This time of the year is a particularly good time to think about the most important issues of life – the meaning of life, sin and salvation, repentance, getting right with God, the Day of Judgment, Heaven and Hell, living forever. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai was one of the most famous rabbis of the first century. When he was on his deathbed, his disciples came to him and he wept in their presence. They asked: “Rabbi, why do you cry?” He replied, “When a man has to appear for trial before a king whose rule is only temporary, whose kindness is passing, and whose anger does not last, he is seized by terror; how much more understandable is the terror that seizes one who is to be tried by the King of kings, whose rule is eternal, whose anger is everlasting, and whose kindness endures forever?” (From The Encyclopedia of Talmudic Sages, pages 152-163).

Rabbi Yochanan had no assurance that he would be forgiven and live forever with His Creator. But we can know our sins will be forgiven, that God will welcome us into His eternal presence, if our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life! Unfortunately, many Christians and Messianic Jews are like Rabbi Yochanan. We are not sure of our salvation and that we will live forever in the presence of the everlasting God. In the first century, there was another Yochanan, Yochanan ben Zavdai, John the son of Zebedee. In his first letter, this great representative of the Messiah makes it crystal clear that we can know that we have eternal life. He wrote: These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God in order that you may know (right now, in the present) that you have (as a present possession) eternal life (1 John 5:13). The Lord’s representative wants us to know, that right now, in the present, at this moment, we are in a right relationship with God; that we are one of His children; that we are saved; that we have eternal life; that our eternal life is safe and secure – if we know that Yeshua is the Messiah and are loyal to Him.

There are many reasons that those of us who are loyal to the Son of God can know we have eternal life.

We can know we have eternal life because salvation is by its very nature, eternal. Isaiah stated: Israel has been saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you will not be put to shame or humiliated to all eternity (Isaiah 45:17). And, My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not wane … My righteousness will be forever, and My salvation to all generations (Isaiah 51:6, 8). Salvation is by its very nature, eternal, everlasting, forever. It endures to all generations.

We can know we have eternal life because redemption, like salvation, is also eternal. The author of the letter to the Hebrews, the Messianic Jews of the first century informs us that Messiah has obtained for us geulah olam – eternal redemption – not a temporary redemption that will disappear. Eternal redemption means that the Son of God forever bought us out of the satanic slave market of sin and death. We will never be sent back there. Messiah purchased us now and forever. He will never return that purchase. We belong to the Son of God for eternity. We are through eternity, the treasured possession of the Son of God. We can know we have eternal life because redemption, like salvation, is also eternal.

We can know we have eternal life because in Romans 8, Paul, the Lord’s divinely inspired representative, informs us that salvation is part of a divine chain of salvation that stretches from eternity past, continues through the present and extends into eternity future. Those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son … And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. Christians and Messianic Jews have been foreknown by the Eternal God. Before the universe began, God predestined us to become conformed to the image of His Son. Those whom the Lord marked out ahead of time in eternity past, He called to Himself; He invited us to be with Him and receive His salvation; those whom were called to be with the Lord and be saved, responded to the Good New about the Messiah; then the Lord declared them to be righteous and made them righteous. Those whom have been made righteous will eventually be glorified. They will be brought to their full, glorious potential. They will live in glorified bodies. They will receive great honors! They will shine like glorious stars in the heavens forever and ever! The divinely inspired Word of God, which can’t lie or be mistaken, assures us that all who are called by God’s sovereign intention from eternity past, will be glorified in eternity future. Each link of this chain of salvation, from everlasting to everlasting, is forged by God Himself. Therefore each link is certain. Each link is sure. Those who are called from eternity past will reach the destiny divinely appointed for them.

We can know we have eternal life because we are protected by God’s power with the result that we will be saved with a great future salvation. In 1 Peter 1:5, the Lord’s divinely inspired representative informs us that we are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed. Is God’s power limited? No, His power is unlimited. Therefore, since we are protected by the unlimited power of the Almighty God, we are totally protected. We are completely safe until that moment when we experience the fullness of our salvation – which one day will be revealed.

We can know we have eternal life because we have the Son of God’s promise that we will never, ever perish and that we will have eternal life. Messiah declared: I give eternal life to them, and they will never ever perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand (John 10:28-30). Yeshua is the mighty Lord of Heaven and Earth. All authority has been given to Him in Heaven and on Earth. He rules over all things. Who or what power can defeat Him? There is no principality or power in the universe that is able to overcome Him or defy His will. So, we have the solemn promise of the Amen of God, who cannot lie or be mistaken, that He will protect us, and that no one can snatch us out of the safety of His hand. And we have the further assurance of the Faithful and True One that God the Father, who is greater than all, even greater than the Son of God in position and in authority, will keep us safe in His almighty hand. It is the almighty power and authority of God the Father and Messiah the Son – not our limited ability to protect ourselves that ensures that we will never, ever perish, and that we will enjoy eternal life!

We can know we have eternal life because in many places in the divinely inspired Word of God, we are assured that our sins have been forgiven. Listen to these affirmations that all our sins will be forgiven: Jeremiah 31, the Lord’s promise of forgiveness as one of the provisions of the New Covenant: I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. 1 Corinthians 15:3: Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Galatians 1:4 : Messiah gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age. Colossians 2:13: God forgave us all our sins.1 John 3:5: Messiah appeared so that He might take away our sins. 1 John 4:10: This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Whoever is loyal to Yeshua has his sins forgiven; all of his sins forgiven! Not one sin will be left unatoned for that will be used to condemn us to Hell. And, our sins are not temporarily covered over, but all of our transgressions are fully and forever atoned for. We have complete and eternal forgiveness for all of our sins.

We can know we have eternal life because, even though our sins have created a huge spiritual debt to God, they have been completely discharged. Rabbi Paul assures us that God the Father forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14). In parts of the ancient world, when a debt was paid off, a note may have been put up in a public place, letting everyone know that so-and-so’s debt was paid off. The man’s financial slate was clean. In a sense, God the Father did the same thing. He took all of our legal indebtedness we accrued by violating His laws, a debt of sin that would have condemned us to Hell; a huge spiritual debt we could never have repaid, and in a symbolic sense, He nailed it to the cross of Messiah, letting the universe know that the entire legal indebtedness of our sin has been completely paid by the Messiah. All of our spiritual debts have been paid for by the death of Messiah! No more debt owed to God because of our sins. No more debts that will result in the debt being paid by being punished in Hell, which is a kind of debtor’s prison from which there is no escape. Instead, we will enjoy eternal life with God in the New Heavens, New Earth and New Jerusalem.

We can know we have eternal life because salvation is a gift that is given by God, not earned by our merits, efforts, abilities, worthiness. By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation does not come from anything to do with human efforts or the number of laws you keep, or if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds, or if you are a good person by human standards. Salvation is not based on vacillating human merit but on God’s unmerited, unearned, undeserved grace. Salvation comes to us as a gift, given to us by God, so that no human being can boast that he earned salvation in any way. If salvation could be earned, it could be unearned and lost. If salvation could be merited, it could be unmerited and forfeited. But if salvation is given by God as a gift, then our salvation is sure because it is the power and faithfulness and the gracious generosity of a loving God that is behind it. Our only part in our salvation is understanding the Three-In-One God and transferring our loyalties to the Father and the Son – in other words, having faith.

We can know we have eternal life because we are not only saved by grace, but we continue to stand by grace. Rabbi Paul informs us that since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God and we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand (Romans 5:2). Grace, the unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor and blessing and help of the Three-In-One God, is not a one time event experienced at the time of salvation. Grace is ours at the time of salvation and continues to be ours throughout this life, and beyond. God’s grace reaches all the way to eternity. We are now able to stand – stand before God, stand safe, stand secure, and stand forever, and never fall – because of God’s grace – not our meager abilities.

We can know we have eternal life because we have the promise that God’s grace is now and always will be sufficient for us. There was a time when Rabbi Paul experienced intense suffering that tormented him so much that he asked God to eliminate it. The Messiah’s response to His servant? My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. In spite of his prayers, the Lord told Paul that his suffering wouldn’t be removed, and his weakness wouldn’t be replaced with ordinary human strength. But, his suffering and weakness could be endured because of God’s all-sufficient grace, and Paul’s weakness would result in greater power to serve the Lord. And, that is exactly what happened. Paul is one of the greatest human beings who ever lived. His Paul’s life was an amazing success which has impacted hundreds of millions of people for 2,000 years and changed the course of history. That same grace is promised to each one of us. When we are poor, troubled, persecuted, insulted, stressed, depressed, God grace will be there and will be sufficient for us. When we are having doubts; when we need to resist temptation; when we need to control our tempers and our lusts; when we need to maintain our commitments; when we need to turn from our sins and return to the living God – God’s grace will be sufficient for us! When we are living and when our time comes to die, God’s grace will be sufficient for us. When it is time to be judged, and avoid Hell and enter Heaven, God’s grace will be sufficient for us. God’s grace will be sufficient to get us through each trial and every circumstance – no matter how painful or difficult or challenging, until we finish our tasks and enter His eternal kingdom! God’s grace will be sufficient for us now and forever! Why? Because of God’s nature. Because of who He is. He full of grace. And, He is all-powerful. No force in the universe can overrule His will or overcome His grace. And, He is all-wise, and no enemy can outsmart Him and take away His grace.

We can know we have eternal life because we belong to Messiah. The firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19). Seven times in John 17 Messiah declared that we are a gift from God the Father to God the Son. I manifested Your Name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours, and You gave them to Me (John 17:6). A great transaction has taken place. God the Father gave God the Son certain human beings. Christians and Messianic Jews are a precious gift from God the Father to God the Son. If someone you admire gives you a gift, that makes that gift even more special. We are all the more precious to the Son of God since it is God the Father who has given us to His beloved Son. Like a chest full of precious jewels – diamonds, rubies, emeralds pearls, so are we in the eyes of the Son of God. He will never allow one of His precious treasures to be lost. He will seek the one lost coin until it is found again, no matter how many other coins He has. Not one of His sheep will be lost, because the Good Shepherd will go after each lost sheep, no matter how many sheep are already part of His flock. Even now, in His state of exaltation and glory, Messiah is constantly occupied with us. We fill His mind, His heart, His thoughts; we are the objects of His love. We are care and concern. The writer of the letter to the Messianic Jews tells us that He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them (Hebrew 7:25). Messiah’s life is everlasting, indestructible, endless. As our High priest, He is continually making sure we receive all the blessings which He has purchased for us with His precious blood – the blessings of atonement, salvation, forgiveness, repentance, the Holy Spirit. Messiah is He is able save forever, in a perfect, exhaustive, and all-comprehensive manner, all who come to God through Him! We can know we have eternal life because we belong to Messiah.

We can know we have eternal life because we have the most solid foundation possible. The Three-in-One God of Israel is the Rock of our Salvation. Rock is strong, solid, dependable and enduring. That means that we can completely depend on the eternal God to give us stable lives that result in eternal salvation. Not only is God the rock of our salvation, but Messiah is the Chief Cornerstone. The cornerstone is a large, well-shaped stone that is put at the bottom of a building to give strength to the foundation. Just as the cornerstone gives strength to the foundation and supports the building, those who are loyal to Yeshua build their lives on solid reality that will endure. Yeshua is the Rock, and our lives are built on that Rock. The smallest building built on this rock will stand. The strongest storms in life will not be able to blow it down. The gates of Hell will not prevail against it. Those who build their lives on this Rock are safe since their salvation is based on the foundation of Messiah, who is strong and eternal and able to save. We can know we have eternal life because we have the most solid foundation possible.

We can know we have eternal life because we are complete when we are joined to Yeshua. In Messiah all the fullness of God lives in bodily form, and joined to Him, you have been made complete (Colossians 2:9-10). United to the Son of God, we lack nothing – not one bit of atonement, not one smattering of righteousness, salvation, grace, mercy, love, acceptance, eternal life. Messiah is complete. He is sufficient. He is the source of all – perfect atonement, salvation, unending grace and mercy, eternal life, and we are in Him and united to Him. What can we possibly lack? So how can we fail to arrive at the gates of the New Jerusalem? Joined to the Son of God, we possess every spiritual blessing that exists. God the Father has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Messiah (Ephesians 1). All the riches of salvation are included in “all spiritual blessings.” That means that Christians and Messianic Jews are the recipients of divine grace and mercy; salvation; redemption; atonement; forgiveness; acceptance; reconciliation; peace with God. We are the recipients of new mercies every day; being accepted by God; receiving grace upon grace; divine sonship; being sealed by the Holy Spirit; being protected by the power of God. How can we fail when we possess every spiritual blessing? How can we fall short when He has granted to us His many precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them we become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4)? How can we miss the mark of salvation when God’s divine power has granted to us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3)?

We can know we have eternal life because we are protected by the prayers of the Son of God. The night before He died, during a Passover Seder, Yeshua prayed for us to be protected. In John 17, the holy and righteous Messiah, prayed: I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your name, the name You gave Me … While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name You gave Me. He also prayed that we would be with Him in the Word To Come and see His glory. Father, I want those You have given me to be with me where I am, and to see My glory. Do the prayers of the righteous and holy Son of God get answered? Of course they do! Therefore we will be protected by the power of God’s almighty name, His unlimited power and authority, so that one day we will be with Messiah Yeshua in Heaven, and see how great and honorable and magnificent our Savior and King is! We can know we have eternal life because we are protected by the prayers of the Son of God.

We can know we have eternal life because we are free from the law of sin and death. There is now no condemnation for those who are united to Messiah Yeshua, because through Messiah Yeshua the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. That powerful law that holds all human beings captive no longer controls us. That law that states that the soul that sins, it will die, and all have sinned, has been superceded by another law – the law of the Spirit who gives life. Our sins have been forgiven – each and every one of them. We have been given a new nature, a nature that wants to obey God. We have been given a new life, eternal life. Unlike the rest of humanity, sin and death no longer dominate us. We are no longer headed to the Second Death, spiritual death in the Lake of Fire. Since we have been set free from the law of sin and death, our sins won’t condemn us to Hell, and death will only unite us to the God of our salvation – not separate us from Him. We can know we have eternal life because we are free from the law of sin and death.

We can know we have eternal life, not only because all of our sins are forgiven, but we are actively and positively made righteous. The Word of God assures us: We are justified (declared righteous, made righteous, in a right relationship with God) as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Messiah Yeshua (Romans 3:24). We have be made right with God – not based on our limited abilities, but by the grace of the all-powerful God, based on the eternal redemption purchased by the Son of God! That kind of justification, that kind of righteousness, based on the grace of God and the perfect redemption of the Messiah, is very strong, and very sure. Rabbi Paul goes on to state that much more then, having now been justified by Messiah’s blood, we will be saved from the wrath of God through Messiah (Romans 5:9). If God so loved us that He will willing to have His Son die for us before we were righteous, how much more will God save us now that He has declared us righteous and brought us into a right kind of relationship with Himself? That means that we are saved – abundantly saved, eternally saved, safe, secure because we have been justified by Messiah’s precious and powerful blood. And we have been made righteous, not with any kind of righteousness, but with the amazing righteousness of God Himself, the kind of righteousness that characterizes God the Father and Messiah the Son. God the Father made God the Son, who knew no sin, to be a sin offering on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God when we are joined to Messiah (2 Corinthians 5:21). When we are united to the Son of God, God the Father views us as having the same kind of righteousness that God the Father and God the Son have – an amazing kind of righteousness, a perfect kind of righteousness, an eternal righteousness unmixed with the least little amount of unrighteousness. What kind of righteousness will we enjoy? The kind of beautiful and lasting righteousness described in Ephesians 5:25-27. Messiah loved His bride so much, His Community of the people He loves so much and is so close to, that He gave Himself up for us, to cleanse us, to make us holy, and to present us to Himself like a beautiful, radiant bride, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but on the positive side – holy and blameless. And, when we are presented to the Son of God in that glorious condition – without any stain, wrinkle or blemish, blameless and righteous, will we ever become unholy or unrighteous again? No! Never! This is the kind of perfect righteousness that will be enjoyed by every son and daughter of God forever and ever. We can know we have eternal life because, not only are all our sins forgiven, but we have been actively and positively made righteous.

We can know we have eternal life because we have been brought near to God. Rabbi Paul, addressing the Gentiles who were part of Messiah’s Community in Ephesus, informs them: formerly you who are Gentiles were separate from Messiah, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now joined to Messiah Yeshua, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Messiah. Human beings do not enter this world close to God. Like Adam and Eve hiding in the trees, we are far from God, alienated from the Creator, estranged from the God of our salvation. Before the Seed of the Woman entered this world, closeness to the dwelling presence of God on Earth was severely limited. No Gentile could go into the inner court of the Jewish Temple, the only place on Earth where God manifested His presence; only the sons of Israel could enter the inner court. Only the cohenim – the Jewish priests could enter the Temple itself. Only the High Priest of Israel could enter into the Most Holy Place, where God manifested His presence on Earth, and only one day a year, on Yom Kippur. Closeness to God was severely limited. Humanity was far away from God. But, because of the powerful and effective blood of Yeshua, we have been brought near to God. We are in Messiah, and Messiah is in us, and Messiah is in the heart of God the Father. We are in the heart of Yeshua, who is in the heart of the Father. God is now very close to us, and we are very close to Him. Since we are so close to God, and who or what will make us go far from Him? Satan? Greater is He that is in us that the who is in the world. Our sins? We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him (1 John 5:18). Ourselves? We know that Yeshua has the words of eternal life. Having tasted the words of eternal life, where else would we go? No, nothing can separate us from the presence of the Living God. We can know we have eternal life because we have been brought near to God.

We can know we have eternal life because the curse has been lifted. Sin, disobedience, rebellion against the will of God results in a curse. God cursed creation after the fall of man. Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; both thorns and thistles it will grow for you. All human beings suffer under the heavy weight of this curse. Cain was cursed for violating God’s principles. The Sinai Covenant includes a series of curses for those who violate it – and every Jewish person has violated one or more of those commandments. All have sinned and all are under a curse. But the good news is that Messiah redeemed us from the curse that comes from breaking the Law by taking upon Himself the curse that mankind deserved (Galatians 3:13). Messiah paid the price to remove the curse from us. If there is no more curse, then what remains? Only blessing – the rich, full, complete blessing of the Creator, blessed be He! The blessings of salvation, redemption, reconciliation with God, peace with God, closeness to God, eternal life. We can know we have eternal life because the curse has been lifted.

We can know we have eternal life because there is no condemnation for those who are joined to Messiah Yeshua (Romans 8:1). All of humanity have joined the rebellion of the fallen angels. All have sinned, and sin results in judgment and condemnation to Hell. But God the Father sent His Son into the world to atone for our sins. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, because the world was already condemned, but to save the world. Whoever understand this and becomes loyal to the Messiah will not be not condemned. All his sins are paid for and are forgiven. He will be considered not guilty. On the Day of Judgment, the accuser will not be able to bring any accusations against him. All charges will have been  dropped. The case against him will have been dismissed. But whoever does not transfer his loyalties to the Son stands condemned already. He has sinned in many ways. And he has added to his sins by rejecting the Son of God, the King of Glory, the Messiah, the one and only Savior of the world. We can know we have eternal life because, while the world has already been condemned, there is no condemnation for those who are joined to Messiah Yeshua.

We can know we have eternal life because we have been delivered from the powers of darkness and transferred to an eternal kingdom. God the Father delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). When Adam and Eve joined the rebellion of the fallen angels, they lost their privilege to govern this world. Dominion of this world was transferred to the fallen angels. Human beings became subject to the fallen angels, and the Adversary became the god of this world. The whole world lies in the power of the wicked one (1 John 5:19). In a sense, all of humanity is demonized, and demon possessed. Jews and Gentiles are born into that dark demonic kingdom that opposes God, suppresses the truth, is full of unhappiness, ruination and death. We are controlled by kingdom. Because of our fallen nature, we are fit citizens of that kingdom. But we don’t have to remain in that dark kingdom! God has another kingdom – a very real kingdom that is characterized by light – a symbol for revelation, truth, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, victory, joy, happiness and life. It’s a kingdom full of happiness unmixed with any sadness. It is a kingdom of truth and goodness and great beauty. It is a just kingdom, a rich kingdom, a kingdom of rewards and great inheritances. It’s an eternal kingdom. This dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; this kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. The citizens of this everlasting kingdom will live forever! So, when we know that Yeshua is the light of the world and the King of that light-filled Kingdom, and God the Father is the High King of that kingdom, and we become loyal to King Yeshua and to His Father the High King, we are rescued from the dominion of darkness and we become citizens of the kingdom of the Father and the Son. And the Father and the Son will never send us back to the dark kingdom. All our sins will be forgiven, so Satan will not be able to bring any accusations against us. The Adversary will be defeated and will never be able to drag us back to his dark kingdom. The privileges of our heavenly citizenship will be enjoyed forever. We can know we have eternal life because we have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of light.

We can know we have eternal life because we are dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6). When we are joined to the Messiah, our old rebellious, sinful nature starts losing its power. And it is replaced with a new nature, a divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). God gives us a new nature and places His Spirit in us, to will and to do according to His good pleasure. We are no longer in the flesh, dominated by the old human nature that was hostile to God, but we are in the Spirit – alive to God and motivated to do the will of God. God will never remove our new nature that prevents us from continuing to sin, and replace it with our old, corrupt nature.  If we are dead to sin, that sin nature can’t be made alive again. Only the new nature, God’s nature, remains, a divine nature that will live forever. We can know we have eternal life because we are dead to sin and alive to God.

We can know we have eternal life because now we have become the sons and daughters of God. The Lord’s divinely inspired representative, John, tells us: See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! … now we are children of God (1 John 3). Legally, by means of adoption, we have become members God’s family. We are members of the household of God (Ephesians 2:19). God has adopted us, and God the Father becomes our Father and Messiah Yeshua becomes our elder brother. And we become sons and daughters of God, not just by title, but by reality. We get a new nature that exerts a strong internal pressure toward holiness. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God (1 John 3:9). Now we are the children of God, and since the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable, our sonship will never be removed. We will never be “unadopted.” We can know we have eternal life because now we have become children of God.

We can know we have eternal life because we God’s heirs and fellow heirs along with our elder brother, Messiah Yeshua (Romans 8:17). One way that the New Covenant or New “Testament” can be understood is as a new “will.” One purpose for a will is so the specified heirs may receive specified benefits without fail. Yeshua died and rose and has become the heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2). The New Testament is in effect, making us fellow heirs of Yeshua. Can a joint heir of Messiah fail to receive His promised inheritance? Simon Peter affirms that we will obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, and is reserved in Heaven for us (1 Peter 1:4). The co-heirs of Messiah must get to Heaven to enjoy their imperishable inheritance which has been reserved for them. It’s impossible that it should be otherwise. We can know we have eternal life because we are fellow heirs along with Messiah.

We can know we have eternal life because God’s Spirit seals us. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit of God for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). When someone seals something, it shows their ownership of that thing. And since God has sealed us, it means that He owns us. If He owns us, why would He disown us? If the Almighty Creator owns us, and loves us, who is going to take us away from Him? When something is sealed, it means that it will be delivered to the goal untampered with, unless someone else dares to break that seal. We have been sealed by the Spirit of the all-powerful God. There is no power in the universe able to break that seal! That means that we will be delivered safely to the goal of eternal life, because we are protected by the Spirit of the Almighty and all-wise God, and no power in the universe can overpower or outmaneuver Him. We can know we have eternal life because we are sealed by the Holy Spirit of God for the day of redemption.

We can know we have eternal life because we have been spiritually circumcised. We are the true circumcision (Philippians 3:3), the circumcision made without human hands (Colossians 2:11), having our hearts circumcised by God Himself. Since the time of Abraham, circumcision is the sign of being in a covenant relationship with the God of our salvation. By being spiritually circumcised, we are part of the New Covenant that Messiah Yeshua made possible. It is a covenant that promises the forgiveness of all of our sins (I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more); a right understanding of the God of our salvation and what He wants (they will all know Me and I will put my teaching in their minds and write it on their hearts); it’s a covenant that bring us into a relationship with the eternal God (I will be their God, and they will be My people). And it is an eternal covenant. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David (Isaiah 55:3) and, I will make an everlasting covenant with them (Isaiah 61:8). Since the faithful God is not a covenant breaker, and since the New Covenant is an everlasting contract that removes our sins and brings us into a relationship with the eternal God, we have entered into an agreement that will exist forever. Therefore those who are spirituality circumcised and have entered into the New Covenant are eternally safe and secure. We can know we have eternal life because we have been spiritually circumcised.

We can know we have eternal life because we have a living hope. God has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua from the dead (1 Peter 1:3) The Bible uses the word hope in a specific way. Biblical hope is something sure, firm, dependable, reliable that will happen in the future. It just hasn’t happened yet. Hope means that we can know something for sure, without any doubt, right now. God has caused us to be born again to a living hope. It’s a living hope because our hope is to live forever, the way life was meant to be: to live with our wonderful God; to live with one another; to live with the good angels; to live a  joyous life, blessed life, full life, perfect life, unending eternal life. It’s a hope that is based on the strongest foundation – the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua, and that makes our hope sure. We can know we have eternal life because we have a living hope.

We can know we have eternal life because we have the hope of salvation. In 1 Thessalonians 5, the Lord’s divinely inspired representative teaches us that our hope is salvation – that when a human being understands the truth about the Three-In-One God and transfers his loyalties to the Father, Son and Spirit, he will be saved from the forces of Satan, sin, the sin nature and death. He will never be returned to Satan. He will never have the guilt of his sins reinstated. He will never have the new nature removed and the sin nature restored. He will never be allowed to have death rule over him again. He will live forever with the eternal God in His eternal kingdom. Our hope is salvation –  a perfect and everlasting salvation – not a temporary salvation that will end! No more dangers of any kind! No more enemies that can harm us! No more loss! No more need of deliverance because we will be perfectly and forever rescued, never in need of being rescued again! Safe. Secure. Forever. We can know we have eternal life because we have the hope of salvation.