Redeeming the Time

 

 

 

Like never before, the signs of the times indicate that the end of this age is approaching, and the return of Jesus Christ is near. However, there is little sense of urgency in the Church. The apostles of the New Testament, and many of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers of the Church today, continue to urge the believers to recognize the signs of the times in which we live, and prepare for what God is calling us to be and do. 

As we see evil accelerate around us, the apostle Paul teaches us not to be partakers with evil conduct (Eph. 5:1-7), but to be children and followers of God, being and walking in the light of Christ:

"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk ye as children of light....See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."   Eph. 5:8, 15-17

We become "redeemers of time" by understanding, being, and doing the will of the Lord. Evil has tried to become sovereign over the day, but the will of the Lord, as He defined days, was by His creative work (Gen. 1:4-31). He pronounced each work, and each day as "good", and "very good". Creation is groaning for the manifestation of the children, the sons of God to be the Christ light, the "or" light shining into the days to redeem them from the hold of evil. This "or" light of Christ is the light of day, prosperity, life, instruction, illumination. It is described as glorious, fire, and shining. For what communion hath light with darkness? We are not of the night, nor of darkness (2 Cor. 6:15, 1 Thess. 5:5), and all of our ways must reflect this, if we are to redeem the time.

Moses, the man of God, prayed in Psalm 90:12:

"So teach (to have intimate knowledge, to reveal, to experience) us to number (prepare, appoint, ordain, divide out) our days that we may apply (enter into, bring, attain) our hearts unto wisdom (be wise, show wisdom, teach wisdom).

This wisdom, revelation, intimate knowledge, and preparation comes from searching the scriptures. Jesus said to those who prided themselves on their knowledge and study of scripture:

"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of Me...there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for he wrote of Me."   Jn. 5:39, 45-46

Searching the scriptures refers not just to reading or learning, but to "seeking, considering, enquiring, reflecting upon, and inspecting". It even means "ploughing", or digging beneath the surface for the intimate knowledge to be revealed there. So many of those to whom Jesus spoke this studied the scriptures to bolster their already held positions or beliefs. They used the scriptures to argue and debate. They used them to create a religious system of rules to establish their own righteousness. However, the LORD looked down from heaven to see if there were any that did understand and seek God, but there were none that was doing good, not one (Ps. 14:1-3, Rom. 3:10). They read the scriptures, but they did not search them for the heart and will of God. If they had, they would have discovered Christ in them.

Paul wrote about visiting with a people in Berea, who heard his Gospel message with all readiness of mind, but then went to scripture to search them daily to see for themselves the intimate truth revealed therein (Acts 17:10-12). Not only did many Jews believe there, but also Gentiles because of this willingness to delve deeply into God's will. The word "Berea" means "well watered". They were indeed a people who were well watered in the Word of God. We are called to be Bereans in our time, searching and seeking daily, the intimate knowledge of God in His Word. It is not enough to be hearers only, but we must search it out ourselves, in order to become "doers".

There are many today who do not know, nor believe, the signs of the times in which we live. There were also those in the time of Christ (Mt. 16:1-4). For those of us who are aware of the lateness of the hour, and the signs of His coming, there is something expected of us. We are to redeem the time, we are to be the light of Christ in the darkness of surrounding evil. Our days, hours, and minutes are not our own, but are ordained, divided out, and appointed with this calling. Search the scriptures, find in them the testimony of Christ, and be that light.

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Thanksgiving and the Coming Feast of Dedication

 

 

This season beginning with Thanksgiving and  ending with Christmas is usually a time of food, sales, and super-shopping.

 

 



Historically, in this nation, the Thanksgiving season marked the deliverance from near starvation for the first New England settlers with the help of a compassionate Native American, Squanto. It was also the beginning of acts of extermination committed against the Native Americans of the region. These acts were so malicious and perverse in viciousness, they make us hang our heads in shame when we read the historical accounts*.

As the nation became united under a central government, Presidents Washington, and later, Lincoln, called this nation to dedicate a day of Thanksgiving to God for the blessings He has given to us**.

Spiritually, the season between our Thanksgiving, and the approaching Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), which coincides with Christmas this year, has a profound meaning. The word "thanksgiving" first appears in scripture in Lev. 7:11-17. It is associated with sacrifice and offering in the tabernacle. Bread and oil were offered, and a flesh peace offering was sacrificed. The Hebrew word for thanksgiving used here is todah. It means extension of the hands in confession, thanksgiving and praise. The pictographical meaning of the Hebrew letters of the word, tav, yad, daleth, he, is "Behold, the cross, the hand (a finished work) and the door". This goes way beyond food, sales, and shopping, and we, God's people, are to be aware.

 

 

Jesus, at the time of the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem spoke of being The Door of the sheepfold (Grk. aule- courtyard of the tabernacle/Temple in Jerusalem):

"I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."   Jn. 10:9

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who gives His life a sacrifice, for the sheep (v.11). The Father in heaven loves Him because of this sacrifice, and His power to take His life back up again (v. 17-18).

The lifting of hands in sacrifice, thanksgiving and praise- this is our Thanksgiving. It leads us into that spiritual place for the coming Feast of Dedication. This feast commemorates the cleansing and re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem, after it had been desecrated and defiled by an invading foreign leader. He had offered a pig of the altar to mock God, and to exalt his heathen gods in this holy place.

The purpose of the Temple, as originally dedicated by King Solomon, was to be a place of sacrifice and offering to God:

"Behold I build a house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to Him, and to burn before Him sweet incense, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel. And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods."   2 Chron. 2:4-5

It is the place where God sees, hears, forgives, and heals:

If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now Mine eyes shall be open, and Mine ears attend unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now have I chosen and sanctify this house, that My name may be there forever: and Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually."   

                                                                                                 2 Chron. 7:14-16
 

 

We are this living tabernacle of His name, and from this place we extend our hands in confession, thanksgiving, and praise. We are the living stones from which this great tabernacle of God's name is built:

"Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."  1 Pet. 2:5

This year at Thanksgiving, let us extend our hands to God, making confession for this nation, especially for the sins against the Native Americans of the Northeast, and for our own individual sins, and offer Him the sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise for His mercy and blessings towards us. As His holy, living temple, the place of His name, this is our purpose, and it begins within each of us.

As the year draws to a close, it is time to "do over", "to transmute" as the Hebrew meaning of the word "year" means. The letters of the Hebrew word shaneh are "shin, nun, he", and have the meaning "Behold, the heir to the throne consumed, El Shaddai". As Jesus had the power to lay down His life, and take it back again, He is indeed El Shaddai.

This season of Thanksgiving and the Feast of Dedication calls to each one of us, especially at such a time as this.

 

 

*List of Massacres against Native Americans

**Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation

**Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation

 

 

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Open Letter: Relaunching The Titanic

 

At the launch of the HMS Titanic on May 31, 1911, an employee of the White Star Line proclaimed, "Not even God Himself could sink this ship." Less than one year later, on its maiden voyage, that statement would be proven incorrect. The ship was done in by a very simple thing-an iceberg, most of which was hidden beneath the water. The resulting deaths made that sinking the greatest peacetime maritime disaster in history. There is a lesson here for all of us. As we repeatedly remove our nation from the covering of God, are we re-launching a Titanic into the annals of historic disasters?

Many Americans believe that God and His principles, have no place in government. Many base this belief on a comment made by Thomas Jefferson in a letter* to a Baptist church in Danbury, Ct.. The Baptists had come under the persecution of the local government, and the elders of the church had appealed to Jefferson for his help. The resulting comment that he made about the separation of church and state, had nothing to do with keeping God out of government, but keeping the government from establishing or favoring one church denomination, while persecuting a minority denomination. He even concluded his response letter with a benediction to the Baptist elders.

God has everything to do with government. He IS government, and appointed man to establish rule and reign in His likeness and example in Genesis 1:26-28:

"And God said, "Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion (rule, reign) ....over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

A key identity of Messiah would be a government after God's likeness and image, establishing order, peace, and justice, earning Him the name Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6-7).
God has told man what He requires of them:"...to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God."    Micah 6:8
Paul describes God's kingdom and government as not being defined by temporal things, but as "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."   Rom. 14:17
God's kingdom is not a place where sin that destroys the souls and lives of men is made the law of the land and accepted. God, instead, delivers from the death of sin, and brings man into His kingdom of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (1 Cor. 6:9-11).
Our nation's liberty should not be the headlong rush away from God and into spiritual and natural destruction, but the light of this liberty should be such as to lead men from the way of death and into the life of God. This is the purpose and promise of America to all the nations of the world-a government and people after the image and likeness of God.

God has never separated Himself from government, nor from those who govern. Man is only allowed to govern, not as his own representative, but as God's representative on earth. All governments that have tried to rule without God have suffered defeat and sinking like the Titanic. Like the iceberg, God is not going to move out of a government's way, especially as it exercises dominion over man and the rest of God's creation. God makes it clear in His word that He raises up kingdoms, and He removes them (Dan. 2:21).
In Gen. 11:1-6, a group of people came together under a common goal and decided to establish a work, a tower. The purpose of this tower was to seek the planets and stars, rather than God.  The LORD came down and confused their language so they could no longer accomplish this godless work. God does not keep His hand from the affairs of men.

In Daniel 4, an arrogant king forgot that it was God who had miraculously raised him up in victory after victory. As that king began to consider himself "unsinkable" and to persecute God's people, the LORD humbled that king by removing his sanity until he became beast-like. As the beastly former king eventually looked up to heaven, and humbled himself before the sovereign God, he regained his right mind, and was restored to his kingdom.

In Daniel 5, a prideful king decided to use the holy vessels of God's temple for his own enjoyment, and to impress men. In dramatic fashion, with a hand writing words on the wall, the LORD announced that this king had just lost his kingdom. That night, the Medes and Persians captured that king's mighty city Babylon, previously thought to be "unsinkable", and the king lost his life. Kings and governments disregard God at their own peril. The opposite is also true.

A king, by royal decree, commanded repentance after the LORD delivered the word of judgment against his great city, Nineveh, by the prophet Jonah (Jonah 3:1-9).
"And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil that He said that He would do unto them; and He did it not."  (v. 10).
In this case, a government and a people "believed God", repented, and changed their impending destruction into salvation.
Our America is like the Titanic, sailing its own course confidently, believing that it is unsinkable, even by God. However, America, there is an iceberg of judgment ahead, and it will not profit us to shake our fists in the face of God. If we are wise, instead of rejecting God from our lives and government, we humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, God promises that He will hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land (2 Chron. 7:14).

An open letter to the new President-elect is being sent by Apostle Ken Stevenson on this subject, as similar letters were sent to three previous administrations. America, let us hear the word of the LORD, and "believe God", and turn our hearts back to Him.


*Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptist Church elders


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Choose You This Day Whom You Will Serve!

As this nation chooses a president, an even more important choice stands before us.
The above quotation from President Lincoln was given when a person made a comment to encourage him during the Civil War. The person stated that he believed God was on the side of the Union. Lincoln responded that it was of greater importance that both he and the nation be on God's side.
We would probably assume that God's people would agree with Pres. Lincoln's heartfelt desire, and would also want and choose to be on God's side. However, a heart filled with unrighteousness will not make a choice for the righteousness of God.

In Numbers 16, scripture describes a situation where a small group of Israelite men, took men, and stood against the authority of the servants of God, Moses and Aaron. They did not believe that Moses and Aaron should be the spiritual or governing leaders over the people of God. They argued as if Moses and Aaron had chosen themselves for that position, rather than being chosen by God.
Those challenging Moses and Aaron told them "Ye take too much upon you..." (v. 3). They gathered 250 of the princes of the people, men respected and renowned, to stand with them against the leadership and priesthood of Moses and Aaron. They argued that all of God's people were holy, and therefore qualified to function as priests, and in the roles filled by Moses and Aaron. They all coveted the responsibilities of the priesthood, having taken up censers, and the offering of sacrifices to God. Though some were Levites, those of the rebellion despised their calling, and desired more- to appoint themselves as priests:
When Moses heard their accusation and challenge, he fell upon his face (in prayer).
Moses received the LORD's direction in the matter. The LORD would demonstrate who among the people were on His side, and who were not.
Moses pleaded with the rebellion's leader, Korah, and the other sons of Levi:
"Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them? And He hath brought thee near to Him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?"   (v. 9-10)
The LORD had chosen them from out of all the people, but they chose themselves, rather than choosing the LORD. That choice became their judgment and destruction (v. 32-35). They were privileged to work closest with the LORD, yet the pride and covetousness in their hearts led them not to choose God's side, but to oppose it.

As Joshua, the servant of the LORD who led Israel into the Promised Land, addressed the people for the last time, he told them that they had a choice to make. He repeatedly told them that they, as a people, had been brought from the other side of the flood (river), into this new land by God, Himself. It was a land of beauty and prosperity. Joshua told the people not to choose to worship the gods from the other side of the flood:
"Now therefore, fear the LORD, and serve Him in sincerity and truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt, and serve the LORD."
                                                                            Joshua 24:14
Joshua was not just talking about a physical move from one side of a flood, or river, to another. He was also describing a spiritual change. The Hebrew words used are describing passing over, or passing through, radiant beams of light. This passing from the other side is the word "eber", from which we get the term "Hebrew". It is the meaning of "Hebrew"- to pass through, or cross from, the other side. He used the term "from the other side of the flood" four times to describe the difference of where the people had come from, to where they now were. As people who had crossed through the radiant light, a choice was put before them:
"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."     Josh. 24:15
This same choice is put before all of us who have passed from the other side of the flood. It is a choice to be made sincerely, and in truth (v. 14). It is not a choice in heart only, but a choice put to action. We are to put away (remove, turn aside from, reject, abolish) those gods from the other side- those gods who represent the unrighteousness of heart, the rebellion against God, and the choice for self.
God judges a land based upon the condition of His people, and their sincerity in choosing to turn to Him, and to His side (2 Chron. 7:14).
God made the choice to call us from the other side. He chose us from out of all the people to draw near to Himself. Have we, in turn, chosen Him? As we choose a president, a more important choice stands before us. Instead of debating which side God is on, which side is the right side, as Abraham Lincoln stated, let it be our hearts' desire, instead, to be on God's side.
Choose you this day whom you will serve.


Follow us on Periscope, and see Apostle Ken Stevenson's full message:
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Contact/Give:
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PO Box 155
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