What's Wrong With This Picture?*

Please note: Beginning in July, Google will stop sending automatic notifications of new postings for blogs such as this one that are published under "blogspot.com". If you have been receiving notifications, or would like to receive them, please enter your email address in the box in the upper right corner of this blog page before July. Your email addresses will be retrieved hopefully, and you will be sent a notification directly when there is a new post available. Your email addresses will not be used for any other purpose. You will receive the "new blog post" notifications from "the disciple". If you choose not to enter your email address, it is recommend that after June 2021, you should check the blog regularly for new posts. Thank you for your patience and faithful readership. There is a game where a child must look at a picture and decide "What's wrong with this picture?". This applies to spiritual things as well. No matter how often a spiritual matter is verified by facts, there remains great debate and repudiation of those facts. In the many years that I have spent documenting the evidence, including scientific, medical, historical and scriptural evidence regarding the Shroud, people continually bring up the same arguments against it that were proven false long ago. It is an example of true knowledge being rejected, which is also the topic of this message today. Even the Body of Christ, knowing the spiritual truth from scripture that "a house divided against itself cannot stand", finds new ways to create and maintain divisions within the Body. The insistent rejection of knowledge in the face of so many confirmations and verifications, leads us to ask, "What's wrong with this picture?". The prophet Hosea wrote the word of the LORD regarding this subject: "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. Therefore, shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish...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 I will destroy thy mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing how thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." (Hos. 4:1-6). The LORD told His prophet that this condition had grown as His people had increased, and He would change their glory into shame. This nation, like the Israel of Hosea, has also grown away from God as it has increased and strengthened. Above, the LORD reveals that His people are destroyed because they lack knowledge, and reject knowledge. The pictographic meaning of the individual Hebrew letters used in the word translated here as "destroyed" form the statement: "Behold the door to chaos". The pictographic meaning of the individual letters of the Hebrew word used here to mean "knowledge" forms this statement: "Behold the door to see the sign". It is necessary for us to seek the knowledge of God in order to see the signs of our times around us, and the signs of His coming. Proverbs repeatedly tells us to fear (reverence) the LORD, and gain wisdom, knowledge and understanding. It is fools who despise wisdom and instruction (Prov. 9:10, 1:7). The prophet Daniel wrote that while the wicked would seek to destroy the covenant (marriage contract) of God, those who know their God shall do great exploits (Dan. 11:32). Jesus told the parable of the five wise (thoughtful, discreet, with practical skill or acumen) and the five foolish (dull, stupid, blockhead) virgins who knew the bridegroom was expected, but the foolish virgins did not have oil for their lamps, and therefore missed the bridegroom's sudden coming (Mt. 25:1-7). Oil always represents the Holy Spirit, and this parable of Christ's teaches that the Holy Spirit is essential for all believers to have in order to meet the Bridegrrom when He comes. All believers should understand the importance of having the Holy Spirit, especially on this feast day of the LORD, Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is also directly connected with having knowledge: "But ye have an unction (anointing: the special endowment of the Holy Spirit) from the Holy One, and ye know all things." (1 Jn. 2:20). Paul pointed out that it was necessary for believers to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. He came across new believers in Ephesus who had never heard of the Holy Spirit, nor the baptsm of the Holy Spirit. They had only been baptized in John's baptism, the baptism of repentance. Even John the Baptist referred to the coming Christ, and His baptism of fire that would come after John, and was greater than John. As Paul laid hands on the Ephesian believers, the twelve men received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They began to speak with tongues and prophesy (Acts 19:1-7). Yet, there are those who will argue and try to persuade agqinst the promise of God, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, or the evidence for the Shroud of Turin, and the men and women of God who teach the truth of His Word. Their intention is to stir up (meaning "destroy") the people to prevent them from receiving the truth (Acts 17:13-15). However, all people, including believers in Christ, are urged by the Word of God to search the scriptures for themselves to see if persuasive arguments are true or not. This is considered a noble act by the Lord (Acts 17:10-12). When Jesus opens the scriptures to us as we search them, our eyes are opened in amazement, and we are convinced that we have received the knowledge of the Lord (Lk. 24:27-32). *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 5/23/21 message to the church. To contact: PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and at endtimeschool.com

The Ketubah and the Heart of God*

Tonight begins Shavuot on the Jewish Calendar, also known as Pentecost in the Greek. The Jewish people associate Shavuot with the giving of the Torah, and the Christians associate Pentecost with the giving of the Holy Spirit. In the giving of the Torah to His people, God was establishing a marriage covenant, or ketubah, with them. It is especially important to be aware of God's marriage covenant with Israel at this time. Many are reporting that war is imminent between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza. Rocket attacks are being exchanged daily. God's Word has been prophetic regarding the attacks of the surrounding nations upon Israel, especially Jerusalem, and His promise to Israel: "And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it...The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah." (Zech. 12:3, 7). Judah is "the people of praise". Who is Judah but all of the people who praise God. The Church does not replace Israel in this meaning, but the Church joins together with Israel. Israel, the Jew, is not defined by the outward appearance, or outward circumcision, but by the inward circumcision of the heart (Rom. 2:28-29). God's promise to Israel, to Judah, to Jerusalem is a marriage promise. This promise includes the marriage of His Son. In Zechariah 12, the LORD promises that the house of David and Jerusalem, in a spirit of grace and supplications "...shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn" (v. 10). The LORD promises to refine them through the fire, and "...they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God." (Zech. 13:9). This is the essence of the marriage covenant between God and His people. This is God's covenant promise: "...blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." (Rom. 11:25-27). The LORD states His marriage to Israel clearly:"Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you...and I will bring you to Zion: And I will give you pastors (shepherds) according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowldege and understanding." (Jer. 3:14-15). The LORD promises that He will restore the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride to the land. Those voices will cry, "Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever...I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness (Messiah) to grow up unto David...In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness." (Jer. 33:11-16). When the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride are removed from the land, the land becomes desolate, but when those voices are restored, the land is again inhabited. The new covenant is also a marriage covenant: "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers...which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them...But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel...I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." (Jer. 31:31-33). Revelation prophesies of the Marriage of the Lamb, and His wife that has made herself ready (Rev. 19:7-9). The New Jerusalem will come down from God out of heaven "like a bride adorned for her husband". When it comes down, the cry goes out, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them, and be their God." (Rev. 21:1-3). Here again is repeated part of that marriage promise we read in Zechariah. It was also part of the same marriage promise of God when Jesus said, "And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." (Lk. 24:49). This promise from God was fulfilled on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon those who waited in the Upper Room (Acts 2). The marriage covenant of God includes the Holy Swpirit dwelling within each believer, rather than playing "church as usual". Our marriage to Christ has a purpose: "...ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him that is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." (Rom. 7:3-4). In her marriage to Christ, the Church brings for fruit unto God. Fruitfulness is the purpose and product of our marriage to Christ. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 5/16/21 message to the church. To contact: PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and at Endtimeschool.com

Mother's Day 2021*

Mother's Day carries a very important message for the Body of Christ. From the very beginning, the LORD gave Adam revelation concerning mothers. The name that Adam gave his wife was a prophetic name. God had told Adam and his wife that she would bear children, even though she had not yet had a child. Because of this prophetic promise, Adam named her "Eve": "And Adam called his wife's name Eve (meaning "life, living"); because she was the mother of all living." (Gen. 3:20). Adam believed the word of the LORD in naming Eve. There are many examples of women in scripture who had been barren, but were later able to bear children because God "opened her womb" (Gen. 29:39, 30:22). In fact, God made a promise to His people, both male and female regarding the ability to bear or bring forth: "Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle." (Deut. 7:14). The blessing of fruitfulness (v. 13) was not limited by gender. Males received the same prophetic promise. Those in Christ walk in this truth as well: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:28). We are all familiar with the miracle of the conception of Jesus. The angel prophesied to Mary, a young unmarried woman, that she had found favor with the Lord, and would have a child, a son: "And behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus (in Hebrew-Yeshua, or Salvation). He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon (eperchomai- supervene, overtake, to come upon) thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow (episkiazo- envelop in a haze of brilliancy, a shining cloud surrounding and eveloping persons with brightness; root meaning: an image cast by the interception of light) thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Lk. 1:31-35). The miraculous conception would be accomplished by the power of God through the Holy Ghost. We can also see that in the meaning of the words used, brilliancy, light, and brightness, is involved. We will see more of this later. In Mary's case, she was also informed by the angel that her cousin, Elizabeth, who had been barren, had also conceived a son in her old age (Lk. 1:36). Jesus talked about this same power of the Holy Spirit to His disciples, who were men. As Jesus gave them His Great Commision to preach and teach the Gospel, the repentance and remission of sins in His name, to all nations, He added: "And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued (endyo- to sink into (clothing), arrayed in) with power from on high." (Lk. 24:46-49). Jesus again mentioned this power to His disciples in Acts: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come (the same word, "eperchomai", see above, as was used by the angel to Mary) upon you (: and ye shall be witnesses unto me...and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8). The disciples needed to be "endued" from above, by the Holy Spirit, just as Mary needed to be come upon by the same power, in order to go forth in the Great Commission and be fruitful in the preaching of the Gospel. As the angel explained to Mary, being "overshadowed" by the Holy Spirit in order to become fruitful involves great light or brilliancy, according to the Greek word episkiazo used. The same power was involved in both cases. We can also see the importance of "brilliancy, and brightness", in Jesus' parable of the ten virgins. It was only the five wise virgins, having enough oil (always associated with the Holy Spirit) in their lamps for light, who would enter into the marriage celebration with the bridegroom. The five foolish (without oil for light) would be locked out when "the door was shut"(Mt. 25:1-10). The same shining brilliance is described by Daniel of the "wise ones" in the last days who know their God and DO (great exploits), even in the time of extreme tribulation (Dan. 11:32-35). Daniel also described the wise as shining: "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they shall turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." (Dan. 12:3). Isaiah prophesied the promise of God this way: "Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing and cry loud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shalt break forth...and make the desolate cities to be inhabited." (Isa. 54:1-3). The promise of God to come upon, to endue, to overshadow and empower with the Holy Spirit is to all wo are in Christ, male and female. None of God's people are to be barren any longer, but to be given power to increase, and to be fruitful. *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 5/9/21 message to the church. To contact: PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 or Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com Look for us on Facebook, Twitter, and endtimeschool.com

Birth Pangs and Appointed Times*

There is an increased amount of signs of the (end) times: Pestilence, increased wickedness, etc.. These signs that have been prophesied in scripture are like the birth pangs of the return of the Lord. Birth pangs are an indication that you are about to be delivered when they occur in the natural, and the same is true in the Spirit. However, the Church has for the most part ignored these signs and appointed times of the Lord's return. As Jesus met with His disciples after His resurrection and gave to them The Great Commission, it was at an appointed time and place: "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain, where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world (age)." (Mt. 28:16-20). Even while seeing Jesus at this appointed time and place on the mountain in Galilee, we notice that some of the disciples doubted. Doubt and unbelief are also present today in the Church regarding the return of Christ. Regarding another appointed time and place, Jesus assembled with His disciples, and instructed them to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come upon them, as promised by the Father (Acts 1:4-5). They began to question Him if it was at this time that He would restore the Kingdom. He answered, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (v. 7-8). While the disciples did not receive a specific date regarding the restoration of the Kingdom of God from Jesus, the fact that He spoke of the future outpouring of the Holy Spirit in answer to their question, connected the outpouring and the coming Kingdom. This meant that the outpouring was both a sign, and an enpowerment of them to do the work of The Great Commission, that Jesus had spoken to them about earlier (see Mt. 28 above). After speaking with them, Jesus then ascended into heaven into a cloud from the mount upon which He had met them, Mt. Olivet. Two men in white apparel then said to the disciples, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." (v. 9-12). This is the appointed place of the return of the Lord, from the clouds onto the Mount of Olives, not only as promised at this time by the two men in white, but as prophesied in both the Old and New Testaments. On an earlier occasion when questioned about the timing of His return and the end of the age, Jesus began describing to His disciples, again from the Mount of Olives, the signs or "birth pangs" that would indicate that the appointed time was approaching (Mt. 24:3). Jesus again said that only His Father knew the day and hour, "But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." (v. 36-39). Jesus described the wicked in Noah's day being removed. He then described a similar and specific removal that will take place before His return (v. 40-41). This "removal" was taught by Jesus to be of the same kind as experienced by the wicked during the flood. Up until that moment in Noah's time, life continued "as usual", with most being unaware that the moment would soon be upon them. His warning regarding this appointed time: "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come...Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man cometh." (v. 42,44). Since most of the Church today lives as if Jesus is not about to return, this again is one of the signs of the appointed timing of His return. This kind of indifferent attitude, along with getting caught up with the wickedness and cares of this world, causes that day to come upon you unawares (Lk. 21:34). Jesus describes it as a "snare" that will come upon all of them that dwell upon the face of the whole earth (v. 35). "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (v. 36). When warning of these things, Jesus taught in the temple during the day, and dwelled upon Mount Olivet at night. The Jewish understanding of the history of man on the earth is broken down into 2,000 year periods totaling 6,000 years, as patterned after the six days of creation, and a seventh day of rest, which is also referred to by the Apostle Peter (2 Pet. 3:8): First 2,000 years= Age of Chaos, before the Torah; Second 2,000 years= the Age of the Torah, and living by the Law; Third 2,000 years= the Age of Messiah. The last 1,000 years is the Sabbath rest of the Kingdom. The prophet Daniel also wrote of the events of the last days, even specifically in numbers of years, and even days. As he prophesied the events, Daniel was told, "...for the time appointed, the end shall be", and "...the time of the end, because it is yet for a time appointed." (Dan. 8:19, 11:35). The end time events that we are now seeing, and the return of Jesus Christ, are not set for a vague time in future history, but these things are set for an appointed time, even appointed specific places, as spoken by the apostles, prophets, and Jesus Himself, so that God's people will be aware and prepared. We are not meant to be overtaken, indifferent, ignorant, or spiritually asleep regarding these apponted times and places. *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 5/2/21 message to the Church. To contact: PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com Find us also on Facebook, Twitter and endtimeschool.com