Before the Seventh Seal*

The events in the news this past week show our nation divided, as well as facing military threats from China and Russia. Israel, as well, is suffering rocket attacks from Gaza. Even some organizations claiming to be Christian have begun publishing Anti-Semitic, and other racist hate. A look at scripture will reveal that all of these things fulfill last days prophecies concerning the time before Christ's return. The Book of Revelation describes the unsealing of prophetic events: "And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" (Rev. 5:1-2). John wept because no one was found worthy to open the seals of this book, or to even look upon it. However, there was One Who was worthy: "And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." (v. 5). That Lion of Judah, the root of David Who was worthy to loose the seals of the book is described as "a Lamb as it had been slain...Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (v. 6-10). Only the slain Lamb Who redeemed many by His blood was worthy to open the seals of the book. Those who were redeemed came from every race and nation, and they were made priests and kings to reign. We will see again that the kingdom of God is made up of all nations of people. Do not be deceived by racist and Anti-Semitic lies, even if they come from those who claim to be believers in Christ. As the Lamb Who was slain opened the first four seals of the book, horses were released upon the earth. The horses brought warfare, murder, famine and economic turmoil, and death and hell over a fourth of the earth (Rev. 6:1-8). The fifth seal revealed those who had been martyred for their faith in Christ, who were crying out to the LORD for vengeance. They were given white robes, and told to wait for a "little season" until their fellow martyrs joined them (v. 9-11). We have seen this death, turmoil, and martyrdom already being loosed in the earth. The opening of the sixth seal is described as being great earthquakes, the sun becoming black, and the moon becoming as blood. Stars of heaven fall to the earth, the heavens depart, and the mountains and islands of earth are moved from their places. When the events of this opened seal begin to happen: "...the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman,, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (v. 12-17). We have not yet seen the events of the opening of the sixth seal occur on earth. The prophet Malachi, and also Jesus, both asked the same question: "Who shall stand when he/the Son of man appeareth?" (Mal. 3:2, Lk. 21:36). We also see in the Book of Revelation that a great harvest of believers, 144,000, called "servants of God". will come out of the twelve tribes of Israel. These servants from the tribes of Israel must be sealed before the angels of God can hurt anything on the earth. (Rev. 7:1-8). Then again we are told, "...a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands..." (v. 9). This multitude from every race and nation worshipped the Lamb. An elder in heaven described them as those "...which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (v. 14). Again, scripture states here specifically that racism is not of God, and contrary to what is often taught in churches, the tribulation will not just be for the Jews. As we saw in Revelation, the Lord has a harvest in these end times from among the Jewish people. The prophet Zechariah also wrote of the Lord's plans for Israel and the nations: "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee." (Zech. 2:10-11. In this same prophetic word, Zechariah wrote that the LORD would inherit Judah his portion, and shall choose Jerusalem again. The LORD has not turned His back on Israel, Judah, which means "the people of praise", or Jerusalem. We have seen the restoration of Israel and Jerusalem in our lifetime. The LORD calls Jerusalem "a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain. Because of this, He is jealous for Judah and Jerusalem with great jealousy, and great fury towards any nations that come against them. (Zech. 8:1-3, 9:13-14, 12:4-9). As He said: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem." (Zech. 12:9). Not only will the LORD fight for Judah and Jerusalem, but the LORD will bring a spiritual awakening to His people, and they will know their Messiah and see that He is one who is pierced: "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace, and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." (Zech. 12:10). Salvation comes to Jerusalem as Zechariah wrote: "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness." (Zech. 13:1). This fountain is the fountain of blood shed by Jesus for sin. There will be no doubt as to who that fountain will be: "And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends." (v. 6). They, like Doubting Thomas, will see their Messiah, Jesus, face to face, and they shall mourn for what they see. One way in which the Savior may be revealed to Israel is through the Shroud of Turin, with its deeply impacting image of Christ, bearing witness to His sufferings, death, and even His resurrection. In these times filled with the signs of the Lord's soon return, we see much hatred against those of faith, along with Anti-Semitism, and other forms of racism. Scripture tells us that there is a deceiver who accuses the brethren of faith, and even causes the brethren to accuse each other, as even the elect will be deceived if possible. However, he is defeated and cast down: "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world...'Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Rev. 12:9-11). We saw earlier that martyrdom of the saints occurs when the seals of the book are opened. There may well be martyrdom to face in this era of hatred against faith, not only in the so-called third world nations, but it could also occur here at anytime. Time is progressing quickly, and these things are coming about with a vengeance. We need to know the Word, the facts, and the truth. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 8/7/2022 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.

Do YOU Know What Time It Is?*

Reminder: Beginning in July, Google will stop sending automatic notifications of new postings for blogs such as this one that are published under "blogspot.com". If you have been receiving notifications, or would like to receive them, please enter your email address in the box in the upper right corner of this blog page before July. Your email addresses will be retrieved hopefully, and you will be sent a notification directly when there is a new post available. Your email addresses will not be used for any other purpose. You will receive the "new blog post" notifications from "the disciple". If you choose not to enter your email address, it is recommend that after June 2021, you should check the blog regularly for new posts. Thank you for your patience and faithful readership. Given recent and current events, something is wrong when we don't understand the signs of the times. We are seeing them unfold around us. Not only is the church as a whole ignoring the signs, but the question for today's message, "Do YOU Know What Time It Is?", is a personal and individual question posed to you. We have to understand that the events occurring today have been prophesied in God's Word. We have to understand that God's prophetic Word is true, and its fulfillment is assured. The prophetic Word of God is directly connected with the Person of Jesus Christ: "...worship God: for the testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy." (Rev. 19:10). God has said that He does nothing except that He reveals His secret first to His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). Regarding His prophetic revelation, the LORD said to Habakkuk: "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry (mahahh-delay), wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry (ahar- be late)." (Hab. 2:3). The prophet Ezekiel was given a prophetic word to speak over nations that, in his time, would seem to have little to do with a threat to the safety of Israel. However, in our time, we see these nations, and their threatening stand against Israel in the news every day. The prophetic word given to Ezekiel was against a spiritual prince named Gog, who was over the region identified today as Russia (Magog, Meschech, Tubal). Russia, in this prophesied attack against Israel, is joined by the nations of Persia (Iran/Iraq), Ethiopia, Libya, and others. In this prophecy, Israel is described as a land that has been brought back from the sword, and as having been brought forth out of the nations, which is Israel today. The LORD says of Russia, and the spiritual prince over that land: "...It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought." (Ezek. 38:1-10). We have indeed seen the aggressive, interfering and intrusive activities of Russia here in America, and throughout the world in these last few years. The nations mentioned with Russia have expressed their enmity of Israel. When asked about the signs of the end of the age, and of His return, Jesus prophesied of conditions that sound like they come out of today's headlines: "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation (ethnos) shall rise against nation (ethnos), and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places." (Mt. 24:6-7). Not only have we seen an increase in wars around the globe, but also outbreaks of violence and hatred between different racial and ethnic groups (the word "ethnos" used in these verses). We are experiencing pestilences and earthquakes. Famines have resulted as economic systems have been impacted by these other conditions. These are the rapidly increasing events that Jesus prophesied as "signs" for us to know, and watch for. Both of the prophets Ezekiel and Obadiah connected the day of the LORD with the proliferation of the "heathen": "For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen." (Ezek. 30:3, Obadiah 1:15). We are seeing today the prevalence of the "heathen", who don't know God, and seek their own interests above all else. As this nation is torn apart with racial animosity and violence, Paul wrote of the importance of loving our neighbor as we see the return of Christ drawing near: "...love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law...Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the filfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed...let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." (Rom. 13:8-12). All of the commandments are summed up in the commandment to love our neighbor. Paul included this principle in our "armour of light". Jesus and the apostles describe His coming as "sudden", and "like a thief in the night" (Rev. 16:15, 1 Thess. 5:1-3, 2 Peter 3:10-11). Because of this, Jesus warned the church of Sardis: "Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." (Rev. 3:3). We are expected to know the nearness of His return, and to act upon that knowledge, as those who are waiting and watching for the return of Christ. Do YOU know what time it is? *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 5/30.21 message to the church. To contact: PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com

Will 2020 Be Ichabod For America?*

 

The series "United Shades of America" recently aired an episode concerning the racial injustices in the city of Pittsburgh. This is the home town of Dr. Stevenson, and the location of a satellite ministry of ECCE. The episode was personally disturbing and heartbreaking for these reasons. As the nation confronts racism, we need to understand the truth of the scriptures, rather than the prejudices and fears of man. Acts 17 states: "God that made the world and all things therein...and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth...". Revelation 5, 7, and 14 says that those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, Christ, is "out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation."
All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It is time to take a look at this issue and others that are troubling our nation, and what they mean to our future if they are not corrected.
In Luke 21:7-28, Mt. 24, and Mark 13, Jesus prophesies to His disciples about the conditions that will be on earth before, and at the time of His return. He warns of violence that will occur as nation rises against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. The word used for "nation" is the Greek word ethnos, which refers to racial and ethnic identities. This passage also warns of great earthquakes, famines and pestilences, fearful sights and great signs in the heavens. There will be hatred and great persecution against believers leading to imprisonment and death. There will be betrayal at the hands of friends and family. Jerusalem will be at the center of contention in the hands of the Gentiles, until the age of the Gentiles is fulfilled. With the re-establishment of Israel, and with the control of both Jerusalem and the Temple Mount now in the hands of the Israelis, we see the fulfillment of this prophecy. Jesus went on to say that there will be distress and signs in the heavens, on earth and among nations, and in the seas. When we see these signs begin to come to pass, Jesus instructs us, "...look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." (v. 28). We see the escalation of all of these conditions taking place now, including the ethnic hatred and violence of which Jesus spoke.
The prophet Hosea wrote of issues among God's people, including His priests and prophets, that would draw the judgment of God. In Chapter 4, the LORD tells Hosea the sinful conditions He sees among "the inhabitants of the land", which we also see today in America. The LORD said there was no mercy, no truth, nor knowledge of God in the land. Instead there is swearing, killing, stealing, adultery and bloodletting. His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge of Him. In America, our pulpits are refusing to teach the knowledge of God, and instead have "scratched the ears" of a people who are no longer interested in hearing the truth, or repenting of sin. In America, our trust is no longer in God, but in men. Hosea prophesies about a priesthood who has rejected knowledge of God, and fed themselves on the sins of the people instead. Therefore, God will reject them, and forget their children. The LORD said, "As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame." (v. 7).
The Book of 1 Samuel tells us of a similar condition in Israel. In Chapter 2, though the head priest is Eli, a man who knows God, even having witnessed the miraculous birth of the child Samuel, he does nothing to control his two sons, also serving as priests, in their predatory behavior against the people of God. God tells Eli that by not correcting his sons, Eli honors his corrupt sons more than he honors God. The sons even enrich themselves on the offerings of the people. God sends a prophet to tell Eli that his house will come to an end. His corrupt sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will not live. The sign to Eli from the LORD would be that both his sons would die on the same day. No one in Eli's family would live into old age. In Chapter 4, we are told that the two corrupt sons of Eli take the Ark of God into the battle against the Philistines. The Philistines win the battle and capture the Ark. Many are slaughtered, including the two sons of Eli, as God had prophesied. A messenger came to Eli to tell him that his sons were dead, and the Ark had been captured. Eli fell over dead at the news.  Eli had judged Israel for forty years (note 20 20, our present year). The wife of Phinehas, with the shock and sorrow of hearing of her husband's death, and the loss of the Ark to the Philistines, went into labor (travail) and gave birth to the child she was carrying. She named the male child Ichabod ("no glory") saying, "The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken." (v. 22).
According to both Hosea and Samuel 1, the sinful, violent, and corrupt behavior of God's people, including prophet and priest, caused the glory of the LORD to be removed from the nation, and exchanged for shame. America is in danger of Ichabod.
A man, Alexis de Toqueville, came from France to examine America to see what it was that made America great. This is what he said:
“I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers – and it was not there . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerce – and it was not there . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution – and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”
America is in danger of Ichabod.  We can no longer teach righteousness from the pulpits. We cannot teach sin because it causes offence. We cannot teach or speak the truth of the Word in our land. Have many of our "priests" become like Hophni and Phinehas, seeking only to enrich and indulge themselves? A compromise of righteousness and truth now rule the land, which is causing America to stand in judgment before God.

*The above is based upon the 7/26/20 message to the Church from Dr. Kenneth Stevenson. 

To Contact/Submit prayer requests/Support the ministry/Order the book, "NAZAH-White Linen and the Blood of Sprinkling", and to help us get out the message, to contribute to the Book of Remembrance for Sean Stevenson:

Dr. Kenneth Stevenson
P.O. Box 154221
Waco, TX  76705

https://twitter.com/everlastingcov8

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everlastingcovenant@ymail.com

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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.
 

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                                                                   Sean Stevenson