The Perfect Summary*

"The Perfect Summary" is a new free book that I have recently written and released with Brian Donley Worrell in order to get the truth of the Gospel, which is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to as many as possible. I have researched the Shroud of Turin for forty years, having also handled it personally in Turin, Italy, and I believe that it is a valuable witness to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. So far, "The Perfect Summary" free book has been read in 37 countries, and we are believing for many more. This free book is currently being translated into Hebrew (see Rom. 1:16), and will eventually be translated into additional languages. Because of current troubling international and national events, prophesied as part of the last days before Christ's return, it is more important than ever to reach as many as possible. The account of the Gospel starts from the beginning: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;" (1 Jn. 1:1). John wrote that this is knowledge from the beginning, using the Greek word arche, meaning "origin, that by which anything begins to be, the active cause". The fact that Jesus Christ and His sacrifice is "from the beginning", or B'reshiet Elohim aleph-tav (Alpha and Omega) in Hebrew, is attested to in several places in scripture (see John 1, Rev. 13:8). John bears direct witness to the events of the Gospel in four different ways: he heard (akouo - to hear, to attend to, to consider, understand, perceive, and learn from hearing); he saw for himself (horao - to see with the eyes and with the mind, to perceive from experience, to pay heed to); he looked upon (theaomai - to behold, to view attentively, contemplate, meeting or visiting with a person, to learn by looking); he handled (pselaphao - to handle, touch, feel, to seek after a token of a person or thing, to verify by contact, to feel after). John wrote that he identified Jesus as "the Word (logos - uttered by a living voice, the sayings of God, doctrine (the Law), Old Testament prophecy given by the prophets) of life (zoe - life, every living soul, the absolute fulness of life which belongs to God, ...in Christ after the resurrection as a more perfect body to last forever)". These things not only pertain to John's personal contact with Jesus, but also may relate to the Shroud. The Gospel tells us that John was convinced of the resurrection by the burial cloth that he saw for himself in the empty tomb of Jesus (Jn. 20:5-6). 1 John 1 continues: "For the life was manifested (phaneroo - to make visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, expose to view [of a person], to become known, plainly recognised and thoroughly understood who and what one is), and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew (apangello - declare, bring tidings, make known openly) unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us)." (v. 2). Then John wrote the purpose of his witness to them: "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." (v. 3). The purpose of relating his eyewitness testimony is to bring others into the same fellowship as himself with God and Christ. John wrote that as a result of this living fellowship with God and Christ, our lives and understanding are changed. As a part of God, we are no longer part of darkness but of light. If we are still walking in darkness and committing acts of darkness, we lie when we say that we know Him (v. 5-7). If we indeed have fellowship with Christ, and His blood that cleanses us of sin, then we must have an understanding of the effect of sin upon our lives. If we do not have this knowledge, and do not feel the need to admit and confess our sins to Him and be cleansed, then we don't know Him (v. 6-10). Jesus is our advocate with the Father regarding our sin, not only being the atonement or propitiation for our sins, but for the sins of the whole world (1 Jn. 2:1-2). Finally, the evidence of whether we know Christ, and have this fellowship with Him and with the Father, is that we keep His commandments (v. 3). This is the power of the Gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The prophet Isaiah wrote the Word of the LORD concerning the life-changing purpose and power of this truth. Isaiah wrote: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation (Yeshua - the name of Jesus); that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen...they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion...for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD hath made bare his holy (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) salvation (Yeshua - the name of Jesus) of our God." (Isa. 52:7-10). In these verses from Isaiah as noted, two words, "arm" and "salvation" have an "aleph-tav" connected to them in the written Hebrew. Jesus identified Himself with the aleph-tav, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, when He called Himself "the Alpha and the Omega (the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet), the beginning and the end, the first and the last." (Rev. 22:13, 1:8, 11, 21:6). Isaiah said that all nations would see it. This is why we are releasing the free book, "The Perfect Summary". Isaiah wrote of the stunning effect the marred appearance, and the wounds of this special Servant of God would have upon kings of nations: "As many were astonied (samem - astonished, amazed, appalled, desolated, stunned, stupified, causing horror) at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: so shall he sprinkle (nazah - spurt, spatter, sprinkle - especially in expiation) many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider." (Isa. 52:14-15). This is something that would be able to be seen without anyone telling them. We saw something similar to this when Paul stood before Festus and King Agrippa and told them that the king was already aware of the events pertaining to Christ's death and resurrection (Acts 26:25-26). Isaiah prophesied hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, the purpose of this Servant's terrible suffering: "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?...He is despised and rejected of men...But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray...and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all...for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin...and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand." (Isa. 53:1-10, excerpt). This Gospel, like the Word of God, will not return to Him void, but it will accomplish what the LORD has set it out to do. He will uphold His Son, His Servant, and the testimony of His suffering, death, and resurrection triumph - not for His own sake, but for our sins, and as John said, for the sins of the world. I urge you to get the free book, "The Perfect Summary" at www.TheShroudofTurin.org/freebook, not only for yourself, but also to forward to all that you know. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 2/5/23 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 END TIME SCHOOL, also on Facebook. You can also get a free ebook titled "The Shroud of Turin- A Perfect Summary" at www.TheShroudofTurin.org/freebook.