Teshuvah - Return to the Lord*

The feasts of the LORD deal with end time things. This weekend was the Feast of Trumpets, or Yom Teruah. The shofar (ram's horn trumpet) is blown daily. This time of forty days, from the beginning of the month of Elul until the Day of Atonement, is called Teshuvah, a return to the LORD. There are three facets to these forty days of Teshuvah return to the Lord: repentance, reconciliation, and helping the needy. There are three facets to the Feast of Trumpets: crowning the King, the wedding of the Bride, and the resurrection of the dead. Regarding the wedding of the Bride, and the return of the Lord (the Bridegroom), Jesus told the parable of ten virgins. Five were wise, having oil in the lamps, and five were foolish, being found unprepared and lacking oil. All ten virgins slept, when suddenly, at midnight, there was a cry made: "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him; Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, ...go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves." (Mt. 25:1-9). When the bridegroom came, only those wise five who were prepared were able to enter in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. (v. 10). This is similar to the days of Noah, which Jesus also taught, when the door was shut on the ark, and all outside perished in the flood. This parable of Christ's is connected to the rapture, and the marriage supper of the Lamb. In Jewish tradition, the bridegroom goes to prepare a place for his bride, and then comes to fetch her. Jesus also told His disciples: "I go to prepare a place for you...". The Church has lost its Jewish foundation, and doesn't know the context of the Jewish heritage that Jesus knew as He taught the Word. As we understand these feasts' connection to the end times, the blowing of rams' horns is also sounding an alert or warning: "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh!". Jesus also spoke of the signs and warnings that will accompany His return, and the judgment. There will be signs or turmoil in the skies, the earth, and the seas. The shaking of the powers of heaven will become so fierce that men's hearts will be full of fear: "And then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." (Lk. 21:25-28). We are beginning to see these signs today. Is it climate change, as men say? Or is it God moving because of the wickedness of men? We live in a time, as Isaiah warned, when evil is called good, and good, evil. Be awake and aware. Jesus warned: "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting (debauched living), 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 accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (v. 34-36). We are often overtaken and occupied with the cares of this world. It is a trap of which we have been warned by Christ. Rather, return to the Lord. Jesus also said to pray that you may be found worthy to escape those things that are coming. The wrath of God is not meant for God's people. I believe that the rapture may not come before we see tribulation, which has already begun, but I think that it will occur before the day of the wrath of God. However, according to the words of Jesus, it will be possible to be caught in it by ignoring the warnings, and being unprepared. Again the Lord Jesus warned the church: "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). No man knows the day or the hour. It is the same with the Feast of Trumpets. The feast starts on the new moon, and requires two witnesses to watch and report, with the blowing of the shofars, when the feast begins. Jesus said "remember, hold fast, and repent". This is all part of the teshuvah return to the Lord. Repentance is critical to the church and the Bride. On the Feast of Trumpets, clean, white linen without wrinkle is worn. This is also the wedding garment of righteousness for the Bride of Christ. Christ was buried in a white linen cloth, as was the burial custom of the Jews (which is also reflected by the Shroud of Turin) according to John's Gospel. Jesus was not wrapped in strips like a mummy as men have traditionally and wrongfully believed. The traditions of men, and the doctrines of men and devils cannot stand up against the truth of God's Word. Paul wrote to the church that he expected them to know the times and the seasons of Christ's return: "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." (1 Thess. 5:1-2). The only ones who should be caught unaware of His coming are those who are in darkness. However, Paul wrote: "Ye are all the children of light, and 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...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..." (v. 3-9). As children of light and day, we are expected to recognize the time and season before the return of Christ, though we may not knwo the exact day. There is only one Atonement that has been purchased for all eternity. It is not the atonement purchased by the blood of animals that only covered for one year, but it is the Atonement that was purchased by Christ, the Son of God, for us with His own blood, which is so much more effective than the blood of animals. Not only did He purchase our Atonement for sin, but He opened to us the new covenant that was written by the prohets "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us...: 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. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin." (Heb. 10:14-18). Because of this Atonement, we can draw near, even entering the Holy of Holies in heaven because our hearts have been sprinkled, and our bodies washed clean (v. 22). It is "a face to face" kind of Atonement, allowing each of us to come before the Lord. We are to hold fast to this profession (confession) without wavering (v. 23), for there remains no more sacrifices for sin (v. 26). We are to speak our Atonement, to speak the same as the Word of God. Moses was commanded by God to write a song for the children of Israel, which all of the people were to learn. The song prophesied that God's people would turn away from Him, and of the evils that would befall His people as a result (Deut. 31:16-21). Repentance, as I have taught many times, comes in the form of 2 Chron. 7:14. Then God promises to forgive our sins, and heal the land. The prophet Hosea also wrote the Word of the LORD, by which God was calling His people to return to Him: "O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity...I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him...Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein." (Hos. 14:1, 4, 9). Micah, the prophet, cried out, "Woe is me!..." (Mic. 7:1), as he perceived the sins of God's people. He declared, "Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me...Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion on us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:1-20, excerpt). The Lord is looking to turn back to His people, if they will look unto Him in repentance. Joel wrote of the blowing of the trumpets in alarm: "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand." (Joel 2:1). The Word of the LORD to His people: "Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rent your heart, and not yuour garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil...let them (the priests) say, Spare thy people, O, LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach...Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him...? Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people." (v. 12-14, 17-18). This is a call to the Body of Christ. It may not be this Feast of Trumpets, but on some Feast of Trumpets, the wrath of God will hit the planet. Shouldn't we be prepared? We need to assemble and return sincerely to the Lord. *Based upon the 9/17/23 message of Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson Jr. to the Church. To hear the full message, look for Dr. Stevenson's Facebook page. You can contact this ministry at PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. God bless you.