The Leaven of Witchcraft*

Contrary to what some people may think, witchcraft is still around, and presents a spiritual danger to all, including believers. In fact, there is an item being sold on Amazon, called a "Holy Spirit Board", that's really a Ouija Board in sheep's clothing. Its item description says, "Christian Religious Talking Board for Seance with Planchette". We have seen several sources of witchcraft and the occult operating in our area as a result of Satanic activities in the past. "Study centers" that research new age and pagan philosophies and practices have been established here. We have seen the manifestations of witchcraft and occultism in our foreign mission visits, as well. Our spiritual warfare is not with flesh and blood, however, but spiritual powers of wickedness. Frank Perretti wrote novels like "This Present Darkness", and "Piercing the Darkness", that brought this Biblical truth to many readers. We have all seen the rise of strange cults, some falsely associating themselves with Christianity, where men represented themselves as a kind of Messiah who could bring their followers to a heavenly destination. Sadly, the destination that many followers of these cults arrived at was death. As we see signs around us of the end times, wars and threats of war, earthquakes, unusual storms, pestilences, I believe that we will begin seeing the rise of a cult that may deceive even Christians. We will find out more about this cult later, but first, we have been given the tools that we will need from scripture in order to protect ourselves from this wickedness. Paul wrote: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (Eph. 6:10-13). The whole armor of God covers, protects and arms us spiritually with a girdle, breastplate, a shield, helmet and sword. Even our feet are spiritually shod in a special way with readiness and preparedness that comes with the Gospel of peace. This armor is not made of metal, but of the spiritual qualities of God: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God (v. 14-17). The enemy may use fiery darts against us, but they are quenched by the shield of faith, and the Word of God in our hearts and mouths, which does not return to Him void, but accomplishes what He sets it out to do, establishing the will of God, rather than the will of the devil. We excercise this armor and sword especially in our prayers for all of the saints (v. 18). Paul also warned that we must be vigilant, as he heard of the unrepented sin that had been allowed to continue in the church at Corinth: "Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Cor. 5:6-8). Sin, like even a small amount of leaven, will mix with and leaven the whole batch of dough, or in this case, the whole church. This is about spiritual warfare, and our armor in the midst of it as believers. Paul wrote that wickedness is in the world, and we are in the world, but that same wickedness cannot be accepted in the church, among the brethren. We are to separate ourselves from unrepentant brethren who continue to walk in fornication, covetousness, idolatry, drunkenness, or extortion. (v. 9-11). Although we come to Christ as we are, there is expected to be a change in us, that we not remain as we were. Scripture contains many examples of this leaven of wickedness as it progressed into even the House of God. There was a king of Judah named Manasseh who began his reign when he was only twelve years old. His father had been King Hezekiah, who knew God and honored Him. However, Manasseh "...did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen...For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven and served them....And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: he also observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger." (2 Chron. 33:1-6). Manasseh was practicing every dark art and form of idolatry, including the burning of his own children. However, his practices did not end there: "Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD...And he set a carved image, the idol which he made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever. " (v. 4, 5, 7). The evil had been placed in the house of the LORD, but the leavening effect of his sin did not stop there: "So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err (ta'a - err, astray, stagger in drunkenness, mislead, seduce, addicted to the worship of idols, heretic, to perish, to cause a people to wander from virtue and piety into impiety), and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel." (v. 9). Now the evil and wickedness had spread to all of the people of Jerusalem and Judah. This account also has the sad report: "And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken." (v. 10). The leavening effect of sin had advanced to the point that when the LORD spoke directly to them, they refused to hear Him. Isaiah wrote that although the LORD is a sanctuary to His people, He became a stumbling block instead for those who did not sanctify Him. To those who are the disciples of the LORD, they were to bind up the testimony and seal the law. They were to be as signs and wonders to the people of God, as Isaiah and his children were - waiting upon Him and looking for Him (Isa. 8:13-18). What were the people looking toward instead? Isaiah exposed their words and deeds: "And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?" (v. 19). Instead of seeking God, His people were recommending to each other to get answers using occult practices. The church is not immune from being deceived. Paul asked the church at Galatia: "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that yoo should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth (prographo - to depict or portray openly before the eyes, to write previously), crucified among you?" (Gal. 3:1). This church had proof of the resurrection before their eyes (Shroud of Turin?). They had this proof, and they had experienced the Holy Spirit, but were now depending upon other works of the law for their salvation. They had left the truth, and gone into error. They had left faith in God, and His righteousness, and began to trust in self-righteousness (v. 2-5). Paul asked again: "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not from him (the Lord) that called you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." (Gal. 5:7-9). Once the truth (known and proven) is abandoned, and the leaven of lies has begun, the whole church becomes "troubled" (tarasso - to cause inward commotion, to disquiet, to strike one's spirit with fear and dread, to perplex the mind of one by suggesting doubts). Paul considered this error to be so serious for this church that he even wished that those who had bewitched the Galatians into it would be "cut off" (v. 10-12). The leaven of witchcraft is not a problem of the past only, but is prophesied in scripture as playing a large role in the events of the end times, which, by the signs that we now see, is the time in which we are currently living. Spiritual wickedness will produce worldwide bewitchment that will cause the widespread worship of a person and idol empowered by the devil. John, in the Book of Revelation, wrote of the events on earth and in heaven as the return of Christ draws near. In a prophetic vision, John saw a beast rise from the sea having seven heads, and upon his heads was the name of blasphemy: "And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority." (Rev. 13:1-2). The dragon referred to here had already been previously identified as the serpent, the devil, Satan, that deceives the whole world. (see. Rev. 12:9). John wrote: "...and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven." (v. 3-6). This worship is an end time cult that will affect the whole world, and the events of the world, and, like the cults we have seen in the past, it will lead many into destruction. This cult will be born out of Satanic blasphemies. According the the prophetic Word given to John: "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him (the beast), whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (v. 8). The Hebrew written in the very first words of the Book of Genesis, B'reshiet Elohim aleph-tav..., hold the mystery of the aleph-tav Son who was given on the cross before anything else was created. The apostles Peter and John also had this same revelation understanding from the Torah scriptures (see 1 Pet. 1:18-20, also see Jn. 1:1-5). The beast revealed to John will make war against the people of faith in Christ, the saints, and he would be given power over all nations and cultures of people on earth (Rev. 13:7). There is an image of the beast that will be worshipped, a deception created based upon false miracles of the beast, and a mark upon the hand or the head that will be given in connection to the beast, and the beast is associated with the number of a man, and that number is six hundred, sixty-six (v. 14-18). This mark will draw the wrath of God, and grievous sores will break out on those who carry this mark (Rev. 16:1-2). Tracking and information chips that exist now, which are designed to be placed under the skin, are powered by lithium ion batteries that, if they should leak, could cause terrible sores to break out. Could this be a similar phenomenon as the one we see occurring here in Revelation?. As these events transpire, the call will go out from heaven and there will be a harvest of souls and lives, as the angels of heaven are sent to reap the earth. One of those harvests will gather those who will be thrown into the winepress of the wrath of God (Rev. 14:14-20). We have just come through the season of the observance of Passover and Unleavened Bread, in which leaven is searched out and removed from homes. It is time to judge any leaven in the church, as Paul wrote above, especially as we see the leaven of witchcraft taking hold in these times. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 4/16/23 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.

Esther's Royal Garments*

We just finished observing the feast known as Purim that comes from the Book of Esther. Purim celebrates a great victory over an enemy whose intention was to destroy all of the Jews living in Persia. The enemy's name was Haman, who developed a bitter hatred for a Jew named Mordecai because Mordecai had failed to pay him the honor that Haman felt was his due. Haman drew lots, or pur, to determine the date of the Jews' destruction, when he would go to the king, and enact his plan for revenge against Mordecai (Est. 3:7). These lots, or pur, is where the name of the feast Purim comes from. So, in order to destroy Mordecai, Haman persuaded the king to give an order that would mean the destruction of all of the Jews, even paying money to those who would carry out his order (Est. 3:5-6, 8-9). We will see how this enemy was defeated, and how God's people were delivered from a death sentence. The account starts with the replacement of a queen. The king of Persia had required that his wife, Vashti, who was very beautiful, come and make an appearance before his party guests, who all had been drinking for seven days. Vashti refused, and the king was advised to set aside Vashti, and obtain a more biddable wife, lest all the wives in the kingdom rise up against their husbands as Vashti had done! (Est. 1:5-19). The search for the most beautiful maidens in the kingdom began. Mordecai, a Jew, had raised his niece, Esther, as his own daughter after her parents had died. Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai to hide her Jewish heritage. As the most beautiful women were gathered to the palace, Esther was included. She found favor with the chamberlain who was "the keeper of the women" for the king, and he treated her with kindness (v. 4-9). Esther found favor with all who dealt with her there because she was agreeable and obedient to what the chamberlain told her to do. She was brought before the king, who loved her above all women. Esther found "grace and favor" in his sight, and she was made queen instead of Vashti (Est. 2:15-18). Esther still did not reveal herself as being one of the Jewish people "as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him." (v. 20). (note: Although the name of God does not directly appear in the story of Esther, His name appears in acrostic form. When Mordecai heard of the order that Haman had persuaded the king to enact that would mean the destruction of the Jewish people, he immediately sat before the king's gate in sackcloth and ashes, crying with a loud voice. All of the Jews did so also (Est. 4:1-3). Mordecai was repenting before God for the deliverance of His people. Esther became alarmed by Mordecai's behavior, for it would surely offend the king, and sent servants to inquire why her uncle was doing such a thing. He passed the information about the king's edict to Esther, and charged her "that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people (v. 5-8). Esther sent her servants to answer Mordecai that she had not been called for by the king for thirty days, and she could be killed if she went to him without his invitation. Mordecai sent this response: "Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (v. 13-14). Mordecai felt confident in the LORD's deliverance, because he had fasted and prayed for it. Shouldn't we also understand the importance of fasting, repentance and prayer, as commanded by God in 2 Chron. 7:14? Esther answered Mordecai that he should tell all the Jews to fast with her for three days and nights, and then she would go to the king without his invitation. She said, "...and if I persiah, I perish." (v. 15-17). "Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on (her) royal (apparel), and stood in the inner court of the king's house.: and the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house...And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen...she obtained favor in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre." (Est. 5:1-2). Regarding the phrase "her royal apparel" in the above verse, the words "her" and "apparel" were added to the original Hebrew to help in translation. However, the Hebrew says that Esther "put on her royal", with all of the kingdom authority that that Hebrew word for "royal" (malkut/malak - kingdom, reign, royal, sovereign power, dominion/ascend to the throne) carries. Esther again obtained favor from the king, granting her whatever she asked (v. 3-4). To add to Haman's further anger and humiliation, Mordecai received an honor from the king that Haman felt should come to him. For saving the king's life, Mordecai was given the king's own royal apparel to wear, the king's personal horse to ride, and the royal crown set upon his head (Est. 6:6-12). Eventually, Haman's plot against the Jews, and therefore against Esther herself, was exposed by Esther before the king at a banquet. The grace and favor of God towards Esther and the Jews appeared several times in the story of Esther, and worked for the deliverance of the Jews. The Torah and the Prophets reflect the grace of God, as I have mentioned in previous messages. The apostle Peter described the same royal apparel of Esther in regards to the believers in Christ: "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood...a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." (1 Pet. 2:5, 9-10). This royal people who believe in Christ as the chief cornerstone, are obedient to Him, and to His Word (v. 7-8). We saw this same obedience of a royal Esther to Mordecai's aleph-tav commandments to her (see above). Grace and mercy flowed as a result. Peter also wrote to the royal believers: "...abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." (v. 11-12). Peter wrote that the lusts of the flesh war against your soul. There is a war going on, as the war of Haman against the people of God foretold. Scripture says that the devil has come down having great wrath against the people of God. Jesus said that the days before His return will be like the days of Noah. We must be prepared to enter the Ark provided by God, clothed in our royal apparel. Peter also wrote that we were to have the grace and peace of God multiplied to us, the righteousness of God (not our own), as well as all things that pertain to life and godliness, these exceeding great and precious promises, through the knowledge of God and Jesus. We attain this knowledge through His Word. In this same knowledge is our escape from "the corruption that is in the world through lust...give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:1-11). An entrance is made for us, in the same way that an entrance was given to Esther by the king's grace and favor, and the royal sceptre was extended to her. Our royal apparel was described by the apostle Paul: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places...Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perserverance and supplication for all saints." (Eph. 6:10-18). Our enemies, like Haman who sought to destroy all life, are spiritual powers, and our armor and royal apparel is spiritual, including truth, the righteousness of God through Christ, the ministry of the Gospel to all, our faith which is the faith of the Son of God, our salvation, a gift to us by grace, and the Word of God, which establishes all of the above. Not forgetting, the prayers, supplications, including repentance, for all of the saints, just as the Jews of Persia interceded before God, and received His miraculous deliverance. We need our royal apparel today more than ever as we see the wickedness of Haman increasing around us. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 3/12/23 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and END TIME SCHOOL, also on Facebook. You can also get a free ebook titled "The Shroud of Turin- A Perfect Summary" at www.TheShroudofTurin.org/freebook.

The Good Fight*

For many years now, I have been bringing forth a 2 Chron. 7:14 message: "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." However, all we are seeing instead is division, fighting and strife. The people of God do not understand their warfare. The root of our warfare was shown to us from the beginning, in the Garden: "Now the serpent (meaning sprouts, spreads, separation, cut-off, destruction) was more subtil (meaning door or path that adds chaos) than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Gen. 3:1). The serpent, who was questioning the woman, was a created being. The woman answered the serpent incorrectly that although they could eat of all the other trees, God had commanded not to eat of nor touch the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden, "lest ye die". "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die." (v. 2-4). As we see the meaning of the word "serpent" above, we can't help but to notice that Christians are divided and fight with one another. What should our good fight be instead? King Jehoshaphat faced a battle with all of the armies of both Moab, and Ammon, which had come against Judah: "And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together to ask help of the LORD...". (2 Chron. 20:1-5). Jehoshaphat immediately went to the promise and remedy of 2 Chron. 7:14, as stated above. Jehoshaphat stood in the house of the LORD, and began to pray and remind himself of the power of God, as David once did when he faced Goliath. Jehoshaphat said: "...in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? Art not thou our God...?" (v. 5-7). Jehoshaphat then directly brought the words of 2 Chron. 7 before the LORD: "If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help...And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children." (v. 9-13). Then the Spirit of the LORD then came upon one of the Leviites, Jahaziel ("beheld of God"), and he began to prophesy: "...Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours but God's...Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you...fear not nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you." (v. 17). Jehoshaphat and all of Judah bowed before the LORD and worshipped Him, and the Levites began to praise the LORD with a loud voice. Jehoshaphat declared, "...Believe in the LORD your God, so shall you be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper." (v. 18-20). As they went out before the enemy armies the next day, Jehoshaphat told the singers to lead the army out with the praise of the LORD's beauty and holiness, singing: "Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever." (v. 20-21). The enemy armies began turning against each other as the LORD set spiritual ambushments against them. Judah saw the destruction of the enemy, and the king, and his people came to take away the great spoil from the dead enemies that took three days to gather. On the fourth day, Judah assembled in the Valley of Berachah ("Blessing"), and blessed the LORD there. (v. 22-26). Our good fight, in the same manner, includes praise, cleansing of self, and seeking His face. Paul wrote of the things necessary to fight the good fight also. He wrote that our weapons and our enemies are spiritul rather than natural: "(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.; And having in readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Cor. 10:4-6). The good fight begins with our own thoughts and obedience. As we saw the beginning of our warfare in Genesis 3 with the destructive ways of the serpent, Paul wrote about the good fight that we wage against the devil: "...be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (methodeia - methods, cunning arts, deceit, craft, trickery, lying in wait) of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Eph. 6:10-12). Because the whole armor of God is to be used against wicked spiritual powers rather than flesh and blood, the components of this armor are special in meaning and power. First is to have our loins girded with TRUTH. Let God be true and every man a liar (Rom. 3:4), and lies are all around us today and increasing in number. We put on the breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS - not our righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ by faith. Our feet must be shod with the preparation of the GOSPEL of peace, for we are not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God unto salvation wherever we walk, for all who will receive it. The Gospel says that there is a sacrifice that has been provided for sin, and we have all sinned. The shield that protects us against every fiery dart of the enemy is made of FAITH. Like the Levites who went out before Jehoshaphat's army, we praise Him as we believe Him. We wear the helmet of SALVATION upon our heads to protect our minds, and to cast down reasonings and imaginations. We take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the WORD OF GOD. In this armor, we pray for all of the saints, regardless of denomination, and for our spiritual leaders, so they may have utterance to boldly make known the Gospel (v. 14-19). These things are our warfare tools to withstand the evil day (v. 13). One additional thing that we need to fight the good fight is contentment (1 Tim. 6:6). We see now how men's love of money and wealth is the root of all evil, and has led many to fall into a trap of destruction. The love of money has even led some into error in the faith (v. 7-10). We are to follow instead after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness, and fight the good fight of faith, laying hold onto eternal life, to which we have been called (v. 11-12). Faith requires a fight - not on the streets, or in the political arenas, but in the Spirit, and in the power of God. We need to contend in this good fight for the faith that has been delivered to us, because there are those who will creep in, in order to turn the grace of God into the denial of Him (Jude 3-4). Instead, "...let the peace of God rule in your hearts...and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." (Col. 3:16-17). *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 6/12/2022 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.