so that anyone who would call on Him will join Him in eternal paradise rather than eternal torment . The striking thing that Yochanan was telling us was that He who existed as Torah before the foundation of the world is now made manifest as the Messiah . And His first invitation to us is : “ Make repentance ! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand .” ( Matthew 4:17 )
Repentance is a gift to us , and like the Messiah Yeshua , its pursuit is part of our daily living . It is a lifelong quest with the daily task that we ask His forgiveness of our sins as we turn away from them . And this time of year , the Gates of Repentance open as the month of Elul begins , and we can open the gift of repentance as part of our communal life of prayer and reflection . For assuredly , “ As many as [ He ] loves , [ He ] rebukes and chastens . Therefore , [ let us be ] zealous and repent .” ( Revelation 3:19 )
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