Category Archives: Sin, Wickedness, Evil, Judgment

The Book of Job—A New Perspective on Life!

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Written on January 12, 2024 in Wilhelmina Bay, Antarctica

What are the main themes and takeaway lessons from the seldom read book Book of Job? There are several. But recently while cruising in the waters of the Antarctic Peninsula with my Bible open to the end of this interesting book about a man who lost everything and was trying to figure it all out, I experienced a eureka moment in my understanding as to the deeper meaning of this somewhat enigmatic book.  

 While viewing the unspeakably beautiful and endless whiteness of that spectacularly majestic continent just a few feet outside my stateroom balcony door, my heart and mind were transported to another place not only physically but also spiritually. From that vantage point in time and space against that backdrop of this seemingly infinite and mysterious landmass, I suddenly viewed Job in a new light. He was a man searching for answers to the perennial conundrums of life that have perplexed humans from day one. How did the Antarctic trigger this spiritual connection? As a finite being myself briefly travelling through the Antarctic, while trying to take in sights I had never seen before and comprehend the infinite whiteness unfolding before me, it came to me that I was in a similar place as that of Job and his three friends thousands of years trying to comprehend things that were beyond their ability to do so. Who are we in this vast cosmos on a spaceship called earth, and where to we fit in to the big scheme of things?

It is clear from reading this book that Job is trying to understand the ways of Elohim and answer the unanswerable questions that have perplexed and plagued men’s hearts and minds from the beginning. These perennial conundrums that most thinking humans attempt to answer are:  What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? Where am I going? What is the significance of good versus evil and where does man figure into this paradigm? Why do bad things happen to ostensibly good people? If there is a good God, then why is there suffering and evil in the world? With man’s intellect, Job and his “friends” attempt but fail to answer these enigmatic questions. The answer comes from two unexpected sources.

After Job and his three friends have exhausted themselves arguing back and forth trying to answer these perplexing questions, Elihu, a young man who may be short on years but is long in wisdom and understanding, enters the scene. He takes the discussion in a different direction and to a higher level and leaves the others behind to wallow in the dust of the futility of their supposed intellect and self righteousness. He asserts the righteousness and superior intellect and wisdom of the Creator. Elihu’s input sets the stage for what happens next.

Suddenly and without warning or man’s permission, the Sovereign Creator of the universe and all that is therein unexpectedly manifests himself in the physical realm in a whirlwind. This whirling windstorm can either be interpreted literally, or it can be viewed as a poetic metaphor symbolizing the whirlwind of human emotions and mental circumambulations. Perhaps both interpretations are correct. Certainly the Creator could have used a literal tornado to punctuate the situation and to demonstrate his power. He used a similar but opposite demonstration later on with Elijah in the cave on Mount Sinai. Whatever the case, what message was YHVH Elohim in this most demonstrative manner attempting to convey to Job and his friends?

One things is evident from YHVH Elohim’s uninvited intervention into the affairs of men. After capturing and then demanding man’s attention, he asks a series of questions. Through this, he is signaling to man an important message. He is telling his human clay creations that “I need neither man’s invitation nor his permission to do anything anywhere to anyone whenever it pleases me or suites my sovereign and mysterious purposes to do so.” Then for four chapters Yehovah Elohim commences to give his earthlings an instructive lesson that is intended to squelch all human reasonings and debates proffered thus far in the Book of Job pertaining to the ways, whys and wherefores of the Creator. 

During the Almighty’s monologue, interestingly YHVH totally ignores Job’s three foolish friends as if to say your comments are not even worthy of my time. “The reasonings and theological philosophies of men are foolishness to me, so off with you!” Then in Job chapter 42, YHVH gives these three men a quick nod by demanding that they repent of their sin of misrepresenting the Creator through their pretend wise, yet foolish words. 

As far has YHVH’s response to Job is concerned, to our Western logic-based mindset where four must irrevocably follow the question, “What is two plus two?” it seems aloof and appears to miss the mark of man’s inquiry as to the meaning of life and the perennially nagging and unanswered questions that have plagued men forever. So what is the deciphered  meaning of YHVH’s non-answer answer to righteous Job who is the undisputed apple of his eye above all other humans on earth? Simply this: Your finite mind is incapable of understanding the Infinite, so stop attempting to do so with your foolish, pea brains. Moreover, in an indirect way that often befuddles our Western syllogistically based logic, YHVH is telling Job that if you cannot even answer the most basic questions about the animals of my creation, how do you expect to answer the complex questions pertaining to the higher life forms called humans. And if you cannot answer these questions, then how can you even begin to comprehend the Infinite Creator of it all? Therefor, put your hand over your mouth (translated: “Shut up!”), stop trying to quantify the unquantifiable and label that which can neither be described nor put into neat labeled boxes by humans. If humans can put Elohim into a box, it simply means that they can then label that box, package it with a colorful and attractive wrapping and then market it to other humans for their own profit and glory. The Creator says, “Away with this nonsense!”, for he refuses to play these silly sandbox mind games invented by his puny and ridiculous children, who are trying to play god to other humans for their own selfish ends! 

This, I humbly submit, is one the greater messages of the Book of Job which I ascertained while observing the endless, seeming infinite, and majestic white expanses of the Antarctic contrasted with my own finiteness, limitations and lack of understanding of much about this continent and life in general. Viewing such extraterrestrial and surreal scenes while studying the Bible tends to transports one to a different place spiritually as it opens up new perspectives and vistas. One quickly sees how small man is and how great the creation of this earth is and, by extension, how great the Creator is. Can I understand the mysteries of the Antarctic such as how the ice that is sometimes miles thick was formed, how old the ice is whether thousands or millions of years old, the movement of glaciers, the death-defying coldness of that region, or how the sea life survives in such an inhospitable environment? No. So like Job, since I cannot even answer some of the most basic question about how life works on this earth, much less the ways of YHVH Elohim, I humbly put my hand over my mouth and just trust that my Father in heaven has it all figured out and that things will work out for me for my ultimate good and betterment, as they did for Job. I have faith that YHVH loves me and that he is all powerful. What more is needed?   

 

What Idols or Gods Have I Set Up in My Heart Ahead of Elohim?

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Psalm 16:7, Reigns/heart/kidneys instruct me. Is this a reference to our “gut feelings” and our need to trust them? Night seasons is a Hebraism or biblical poetic of saying “difficult time of darkness, confusion, indecision, and uncertainty.” This may be one way the Set-Apart Spirit directs us is through our inner or deep conscience. In reference to the Set-Apart Spirit, Yeshua said that out of our bellies will flow living waters (John 7:37–38). The Hebrew word navi often translated as “prophet” can, according to some lexicologists (e.g., Gesenius), mean “to bubble up” in an almost ecstatic sense, presumably under the influence of the Spirit of Elohim. If this is the true meaning of the word, then perhaps there is some connections between the gut instructing one, living waters flowing from one’s belly, and the word of YHVH bubbling up prophetically out of one’s belly. 

Psalm 16:8, I have set YHVH always before me. What is before my face? What are the most important things in my life? What gods or idols have I set up before me that have captivated my attention, demand my time, dictate the where I go and what I do ahead of Yehovha Elohim the one and only true God? If we will stop for a moment and listen to it, our heart or conscience will instruct or even convict us of where our true allegiances are, who or what is before us, and who the god of our life really is (v. 7).

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I YHVH search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. (Jer 17:9–10)

Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord YHVH; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I YHVH will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord YHVH; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I YHVH will answer him by myself: And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am YHVH. (Ezek 14:3–8)

Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols. (Ezek 20:16)

 

Passing the End Times Test—Losing All For Yeshua to Gain the Kingdom of Heaven

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Afflicting the soul—it’s time to get serious about putting our soul man to death if we’re going to be ready to meet King Yeshua!

This is an unpopular subject with men, but a popular one with YHVH Elohim!

FOR SPIRITUALLY MATURE READERS ONLY WHO DON’T WANT THEIR EARS TICKLED AND ARE SERIOUS ABOUT FOLLOWING YESHUA!

Our souls need afflicting. This is a tough, unpopular message that few want to think about, much less discuss or preach about. Afflicting the soul or dying to self is what the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur is all about. In fact, this is what our entire life is all about. It’s about dying to the world and the devil, but most importantly, dying to self. If we want to see Yeshua, we must talk about it, and then learn to do it!

Dying to self is the lifelong struggle that Paul, the mighty apostle of Yeshua and the writer of a good portion of the New Testament discusses in Romans chapter seven that each of us faces every day.

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of Elohim according to 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. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Rom 7:14–24)

Why must our souls be afflicted? So they can be brought under the power of the Spirit of Elohim, and so that we think and act like Yeshua, and eventually be transformed into the people that he wants to spend eternity with. Becoming like Yeshua is ultimate purpose of life! When a person’s main goal in life is to make money, or to gain material possessions, to achieve fame, power, knowledge or even to become happily married and to raise a family, they are falling way short of their full and destiny as potential children of the Creator, Most High YHVH Elohim.  That’s why Yeshua asks the question, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mat 16:26). That is why YHVH Elohim, our Father in heaven sent Yeshua his Son to this earth­. It was not only redeem us from the death grip of sin, but to show us how to live—to show us the way to our Heavenly Father. For this to occur, we must overcome the world, the flesh and devil every day of our lives and live as Yeshua did. The Word of Elohim tells that without holiness, spiritual purity or sinlessness, no one will see Elohim (Heb 12:14). These are words to live by and to guide us in all that we do, say and think. This means becoming a living sacrifice for Yeshua or dying to self.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of Elohim, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to Elohim, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of Elohim. (Rom 12:1–2)

Dying to self and being overcomers is necessary if we are to be the chaste bride ready to meet Yeshua our coming King and Bridegroom—a bride that will be one or echad with him for eternity. We must die to everything else that will get in they way of our love for him.

Who shall separate us from the love of the Messiah? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE KILLED ALL DAY LONG; WE ARE ACCOUNTED AS SHEEP FOR THE SLAUGHTER.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of Elohim which is in the Messiah Yeshua our Lord. (Rom 8:35–39)

One aspect of becoming like Yeshua by dying to self and overcoming this world and the flesh may well involve our rethinking or even changing our entire paradigmatic perspective concerning our current lifestyles. What do I mean by this? Let me explain.

Most of us have spent a lifetime constructing neat little nests all around us to shield ourselves from the harsh realities of life. Almost everything we do, everything we buy, everything we construct, the relationships we nurture, and the material possessions that we collect is about self preservation and comfort. To this end, we all have furnished the nests of our lives in a way to protect ourselves from the harsh reality of death.  Then beyond this, we have embellished our nests to look good to the outside world, and to feel good about ourselves, and live comfortable and self-gratifying lifestyles, while forgetting that it could all be gone in an instant, or that we could die at anytime, and then what?

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mat 16:26)  

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry. ‘ But Elohim said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward Elohim.” (Luke 12:16–21) 

Sadly, many of us placed more of our time and energy attempting to fulfill our physical expectations instead following Yeshua’s instructions to his disciples to “seek first the kingdom of Elohim and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you,” (Matt 6:33). As a result, in many cases, our expectations have become idols that, to one degree or another, are keeping us from walking out the Truth of YHVH, and the higher life of a disciple of Messiah by walking as he walked. In many respects, our affluent and free Western lifestyle has not helped us in achieving the higher spiritual walks that Yeshua requires of his disciples. This is because we have been blessed with civil liberties, freedoms and luxuries never before experienced by any previous human society, and this has not helped us to grow stronger spiritually. Instead, in many cases, and as a whole, we have grown spiritually weak, lukewarm and careless, anemic, somewhat apathetic toward our faith. For many of us our passion for Yeshua and the Truth of Elohim has waned if not all but evaporated. YHVH warned ancient Israel and the Laodicean church over these same issues.

For the YHVH’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. He found him in a desert land And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so YHVH alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him. He made him ride in the heights of the earth, That he might eat the produce of the fields; He made him draw honey from the rock, and oil from the flinty rock; curds from the cattle, and milk of the flock, with fat of lambs; and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the choicest wheat; and you drank wine, the blood of the grapes. But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; you grew fat, you grew thick, you are obese! Then he forsook Elohim who made him, and scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation. They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to demons, not to Elohim, to gods they did not know, to new gods, new arrivals that your fathers did not fear. Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, and have forgotten the Elohim who fathered you. (Deut 32:9–18)

For Jerusalem stumbled, And Judah is fallen, Because their tongue and their doings Are against YHVH, To provoke the eyes of His glory. The look on their countenance witnesses against them, And they declare their sin as Sodom; They do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves. Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him. As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths.” YHVH stands up to plead, And stands to judge the people. YHVH will enter into judgment With the elders of His people And His princes: “For you have eaten up the vineyard; The plunder of the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people And grinding the faces of the poor?” Says the Lord GOD of hosts. Moreover YHVH says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, And walk with outstretched necks And wanton eyes, Walking and mincing as they go, Making a jingling with their feet. Therefore the Lord will strike with a scab The crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, And YHVH will uncover their secret parts. In that day the Lord will take away the finery: The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents; the pendants, the bracelets, and the veils; the headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands; The perfume boxes, the charms, and the rings; The nose jewels, the festal apparel, and the mantles; The outer garments, the purses, and the mirrors; the fine linen, the turbans, and the robes. And so it shall be: Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; Instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-set hair, baldness; instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty. (Isa 3:8–24)

“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of Elohim: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Rev 3:14–22)

What are some expectations that our Western lifestyle has automatically provided us such that we automatically expect them and if deprived of them, we would be scandalized, inconvenienced, shaken physically and spiritually? In America, for example, they include…

  • The American dream (a house, an automobile or two, vacations, a cushy retirement beginning at a young age, having a few toys, e.g. a boat, travel trailer, a second home, etc.)
  • Freedom of speech.
  • Freedom of religion and the right to practice it freely.
  • Freedom to peaceably assemble.
  • Freedom from government intrusion and tyranny.
  • Freedom to maintain personal privacy.
  • The right to travel freely and unmolested on our way whenever and wherever we want to go
  • A just judicial system that is impartial and not a respecter of persons where one is innocent until proven guilty.
  • No taxation without representation.
  • Freedom to defend oneself with firearms if necessary.
  • Freedom to live privately without government surveillance and intrusion.
  • The expectation that we can buy whatever we want whenever we want with no supply shortages including the basic necessities of life.
  • The knowledge that our national constitution guarantees and protects our basic civil rights.
  • The belief that our politicians represent us.
  • Freedom to raise our children how we want and that parents have ultimate authority over their minor children.
  • Freedom to live on our own land and to do what we want on it as long as it doesn’t hurt someone else or violate their freedoms.
  • The expectation to live a safe, secure, settle, undisturbed life free of worry and stress, discomfort, insecurity and privation of any kind.
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Generational Curses—What Are They & How to Deal With Them

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Generational Curses—Real or Imagined?

The subject of generational curses can be a controversial topic—especially among those who refuse to believe that they may be the unwitting victim of such a thing. Moreover, many Christians deny the existence of generational curses because, after all, when you come to Christ, isn’t every sin from here on out forgiven, and all curse automatically nullified? Doesn’t every decision for Jesus card come with an exclusive insurance policy guaranteeing protection from all dark forces as well as the consequences of the sins of one’s ancestors? And from now on, it’s peace on earth and good will toward men, because Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, so what could go wrong? Until the rapture bus takes us to heaven, it’s a bed of roses. The problem is that even roses have thorns!

If generational curses is a moot point, does this mean that the saint can carelessly turn a blind eye to invisible forces behind the scenes, to the laws of cause and effect, or to the principle of reaping what you sow? How about to ripple effects on the opposite shore of the proverbial stone that has been dropped into the pond? 

Perhaps it would be wise to carefully examine what the Bible says about blessings and curses as well as the consequences of sin and how it affects a person’s life—and even those of his descendants.

As we are about to discover from Scripture and from life examples, there is such a thing as generational curses, generational blessings, as well, the consequences of both one’s sins and righteous living upon our children. The Bible speaks to each of these separate but similar, often interrelated and sometimes conflated concepts. One thing is certain. Generational sin often results in generational consequences which may lead to generational curses. Below we will discuss how each of these affect our spiritual growth or the lack thereof, and what can the disciple of Yeshua can do to both break the curse as well as mitigate the consequences. 

The Fall of Man and the Curses and Consequences of Being Cut Off From the Creator

Every human is under the general generational curse of original sin brought on the world by Adam and Eve. That curse is the result of being cut off from an intimate relationship with Elohim, man’s Heavenly Father, and as, a result, coming under the negative influences of a fallen sin nature as well as the world and the devil (which are both cut of from a relationship with Elohim), and then suffering the wages or consequences of one’s sin which is death. 

The cleavage in the relationship between the first humans and their Creator occurred when these rebellious children chose to eat of the forbidden fruit resulting in man’s first sin. Now cut off from their Heavenly Father, Adam and Eve bequeathed to their future offspring the generational curse of a “fallen” sin nature and innate tendency to acquiesce to the sinful pulls of the world, the flesh and the devil. This is the nascence of man’s struggle against sin to this day.

The consequences and curses of all sin that is unrepented of whether it be ours or that of our forefathers can negatively affect us. We can repent of our own sin, and that of our forefathers (as Daniel and Nehemiah did), and pray that YHVH will forgive us and our forebears, and then lift the curses of that sin off of us. But curses and consequences may be different. Daniel, for example, prayed for forgiveness for his sins and that of his forefathers that resulted in the destruction of Judah and the deportation of many Jews to Babylon including himself. YHVH may have forgiven Daniel for his sins (disobedience to YHVH’s commandments), but he still bore the consequences of the sins of his fathers and himself, that is, he was still exiled in Babylon—a heathen nation where he died. This is like one’s parents divorcing because of marital infidelity, yet the children having to live with negative consequences of that sin and subsequent divorce long afterwards. 

The Curse of Original Sin

The Bible addresses the issue of this generational curse that Adam bequeathed to his children. The ultimate generational curse was the sin of Adam, which is death, that passed on to all of his human descendants. Similarly, through the blessing of one man’s righteousness, forgiveness of sin and eternal life has passed on to all who accept Yeshua.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—(for until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of Elohim and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Yeshua the Messiah, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Yeshua the Messiah.) Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Yeshua the Messiah our Lord. (Rom 5:12–21)

Generational Consequences

Even though all humans who accept Yeshua as their redeemer are set free from the curse of Adam’s sin and their own personal sins, for which they have repented, the consequences of that original sin have been passed on from one generation to the next. For example, woman still have pain in child birth, and men have to wrest a living from the earth by the sweat of their brow.

To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” (Gen 3:16–19)

These consequences of sin come on everyone because we live in a fallen world.

Curses for Disobedience to YHVH’s Commandments

We have just discussed the universal curses and consequences of Adam’s sin. Now let’s learn about the curses of an individual’s sin that can affect one’s family and even future generations. These curses are the cause-and-effect consequences of violating YHVH’s commandments or sin. 

[Y]ou shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, YHVH your Elohim, am a jealous Elohim, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exod 20:5–6)

And YHVH passed before him and proclaimed, “YHVH, YHVH Elohim, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exod 34:6–7)

And if the people of the land should in any way hide their eyes from the man, when he gives some of his descendants to Molech, and they do not kill him, then I will set My face against that man and against his family; and I will cut him off from his people, and all who prostitute themselves with him to commit harlotry with Molech. (Lev 20:4–5)

You shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. And those of you who are left shall waste away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; also in their fathers’ iniquities, which are with them, they shall waste away. (Lev 26:38–39)

In the Exodus 20 passage above, please note that conditional phrases “those who hate me” and “those who love me.” The implication is that curses will fall on those who hate YHVH by disobeying him and not fall on those who love him. We will discuss this further below.

Under the New Covenant and through our relationship with Yeshua, we can receive the Father’s forgiveness from many curses that affect our spiritual and eternal life. However, if our forefathers’ sins have resulted in our living in a cursed environment, a cursed nation, or cursed life situation, if we are saved, we can expect YHVH’s grace in that situation, but we may or may not be totally delivered from all the consequences of the past sins of our forefathers. Again, we can use the example of a parents’ divorce because of the sin of infidelity. The breakup of a family can potentially have negative consequences for generations to come.

Forgiveness for Generational Sins

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