter’s words immediately above. The deceivers constantly distort scripture, and especially Paul’s epistles, as they are sometimes difficult to understand. But they are easily twisted by Satan and his people, with the sole desire of causing many to be ‘led away by the error of the lawless’. So please don’t be deceived, scripture never contradicts itself, and hopefully there is more than enough scripture above from Jesus himself and from the apostles, to show you that you need to accept God’s gift of salvation by believing in Jesus as the son of God, the messiah who was prophesied so often, and also that you obey the messiah, and by doing that you will also obey God and all of His laws, commands and statutes.
We will finish up this section by looking at what Yahweh Himself had to say on the subject, when He spoke directly to His people, or via His prophets, or via His word. I have deliberately left Yahweh’s words to the end, because Christians need to know what Christ had to say, and what the New Covenant tells them they need to do, which is all in the New Testament.
The whole of the New Testament rests on God’s word in scripture from the foundation of the universe, and He was very plan and clear on what His rules are for those on his planet, He spoke about His laws, commands and statutes frequently, and the Old Testament is full of stories of disobedience and the consequences, as well as a few examples where obedience is seen and blessings follow.
I won’t copy in the whole of these chapters, but Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 explain the blessings and curses that flow from obedience and disobedience, especially to nations. When Yahweh gave the ten commandments to Moses he mentioned that He would be:
‘… showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
If we say 20 years for each generation, that’s 20,000 years, at least. Yet we’re only around 3-4, 000 years further on from the likely time when God spoke to Moses.
Many claim, erroneously, that Yahweh’s laws only apply to Israel and its bloodline. So, let’s look at what one of His prophets said about the gentiles and foreign nations:
Salvation for Foreigners
1This is what the LORD says:
“Maintain justice and do what is right,
for My salvation is coming soon,
and My righteousness will be revealed.
2Blessed is the man who does this,
and the son of man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it
and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3Let no foreigner who has joined himself to Yehovah God say,
“Yehovah will utterly exclude me from His people.”
And let the eunuch not say,
“I am but a dry tree.”
4For this is what Yehovah God says:
“To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases Me
and hold fast to My covenant—
5I will give them, in My house and within My walls,
a memorial and a name
better than that of sons and daughters.
I will give them an everlasting name
that will not be cut off.
6And the foreigners who join themselves to Yehovah God
to minister to Him,
to love the name of Yehovah God,
and to be His servants—
all who keep the Sabbath without profaning it
and who hold fast to My covenant—
7I will bring them to My holy mountain
and make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on My altar,
for My house will be called a house of prayer
for all the nations.”
8Thus declares Yehovah GOD,
who gathers the dispersed of Israel:
“I will gather to them still others
besides those already gathered.”
5And now says Yehovah God,
who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
to bring Jacob back to Him,
that Israel might be gathered to Him—
for I am honoured in the sight of Yehovah God
and My God Yehovah is my strength—
6He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and to restore the protected ones of Israel.
I will also make You a light for the gentiles (nations),
to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
7Thus says Yehovah God,
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel,
to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
“Kings will see You and rise,
and princes will bow down,
because of Yehovah God, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen You.”
Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, Yehovah God of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 17And should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Yehovah God of Hosts, the rain will not fall on them. 18And if the people of Egypt will not go up and enter in, then rain will not fall on them; this will be the plague with which Yehovah God strikes the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 19This will be the punishment of Egypt and of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
At that time (coming time of judgement) those who feared Yehovah God spoke with one another, and Yehovah God listened and heard them. So a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those who feared Yehovah God and honoured His name.
17“They will be Mine,” says Yehovah God of Hosts, “on the day when I prepare My treasured possession. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. 18So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”
“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings,a and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall. 3Then you will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says Yehovah God of Hosts.
4“Remember the law of Moses My servant, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him for all Israel at Horeb.
5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of Yehovah God. 6And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
In the last days the mountain of the house of Yehovah God
will be established as the chief of the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.
3And many peoples will come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yehovah God,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us His ways
so that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go forth from Zion,
and the word of Yehovah God from Jerusalem.
4Then He will judge between the nations
and arbitrate for many peoples.
Tell the righteous it will be well for them,
for they will enjoy the fruit of their labor.
11Woe to the wicked; disaster is upon them!
For they will be repaid with what their hands have done.
This is what Yehovah GOD says:
“Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations,
and raise My banner to the peoples.
They will bring your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their shoulders.
23Kings will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
They will bow to you facedown
and lick the dust at your feet.
Then you will know that I am Yehovah God;
those who hope in Me will never be put to shame.”
Pay attention to Me, My people,
and listen to Me, My nation;
for a law will go out from Me,
and My justice will become a light to the nations;
I will bring it about quickly.
5My righteousness draws near,
My salvation is on the way,
and My arms will bring justice to the nations.
The islands will look for Me
and wait in hope for My arm.
6Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth below;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and its people will die like gnats.
But My salvation will last forever,
and My righteousness will never fail.
7Listen to Me, you who know what is right,
you people with My law in your hearts:
Do not fear the scorn of men;
do not be broken by their insults.
8For the moth will devour them like a garment,
and the worm will eat them like wool.
But My righteousness will last forever,
My salvation through all generations.”
Seek Yehovah God while He may be found;
call on Him while He is near.
7Let the wicked man forsake his own way
and the unrighteous man his own thoughts;
let him return to Yehovah God,
that He may have compassion,
and to our God,
for He will freely pardon.
8“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways,”
Therefore justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us.
We hope for light, but there is darkness;
for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10Like the blind, we feel our way along the wall,
groping like those without eyes.
We stumble at midday as in the twilight;
among the vigorous we are like the dead.
11We all growl like bears
and moan like doves.
We hope for justice, but find none,
for salvation, but it is far from us.
No longer will the sun be your light by day,
nor the brightness of the moon shine on your night;
for Yehovah God will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your splendour.
20Your sun will no longer set,
and your moon will not wane;
for Yehovah God will be your everlasting light,
and the days of your sorrow will cease.
21Then all your people will be righteous;
they will possess the land forever;
they are the branch of My planting,
the work of My hands,
so that I may be glorified.
22The least of you will become a thousand,
and the smallest a mighty nation.
I am Yehovah God;
in its time I will accomplish it quickly.
For I, Yehovah God, love justice;
I hate robbery and iniquity;
in My faithfulness I will give them their recompense
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9Their descendants will be known among the nations,
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people Yehovah God has blessed.
10I will rejoice greatly in Yehovah God,
my soul will exult in my God;
for He has clothed me with garments of salvation
and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness,
as a groom wears a priestly headdress,
as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11For as the earth brings forth its growth,
and as a garden enables seed to spring up,
so Yehovah GOD will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.
You welcome those who gladly do right,
who remember Your ways.
Surely You were angry, for we sinned.
How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?
6Each of us has become like something unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all wither like a leaf,
and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.
“I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me;
I was found by those who did not seek Me.
To a nation that did not call My name,
I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’
2All day long I have held out My hands
to an obstinate people
who walk in the wrong path,
who follow their own imaginations,
3to a people who continually provoke Me to My face,
sacrificing in the gardens
and burning incense on altars of brick,
4sitting among the graves,
spending nights in secret places,
eating the meat of pigs
and polluted broth from their bowls.
5They say, ‘Keep to yourself;
do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’
“This is the one I will esteem:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
who trembles at My word.
“And I, knowing their deeds and thoughts, am coming to gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see My glory.
19I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud; to Tubal, Javan, and the islands far away who have not heard of My fame or seen My glory.
So they will proclaim My glory among the nations. 20And they will bring all your brothers from all the nations as a gift to the LORD on horses and chariots and wagons, on mules and camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says Yehovah God, “just as the Israelites bring an offering in a clean vessel to the house of Yehovah God.”
21“And I will select some of them as priests and Levites,” says Yehovah God.
22“For just as the new heavens and the new earth,
which I will make, will endure before Me,”
declares Yehovah God,
“so your descendants and your name will endure.
23From one New Moon to another
and from one Sabbath to another,
all mankind will come to worship before Me,”
says Yehovah God.
24“As they go forth, they will see the corpses
of the men who have rebelled against Me;
for their worm will never die,
their fire will never be quenched,
and they will be a horror
to all mankind.”
As we would expect, my Father’s plan and expectations for those who will be saved from death are both perfect and perfectly clear. Simply be righteous, be like the Messiah, be like my Father Himself, and obey His laws. There aren’t that many of them (especially when we compare them to modern statute books containing tens of thousands of laws and regulations). No, just several hundred laws and commands, and none of them onerous, and all of them for our own benefit, as well as the benefit of our neighbours and our nation. A very large proportion of His laws will never affect you, as they cover abominations and such matters, that we in Christ would never even consider anyway. The yoke of obedience through faith is very light indeed.
So, for now, that’s all I will place in this section, but I may add more as time goes by, if I spot a piece of scripture that reinforces everything here I will add it. In honesty, after reading the words of my Father, the Most High Yehovah God, His son and messiah, the Lord Yahshua, the apostles, and His prophets on the subject, if you are still convinced the law was abolished, then you are almost certainly suffering from the ‘powerful delusion’ referred to in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12:
‘and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. 11For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, 12in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness.’
Your pastors or priests deceived you maybe? Please realise that your own knowledge, the knowledge of other men, their intelligence, their IQ, their wisdom, is all a vanity. Rely solely on my Father in heaven, ask Him to teach you and show you His ways: if you really mean it, really want it, and are humble enough to be prepared to be washed clean of pre-existing beliefs, He will do that for you, because it’s easy for Him, and it will be easy for you too. I will share His words here too, to help you to walk as the Lord Yahshua walked.
But, you have to want to be my Father’s slave, to really mean it, you have to submit to Him fully, allow Him to lead you to His truth, to His ways and to His loving arms. I can attest your life will be changed, you will be rapidly sanctified, and you will feel completely calm about your earthly fleshly life, with no worries for the future, no fretting about jobs, or money, or relationships, or health, because He will be abiding with you, guiding you, protecting you. The Most High, the Glorious Creator of everything, our One True God Yehovah, my Heavenly Father, will be within you. Can you imagine what that feels like? It’s there for the taking, just reach out and ask.
I’ll close with two pieces of scripture that summarise how we should approach Yah:
The end of the whole matter let us hear: — ‘Fear Yehovah God, and keep His commands, for this [is] the whole of man.
The commencement of wisdom [is] the fear of Yehovah God, And a knowledge of the Holy One [is] understanding.
May my Father in heaven bless and protect all those who fear Him and seek His ways and His wisdom, amen. May those who are righteous, for His name’s sake bless my heavenly Father with their agape love, faith, and obedience.