Saturday, July 14, 2018

It Is How You End

What is the most important day of your life?

There are many different opinions about the most important day in the life of people.  Some would say the day of your birth, because it made everything after that day possible.  Some would look at some milestone, like the day they completed their education.   Others would look the day they overcame some challenge, like when their business first began to truly profit and grow.  Others would look to a day tied to an important relationship, like the day they married, or the day they met their spouse.  Others might point to another day.

One thing that all of these answers have in common, is that the most important day in the life of people, is a day when everything changed.  Nothing was never the same after that day.  The struggles before that day were behind them, and they acquired what they had been struggling to obtain.

While all of these answers are good answers, none of them is the right answer.  There is one day that eclipses all other days in the life of every person.   The most important day of your life is the day that you die.

That day is better than the day of your birth, because all the struggles of life are behind you (Ecclesiastes 7:1).  That day is more important than all others, because you were literally preparing for this day your whole life, whether you knew it or not.  The sum total of your life cannot be known until that day.  It is the day that when your eternal destination is finalized.

It is not how you start that determines your eternal destination.  It is how you end.

This is evident when you consider some of the best known people in the Book of Truth (The Bible).

Consider Balaam.

Balaam consulted with the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) before he did anything (Numbers 22:8-11).  He only did what the Father of Truth told him to do (Numbers 22:12-13).  He would only speak the words that the Father of Truth gave him (Numbers 22:38).  The Father of Truth put His words in the mouth of Balaam (Numbers 23:16-17).  The Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) came upon Balaam, he fell into a trance with his eyes wide open, and saw a vision of the Father of Truth (Numbers 24:2-4).  Finally, he fell into a trance with his wide open, and prophesied about the End Times (Numbers 24:14-16).

Afterwards, Balaam gave counsel to the enemies of Israel to cause the Father of Truth to bring a curse upon the Children of Israel (Numbers 31:16).  He betrayed them by teaching their enemies to convince many of the Children of Israel to participate in worshiping idols (Revelation 2:14).

So, Balaam was slain with the rest of the wicked by Moses (Moishe) (Joshua 13:21-22).  He had been following the way of righteousness, but he forsook it at the end (2 Peter 2:15-16).

Balaam started off righteously, but he ended wickedly.  It was not how Balaam started that determined his eternal destination.  It was how he ended.

Consider Samson.

Samson desired to marry an idol worshiper, instead of a woman who followed the Father of Truth, based solely upon what he saw with his eyes (Judges 14:1-3).  He engaged in gambling during the wedding feast (Judges 14:12-14).  He later engaged in sex with a prostitute of a temple dedicated to idols (Judges 16:1).

Afterwards, Samson became sexually involved with Delilah, another idol worshiper, who planned to betray him from the beginning (Judges 16:4-5).  He was then betrayed by Delilah and blinded by his enemies (Judges 16:16-21).

It was only after Samson lost his sight, that he came to see things clearly (Judges 16:24-27).  In the end, Samson returned to the Father of Truth, and did more to carry out His will in his death, than he had done in his entire life (Judges 16:28-30).  In the end, he was counted among the heroes of faith (Hebrews 11:32-34).

Samson started off wickedly, but he ended righteously.  It was not how Samson started that determined his eternal destination.  It was how he ended.

Consider Judas Iscariot.

Judas Iscariot was given power to cast out demons and to heal every disease, just like the rest of the twelve Original Apostles of Truth (Matthew 10:1-4).  He was sent to the people of Israel, along with the rest of the twelve Original Apostles of Truth, to preach the Good News, cleanse the lepers, and raise the dead (Matthew 10:5-8).

Judas Iscariot had been commanded to take no provisions with him, when he was sent out with the rest of the twelve Original Apostles of Truth (Mark 6:7-9).  He had enough faith in the Man of Truth to do this with the rest of the twelve Original Apostles of Truth (Mark 6:12-13).

Judas Iscariot had forsaken everything to follow the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ), so he was promised to rule over one of the twelve tribes of Israel for his loyalty (Matthew 19:27-28).  He had continued with the Man of Truth in his many temptations, so he was promised this reward (Luke 22:28-30).

After all this, Judas Iscariot sought out the chief priests to make a deal to betray the Man of Truth to them (Matthew 26:14-16).  He left the last supper to betray the Man of Truth, despite the warning of what would happen to him if he did this (Matthew 26:20-25).

After that, Judas Iscariot led the multitude sent by the chief priests to the Man of Truth, and betrayed him with a kiss (Matthew 26:47-49).  After the Man of Truth was condemn to die, Judas Iscariot was sorry for what he did, but killed himself, instead of seeking forgiveness (Matthew 27:3-5).

Judas Iscariot had been one of twelve Original Apostles of Truth, before he had betrayed the Man of Truth (Acts 1:16-17).  He fell into the very field that was bought with the money that he had been paid for this betrayal, and came to a very bad end (Acts 1:18-19).

So, Judas Iscariot lost everything that he would have gained for his righteousness (Acts 1:20).  He fell from righteousness, and went to the Chamber of Horrors for the wicked deeds at the end of his life (Acts 1:20-25).

Judas Iscariot started off righteously, but he ended wickedly.  It was not how Judas Iscariot started that determined his eternal destination.  It was how he ended.

Consider Paul the Jew.

Paul the Jew (aka Shaul aka Saul aka The Apostle Paul) stood by the stoning of Stephen for his witness that the Man of Truth was the Messiah (Acts 7:57-60).  After consenting to the stoning of Stephen, he raised up great persecution against the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) in Jerusalem, so that they were scattered throughout Judaea and Samaria (Acts 8:1-3).  He did everything he could against the name of the Man of Truth, and caused many of them to be put to death in Jerusalem (Acts 26:9-10).

Paul the Jew then continued to persecute them throughout Judaea and Samaria, until they were scattered to places far from Israel (Acts 11:19).  He was relentless in persecuting them in Israel until they died (Acts 22:4).  He pursued them in both the synagogues and the cities of the Gentiles that were scattered throughout Israel (Acts 26:11).

Paul the Jew then began pursuing the Children of Truth in cities outside of Israel, starting with Damascus (Acts 9:1-2).  He sought out the Chief Priest for letters authorizing him to arrest the Children of Truth in these cities, and to bring them to Jerusalem to be punished (Acts 22:5).  He headed for Damascus to carry out this persecution, once he was commissioned to do so by the Chief Priest (Acts 26:12).

Paul the Jew was the least worthy of all people to be an Apostle of Truth, because of his persecution of the Children of Truth (1 Corinthians 15:9).  He persecuted the Children of Truth, because of his zeal for Rabbinic Judaism (Galatians 1:13-14).  His zeal in persecuting the Children of Truth was unmatched (Philippians 3:6).  He exceeded all others in blaspheming the name of the Man of Truth, and persecuting and injuring the Children of Truth (1 Timothy 1:13).  He was the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).

However, Paul the Jew had an encounter with the Man of Truth when he was near Damascus (Acts 9:3-9).  He was blinded by the light of the Man of Truth (Acts 22:6-11).  It was only after Paul the Jew lost his sight that he came to see things clearly (Acts 26:13-18).

Paul the Jew began to preach the Good News in Damascus, even though he was told what he would suffer for doing so (Acts 9:10-22).  He was baptized and commissioned to preach the Good News in Damascus (Acts 22:12-16).  He preached the Good News in Jerusalem, Judaea, and to the Gentiles, after he left Damascus (Acts 26:19-23).

Paul the Jew continued to preach the Good News through more adversity and persecution than any other person has ever faced (2 Corinthians 11:23-28).  He continued to preach the Good News until the day he died, knowing that he would be rewarded for doing so (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

Paul the Jew started off wickedly, but he ended righteously.  It was not how Paul the Jew started that determined his eternal destination.  It was how he ended.

Not only is this pattern clearly seen in the lives of these four men, but the Father of Truth plainly said this through Ezekiel, The Prophet Of Truth.

First, the Father of Truth established what He meant by righteous and wicked.  Who ever did what He said was right in the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law), lived righteously, and would have an eternal destination of life (Ezekiel 18:5-9).  Who ever did what He said was wicked in the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law), lived wickedly, and would have an eternal destination of death (Ezekiel 18:10-13).

Next He confirmed, that the eternal destination of every person was determined by rather they lived righteously, or wickedly (Ezekiel 18:14-18).  Their eternal destination was determined by how they lived, and nothing else (Ezekiel 18:19-20).

Finally He clarified, that if anyone started off by living wickedly, but turned from their wickedness, and ended living righteously, then they would have an eternal destination of life (Ezekiel 18:21-23).  Likewise, if anyone started off by living righteously, but turned from their righteousness, and ended living wickedly, then they would have an eternal destination of death (Ezekiel 18:24). 

The conclusion of the matter is, that it is not how people start that determines their eternal destination, but it is how they end (Ezekiel 18:25-28).

The Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament) confirms this as well.

It establishes the same definition of righteousness and wickedness. Wickedness is transgression of the Law of Truth (1 John 3:4).  Those who do what the Law of Truth says is right are righteous (1 John 3:7).

The Man of Truth warned, that those who do not keep living in accordance with the Word of Truth until the end, will not come to the eternal destination of life promised in the Word of Truth (Matthew 13:18-22).  It is only those who keep living in accordance with the Word of Truth until the end, that will come to the eternal destination of life promised in the Word of Truth (Matthew 13:23).

In like manner the Man of Truth warned, that it is only those who remain righteous until the end, that will have an eternal destination of life (Matthew 24:13).

This is why Paul the Jew said that he had to keep his body under control until the end, so that he would not be castaway from obtaining the prize of an eternal destination of life, after preaching the Good News to others (1 Corinthians 9:23-27).  This is why he did not live like he had already obtained the prize of an eternal destination of life, but continued to live righteously until the end to obtain that prize (Philippians 3:11-14).  It was not until he had lived righteously until the end, that he won an eternal destination of life (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

It is those who are wicked at the end, who lived wickedly, and it is those who are righteous at the end, who lived righteously (Revelation 22:11).  Their eternal destination was determined by how they lived, and nothing else (Revelation 22:12-13).  Those who ended righteously will have an eternal destination of life (Revelation 22:14).  Those who ended wickedly will have an eternal destination of death (Revelation 22:15).

Those who started off by living wickedly, but turned from their wickedness, and ended living righteously, will have an eternal destination of life (Acts 11:18).  Those who started off by living righteously, but turned from their righteousness, and ended living wickedly, will have an eternal destination of death (2 Peter 2:20-21).

The conclusion of the matter is, that it is not how people start that determines their eternal destination, but it is how they end (Galatians 6:7-9).

So, the most important day of your life is the day that you die.

The thing is that people rarely know when that day is, for they are not guaranteed tomorrow, or even the rest of today (James 4:14).

Therefore, if you have not come into the House of Truth, then let today be the day that you do so by turning from wickedness (Luke 19:8-10).  Today is the day for you to change you eternal destination to that of life (2 Corinthians 6:2).

The Father of Truth takes no pleasure in people living wickedly and having an eternal destination of death, but desires that they turn to living righteously, and having an eternal destination of life (Ezekiel 18:32).  He sent the Man of Truth to bring people to an eternal destination of life, because it is not His will that anyone should have an eternal destination of death (Matthew 18:11-14).  It is for this reason, that He does not destroy people as soon as they do what is wicked, because He wants them to have a chance to turn to doing what is right, so they can change their eternal destination from death to life (2 Peter 3:9).

He will even let someone who lived wickedly their whole life, like the thief on the cross, change their eternal destination from death to life, if they will turn to righteousness in the last moments of the day of their death (Luke 23:39-43).

Therefore, I urge everyone who has not come into the House of Truth to do so right now. Anyone who takes The Deal will change their eternal destination from death to life.  Everyone is able to complete The One Step Program, and change their eternal destination from death to life.  Everyone can escape the Chamber of Horrors by total surrender to the Man of Truth.  This is the simplicity of the Gospel.

If you have believed that you could return to wickedness after coming into the House of Truth, and still have an eternal destination of life, then I would ask you, "Where did you get that idea?".  It is time for some tough loveWhose child are you is determined by who you act like.  Do not be fooled by the partial deception used by some religious professionals.

Anyone who tells you that you can live wickedly at the end, and still have an eternal destination of life, is a deceiver (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

Therefore, I urge everyone who has come into the House of Truth to stay in the house!  You must continue living to please the King, if you want to have an eternal destination of life.

So come into the House of Truth today, even if you have been in it before, by surrendering control of your life to the Man of Truth, because you believe that his Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).

Come into the House of Truth!



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