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.

The Midnight Cry

!967: Israeli Army Enters Jerusalem

 

Recently, there has been an increase in both anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric and violence throughout the nations. We have just witnessed the worst act of violence against Jews in this nation's history with the mass murder of 11 Sabbath worshippers at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These evil events should immediately bring to mind the prophetic words of scripture, especially pertaining to these last days.

There was an unshakeable, unbreakable covenant promise given to Israel by the LORD which we have seen fulfilled in our generation. God repeatedly promised through His prophets that Israel, despite seemingly impossible circumstances, would one day be restored as a nation, and the people would live in the land once again. Not only would the LORD physically restore the land of Israel and its people, but He would also spiritually restore the people of Israel, and their relationship with Him. The Church has often embraced the false teaching that it has replaced Israel, and has become this spiritual Israel, but the scriptures are very clear that God has never abandoned His promises for the nation and people of Israel:

"Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. For lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captives of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it....Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger...and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. And they shall be my people, and I shall be their God...And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them...Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul."   Jer. 30:2-3, 32:37-38, 40-41

The LORD swore this promise even though the nations and heathen people had taken Israel as a prey, and had made it desolate (Ez. 36:1-5). Not only did God promise to restore the nation of Israel, but to make it multiply and prosper like never before:

"And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD."   Ez. 36:11

This has been an ongoing, eternal, living promise to Israel, which the LORD has kept repeatedly despite numerous historical destructions of Israel and the Jewish people by enemy nations and heathens. Men and nations would be wise to keep this promise in mind, because God also promised to pour His wrath upon all who would come against His land and people. Those who think that they do God a favor by persecuting His land, or the Jewish people, are deceived and in danger of judgment. Though God has carried out this judgment wrath against these persecutors throughout history, He specifically promises this for the latter days:

"Behold, the whirlwind (hurricane, storm, rage, to be violently shaken) of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing (to catch, chew, and chew again) whirlwind : it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it."   Jer. 30:23-24

Along with the physical restoration of Israel, comes the prophetic promise of a spiritual restoration and revival:

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah...I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people...I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more."   Jer. 31:31-34 (excerpt)

The above is a promise that can never end. It is assured for as long as the sun, moon, stars, seas and waves exist (v. 35). This promise is directly connected to the promise regarding the land:

"For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean...A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh...And I will put my spirit within you...And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I shall be your God."

                                                                                                Ez. 36:24-28 (excerpt)

God has indeed brought Jews out of all the nations of the earth, and returned them to a miraculously restored nation of Israel in our time. He will also initiate a new covenant with its spiritual revival in them. He promises the kingship of the Messiah, like the kingship of David, upon His restored nation (Jer. 30:9, Ez. 37:24-25), and His tabernacle in their midst forever (Ez. 37:26). The Messianic kingship promise is joined with the restoration of the land. As we have seen Israel restored as a nation, this is a sign that we will see the return of our Messiah, Jesus, soon.
The LORD also promises Israel the resurrection from the dead in connection with His promise concerning the restoration of the land (Ez. 37:12-14), and the miraculous joining of two separate sticks, or branches of faith, together into a single stick (stalk, tree, branch, carpenter, root meaning: to shut, firm) in the hand of the prophet. One stick represents the Gentiles of faith, and the other represents the Jewish branch of faith (v. 15-20). Those days are indeed ahead in the near future.

The LORD has also prophesied the terrible persecution that His people and nation will see in the future. He calls it "the time of Jacob's trouble". After the restoration of the land, it will be a time so terrible, that nothing like it has ever existed before - a time of terror and fear. However, God promises that they shall be saved out of it (Jer. 30:3-8):

"...again there shall be heard in this place....The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good, and his mercy endureth for ever...Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah...In those days...will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days, shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness."  

                                                                                          Jer. 33:10-11, 14-16 (excerpt)

As we see the prophesied restoration of the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem being fulfilled, the midnight hour has come when the friend of the bridegroom must be crying out, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him."

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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.