A Remnant By Grace*

A lot of things have been going on this week that should be causing the Body of Christ to think and consider. Jesus scolded the people saying that they could interpret the signs and anticipate the day's weather by the appearance of the sky, but they could not interpret the signs of the times (Mt. 16:3). Men may debate interpretations concerning the day of the return of Christ, or the timing of the rapture, but truth is found by comparing scripture with scripture, not by man's interpretation. Regarding these events, there will be a remnant by grace, so believers need to know how that remnant is spared throughout these prophesied events. Jude wrote of the dangers ahead by looking at past events from the history between God and the ungodly in scripture: "...it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith (pistis - in the New Testament: of a conviction of the truth or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things) which was once delivered to the saints...certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." (Jude v. 3-4). The work of the ungodly turns the grace of God into lasciviousness. The Church of England, and other Christian denominations have approved same-sex marriage, rather than believing and teaching the Word of God. The apostle Jude wrote examples from scripture of those who chose ungodliness, and contended against the Lord, and the inevitable consequences of it: Although the LORD saved the people out of Egypt, Jude wrote, He destroyed those among them who did not believe. WWhen the angels left their first estate and habitation, and sinned against God, He placed them in everlasting chains under darkness until the day of judgment. When Sodom and Gomorrha, chose strange flesh and fornication against the law of God, they suffered eternal fire as an example to others (v. 5-7). These examples given by Jude are for the purpose of a warning to all. In Numbers 26:9-10, a sign is provided to us as a warning regarding those who rebelled and strove (struggled, laid waste, made desolate) against both Moses and God, in this case, respected men in authority among God's people: "The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together...the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men...". The men who strove with Moses and God were in positions of respect and authority among God's people. Men in authority, especially in the Church, should not go against God's law, which is to love God, and to love their neighbor. Our nation is also continuing to be plagued by injustice with cruelty. There is a denial of its existence as books are banned that deal with racism, like biographies of Roberto Clemente and Jackie Robinson. Jesus warned: "And shall God not avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith (the conviction and belief regarding the relationship between men and God, and divine things) in the earth?" (Lk. 18:7-9). There are those who turn away from the idea of God, because they believe that the truth of His judgment is cruel. However, even as He commands His people to carry out justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly before Him (Micah 6:8), He also does so, and He will not let the cries of the abused and oppressed of His elect go unheard, as Jesus said. Jesus also described terrible signs that would appear before His return, such as ethnic groups and kingdoms rising up against each other, great earthquakes, famines, pestilences, fearful sights and great signs from heaven (Lk. 21:10-11). We have seen those signs occurring this week! His warning to those who look to be part of the remnant by grace: "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Lk. 21:34-36). There is a remnant by grace. There is a snare that is coming upon all who dwell on the earth, including the cares of life that draw us away from our watch and prayers. We are not meant to be caught unprepared and without faith, and not walking in the grace that fulfills the law and the prophets: to love God, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Paul wrote regarding the watchfulness of the remnant: "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night...But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober...But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thess. 5:1-10). There is a remnant by grace, not meant for wrath, who are of light, and not darkness, of faith and love, sober and watching with hope in our salvation through Christ. The prophets brought the warning Word of the LORD to His people who mistakenly believed that they were righteously walking with Him, and in His law. However, all that became left of His people was a small remnant: "#xcept the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD....I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats....Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths...it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you: yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash ye, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isa. 1:9-19). Empty religious observances, even of the law of Moses, means nothing when our hearts and souls are full of sin, being unrepentant before God. Where is justice among God's people, especially towards those who are powerless? The two commandments that incorporate all the law and the prophets are to love God, and to love our neighbor (Mt. 22:36-40). The LORD said that because of these things, God's people would be reduced to a "very small remnant". The prophet Amos similarly said: "Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it (see also 1 Thess. 5 above)? I hate, I despise your feast days...Though you offer me burnt offerings...I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take...away from me the noise of thy songs...But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream." (Amos 5:20-24). Amos also added: "But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity..." (v. 26-27). His people, while practicing ritualistic and vain observances of God's law, really dwelled within a different spiritual "tabernacle". They were worshipping false gods like Moloch, who was worshipped with child sacrifice, as we also practice today in child murder, and Chiun, involving astrology and the worship of the heavens. However, God was in the beginning, before the demon Moloch, and before the stars in the heavens, having created them: "B'reshiet (meaning 'the Son crushed, His hand on the cross') Elohim aleph-tav (Alpha and Omega)", and His name is The LORD, YHWH: "Behold the hand, Behold the nail". The prophet Ezekiel also wrote that even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in the land, when God sends His judgment against the sinful land that has trespassed against Him, they would only be able to deliver themselves by their righteousness. All others would be cut off, both man and beast. When God sends the the sword, the beasts, the famine, and the pestilence in His judgment, even these three righteous servants would be able to deliver none but themselves - "Yet behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters...and ye shall see their ways and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought forth upon it." (Ezek. 14:12-22). Jeremiah wrote saying that even Moses and Samuel, if present in the land, would not be able to save anyone from the judgment of God (Jer. 15:1). Our nation, like Israel, is consumed in sin. Men have crept in, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. We have made public prayer illegal, removed the Bible from our schools, while our leaders strive against God. Instead of the grace found in the law and the prophets: loving God with our whole hearts, and loving our neighbors as ourselves, and doing as the LORD requires of us: to do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God, this nation is concerned with the cares of this life, and the corrupting gods that we have made for ourselves. There is a remnant by grace, however. The LORD is calling for a remnant that has washed and made themselves clean. This remnant is called to be watching, praying, being the children of light, and not the children of darkness, being the children of the day, and not the children of the night. This also is the law and the prophets. This is the gift of grace. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 2/12/23 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.

Tabernacles and the Day of the LORD*

This evening begins the Feast of Tabernacles. There is a direct connection in scripture between the Feast of Tabernacles and "the day of the LORD'. This is the commandment of the LORD regarding the Feast of Tabernacles: "And the LORD spake unto Moses saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. On the first day shall be a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 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. These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD...every thing upon his day." (Lev. 23:33-37). The word "tabernacles" is the Hebrew word sukkah, meaning "booth, pavilion, lair (of a lion), cover". (A root word, sakak, means "fence about, protect, defence, shut in, overshadow, stop the approach, weave together, cover with armor".) The pictographic ancient Hebrew letters form the meaning "Behold, a hand to cover, supply, lift up, or suppress". In Deuteronomy, the LORD explained the Feast of Tabernacles further through Moses: "Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine. And thou shalt rejoice...thou...thy son...thy daughter...thy manservant...thy maidservant...the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates." (Deut. 16:13-14). The Feast of Tabernacles was to include all with rejoicing after the fall harvest that God had provided them. In the same spirit of tabernacles, the LORD commanded Moses to appoint just judges and officers throughout all of the tribes, who will not practice favoritism, nor receive bribes nor falsely accuse the righteous. This just treatment of all is so that they may live in the land that God has given them (v. 18-20). We see a lack of justice everywhere today, while God is calling His people to be just and righteous. We discover that the neaning of the Feast of Tabernacles is also revealed in scriptures regarding the coming day of the LORD: "He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion (sukkah) round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail-stones and coals of fire. The LORD also thundered in the heavens...he sent out his arrows, and scattered them...Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me." (Ps. 18:11-17). Just as Noah was drawn out of many waters, the LORD's pavilion draws us out of the hands of our enemies. What looks to the enemies like a covering of thick dark clouds, to us is the pavilion or tabernacle of the LORD. It is "the hand that covers, supplies, lifts up and suppresses". As Psalm 31 declares the greatness and goodness of God towards those who trust Him, it says: "Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion (sukkah) from the strife of tongues." (v. 19-20). Those who walk in the righteousness of God, and in His Word, are continually judged in this world by the strife of tongues of accusation. However, God has provided a pavilion in which to hide us. As Isaiah prophesied the blessings of God under the Messiah, he wrote of beautiful fruitful branches, excellent and comely fruit of the earth for the remnant who escape. Those that remain will be called holy - every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem. The LORD will wash them of filth, purged by the spirit of judgment and burning (Isa. 4:2-4). "...and the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. And there shall be a tabernacle (sukkah) for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain." (v. 5-6). There is a hand to cover and provide our pasture in the tabernacle, but it is shadow, darkness, and clouds to others. The prophet Zephaniah describes the day of the LORD as a day of wrath, of trouble, distress, wasteness and desolation, "a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm...and I will bring distress among men...because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust...Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy..." (Zeph. 1:14-18). The prophet Amos also spoke of the darkness of the day of the LORD, saying, "Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD!" (Amos 5:1-18-20). In this case, the very people who were looking for the day of the LORD would be the first to experience the darkness rather than the sukkah tabernacle. The LORD condemned them because He said that He hated their feasts and offerings, "But ye have born the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun, your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves." (v. 21-26). Their tabernacle was a tabernacle to false demonic gods, who demanded child sacrifices, and were filled with worthless idols. The LORD holds His people to a different standard than the standard that the world practices and values. His standard is the righteousness of God. Joel also wrote about the day of the LORD as being "a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness", and of a fire that devours and a flame that burns. (Joel 2:2-3, 30-31). He called the people of God to sound the trumpet of alarm, to call an assembly of all the people, from the youngest to the oldest, because "the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand." (2:1, 16). The people must repent with fasting and weeping and consecrate themselves: "...rent your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil." (v. 12-13). The priests especially, as those who were the spiritual leaders of the people, were called upon to lead the congregation in repentance by repenting themselves, crying, 'Spare thy people, O LORD." The LORD has not destined His people for His wrath, but providing them instead a tabernacle, a pavilion, a hand that covers if they will set themselves apart to enter into it. If the people will repent in their hearts, the LORD says that He will pity His people: "Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things...he hath given you the former rain moderately...and the latter rain in the first month." (v. 21,23). The LORD promises to remove the attacking northern (hidden, secret, covered over) army, and to add the blessing of abundance in their land, restoring all that the devouring locusts have destroyed (v. 20-26). One of the celebrations associated with the Feast of Tabernacles is the abundant harvest, the fruit of the land, like the fruit of trees and the vine, as we see here (v. 22). "And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed". As part of this blessing, the LORD promises to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, regardless of age or status. (v. 27-29). In Nehemiah, Ezra the scribe caused the Word of God to be read and taught before all of the people. Then they obeyed the Word that they had heard by building their booths from beautiful branches to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, as had been commanded by God (Neh. 8:13-15). When we honor God and His Word, He honors and blesses us. Zechariah prophesied about a plague that comes upon the people in which their flesh is consumed away: "...in that day,...a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them." (Zech. 14:12-13). It is a day when the LORD has gone to fight against the nations that have come against Jerusalem. Those among the nations who survive this terrible day of destruction, will have to come to Jerusalem yearly : "...to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles." (v. 16). This prophecy is talking about the rule of Messiah, Jesus Christ, on earth. Those nations that refuse to tabernacle with the LORD in Jerusalem will receive no rain, and will be smitten by the plague. In Jerusalem there shall be found the things that are HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD, "and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts." (v. 16-21). The Word of God says to keep His feasts in "all your generations". There is a place where the hand of God covers, supplies, lifts up, and suppresses, especially in connection with the day of the LORD, as we have seen. This place is found in His tabernacle (sukkah). *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 10/9/2022 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 END TIME SCHOOL, also on Facebook.

A Matter of Days*

Each day of our lives has a purpose, and the choices we make today will impact the rest of our lives. Yesterday has passed, and tomorrow is not guaranteed to us, so what we accomplish is contained within today. A day can take us either further into the Kingdom of God, or can be used by the devil to take us further away from the Kingdom. God has put a great importance into the measure of a day: "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years." (Gen. 1:14). The Hebrew word for "day" used in this verse is yom, which means "day, time, year, division of time, life time, time period". The Hebrew people also use it to refer to sesons, times, and perpetual time. The Greek word for "day" used in the New Testament is Hemera, which means "day, time in general, day of life, period of time, age, years". David wrote in music form about the importance of a day in our lives: "I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me...while I was musing, the fire (in my heart) burned: then spake I with my tongue, LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah." (Ps. 39:1-5). David wrote that part of the vanity, or emptiness, in which men spend the short number of days given to them is in the heaping up of riches. However, David fills his days with the substance of the Lord instead: "And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee." (v. 7). The Apostle James also wrote about how easily vanity, or emptiness, enters into our days. He said that we assume that we will have many days ahead of us, and we waste them by planning ahead how we will fill each day with activities and travels in order to get gain. He said that we should instead surrender our own planned days to the Lord's will for those days of our lives (James 4:12-16). Our plans for the day will not stay the hand or timing of God. He is the lawgiver, and He has set the days. He is the One who is able to save or destroy. David understood that each of our beginnings was not our own to determine: "...thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth...and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them." (Ps. 139:13-16). Abortion is the exact opposite of this truth revealed by David. Abortion did not begin as a tool of freedom, but out of the racist eugenics of Margaret Sanger. Her agenda was to rid society of "mongrel" races and "undesirables". It was even stressed that the efforts begin in black communities, preferably recruiting black pastors and community leaders, in order to gain cooperation among the people there. However, the days of a person's life, even before he is born, is determined by God. Every part of us was written in His book before we were even formed. The Prophet Amos wrote the Word of the LORD saying "...it is an evil time", and telling His people to "Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live...Hate evil and love the good, and establish judgment (justice) in the gate: it may be that the LORD of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph." (Amos 5:13-15). He said that it would be a time of mourning and wailing: "Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light...even very dark and no brightness in it." (v. 18-20). The LORD said He despised how His people made their offerings, and kept His feasts, which they turned into tabernacles of Moloch and Chiun, images and idols representing the most abominable practices, including the burning of their children (v. 22-26). The LORD commanded, "...let judgment (justice) run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream." (v. 24). The day of the LORD is set, and our days should be conducted as those who love good, justice, and righteousness, having no part in the evil of the day. We are not to live taking for granted that we will automatically escape that day, as some in the Church believe. We are to pray, Jesus said, to be accounted worthy to escape, and to stand before the Son of man (Lk. 21:36). The LORD promised in His Word to Amos, "In that day, will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old." (Amos 9:11). In another prophecy to Zechariah, the LORD spoke about the day He has assigned to deal with those who were going to besiege Judah and Jerusalem: "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 against it...In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem..." (Zech. 12:2-8). It won't matter that all the world has come against Jerusalem, On that day, the LORD will defeat them, and defend Jerusalem. Not only that, but the LORD will pour out a spirit of grace and supplication upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 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 who is in bitterness for his firstborn." (Zech. 12:10). That day will be a day when eyes are opened to see their Messiah, Jesus. In addition, "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). The day is set and established in the LORD. The Prophet Hosea wrote: "Come and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days, will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight." (Hos. 6:1-2). Return to the LORD, because He has already set the days. All of the significant events of my life can be pinpointed to specific days. Those days also presented choices to me, and determined how my life would be turned as a result. It is the same for each of us. Each day of a life has a significant purpose assigned for us by the LORD. All else is vanity. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 3/20/2022 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, and endtimeschool.com.

The Coming Day of the Lord*

There seems to be a persistent feeling in the Church that the Rapture, the catching away of the Church, means that we don't have to be concerned about the coming Day of the Lord. However, scripture has some sobering prophecies concerning that day, and those prophecies are directed to God's people. When Israel, Judah and Jerusalem are mentioned in scripture, the Church also needs to pay attention, because we are not exempt from the truths being revealed. The Church does not replace Israel by any means, but we are part of "the people of praise". We are grafted into that holy root. The prophet Amos begins our look at the day of the LORD, and what it should mean to us: "Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel. The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up....For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live...Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel." (Amos. 5:1-8, excerpt). The LORD has said here that His people are fallen, and they need to seek His face if they want to live. He is calling His people to repentance (see also 2 Chron. 7:14). The LORD continues to speak through His prophet Amos: "Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light...Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?" (v.18-20). Do we understand what the day of the LORD entails, and towards whom it is directed? The LORD also told His people that their feast days, their offerings, and their songs did not please Him, and would not save them from the coming day. The LORD said instead: "But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream." (v. 24). The LORD points to His people's idolatry, and its consequences: "But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Molech and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. Therefore, I will cause you to go into captivity..." (v. 26-27). The nature of the gods and idols mentioned, Molech and Chiun, are very much with us today as well, even amongst the people of God. Molech required the sacrifice of children, and millions of unborn children, innocent blood, today have been destroyed in the abomination of abortion. The god, Chiun, is a god of male virility and fertility. Our culture today is filled with idols representing this same type of god. The LORD spoke this prophetic word concerning the day of the LORD to His prophet Joel: "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness...A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth...The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" (Joel 2:1-11, excerpt). The warning of the trumpet here is to God's people, to Zion. As He spoke to the prophet Amos, the LORD also spoke to Joel, calling His people, regardless of circumstances, age, or station, to repentance: "Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly..." (v. 12-15). If His people will repent, the LORD will hear them and answer: "Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people...And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon 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. 18, 32). Another prophet, Zephaniah describes the same things regarding the day of the LORD: "That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: Their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy...” (Zeph. 1:15-18). On 9/11 we saw the towers fall in New York City. We saw the dust of the devastation and ruin cover everything, including the faces and clothes of those running from the horrible event. Wicked and evil will be judged, and we are seeing it. Isaiah described a widescale execution of judgment that involved the whole world: "Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it. For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter...And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scrole: and all their hosts shall fall down...my sword...shall come down upon Idumea...For it is the day of the LORD's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land therof shall become burning pitch." (Isa. 34:1-10, excerpt). Again we read something that could be described in our era as a nuclear holocaust, that will involve all the nations. The apostle Peter also wrote of this total destruction involving the burning up of the elements, and the heavens (2 Peter 3). Peter also made clear that considering that we are looking to the coming events of the day of the Lord (v. 12), there is also an expectation upon the people of God" "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent, that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation...seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. (2 Pet. 3:14-18). Peter's recommendation to us in view of the coming day of the Lord was not to be looking toward a catching away of the Church, but because we know these things are coming, we are to be even more serious about being without spot, blameless, in the peace of Christ, growing in His grace and in the knowledge of Him. Without this preparation and "diligence", we come in danger of being led away with the wicked. We are seeing the pestilence of COVID, and nations of the earth lining up according to the prophecies regarding the last days. God's people, who are expected to know the signs, should be concerned about the coming day of the Lord, and turning back to Him in repentance, and bringing the Gospel and the opportunity of repentance to others: "Seek the LORD, and ye shall live." *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 6/13/21 message to the church. To contact: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX 76705 OR Everlastingovenant@ymail.com You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and endtimeschool.com

What Will It Take?*

 

The signs of the End Times are abundant around us, including devastating storms and world events, but these things seem to roll off of us like water off a duck's back. What will it take for us to pay attention, and to take these things seriously?

Ages of enlightenment, and rationalism have given birth to philosophies that have distanced men from God, like deism, universalism, atheism, humanism, and have caused men to disregard the word of God. As these waves of men's philosophies have gained influence, God has sent spiritual movements of revival to counter them, and to call men back to Him and to His saving truth. Often out of these great spiritual awakenings, however, men have found ways to create debates of man's understanding and strife within the church that end up causing destructive divisions. Jesus told us that a kingdom, or a house divided against itself cannot stand.

The coming day of the LORD is not something to be taken lightly. The prophet Amos described it this way:

"Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?"

                                                                                                     Amos 5:18-20

The prophet Joel described the day of the LORD in the same manner:

"Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come...Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand. A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness... there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations."  Joel 1:14-15, 2:1-2

Joel called the people to sound the warning alarm, and to sanctify themselves in the face of this coming terrible day of the LORD. He urged the people of God to "cry unto the LORD".

Peter also called the church to keep in mind, to stir up the pure mind, regarding the things of which the prophets wrote. It is this constant washing of our minds in the word of God that keeps us in truth, and prepares us for those things that appear now, and also are to come. Of the coming day, he wrote:

"But the day of the LORD shall come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness...the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?"   2 Pet. 3:1-12 (excerpt)

Again, knowing the things which are soon to come, Peter asks "what manner of persons ought ye to be...?" While the Lord will deliver the godly out of temptations, the unjust are reserved for that day of judgment, those who walk after the flesh, presumptuous and self-willed. We see the number of those called the unjust growing daily.

Both Peter (2 Pet. 2:1-2) and Paul (2 Tim. 4:3-4) warn the church to beware of false teachers and prophets who would deny the word of God, teaching fables, causing many to follow after them. Their motive is to make financial gain from these false teachings that cause men to embrace false doctrines and philosophies. God has already shown that He was willing to judge the angels, and the old world before Noah, as well as Sodom and Gomorrah, as a warning example to all of us (2 Pet. 2:1-6). He only restrains Himself in holy patience not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). We cannot mistake His patience for a failure to keep the word that He has clearly spoken. He is allowing as much time and opportunity as possible for repentance. Are God's people coming to Him in repentance? Are we calling others to repentance, or have we remained unmoved, accepting the lie of Satan and men's philosophies that sin does not result in death and eternal condemnation? What will it take for us to wake up, turn and cry aloud? This is what it takes to break the hold of lies, and deliver into spiritual revival.

The prophet Joel urged God's people to fast, and to gather all of His people together to be sanctified, to turn to the LORD with all of their hearts, with weeping and mourning (Joel 2:12-13). He called the priests, the ministers of the LORD, to which ministry all believers have been called, to weep and cry out to God, "Spare thy people, O LORD" (v. 17). How much of the church is currently being called to this vital role by those in its pulpits? Paul told Timothy to "Preach the word!"

As the priests and people of God stand in the gap, in repentance, the prophet Joel wrote about a great restoration of the land, and an outpouring of God's Spirit in response. The revival of all revivals (Joel 2:18-29).

Joel went on to write that the LORD will gather the heathen into the valley of Jehoshaphat (also known as Meggido), into the valley of decision, where He will judge them. Their wickedness is great, the harvest is ripe, and the sickle is being put in. Revelation 14:15 states the same thing:

"And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped."

What will it take for us to hear the word of the LORD, and respond?

 

*The above is based upon the 8/18/19 message to the Church from Dr. Kenneth Stevenson.

To Contact/Submit prayer requests/Support the ministry/Order the book, "NAZAH":

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https://everlastingcovenant.sermon.net/main/main/21320220
 

Prayer of Salvation for all who desire to receive Jesus as their Savior: Lord Jesus, I desire to know You, and to know Your salvation. I believe that You died for me, and that You were resurrected for me. Forgive me of my sins. Come into my heart, change me, fill me with Your righteousness. Inscribe my name in the Lamb's book of life. Baptize me in Your Holy Spirit, so that I can learn the truth of Your Word and ways, and be strengthened in my walk all the days of my life. You are the hope of my life, and You are my eternal life. I place my trust in You, Lord, for myself, and my whole household. Use me to do the will of the heavenly Father, Who sent You, in Whose name You came. In Your name, and in thanks and praise I pray, Amen.

 

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Connecting The Dots...

 

It is evident from the events occurring around us that we are nearing a spiritual reckoning. The times we are in are desperate, society is crumbling, and yet the Church is playing church. It is time for God's people to wake up, understand what scripture is saying about the times in which we live, and to rise up to role to which Jesus has called us: salt, light, and witnesses to the truth. As we look into scripture, we can begin to "connect the dots", and obtain an understanding of events, and our purpose in them.

This week, Purim was celebrated. The story of Purim is in the Book of Esther, which is also a prophetic book. The enemy of the Jews, Haman, had determined the day of the Jews' destruction by the casting of lots, called pur. The king had agreed to Haman's plan, and the decree of destruction had been set for the 13th day of twelfth month, Adar ("glorious, fire"). However, something miraculous happened on that day instead:

"Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them)...And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai (Esther's kinsman) fell upon them...when Esther came before the king, he commanded... that (Haman's) wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head... "  Est. 9:1-3, 25 (excerpt)

What caused this miraculous turn around in events? Esther, who had not been called into the king's presence for a month, requested that all of the Jews fast and pray for three days, as she and her attendants would do also, in order to receive the king's favor for her approach to him (Est. 4:11-16). This prayer and fasting had indeed brought Esther favor with the king, and she was eventually able to expose the wickedness of Haman's plot. The appointed day of destruction for the Jews by their enemy, became their day of victorious deliverance by the LORD, instead. The condition of much of the church is the same as Esther's. We have been distracted and busy with other things, and we have not appeared before our heavenly King lately. With our backs turned toward Him, He has not seen our faces, and we have not sought His. Perhaps, like Esther, we incorrectly assume that this day will not touch us, so we sit and remain silent. Yet the decreed day of destruction approaches, and seeking the LORD with repentance and intercession is the only hope against that day. We need to remember that the origins of this day are found in the wicked plots against God's people.

The prophet Joel presents a similar vision of the decreed day when the LORD compels the nations, who have plotted the Jews' destruction, to gather in the Valley of Decision:

"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision."  Joel 3:14

The nations are brought to the valley, because like Haman in the Book of Esther, "their wickedness is great" (v. 13). The timing of this appointment in the valley comes when Judah and Jerusalem has been brought back from captivity. These nations had scattered Israel among the nations and "parted My land" (v. 1-2). We are living in the time when Israel has been restored to the land, and the nations are once again desiring to partition the land of covenant promise, for their own political advantage. As the LORD details their wickedness, He says, "And they have cast lots for My people" (v. 3), as was Haman's method. Also as happened in the Book of Esther, God promises these wicked nations who plot against His people: "...swiftly and speedily will I return your recompense upon your own head" (v. 4, 7).

Again, we can connect the dots between Esther and Joel, and the approaching of the terrible day of the LORD, as we look at what Joel instructed God's people to do. The LORD says to His people:

"...now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning: and rent your heart...and turn unto the LORD your God...

Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly...Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare Thy people, O LORD..."  Joel 2:12-17 (excerpt)

As His people are obedient to His word, the LORD promises a great restoration in their fields and pastures, and an even greater outpouring of His Spirit upon all of His people, even as signs in the heavens and the earth announce the coming of the great and the terrible day of the LORD (Joel 2:21-31), when God returns the evil of the nations that sought His people's destruction.

Though the outpouring of the Spirit of God is promised in Joel, there are those today who mock the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent into believers' lives. Some of the mockers are in the world, and some are even in the church. This is dangerous because it is not possible receive the promise of deliverance, while mocking its agent. Joel continues:

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in Mt. Zion, and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call."   Joel 2:32

It is a remnant who will hear and choose to accept the call of the LORD by His Spirit. As Jesus told us, "Narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Mt. 7:14).

The prophet Amos warns us that "playing church" will not suffice as the day of the LORD approaches. He says that this day should instill fear in our hearts, because it is a terrifying thing. The LORD warned that He would not accept offerings and worship to Him from His people, while they also served other gods and idols (Amos 5:18-26). Those others gods are still being served today, even within the church. Amos mentions the gods Moloch, who demanded the sacrifice of the first born child through fire, and Chiun, in the form of pillars erected to the god Saturn, which was considered to be an evil demon to be appeased. We also have accepted the murder of our children, and made it law. We have sought appeasement with ungodliness, accepting, in the name of political correctness, and out of intimidation by society, those things that the LORD has called wickedness, abomination, and those things that He hates. Similarly, Pharaoh was willing to tolerate the plague of frogs for another night in order to resist God (Ex. 8:9-10). People asked Jesus to leave their town after He commanded a legion of demons, which had plagued a man, into their pigs. The crazed pigs then ran off a cliff. The people resented losing their pigs (Mt. 8:28-34). We want to be able to keep our spiritual frogs and pigs, while we claim to continue to serve God, but God will not accept this.

The LORD says in Amos 5:27, that those of His people who connect themselves to these other gods, while claiming to worship Him, will be cause to go into captivity (remove, depart) beyond (distance, remoteness) Damascus ("silent is the sackcloth weaver"). In other words, they will be captive in a spiritual condition where repentance will not be sought by them, so it will be unavailable to them. They will be beyond, and removed from, an attitude of repentance.

All signs indicate that we are nearing the day of the LORD, when God will turn the destructive wickedness of the enemies of God's people against themselves. We, His people, are expected to be able to read these signs, and act accordingly-not be complicit in their wickedness. As we connect the dots regarding the approaching of the day of the LORD, we can see the prophetic pattern of the assignment given to the people of God. We are called to fasting, and repentance. We are called to seek our King's face and presence. We are called to leave the world's idols behind, and to worship the LORD only, in Spirit and in truth.

 

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Prayer of Salvation for all who desire to receive Jesus as their Savior:

Jesus, I want to know You as my Lord, and as my Savior, who covers my sins, and cleanses my heart. Come into my heart, and also fill me with the Holy Spirit, who will lead me into all truth, and will teach me how to follow You. I believe that You are the Son of God, the Messiah, that You were crucified for me, and rose from the dead to give me everlasting life. I believe that You are coming again. Lord Jesus, in Your name I believe, pray, and receive all of these things. Amen.

 

God bless you.