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Daily manna from the Torah by Dr Ketriel Blad

Nitzavim 51-7

You are standing

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live...

Deut. 30:19 NKJV

How can one choose life?

Moshe put life and death, blessing and curse in front of the people and he showed them how life or death may be obtained, how blessing and curse may come. Obedience brings life and blessing and disobedience brings death and curse.

Now, life can be understood in several ways. Everyone is born a mortal. There is no one who won't die. Then the life that Moshe is presenting to them is firstly a long life with blessings. That is achieved through obedience to the commandments. In that same way, men receive premature death and curses through disobedience.

Obviously all men will be reached by death as it is the consequence of being born-in-sin and the sins they committed. Being this, it really doesn't make any difference if men choose life and blessing through obedience if at the end we will have to die being reached by the curse.

 If men could choose only a longer and blessed life before dying, what sense would that offer make? If at the end he is going to die, for what good is it to choose life for?

This shows us that in these words there is also a reference to the eternal life that the Eternal will grant us after the resurrection of the dead. Even though we all have to die because of sin, everyone will have to be raised to be judged, and then it will be decided if each one of us will have eternal death or life.

In resurrection, eternal life or death depends upon the choice of men, either to accept or reject the Torah. It's not about having kept the commandments, in the first place, but about the attitude toward the Eternal and His commandments. No one can buy eternal life through merits. Eternal life is not a reward for having been good enough. This idea is a wrong path and won't lead to eternal life after resurrection.

The Torah and the rest of the Scriptures, and especially the Writings of the Emissaries of our great Rabbi Yeshua teach that eternal life is the outcome of the Eternal's grace given to those who believe, in the sense of being faithful and trusting.

The one who obeys because he loves, and wishes to be faithful to the Eternal and repents whenever he fails, and trusts in the Eternal's forgiveness, given through the atoning death of Yeshua, will receive everlasting life.

There is no contradiction whatsoever between the words of our Rabbi Yeshua and those of Moshe rabbenu. When Yeshua talks about believing in him in order to have eternal life, he means believe in his interpretation of the Torah of Moshe and the rest of the Scriptures; that is, to believe in what he says, in his words, in his teaching. And what he says does not contradict Moshe in any way. The same One who spoke through Moshe spoke through Yeshua.  

 Moreover, Yeshua himself is the revelation of the Eternal’s life. He is the life, as it is written in 1 John 1:1-2: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life, (for the Life was revealed, and we have seen it and bear witness, and show to you the everlasting Life, who was with the Father and was revealed to us)" (MKJV)

"Truly, truly, I say to you, He who hears My Word and believes on Him who sent Me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, The hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they who hear shall live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has given to the Son to have life within Himself" (John 5:24-26 MKJV)

Choose faithfulness to the Torah of Moshe and the Living Torah and you shall have everlasting life.

Blessings,

Ketriel

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