Post by Watchman on Mar 31, 2006 15:24:23 GMT -5
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 2 Corinthians 13:5
From time to time, it is desirable to examine or prove ourselves to know we are in alignment with God's mind and will. We need to be constantly vigilant that we are living by the truth of YHWH's Word- and are not living in apostasy against The Word- following the doctrines and traditions of men. We check ourselves, as it were, to ensure that we are walking worthy of our calling. The Passover of YHWH is only a short time away. As Christians, we need to consider the self-examination process God's Word says we should be undergoing as the spring festivals approach.
In apostle Paul's first letter to the Church at Corinth he writes:
"But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of [that] bread, and drink of [that] cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many [are] weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. (1 Corinthians 11:28-30)
It is obvious that, because of the time of great deception in which we live, self-examination is absolutly necessary so that we correct ourselves on a regular basis to make certain we continue to bring honor to YHWH and to Christ. Paul suggests that problems and trials, leading even to death, among the members of the church may have their sources in our unexamined conduct.
Again: "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" 2 Corinthians 13:5
This scripture can be broken down into four major points:
One: Examine yourselves
Paul exhorts in Galatians 6:3-4: "For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another." The Greek word for 'prove' here is dokimazo {dok-im-ad'-zo}, which means,
1) to test, examine, prove, scrutinise (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as metals
2) to recognise as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy.
If we sincerely, with our whole hearts, ask Almighty YHWH to make us understand the depths of our beings, He is faithful to do so. It is then our responsibility to be prepared to repent fully of what God makes plain to us. This is an easy process to describe, but often hard to follow through on. Nevertheless, it is part of a continuing process in the life of any Christian who wishes to draw closer to God; it is our work. We are required to exert effort—sometimes a great deal of effort, even painful effort—to assure our entrance into God's Kingdom. We cannot leave this labor undone!
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12
If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and [be] not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, [and] which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Colossians 1:23
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:10,11
Two: Know ye not your own selves?
We have all learned many things through trial and suffering over the years of our lives, but it has not been all pain and agony. At times we have abounded with joy, contentment, peace, and growth as well, and we should thank YHWH who has engineered and authored these blessings by His Great Mercy! However, beyond honestly identifying how far we have come, we also need to recognize and acknowledge the stony parts that are still in us, repenting before YHWH with our whole hearts!
As Paul says in I Corinthians 6:19-20, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." To paraphrase, do we not realize the magnitude of our relationship with God and the obligation this puts us under to live every second as an example of Yeshua's way of life? God's people are not ordinary in any sense!
Solomon writes in Proverbs 4:23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life." The heart- the mind, is the storehouse of our character. We must spend time in contemplation and in prayer asking for insight from God to reveal to us exactly who we are—inside—where normally only God can see. We must implore Him for understanding about who we really are right now in His eyes. We need this information to understand properly our relationship with Him.
This is a solemn and sobering process, but it should not be something we fear. We must come to God in this process with humility and a heart ready to repent immediately of error that He shows us. This process is not superficial by any means, but one designed to reach to the very heart of our being. We must 'put on the new man'!
Remember, YHWH a consuming fire to His enemies (Hebrews 12:29), but to His own children, He is a boundless provider and loving Father (Ephesians 3:14-21). He is quick to forgive if we freely confess our sins to Him (1 John 1:9).
Three: [Do you not know] that Jesus Christ is in you?
Paul exhorts these same Corinthians:
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 6:16—7:1)
Because we are God's children, we are special, but nothing of our own makes us this way. It is only God dwelling in us by His Spirit that separates us from others. It is truly one of YHWH's great mysteries! But what a difference that it makes!
Yeshua says in John 14:23, "...If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." This should make us think, "What kind of home am I providing for the Most High God and His glorified Son?" Our desire to give God nothing to judge as unworthy of His presence should run the gamut from our physical health to our most secret thoughts.
Clearly, every one of us falls short. But this is why Paul exhorts us to cleanse ourselves, continually maturing in holiness in the fear of God. We are to scrub deeply out of deep reverence for the sacrafice of Him who dwells within us.
Four: except ye be reprobates
"Reprobates" adokimos {ad-ok'-ee-mos} means,:
1) not standing the test, not approved
2) that which does not prove itself such as it ought
a) unfit for, unproved, spurious, cast away
This word's meaning is illustrated by the following verses:
And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Romans 1:28
They profess that they know God; but in works they deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. Titus 1:16
For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers [is] rejected, and [is] nigh unto cursing; whose end [is] to be burned. Hebrews 6:7-8
Being disqualified or rejected is the opposite of having Jesus Christ dwell in us; it is being unfit or unworthy of His presence in us. In other words, a disqualified person is cut off from God- who's end is to be burned in the lake of fire! This is the worst possible outcome of a Christian's life: to return to a life of sin and have so much pride that he or she rejects the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the faith unto salvation! YHWH's Word clearly shows that it will happen (see Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-31)!
Regular self-examination is a proven way to make sure that it does not happen to us!
But I keep under my body, and bring [it] into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast away. 1 Cor 9:27
YHWH intends for us to discover the reality of our nature, to be repelled by it, and to seek the annointing of His Spirit to help us overcome. It is impossible to fathom it entirely, but we can and must come to grips with evil that exists in every one of us. We must measure the extent that we have overcome the evil in us and the sincerity of our commitment to our relationship with YHWH, and how closely we are following the narrow path in the footsteps of Yeshua, our Savior and our example. As we examine ourselves God expects us to also prepare ourselves as mature Christians to rededicate ourselves to Him at Passover and to put sin out of our lives diligently and actively, which is the lesson of the Days of Unleavened Bread.
If we sincerely ask God in faith, He will reveal our inward, hidden faults to us (see Psalm 19:12-13; 51:6; 139:23-24). It is important that we not be overly discouraged by what He reveals. It is human nature which is 'evil continuously'. It has lived and grown within us for as long as we have existed, and only through the Holy Spirit can we overcome the world and its influence. We cannot entirely escape it in the flesh, a compelling reason Christians long for the resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ! The Blessed Hope of ALL true believers!
As the truth of our condition is revealed to us, rather than wallow in discouragement, we should channel our energies in eradicating its power over our lives.
"Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, [what] clearing of yourselves, yea, [what] indignation, yea, [what] fear, yea, [what] vehement desire, yea, [what] zeal, yea, [what] revenge! In all [things] ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter." 2 Corinthians 7:9-11
Paul tells us in Romans 7:14-23 "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that [it is] good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."
Yet, Paul also writes in verse 25: "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. " As long as we are "in the flesh," we will sin, but we must continually—daily—repent and ask God for help in fighting our carnal nature.
YHWH has promised the overcoming if we do our part. Although every imaginable wrong influence in this age besets us, we must remember that He has promised to stick with us and give us the help we need: "For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear'" (Hebrews 13:5-6).
In Psalm 119:57-60, David intimates that it is a Christian's obligation to turn again, day after day and year after year, to YHWH, saying:
"[Thou art] my portion, O YHWH: I have said that I would keep thy words. I intreated thy favour with [my] whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word. I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments."
By doing so, we will, due to God's help, succeed in attaining eternal life.
As the Passover season approaches, we would do well to fast and pray, dedicating this time to searching the Scriptures and ourselves. We need to make sincere inquiry of God regarding our sins and shortcomings, so that He will never need to reveal them to us in condemnation!
Let us recall I Corinthians 11:28-30:
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of [that] bread, and drink of [that] cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many [are] weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
Now notice verse 31: "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."
Christ is the righteous Judge. He would much rather we judged ourselves and turned to righteousness than have to point out our faults to us.
"For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we confidence toward God." 1 John 3:20,21
In 2 Timothy 4:7-8, Paul speaks of his life's accomplishments. He knew he had run the course of his life in a way that was pleasing to God. He had been obedient. He described it this way:
"I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."
He is speaking about us!
We have no need to be discouraged at Passover time. It is our opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to Almighty God and renew our dedication to putting on the new man. As James says, in Ch 4 v. 2"... ye have not, because ye ask not."
We need to ask God for a clean heart before Him, as well as for hope, joy, peace, and a close, personal relationship with Him and His Son.
People, the time is short. Yeshua's coming is close, so very close! Stand firm in the true and sure Word of YHWH!
And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 1 John 2:28
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Revelation 21:7
From time to time, it is desirable to examine or prove ourselves to know we are in alignment with God's mind and will. We need to be constantly vigilant that we are living by the truth of YHWH's Word- and are not living in apostasy against The Word- following the doctrines and traditions of men. We check ourselves, as it were, to ensure that we are walking worthy of our calling. The Passover of YHWH is only a short time away. As Christians, we need to consider the self-examination process God's Word says we should be undergoing as the spring festivals approach.
In apostle Paul's first letter to the Church at Corinth he writes:
"But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of [that] bread, and drink of [that] cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many [are] weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. (1 Corinthians 11:28-30)
It is obvious that, because of the time of great deception in which we live, self-examination is absolutly necessary so that we correct ourselves on a regular basis to make certain we continue to bring honor to YHWH and to Christ. Paul suggests that problems and trials, leading even to death, among the members of the church may have their sources in our unexamined conduct.
Again: "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" 2 Corinthians 13:5
This scripture can be broken down into four major points:
One: Examine yourselves
Paul exhorts in Galatians 6:3-4: "For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another." The Greek word for 'prove' here is dokimazo {dok-im-ad'-zo}, which means,
1) to test, examine, prove, scrutinise (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as metals
2) to recognise as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy.
If we sincerely, with our whole hearts, ask Almighty YHWH to make us understand the depths of our beings, He is faithful to do so. It is then our responsibility to be prepared to repent fully of what God makes plain to us. This is an easy process to describe, but often hard to follow through on. Nevertheless, it is part of a continuing process in the life of any Christian who wishes to draw closer to God; it is our work. We are required to exert effort—sometimes a great deal of effort, even painful effort—to assure our entrance into God's Kingdom. We cannot leave this labor undone!
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12
If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and [be] not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, [and] which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Colossians 1:23
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:10,11
Two: Know ye not your own selves?
We have all learned many things through trial and suffering over the years of our lives, but it has not been all pain and agony. At times we have abounded with joy, contentment, peace, and growth as well, and we should thank YHWH who has engineered and authored these blessings by His Great Mercy! However, beyond honestly identifying how far we have come, we also need to recognize and acknowledge the stony parts that are still in us, repenting before YHWH with our whole hearts!
As Paul says in I Corinthians 6:19-20, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." To paraphrase, do we not realize the magnitude of our relationship with God and the obligation this puts us under to live every second as an example of Yeshua's way of life? God's people are not ordinary in any sense!
Solomon writes in Proverbs 4:23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life." The heart- the mind, is the storehouse of our character. We must spend time in contemplation and in prayer asking for insight from God to reveal to us exactly who we are—inside—where normally only God can see. We must implore Him for understanding about who we really are right now in His eyes. We need this information to understand properly our relationship with Him.
This is a solemn and sobering process, but it should not be something we fear. We must come to God in this process with humility and a heart ready to repent immediately of error that He shows us. This process is not superficial by any means, but one designed to reach to the very heart of our being. We must 'put on the new man'!
Remember, YHWH a consuming fire to His enemies (Hebrews 12:29), but to His own children, He is a boundless provider and loving Father (Ephesians 3:14-21). He is quick to forgive if we freely confess our sins to Him (1 John 1:9).
Three: [Do you not know] that Jesus Christ is in you?
Paul exhorts these same Corinthians:
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 6:16—7:1)
Because we are God's children, we are special, but nothing of our own makes us this way. It is only God dwelling in us by His Spirit that separates us from others. It is truly one of YHWH's great mysteries! But what a difference that it makes!
Yeshua says in John 14:23, "...If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." This should make us think, "What kind of home am I providing for the Most High God and His glorified Son?" Our desire to give God nothing to judge as unworthy of His presence should run the gamut from our physical health to our most secret thoughts.
Clearly, every one of us falls short. But this is why Paul exhorts us to cleanse ourselves, continually maturing in holiness in the fear of God. We are to scrub deeply out of deep reverence for the sacrafice of Him who dwells within us.
Four: except ye be reprobates
"Reprobates" adokimos {ad-ok'-ee-mos} means,:
1) not standing the test, not approved
2) that which does not prove itself such as it ought
a) unfit for, unproved, spurious, cast away
This word's meaning is illustrated by the following verses:
And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Romans 1:28
They profess that they know God; but in works they deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. Titus 1:16
For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers [is] rejected, and [is] nigh unto cursing; whose end [is] to be burned. Hebrews 6:7-8
Being disqualified or rejected is the opposite of having Jesus Christ dwell in us; it is being unfit or unworthy of His presence in us. In other words, a disqualified person is cut off from God- who's end is to be burned in the lake of fire! This is the worst possible outcome of a Christian's life: to return to a life of sin and have so much pride that he or she rejects the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the faith unto salvation! YHWH's Word clearly shows that it will happen (see Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-31)!
Regular self-examination is a proven way to make sure that it does not happen to us!
But I keep under my body, and bring [it] into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast away. 1 Cor 9:27
YHWH intends for us to discover the reality of our nature, to be repelled by it, and to seek the annointing of His Spirit to help us overcome. It is impossible to fathom it entirely, but we can and must come to grips with evil that exists in every one of us. We must measure the extent that we have overcome the evil in us and the sincerity of our commitment to our relationship with YHWH, and how closely we are following the narrow path in the footsteps of Yeshua, our Savior and our example. As we examine ourselves God expects us to also prepare ourselves as mature Christians to rededicate ourselves to Him at Passover and to put sin out of our lives diligently and actively, which is the lesson of the Days of Unleavened Bread.
If we sincerely ask God in faith, He will reveal our inward, hidden faults to us (see Psalm 19:12-13; 51:6; 139:23-24). It is important that we not be overly discouraged by what He reveals. It is human nature which is 'evil continuously'. It has lived and grown within us for as long as we have existed, and only through the Holy Spirit can we overcome the world and its influence. We cannot entirely escape it in the flesh, a compelling reason Christians long for the resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ! The Blessed Hope of ALL true believers!
As the truth of our condition is revealed to us, rather than wallow in discouragement, we should channel our energies in eradicating its power over our lives.
"Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, [what] clearing of yourselves, yea, [what] indignation, yea, [what] fear, yea, [what] vehement desire, yea, [what] zeal, yea, [what] revenge! In all [things] ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter." 2 Corinthians 7:9-11
Paul tells us in Romans 7:14-23 "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that [it is] good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."
Yet, Paul also writes in verse 25: "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. " As long as we are "in the flesh," we will sin, but we must continually—daily—repent and ask God for help in fighting our carnal nature.
YHWH has promised the overcoming if we do our part. Although every imaginable wrong influence in this age besets us, we must remember that He has promised to stick with us and give us the help we need: "For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear'" (Hebrews 13:5-6).
In Psalm 119:57-60, David intimates that it is a Christian's obligation to turn again, day after day and year after year, to YHWH, saying:
"[Thou art] my portion, O YHWH: I have said that I would keep thy words. I intreated thy favour with [my] whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word. I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments."
By doing so, we will, due to God's help, succeed in attaining eternal life.
As the Passover season approaches, we would do well to fast and pray, dedicating this time to searching the Scriptures and ourselves. We need to make sincere inquiry of God regarding our sins and shortcomings, so that He will never need to reveal them to us in condemnation!
Let us recall I Corinthians 11:28-30:
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of [that] bread, and drink of [that] cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many [are] weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
Now notice verse 31: "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."
Christ is the righteous Judge. He would much rather we judged ourselves and turned to righteousness than have to point out our faults to us.
"For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we confidence toward God." 1 John 3:20,21
In 2 Timothy 4:7-8, Paul speaks of his life's accomplishments. He knew he had run the course of his life in a way that was pleasing to God. He had been obedient. He described it this way:
"I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."
He is speaking about us!
We have no need to be discouraged at Passover time. It is our opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to Almighty God and renew our dedication to putting on the new man. As James says, in Ch 4 v. 2"... ye have not, because ye ask not."
We need to ask God for a clean heart before Him, as well as for hope, joy, peace, and a close, personal relationship with Him and His Son.
People, the time is short. Yeshua's coming is close, so very close! Stand firm in the true and sure Word of YHWH!
And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 1 John 2:28
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Revelation 21:7