Truth And Lies*

The Nazis, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels, are often quoted as having said that if you tell and repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it. They said that truth was the mortal enemy of a lie, so truth is therefore the mortal enemy of the state. This philosophy of governing worked successfully for them for a while until it didn't! There are still people today that believe a lie and deny that the holocaust ever happened, ignoring the proven facts of history. Our own history is filled with ommissions and lies about the land grab from Native Americans and their genocide, slavery, and the violent destruction recorded in history of several black towns and communities. Anti-Semitism, even among so-called Christian groups, is on the rise. Although we profess to be "one nation under God", it must be asked because of current conditions and past history, "What god are people under?!". Political "talking heads" on both sides lie for their own agendas. Scripture says that "all men are liars" (Ps. 116:11), so how can we tell who is telling the truth? The Apostle Paul wrote that the Jews have an advantage in every way because God committed to them His oracles, which is His Word, the Truth, even if some did not believe. The Word is still here, preserved because of them, and faith in God is still in effect. Paul wrote, "...yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." (Rom. 3:1-4). He also wrote that, contrary to those who had twisted his words, he has proved both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin: "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one; There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God...there is none that doeth good, no, not one" (v. 8-12). Mouths are full of poison, deceit, cursing, and bitterness, Paul continued: "Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes." (v. 13-18). We must acknowledge that these are the ways of men today also. Abortion and same-sex marriages are justified as righteousness, liberty and freedom in the eyes of men. However, the truth is this: If it is against the Word of God, it is a lie, no matter how many men say the lie, nor how often the lie might be repeated, as Goebbels encouraged governments to do. Proverbs says that there are six things which God hates, and seven are an abomination to Him: "...A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren." (Prov. 6:16-19). A form of lying occurs twice on the short list from Proverbs. All of these things are more prevalent than ever before, and God still calls His people, not the wicked of the world, to repentance: "If My people...". (2 Chron. 7:14). The prophet Malachi asked a question that mirrors a statement of Jesus (Lk. 21:36): "But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope:...and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness." (Mal. 3:2-3). In order for the purification and restoration to be fulfilled, the LORD said that He would come near to them in judgment: "...and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." (v. 5-6). Among those that will be dealt with in the judgment of purification are false swearers, a type of liar. As the Lord establishes His reign on the earth, and dwells among His people, He promises that sorrow and death shall be ended, because "...the former things are passed away...Behold, I make all things new..." (Rev. 21:1-5). He also makes promises to the righteous in Him and the unrighteous who are without Him: "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death...And there shall in no wise enter into it (the holy city, new Jerusalem, which descends out of heaven) any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomintion, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." (v. 7-8, 27). These, including all liars, will not enter into the new Jerusalem, and will face instead the second death of eternal fiery judgment. However, Jesus said of those who believe in Him, and therefore having part in the first resurrection, "on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God, and shall reign with him a thousand years." (Rev. 20:6). The law of Moses carries the command of God regarding the reparations and restorations that a liar, who harmed others with his lie, must make to those he harmed, before he may bring the required trespass offering to the LORD. Only then, was the priest to make atonement for him to restore him (Lev. 6:1-5). Jesus spoke often of the importance of truth to life. He told those who listened to Him that they were of this world, and He was not of this world, but from above. If they did not believe that He was Who He said He was, they would die in their sins, because the One Who sent Him, and is always with Him, is true. You can either die for the lie, or you can live in the truth, because to those who believed in Him, Jesus said: "If ye continue in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (Jn. 8:23-32). To make things clear to those who choose lies, Jesus identified the source of all liars, and lies: "Why do ye not understand my speech? even because you cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not." (v. 43-45). The devil has been lying to man since the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, when he asked the woman, and her husband with her, "Yea, hath God said...?", and then falsely assured them, "You shall not surely die." (see Gen. 3:1-6). And they believed the lie that makes dead. However, we don't have to believe the lie and die. Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." (Jn. 8:51). Jesus told Pontius Pilate that He came to bear witness to the truth, and not a lie, and only those who are of the truth can hear His voice. Even Pilate, who questioned what the truth was, had to proclaim to the crowd that he found no fault in Jesus by which to condemn him. (Jn. 18:37-38). All around us we can see people who are choosing the lie. However, the Word of God guarantees us that if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful to forgive us. Eternal life is available to us who will seek His face and His forgiveness. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 8/14/2022 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.

Toward A Creative Ekklesia*

The Ekklesia (the called out assembly of God's people), also known as the church, is missing something of our destiny and purpose in the earth. This missing piece of the puzzle is essential in these current times, which are also the end times. That missing piece is the creative calling in our identity. Where does this creative piece of the Ekklesia come from, and how do we apply it? In Genesis 1, it is revealed that, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." The word "created" used here is the Hebrew word bara, which means to shape, to create, to form. Out of nothing, God made something. In the verses that follow, Gen. 1 also says, "And God made...". The word "made" is the Hebrew word asah, meaning to make, to do, to produce, to bring about. As we can see, in the things being made, doing is required. Finally, in the act of creating, God said, "...Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." (Gen. 1:26-27). So we have our answer as to where our creative force comes from. It was given to us when God created us in His image and likeness, and when He gave us dominion over all creation in the earth. So, how did God do the making or creating? He created by speaking: "And God said...". The Hebrew word translated as "said" is the word amar, which means to say, to speak, to utter in one's heart. Even the utterances in your heart have creative authority. Having been created in God's image and likeness, there is then something we must be doing. Daniel wrote that in the midst of the act of the greatest abomination and defiling of the holy that will occur in the end times, "...but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do ("exploits" was added to the originl text). And they that understand among the people shall instruct many...and some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed." (Dan. 11:31-35). While the earth is foundering, the end time Church should be doing, creating, not holding conferences. As Moses' life was coming to an end, he had these words for Israel: "See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;...I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments...that thou mayest live and multiply...I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." (Deut. 30:15-19). In our creative calling given to us by God, we choose life or death, blessing or cursing: "A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (Prov. 18:20-21). We have experienced this many times both personally, and in ministry. When medical professionals have scorned and mocked creative words of life spoken over those who were declared to be near death, we kept speaking the creative words of life in the scriptures. We have seen miracle recoveries. Are creative miracles coming out of your mouth? God told us through His prophet Isaiah, that if the wicked will forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and return to the LORD, then He will have mercy upon them. As surely as the flowers and fruit follow the rain from heaven, God creates, saves and delivers by the words that go forth from His mouth: "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish (asah from the above Genesis verses, meaning to make, do, produce, bring about) that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isa. 55:7-11). Moses told us that a choice was being made for life or death based upon our obedience to the commandments of God. Here again in Isaiah, the choice between righteousness and unrighteousness creates or produces a result. What are we creating in our choices? Jeremiah also said that the way of life, or the way of death has been set before us (Jer. 21:8). That choice, and the creative words spoken are clearly found in scripture. Jesus strongly attested to His creative Word of resurrection: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." (Jn. 5:24-25). The creative Word has been given to us from Christ, the Creator of all things. We must choose to believe it, to do it. Even our entry into Christ's salvation comes as a result of belief and confession (Rom. 10:9-10). Abraham received the promises of God before the Law. He believed that when God spoke, it was accomplished. Our creative call is based upon the same faith. The greatest grace of God is the assurance that He will do what He says, so we can have faith and hope. Abraham is the father of us all in this type of faith: "He (Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore, it was imputed to him for righteousness." (Rom. 4:13-25). Here is our righteousness also: that same kind of faith in the creative Word of God. What is the Ekklesia creating? What are we believing in the middle of these trying circumstances around us, and what are we speaking regarding them? Now is the time for the Ekklesia to step forward in creativity. As Moses spoke: I set before you life and death: choose life! I pray that the Ekklesia would be able to bring forth, to produce, by the Word of God in their mouths. *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 1/24/21 message to the Church. To contact: Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com, or PO Box 154221, Waco, TX 76705 Find us also on Facebook, Twitter, and at endtimesschool.com

Choices Make Destiny

"My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth."

 

"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."

 

The quotes above are from Abraham Lincoln. Another quote that has been attributed to Lincoln is:

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

 

During this week when we celebrate the independence of this nation, we should keep in mind that this nation was founded on the Bible. The founding fathers made choices concerning the guiding principles of this country, and they always chose to fall back upon scriptural truth. There are choices to be made by us as individuals and as a nation in this present time as well. Whole destinies, even into future generations, will be determined by the choices that we make today. Each choice yields a specific result, and this is a Biblical truth as well.

The LORD instructed the children of Israel, as they were about to come into the land of covenant promise, that both the blessing and the curse were set before them. If they made the choice to obey the voice of God, and all that He commanded them with all of their heart, and soul, the blessing that follows that obedience would be carried into future generations. The LORD promised that the blessing from the choice of obedience would even carry to over a thousand years in the future, when the LORD would turn and gather a future generation from captivity from all the nations, and return them to their land. Not only would they be returned, but they would be prospered beyond anything their forefathers had known (Deut. 30:1-5). The LORD went on to promise:

"...the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand...and in the fruit of thy land, for good, as He rejoiced over thy fathers: IF thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, and IF thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul...for this commandment is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off...But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil."  Deut. 30:9-15
The commandments of God, and the resulting blessing found in the choice of obedience to them, was not something that was a hidden knowledge, but the LORD made very clear that the people could easily know the way to blessing. Not only is it written, not only has He made sure that it comes out of our mouths, but He has even placed it in or hearts not just to speak, but to DO. We cannot say, "But LORD we didn't know we were choosing the curse instead of the blessing."
So here is the curse that also comes from a choice that we make:
"...if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them, I denounce unto you this day that ye shall surely perish...you shall not prolong your days upon the land. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."   Deut. 30:17-20
The choice to turn away from God, to separate from Him, to serve other gods, not only brings the curse of death to the chooser, but to the future generations. Life and blessing are only found in this God, not in any others.
Joshua placed the same choice before the children of Israel after they came into the covenant land, and after the idolatrous kings and people had been displaced. Joshua had to tell the people to fear and serve the LORD in sincerity and truth, and to put away the gods which their fathers had served, and the gods of those (the Amorites-the greatest and most powerful of the peoples, who were powerful no longer) who had inhabited the land before them. The fact that Joshua had to tell the Israelites to put the idols/gods away must have meant that they were worshipping them, even after all the wonderful things that God had done for them. Joshua went on to make the choice clear:
"...if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD....If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then He will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that He hath done you good. And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD." 
                                                                                                    Josh. 24:14-21
Joshua recorded in the book of the law the choice made by the people that day. However, all creation witnesses the choices we make. Joshua set a great stone as a monument of all that the LORD had spoken to them that day, "...for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which He spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God."
Jesus also spoke about the witness of the rocks and stones, when the Pharisees tried to stop the praise to the King, Jesus, who comes in the name of the LORD:
"And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out."  Lk. 19:40
Man may try to pretend that he does not know the truth when he makes a choice, but even the rocks know, and declare it.
We may say that we are not like the children of Israel. We do not worship nor serve other gods. However, we do worship and serve other gods, and we do make a choice to turn away from our God, when we deny His commandments and embrace the doctrines and practices of these other strange gods. As a nation, we have removed the names of God, and Jesus from our schools and the education we give our children, many times while teaching the names of other gods in their place. We have removed the name and the words of God from our public and government sectors. A threatening atmosphere has been established against any and all who choose God, and His commandments.
When the religious council tried to threaten the disciples of Jesus against continuing to speak and heal in the name of Jesus, even when the miraculous healing was right in front of their eyes and couldn't be denied, the disciples had to make a choice. So Peter responded, ",,,we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."  (Acts 4:8-22).
Those in our nation who continue to speak the name of Jesus, and speak and live by the Word of God, are threatened and falsely accused of hate and intolerance. The Word of God clearly enumerates the curses that come when the choice is made to refuse to retain God in our knowledge. Even though our nation may call these choices holy and acceptable before God, the people of God are commanded not to partake of them, and their resulting consequences (Rom. 1:21-32). Destinies are changed by our good or evil choices, and God has not hidden His Word from us, for us to be unsure which is good, and which is evil.
When we as a nation, choose to legalize and affirm the killing of unborn children, we are following after the worship and practices of the false gods Molech and Chilion. The worship of these gods demanded the death of children through fire. We cannot say that we didn't know that we were choosing to turn away from God and His commandments, choosing instead the curse. God's Word clearly says that He hates the shedding of innocent blood (Prov. 6:16-19, Isa. 59:6-8, Jer. 7:6-7. Joel 3:19).
These are only two examples where our nation and people have chosen to turn away from the LORD and His commandments, and have chosen the curse, rather than the blessing, death rather than life, and evil rather than good..
The choices are set before us individually, and as a nation. Choose good, choose life, choose to cleave to God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul. This is the choice that carries with it the blessing of God for the destiny of each person, of the land, and even of future generations. When we, the people of God, turn away from the choice of the curse, and turn back to our God, He will hear from heaven, and He will also heal our land (2 Chron. 7:14).
 

Recommended Viewing: "Monumental" (Documentary): http://www.monumentalmovie.com/

To Contact/Submit Prayer Request/To support the Ministry/To Order "NAZAH":
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Prayer of Salvation for all who desire to receive Jesus as their Savior:Lord Jesus, open the eyes of my heart. I want to know You as my Lord, and as my Savior, who covers my sins, and cleanses my heart. Come into my heart, forgive me, and fill me with the Holy Spirit, who will lead me into all truth, and will teach me how to follow You. I believe that You are the Son of God, the Messiah, that You were crucified for me, and rose from the dead to give me everlasting life. I believe that You are coming again. Lord Jesus, in Your name I believe, pray, and receive all of these things. Amen.