How Long?*

Current events including wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, as well as a sharp increase of racial and ethnic hatred, and intolerance towards the Word of God, and people of faith, cause us to ask "How long?" in regard to the return of Christ. There are those who troll and deride any suggestion of the possibility that there is coming a Day of the Lord, a day of judgment and of Christ's return. They even reject the belief in the resurrection of Christ, or the existence of miracles. Some of this denial comes from within the church itself! However, scripture warns us of this dangerous denial, especially in connection to the last days, and Christ's return. Peter wrote to stir up the pure minds of the believers, and remembrance of the words of the prophets, saying: "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they are willingly ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in the water: Whereby the world that was, being overflowed with water, perished..." (2 Peter 3:1-6). The scoffers that are now so prevalent are yet another prophetic sign of the last days. These scoffers deny the possibility of a day of judgment and return of the Lord, because they claim that judgment has not happened since the beginning of an admitted creation. However, judgment did strike the earth, and the physical evidence exists that testifies to a great global flood. Peter continued to write: "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men...beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (v. 7-8). The same prophetic Word of judgment that released the deluge of flood waters is still active, and, this time, that Word will release stored up fire rather than water. As we see the increase of ungodliness around us, and question the timing of the judgment, Peter assured us that the Lord's timing follows a certain pattern for the following reason: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness' but is longsuffering toward us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (v. 9). The judgment that some scoff of as eternally delayed, is delayed just long enough to allow all to repent who will repent and be saved. Our behavior should reflect this knowledge as we take the Gospel to all nations, as Jesus commanded His disciples to do, so that all may be given the opportunity to hear, repent, and be saved. (Following through with this Great Commission from Christ, I have written an ebook, "The Shroud of Turin: A Perfect Summary", which is made available for free. The instructions for getting this free ebook are found at the conclusion of this post.) However, make no mistake, the day of judgment against ungodliness, and the return of Christ is ordained, and will happen according to the plan and timing of God. New heavens and a new earth come forth out of this event. This knowledge of the unstoppable, sudden day of the Lord, when a cataclysmic heat will melt all of the elements, requires a certain lifestyle and manner from us, a lifestyle of holiness and godliness (v. 11-12). If we truly believe that this day approaches, and soon, then it should be reflected in our behavior. Peter wrote: "...look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation...beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.. To him be glory now and for ever. Amen." (v. 14-18). In Matthew Chapter 24, Jesus is asked by His disciples' the question of "When?": "And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world (meaning "the end of the age")? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall deceive many. 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 shall rise against nation (meaning "ethnicity against ethnicity"), and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All thses are the beginning of sorrows...And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains...For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." (Mt. 24:1-22). After this time of terrible tribulation, Jesus said that the sun and moon will be darkened, the stars will fall, and the heavens shaken - then the sign of the Son of man shall appear in heaven: "...and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (v. 29-30). Jesus taught this to His disciples, and to us, from the Torah, and the Prophets, as He taught all things. In answering the question of "When?" for His disciples, Jesus cited Daniel the prophet who wrote of an abomination of desolation, which upon occurring, Jesus said, people should run for their lives. Jesus was referring to a prophecy in Daniel 9, as Daniel gave an account of what happened when he read a prophecy written by Jeremiah: a prophet reading a prophet. This prophecy from Jeremiah (see Jer. chapters 23, 25, 27, 29) brought Daniel to prayer and fasting in repentance for his sins, and the sins of his people: "We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even from departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land." (Dan. 9:5-6). Daniel had read the prophet Jeremiah, who had written of a certain mysterious time frame of seventy years, that would come to mean much more than would appear on the surface. What Jeremiah wrote brought Daniel to repentance seeking God's covenant and mercy "to them that keep his commandments" (v. 3-20), and this repentance immediately brought a revelation from the angel/man, Gabriel, concerning "How long?". This revelation included the timing of the arrival of the Messiah, His death, and "the overspreading of abominations" to be committed by the Anti-christ, who "shall make it desolate". (v. 21-27). As we read from Mt. 24 above, Jesus also spoke of the tribes of earth mourning when they would see the sign of the Son of man. The prophet Zechariah wrote this: "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and 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). The image of a pierced Christ, Daniel's Messiah who is cut off, whether found in scripture, or upon the Shroud of Turin for example, brings a spirit of mourning and repentance upon the souls of men who will look upon Him. Zechariah also prophesied that the LORD would make Jerusalem "...a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it." (Zech 12:2-3). This small geographical area has become, and will continue to be, the focus of all the nations' hatred and threats, as we hear regularly from speeches given in the United Nations, and see on the news. As the prophet warned, those nations will tremble, and be cut in pieces as the LORD defends Jerusalem and Israel. God will keep His covenant with Israel, and restore them, with the questions of when?, and how?, being answered according to what the prophets have written: "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). The Lord answered another question of "When?" as asked by those who will be martyred for their faith: "...How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." (Rev. 6:9-11). Believers are being martyred now for their faith in various nations across the earth, a martyrdom that could one day be seen in America as well. As we consider the other signs of the last days that we have read about above, we know that when asking the question, "How long?", we receive the answer that we have a wait of only a little season. How long before the church wakes up to the lateness of the hour, stops accepting wickedness, and obeys 2 Chron. 7:14 in seeking the LORD in repentance and prayer? All are sinners, but God sent His Son to shed His blood for all. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 3/5/23 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.

War is Hell*

The phrase "War is Hell" is attributed to something similar said by Gen. William Sherman, who carried out campaigns during the Civil War. The Chicago Tribune, in 2004, wrote "War is hell, and everyone loses". President Putin of Russia is currently bringing warfare to the nation of Ukraine. He has even now placed his nuclear readiness forces on alert. Jesus prophesied about the increased warfare activity of the times before His return: "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). The word "kingdom" used in this verse is the Greek word basileia, meaning "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule; not an actual kingdom but the right or authority to rule over a kingdom". In this case, Putin wants to subject the Ukraine to his kingdom. While this conflict does not directly involve Israel at this moment, Jesus warned that a certain abomination of desolation in the Holy Place of the temple, mentioned in the Book of Daniel will be the signal for all Judea to flee into the mountains. The destruction will be so widespread and consuming, Jesus said, that unless those days be shortened, no flesh would remain. For the sake of the elect, those days would be shortened. It would be a time of great tribulation. (v. 15-22). Jesus said about the prophecy of Daniel regarding the abomination of desolation that would trigger this widespread calamity, "whoso readeth, let him understand". We are to understand this prophecy of Daniel. The LORD told Daniel to seal the prophecy until the time of the end (Dan. 12:4, 9). Because we can read and understand the prophecies of Daniel, we can know that we are indeed in the last days. The spiritual and natural timing of events was shown to Daniel: "Seventy weeks (of years) are determined upon thy people...to make an end of sins...And after three score and two weeks (62) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations." (Dan. 9:24, 26). Of the 70 weeks of years spoken of by Daniel, the Messiah dies in week 62. Then, regarding the one who commits the abomination spoken of by Daniel and Jesus: "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (7 years); and in the midst of the week (that is 3 1/2 years) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate...and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." (v. 26-27). This ruler will break the covenant that he had agreed to, and he will stop the daily sacrifices and offerings, and instead, commit an abomination. From Dan. 12:11: "And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days (3 1/2 years). This requires that a third temple be built, (Ezekiel prophesied of this temple), for which the Israelis have already prepared plans, and the required utensils and robes for priestly service. Daniel continued to prophesy about a time of great trouble, the likes of which had never before been experienced by the nation. This trouble or warfare shall extend into the heavenlies as Michael, the great angelic prince over Israel, shall become involved (Dan. 12:1). Daniel wrote: "...at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." (v. 2). There is a Book of Life in which to be written. We read in Revelation about the Lamb's Book of Life. As we see in the above verse, resurrection of the dead will follow this terrible time on earth. The time of the end, of which Daniel wrote, is also described as a time when "many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." (v. 4). Knowledge has increased in a way and at a speed that we have never seen before in history. We are seeing this now as technology, research, and developments have accelerated in our time in a way that we could never have imagined just a few years ago. During this tumultuous time prophesied by Daniel, he also wrote about the people of God: "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." (v. 3). This is the time for the people of God to shine because of their understanding and knowledge of God, and His Word. "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand." (v. 10). The people of God are to understand, and bring righteousness to many. The prophet Ezekiel prophesied details concerning specific warfare involving a "kingdom" which we now know as Russia, which we will see. However, first, he prophesied of a miraculous spiritual and natural restoration. Ezekiel was taken in the Spirit to a valley of very dry bones. The LORD asked the prophet if these dry bones could live. Ezekiel deferred to the LORD saying, "LORD, You know." The LORD told Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones, and the bones began to re-assemble themselves together, and flesh began to cover the bones. The wind or breath of the Holy Spirit blew upon these, and they came alive, and rose up into a great army (Ezek. 37:1-10). The LORD said that the dry bones were the whole house of Israel, who had been without hope and cut off. Then the LORD told Ezekiel to prophesy further: "Thus saith the LORD God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel...and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD." (v. 12-14). The LORD fulfilled this prophecy when He caused what seemed like a hopelessly scattered people to be able to return to the land which became the re-established nation of Israel. This was not an end to the miracle, however. The LORD also promised through His prophet that He would unite the whole house of Israel, as He united two separate sticks in Ezekiel's hands into one. The two separate sticks represented Judah and his companions of Israel, and Joseph/Ephraim (half-gentile tribe) and his companions of Israel. These two formerly separate kingdoms and people would become one kingdom under one king and shepherd, His servaant David (Messiah), and walk in God's statutes and judgments. God will be their God aand they shall be His people: "And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob...and my servant David shall be their prince for ever." (see Ezek. 37:15-25). Then, the LORD prophesied regarding a prince who would come against this same land "in the latter years". This prince, named Magog, will come from an area called Gog. He is the prince of Meshech and Tubal (areas of current day Russia). This prince and his army will join with other nations, Persia (now Iran/Iraq), Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer and Togarmah (Eastern Europe/Western Asia and Asia Minor regions). God is against this prince, and will ccompel him to come against this restored nation of Israel, and God will cause a great shaking in the land. (Ezek. 38:1-19). Areas currently within the nation of Russia are mentioned in Ezekiel's prophecy as bringing great warfare to this region in the latter years. We are seeing the rise of this militant Russia against its neighbor today. Another example of warfare involving kingdoms is given in 1 Kings 22. King Ahab of the northern kingdom of Israel wished to go to war against the Assyrians. He wanted Jehoshaphat, the King of southern kingdom of Judah to join him as an ally. The LORD sent a spirit of false prophecy onto Ahab's prophets in order to assure him of victory in his planned attack against the Assyrians. One true prophet of God told Ahab that the people would be left without a shepherd if Ahab continued with his plans. This true prophet even revealed to Ahab that a lying spirit had been sent to the other prophets, but Ahab chose to believe those prophets, because their lying prophecy favored his plans. Ahab, even though he was disguised in an effort to hide his identity from the enemy, was still killed in the battle by a random arrow shot into the air (1 Kings 22:5-28). As Jesus told His disciples, in these last days of signs that point us to His return and the end of the age, kingdoms will rise against kingdoms. There will be wars and rumors of wars. War is hell. All of Europe is on the brink of hell. We care and pray for those in the Ukraine experiencing it now. There are members of the body of Christ, however, who care more for their prosperity, not realizing how quickly it can be lost. However, God calls to a peaople who will humble themselves, turn from their wicked ways, and pray (2 Chron. 7:14). The church needs to come out of its graves, having ears to hear and eyes to see the truth, and to bring people to the saving knowledge of Jesus. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 2/27/2022 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.

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