Back to the Future*

In order to be prepared for the return of the Lord, we need to look back to understand things we have been mistaught in order to receive the truth. We need to know the truth, not the doctrines of men or devils. For instance, scripture tells us that the kingdom of God is made up from every nation, tribe, and tongue, yet racism is on the rise, as Jesus prophesied when He said "Nation shall rise against nation...". The word "nation" used here is the Greek word ethnos, from which we get the word ethnicity. We have been taught many things about our history involving the Native Americans of this land. Evidence points to the fact that the native people of this country may be part of the lost tribes of Israel. Their early language and heiroglyphics have a similarity to the ancient Hebrew language. It is said that when Columbus made one of his trips to this continent, he was greeted by native people with the Shema: ""Hear O Israel, the LORD our God is One". In addition, DNA evidence shows a relationship between the Cherokee tribe and Middle Eastern Jews. While Christian settlers tried various methods to destroy or drive out native people, the earliest Christian converts in our land were Native Americans. There are religious customs among the Native Americans, which the government tried to ban, that reflect their understanding that the Messiah, Jesus, appeared to their ancestors on this continent earlier in their history. Yet, the white man was taught that the Native Americans were all without the knowledge of God. The book, "The History of the North American Indians" by James Adair, is recommended reading for more information on this subject. In another example of the lack of truth, few know that the people of the nations of the western coast of Africa, which was called "the slave coast" because their inhabitants were captured and sold into slavery, lived in an area of Africa that had previously been called "The Kingdom of Judah" on the ancient maps. It is believed that these people, later sold into slavery, had emmigrated from Israel to Africa earlier in their history. In another example of misinformation, the Jewish books of the Apocrypha are believed to be outside of, and less than, scripture. Yet the Apochrypha had been included in the original King James Version of the Bible, only to be later removed. These books are still included in the Catholic Bible. From the time of the Reformation, Catholics and Protestants were at enmity with one another, and these books were removed from scripture. When flesh gets in, it can uproot the Spirit. We will find, as we look into the Apocrypha in the future, that there is a testimony of the Messiah contained in these books. The Word of the LORD through the prophet Hosea reveals that the LORD has a controversy with His people who do not value truth: "Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood....Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest. Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother. My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge, because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity." (Hos. 4:1-9). There are those who have been told they are not the people of God. The prophet Hosea prophesies this Word of the LORD regarding them: "Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God." (Hos. 1:10). The Apostle Paul found this to be the truth as he traveled to the city of Athens in Greece. One would assume in that day that the people of Athens, having practiced polytheism for centuries, could not possibly be people of God. Yet Paul discerned within both the Athenian religious and philosophical culture, an acknowledgement of God and His power, Whom the Greeks could not specifically identify, but included in worship at an altar upon which was written "To The Unknown God" (Acts 17:22-23). Paul challenged their idolic worship teaching, "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing as he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also your own poets have said..." (Acts 17:24-28). Paul went on to preach the Gospel of Christ to those people of Athens. Some mocked the idea of One who was raised from the dead, but others wanted to hear more (v.32). Paul had discovered earlier in his travel to the Greek city of Thessonica, that not only some of the Jews, although many remained hostile to the Gospel, but also many of the Greeks there, accepted the Gospel he preached to them (Acts 17:1-4). When Paul came to another city in Greece, Berea, he again preached at the synagogue there. The Jews there were very interested in hearing what Paul had to say, and were interested enough in knowing the truth that they searhed the scriptures for themselves to verify what Paul had told them. Many of them then believed the Gospel. Also more than just a few of the local Greek people believed (Acts 17:10-12). Scripture called these Bereans "noble" because they desired to know truth more than anything else. Many believers even to this present day have been taught that they will not experience any part of the Great Tribulation, because they believe the Rapture of the Church will precede it. However, Revelation tells us that a great multitude of believers, clothed with white robes, out "of all nations, and kindreds, and people and tongues", are described as those "which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Rev. 7:9-17 excerpt). So there is evidence that believers will experience some portion of the Tribulation. Our lack of the knowledge of the truth has probably affected to whom we bring the Gospel, and whom we have historically considered to be the people of God, or not. With all signs, including rising racism, the pandemic, earthquakes, storms, indicating to us that the end is near, we are in need like never before of the truth in order to be prepared ourselves, and to prepared others. What are we doing to reach the lost as we see the day approaching? *Based upon the 11/29/20 message of Dr. Kenneth Stevenson to the Church. To Contact: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX 76705, or Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com Please look for us on Facebook and Twitter also.