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htuby Jacob O Meyer

Wfry is there so much confusionin the doctrines of churchianity? Whyshould church members assert that

ments while on the other handattest that Yahweh's law hasdone away by His grace?

A correct understanding of

they believe in the biblical command- doctrine of grace can only be obtainedby harmonizing all the passages in thesacred Scriptures relating to this sub-ject. There are many explicit scriptural texts integral to a correct under-

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standing of the New Covenant. Peopletoo frequently appeal only to the NewTestament, and they further narrowthe field by particularly limitingthemselves to the writings of Paul toexplain the doctrine expressed by theword grace.

In effect, they nullify the Messiah'sown declaration of Matthew 5:17-20.

"Think not that I eame to deetroy the law orthe prophets: I eame not to deetroy, bat totultill For truly I eaA to Aou nU heaoen and

earth pa$ auaA, one yothe or one tittle shallin no wise paen awaA from the laq, till allthings be aeeompliehed Whoeoer therefore

ehall break one of theee leut eommandtnents,

and ehall teaeh men eo, shall be called leutin the kingdom of heaoen: but whoeoer shall

do and teaeh then, he ehall be ealled great inthe kingdom of heaoen For I eay to Aou thatexeept Aour righteoatnett ehall exeeed the

righteoutne$ of the ecribee and Pharieeee,

Aou shall in no wiee enter into the kingdom ofhearsen "

We must never forget what theApostle Peter said of Paul's writingsin 2 Peter 3:1F16. "And aeeoant that the

longeuffering of our Muter ie saloatiory eoen

os our beloaed brother Paul aho, aeeording to

the wiedam gioen to hint, wrote to Aou; as ahoin all hie lctter& tpeaking in them of theee

things, in which are some things hard to be

understood which the ignorant and an-

learned wreet, at they do aho the other

seriptures, to their own destruetion "The widespread, popular teaching

of the nolaw doctrine has taken firmroot in the minds of people today.When they encounter seemingly nebu-lous and obscure pa$sages in the Biblethat appear to do away with the law ofYahweh, doubts immediately entertheir mind. Then they simply jumpthe rails of contextual truth to followthe crowd into error. The nolawdoctrine has monopolized Christiantheology for so long that these doubtsreadily take root.

All too frequently the no-law advocates hasten to quote from the book ofGalatians. Paul's letter to Yahweh'sAssemblies in Galatia in noway annuls the law of Yahweh.Convercely, when correctly under-

stood, Paul's book places great ern-phasis upon keeping commandmentsof Yahweh instead of obeying doc-

trines and commandments of men.When one demonstrates his obe

dience to the Heavenly Father bykeeping His commandments, uncon-verted people ridicule him as thoughhe depends exclusively on works forhis salvation. Usually those whobelieve in grace alone recite Ephesians2:8-9 to prove that there is no longerany need to keep any commandmentsfor salvation. This passage reads, "Forby grace haoe Aoa been eaoed through faithand that not of youreeloes, it ie the gtft ofYahwh not of worke, that no mon ehouldglory,"

Yahweh has the same source-it is agift from the Almighty. The humanbeing cannot create eternal life. Itmust come only from the Most High.When Yahweh's people are given theirspiritual body it will be a gift that cancome only from Yahweh, because ,He

has created it.A much better translation of Ephe

sians 2:8-10 is found in the NewEnglish Bible. "For it ie by Eis graee aouare saoed through trusting Ein; it is not

Aoar oun doing. It ie Yahweh'e glfl not areward for uork fune. Tlrcre ie nothing foranAone to boaet of. For we are Yahweh's

handiwork, ereated in trIeeaiah Yahehua to

deoote oureeloee to the good deeds for whieh

Yahweh hu degigned ut."

Saloation A FYee Gift of LifeLet us analyzn this pa$sage more

thoroughly. First, we learn that weare saved by grace. Throu gh faith inYahweh's Word we receive thisblessing. Faith is belieoing andtrasting. Salvation does not comethrough human effort; it is a free giftfrom Yahweh. It cannot be earned byworks. No human can purch&Be hissalvation by anything he might do.

What is life? Can we define itsessentials? Is life something we as

humans can by ourselves originate?Can a human create new life forms?Of course notl Life is a gift bestowedby Yahweh. He alone gives life to usand eventually, when He takes it back,the human being dies and becomes a

dead corpse. Everlasting life in aspiritual existence in the Kingdom of

Works RequiredNotice The Sacred Scriptures,

Bethel Edition, translation of verse 10.

"For we are his workmanship, ereated in the

Messiah Yahshua for good works, which

Yahweh previously prepared that we ehould

walk in them."Paul does not hesitate to inform his

readers that we are the workmanshipof Yahweh, created in MessiahYahshua to do good works, which HEESTABLISHED BEFOREHANID, BF,-

FORE THE NEW COVENANT ERA.We must do the WORKS that Yahwehhas established and commanded in thesacred Scriptures. The definition ofworks is ACT.|VE FAITH /N, OROBEDIENCE TO, YAHWEH.

Obviously, this passage does notconvey what many religious groupstoday want to believe. Ephesians

he no-law doctrine has monopo-lized Christian theologA for solong that these doubts rea,dilU

take root.

'h,vrrp m ,[nc r/fr* %ofurnplil2:8-10 does not ABOLISH the lawthat Yahweh gave to man. Rather, itselTes as a REMINDER to TrmeBelievers that we cannot SAVE our-gelYeg.

Salvation is a free gift through thegrace of Yahweh. It was put in effectso that no one can boast that he hadsaved himself.

The definition given in the sectionin letter a above is the most applicableto this study. Grace is the love andfavor of Yahweh given to undeservingman. Notice that nowhere in thosedefinitions is there any indicationthat at some future date the law ofYahweh would be annulled or doneaway. Rather, they show that grace

Testament. The Brown, Driver, andBriggs Hebrew Lexicon translatesthe verb ehanan as "shout faaor, begraciou,s." Ttre cognate Semiticlanguages yield the definitions "bemerciful, cornpassionate, faaor-able, inclined toutards. "

Yet another word used in theHebrew t€xt of the Old Testament and

means mankind would receive aspecial recognition, favor, love, orkindness from our Heavenly Father.

Graee Defined in BiblicalLanguages

Instead of specrilating on themeaning of the word grace, however,let us scmtinize the languages inwhich the Bible was originally writtenand transmitted to us for here we

translated gxace or lovingkindness isthe word ehesed. It is a very uniqueword and means "goodness, kind-ness," ot "to do and show leindnesstouard another personn" The root isehasad, meaning "to be good orkind" This word also means "to dothings in a rtghteous rnanner."

In the Greek text of the NewTestament, the word translated graceis eharis. (It sounds almost like

owhere is there anu indicationthat at some future date thelaw of Yahu)eh u)ould be a,n-

nulled or done au)au.

shall discover the truth of this doc-

trine. There are several words in theOld Testament that have been trans-lated grace or graciousness.

The first is chen. It has beentranslated in the Old Testament as"fa'uor, grace, or graciousness,ple as ant, pre cious, ut elLfau ore d "

Another word appearing in the OidTestament is ehanan. It is taken fromthe same verbal root of the word ehen.It means "to bend or stoop inkindness to an inferior; to faaor, orbestout sornething upon thatpersono" It has been translat€d invarious ways similar to the wordchen. These definitions appear in theHebreus and Chaldee Dictionary of.

the Strong's Concordance and theIlolliday Concise llebrew andAramaic Lexicon of the OId

"grace.") It means "fo,uor, grace,gracious care or help, good utilL"In a practical application of good will,it means "a gracious deed or gift,benefaction^" This is the definitionthat we find in the Greek-EnglishLexicon of the New Testament byWalter Bauer, as translated by Arndtand Gingrich.

Interestingly, the Strong'sConcordance Greek Dictionery ofthe New Testament defines the wordcharis as "graciousness bs gratifu-ing), of manner or act (abstractly)or concenting lit., fig. or spirituakespec'tally the diaine influenceupon the heart a.td its reflection'inthe life; including gratitltde)." Dr.Bullinger in the Companion Bibletranslates the word eharis as "freeand undeseraed kindness. "

But AImighW Yahweh will notbestow this gift of salvation upon thedisobedient. He will not confer thegift of the Holy Spirit upon a person

who will not repent and meetestablished conditions explained inthe Word of Yahweh. (To repentmeans to be sorry and broken up forsins committed.) Acts 5:32 makes thisquite plain. "And we are wifiteseee of these

things; and to is the floly Spirit, which

Yahueh hu gioen to them that OBEY him."No one can be certain he has receivedthe Holy Spirit of Yahweh-unless hehas fulfilled these scriptural requirements. He must not submit to sin (1

John 3:4), but must be humbly submissive to the commandments ofYahweh.

Defining Grace

Have you checked the lexicalmeaning of the word grace in themore prominent reference works? Ifwe were to check for a definition in alexicon, the one that is found in theEncyclopedic Dictionary of theBible is one of the more lucid: "thatgratuitous gift of [Yahu;ehJ tornar?^" The Hasting's Dictionary ofthe Bible says grace comes from theLatin gratia, and means "fa?)or,"either received from or shown toanother.

The Webster'B New lVorldDictionary, Second CollegiateEdition, defines grace as "Ttleasing

.quality, fauor, thanks. " This well-known authority continues, "a) theunmerited loue and faaor of[YahutehJ toutard rnar\ b) diaineinfluence acting in rnan to makehim pure and morally strong, c) thecondition of a person thus influenced, d) a specinl airtue giaen'to a person by [YahutehJ."

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Grace- ln Actiae ForceNotice again that the word eharis

denotes an ACTIVE FORCE. Thisactive force moves upon the heart andinfluences or dictates the conduct ofone's life. Nowhere have we found inany of these definitions eaen theslightest indication that through gracethe law of Yahweh was abolishedwhen the Savior died upon the tree ofCalvary. Conversely, grace is shownto be something moving (acting) uponthe heart of a sincere, humble personto cause him to alter (change, convert)his conduct.

Graee Is Not Licentiou.sness

Would you believe that grace in theBible means exactly opposite of what

exactly what Christianity ultimatelyteaches-that the law of Yahweh wasdone away and that everyone can dowhat he personally thinks is right?

Another translation of this versefound in the New English Bibleclarifies considerably. To get a com-plete context, w€ must include verse 3also.

"MA hiends, I wos fullA engaged inwriting to yoa about our ealoation-which ieAoars no leas than ours-when it beeame

urgently neeessarA to write at onee and

appedl to you to join the struggle in deferue

of the faith the faith tohieh Yahweh

entrtuted to Eie peoplc onee and for all It iein danger hom eertain pertons who haoe

wormed their waA iA the oerA men whom

Seriptnre long ago marked down for the doom

they haoe ineurued. TheU are the enemies of

hose who turn the grace oflicense to do a,sYahweh into

theA please haae obaiously de-nied Yahshua, beeause theA continue totransg ress Yahweh's lau).

Christianity believes? T\rrn to Judah,verse 4, for proof: "For there are eertain

men who sneaked in seeretly, eoen they who

were of old written of beforehand to thie

eondemnation, lawless meru turning the grace

of our Elohim into lasciviousness, and DENY-

ING our only Maater and Sooereign, Yahshua

the Messiah"An analysis of this verse will con-

firm that it is wicked people who aregpilty of turning (changing) the grace(unmerited mercy, kindn€s, favor) ofthe Almighty into lasciviousness. Thislast word means "u)antonness,tending to euecute lustful desire,licentio'u,s." Consequently, it couldeasily be translated as "license to doas you please."

That is an amazing declaration bythe writer Judah (one of Yahshua'sown brotherc, most likely)! Isn't this

religion TheU peraert the free faoor of ourMightA One into licentioutneE$ dhowningYahehua Meesiah, our only muter andruler."

Especially noteworthy is the statement that those who turn the graceof Yahweh into lieentiousness aresuilta ofDENYING YAHSHUA TmMESSIAH and TIIE SALVATIONOF YAHWEIIELOHIM. How is thispossible if Yahshua the Messiah cameto repeal or annul the law of Yahwehand bestow upon us unlimited mercyor grace, as Christians believe? TheChristian definition of grace makes itappear as if man could make his ownrules for life.

The scripturally founded definitionof grace rejects licentiousness infavor of. obedience to Yahweh's com-mandments. Sin is the transgression

of Yahweh's law, 1 John 3:4. thosewho reject the law of Yahweh byfailing to obey it, and convercelyimplement a system of licentiousnessare euilty of denying the sacrifice ofYahshua the Messiah, who offeredHimself as our substitute sacrifice.He shed His blood that we might haveremission of sins. Remember-thescriptural definition of sin is thebreaking of Yahweh's laws, 1 John 3:4.Those who turn the grace of Yahwehinto license to do as they please haveobviously denied Yahshua becausethey continue to transgresgYahweh's l&w. They live in rebellionto the way of life our Heavenly Fatherwishes us to live. Paradoxically,already in apostolic times falseteaeherE were teaching that Yahweh'scommandments were annulled to im-plement grace, an obviously falsedoctrine. Should we not consider as

false teacherc those who teach a

nolaw doctrine in these moderntimes? Think about this, and be

consistent!

Dispensation-Not an Age

The term "dispensation of grace" isheard frequently in churchianity.What can it mean? Many Christiansdepend on it to support their nolawdoctrine. This term is used onlyONCE in the entire Bible, in Ephesians 3:2. "ff eo be that aoa haoe heard ofthe DISPENSATION OF THAT G&ACE ofYahweh which woE giaen me toward you."

In the New English Bible this verseis translated, "For surely aoa haoe heard

how Yahweh has aseigned the gift of Eisgraee to me for your benefiL" No mentionis made of "dispensation" here,prompting us to purcue a furtheranalysis of the verse and seek ananswer to this pertinent question.

The word dispensation is used alsoin 1 Corinthians 9:L7 in the KingJames Version. IVe find there, "For ifI do this thing willingly, I haoe a reward: butif agairut ma wilL a dispenaation of the Glad

Tidings is eommitted unto me."The Greek word used in both in-

stances is derived from oikonomia. It

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cornmentar>/ on Galatians

The book of fulatians is an enigma and astumbling block to many.

n doesnT need to be. Tttis t)erse-by-oerse studyprooides geographieal, eultural, and historicalinformation oital to anderstanding this boolc.

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means "o s teutardshi,p" or "admini.stratior;" and indicates the distri-buting of small quantities of material,which is the responsibiliff of asteward or manager.

The action is comparable to and canbe illustrated by the function of apaper cup dispenser. It dispenses, orgives out, one paper cup at a time.Out of a large quantity of cupsinserted into the dispenser, we receiveone cup at a time as the need arises.

The dispensation of grace operatesin a similar way. Whenever someoneneeds Yahweh's favor, mercy, kind-ness, or forgivene$s, he is granted asmall portion to pardon the sin he hasthen committed. In this way thepenalty for sin-death (Romans 6:28)-is forgiven and the offender is sparedfrom awesome judgment. But,Yahweh does not forgive premeditated sin. See Hebrews 10:2&81.

An entire false doctrine has beenconstructed upon the feeble premise ofdispensationalism. Some theologianshave erroneously conceived of dispen-sationalism as periods of time. Forexample, they design atn the time ofAdam as a nolaw dispensation. They

,,design atn the polity of Israel as the'dispensation of law. They claim weare now living in yet another period,the dispensation of grace.

We should underctand that the

time in which we are living is the agewhen grace is being dispensed, and notanother biblical "dispensational age."Nevertheless, some theologians dividethe Bible into a number of dispensa-tions-three, five, and even seven-when they have no biblical grounds todo this. This division comes from theScofield Bible. Nowhere in the Scriptures do we encounter furms like ,,dis-

pensation of nolaw, and dispensationof law." Therefore, we are given noliberty to use them.

The Biblical Origin of Grace

The first time an offer for grace isgiven to man is in Genesis B, theaccount of the sin of Adam and Eve.They had allowed Satan to influencethem and manipulate them intobreaking the commandments ofYahweh. The iust punishment forthat sin was pronounced in thesecond chapter. ,,And yahweh Dlohimeommonded the mann saying, Of eoery tree ofthe garden Aoa maA freely eat; but of the treeof knowing the good and lknowing thel eoil,Aou shall not eat of it: for in the day that Aoaeat of it aou shall surely die.,, The wages ofsin is death, Romans 6:28. From thebeginning, death was the penalty, andit shall always be so.

When Almighty Yahweh learnedwhat had occurred when Eve took ofthe fruit of the tree and had given

some to her husband to eat, He knewthat the punishment for sin had to beautomatic. Yahweh knew that theman and woman would have to die,but He passed oyer (exempted) themin judgment. He gave them grace andallowed them centuries more to live,although limiting them to less than aone thousand-year prophetic day.Please see ZPeter 3:8-13.

"Bttt forget not thie one thing, belooed,

that one day ie with Yahweh as a thousand

aear& and a thousand aears ot one day.Yahweh is not slaek eoneerning his promirc,ot tome eount elacknees; bat is longsafferingtoward Aou, not wishing that anA ohouldperieh but that all ehould eame torepentutee. But ae the fuA of Yahweh willeome ot a thief; in which the heaoent ehallpa$ awaA with a great noise, and the

elementa shall be diesoloed with feroent heat,

and the earth and the works that are in itshall be burned up. Seeing that these thingoare thw all to be dieeoloed, what manner ofpertont oaght Aou to be in all holy lioing andrighteoutnet$ looking for and earnesilydesiring the fua of Yahwelu bU reason ofwhieh the heaaene being on fire shail be

dissoloed and the elements shall melt withferoent heat? BuL aeeording to hie promiee,

we look for new heaoeru and a new earth, inwhieh rig hteoatne EE dwe lls. "

Forgiveness of sin did not annulevery penalty for that sin, however.Adam and Eve died. they en-

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countered difficult times. Man wasrequired thereafter to earn his breadby the sweat of his face (Hebrew-nose). the earth which had previouslybeen benevolent turned hostile, FrGducing thorns and thistles.

The woman's rate of conception hasbeen increased, as well as her sorrowand pain in giving birth to children.She was always, from that point on, tobe in complete submission to herhusband.

,SzDstitute SacrificeBut Yahweh made coats of the

skins of animals for Adam and Eve.Yahweh's grace had been offered t0them. A substitute life of an animalwas taken. Yahweh visibly impressedupon them that sin brings death, and alife must be taken to pay for that sinby killing right before their eyes oneof the animals they must have dearlyloved. Adam and Eve continued tolive after accepting the sacrifice, butthe penalty of sin was passed on totheir descendants.

Almighty Yahweh's grace is described so beautifully and magnifi-cently in Exodus M:G7. "And yahweh

paseed ba before hint and proelaimed,

Yahweh Yahwelu an El mereiful and

graeiotu, elow to anger, and abunfunt ingoodneee and trutla keeping mereA forthoueands, I\OfuGIVING INIQUWY ANDTRAI{SG&ESSION AI{DSff; and that will ba

no meont clear the guilty, oislting the

iniquitA of the fathere upon the children, and

upon the children's children, to the third andthe fourth generatiott "

Yahweh describes His attitudetoward man as filled with mercy,graciousne$s, patienee, and abundantin goodness and tmth. He describesHimself as a Mighty One who ismereiful to thousands by forgivinginiquity, transgression, and sin. All ofthese qualities are clearly manifest inthe doctrine of grace. Forgiveness andpardon for sin may be received whensomeone repents. Sin is the trans-gression of Yahweh's Law (1 John 3:4),

and repentance of disobedience willmerit Yahweh's mercy.

Daoid's Experience

After David had committedadultery with Bathsheba, he tried tocover his sin by committing an evenworse sin-murdering Bathsheba'shusband, Uriah. Yahweh sent Hisprophet to David to point out the errorof his way. David immediately con-fessed, "I have sinned against

Neuer study the Bible without a Bible.

The Assemblies of Yahweh has rsstored the Sacred Names back intothe text from which the translatorsremoved them. The Sacred Scrip-tures, Bethel Edition, has beenproven to be consistent, conservativeand reliable. Copies are availableat a cost of 910.00 plus 92.00(U.S. funds) postage and handling.

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Yahweh." Nathan the prophet replied, " . . , Yahweh also hae put awaa aoureiry Aoa ehall not die. Eoueoer, because by

this deed Aoa haoe gioen great oeeasion to the

enemies of Yahweh to blaspheme, the childaho that is born to you ehall surely die," 2

Samuel 12:13-14.

Consciencestricken, David wrote a

very moving Psalm. He said, "flame

mereA upon me, O Elohint, according to your

looingkindnees: aeeording to the multitttde of

Aoar tender mereies blot out mA tran*greesiora. Wuh me thoroughly from mA

iniquity, and elcutee me from mA eia" Psalm

5t:t-2. This passage of Scripture clear-ly reveals that grace means forgivene$s and mercy for sins. Grace isunderctood as blotting out trans-gressions. David did not continue tocommit sin or strongly insist thatYahweh's law had been annulled inhis case. Nor did David insist on anolaw doctrine. Rather, he pouredout his heart before AlmightyYahweh in sincere and honest repent-ance, confessing his sins and repentingof them. Then he changed his personalconduct. He promised Yahweh thathe would never again commit such sin.(Transgression of the law.)

Grace Does Not Coaer WihtalSin

Paul shows us that we must notcontinue to sin after we receive thegrace of Yahweh. "what shall we saa

then? Shall we eontinue in sin, that graee

maA abound? Ba no meant. We who died tosin, how shall ue anA longer liae in it?"Romans 6zl-2

Remember, sin is the transgressionof Yahweh's law, 1 John 3:4. We can-not continue to transgress His law, so

that grace may be all-encompassingand cover all. We must obey the lawof Yahweh to merit the kindness andmercy of the love of our HeavenlyFather. When someone has come to aknowledge of the truth and continuesto sin, there remains no more sacrificefor that sin.

Paul explained grace in Romans 3.

He says in verse 20, "Beeause by the

works of the law shall no flesh be justified in

Z%*u * ilnJl{r* %rtt"r*enl Zhis sight; for through the law eomes the

knowledge of sin." Obviously, those whokeep Yahweh's law cannot bequeathlife to themselves. No one can be justi-fied by the deeds of the law. The wordjustified means "to be judged inno-cent or declnred innocent of urong-doing."

Only Yahweh can forgive sin, andHe has extended a blanket pardoncalled "justification" to those whohave previously sinned in ignorance.When the repentant believer comes torealizn his sins through reading theWord of Yahweh, all his past sins areforgiven. But, if he continues to sin,he will be refused further grace.

Then Paul further says that therighteousne$s of Yahweh is mani-

Notice what the Apostle Paul saysin 2 Corinthians 6:1. "And working

together with him we entreat aho that Aou

reeeioe not the graee of Yahweh in oafut "How can someone receive the grace

of Yahweh in vain, or unprofitably?Ttre answer is found in Hebrews 10.

L€t us carefully read again verses 26

to 31.

"Fot if we ein willfullA after ue haoe

reeeioed the knowledge of the trutlt, there

remains no more a saerifice for siru, but a

eertain fearful expeetatlon of iadgmen| and

fiereeneee of fire which shall deoour the

adoerearies. A man that hu oiolated Lloeee'

law diee without compueion on the word oftwo or three witneeee$ of how more teaere

puniehmenL think Ao% shall he be iudgedworthy, who hae trodden underfoot the Son of

ahu)eh describes His attitudetou)ard ma,n a,s filled u)ithmerca, grauousness,

and obundant in goodness a,nd truth.patience,

fested because it is witnessed in thelaw and the prophets. Paul shows

that all have sinned and "come shortof the glory of Yahweh," but we arejustified fiudged innocent) freely byYahweh's grace through Yahshua'sredemption. Yahshua the Messiahgave Himself as a sacrifice to obtainforgiveness of our sins for us. This is a

free gift to eaeru rnernber of thehuman race. All people who receivethis free gift and turn in obedience toour Heavenly Father will receivesalvation. Those who spurn Yahweh'smercy will perish in the lake of fire. Itmakes no difference if someone con-

tinues to insist on a nolaw doctrine-the fires of Gehenna await the sinner!Sin is the transgression of the law, 1

John 3:4.

Yahweh and has eounted the blood of the

eooenant with whieh he wat sanctified an

unholy thing, and done despite to the Spirit ofgraee? For we know him that aaidYengeance belongs to me, f wiil repaA. Andagain, Yahweh ehall judge his people, It is a

fearful thing to fall into the hands of the

lioing Elohim."The spirit of grace is rejected by

those who despise the blood of thecovenant. After one underctands thetruth but continues to sin, grace iswithdrawn, Hebrews 6:4-8. "For wtouching thoee who uere onee enlightened

and tasted of the heaoenly git| and uere

made partakers of the Eoly Spirit, and tutedthe good word of Yahwelu and the powers ofthe age to eame, and then fell awaA, it is

impossible to renew them again to repent-

anee; sinee they impale to themseloes the

,Son of Yahueh agailu and pat him to an open

shame. For the land which hu drwk the

iain that eornet often upon it and bringe

forth herbe usefal for them for whoee sake itie aho tillod reeeioee bleeeinne hom Yahwelu

but it it beare thorm and thistlse, it ie

rejected and near to a earse; whose end is tobe burned." (Hebrews 6:4-8)

"For if, after theA haoe eseaped the

defilcmente of the uorld through the knowh

edge of the Master and Saoior Yahshua the

Meeeiah they are again entangled in it and

ooereome, the last etdte hae beeome uorte

with them than the first For it were better

for them not to haoe known the waA ofrighteoutnet$ than, after knowing it" to turnback from the holA commandment delioered

to them It hae happened to me aesording to

the true prooerb. The dog turns to his ounoomit again, and the sow that had washed, to

wallowing in the mire." (2 Peter 2220-22)

T'he Termination of Grace

Bible students tend to think of theage of grace as never ending. How-ever, there are several Scriptures thatpredict an end to the general mercy ofYahweh. Obviously, an end to theproffered grace to a generation thatspurns it will mean universal judg-

ment."There is a generation that eurtet their

father, and bless not their mother. Tlrcre ie a

generation that are pure in their own eAeq

and yet are not wuhed hom their filthiness.

There ie a generatior\ oh how loftA are their

eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is

a generation whoee teeth are ot swords, and

their iaw teeth ae knioes, to deoour the poor

from off the eartlb and the needy from among

men " (Proverbs 30:11-14)

Zechariah the prophet predicted anend to grace in chapter 11 of his book.The declaration says: "For I will no more

pitA [haae graee aponJ the inhabitante of the

land saAs Yahweh but" lo, I will delioer the

men eaery one into his neighbor's hand, and

into the hand of hh king; and they shallstrike the land and out of their hand I willnot delioer thew" verge 6.

This prophetic utterance describes awithdrawal of grace. Apparently,conflict between nations will ensue atthat time. Yahweh will no longer

withhold judgment from His dis-obedient people. Zxhariah continuesby saying that he took two shepherd'scrooks or clubs, which he namedBeauty (Hebrew-graciousness) andBands (ropes or bonds), to feed thepoor of the flock (downtrodden believerc).

After feeding the percecuted flock,Zeghariah explained, "And I took ma

etaff Beauty, and cut if aparL that I mightbreak ma eooenant which I had made with allthe peoplce. And it wu broken in that fuA;and thw the poor of the flock that gaoe heed

to me knew that it was the word of Yahweh"Zechariah 11:10-11.

When the patience of Yahweh indealing with His erring people comesto an end, He will do what any fatherwould do to a rebellious child. Mercyends when outright defiance is evi-dent. Then pu,nishment is the onlyremaining course of action.

When Yahweh acts it will be tomanifest what was already a fact-that the covenant between Himselfand humankind had been broken. Acovenant is based upon the 'mutual

loyalty, tmst, and faith of the en-domers. When one party breaks theagreement, the other should continueto keep his promise as a witnessagainst the unfaithful. Yahweh hasfaithfully done this. Repentant peGple share in the covenant, but sinnersdo not. He has maintained His fideli-ty even though Israel has continued torefuse His efforts to reform them.Eventually His patience will be ex-

hausted, and Yahweh will terminatean offer of His covenant by pouringout punishment upon the disobedient.

For those who are awaiting theeleventh hour to repent of their sinsand then seek to establish a perconalrelationship with the HeavenlyFather, caution should be exercised.The mercy of Yahweh will suddenly be

terminated when sinners least expectit. As the great tribulation reaches aclimax, Yahweh will no longer heedthe prayers of those who havedelayed.

Notice this warning from the pen

of the Apostle John . "And the temple uufillcd with smoke hom the glary of Yahueh,

and from his power; and none uot ablc toenter into the temple, fiA the eeoen plaguee ofthe teDen angeh ehould be finhhed"(Revelation 15:8)

Can you detect the relationshipexpressed between these two passages

of Scripture? Yahweh will turn Hisback on His sinful creation and willnot heed their pleas for mercy. Ttlefault is their own. They could haveacted while the offer of grace was inforce. Like the five foolish virgins whohad neglected to fill their lamps andvessels with adequate oil, those whoplead for grace while punishment is inprogress will find the door toYahweh's presence closed-per-

giveness, and pardon for sin. But, wehave also observed that if someonehopes to partake of Yahweh's grace, hemust bring his life into obedience tothe commandments of our HeavenlyFather.

No one may continue to sin so hecan use grace as a covering forwickedness. The grace of Yahweh willnot be turned into license to do as youplease. Grace is favor bestowed uponthe human creation of Yahwehthrough His love to pardon the sins ofthe past.

When someone oversteps Yahweh'scommandments, he will receive par-don at His hand if he has nottransgressed maliciously, premeditated, his sin. Grace is given only

hose who are wise in sert)ingYahweh shall be able to findprotection during the tribula-

tion, but there is no time to lose.

manently shut and locked.An example of one who had ade-

quately prepared himself to avoid thejudgment of Yahweh during a time ofwidespread wickedness was Noah. Hewithstood the influence of his contem-poraries, and thereby found grace inthe eyes of Yahweh. He was faithfulin living according t0 Yahweh'sCovenant. We are living in an erasimilar to the one during which Noahbuilt the ark. There is safety inseruing Yahweh. Those who are wiseshall be able to find protection duringthe tribulation, but there is no time tolose. Soon the judgment of Yahwehwill fall upon this evil, sick, worldlysystem.

We have seen that grace is definedas unmerited kindness, mercy, for-

to those who remain humble andmerit forgivene$s. Sin will not be

condoned with impunity by Yahweh.He will give grace to the humble whorecognize their human frailties. Theyknow they will receive pardon if theystrive to selrye Almighty Yahweh tothe best of their ability. Those whodeliberately transgress the command-ments are punished.

"And Yahweh epoke to Moses, eaying,

Speak to Aaron and to hia tonr, saying, On

this wiee Aoa shall blees the ehildren ofIsraek aou shall say to them, Yahweh blese

aoa, and keep Aou: Yahweh make his face to

shine upon Uou, and be graeious to you [giveyou gracel.' Yahweh lift up his face to you, andgioe Aou peace. fu shall they put my name on

the children of Israel; and I will bless them."(Numbers 6222-27)