Willingly Ignorant*

Each week there are alarming headlines that seem to be pointing towards Armageddon. Hostilities with Russia, Iran, and other nations are escalating. In addition, we are seeing an increase in injustice, wickedness, racism and ethnic hatreds. These are all signs of the end times as prophesied by Christ. The apostle Peter wanted the church to be reminded of these signs and others as the Word written by the prophets in the Torah, and by the commandments of the apostles (2 Peter 3:1-2). Peter also wanted to bring to our minds another condition of the last days: "...knowing this first: that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking in their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his (Christ's) coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished." (v. 3-6). The scoffers who deny the possibility of Christ's return, and the judgment to come, do so to justify continuing in their lusts. They are described not as ignorant, but willingly (thelo - intend, resolve, determined, desire, love, take delight and pleasure in) ignorant (lanthano - to be hidden, to lie hidden). The scoffers don't want to see the truth themselves, and delight in hiding the truth from others. Peter wrote that the same Word of judgment is now stored up as fire for the days of destruction of ungodly men (v. 7). However, God is not arbitrarily delaying that day of judgment: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (v. 9). That day wll oome however, and it will come like a thief in the night, with fervent heat that will melt the elements of the heavens and the earth. This knowledge should have an effect on how we live - living lives of holiness and godliness, and with diligence, to be found by Christ to be without spot and blameless (v. 10-11, 14). We who know these signs are to look forward to new heavens and a new earth "wherein dwelleth righteousness" (v. 13), and be watchful "...lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness."(v. 17). Theses last days are a time when even the believers in Christ may fall into the same errors of the wicked, if we are not diligent. The "error of the wicked" is that willful ignorance of the truth: "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 (v. 18). We have learned that both grace and knowledge are contained in the Torah and the prophets. Jesus warned that the last days would be like the days of Noah, and like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, when life went in as usual, with people choosing to be willingly ignorant of the warning of the judgment of destruction about to come (Lk. 17:26-30). In the days of Noah, while all men were filled with corruption and violence continually, God found Noah to be perfect, whole and complete, in his generation. Noah found grace in the eyes of God, and he walked with God. God told Noah that He would destroy wicked men with the earth (Gen. 6:9-12). God then instructed Noah to build an ark. This ark was the witness of a coming judgment by water to that generation, but only Noah and his family heeded that warning and were saved. In the same manner, the violent perversion of Sodom and Gomorrah was before God. He sent two of His angels to see the cities for themselves, and to bring the judgment of brimstone and fire to the cities. Lot, who was Abraham's nephew, lived in Sodom with his wife and daughters. He saw the angels of God come into the city and pressed them to stay at his house, because he feared for their safety. The men of the city, both young and old, and from every walk of life, came to Lot's house, and demanded that Lot send the two "men" out to them that they might do what they wanted with them. Lot offered his daughters to the mob instead, but they wanted the visiting men. Lot warned them: "I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly." The mob ignored Lot's warning, and grew angry at Lot for "judging" their desires and deeds to be wicked, and they sought to harm him. The angels pulled Lot back into his house, and struck the mob blind, so they could not find Lot's door (Gen. 19:4-11). The angels then told Lot to warn any other family that he had in the city to get out: "For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it." (v. 12-13). Lot went out to warn his sons-in-law, "...but he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law." (v. 14). Like the sons-in-law of Lot, the world often treats the warnings of those who believe God's Word as if they are crazy, yet God's Word is proven true time after time, even to physical evidence found that supports Biblical accounts, such as the utter destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, with ash being all that's left of them. These examples from Noah's flood, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah were the warnings of Jesus regarding the time of His return, and it is willful ignorance to ignore them, or mock them. These warnings were not given by Jesus in an act of hate, but of love. As we read above, God desires none to perish, but for all to come to Him in repentance for salvation. Peter gave his warnings in love in order to remind the church of the words of the prophets and apostles, so that they would be prepared, and found living in holiness and godliness by Christ. Paul also wrote that our walk must be one of love: "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us...But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints...but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolator, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." (Eph. 5:1-5). As Jesus said, all of the Torah and the prophets reflect love. All of the law and the prophets are summed up in two commandments according to Jesus: Love God, and love your neighbor. Paul wrote that he who loves another fulfills the law, and that the Ten Commandments, with which we are so familiar, are contained in the one phrase, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Love will never do harm to a neighbor, therefore, Paul repeats, love fulfills the law (Rom. 13:8-10). It is a deception, however, to believe that because God loves, He will not judge: "Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be ye not therefore partakers with them." (Eph. 5:6-7, see also Isa. 61:1-2). We are to walk as children of light in the fruit of the Spirit, which is all goodness, righteousness and truth, proving with our lives what is acceptable to the Lord (v. 8-10). Rather than having fellowship with the works of darkness, we should reprove those shameful things which are done in secret. By doing so, we are being the manifestation of light (v. 8-13). Paul also wrote the following based upon what the prophet Isaiah said: "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." (v. 14, Isa. 60:1). It's not about reproving people, but reproving sin and darkness. Resurrection from the dead brings the light of life that is found in Christ, and has no part in the works of darkness (Jn. 8:12). Finally, Paul warned here for us not to walk as fools but as the wise. Don't waste the time given to us, but redeem the time in these evil days (v. 15-16). In another place, Paul wrote: "...knowing the time, ...it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed...the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." (Rom. 13:11-12). In Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God. That armor is an armor of light. This is our purpose: "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising." (Isa. 60:1-3). Are we just going along with the crowd, or are we redeeming the time with spiritual light? Paul also wrote: "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how ye ought to answer every man." (Col. 4:5-6). *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 3/19/23 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.

What Is Grace?*

In the Church, there are those who greet each other saying, "Grace and Peace", as Paul also greeted the churches in his letters to them. The Hebrew sages approach scripture with the understanding that there are multiple facets to each verse by which men may learn the heart and will of God. Jesus also commanded us to "Search the scriptures...", so we will now look into the scriptures for the meaning and vital importance of grace. The Greek the word "grace", as used in the New Testament, is charis, which means: "that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, good will, loving-kindness, favor, the merciful kindness by which God, exerting His holy influence on souls, turns them to Christ and keeps, strengthens, and increases them in Christian faith...and kindles them to the exercise of Christian virtues". The word "peace" as mentioned above is the Greek word eirene meaning "security, safety, prosperity, felicity - of the Messiah's peace in Christianity: the tanquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and the blessed state of devout and upright men after death". Our peace comes from the assurance of our faith in Christ. For today's purpose, our discussion will focus on grace. In the Book of Ephesians, Paul begins his letter to this church with the salutation: "Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph. 1:1-2). He wrote of all blessings in heavenly places that have been bestowed upon us in Christ. We were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world "that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." We were chosen by Christ for adoption to Himself. "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved". (v. 3-6). It is through the riches of His grace that we have forgiveness of our sins, and redemption by His blood (v. 7). The purpose of His grace towards us is to accomplish a great reconciliation "that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ...which are in heaven, and which are on earth..." (v. 10). Grace makes us accepted, and grace reconciles us, and all things, into Christ. We have obtained an inheritance of riches in glory by the power of that grace, given to us by the will of God (v. 11-18). This grace full of power and glory was "wrought in Christ when he raised him from then dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come..." (20-21). The grace of acceptance and inheritance is not accomplished by the will of man, but of God, through the overcoming of spiritual principalities by Christ's death and resurrection. As Paul wrote regarding the change in us: "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That...he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph. 2:4-9). God has created us for good works, and has ordained that we should walk in those works (v. 10). This is not the kind "greasy grace" with which some believers excuse or justify their continuing walk in sin. The grace of God achieved through Christ on our behalf empowers a godly and righteous walk of works by the Spirit for which we were created and ordained by Him. This grace builds a citizenship with the saints, of the household of God, "...built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone." (Eph. 2:19-20). Grace is not confined to the New Testament, but, as Psul wrote, is encompassed within the Torah, the law and the prophets. The first mention of "grace" in scripture is from the Book of Genesis: "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." (Gen. 6:8-9). We see here that grace was appointed to Noah, and as a result of the work of grace, he was a just and perfect man, and his walk was with God. This is also what Paul taught regarding grace, above. We saw the meaning of grace in the Greek language, but with these verses from Genesis, we can see the meaning of grace in Hebrew. The Hebrew word is han/hanan, meaning "grace, favor, pleasant, precious, acceptance, kindness, good-will, prayer, supplication/mercy, merciful, be inclined towards". In Exodus, God described His name and character to Moses as He descended from a cloud on the mountaintop, and stood with Moses: "And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and fourth generation." (Ex. 34:5-7). The LORD joined His mercy and grace together in these verses as He described His goodness, or hesed in Hebrew, meaning mercy, kindness, loving-kindness, beauty, favor). The message of grace hasn't changed from the Torah to the New Testament. The commandments of God are not limited to tablets of stone, but through the working of His grace, God wants His commandments to be written upon our hearts, and reflected in our walk. Notice that the LORD refers to "the guilty" in the above verses. The guilty are those who are unrepentant of their sin. Not only can grace not do its work in them because of that, but the iniquity of their sin passes to their future generations. The commandments of God are for our good, coming to us from His goodness. Paul wrote of this goodness of God found in His scriptures to his fellow worker in the Gospel, Timothy. The scriptures to which Paul referred would have been the Torah and the prophets, the Old Testament scriptures, because the New Testament had not yet been written: "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Tim. 3:15-17). We can follow the presence of grace from the beginning of scripture as it leads to Christ's death and resurrection, and on through the New Testament as the gift of the favor and mercy of God in our salvation and inheritance as believers in Christ. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 1/22/23 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.The ShroudofTurin.org/freebook.

The Heart of the Matter*

This weekend we, as a nation, have been commemorating the 9/11 attacks, and the lives lost in them, including members lost from our own congregation. The world has also heard the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth, and ascension of a new king. Considering the lateness of the hour on the prophetic clock, and the events taking place throughout the world, it is time to take stock of ourselves, and examine our hearts. Scripture tells us that there is a "heart problem", which is noted from the beginning, from Genesis: "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart (leb - inner man, heart, soul, mind, understanding, emotions, conscience) was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." (Gen. 6:5-8). The heart of man was evil, the LORD said. As we see above, the Hebrew word for heart is leb, and the letters that form that word, which are lamed and beth, mean "the house within from which we are prodded or urged forward". An evil heart, which all men have as the result of the fall of Adam and Eve, prods us to think and do evil. However, one man, Noah, found grace (chen - acceptance, favor, grace) in the LORD's eyes. The two Hebrew letters used to write the word, chen, or grace, are cheth and nun, which mean together "a fence, inner room, protection of the Heir to the throne". There is the protection of Christ in the gift of grace. Jeremiah wrote of the condition of men's hearts also. He wrote that a man is blessed who trusts and hopes in the LORD. That man is like a tree planted by the waters, which prospers and bears fruit even in times of drought. However: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." (Jer. 17:7-10). Regarding Israel, His own people, the LORD prophesied that although a glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of their sanctuary: "...they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters." (v. 12-13). Jeremiah cried out to God as a result: "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise...Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil." (v. 14, 17). After the attacks of 9/11, neither America, nor the Church, took that moment to search their own hearts, and repent, and cry out as Jeremiah did. Instead, a verse from Isaiah was read by our political leadership. That verse from Isa. 9:10, "The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars", is spoken by a proud, defiant and unrepentant Israel in facing the judgment of the LORD coming against them (see v. 9-12 for context). We as a nation also spoke those words in the same spirit of defiance. In Psalm 95, a call to praise unto the LORD, the writer exalts the LORD and also brings a warning: "For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods...For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest." The Book of Hebrews brought this same Psalm to the attention of the believers in Christ, adding: "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God....lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end....Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it...For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Heb. 3:7-18, and 4:1-2, excerpts). The heart is deceitful and wicked above all things, as Jeremiah wrote. Don't be fooled by it, because God is not fooled, but discerns the true state of our hearts, and we are required to examine and guard our own hearts. The Book of Proverbs tells us the care that is needed to keep our hearts: "...Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments and live. Get wisdom, get understanding...Let them (my words) not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee." (Prov. 4:4-7, 20-24, excerpt). We see here a connection between what is in the heart, and the words that are spoken out of the mouth. Jesus taught the same saying, "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." (Mt. 12:34). In saying this, Jesus was speaking to the most religiously observant people of His day, but what was in their hearts, and came out of their mouths made them "vipers". Jesus also warned that we will have to give an account for every idle, empty, vain word which we have spoken, and by our own words we will be either justified or condemned (v. 35-37). According to the verses in Proverbs which we read above, and the words of Jesus, the words coming from our hearts and out of our mouths should be the same Words as God speaks. This is called homologea, or "speak the same". God created by speaking, and our words also have power and effect, for good or evil. We can only speak the Word of God if we have kept it within our hearts. We enter into salvation in the same manner - by what we believe in our hearts, and what we confess with our mouths (Rom. 10:9-10). King David wrote Psalm 26, and in it, he showed us the basis for God's judgment: "Judge me, O LORD...Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth...redeem me , and be merciful unto me..." (v. 1-3,11). In another Psalm of David's, Psalm 51, he pours out his heart before the LORD, because he has committied terrible sins: adultery and murder. David had a deep relationship with God, and God loved David, calling him, "a man after My own heart". However, David's heart, like the hearts of all men, was deceitful and wicked above all things. Now David must bring his heart before God, his only Hope: "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight...Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me and I shall be whiter than snow...Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit...Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God...The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise...". As David knew, there is only one solution when we realize the sin hiding in the depths of our hearts. We must bring them to God. When we confess our sins to Him, God is faithful to forgive them. At this time of remembrance of the 9/11 tragedy, and other events in the world, and the approaching fall Feasts of the LORD, when men examine their own hearts, with the hope and prayer that they will be inscribed in the (LAMB's) Book of Life, it is necessary for the Church of believers to come before the LORD in repentance: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chron. 7:14). *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 9/11/2022 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.

Living the Covenant*

The word "covenant" is used 272 times in scripture. The first mention of covenant comes in the story of Noah. As God told Noah His plan to flood the earth because the intent of men's hearts was only evil, He also said: "But with thee will I establish my covenant (berit - alliance, agreement, friendship; divine ordinances and laws with divine signs); and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy son's wives with thee." (Gen. 6:18, 9:8-10). Noah had found grace with the LORD, and he and some animals from every living thing of all flesh would be saved in the ark. The LORD also promised Noah as part of His covenant that He would not destroy flesh by waters of a flood again (Gen. 9:11). He gave Noah and man a sign of this promise: "...This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth...when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: and I will remember my covenant...the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." (Gen. 9:12-17). The everlasting covenant of God was not just with Noah, but with all living creatures of flesh, and with the earth. God also made a covenant with Abraham. Abraham fell on his face before the LORD, and received this promise from God: "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." (Gen. 17:7-8). The current crisis that we see oer the land which was called Canaan, is over the requirement of this covenant that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was and is to be their God. There are those in the area of conflict, who are the seed of Abraham after the flesh, for he eventually had many children. However, God's everlasting covenant requires that He, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is their God, and not another god. Jesus said that God could raise children of Abraham up from the stones. There was also another requirement of Abraham in this everlasting covenant with God. All members of his household must be circumcised by the time the child is eight days old: "...my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant." (v. 10-13). Science has since confirmed what God already knew: the clotting factor in blood is not fully developed until the eighth day of life. When Abraham's son Isaac was miraculously born in Sarah's old age, the LORD made clear that His covenant would continue with Isaac, although Abraham also loved Ishmael: "But my covenant shall I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year...I will establish my covenant with him, and with his seed after him." (v. 17-21). Later, after the children of Israel were delivered out of the slavery of Egypt, the priests would have a requirement to fulfill in God's covenant with them. They would be required to keep the lamp of the LORD, that was in the tabernacle, burning with pure olive oil as a statute forever. They were to make and place twelve new cakes on the pure table before the LORD in the tabernacle every sabbath: "Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant." (Lev. 24:1-8). Today, there are those in Israel making plans to construct a third temple so that they may keep this covenant with God, as He commanded. We have a role that is required to be fulfilled in the covenant also. When Moses and the people were in the wilderness, the men of Israel had joined themselves with the women of Moab and Midian in idol worship. A plague broke out among the people because of the anger of God. Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron the priest, killed an unrepentant Israelite and his idolatrous foreign wife with his javelin, and the plague was stopped. Because of the zeal of God in Phinehas, the LORD made a covenant with him and with his seed after him: "Behold I give unto him my covenant of peace...the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel." (Num. 25:11-13). David, who was raised up and anointed by God to be ruler over the people of Israel spoke of the everlasting covenant that God had made with him, and his role in that covenant. David said that he spoke by the Spirit of God, with the Word of God in his tongue. As a ruler, he was to rule justly, in the fear of God. He was to be as light, and he knew that his salvation was in the everlasting covenant that God had made with him (2 Sam. 23:1-5). Isaiah wrote the Word of the LORD concerning the land being emptied and spoiled. The whole earth, in fact, would languish and fade away, and the haughty people of the earth also: "The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant." (Isa. 24:1-5). We have broken the covenant. Remember, judgment begins at the house of the LORD. However, God offers His cleansing and renewal to us, as a free gift, as well as His everlasting covenant: "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." (Isa. 55:1-3). David, when he had sinned, sought the renewal and cleansing of the LORD in repentance (Ps. 51). David is a witness to us of this covenant of mercy and forgiveness with God. As God prophesied about raising His people up to Ezekiel, He spoke about cleansing their sin and transgressions. The LORD promised to bring the Messiah, like David, to rule as King over His people forever. They shall dwell in the land that God has given them, "...even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore." (Ezek. 37:21-28). In the Book of Hebrews, we are reminded that the blood of the everlasting covenant, through Jesus Christ whom God raised from the dead, makes us perfect in every good work to do His will, working in us in a way that is well pleasing in His sight (Heb. 13:20-21). We have the covenant with God as we live and walk in that covenant before Him. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 7/17/2022 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 Third Day Wedding*

We can start with the Prophet Hosea: "After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight." (Hos. 6:2). "In the third day" pertains to the time in which we are living, according to Peter who wrote that a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day. We have completed the second day, or 2,ooo years since the death and resurrection of Jesus, and we are entering that third day, or 3,ooo year time to be revived and raised up to live in His sight. Jesus spoke about the difference between those of the world, and those who are part of Himself, and the Kingdom of God. He said that those of the world cannot receive His words, which are the words of the Father, the words of truth that make men free: "Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world...if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins...he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him...When ye lift up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things...If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free...Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin...If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed...Why do you not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word...He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God." (Jn. 8:23-47, excerpt). We who are in Christ, and hear His words, are not from this world, and we are not to be conformed to this world, but transformed. The Church needs to stop looking at the world for remedies. The third day is about transformation, and the transformation is in preparation for the wedding of the Lamb and His Bride, the believers. There is a connection in scripture between the third day and the wedding, and it also involved Jesus' first miracle: "And the third day there was a marriage in Cana (meaning: reed, shaft and branches of the lampstand, purchase, redeem, God originating, creating, and redeeming His people) of Galilee (meaning: circuit, ring, turning of a door, to roll away the reproach, roll away a stone); and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage." (Jn. 2:1-2). At this wedding feast, when they asked for wine, Jesus' mother told Him that there was no wine left to drink. Jesus ordered that the large stone pots used for cleansing or purifying be filled to the brim with water. Then He told them to draw some out and take it to the ruler of the feast. The ruler did not know that the wine that he tasted had originally been water, and he marvelled that the good wine, usually served to guests at the beginning of the fest before too much drinking had gone on, was saved for the end of the feast (v. 3-10). "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him." (v. 11). Those pots containing the water of purification is our washing of the water of the Word of God. And this first miracle of Jesus that caused His disciples to believe in Him occurred at a wedding that took place on the third day. Jesus again used wine to represent the new covenant in His blood, that is shed for many for the remission of sins (Mt. 26:26-29). The cup of wine that He used was the Cup of Redemption of the Passover meal, or Seder. That cup is also known as the Cup of Betrothal. Jesus told His disciples: "I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." This is the third day marriage. Revelation tells us that the Lamb's wife has made herself ready. Jesus told a parable warning us to be ready for His return as the Bridegroom. He said that there were ten virgins who were waiting for the Bridegroom to arrive. Five were wise and had prepared ahead of time, having their lamps trimmed and extra oil on hand to light their lamps when He came. Five of the virgins were foolish and had not prepared properly, having no oil on hand for their lamps. They all slept, because the Bridegroom did not arrive until midnight. Suddenly the cry went out that the Bridegroom had arrived, and only the wise virgins could join the wedding party, while the foolish virgins had to go out at the last minute to purchase a supply of oil. Meanwhile, the door to the marriage feast was shut, and the five foolish virgins were left outside the door. When the foolish ones cried out to be let in, saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us", the Lord answered: "Verily I say unto you, I know you not." Jesus ended the parable saying: "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." (Mt. 25:1-13). The Church has also been asleep while we wait for Christ's return. Will there be those who are unprepared for the Bridegroom's arrival, having no oil of the Holy Spirit in their spiritual lamps? We may not know the exact day nor hour of His return, but we know the signs of His return, because He told us ahead of time (see Mt. 24, Lk. 21). Those signs are around us today. The world even has something called a "Doomsday Clock" set up with its hands approaching midnight. The world is paying more attention to the signs of the times than the Church! Jesus said that His return will be like it was in the days of Noah, when the world carried on their activities as they normally would. But the day came when Noah and the animals were told by God to enter the ark, and the LORD shut Noah in. None of those left outside the ark could enter. Then the flood came and destroyed them. Noah was spared because he received grace from God, a gift, and was therefore seen as righteous before Him (Lk. 17:25-26, Gen. 7:1-16). The day of the Lord is a day in which the door will be shut. Those who find grace in Christ will be inside, and those who haven't will remain outside. In another part of scripture, Jesus was making His way to Jerusalem, the city which plays an important role in the prophetic timetable of God, and has just in the past generation become re-established with the nation of Israel, Jesus warned those whom He was teaching: "Strive to enter in at the strait gate (the eastern gate where the King or Messiah will enter): for many...will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." (Lk. 13:22-30). In that day, even though they knew of Jesus, He did not know them as belonging to Him, and He will say to them: "I tell you, I know you not whence you are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity." (v. 27). Others would enter the Kingdom of God, but these would be thrust out, Jesus said, "And behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last." (v. 30). Jesus requires more of a relationship with us in order to save us than just a casual acquaintanceship. Finally, Jesus told a parable comparing the kingdom of heaven to a king who was preparing a marriage feast for his son (Mt. 22:1-13). He invited many, but all had an excuse not to come. They treated with violence the messengers whom the king had sent with his invitation. The king sent his army to destroy those who had murdered his messengers. Then he sent his servants out again telling them to invite as many as they could find, both good and bad (our righteousness is of the Lord, not ourselves), to the marriage feast. Those who came knew to prepare and wear wedding garments. However, there was one there who wore no wedding garment. When asked why by the king, he remained silent, for he had no good reason. The king said to his servants: "Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen." In Jewish customs, the wedding garments are a very important part of the marriage feast. The bride begins weaving her wedding garment when she becomes betrothed. We also see in Jesus' parable that wedding garments are necessary, yet how many in the Church have given no thought to the preparation needed for the coming marriage to our Bridegroom? Church games and rituals will not save you. The world puts up signs of what will set you free, whether that is work, money, drugs, or other things that pass away, but it's a lie. Whoever sins becomes a servant to sin, and all have sinned. However, the Lord's truth has made us free, if we will hear and accept it. We are living in the time of the third day wedding. Have you prepared for it? *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 7/3/2022 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.com.

Ready or Not*

When we were children, we played the game Hide and Seek. We would call out, "Ready or not, here I come!". Is the Body of Christ ready to meet Christ? Solomon wrote that no one will have power over that day: "There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those who are given to it...". (Eccl. 8:8). Solomon also wrote in this chapter that those who keep the commands of God will not suffer evil. He said that the heart of the wise discern both time and judgment, and there is both a set time and a judgment (v. 5-6). Those who think that evil is not punished quickly, set their hearts to do evil. Though a sinner's days may be prolonged, it will not go well with him because he does not fear and revere God (v. 11-12). In the days before the flood, God said that men's hearts were evil continually, and the LORD regretted that He had created man. Only the man Noah had grace with God (Gen. 6:5-8). It is the grace of God found in His Son, Jesus, that makes death but a shadow for those who believe, for we have passed from death unto life in Him. Have you found this grace with God? In the days of Noah, life went on as usual for men until Noah was shut into the ark and the earth was flooded. In the days before the total destruction of Sodom, life continued as usual for the wicked inhabitants of that city. Only Lot and his immediate family survived, because the angels pulled them out. The ashes of Sodom testify today of the day of destruction that they faced. Jesus said that the same conditions would exist before His appearing: life as "normal", and then sudden destruction (Lk. 17:26-30). Are we ready for that day? Because ready or not, He is returning. Have we silently tolerated sin, participated in it, and aided in its proliferation? God is not afraid to call sin, sin. However, we do not need to remain in sin. Paul, in listing the sins of men wrote, "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Cor. 6:11). We don't have to remain in sin, and suffer the consequence of sin, death. The Apostle Jude warned of a danger to the church of believers and wrote: "...It was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." (v. 3). Jude felt that the salvation faith of the saints was in danger from within the church. Ungodly men, who were ordained to condemnation from the beginning, were "turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." (v. 4). In the face of this spiritual undermining, even in the church, it is not enough to be comfortable and satisfied with your faith, but you will need to actively contend for it in order to keep it. Jude wrote that this undermining of faith in the church is the same that caused the Israelites, who had been delivered from Egypt by God, to then become filled with unbelief towards Him. This undermining caused the angels to fall, and end up in chains. It is the same underming that caused Sodom and Gomorrah to give themselves over to fornication until they could not be saved. They then became those who suffer the eternal fire (v. 5-7). The apostles felt by the Spirit the nearness of the day of reckoning. If they felt it so strongly then, how much closer is that day to us? Peter wrote: "But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things, have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins...as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." (1 Pet. 4:7-8). As Jude wrote, Peter said that there was a need for fervency regarding the faith. He also wrote that in whatever way that we speak and minister, we are to do it by the oracles and gifted abilities that God has given to each. Only these things will cause God to be glorified. (v. 11). If we suffer, we are to suffer because of our faith, not in the suffering that the sinners and evil-doers will experience: "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saived, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? ...But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." (13-18). The Prophet Jeremiah wrote the Word of the LORD concerning the undermining of the truth, and the faith of the people of God, and again there is a comparison with the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah. The LORD said to Jeremiah: "I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of the evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah...concerning the prophets...Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land." (Jer. 23:14-15). The LORD warned not to listen to these prophets. "For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked." (v. 18-19). Those profane prophets were prophesying peace, and telling those "that walketh after the imagination of his own heart", that no evil will befall him. Jeremiah wrote about the latter days: "The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly." (v. 20). Jesus taught in a parable about a king who had prepared a wedding banquet for his son. The king saw among the guests one who was not clothed in a wedding garment. The king said: "Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless." (Mt. 22:11-12). Because that guest was not wearing a wedding garment, he was bound, taken away, and cast into outer darkness: "...there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen." (v.13-14). This parable offended the religious Pharisees, who felt they were already justified in God, and did not want to listen to anyone who said that they were not accepted by God in their own righteousness. In Jewish wedding traditions, as well as in the scripture, there are wedding garments that must be made ready. The Word of Jesus in Revelation: "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." (Rev. 16:15). And then they were gathered into the place called Armageddon (v. 16). I believe the day is near. We can understand that day as we understnd the appointed feasts of the LORD. We are coming into the season of the spring feasts now. Are we ready? *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 4/3/2022 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.

Why Race Is A Lie!*

Unity is essential to being the Church, as Scripture defines and describes the Church. Paul wrote: "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Eph. 4:1-3). Paul goes on to reveal that every aspect of our belief is based upon a concept of unity: one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, "...One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." (v. 6-7). Jesus descended into the earth and ascended "far above all heavens", leading the captives of death out with Him, in order to "fill all things". In the same way, Christ gave gifts to the Church, some apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, who are all still called and functioning in the Church today, in order to teach, edify and equip the saints in the unity required to achieve the fullness of Christ. These gifts to the Church will remain until the goal is achieved:"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (v. 8-13). This fullness is necessary to prevent us from being tossed, carried and deceived by "every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." (v. 14). We, however, speak the truth of unity: "But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." (v. 14-16). Divisions created by men, including divisions based upon false doctrines and deceptions, work against the goal of Christ for His Body, the Church. These false divisions play a role in end time events as prophesied by Jesus to His disciples: "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." (Mt. 24:7-8). We are seeing these events taking place now, and with great intensity. However, let us look at the complete meaning of the word "nation" used here in this verse. The Greek word is ethnos, which means "a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together; a company, troop, swarm; a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus; the human family; a tribe, nation, people group; in the OT, foreign nations not worshipping the true God, pagans, Gentiles; Paul uses the term for Gentile Christians". Jesus added: "And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations (ethnos - the human family); and then shall the end come." (v. 14). The human family on the earth today, of which Jesus spoke, has one origin: "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth...And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread." (Gen. 9:1, 18-19). God gave Noah and his sons permission to eat any food on earth, but they could not eat the blood, which contained the life of the flesh. Restrictions on food did not come until the Law of Moses. Though varying cultures may eat things that seem unacceptable to us, thus causing senseless divisions, they are acceptable under God's instructions to Noah. All of the human family that inhabits earth today came from the three sons of Noah, as they left the ark, and spread out across the earth. To them and to all flesh, God's everlasting covenant promise to never again flood the earth was accompanied by a sign: the rainbow in the sky (v. 8-17). No matter how else this sign ordained by God is used by men, the true meaning of the rainbow is as a reminder to God of His covenant promise to all flesh, without categories, labels, or divisions. Although the human family lived in unity for a while, division came soon after. All men spoke one language at the time. In this unity of language, men planned to build a city out of brick and mortar, and a tower to reach up to heaven: "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." (Gen. 11:1-4). The LORD came down to see what the people were building. He saw that having one language, nothing would be restrained from what they set their minds to do. So He confused their language, and they could no longer communicate with each other (v. 5-7). They sought to empower themselves because they had feared being scattered, but because of their actions, what they feared came to pass, and the LORD scattered them upon all the earth (v. 9). They were confused and divided from each other only by language, not by race nor ethnicity. In the New Testment, as the apostle Paul brought the Gospel to the people of Athens, he brought the knowledge of God to them using one of their own monuments "TO THE UNKNOWN GOD" (Acts 17:22-27). Paul said to them, "...I declare unto you...God that made the world and all things therein...dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us." Using the Greek word for nations again, which is ethnos, meaning the human family, Paul made clear that we have all been made from one blood by the God of all who dwells, not in a physical building, but within each of us, his living temples. In the Song of Solomon, there are two who are loved by one another. We believe that the love relationship depicted here is prophetic regarding Christ and His Church. The man, called by the woman, "My Beloved", and the woman describe each other lovingly as beautiful. One lover says, "I am black, but comely...Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me..." Songs 1:6). She is also called "thou fairest among women". She says of the one she loves: "My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven...His eyes are as the eyes of doves...His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. His legs are as pillars of marble..." (Song 5:1-16). These two people in the Song of Songs will be known eternally, not for any divisions as defined by race, but for their devotion to each other, and for their beauty in each other's eyes. The human family has divided itself, and abused and rejected each other based upon the lie of race. We see evidence of the unity of the human family in many findings associated with the Native Americans in this country. Many Native American petroglyphs have been found that contain writing in the ancient Hebrew language. The Los Lunas Decalogue Stone is a stone in New Mexico upon which The Ten Commandments, engraved in ancient Hebrew, was found. The West African Slave Coast, from which many people were shipped and sold across the ocean, was called on ancient maps, "The Kingdom of Judah". From this we may conclude that many former American slaves may have descended from the Twelve Tribes of Israel. It is written that upon the arrival of Columbus in the New World, Indigenous People greeted him reciting the Shema, the prayer of Israel. The human family was never divided by God by racial identity. The amount of melanin in the skin does not divide us one from another, but is an indication of where many generations dwelt geographically on the earth, and in relationship to the sun. Race is a lie to separate and destroy people. Let's be set free by the truth, and be healed. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 1/30/2022 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.

Rapture Ready - Are You Really Ready?*

As we see the signs of the end times around us, including pandemics, turbulent and destructive weather, economic troubles, many Christians are looking for The Rapture, the catching away of the Church to be with Christ. People are saying they are Rapture- ready, but do we really understand what it takes to be ready for The Rapture? Jesus gave this warning regarding what can become stumbling blocks to our "readiness": "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 it shall come upon all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Lk. 21:34-36). Even the cares of this life can derail our ability to be Rapture-ready. Jesus said for us to pray that we may be accounted worthy. What is required to be worthy? Jesus told us: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Mt. 5:48). "Perfect" as used here means complete, as in having grown into the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, as stated in Ephesians 4. In Rev. 3, Jesus gave a warning to the church at Sardis saying, "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God." He urged this church to repent. If they did not repent, He would come upon them like a thief in the night, "and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." As for those in the Sardis church who had not defiled their spiritual garments: "...they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy." (Rev. 3:1-6). Jesus is looking for ferfect works from His church. How do we attain this perfection, the completeness of the fulness of Christ? Jesus had a discussion with a rich young man who had spent most of his life living according to the commandments of God, but still felt that he lacked something necessary that he may have eternal life. He asked Jesus, "...what lack I yet?". Jesus answered him, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow (akoloutheo- walk the same road) me." (Mt. 19:16-21). Jesus told this pious, sincere young man, "Walk the same road as Me". What does it mean to follow or walk the same road as Christ? As the LORD described the way that pleased Him through His prophet, Micah wrote, "Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Wlll the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams...shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:6-8). The LORD is saying here, as Jesus said, "Follow Me!", "Walk the same road with Me!". The LORD said the same thing to Abram: "I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." (Gen. 17:1). As God separated Abram from his home in Ur of the Chaldees, He separates us also from the world by saying, "Walk with Me, and be perfect". The LORD separated Noah from the violent and corrupt world around him, a world that would experience God's judgment, by saying of Noah, "...Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD...Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." (Gen. 6:8-9). Of the man, Enoch, who lived before the flood of judgment, and who was the first example in scripture of one who was "raptured", God said, "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. (Gen. 5:22-24). This message, to be perfect, to walk with God, to follow Him, has been repeated throughout the Word of God. There is a coming judgment. There is a heaven to gain, and a hell to shun. There is a Church in need of making herself ready for The Rapture, and for Christ's return. Pray to be worthy to escape and stand before the Son of Man. Be perfect, and walk the same road with the Lord. To contact: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 or Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find Dr. Stevenson on Facebook and Twitter.

Are You Ready?*

The title of this message is the spiritual question of our time. It seems for much of the Church that we're not ready for the days ahead, and the return of Christ. The people of Jesus' time kept asking Him for a sign from heaven. Jesus remarked on their lack of spiritual discernment telling them that although they could discern the coming weather by observing the signs in the sky, they couldn't discern the signs of God: "O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" (Mt. 16:1-4). Jesus told them that only the sign of Jonah, a resurrection from the dead confirming God's Word and authority, would be given to such an evil and wicked generation that seeks after a sign, when they have already refused to discern the sign that had been given to them, which was Christ Himself. Jesus also pointed out that others who HAD discerned the signs of the times in the past, even strangers to Israel like the Ninevites who received the prophetic warning of Jonah, or the Queen of the South who sought out Solomon for his wisdom, would rise up and judge this generation who refused to discern the signs of the times (Lk. 11:29-32). Because of his faith in God, Noah acted when he was warned of the coming judgment: "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he cndemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."(Heb. 11:7). The fact that Noah heard, believed, and acted, not only saved his own house, but condemned the rest of the world for not hearing, believing and acting on the warning signs given to Noah. Are we receiving these warnings from the things written in scripture? Will we stand condemned also as we ignore the servants of God who are bringing us the warning signs of judgment? Jesus said that we can understand the sign of the fig tree, that when its leaves turn green it tells us that summer is coming. "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things (the signs detailed in Mt. 24), know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (Mt. 24:32-34). Jesus was speaking of the signs of wars, famine, pestilence, earthquakes, persecution of believers, false prophets and false Christs, which would signal the beginning of tribulation and the coming end of the age. All we will be given are these signs, by which we will know the time draws near. We will not be given the day nor the hour of its approach: "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only (Mt. 24:36-39, Mk. 13:28-32). Because of this, Jesus warns us of what we need to do: "Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh...lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.(Mk. 13:35-37). Will Christ find us sleeping? Will He find us so taken up with the cares of this world, even after He has told us to seek His kingdom first? Jesus warned that this is the very snare that will come to all who dwell on the earth. The moment we look away by the distractions and cares of life is the very moment when He may come. So again, He says, "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Lk. 21:34-36). In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of ten virgins who were appointed to go with the bridegroom when he appears, yet all fell asleep. However, there were five wise out of the ten, who had extra oil for their lamps, and were well prepared for the sudden appearance of the bridegroom. Five were foolish, and did not have on hand the extra oil that would be needed. The five foolish misjudged the times, and had to rush out to buy more oil when the bridegroom suddenly appeared. They missed his coming, and were not able to go into the bridal chamber with him. The door was shut against them, as the door of the ark had been shut by God, closing Noah and his family in the ark, and the wicked outside the ark (see Gen. 7:11-16). As in the case in Noah's time, once the door had shut them out, it is irreversible. When the five foolish virgins came to the shut door saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us", he answered and said, "Verily I say unto you, I know you not." Jesus concluded the parable again saying, "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." (Mt. 25:1-13). Although the five foolish virgins had been part of the ten appointed for the wedding, their lack of preparedness, their lacking of the oil of light or the oil of the Holy Spirit identified them as ones whom Christ does not know. Like the virgins, we have been called to discern and be prepared for his sudden coming. We have been called to discern the signs of the times and be prepared. Will He find us sleeping? Watch, pray, heed the signs and be prepared. *Based on Dr. Stevenson's 1/9/21 message to the Church. To contact Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson, email Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com or PO Box 154221, Waco, TX 76705 Look for us on Facebook and Twitter also.

Believe HIS Prophets*

 

 

King Jehoshaphat declared to Judah, "Believe in the LORD your God, so shall you be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper." (2 Chron. 20:20). It is especially important now, in the times in which we are living and during this pandemic, to listen to the prophets. The prophet Amos wrote:

"Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? Surely the LORD God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the LORD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?  Amos 3:6-8

How far we have come away from God's Word, and our understanding of the vital importance of His prophets and His prophecies! Sometimes we miss the prophetic because we don't recognize the package it is coming in. For example, there is much prophetic significance in the Books of the Apocrypha concerning the Messiah, but because of where they are found, we are not familiar with them, or discount them. In another example, secular songs have been written that have prophetic significance:

"And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made.
And the sign flashed out its warning
in the words that it was forming.
And the sign said, 'The words of the prophets
are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls.
And whispered in the sounds of silence."

Sound of Silence, by Paul Simon

 

or from Bob Marley:

"One love, one heart
Let's get together and feel all right
Hear the children crying (One love)
Hear the children crying (One heart)
Sayin', "Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right."
Sayin', "Let's get together and feel all right."

 

Jesus compared the coming of the Son of man to the conditions and warning given during the days of Noah, giving that scriptural account prophetic significance for our time (Mt. 24:35-42). The response to Noah in that day was an example of how people often respond to the prophetic today - they ignore it or do not see its significance. The people of Noah's time ignored the prophetic warning until the flood carried them away. There will be those upon the coming of the Lord who will be carried away by calamity, as in the flood. However, in the midst of great and universal wickedness, Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD (Gen. 6:5-8). Jesus concluded by saying, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."

The grace that Noah found in the eyes of the Lord was also a prophetic picture of the foundation upon which the new covenant would be established forever, in the grace found through Yeshua, Jesus.

The apostle Peter exhorted his readers to be mindful, to take heed, of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and also now by the apostles. The same (prophetic) words which spoke of the unrighteous in the world having been flooded with water, continues and has created a store of fire this time in the earth for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men- fervent heat that melts the elements and the works of man. God is only holding off from this fiery destruction in His patience to allow as much time and opportunity as possible for men's repentance. Knowing this prophetic warning is still active, this knowledge should mold how we believers continue in our character, expectations and outlooks: "...what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness...?" (2 Pet. 3). As Peter mentioned in his epistle, the apostle Paul wrote similarly of the Lord revealed from heaven in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who don't know God, and refuse to obey the gospel of Christ. His presence and glory will punish with an everlasting destruction. Christ will be glorified in those who do believe His Word and promise. We are to be worthy of this calling of faith in Him who saves us, and "fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power." (2 Thess. 1:7-12). The apostles of today are likewise bringing forth the same prophetic warnings to the Body of Christ for this same purpose, that we would be shaped and conformed in this fullness (Eph. 4:11-13).

As prophesied, there are many false prophets and teachers who come to bring a contrary word, driven by covetousness, twisting the scriptures in order to make profit off of those who clamor to hear lies and false assurances (2 Pet. 2:1-3, 3:17). But the genuine word of prophecy which we have received, and are now receiving from the true apostles, prophets and teachers, is a sure word of prophecy, because it does not come from the will and interpretation of men, "but holy men of God (who) spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Pet. 1:19-21).

By these precious prophetic words originated in the Holy Spirit, we are conformed, not to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds, minds washed in the truth of the Word of God, becoming blameless and without spot, growing in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:14-18).

 





*The above is based upon the 5/24/20 message to the Church from Dr. Kenneth Stevenson. 

To Contact/Submit prayer requests/Support the ministry/Order the book, "NAZAH-White Linen and the Blood of Sprinkling", and to help us get out the message, to contribute to the Book of Remembrance for Sean Stevenson:

Dr. Kenneth Stevenson
P.O. Box 154221
Waco, TX  76705

https://twitter.com/everlastingcov8

http://endtimeschool.com/

everlastingcovenant@ymail.com

To watch/hear Dr. Stevenson's complete message:

https://twitter.com/everlastingcov8

Sermon.net/EverlastingCovenant
 

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.
 

Dr. Stevenson's newest book is now available:

  

To order "NAZAH": https://twitter.com/everlastingcov8     http://endtimeschool.com/ 

To send testimonies for the Book of Remembrance to be published in the memory of Sean Stevenson:
 

You can send your testimonies to:

everlastingcovenant@ymail.com or PO Box 154221, Waco, TX  76705.

 



                                                                   Sean Stevenson





A Special Father's Day Is Coming

 

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready."  Rev. 19:7
Very special events are waiting on the prophetic calendar. They are events that are connected to the fall Feasts of the LORD. There are specific days and hours in which these prophetic events will be fulfilled, and only the Father in heaven knows and determines them. These great events, including the marriage supper of the Lamb, are governed from the realm of the Father, only. No man will have the rulership or authority over these events. Because the exact timing of them is unknown to us, we must always be prepared and "ready" for the fulfillment at any moment. These events will be very special "Father's Days" for the earth.

Regarding the great day of the return of Lord, the Messiah, Jesus said:

"But of that day and hour, knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." 

                                                                                                               Mt. 24:36-39

Before the moment of the flood, life went on as normal, and men failed to repent, because  even though they had the witness of Noah for an extended period of time, they were unbelieving that the moment of destruction was about to come upon them. So it will be again at the moment of the return of Christ. As in Noah's day, the men of today do not have a heart of repentance, and they do not believe that the moment will come upon them suddenly. As men mocked Noah, so men of today also mock the warning witness that the moment will come at any time, according to the determination of the Father. Neither men's plans nor their desires will determine that day or hour, but the Father only.

Jesus warned even believers, "Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is."     Mk. 13:33

 

After His resurrection, when Jesus appeared to the disciples during the forty days before His ascension, He discussed with them the things pertaining to the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). His disciples asked if He would restore the kingdom to Israel at this time. He answered:

"It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power."  Acts 1:7

Again the Savior tells them that this is something over which only the Father has control. The Father has put this timing into His own power. It is completely out of the power of men. However, Jesus goes on to describe what has been given to men regarding this:

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."  Acts 1:8

Though men will not know the day nor the hour, which is in the Father's hands only, the Father has not left men without a warning witness in the earth. As men watched Noah build the ark day by day, and plank by plank, we have been empowered by the Holy Ghost for the purpose of being Noahs to our generation. We are to bear witness day by day, Word by Word, step by step, person by person, and prayer by prayer, that the day and the hour that the Father has determined can come upon man at any moment.

There is a special Father's Day coming.

 

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Christmas, Fl. 32709

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A House Divided

 

The condition of our nation, of our people, even of the church, is one of division. Division is a tool that Lucifer used to separate one-third of the angels from God's Kingdom, and to separate Adam and Eve from God, their Creator. Jesus spoke of the desolation that results from division, its effect seen from the largest kingdom down to a single house:

"Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand."          Mt. 12:25

God's House is a house without division, standing forever. The first mention of "house" in scripture reflects His view of a united house:

"And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation."     Gen. 7:1

The command to Noah, whom the LORD saw as righteous, was to not only himself but to all his house, undivided. 

COME OUT/ENTER IN/SHUT IN

As the commandment to Noah said, Noah was to come from, or out of, something and enter into the ark:

"And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God (Elohim) had commanded him: and the LORD (YHWH) shut him in."       Gen. 7:16

God commanded it, and YHWH, the "Hand (Yod) Pierced By The Nail (Vaw)", shut them in.

Even out of a condition of division, the LORD calls us to come out, enter in, and be shut in.

Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins who were divided: five were wise, having oil in their lamps, and five were foolish, being unprepared, having no oil. At midnight, signifying the end of an age, there was a cry made, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him,"

The five virgins who were prepared with oil in their lamps, "went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut."        Mt. 25:1-6, 10

This is the nature of the House of God. God is not just calling us to "come out" of something, but He is also calling us to "enter in" to His House. In Rev. 18:4, a voice from heaven commands God's people to "come out" of Mystery Babylon, so we will not partake of her sins, nor consequently receive her judgment plagues. These same people of God who were commanded to "come out" are now called "into" the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:8). Like Noah, they are seen by God as righteous, robed in their fine, clean, white linen. As you "come out", you "enter in" the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:14-15), where your robes are washed clean by His blood. This is the place of the Father's House. Jesus, the Bridegroom, told us that He goes to His Father's House to prepare a place for us. This is the place we are being called to "enter in".

 

THE LAW OF THE HOUSE

 





God's House stands forever. It is not a House divided, and we cannot "enter in" to that House bringing those things that divide us from Him, or from each other. We cannot build our house of our own ways, and set it next to His House, and say we have "entered in". We must "come out" of that, leave it behind, put it away. We must repent of it:

"In their setting of their threshold by My thresholds, and their posts by My posts, and the wall between Me and them, 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 the carcases of their kings, far from Me, and I will dwell in the midst of them forever."      Ez. 43:8-9

God commands the law of His House. He shows us the true House, and what is necessary to "enter into" it:

"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 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 all the forms thereof, and all the laws 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."     Ez. 43:10-12

It is the humble man, the contrite repentant spirit, that "comes out" of that old place, and desires to "enter in" to the House of God. God's House is a holy House, a sanctuary in the time of trouble, and resurrection revival to those humble souls. The proud and the haughty will be looking for places to hide, sanctuaries to cover them for fear of the LORD and for the glory of His majesty, but those useless sanctuaries will not be in God's House:

"And 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 and rocks, "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?"   Rev. 6:15-17

(Isa. 2:3, 10-11, Isa. 57:15, Ps. 27:4-5, Ps. 91:1, Rev. 7:14-15).

 



Jesus said, "If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."    Jn. 14:23

He also said, He "that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth", has opened a door that no man can shut. This open door is to the temple, the House of God. Those who overcome shall enter it, coming out of that divided house, the synagogue of Satan. He will be made a pillar of the Name, Ha Shem, in the Temple of God, and "he shall go no more out."  (Rev. 3:7-12).

Come out, and enter in.