Willingly Ignorant*

Each week there are alarming headlines that seem to be pointing towards Armageddon. Hostilities with Russia, Iran, and other nations are escalating. In addition, we are seeing an increase in injustice, wickedness, racism and ethnic hatreds. These are all signs of the end times as prophesied by Christ. The apostle Peter wanted the church to be reminded of these signs and others as the Word written by the prophets in the Torah, and by the commandments of the apostles (2 Peter 3:1-2). Peter also wanted to bring to our minds another condition of the last days: "...knowing this first: that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking in their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his (Christ's) coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished." (v. 3-6). The scoffers who deny the possibility of Christ's return, and the judgment to come, do so to justify continuing in their lusts. They are described not as ignorant, but willingly (thelo - intend, resolve, determined, desire, love, take delight and pleasure in) ignorant (lanthano - to be hidden, to lie hidden). The scoffers don't want to see the truth themselves, and delight in hiding the truth from others. Peter wrote that the same Word of judgment is now stored up as fire for the days of destruction of ungodly men (v. 7). However, God is not arbitrarily delaying that day of judgment: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (v. 9). That day wll oome however, and it will come like a thief in the night, with fervent heat that will melt the elements of the heavens and the earth. This knowledge should have an effect on how we live - living lives of holiness and godliness, and with diligence, to be found by Christ to be without spot and blameless (v. 10-11, 14). We who know these signs are to look forward to new heavens and a new earth "wherein dwelleth righteousness" (v. 13), and be watchful "...lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness."(v. 17). Theses last days are a time when even the believers in Christ may fall into the same errors of the wicked, if we are not diligent. The "error of the wicked" is that willful ignorance of the truth: "But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory, both now and for ever. Amen (v. 18). We have learned that both grace and knowledge are contained in the Torah and the prophets. Jesus warned that the last days would be like the days of Noah, and like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, when life went in as usual, with people choosing to be willingly ignorant of the warning of the judgment of destruction about to come (Lk. 17:26-30). In the days of Noah, while all men were filled with corruption and violence continually, God found Noah to be perfect, whole and complete, in his generation. Noah found grace in the eyes of God, and he walked with God. God told Noah that He would destroy wicked men with the earth (Gen. 6:9-12). God then instructed Noah to build an ark. This ark was the witness of a coming judgment by water to that generation, but only Noah and his family heeded that warning and were saved. In the same manner, the violent perversion of Sodom and Gomorrah was before God. He sent two of His angels to see the cities for themselves, and to bring the judgment of brimstone and fire to the cities. Lot, who was Abraham's nephew, lived in Sodom with his wife and daughters. He saw the angels of God come into the city and pressed them to stay at his house, because he feared for their safety. The men of the city, both young and old, and from every walk of life, came to Lot's house, and demanded that Lot send the two "men" out to them that they might do what they wanted with them. Lot offered his daughters to the mob instead, but they wanted the visiting men. Lot warned them: "I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly." The mob ignored Lot's warning, and grew angry at Lot for "judging" their desires and deeds to be wicked, and they sought to harm him. The angels pulled Lot back into his house, and struck the mob blind, so they could not find Lot's door (Gen. 19:4-11). The angels then told Lot to warn any other family that he had in the city to get out: "For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it." (v. 12-13). Lot went out to warn his sons-in-law, "...but he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law." (v. 14). Like the sons-in-law of Lot, the world often treats the warnings of those who believe God's Word as if they are crazy, yet God's Word is proven true time after time, even to physical evidence found that supports Biblical accounts, such as the utter destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, with ash being all that's left of them. These examples from Noah's flood, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah were the warnings of Jesus regarding the time of His return, and it is willful ignorance to ignore them, or mock them. These warnings were not given by Jesus in an act of hate, but of love. As we read above, God desires none to perish, but for all to come to Him in repentance for salvation. Peter gave his warnings in love in order to remind the church of the words of the prophets and apostles, so that they would be prepared, and found living in holiness and godliness by Christ. Paul also wrote that our walk must be one of love: "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us...But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints...but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolator, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." (Eph. 5:1-5). As Jesus said, all of the Torah and the prophets reflect love. All of the law and the prophets are summed up in two commandments according to Jesus: Love God, and love your neighbor. Paul wrote that he who loves another fulfills the law, and that the Ten Commandments, with which we are so familiar, are contained in the one phrase, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Love will never do harm to a neighbor, therefore, Paul repeats, love fulfills the law (Rom. 13:8-10). It is a deception, however, to believe that because God loves, He will not judge: "Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be ye not therefore partakers with them." (Eph. 5:6-7, see also Isa. 61:1-2). We are to walk as children of light in the fruit of the Spirit, which is all goodness, righteousness and truth, proving with our lives what is acceptable to the Lord (v. 8-10). Rather than having fellowship with the works of darkness, we should reprove those shameful things which are done in secret. By doing so, we are being the manifestation of light (v. 8-13). Paul also wrote the following based upon what the prophet Isaiah said: "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." (v. 14, Isa. 60:1). It's not about reproving people, but reproving sin and darkness. Resurrection from the dead brings the light of life that is found in Christ, and has no part in the works of darkness (Jn. 8:12). Finally, Paul warned here for us not to walk as fools but as the wise. Don't waste the time given to us, but redeem the time in these evil days (v. 15-16). In another place, Paul wrote: "...knowing the time, ...it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed...the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." (Rom. 13:11-12). In Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God. That armor is an armor of light. This is our purpose: "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising." (Isa. 60:1-3). Are we just going along with the crowd, or are we redeeming the time with spiritual light? Paul also wrote: "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how ye ought to answer every man." (Col. 4:5-6). *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 3/19/23 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and END TIME SCHOOL, also on Facebook. You can also get a free ebook titled "The Shroud of Turin- A Perfect Summary" at www.TheShroudofTurin.org/freebook.

Follow After HIS Heart*

This weekend we will see the Super Bowl, and then Valentine's Day coming right afterward. Many love football and wait all year for the Super Bowl to be played. Many love the idea of Valentine's Day, and its romantic theme. The first mention of "love" in the Bible comes in Gen. 27:3-4. Isaac tells his son, Esau, to go hunt some venison, "And make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die." As we can see, love can be for anything. Scripture says, for example, that the love of money is the root of all evil. Rather than what the world loves, however, we will read about how God views and lives love, and the wonderful work He did for us through that love: "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." (1 Jn. 4:7-11). John also wrote that because God lives in us, His love is perfected in us. He dwells in us, and we in Him because He has given us His Spirit. It is because of this presence and perfecting of His love and Spirit in us, we can face His judgment, not in fear, but in boldness. In that love of God, and His dwelling in us, we are assured that "As He is, so are we in this world." (v. 13-17). We can confess Jesus Christ as the Son of God only because our God, who is love, dwells in us (v. 15-16). Because of this same love that dwells in us, we must love our brother. If we claim to love God, but we hate our brother, we are a liar (v. 20-21). In the world today, there is ethnic and racial hatred, even among those who claim to know Christ. This is not the love of God in us. This is how we know that the love of God is in us: "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous...whosoever keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him." (1 Jn. 5:2-3, 2:5). What does the Word of God command us? Jesus, when asked by one of those questioning Him, 'What is the first commandment?', answered, "The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." (Mk. 12:28-31). The two greatest commandments are built upon love. We don't see a lot of love for God or for our neighbor today. Again here we see the necessary connection between the Holy Spirit in us, and the operation of love: "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly...But God commanded his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:5-6). God loved the unlovable enough to die in our place. This was the beginning of salvation. Do we love the unlovable in the same manner? There are those who in near death experiences have seen and experienced hell, but they were brought back by God and given a second chance. We were already walking in the death of trespasses and sin, according to the ways of the world, which is ruled by the prince of the power of the air (Satan). We lived by the lusts of our flesh and of the mind, being children of wrath and disobedience. However "...God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened (meaning made alive) 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..." (Eph. 2:1-6). It is already done! And it was done for us through the salvation work of His love. We were dead and condemned in our sins, submitted to Satan's rule, but now we are made alive, and seated in heaven in Christ. There is a spiritual Super Bowl between the power of darkness, and the Kingdom of Heaven, but God has already won that battle for our souls, and He did it with love - not just love, but great love. Valentine's Day is represented by red hearts, but the Prophet Jeremiah said that the heart is deceitful above all things. However, there is a heart that represents the love of God in us. God called David, "a man after My own heart". This is the kind of heart that stands before God forever. What kind of heart did David have that God recognized as His own heart? David had a heart that loved God above all else. When he sinned, David turned to God praying that God would cleanse him, restore him, and renew a right spirit within him. He prayed that God would not take His Holy Spirit away from David (see Psalm 51). David said that the sacrifices that God is looking for in him, and in us, are "a broken spirit, and a broken and a contrite heart". A heart that loves God, and has God's love in it, is a heart of repentance (see also 2 Chron. 7:14). Repentance and prayer, not violence as we see today even among believers, will cause God to hear us and heal our land. David also said that his lips, tongue and mouth show forth God's praise and righteousness (v. 14-15). Are these the things coming from our mouths? What is our conversation and behavior like? Is the love of God in them? James wrote that God begat us with His Word of truth, so that we would be a kind of firstfruits among His creation. Because of this: "...let every man be swift to hear, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore, lay apart all filthiness and... naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves...But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein...being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain." (James Ch. 1). As the world waits for and follows after the Super Bowl and Valentine's Day, which are carnal, we follow after God's own heart of love. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 2/13/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and endtimeschool.com.