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.

A Remnant By Grace*

A lot of things have been going on this week that should be causing the Body of Christ to think and consider. Jesus scolded the people saying that they could interpret the signs and anticipate the day's weather by the appearance of the sky, but they could not interpret the signs of the times (Mt. 16:3). Men may debate interpretations concerning the day of the return of Christ, or the timing of the rapture, but truth is found by comparing scripture with scripture, not by man's interpretation. Regarding these events, there will be a remnant by grace, so believers need to know how that remnant is spared throughout these prophesied events. Jude wrote of the dangers ahead by looking at past events from the history between God and the ungodly in scripture: "...it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith (pistis - in the New Testament: of a conviction of the truth or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things) which was once delivered to the saints...certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." (Jude v. 3-4). The work of the ungodly turns the grace of God into lasciviousness. The Church of England, and other Christian denominations have approved same-sex marriage, rather than believing and teaching the Word of God. The apostle Jude wrote examples from scripture of those who chose ungodliness, and contended against the Lord, and the inevitable consequences of it: Although the LORD saved the people out of Egypt, Jude wrote, He destroyed those among them who did not believe. WWhen the angels left their first estate and habitation, and sinned against God, He placed them in everlasting chains under darkness until the day of judgment. When Sodom and Gomorrha, chose strange flesh and fornication against the law of God, they suffered eternal fire as an example to others (v. 5-7). These examples given by Jude are for the purpose of a warning to all. In Numbers 26:9-10, a sign is provided to us as a warning regarding those who rebelled and strove (struggled, laid waste, made desolate) against both Moses and God, in this case, respected men in authority among God's people: "The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together...the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men...". The men who strove with Moses and God were in positions of respect and authority among God's people. Men in authority, especially in the Church, should not go against God's law, which is to love God, and to love their neighbor. Our nation is also continuing to be plagued by injustice with cruelty. There is a denial of its existence as books are banned that deal with racism, like biographies of Roberto Clemente and Jackie Robinson. Jesus warned: "And shall God not avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith (the conviction and belief regarding the relationship between men and God, and divine things) in the earth?" (Lk. 18:7-9). There are those who turn away from the idea of God, because they believe that the truth of His judgment is cruel. However, even as He commands His people to carry out justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly before Him (Micah 6:8), He also does so, and He will not let the cries of the abused and oppressed of His elect go unheard, as Jesus said. Jesus also described terrible signs that would appear before His return, such as ethnic groups and kingdoms rising up against each other, great earthquakes, famines, pestilences, fearful sights and great signs from heaven (Lk. 21:10-11). We have seen those signs occurring this week! His warning to those who look to be part of the remnant by grace: "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 shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Lk. 21:34-36). There is a remnant by grace. There is a snare that is coming upon all who dwell on the earth, including the cares of life that draw us away from our watch and prayers. We are not meant to be caught unprepared and without faith, and not walking in the grace that fulfills the law and the prophets: to love God, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Paul wrote regarding the watchfulness of the remnant: "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 the 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...But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thess. 5:1-10). There is a remnant by grace, not meant for wrath, who are of light, and not darkness, of faith and love, sober and watching with hope in our salvation through Christ. The prophets brought the warning Word of the LORD to His people who mistakenly believed that they were righteously walking with Him, and in His law. However, all that became left of His people was a small remnant: "#xcept the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD....I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats....Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths...it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you: yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash ye, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isa. 1:9-19). Empty religious observances, even of the law of Moses, means nothing when our hearts and souls are full of sin, being unrepentant before God. Where is justice among God's people, especially towards those who are powerless? The two commandments that incorporate all the law and the prophets are to love God, and to love our neighbor (Mt. 22:36-40). The LORD said that because of these things, God's people would be reduced to a "very small remnant". The prophet Amos similarly said: "Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it (see also 1 Thess. 5 above)? I hate, I despise your feast days...Though you offer me burnt offerings...I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take...away from me the noise of thy songs...But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream." (Amos 5:20-24). Amos also added: "But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity..." (v. 26-27). His people, while practicing ritualistic and vain observances of God's law, really dwelled within a different spiritual "tabernacle". They were worshipping false gods like Moloch, who was worshipped with child sacrifice, as we also practice today in child murder, and Chiun, involving astrology and the worship of the heavens. However, God was in the beginning, before the demon Moloch, and before the stars in the heavens, having created them: "B'reshiet (meaning 'the Son crushed, His hand on the cross') Elohim aleph-tav (Alpha and Omega)", and His name is The LORD, YHWH: "Behold the hand, Behold the nail". The prophet Ezekiel also wrote that even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in the land, when God sends His judgment against the sinful land that has trespassed against Him, they would only be able to deliver themselves by their righteousness. All others would be cut off, both man and beast. When God sends the the sword, the beasts, the famine, and the pestilence in His judgment, even these three righteous servants would be able to deliver none but themselves - "Yet behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters...and ye shall see their ways and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought forth upon it." (Ezek. 14:12-22). Jeremiah wrote saying that even Moses and Samuel, if present in the land, would not be able to save anyone from the judgment of God (Jer. 15:1). Our nation, like Israel, is consumed in sin. Men have crept in, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. We have made public prayer illegal, removed the Bible from our schools, while our leaders strive against God. Instead of the grace found in the law and the prophets: loving God with our whole hearts, and loving our neighbors as ourselves, and doing as the LORD requires of us: to do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God, this nation is concerned with the cares of this life, and the corrupting gods that we have made for ourselves. There is a remnant by grace, however. The LORD is calling for a remnant that has washed and made themselves clean. This remnant is called to be watching, praying, being the children of light, and not the children of darkness, being the children of the day, and not the children of the night. This also is the law and the prophets. This is the gift of grace. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 2/12/23 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.

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.

Yeshua: The Law Fulfilled and Grace Revealed*

This is Christmas - the day when we celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Although the exact date of Jesus' birth is not known, and was perhaps chosen for secular reasons, the fact remains that Jesus was born, and born according to prophecy. Through Jesus, as we will see, the Law and the prophets were fulfilled, and God's living grace was revealed. Both the Law and the prophets, and God's Spirit of grace were evident from Christ's conception: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother, Mary, was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." (Mt. 1:18-21). The penalty under the Law of Moses for a betrothed woman to become pregnant by another man would have been death by stoning. Joseph showed Mary grace by seeking to put her aside quietly and privately. God declared His grace in the situation by revealing to Joseph that the child is by the Holy Spirit, not another man. The birth of the child through Mary would also fulfill the prophecy given to Isaiah: "Therefore the LORD himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a Virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel ("God with us")." (Isa. 7:14, Mt. 1:22-23). Joseph rose up and took Mary for his wife, and did not know her untill after the baby was born. The child of a virgin was also prophesied from the beginning in Gen. 3:15, when God told the woman that she would bear a seed (only men were spoken of as producing "seed") that would crush the serpent's head. Jesus specifically stated that He did not come to destroy the Law: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Mt. 5:17-20). Jesus then went on to teach that the Spirit of the law defines the letter of the law. Commandments regarding killing and adultery, for example, also extend to the thoughts of the mind and intents of the heart, even if the physical breaking of the commandment is not committed. Jesus said that hatred or disparagement against a brother is considered the same by God as killing him, thereby breaking the commandment: "Thou shalt not kill.". In God's eyes, the Spirit of the law demands reconciliation with the brother (see v. 21-28). At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, He physically left one location, Nazareth ("the guarded one"), and moved to another - Capernaum ("covering of atonement, purging, forgiveness, cleansing, comfort, repentance"), which borders the Zebulon and Nephthalim territories (Mt. 4:12-13). Jesus began to preach: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Again, this fulfilled the prophet Isaiah: "The land of Zebulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up (Greek - "raises himself") (Mt. 4:14-16). This fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy (see Isa. 9:1-2). In John 2:13-22, Jesus zealously cleansed the temple at the time of Passover, of moneychangers, and those who made merchandise out of the house and people of God. They asked Him to show them a sign that entitled Him to do such a thing. If they knew their scripture, they would have known that this zealousness for the house of God was a fulfillment of Psalm 69:9, a Psalm of David. Jesus answered them instead, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." They rejected Christ's words as foolishness, but Christ was speaking of the temple of His body, raised from the dead. In an important lesson about grace and the Law, a woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus in the temple. Where was the man who was involved in this sin?! The accusers told Jesus that the Law demanded that the woman be stoned to death, and, testing Jesus, they wanted to know what He would say about it (Jn. 8:1-5). However, Jesus stooped down, ignoring them, and began to write on the ground. Then He raised Himself up and said, "He that is without (that) sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." (v. 6-7). Then again Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground. With their consciences convicted, all of the woman's accusers left, and only she remained. When Jesus had lift up Himself, He saw that only the woman remained and asked, "Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?" She answered "no man". And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." (v.8-11). It is written that Jesus next said: "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (v. 12). Grace does not excuse sin. We are not to view grace as a pass given to us so we may continue to sin. As we will see with the next example, grace flows through genuine repentance, and likewise, repentance flows from grace. As Jesus passed through Jericho, the chief tax collector named Zaccheus, who was rich, climbed a sycamore (fig) tree to get a look at Him. Zaccheus was short, and could not see over the crowd that had gathered (Lk. 19:1-4). Jesus looked up and said to him: "'Zaccheus, make haste and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house'. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully." Jesus addressed the tax collector by name. The people murmured because Jesus would be dining with a corrupt tax collector, a sinner. Jesus, of course, knew Zaccheus not by the flesh, but by the Spirit. The name Zaccheus means "pure, innocent, clean, bright, shining, fragrant, justified, translucent". Zaccheus' life was changed by his encounter with Jesus. He said: "...Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." Jesus answered him: "This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." (v. 5-10). This is grace - to seek and save the lost, changing hearts and lives. Later, as Jesus was about to enter into Jerusalem, He instructed His disciples to go into the next town where they would find a colt tied. They were to bring the colt back to Jesus, and if anyone questioned them, they were to say, "...the Lord hath need of him." (Lk. 19:30-31). Jesus would then make His triumphant entry into Jerusalem sitting on the colt, as the whole city welcomed Him with waving palm branches. Even this fulfilled prophecy from Zech. 9:9: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King commeth unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." Their King came to them, not to subdue them with a heavenly army, but in beauty, grace, and humility. That very week, He would be crucified. He would provide the one-time offering for sin by way of His blood in order to perfect forever those being sanctified (Heb. 10:14). Jesus did this in order to fulfill a prophetic promise of God, of which the Holy Ghost is a witness: "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." (v. 15-17, see Jer. 31:33-34). There is no more offering for sin than this. Because of this one-time eternal offering, and the remission of sins, we have, therefore, "...boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, his flesh...Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our hope without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (v. 18-23). The profession of our hope is the lining up of our words with the Words and promises of God (homologia meaning "to say the same as"), as Abraham did in faith, as he looked for the city whose maker and builder was God (See Heb. 11:10). Through this profession of hope by mouth and life, Abraham became the first Jew - not by letters written on a stone tablet, but the Word of the LORD's promises written in his heart, and witnessed within him by the work of grace of His Messiah to come, Jesus, and by the Spirit of Grace, the Holy Spirit. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 12/25/2022 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 END TIME SCHOOL, also on Facebook.

A Covenant of Law or Grace?*

We are to be at a whole new level of understanding covenant. This includes the everlasting covenant, which is spoken of fifteen times in scripture. You can also find more information on this topic in my book "Law, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Godliness", available through Amazon. The following is the first mention of "covenant" in scripture, as God spoke to Noah after the flood: "I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth...And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no longer become a flood to destroy all flesh. And 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....This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth." (Gen. 9:13-17). Although the rainbow has been used in a profane manner in our times, it is really a sacred reminder of the mercy and grace that God sovereignly promises to all living on earth to assure them that He would not bring another destructive flood. In Gen. 6:8, we read that Noah found (attained) grace in the eyes of God. Grace is something attained between God and man. Jesus taught that the days of His return would be as the days of Noah (Lk. 17:26), so we need to understand now especially what it means to attain grace with God. The prophets wrote about the new covenant by which grace would be attained between God and man. Jeremiah wrote: "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers...which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith the LORD. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days...I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour..., saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest...for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (Jer. 31:31-34). Ezekiel also wrote about a new work of grace by God: "Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." (Ezek. 36:25-27). We know that we are washed with the water of the Word of God. The LORD desires a relationship with all flesh, and has desired it since the beginning, or Bereshiet in Hebrew, whose individual pictographic letters mean "the son of God crushed, His hand on the cross". Revelation tells us that Jesus is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. This move of God in our hearts and spirits prophesied in Jeremiah and Ezekiel is repeated in the New Testament, in Hebrews 8:10-12, where the LORD God concludes His covenant promise: "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." This work of grace is created by God within us. Jesus taught what is called The Sermon on the Mount, or The Beatitudes, to His disciples, not to the crowd at large (Mt. 5:1). Jesus didn't just choose disciples. He taught and trained them in discipleship by Word and Spirit. The blessings of the Kingdom of God that were taught by Jesus that day to His disciples, reflect the perfect unity of the Word, or the Law, and grace produced in the new heart and spirit by God. Those who are blessed by God according to this sermon are the poor in spirit, or the humble. The Kingdom of God belongs to them. Those whose soft hearts mourn are the ones who receive the comfort of God. The meek, strong in faith but self-sacrificing, who put themselves last in the earth, will inherit it. Those with a hunger and thirst for righteousness, which is created by a new heart and spirit, will have that hunger satisfied. Those whose hearts and spirits show mercy to others through grace and the love of God's Word in them, will receive mercy themselves. Those whose hearts have been purified in the manner promised by the prophets above, will see God. Those whose new hearts and spirits cause them to be peacemakers in the middle of strife, will be called the children of God. Those who have been persecuted and reviled because their hearts love righteousness, and love the Righteous One, Jesus, can rejoice in this life because they belong to the kingdom of heaven, and will receive their great reward in heaven (Mt. 5:3-12). These who have sought after the new heart and spirit promised by God, live these blessings, and are living according to Kingdom principles. The covenant of grace does not operate separate from the Torah, the Law. Jesus assured His listeners that He didn't come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of God will not pass away until even the finest points of it are fulfilled (v. 17-18). In this context, Jesus told His disciples to be salt and light in the earth (v. 12-16). The Law of the Torah is not limited to the written letter, but it is joined with the Spirit of God, and the spirit and soul in man. This is grace. It is in this understanding that Jesus told us: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (v. 48). Paul wrote of a circumcision that was not outward, but inward, a circumcision of the heart, which makes one a Jew. It is Spirit, rather than letter, which receives praise from God, rather than men (Rom. 2:28-29). The letter of the written Word must become living Spirit within us. David, confronted by his terrible sin, sought this saving renewal that could only be attained by this work of God in him: "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. Then I will teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee...The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." (Psalm 51, excerpt). This is the grace work within David of the LORD's Spirit through the Law, the Torah, that David had treasured in his heart. The Word, it is written, is quick and powerful, like a two-edged sword, cutting to our deepest parts and discerning the thoughts of our hearts. James the apostle wrote: "But whoso looketh into (stooping into) the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." (James 1:25). *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 12/11/2022 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 END TIME SCHOOL, also on Facebook.

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.

When Men Have No Words*

This week, there was a tragic shooting of nineteen children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas. Not long before this event, there was a shooting in Buffalo, New York that killed ten. Both of these shootings were done by teenage boys armed with military style weapons. The parents of the children in Texas would gladly have died in their children's places. The police had actually put a mother in physical restraints before eventually releasing her. After she was relesed, she ignored police warnings and entered the school to successfully remove her two children. The Russian warfare in the Ukraine has also purposefully targeted women and children as well as the Ukrainian men who are engaged in the combat. Upon hearing of these ungodly crimes against the defenseless and the innocent, men have no words. They are shocked and speechless. How do we respond to such things? When men have no words, however, God does have Words, and in His Words, we find the true cause of this situation, and His provision regarding it. Before the flood of judgment covered the earth in Noah's generation, the LORD looked upon man: "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man upon 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...for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of theb LORD." (Gen. 6:5-8). Grace is the gift from God, and even the faith to believe it is a gift from God. Grace is not earned. That grace of God created a difference between Noah, and the evil hearts of every other person on earth. The Prophet Jeremiah wrote of the difference between those who trust God, and those who don't: "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters...neither shall cease from yielding fruit. 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). Jesus pointed out the fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah: "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." (Mt. 15:8, Isa. 29:13). Again, as we have seen all the way back in Genesis, this is a "heart" matter. The evil comes from within the heart of man. Jesus corrected the religious people who believed that they were defiled from the outside, by what they touched or ate, as men had taught them in error (v. 9, 11). However, Jesus told them that their defilement came from within their own hearts: "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blaspemies...covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and defile the man." (Mt. 15:18-19, Mk. 7:20-23). It's everybody. It's every heart. This is the importance of grace in the life of a man. When men have no words, go the the Word of God. Psalm 53 says that God looked down from heaven to see if there was any man who understood and sought God. The LORD found "...there is none that doeth good...Every one of them is gone back, they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." Paul also wrote that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Sin is in our hearts. Solomon, said to have been the wisest man, wrote of the evil that is among all things under the sun: "...yea, also, the hearts of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead." (Eccl. 9:3). Solomon also wrote that because it seems that evil is not punished quickly, evil in the hearts of men is encouraged by this to continue. However, Solomon says, that no matter how long it seems that the evil doer gets away from punishment and seems to flourish, and their days are prolonged, it is well with those who fear God (Eccl. 8:11-12). Job also points out that although the wicked may enjoy wealth, in a moment, they go down to the grave. The wicked say to the LORD, "Depart from us", and they have decided that there is no benefit in prayer (Job 21). Peter pointed out to the church in order to stir up their pure minds, that God has given His Word to us through His prophets, and His apostles (2 Peter 3:1-2). When man has no words, God has Words. Does the church accept those Words? If these Words brought by the prophets and apostles are of God and therefore true, then obedience is required of us. When we speak His Words, He answers. This has been our experience. As Peter prophesied in this chapter, scoffers will come in the last days, not only scoffing at the Word of God, but at the promise of Christ's coming, and the judgment that will deal with the ungodly. Not only will the judgment by fire come, but the whole earth, and all physical elements will be consumed in fervent heat (v. 3-7). Some refuse to hear that we are in the last days because they like their lives just as they are. The last days bring us to the valley of decision. Peter wrote that knowing these things that are to happen, our manner of life should reflect that knowledge. We are to "be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless", and to "beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (v. 14-18, excerpt). Peter also answered the wicked whom Solomon and Job spoke about, who believe that since punishment has not yet come to them, it is not coming, and they are free to continue in their wickedness: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise (of judgment and return), 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). The Hand of Grace is extended still to all. When man has no words, God has Words: "...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...For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;" (Rom. 3:4,23). How wicked and corrupt our system has become! What will it take for people to stand up and say "enough is enough"? The nation needs the help of men and women who will stand up and speak the truth - His Word is truth. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 5/29/2022 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 theshroudofturin.org.