Why Race Is A Lie!*

Unity is essential to being the Church, as Scripture defines and describes the Church. Paul wrote: "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Eph. 4:1-3). Paul goes on to reveal that every aspect of our belief is based upon a concept of unity: one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, "...One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." (v. 6-7). Jesus descended into the earth and ascended "far above all heavens", leading the captives of death out with Him, in order to "fill all things". In the same way, Christ gave gifts to the Church, some apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, who are all still called and functioning in the Church today, in order to teach, edify and equip the saints in the unity required to achieve the fullness of Christ. These gifts to the Church will remain until the goal is achieved:"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (v. 8-13). This fullness is necessary to prevent us from being tossed, carried and deceived by "every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." (v. 14). We, however, speak the truth of unity: "But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." (v. 14-16). Divisions created by men, including divisions based upon false doctrines and deceptions, work against the goal of Christ for His Body, the Church. These false divisions play a role in end time events as prophesied by Jesus to His disciples: "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." (Mt. 24:7-8). We are seeing these events taking place now, and with great intensity. However, let us look at the complete meaning of the word "nation" used here in this verse. The Greek word is ethnos, which means "a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together; a company, troop, swarm; a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus; the human family; a tribe, nation, people group; in the OT, foreign nations not worshipping the true God, pagans, Gentiles; Paul uses the term for Gentile Christians". Jesus added: "And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations (ethnos - the human family); and then shall the end come." (v. 14). The human family on the earth today, of which Jesus spoke, has one origin: "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth...And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread." (Gen. 9:1, 18-19). God gave Noah and his sons permission to eat any food on earth, but they could not eat the blood, which contained the life of the flesh. Restrictions on food did not come until the Law of Moses. Though varying cultures may eat things that seem unacceptable to us, thus causing senseless divisions, they are acceptable under God's instructions to Noah. All of the human family that inhabits earth today came from the three sons of Noah, as they left the ark, and spread out across the earth. To them and to all flesh, God's everlasting covenant promise to never again flood the earth was accompanied by a sign: the rainbow in the sky (v. 8-17). No matter how else this sign ordained by God is used by men, the true meaning of the rainbow is as a reminder to God of His covenant promise to all flesh, without categories, labels, or divisions. Although the human family lived in unity for a while, division came soon after. All men spoke one language at the time. In this unity of language, men planned to build a city out of brick and mortar, and a tower to reach up to heaven: "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." (Gen. 11:1-4). The LORD came down to see what the people were building. He saw that having one language, nothing would be restrained from what they set their minds to do. So He confused their language, and they could no longer communicate with each other (v. 5-7). They sought to empower themselves because they had feared being scattered, but because of their actions, what they feared came to pass, and the LORD scattered them upon all the earth (v. 9). They were confused and divided from each other only by language, not by race nor ethnicity. In the New Testment, as the apostle Paul brought the Gospel to the people of Athens, he brought the knowledge of God to them using one of their own monuments "TO THE UNKNOWN GOD" (Acts 17:22-27). Paul said to them, "...I declare unto you...God that made the world and all things therein...dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us." Using the Greek word for nations again, which is ethnos, meaning the human family, Paul made clear that we have all been made from one blood by the God of all who dwells, not in a physical building, but within each of us, his living temples. In the Song of Solomon, there are two who are loved by one another. We believe that the love relationship depicted here is prophetic regarding Christ and His Church. The man, called by the woman, "My Beloved", and the woman describe each other lovingly as beautiful. One lover says, "I am black, but comely...Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me..." Songs 1:6). She is also called "thou fairest among women". She says of the one she loves: "My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven...His eyes are as the eyes of doves...His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. His legs are as pillars of marble..." (Song 5:1-16). These two people in the Song of Songs will be known eternally, not for any divisions as defined by race, but for their devotion to each other, and for their beauty in each other's eyes. The human family has divided itself, and abused and rejected each other based upon the lie of race. We see evidence of the unity of the human family in many findings associated with the Native Americans in this country. Many Native American petroglyphs have been found that contain writing in the ancient Hebrew language. The Los Lunas Decalogue Stone is a stone in New Mexico upon which The Ten Commandments, engraved in ancient Hebrew, was found. The West African Slave Coast, from which many people were shipped and sold across the ocean, was called on ancient maps, "The Kingdom of Judah". From this we may conclude that many former American slaves may have descended from the Twelve Tribes of Israel. It is written that upon the arrival of Columbus in the New World, Indigenous People greeted him reciting the Shema, the prayer of Israel. The human family was never divided by God by racial identity. The amount of melanin in the skin does not divide us one from another, but is an indication of where many generations dwelt geographically on the earth, and in relationship to the sun. Race is a lie to separate and destroy people. Let's be set free by the truth, and be healed. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 1/30/2022 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.

Psalms for Today*

The Book of Psalms, in the Hebrew language, is The Book of Praises. Many were written by King David. They fall into categories such as instructional, prophetic, the punishment of the wicked, repentance and cleansing, worship and those songs sung when traveling to Jerusalem, and atonement and covering. Today's date is 1/2/2022, so we will be looking at the Psalms that are numerically represented by this date. We will find that there is a very powerful, pertinent and timely message for us in these times. As we begin with Psalm 1, we read the difference between the way of the godly and the ungodly: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful..." (v. 1). Today we see the scorn and scoffing of the truth of the Word of God in all media. There is rejection of God and His Word. The Psalm continues regarding the godly: "But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." (v. 2-3). Joshua 1:8 is an instruction from God to Joshua regarding success. The LORD tells Joshua that the law is not to depart from Joshua's mouth, and that he should meditate upon it day and night. He is to DO what is written in it, not merely read it. Then, his way will be prosperous with good success. The Psalm says of the ungodly: "The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish." (v. 4-6). The LORD is returning, and there shall be judgment of the ungodly in that day, even wrath. God will separate the sheep from the goats. Malachi 3:2 asks the question, "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." Even His own people will go through the refining and purifying process of the LORD (v. 3). As the time of Christ's return draws near, this Psalm reminds us of our eternal destiny. Are we considering it? The next number in today's date corresponds to Psalm 2. This Psalm reflects the rebellion of the nations against the LORD as we are seeing today: "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." (v. 2-3). The nations want to break God's rulership over themselves. They reject the kingship of God, and wish to rule according to their own will. However, the Psalmist wrote that God laughs at this idea, and holds them in derision. They will experience His wrath for their foolishness (v. 4-5). God has appointed His Ruler over all nations: "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee...Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little: blessed are all they that put their trust in him." (v. 6-7, 11-12). The LORD has set His Son as Ruler over the nations. Today, we indeed see in the nations, especially in our own nation, that the bands and cords of righteousness with God have been willfully and purposefully broken and cut. In Gen. 11, the inhabitants of the earth also rebelled against the rulership of God, and sought to establish their own rulership. They were not successful. Those nations that cut the cord with God, treat Jesus as if He is a myth. However, Jesus' existence, His power, rulership and Sonship are confirmed by the Spirit, and by His resurrection from the dead (Rom. 1:1-4). Proverbs 30:4 asks: "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in his garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?" As we see disasters happening to this nation that has cut the cords of righteousness with God, God calls His people to DO something: "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). For those who are joined with His Son, God says, "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." (8). Are we praying for the salvation of others? The LORD will answer those prayers. In Psalm 20, this Psalm of David talks about the day of trouble, and we surely are currently experiencing days of trouble. David wrote: "The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice. Selah." David wrote for us to "Selah", or consider, our offerings to God. God looks upon the intents of the heart, not the outward appearance. With what intent do we bring our offerings to God? David continued, "Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfill all thy counsel..." (v. 1-4). In this Psalm, David wrote that some may trust and depend upon military might, but David said, "...we will remember the name of the LORD our God." Those who depend on the their own might are fallen, he said, "...but we are risen and stand upright." He concluded, "Save LORD: let the king hear us when we call." David was the king, and he was not calling upon himself as king here, or any other earthly king for help. He was calling upon the LORD, the only King, the King of the universe. In our trust in Him, He will grant us the desires in our hearts. Again from today's date, we will look at Psalm 22. This Psalm of David is the most prophetic of the Psalms. David writes of an anguish that precisely prophesies the events of the crucifixion of Christ as told in the Gospels, and provides the accurate details of crucifixion many hundreds of years before that type of execution began to be practiced. This prophetic account begins, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?...Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee and were delivered...But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people." (see v. 1-6). The prophet Isaiah also saw the Servant of God, who was despised: "He is despised and rejected of men...we hid as it were our faces from him, and he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Isaiah prophesied that this Servant who was despised by others was wounded, bruised and striped for our sins and transgressions, not His own. In Psalm 22, David prophesied, "They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up...and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death...the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet...They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture." There was a book written, and the false rumor had been spread from the beginning, that Jesus and His disciples plotted or conspired to stage the crucifixion and resurrection. However, Jesus could not have plotted beforehand that Roman soldiers would take His clothes and gamble for them, as David prophesied here, and as the Gospel accounts confirm. Jesus could not have orchestrated the actions of Pontius Pilate. David's Psalm 22, which begins in a cry of anguish, then becomes a song of praise: "I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee. Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him all ye the seed of Israel. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard...The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations...A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come and declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this." What started as a cry of anguish became a work of victory that all the world would know. David prophesied this, and now we are here 2000 years later declaring Jesus as the Messiah, who was hung on the cross to restore mankind to fellowship with the King of the universe. We didn't make up a fable, or a strange phenomenon to believe in, but this was prophesied beforehand, recorded, and fulfilled, and the evidence that it is so is among us today. This evidence, the Shroud of Turin, has been described this way: "The Shroud of Turin is God's love letter in linen, written for all mankind." Psalm 21, also written by David, tells us that the king shall rejoice greatly in the LORD's salvation. The LORD has given him his heart's desire. Blessings of goodness, a crown of pure gold, life and length of days for ever: "His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him. For thou hast made him most blessed for ever." (see v. 1-6). For those who hate him, they will be as a fiery oven, swallowed up in the LORD's wrath. Their fruit and their seed will be destroyed from the whole earth. Those who hate the LORD are destroyed in their own choice. The Psalm ends: "Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so we will sing, and praise thy power." (v. 13). The Psalms related to today's date, 1/2/2022, reflect a message for today, as we have seen. God's Word for our time, and for all time, is clearly laid out here. We would do well to heed it. We pray for all those who see this message, and who read my books written on the Shroud of Turin, to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. This is the desire of my heart. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 1/2/2022 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.

Selah*

 

"Selah" is a term used mostly in the Psalms. We usually interpret this word to mean "pause, and calmly think about that". It is a musical term, as the Psalms are meant to be sung. It is a musical rest, a silence when the singer pauses to create an emphasis on a section or phrase that has just been sung. "Selah" can also mean to lift up, to exalt.

While many wondered if recent past conflicts, such as the Gulf Wars, might have been the Armageddon of which the scripture prophesies, a cataclysmic war that will involve all the nations of the earth, the nations prophesied had not lined up. However, as we will see, the signs now point to the fact that the war that is called Armageddon, with its destruction, is coming - soon. We will see that the scriptures state that it is already accomplished in God's eyes, a foregone conclusion. As this is the case, it becomes time for us to "selah" on these signs, and prepare ourselves spiritually for this unavoidable event:
"For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty....And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon (Heb.- mountain + place of crowds; gather in troops or crowds, to penetrate, cut, attack, invade, to cut oneself)."   Rev. 16:14, 16
Leaders and peoples are convinced of the necessity to gather for battle because of the deceiving work of evil spirits. However, this is also the fulfillment of the will of God. What the demons and men sought as the destruction of Israel, and God's people, God would use to judge their wickedness:
"And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done."  v. 17 (See also Rev. 21:6)
This great battle also fulfills the prophetic word of God. It could not have been fulfilled before this time, because the nations were not aligned and moving together as prophesied as we see today. The prophets warned thousands of years previously that this day of battle and judgment would come in the latter years (Ezek. 38:8, 16):
"And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of the clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of the handling swords." Ezek. 38:4
This group of nations is specified by Ezekiel. Principally, they will involve areas now associated with Russia and those nations to the north of Israel, known in these scriptures as the chief prince Gog, who is over Magog, Meshech (drawing out) and Tubal (thou shalt be brought) (Ezek. 38:2). Joining these northern nations according to the prophetic word to Ezekiel will also be Persia (Iran), Ethiopia (incl. parts of Sudan), Libya, Gomer ("bring to an end, be no more", a northern people incl. Turkey), and Togarmah ("thou wilt break her", which is Turkey/Armenia area) of the north  (v. 5-6). We can see from today's headlines that these nations are more closely connected than before in history.
As we saw in Rev. 16, God considers these events already done, and completed. Ezekiel's prophecy also agrees saying: "Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the LORD God. This is the day whereof I have spoken."  Ezek. 39:8
Another sign that this day of judgment and destruction is close at hand, is that this prophesied day is to come after the people of Israel have been brought back to the land that had been laying waste, from out of other nations, but are living there prosperously and securely (Ezek. 38:8, 12, 14-16). This describes the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1947, and their subsequent prosperity in that land, having turned deserts into producing gardens. They are renown for their security even in the midst of continual surrounding hostility.
Seeing these signs pointing to the soon coming battle and judgment, what should our preparation be? Jesus said that there was a snare coming upon all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth for those who are caught up in the cares and useless things of life (Lk. 21:34-35). Jesus said regarding these events:
"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."  Lk. 21:36
"Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame."   Rev. 16:15
SELAH.

 *The above is based upon the 7/28/19 message to the Church from Dr. Kenneth Stevenson.

To Contact/Submit prayer requests/Support the ministry/Order the book, "NAZAH":

https://twitter.com/everlastingcov8

http://endtimeschool.com/

To watch/hear Dr. Stevenson's complete message:

https://twitter.com/everlastingcov8

https://everlastingcovenant.sermon.net/main/main/21320220
 

Prayer of Salvation for all who desire to receive Jesus as their Savior: Lord Jesus, I desire to know You, and to know Your salvation. I believe that You died for me, and that You were resurrected for me. Forgive me of my sins. Come into my heart, change me, fill me with Your righteousness. Inscribe my name in the Lamb's book of life. Baptize me in Your Holy Spirit, so that I can learn the truth of Your Word and ways, and be strengthened in my walk all the days of my life. You are the hope of my life, and You are my eternal life. I place my trust in You, Lord, for myself, and my whole household. Use me to do the will of the heavenly Father, Who sent You, in Whose name You came. In Your name, and in thanks and praise I pray, Amen.

 

Dr. Stevenson's newest book is now available:
  

To order "NAZAH": https://twitter.com/everlastingcov8     http://endtimeschool.com/