Search the Scriptures*

In Acts 17, a special group of people in Berea were mentioned as those to whom Paul preached the Gospel. They were commended in this regard: "These (Bereans) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed...". (Acts 17:11-12). The Bereans looked through what we call the Old Testament scriptures to verify what Paul was telling them about Christ and His suffering and resurrection (see v. 2-3). These scriptures caused them to believe. Jesus also said: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." (Jn. 5:39). If we search the scriptures, we will find Jesus. On this same occasion, Jesus spoke of His unbreakable connection to His Father in heaven: "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth who he will...Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man." (v. 21-27). Jesus also spoke of the two parts of judgment: "...the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice; and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." (v. 28-29). There is a judgment for all. For those who believe in Christ, and live according to that belief and do good, eternal life awaits them. If we will search the scriptures, we will find that David spoke about this in Psalm 23. He spoke of experiencing the "shadow of death" without fear. Death has become just a shadow, rather than the reality, for those who believe and know the LORD as their Shepherd. Paul wrote, referring to the prophecy of Isaiah (64:4), that man has not seen, heard, nor understood the wonderful things that God has prepared for them that love Him. These things are revealed to us only by His Spirit: "...for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God." (1 Cor. 2:9-11). As we search the scriptures, the Spirit of God also searches on our behalf, to reveal to us those things that only God knows. Peter gives us an interesting look into how this mystery of Christ is revealed by the Spirit. He wrote to those who had never seen Jesus Christ, yet believed, and connected this to the prophets: "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow." (1 Peter 1:8-11). It was the Spirit of God that revealed Christ to the prophets, not for their sakes alone, but to benefit us later. The very things that the prophets saw ahead by their diligent search of the Spirit of God, are the things that were revealed to us many centuries later for our salvation. We received this revealed Word by the same Holy Spirit sent from heaven for that purpose (v. 12). David, searching the Spirit of God, was given a prophetic revelation in Psalm 22, of Christ's suffering and crucifixion, a form of execution not invented until seven hundred years later by the Persians. Search the scriptures, and search the Holy Spirit as the prophets, the Bereans, and David did, and you will also find the Person of Jesus Christ, as Jesus said. This kind of revelation is to keep our minds, our soberness, and our hope, until the appearance of Jesus again (v. 13). Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 2:25-31) the prophetic revelation of the resurrected Jesus given to David. David wrote this revelation in Psalm 16: "I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (v. 8-11). Peter said that David was both dead and buried (the Upper Room of Acts 2 is located above the Tomb of David), but, speaking to us as a prophet, and according to the promise which God had sworn to him, David was speaking of the Messiah to come, who would be the fruit of his loins, of his flesh, in a future generation of David's, to be raised from the dead incorruptible, and seated on David's throne (Acts 2:29-31). Those who search the scriptures are kept and made strong in the discovery of the prophetic promises and their sovereign fulfillment. Ezekiel prophesied of this same King and Shepherd, whom he called "David", even though David was dead long before this prophetic word came forth: "...Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen...and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation...; and one king shall be king to them all...I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them." (Ezek. 37:21-24). The LORD also prophesied the everlasting covenant of peace that He will make with His people, and of His sanctuary that will be in the midst of them forever (v. 26). This refers to the millennial reign of Christ. The prophecy regarding David as their King and Shepherd immediately follows a prophecy shown to Ezekiel in which God will unite as one, Ephraim, the son of Joseph, and a tribe of Israel, and Judah, another tribe of Israel. Joseph's son Ephraim, meaning "doubly fruitful", was born of a Gentile mother in Egypt. The name's feminine form, Ephratah, refers to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, and the place where the Passover lambs are pastured during the year. The Book of Revelation confirms the prophecy of Ezekiel, and David as well: "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful." Rev. 21:3-5). Serch the scriptures, for His Word is indeed true and faithful. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 8/28/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and endtimeschool, also on Facebook.

The Prayer For These Times*

Considering the times in which we are living, a quote from one of our nation's founders, Thomas Paine, is very appropriate: "These are the times that try men’s souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." from The American Crisis, 1775. These words apply not only to physical hardships, but to spiritual struggles as well. There is an ongoing struggle for spiritual fullness and maturity in the Body of Christ. The prayer that speaks to our goal of the fullness of Christ was prayed by Jesus, Himself, for His disciples, but also for those who would later believe as a result of His disciples' Word, which includes us (Jn. 17:20). Jesus had a vision for His believers, and He prayed accordingly to His Father in heaven, and that prayer is especially timely for all of us today who believe in Him. Jesus had been preparing His disciples for the coming tribulation, and then said: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (Jn. 16:33). Jesus then prayed to His Father that His hour had come (to die), and asked Him to glorify His Son, so His Son might glorify Him. The Father had given Jesus authority over all flesh so that Jesus should give eternal life to all who were given to Him (Jn. 17:1-3). Jesus prayed to His Father about the glory that He had with the Father from the beginning, and that He had finished the work which the Father had sent Him to do (v. 4-5). The presence of Jesus was in the very beginning of the Book of Genesis, and is found within the Hebrew language used in chapter 1 and verse 1 for the word "God", in the phrase "In the beginning God...". This word "God" is written as Elohim-aleph tav. The "aleph tav" is the same as the Greek "Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, ...the beginning and the end", by which Jesus is identified in the Book of Revelation. John Ch. 1 also identifies Jesus as the Word of, in, and with God at the beginning of creation. As Jesus continued to pray to His Father, He said: "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world...they have kept thy word." (v. 6). In His prayer to the Father, Jesus spoke repeatedly of the Word, the glory, the Father's Name, the truth, and the love which had been received by His disciples from Him, as they had believed Him (v. 8-19). This was the finished work Jesus spoke of to the Father which was accomplished through Him: "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me...the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." (v. 21-23). Our oneness with Jesus and the Father brings the believers into the fullness and perfection needed, not only for our own spiritual life, but as an illustration of the truth of Jesus and the Father to the world. This is the purpose of the new birth, to become one with Jesus in our hearts, yet, we see divisions within the Church and the individual believers over political and social issues, race, and doctrines. The apostle Paul in Ephesians 4 also wrote about the connection that the unity in Christ has with the fullness of Christ: "And he gave some, apostles;and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge (epiginosko (Grk) - to know thoroughly and accurately, to recognize, to perceive who a person is) of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ..." (Eph. 4:11-13). The Body of Christ has difficulty accepting the ministry of apostles and prophets, but they are appointed by God until the Body becomes unified, perfect and full in the stature of Christ. We have not attained these goals in Christ yet. We are not to be separated and pulled away by deceiving doctrines of cunning men (v. 14). We are to speak the truth in love, and we also increase and edify the Body of Christ in love, Paul wrote (v. 15-16). The new birth produces a new man, who walks in righteousness and holiness, putting away the ways and thoughts of the old, corrupt man. We can walk in it by the renewing of the spirit of our minds (v. 17-24, also Phil. 3:13). We press, like Paul, toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. This is the path we walk to perfection. It is in Christ. (Phil. 3:12-16). Jesus prayed to the Father about His disciples becoming one in Him as He was one with the Father. Paul wrote of this as being his ministry, which fulfills the Word of God: "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory...that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." (Col. 1:24-29). This is not accomplished by religion, but through the mystery that was not known before Christ prayed it: Oneness in Christ and His glory, Who is one with the Father and His glory. This newly manifested knowledge of God and of the Father, and of Christ, causes us to be knitted together in love. (Col. 2:1-2). Paul wrote: "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." (v. 6-7). Again Paul wrote, "...put on the new man", and that new man, who is renewed in knowledge and in the image of Him that created him, is not divided by racial, ethnic, cultural or social considerations because "Christ is all, and in all." (Col. 3:10-11). This renewing knowledge must change our attitudes and behavior, as our walk is a walk in Christ, where the Word of Christ dwells in us richly (see v. 12-17). Peter wrote that we were to humble ourselves before God, and resist the devil with our brethren, as God has called us into His eternal glory by Christ Jesus (1 Peter 5:6-11). In this we join a great multitude in heaven from among all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues who came out, and will come out, of great tribulation and now stand before the Lamb of God clothed in white robes. They have washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:9-13). This is the prayer of Jesus to His Father for all of us, and for this time. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 8/21/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and endtimeschool, also on Facebook.

Truth And Lies*

The Nazis, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels, are often quoted as having said that if you tell and repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it. They said that truth was the mortal enemy of a lie, so truth is therefore the mortal enemy of the state. This philosophy of governing worked successfully for them for a while until it didn't! There are still people today that believe a lie and deny that the holocaust ever happened, ignoring the proven facts of history. Our own history is filled with ommissions and lies about the land grab from Native Americans and their genocide, slavery, and the violent destruction recorded in history of several black towns and communities. Anti-Semitism, even among so-called Christian groups, is on the rise. Although we profess to be "one nation under God", it must be asked because of current conditions and past history, "What god are people under?!". Political "talking heads" on both sides lie for their own agendas. Scripture says that "all men are liars" (Ps. 116:11), so how can we tell who is telling the truth? The Apostle Paul wrote that the Jews have an advantage in every way because God committed to them His oracles, which is His Word, the Truth, even if some did not believe. The Word is still here, preserved because of them, and faith in God is still in effect. Paul wrote, "...yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." (Rom. 3:1-4). He also wrote that, contrary to those who had twisted his words, he has proved both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin: "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one; There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God...there is none that doeth good, no, not one" (v. 8-12). Mouths are full of poison, deceit, cursing, and bitterness, Paul continued: "Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes." (v. 13-18). We must acknowledge that these are the ways of men today also. Abortion and same-sex marriages are justified as righteousness, liberty and freedom in the eyes of men. However, the truth is this: If it is against the Word of God, it is a lie, no matter how many men say the lie, nor how often the lie might be repeated, as Goebbels encouraged governments to do. Proverbs says that there are six things which God hates, and seven are an abomination to Him: "...A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren." (Prov. 6:16-19). A form of lying occurs twice on the short list from Proverbs. All of these things are more prevalent than ever before, and God still calls His people, not the wicked of the world, to repentance: "If My people...". (2 Chron. 7:14). The prophet Malachi asked a question that mirrors a statement of Jesus (Lk. 21:36): "But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope:...and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness." (Mal. 3:2-3). In order for the purification and restoration to be fulfilled, the LORD said that He would come near to them in judgment: "...and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." (v. 5-6). Among those that will be dealt with in the judgment of purification are false swearers, a type of liar. As the Lord establishes His reign on the earth, and dwells among His people, He promises that sorrow and death shall be ended, because "...the former things are passed away...Behold, I make all things new..." (Rev. 21:1-5). He also makes promises to the righteous in Him and the unrighteous who are without Him: "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death...And there shall in no wise enter into it (the holy city, new Jerusalem, which descends out of heaven) any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomintion, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." (v. 7-8, 27). These, including all liars, will not enter into the new Jerusalem, and will face instead the second death of eternal fiery judgment. However, Jesus said of those who believe in Him, and therefore having part in the first resurrection, "on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God, and shall reign with him a thousand years." (Rev. 20:6). The law of Moses carries the command of God regarding the reparations and restorations that a liar, who harmed others with his lie, must make to those he harmed, before he may bring the required trespass offering to the LORD. Only then, was the priest to make atonement for him to restore him (Lev. 6:1-5). Jesus spoke often of the importance of truth to life. He told those who listened to Him that they were of this world, and He was not of this world, but from above. If they did not believe that He was Who He said He was, they would die in their sins, because the One Who sent Him, and is always with Him, is true. You can either die for the lie, or you can live in the truth, because to those who believed in Him, Jesus said: "If ye continue in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (Jn. 8:23-32). To make things clear to those who choose lies, Jesus identified the source of all liars, and lies: "Why do ye not understand my speech? even because you cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not." (v. 43-45). The devil has been lying to man since the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, when he asked the woman, and her husband with her, "Yea, hath God said...?", and then falsely assured them, "You shall not surely die." (see Gen. 3:1-6). And they believed the lie that makes dead. However, we don't have to believe the lie and die. Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." (Jn. 8:51). Jesus told Pontius Pilate that He came to bear witness to the truth, and not a lie, and only those who are of the truth can hear His voice. Even Pilate, who questioned what the truth was, had to proclaim to the crowd that he found no fault in Jesus by which to condemn him. (Jn. 18:37-38). All around us we can see people who are choosing the lie. However, the Word of God guarantees us that if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful to forgive us. Eternal life is available to us who will seek His face and His forgiveness. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 8/14/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and endtimeschool, also on Facebook.

Before the Seventh Seal*

The events in the news this past week show our nation divided, as well as facing military threats from China and Russia. Israel, as well, is suffering rocket attacks from Gaza. Even some organizations claiming to be Christian have begun publishing Anti-Semitic, and other racist hate. A look at scripture will reveal that all of these things fulfill last days prophecies concerning the time before Christ's return. The Book of Revelation describes the unsealing of prophetic events: "And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" (Rev. 5:1-2). John wept because no one was found worthy to open the seals of this book, or to even look upon it. However, there was One Who was worthy: "And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." (v. 5). That Lion of Judah, the root of David Who was worthy to loose the seals of the book is described as "a Lamb as it had been slain...Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (v. 6-10). Only the slain Lamb Who redeemed many by His blood was worthy to open the seals of the book. Those who were redeemed came from every race and nation, and they were made priests and kings to reign. We will see again that the kingdom of God is made up of all nations of people. Do not be deceived by racist and Anti-Semitic lies, even if they come from those who claim to be believers in Christ. As the Lamb Who was slain opened the first four seals of the book, horses were released upon the earth. The horses brought warfare, murder, famine and economic turmoil, and death and hell over a fourth of the earth (Rev. 6:1-8). The fifth seal revealed those who had been martyred for their faith in Christ, who were crying out to the LORD for vengeance. They were given white robes, and told to wait for a "little season" until their fellow martyrs joined them (v. 9-11). We have seen this death, turmoil, and martyrdom already being loosed in the earth. The opening of the sixth seal is described as being great earthquakes, the sun becoming black, and the moon becoming as blood. Stars of heaven fall to the earth, the heavens depart, and the mountains and islands of earth are moved from their places. When the events of this opened seal begin to happen: "...the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman,, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (v. 12-17). We have not yet seen the events of the opening of the sixth seal occur on earth. The prophet Malachi, and also Jesus, both asked the same question: "Who shall stand when he/the Son of man appeareth?" (Mal. 3:2, Lk. 21:36). We also see in the Book of Revelation that a great harvest of believers, 144,000, called "servants of God". will come out of the twelve tribes of Israel. These servants from the tribes of Israel must be sealed before the angels of God can hurt anything on the earth. (Rev. 7:1-8). Then again we are told, "...a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands..." (v. 9). This multitude from every race and nation worshipped the Lamb. An elder in heaven described them as those "...which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (v. 14). Again, scripture states here specifically that racism is not of God, and contrary to what is often taught in churches, the tribulation will not just be for the Jews. As we saw in Revelation, the Lord has a harvest in these end times from among the Jewish people. The prophet Zechariah also wrote of the Lord's plans for Israel and the nations: "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 thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee." (Zech. 2:10-11. In this same prophetic word, Zechariah wrote that the LORD would inherit Judah his portion, and shall choose Jerusalem again. The LORD has not turned His back on Israel, Judah, which means "the people of praise", or Jerusalem. We have seen the restoration of Israel and Jerusalem in our lifetime. The LORD calls Jerusalem "a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain. Because of this, He is jealous for Judah and Jerusalem with great jealousy, and great fury towards any nations that come against them. (Zech. 8:1-3, 9:13-14, 12:4-9). As He said: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem." (Zech. 12:9). Not only will the LORD fight for Judah and Jerusalem, but the LORD will bring a spiritual awakening to His people, and they will know their Messiah and see that He is one who is pierced: "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace, and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." (Zech. 12:10). Salvation comes to Jerusalem as Zechariah wrote: "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness." (Zech. 13:1). This fountain is the fountain of blood shed by Jesus for sin. There will be no doubt as to who that fountain will be: "And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends." (v. 6). They, like Doubting Thomas, will see their Messiah, Jesus, face to face, and they shall mourn for what they see. One way in which the Savior may be revealed to Israel is through the Shroud of Turin, with its deeply impacting image of Christ, bearing witness to His sufferings, death, and even His resurrection. In these times filled with the signs of the Lord's soon return, we see much hatred against those of faith, along with Anti-Semitism, and other forms of racism. Scripture tells us that there is a deceiver who accuses the brethren of faith, and even causes the brethren to accuse each other, as even the elect will be deceived if possible. However, he is defeated and cast down: "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world...'Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Rev. 12:9-11). We saw earlier that martyrdom of the saints occurs when the seals of the book are opened. There may well be martyrdom to face in this era of hatred against faith, not only in the so-called third world nations, but it could also occur here at anytime. Time is progressing quickly, and these things are coming about with a vengeance. We need to know the Word, the facts, and the truth. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 8/7/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and endtimeschool, also on Facebook.

Make Ready His House*

As we begin the message, it is our prayer that the Lord's house be established in this day: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established (kun - be fixed aright, to prepare, be ready) above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people...nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." (Isa. 2:1-2, excerpt). The Lord's mountain, where His house shall be established, is higher than all others. It is a house for all nations. The Book of Revelation says that the Kingdom of God is made up of those from every nation, kindred, tribe and tongue. The Law of God is not something that is to remain written on tablets of stone, but it is to be written in our hearts, and to go out from there to others. How is the house of God established according to Isaiah? He told Jacob (the nation of Israel) to walk in the light of the LORD, and not to walk in the ways of foreigners, practicing eastern ways, or soothsaying, like the ungodly, trusting in riches and armory instead of God, and having a land full of idols to which they bow (v. 5-8). "...therefore forgive them not. Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day." (v. 9-10). It is written again in scripture where men hide themselves in the rocks for fear of the LORD (see Lk. 23:28-31 and Rev. 6:15-17). In order to build His house on the mountain which is above all the hills, the LORD will bring low everything else that has exalted itself instead. We are not purposed to be like the ones who will have to hide themselves under rocks from His wrath, because we are not meant for the wrath of God. However, He calls us not to be conformed to this world, but transformed by the washing of the Word of God. The LORD spoke to Ezekiel the prophet out of His house. About His house, the LORD said: "...Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places. In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds...they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger. Now let them put away their whoredom...and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever." (Ezek. 43:6-9). The wicked doings of the house of Israel had defiled the house of God, and His holy name, which was in their midst. The LORD wanted the prophet to show them HIS house: "Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house." (v. 10-12). The house of the LORD was defiled by His own people, not others. However, God said, if the people of God would change their defiling ways, the house of the LORD would be established among them for ever. In another part of scripture, the LORD again told His prophet to show His people their transgressions: "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." (Isa. 58:1). God's house, as we have already read, has ordinances and rules, however, to many it is an offense when their sins are brought before them. The LORD told Isaiah that His people took delight in seeking Him as if they were a nation that did righteousness, not forsaking the ordinances of God V. 2), but He wanted them to know that their empty religious practices and fasts did not accomplish the purposes of God. The true and humble worship of God, He said, loosens the bands of wickedness, undoes the heavy burdens, frees those who are oppressed, and breaks every yoke, gives bread to the hungry, houses the poor and unwanted, and clothes the naked (v. 3-7). However, the LORD said that if His people would truly and sincerely seek Him in their fasting and worship, and not hide themselves from their own flesh, and its sins: "Then shall thy light break through as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward. Then thou shalt call, and the LORD shall answer...If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity...if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul...and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." (v. 7-11). Fountains of living water are to fill us, and flow out of our bellies, according to the Word of God. Isaiah also wrote: "...they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places...raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in." (v. 12). God also spoke through Isaiah about the disregard His people have for the Sabbath of the LORD, doing as they please, and speaking their own words instead. If His people will change their ways regarding the Sabbath of the LORD, and delight themselves in Him instead, He will cause them to ride upon the high places of the earth (v. 14). This is the pattern of the house that God is building. Today, the Church, instead, is embracing anything to bring people in. That is not the house of the LORD's ordinances. Are we making His house ready? Why aren't the lost being drawn to the house? Even a foreign king said that God had charged him to build His house in Jerusalem after it had been destroyed years before in an enemy attack by Nebuchadnezzar. King Cyrus of Persia, by royal decree, returned the holy vessels taken from the temple at that time, and ordered support to be given towards the rebuilding of God's house by those arround them, as well as by those whom God moved to do so. He did all this while officially proclaiming, "Who is there among you of all his (God's) people? his God be with him and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem." (Ezra 1:1-8). The Apostle Peter also wrote of the building of the house of the LORD. He wrote to the believers in Christ: "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 Peter 2:5). Jesus is the chief cornerstone of this spiritual house, a precious stone to us who believe, and a stumbling stone of offence to those who are disobedient, who also stumble on the Word of God. However, in the spiritual house of God in which we serve, we do so as "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar (purchased possession, acquisition, a preservation, a remnant reserved for one's self) people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." (v. 6-10). Being this called out people serving in the spiritual house of God, Peter wrote that we should lay aside all guile, hypocrisies, envies and evil speakings (v. 1), abstaining from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul, and be of good works instead, which glorify God in the day of His visitation (v. 11-12). This is the same message brought to the people of God by the prophets, regarding the building of God's house, as we saw above. Each one of us has something that is needed to make ready God's house for all nations in these latter days, and God can use you. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 7/31/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and endtimeschool, also on Facebook.