For The Love Of Truth | Possessing Your Eternal Life

For The Love Of Truth

Possessing Your Eternal Life

Dedication & Acknowledgments

This work is dedicated to the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;

And without Him…I would still be called Lo-Ammi.¹

To my selfless wife Rivkah:

You have been my strong support, encourager, editor and sounding board throughout all of my writing ventures. Because you stood by my side and never gave up on me; I never gave up on me either. Your richness in Abba, and the passion you exhibit to know Him, gives me the inspiration to write another day.

Thank you!

For The Love Of Truth | Possessing Your Eternal Life

Copyright © September 4, 2015 by Derek Townsend

The Well Trodden Road

www.thewelltroddenroad.org

3rd Revision, January 19, 2016

Please feel free to reprint and distribute this study in order to help spread the Truth of His Word. If you plan on using any part of this material on your own website, social network and/or blog; please provide proper credit as seen below:

Townsend, D. (2016). For The Love Of Truth | Possessing Your Eternal Life (3rd Rev.). Fort Worth: The Well Trodden Road.

Introduction

He who does wrong, let him do more wrong; he who is filthy, let him be more filthy; he who is righteous, let him be more righteous; he who is set-apart, let him be more set-apart. - Revelation 22:11

Oh my, what ‘comforting’ words. Hymnal material? Probably not. Popular? Definitely not! Yet, this passage is used to introduce four very powerful words; …behold, I come quickly…

No other time in history have the words in Revelation 22:11 been more appropriate as they are today. For the wicked; a haunting cry to continue in the rhythm of ‘no peace’. For the righteous and set-apart; a cheer to the finish line.

For those marching to the sound of their own drum beat, this passage is the declaration that seals the judgment right before the sentencing is to be carried out. This passage speaks finality. Though the words have been repeated in times past; this time…it will be the last.

If we rewind history, the same words were spoken by the Spirit of Yahuweh through the prophet Yeshayahu (Isaiah) and beloved Sha'ul (Paul). The words spoken exhibit the nature of a Father who has cried out to His children time and time again; only to be ignored. There comes a time when even He…has had enough…

‘Go ahead,’ He says, ‘do what you have loved the most. I called to you to turn in repentance, yet you have become as deaf and blind as the idols you worship. You may think I am cruel when I will no longer hear you. I am only returning to you as you have done so to Me. If being wrong is what you prefer, then do more of it. If filthiness is what you possess, then possess more of it. I have extended you the ability to repent and turn back to Me, yet you have loved your wickedness even that much more. Therefore, I give you over to what your heart has loved the most. I make you deaf, so you do not hear because you had ears to hear Me, yet refused to listen. I make you blind, so you do not see because you had eyes to see Me, yet refused to see. I make your heart dull, so you do not understand because you had a heart to understand Me, yet refused to perceive My Words. I do these things so you do not turn to Me and repent. I do these things to keep you from My salvation, lest should I deliver you, you would only fall away from Me again. For My heart to be relieved of the grief I should not have to bear, I solemnly grant you what you want, so that you will not ever want to turn to Me again. I loved you but you would not have Me. I gave you My Word in Truth and you would not possess a love for it. Therefore, I allow you to be what you have already chosen to be. My Son is coming soon, and woe to the one not loving His appearing.’

The Process For Residency in the Kingdom

The heart of the Father grieves over His people who have not loved what He loves. They do not love Him nor what He loves because they do not know Him.

How do we really get to know someone if we do not spend any time with them? This is exactly what Messiah Yahushua was attempting to get across to the Yehudim¹ in Yochanan (John) 8:31-32. In fact, the entire chapter could serve as the backbone of this study, as Messiah Yahushua enters into a unique dialog with the Pharisees, Scribes and Yehudim of His day.

Yahushua points out to them, that if they were of His Father Elohim, they would do the works of His Father. And if they were of His Father, they would love the Son whom He had sent. It was obvious that what Yahushua was speaking about, was something very foreign to them.

Time and time again, Messiah speaks in plain truth concerning Himself, yet they did not seem to get it. Apparently, there were some of the Yehudim that did believe the words Messiah spoke to them, yet by the time the conversation ended, they were ready to stone Him. Though the truth was being spoken, they were unable to comprehend it. They became angry.

This is foundational in understanding how Messiah’s words actually fulfilled what the Prophet Isaiah was commissioned to do. This is evident in some of Yahushua’s words to the Yehudim: Why do you not know what I say? Because you are unable to hear My Word. And because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. The truth Yahushua spoke shut the eyes of their understanding and their ears from being able to hear anything He said.

If truth is spoken, yet not revealed in the understanding, like the Yehudim, it will invoke anger in the ears of its hearers and a desire to destroy it will rise up.

How do we do the works of our Father if we do not know Him? If we do not know Him, we will never be able to please Him. We do not know what pleases Him because we have not spent time with Him. And if we do not spend time with Him, our residency in the Kingdom is at stake.

In John 8:31 it says, So Yahushua said to those Yehudim who believed Him, If you stay in My Word, you are truly My taught ones, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

The word ‘stay’ in the Greek is ‘meno’ meaning to abide as in remaining at a residence. It means to lodge as in living in a house.

Luke 21:19 "Possess your lives by your endurance!"

The word endurance is the Greek word ‘hypomone’ which has a compound meaning: hypo under and meno (remain, abide, stay, lodge). Staying in His Word is where we live (the where), whereas endurance denotes the length of time we stay there. Hypomone literally means to be steadfast.

Here is an example: I am staying at the cabin and I am staying there a month

Matthew 24:12-13 "And because of the increase in lawlessness, the love of many shall become cold. But he who shall have endured to the end shall be saved."

The equivalent Hebrew word for endurance is qavah. It is the root word for miqveh, which means to abide. Both of these words have a sense of waiting, expectation, and hope. The root word qavah means to ‘bind together’ as in twisting; similar to a cord or rope would be twisted. It also means to collect, and gather together as in a large body of water or a pool.  When there are multiple streams and rivers flowing into one body of water such as a lake, or eventually into an ocean, there lies a collection of strength and power. Think of many streams merging together into one river, flowing with tremendous force. This word is the same word used in Genesis 1:9 where the waters were gathered into one place.

All of these meanings have some relation to each other. To bind together as in a cord or rope, doesn’t mean much until you think of its function.² A rope secures something. There is security when there is a gathering together or a collection of something. The more of whatever it is you have, the less likely it will be moved, dispersed or scattered. For example, a great collection of water, such as in an ocean or sea, if one were to ‘pull the drain cord,’ it would take a very long time to drain that much water. Picture a rope that is staked to the ground on one end, while attached to the corner of a tent on the other. Its function is to hold the corners of the tent tight in order to prevent it from moving; keeping it firmly established as to not blow away, or collapse in on itself.

The Hebrew word qavah provides a much more graphical representation of the word endurance. Because of the length of time to drain such a large collection of water, or the security that a rope provides a tent from moving and being shaken loose in turbulent weather, the word endurance denotes unmovable security, even through the roughest of trials and persecution. It remains steadfast because of the power gained from gathering unto itself a great collection of forces, binding it together into one abiding and unstoppable presence. This is endurance, and this is how we ‘secure’ are eternal life, regardless of what is thrown at us. We possess our eternal life because we have the unstoppable power to simply…remain.

"We too, then, having so great a cloud of witnesses all around us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us, looking to the Princely Leader and Perfecter of our belief, Yahushua, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the stake, having despised the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of Elohim."

The only way Messiah Yahushua was able to endure the stake, and sit down at the right hand of His Father, was by the empowerment of the unstoppable, abiding presence of the Spirit of Yahuweh. There was no other way possible.