Rejoice in the LORD*

This week, the Feast of Tabernacles ends after a seven day observance. The next day, the Eighth Day, is Shemini Atzeret. The eighth day is also called Simchat Torah, or "Rejoice in the Torah": "Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein." (Lev. 23:36). It is interesting to know that acording to Jewish custom, a marriage supper doesn't occur until after the newly married couple enters their chamber for seven days at the time of the wedding. On the eighth day following the marriage, the bridegroom brings the bride out of the chamber for the marriage supper celebration. The Eighth Day is a time for rejoicing. Eight is also the number of "new beginnings". The phrase "Rejoice in the LORD" occurs thirty-six times in scripture. From the New Testament: "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord...Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Phil 3:1, 4:4-7). A type of shutting in, like that which occurs for seven days within the wedding chamber mentioned above, appears in prophetic scripture, and again, it leads to rejoicing: "...Thy dead men shall live together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust...and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For behold, the LORD cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." (Isa. 26:17-21, excerpt). These verses speak of the raising of the dead, and the punishment of the wicked, while the LORD's people are enclosed safely in their chambers with the doors shut. We see this also with Noah being shut up in the ark, with God Himself shutting the door. In this way, Noah was kept in safety while the earth was flooded in judgment of the wicked. The parable told by Jesus of the five foolish virgins who were unprepared for the arrival of the bridegroom (Mt. 25), found that they were left outside the shut door as a result. Isaiah prophesies of a strong city in Judah, whose walls and defenses are salvation. Its gates are open to the entrance of the righteous nation that keeps the truth. For those who trust in the LORD, there is perfect peace and everlasting strength (Isa. 26:1-4). In this, Isaiah wrote that he will exalt and praise God: "And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine...well refined. He will destroy in this mountain...the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the LORD God will wipe away tears from off all faces...And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us...we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." (Isa. 25:1-9 excerpt). There is also great rejoicing regarding the coming marriage of the Lamb: "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints....Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb...These are the true sayings of God." (Rev. 19:7-9). In these verses, first we have the marriage of the Lamb, and then the marriage supper of the Lamb. This fits into the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, and the rejoicing on the Eighth Day, following it. Rejoicing also accompanies the anticipation of the coming of the LORD: "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee...And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again." (Zech. 2:10-13, excerpt). As the LORD promise here to "dwell in the midst" of His people, this is the essence of the Feast of Tabernacles. The LORD will not forget His promises to Israel, Judah and Jerusalem, of which we see one example here in these verses. The Church does not replace Israel in the plan and promises of God, although this false "Replacement Theology" doctrine is believed today by some. The LORD will fulfill His Word regarding Israel and Jerusalem, and all of the nations of the earth will also be benefitted as a result. The LORD is jealous for His land, and its people: "Thus saith the LORD, I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain." (Zech. 8:1-3). Through this fall feast season, we have come through a time of fasting, self-examination and repentance, as found in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. From that cleansing, we enter into the rejoicing of Tabernacles and Shemini Atzeret, the Eighth Day. The prophet Joel wrote of the same thing. The people were to call a solemn assembly to seek the LORD with their whole hearts, fasting with weeping and mourning (Joel 2:12-17). Even the bridegroom and the bride were to come out of their marriage chamber to join the assembly in repentance. As a result of this repentance of His people, the LORD would turn again and have jealousy for His land, and pity upon His people. He will bless with abundance, and restore what was destroyed (v. 18-25). Joel wrote: "Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things...Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God..." (v. 21, 23). After this, the LORD gave His great prophecy where He promises: "I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh...I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth...before the great and terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call." (v. 28-32). The LORD also promises that in that day, He will bring back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem (Joel 3:1). We do not react and judge based upon current outward appearances, but we bring all thoughts and imaginations into the obedience of Christ, who is the Word of God (see 2 Cor. 10:1-7). It is time to rejoice in the LORD: "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." (Hab. 3:18). Are we going to believe the report of the WORD, or the report of the world? *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 9/26/21 message to the church. To contact us, to make a prayer request, to give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX 76705, or by email at Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us, including the complete video of this message, on Facebook and Twitter. You can find information about Dr. Stevenson's newest book, "NAZAH: White Linen and the Blood of Sprinkling" at endtimeschool.com.

All Things Continue*

Monday evening begins the Feast of Tabernacles, followed by Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the Torah). The seven days of Tabernacles is related to the marriage supper of the Lamb, when the Bride is shut up with the Messiah for seven days as practiced by wedding couples. In the natural, a bride puts much preparation into her wedding dress, and the wedding plans. However, it is troubling to see that the Bride of Christ is not paying attention to the approaching wedding date, and the preparation that should accompany it. Revelation 19:7 tells us that the bride has made herself ready, but if all things remain the same, then we're missing something. Why are we not preparing? The apostle Peter wrote that there would be scoffers, though they are willfully ignorant, who know the Word of God, and recognize that there was a creation. These scoffers, walking in their own lusts, make the observation, "Where is the promise of his (Christ's) coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." (2 Pet. 3:4). These scoffers, who have knowledge of God, deliberately overlook that fact that not all things have indeed continued the same since creation, but the world was subject at one point to the judgment of God by the flood. This time, Peter wrote, the judgment against ungodly men will not be by flood, but by fire. (v. 5-7). The Lord does not rush into judgment, causing some to relax and go back to life as usual: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all (Jesus told us to take the Gospel to all nations) should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night..." (v.9-10). In this event, Peter wrote, the heavens will pass away, the elements, the earth and its works will be melted and burnt. Considering these things, Peter asked the church a question: "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation (behavior, manner of life) and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." (v. 11-13). This is the weaving and preparing of our wedding garment - knowing the truth of the prophecy of God concerning these coming events, and showing this knowledge in our behavior and manner: our lifestyle. We show our faith by our works, as James wrote. When the Pharisees demanded of Jesus to tell them when the kingdom of God would come, He answered that the kingdom was not in any physical place, but "the kingdom of God is within you." (Lk. 17:21). Jesus pointed out that up until the moment when Lot was removed from Sodom, and the door of the ark shut Noah in, life went on as it normally did: the people married, they ate and drank. Life seemed unchanging, as the scoffers of Peter had said. However, sudden catastrophe came: "Even thus it shall be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." (v. 26-30). Again, Peter pointed out how God's people should not be behaving with the same indifferenace: "...be sober...as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (behavior, manner); Because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy." (1 Pet. 1:13-16). Our lifestyle is a witness to unbelievers, saving some as we will see. Our lifestyle is to reflect our calling in Christ as a "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light..." (1 Pet. 2:9). Peter explained that even as others may not believe, or may speak against us, even treating us as evil-doers, "...they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." (v. 11-12). Our manner of life as a result of our preparation in faith can have a great impact on the unbeliever and the scorner (see also 1 Pet. 3:14-16). The divine power of God has given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, that we may be partakers of the divine nature, escaping the lust and corruption of the world. (see 2 Pet. 1:3-4). Becoming partakers of the divine nature is a progressive walk, that we determine to begin and to continue:"...giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (v. 5-8). Paul also wrote concerning these same things: "...the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off conserning the former conversation (behavior, manner of life) the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness...Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Eph. 4:21-32). Our manner, behavior, and godly lifestyle, based upon our belief in the promises of God, not only affect our own wedding preparation for the day of Christ and the marriage supper, but also have an effect on a world that wrongly believes that "all things continue as they were". *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 9/19/21 message to the church. To contact, request prayer, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and endtimeschool.com.

The Great Trumpet and the Feast of Atonement*

Yom Kippur, or the Feast of Atonement, is approaching this week. There is a great trumpet that plays a role in this feast. The Atonement is also often referred to as the "At-One-Ment", where man is reconciled with God by the blood of Atonement, which in the fulfillment of this feast, is the blood of Jesus. Adam and Eve had this "oneness" in their relationship with God in the garden, walking and talking with Him, before they disobeyed God and fell. The prophet Isaiah connected the reconciliation in man's relationship with God with the sound of a great trumpet: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river into the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem." (Isa. 27:12-13). The coming of Christ is also described with the same great trumpet: "Immediately after the tribulation...the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." (Mt. 24:29-31). As Isaiah referred to a threshing and gathering of Israel at the sound of the great trumpet, Jesus also taught of a gathering done at the sound of a great blast of a trumpet. The Feast of Atonement is the call to examine ourselves, and to come back into the status of righteousness in God: "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth...Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright." (Ps. 11:3-7). We are seeing the nation's foundations being destroyed, more each day. This affects the righteousness of the nation. The LORD's temple is holy, and we read in scripture that His temple is a living temple, and that we are that living temple of God. The wicked will suffer great snares and punishments, while the countenance, or face, of the LORD is turned to the righteous. The Word of God tells us to "seek His face". This time leading up to the Day of Atonement is the time to seek the LORD's face. The verses from the Psalms above point out the important role played in the life of the righteous by "the foundations". The foundation not only establishes the steadiness and squareness of a building, but unifies the components that are being built together upon it. The apostle Paul wrote concerning the foundation of this living holy temple of God: "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth into a holy temple in the Lord: In whom you also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit." (Eph. 2:19-22, see also 1 Cor. 3:9-11). The building being constructed is the holy temple of God, and it is built upon the foundation of the Word of God established by the apostles and prophets, with Christ being the cornerstone. This holy temple cannot be constructed on any other type of foundation. The components being united in this building according to the verses above are Israel and the Gentiles. The Gentiles were strangers and aliens without the covenant of promise, and without the hope of God (v. 11-14). However, now through the blood of Jesus Christ, the barrier between the two peoples, and between the Gentiles and God, has been dissolved. From these separated parts, Jesus has made one new man, reconciled together into one body by the work of the cross (v. 15-16). This is the Atonement that reconciles and unites into One. Why then is the Church so divided? Instead of building upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with the cornerstone being Christ, many churches have been built on the interpretations and doctrines of men. Ephesians 4:11-16 states that the ministers that have been supplied to the Church by Jesus, which include apostles and prophets as well as many other gifts of ministry (see 1 Cor. 12:27-28 also), cause the Body of Christ to be edified to do the work of the ministry, and perfected until the Church comes into "the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ...". This necessary foundation of the apostles and prophets has not passed away, although some in the Church erroneously believe that it has. The Church still is not unified, or perfected, nor has it attained the full stature of Christ. This foundation, as gifted to us by Christ, is to prevent us from being like children, "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." (v. 14). We see this today, as so many believers are deceived into following strange and divisive doctrines. The Lord wants us to be established in truth (v. 15), if we are to grow up into our Head, and the Head of all things, Jesus Christ. This is the purpose in the Atonement. The apostle Peter urged the Church to remember their foundation, "...the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour." (2 Peter 3:1-2). Keeping this foundation is especially important to the Church in these laat days, according to Peter, as pressure mounts to follow false doctrines, and having to face the challenges to truth from scoffers. The great trumpet of the Day of Atonement, like the great trumpet that is sounded at the return of Christ, is to cause the Church, the Bride, to unite with the Holy Spirit in saying to all who hear, to all who thirst, and to the Lord Himself, "Come" (Rev. 22:17, 20). The Book of Revelation also warns that the words of prophecy in this book cannot be added to, or removed, without severe consequences from plague to removal from the book of life for the one who does so (Rev. 22:18-19). These are the consequences for those who would destroy the true foundation, and the goal of Atonement - unity with God in Christ, unity with each other in the Body as the holy temple of God, and unity of the faith: "At-One-Ment". *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 9/12/21 message to the Church. To contact us, submit a prayer request or praise report, or to support the ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and endtimeschool.com.

The Jubilee of Release*

This will be a challenging, but rewarding message. A prophetic pattern is established in the feasts of the LORD, as we have seen. It should also be kept in mind that the Israelites had an agricultural society, and the feasts incorporated this fact. Leviticus Chapter 23 describes the feasts of the LORD, including the fall feasts (v. 23-44), which begin in two days. The Feast of Trumpets, the first fall feast appointed by the LORD, begins on the first day of the month. There is to be a blowing of trumpets, or shofars, as well as a Sabbath rest from work on this day. On the tenth day of the same month is the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. This is a somber day, treated as a Sabbath also, with no work to be done, spent in the affliction of the soul. Anyone who does not afflict his soul, nor observes a Sabbath rest on the Day of Atonement, would be cut off from his people. Of this feast, the LORD said, "Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings." (v. 31). On the fifteenth day of the same month, the Feast of Tabernacles begins, and lasts for seven days. The first and eighth days of this feast are Sabbaths, doing no work, and booths were to be built from pleasant tree branches. Each family was to dwell in the booth during the seven days of the feast. These booths were to be reminders that the LORD had His people to dwell in booths after He brought them out of Egypt, and during the years in the wilderness. This feast was connected to harvest time. For all of the feasts, special burnt offerings were to be brought to the LORD in addition to the offerings that were usually given. The LORD's feasts are appointed times that the congregation was called to observe. There were other appointed times as well, however. One of these appointed times involved a year-long Jubilee of release that would occur every fiftieth year: "Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family." (Lev. 25:9-10). Although the Day of Atonement is a solemn feast, in the fiftieth year, that day becomes a day of rejoicing. It is the Jubilee! As Jesus is our atonement, and the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, we will see later how Jesus incorporated the Jubilee into His teaching also. There was to be a year-long Sabbath rest for the land during this Jubilee year also, neither sowing nor reaping, but eating of the increase of the field. Regarding the land, the LORD said, "The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye were strangers and sojourners with me. And in all the land for your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land." (v. 23-24). Land given into the hands of another could be redeemed back and restored into the possession of the original owner. If that original owner could not pay the redemption price, then in the year of Jubilee, the land must still be restored to the original owner (v. 24-28). If a man has sold himself into bondservice, there is a redemption price for him as well. If he, or a relative on his behalf, cannot pay the redemption price, he shall be able to go out, released, in the year of Jubilee (v. 48-55). The Jubilee year, and the price of redemption are established because of the deliverance that the LORD performed when He brought His people up out of the land of Egypt. In these verses, the LORD established the principle of redemption from debt and servitude. In addition to the possibility of redemption, the fiftieth year Jubilee would restore all to their possessions and liberty. We know that the Israelites did not observe the seventh year or fiftieth year Sabbath rests. Scripture reveals that because of this and other transgressions from the priests on down, the nation was conquered, the people were taken into captivity, the house of God was destroyed, and the vessels of the temple were carried away (2 Chron. 36:14-19). In this manner, the LORD enforced the Sabbath rest of the land as commanded by God: "And them that had escaped from the sword carried he (Nebuchadnezzar) away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: To fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years." (v. 20-21). The alternative to the Sabbath rest of the land, as commanded by God and forwarned by the prophets, was the sword and captivity. Daniel wrote that the same seventy years of Jeremiah referred to above, would not just be fulfilled by the captivity and return of Israel from Babylon, but would also play a part in the appointed times of the Messiah, and end time events. The Law of the seventh year Sabbath, and the fiftieth year Jubilee of release still plays a part in heavenly and world events. As mentioned earlier, we also know that the redemption price, release, and restoration found in the pattern established in these special Sabbath years, are also found embodied in Christ, and His teachings. As Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He included in this prayer, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors..." (Mt. 6:10-12). The fact that we are told to forgive other's debts in order for our debts to be forgiven is the Jubilee concept. Forgiveness of others for their harm to us, for their physical and spiritual unpaid debts to us, is a vitally important but often difficult thing to do, but it is required of us as we want God's forgiveness in our lives. Jesus taught again about the requirement of forgiveness (v. 14-15), and also spoke that our treasures or possessions are to be those that are laid up in heaven, in the kingdom of God, rather than in the earth (v. 19-21, 33). In Jubilee, we are returned to our possessions. If our possessions are in heaven and of the kingdom of God, then we must be returned to heaven in either resurrection, or the catching away of believers alive, the Rapture. As with the seventh Sabbath year, and the fiftieth Sabbath year, or Jubilee, Jesus told His listeners to "...take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink?, or, Wherewithall shall we be clothed?...for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (v. 31-33). These are also the assurances of God to His people who keep His appointed Sabbath years. He assures His people that they will not lack in the Sabbath years, but will be provided for by Him in abundance. Not only did Jesus fulfill the Atonement, and the Jubilee, but He also fulfilled the redemption price requirement associated with these appointed times. The prophet Zechariah wrote the Word of the LORD concerning a redemption price of thirty pieces of silver, and regarding this price: "cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD." (Zech. 11:12-13). This prophecy of the price of redemption was fulfilled in Judas' betrayal of Christ to the religious rulers for thirty pieces of silver. When he tried to return the silver in regret and repentance, the rulers would not accept the silver because it was "the price of blood", and instead bought "Potter's Field" for the burial of strangers. (Mt. 26:14-16, 27:3-10). As Jesus died on the cross, He made a final statement after receiving the vinegar He was given to drink. He said, "It is finished" (Jn. 19:28-30). The word used here as "finished" is the Greek word teleo, which means "finish, end, complete, pay (of tribute), discharge a debt". Jesus paid the redemption price to release us from what we owed, to discharge our debt. Jesus fulfilled the Jubilee, and continues to fulfill it. Based upon the appointed times of God, Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 9/5/21 message to the church. To contact us, to submit a prayer request, to give a praise report, to support the ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and endtimeschool.com.