If You Knew...*

In Matthew 24:3, Jesus was asked two questions by His disciples when He told them that the stones of the temple in Jerusalem would be thrown down: "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world (aion - "age, period of time")? The Greek used here indicates that Jesus is being asked about the end of the age, rather than the end of the world, as found in some translations. Jesus described many events that would come to pass and added: "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." (v. 21-22). Jesus also warned of something we have seen. He said that there would be those who would say that Christ was in a certain physical location, but Jesus told us not to believe it. He said false Christs and false prophets would come, even showing great signs and wonders, that would deceive even the elect. Jesus said not to believe these false Christs and their sightings. In describing the true nature of His return, Jesus said that the Son of Man would come suddenly like lightning crossing the whole sky.(v. 23-27). As the signs come to pass, Jesus said that He would send His angels to gather the elect "with the great sound of a trumpet" (v. 31). Then He told His disciples to learn a parable of the fig tree: "When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, 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...But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only...Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." (32-42, see also Mk. 13:28-37, and Lk. 21:29-36). The corresponding verses in Luke end, "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 on 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). In these verses from Matthew and Luke, there are several things of which to be aware. First, as all of the signs manifest, the angels will gather the elect with a great sound of a trumpet. This is what we call the rapture, and we will read about it again later in this message. Luke says to watch and pray that we may be found worthy to escape the things coming. Again, another mention of a rapture, or catching away, of believers. Then Jesus uses the parable of the fig tree to add to His comments about His return, and the end of the age, as He was originally asked. The fig tree of Jesus' parable is just beginning to sprout its leaves from tender branches. The fig tree in scripture represents Israel. Israel was conceived as a restored nation in 1948. Jesus said that "this generation" that sees these things shall not pass until all of these things are fulfilled. We will consider the number of years in a generation as we continue in this study. Jesus also said above that of that day and hour we know not, only the Father knows. "Of" that day and hour, means about that day. He then indicates that the day comes unawares to those who are involved in life's cares and fleshly pursuits, and warns us to watch and pray instead. Is it possible that we may be able to know the day of the Lord then? It is the hour that will remain unknown according to Jesus, above. Paul will also speak about this same thing, the knowing of the day, which we will read. First, regarding the rapture, or catching away of the believers, Paul wrote that it is connected to the resurrection of the dead in Christ: "...I would not have you to be ignorant...concerning them which are asleep (referring to those who have died in Christ), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope...For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord...comfort one another with these words. (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Here Paul has given us more details on the resurrection of the dead and the catching away of those believers who remain alive. Next, Paul wrote about knowing "the day": "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night...But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and...are drunken in the night." (1 Thess. 5:1-7). The ones who are overtaken and unprepared for the day of the Lord are those who are of darkness, and drink and sleep in darkness. Not so of us, who are of the day, and the light. Let those of us who are of the day be sober, Paul wrote, and clothed in the armor of love and the hope of salvation, which is resurrection, and therefore includes the catching away, or rapture also (v. 8). "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." (v. 9). That day of the Lord is not to surprise us like a thief in the night, because we are not of the night. We are to be aware, knowing, sober, awake, and watching. What would you do, and how would you act if you knew the day of His coming? Would you act any differently than you do now? The knowledge of those of the day and the light is different from those of the night and darkness. Paul again wrote about the difference between those who are the saints of light, and those who are held in the power of darkness (Col. 1:12-13). Paul also described the destruction surrounding the coming of the Lord to be like a woman with child in travail, suffering birth pangs. Jesus is the firstborn of all creation, and the firstborn from the dead (Col. 1:15-20). There is a specific knowledge of timing involved in this comparison to conception, travail and birth, which we hope to get into in more detail at another time. Going back to the discourse of Jesus in Mt. 24 regarding the signs of His return and the end of the age, we can discuss "this generation", mentioned after the parable of the fig tree (Israel), which will not pass until all of these things are fulfilled. How long is this generation of which Jesus spoke? In Psalm 90, attributed to Moses, Moses is writing about the destruction that has come upon man, and God's invitation to them to return to Him (v. 3). We also read a precept in v.4, that is mentioned again in 2 Peter 3:8, that also deals with the timing of the day of the Lord for those who understand: "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." About a generation, Moses wrote: "The days of our years are threescore years and ten (70); and if by reason of strength they be fourscore (80) years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away." (v. 10). If strength is added to us, then 80 years are given as the length of our years. Note: Paul prayed that we be "strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (Col. 1:11), and in another mention, Sarah received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child. If we add 80 years (which were extended from 70 because of strength) to the first greening of the fig tree in Jesus' parable, which is the conception of a reborn nation of Israel in 1948-49, we are brought to the year 2028. However, our timing must include another consideration. Year 2028-29 is a Shemitah year, just as 1948-49 was also, which is a special 7th year Sabbath in the Lord. However, there is a period of labor and sorrow, the birthing travail that Paul mentioned, and the tribulation that Christ mentioned, as is also a final seven year period according to the prophet Daniel. If we count back 7 years from that 80th year of 2028-29, it brings us to this year, 2021-22, again another Shemitah year, that began on The Feast of Trumpets (the sound of a trumpet). The Shemitah years between 1948-49 and 2021-22, and the additional Shemitah year of 2028-29, also correspond to a pregnancy analogy involving length of term, which we perhaps will be able to discuss in the future. This is not about setting dates for the return of Christ, but we are presenting some interesting and important considerations for the body of Christ. We believe that the scriptures indicate that we, the believers in Christ, CAN know the day, as children of the day and the light. In any case, the additional information serves to remind us that the time may be very short, as the signs also confirm to us. Considering the possibility of all of this, if you knew the day of His coming, what would you do differently? Would you prepare more earnestly than before? Instead of being caught in the snare of the cares of this life, would you instead be awake, sober, praying, and watching for Christ's return? It is our prayer that the body of Christ seriously awake and prepare. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 3/6/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and endtimeschool.com.

The Shemitah: Judgment or Restoration*

Scripture gives us a choice - to receive the blessing, honor God's commandments, accept His Word, or reject it. The LORD told us that there are blessings and cursings, life and death, to choose between. Adam and Eve had a choice, and they chose to disobey the commandment of God, and we have sin and death as a result. It is the same with the LORD's commandment regarding the Shemitah. The Shemitah is described in Leviticus 25: "And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard..." (Lev. 25:1-4). In the seventh year, the land would remain unplanted, and no harvesting would be done. This sabbath year would be for the owner, his sevants and any traveller or stranger who might be staying with them. The sabbath year would also apply to any animals owned. The LORD promised that as the Israelites prepared to observe the Shemitah in the seventh year: "Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years." (v. 21). The children of Israel would not suffer lack for their obedience to let the land have a sabbath unto the LORD in the seventh year. There is no record of Israel or the Jewish people keeping the Shemitah seventh year sabbath for the land. There was a similar special sabbath year called the Jubilee year, which was to be oberserved every fiftieth year as well (v. 8-9). A Jubilee year would begin on the Day of Atonement of the fiftieth year (v. 9). In the Jubilee year, liberty is to be proclaimed throughout the land, and every man's possession shall be returned or restored unto him (v. 13). In giving commands regarding the speacial sabbath years, the LORD said that His people should not take usury or increase from their brothers, "but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee." (v. 36-37). Not only do we not observe the Shemitah and Jubilee, but the whole system of debt in America is based upon usury and increase. Considering this, will we see the restoration that comes from obeying the commandments of God or judgment for disobeying them? The LORD commanded that the Israelites should not compel a poor brother into being a bondservant or slave, but a hired servant until the year of Jubilee, when all is restored to him (v. 39-41). For over two hundred years, we kept people as bondservants or slaves in our country. There were no Shemitah or Jubilee years of liberty and restoration for them. We ignore the sabbaths whether in days, or years, even though Jesus told us that the sabbath was made for man, for his benefit, as an opportunity to enter into the LORD's holy rest. The prophet Joel prophesied about a complete devestation of the land, where all trees and crops shriveled and dried up like had never been seen previously. What little was left on the land had been eaten by locusts. No offerings could be brought to the house of the LORD, because there was nothing available to bring. The land had ceased to prosper. Could this attack upon the land be the result of a failure to give the land a sabbath rest unto the LORD in the form of the Shemitah, as He commanded Israel to do? Joel revealed what the people must do: "Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come." (Joel 1:14-15). Again Joel said, "Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand..." (Joel 2:1). The day of the LORD is described as a day of darkness, devouring fire, pain, earthquakes, and the withdrawal of light from the stars, sun, and moon (v. 2-10), "...for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible, who can abide it?" The LORD called His people to repentance: "Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting and weeping, and with mourning: and rent your hearts and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him..." (Joel 2:12-14). Again, the LORD by His prophet called for the blowing of trumpets, and for all of the people to gather together without exception to weep and fast in sanctification. As a result, the LORD will be jealous for His land, and pity His people (v.18). Joel then began to prophesy a restoration to the land and the beasts, gladness and rejoicing, and praises to God (v. 21-27). Rain and crops would be plentiful. Not only would the land be restored as a result of the repentance of God's people, but the LORD also promised a great outpouring of His Spirit on all flesh, wonders to be shown in the heavens and the earth, and deliverance of His remnant in Zion and Jerusalem (v. 23-32). The LORD always has a remnant in the earth. The prophet Zephaniah also delivered the Word of the LORD to His people: "Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD's anger." (Zeph. 2:1-3). Do we think that failure to obey God's Word, including His Word regarding Shemitah and Jubilee, is without consequence today? The following events, being just some that occurred in Shemitah years, would tell us otherwise: 1916-17: the Stock Market collapses; some empires of the European nations collapse. 1930-31: 86% of stocks are wiped out. 1937-38: 50% of stocks are wiped out. 1944-45: the Nazi Third Reich ends, the British Empire collapses, America rises in power. 1972-73: 48% of stocks fall causing a recession, the U.S. legalizes abortion, and America suffers a loss in Vietnam. Skipping ahead to 2000-2001: the World Trade Center Towers collapse in an attack, and a financial crisis. 2007-2008: 50% of stocks are wiped out, and a global recession ensues. This would lead us to conclude that when the command of the LORD is not kept, a curse follows. This is confirmed in Deuteronomy. In Deut. 28, many different kinds of blessings are promised if God's people are obedient to His voice, and commandments: "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine (meaning "cattle, oxen; to learn, to teach, to utter"), and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store..." (Deut. 28:1-5). The description of all of the blessings continues from there for those who do all His commandments. However, there are corresponding curses for those who do not do His commandments: "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store..." (Deut. 28:15-17). The curses continue as direct opposites to the blessings that are promised for the obedient observance to God's commands, which would include the periodic sabbath rest of the land unto the LORD of the Shemitah, and the appointed liberation of the Jubilee years. How can we turn the curses or judgment of disobedience into blessing and restoration? Joel and Zephaniah, and also Daniel (see Dan. 9:2-23) gave us the answer: all of God's people gathering together to pray, fast, repent, and to turn back to the LORD with all of their hearts. Second Chronicles 7:13-14 confirms this yet again: "If I should shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 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." The coming Shemitah (7th) year, is appointed to begin next month, in this year 2021. The next Jubilee (50th) year is scheduled soon also. These two special years in God's commandments can bring either judgment or restoration for our land based upon the obedience or repentance of the people of God. Which shall it be for our nation? *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 8/22/21 message to the church. You can contact us at P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR at Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. Look for us also on Facebook, Twitter, and at endtimeschool.com. We welcome your prayer requests, praise reports, and your support for this ministry.