A Memorial of the Word in Truth*

      Memorial Day is set aside to remember those who have paid the ultimate price for others. The first observance of Memorial Day was in May 1865, when former slaves dedicated the graves of those who had died to secure their freedom. The holiday was officially recognized by Pres. Lyndon Johnson. In remembering those who died for others, we cannot help but think of Jesus, and the sacrifice He made in order to free us from our sins and their resulting penalty, which is death. There is a need for truth in this nation and the world regarding these things.

     The first mention of "memorial" in scripture occurred as the LORD called Moses as he watched his father-in-law's flock of sheep, to go back to Egypt to free the Israelites from slavery there. The LORD spoke to Moses from the midst of a burning bush. The LORD had heard the cry of His people from their oppression in Egypt. The LORD said to Moses, "Come now therefore, and I will send thee to Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt." (see Ex. 3:1-10). The LORD told Moses that He would also bring His people to the good land, to the land flowing with milk and honey, which was inhabited by various Canaanite tribes. Moses said to God: "Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me to you...The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, this is my memorial (zeker/zakar- memorial, remembrance/to remember, call to mind, record, keep in remembrance) unto all generations." (v. 13-15, see also Ps. 135:13).  God's name, "I AM", which is represented by the Hebrew letters YHWH (yod-hey-vav-hey), is the Lord's memorial.

     We are living in a latter-day Egypt, and we are being oppressed by the political and economic systems of this Egypt. These systems do not serve God but serve false gods and the agendas of men.

     The LORD's Word is also His memorial. Psalm 138:2 says that the LORD has magnified His Word above all His name. God instructed Moses that as they sanctify their first born as belonging to the LORD, and keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the month of Abib to remember when the LORD brought them out of Egypt, He also said, "...thou shalt shew thy son in that day...And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD's law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt." (Ex. 13:1-9). The Word of the LORD worn on the hand and between the eyes as a memorial is called a phylactery. This memorial of the name and Word of the LORD, as well as the mighty deeds which He has performed, are meant to be told to our children. We are to teach our children the truth. Children can also be taught lies like racism. They are not born knowing and practicing racism. They are taught. As Jesus prophesied wars of ethnos against ethnos, we are to be light against the lies of even so-called Christians who espouse racism, like the Christian Nationalists. Don't sleep through this but wake up to the lies.

     The Word of the LORD is essential for us ("thee") to teach our children ("thy son and thy son's son") all the days of our lives so that our days are prolonged, so that they are well, and are increased mightily (Deut. 6:2-3, see also Deut. 11:8-9). The LORD commanded these words as a memorial: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one (echad) LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might (v. 4, see also Deut. 11:13-14). And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children...and thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." (Deut. 6:4-9, see also Deut. 11:18-23). The Word that is posted to our houses and gates often contain the Shema (see v. 4, above). When we post the Word of God to our house, contained in what is called a mezuzah, we are declaring that this is a place where the people love the LORD and His Word. Jesus said that the two great commandments of God were to love the LORD, as stated above, and to love your neighbor as yourself. He said that these commandments express all of the law and the prophets. 

     The LORD explained to His people that His word was not unattainable or unreachable for them: "But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. See, I have set before thee this day (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega/name of Jesus: see Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13 ) life and good, and death and evil,,,I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." (Deut. 30:11-19, excerpt). The LORD commands us to keep His Word in our hearts and mouths as we love Him, but people pick and choose what they will believe and observe of the Word of God. There are blessings and cursings, life and death ahead depending upon how we keep the LORD and His Word as a memorial. America called itself a nation under God as Lord, but we have turned away from Him and chosen what the LORD has called abominations instead. The LORD spoke to Joshua, who became the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses: "Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law...turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth: but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success....for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Josh. 1:7-9). Love the LORD and obey His commands.

     Scripture tells us that when Jesus was in Bethany, a woman came with a gift for Him. While the gift was scorned by the disciples as being too costly to "waste", Jesus corrected them and said that the woman's gift was deeply meaningful and would be remembered as a memorial wherever the Gospel was preached. The woman broke open an alabaster box and anointed Him with costly spikenard (an herbal oil) for the purpose of preparing His body beforehand for His death (Mt. 26:6-13, Mk. 14:3-10). Soon after this, one of the disciples who objected strongest to the gift because of his greed, Judas, would go out and betray Christ. Many cults and "religions" oppress women, but Jesus lifted this woman and her gift up to become an eternal memorial. What she did was in obedience to God, and out of love for Jesus with all of her heart, soul and strength. Others may say the Shema (see above), but this woman also walked in the Shema. When I first came in contact with the Shroud of Turin as part of the Shroud of Turin Research Project, I could still smell the fragrance of the spikenard on it. This woman who anointed Jesus above also exemplified what Paul would later write in Romans: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God...I say...to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think...we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." (Rom. 12:1-5).

     I and Dr. Brian Donley-Worrell have produced a free book that is available in several languages for you and for any to whom you would like to offer this compelling evidence for the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This book may be found at theshroudofturin.org/freebook. After reading, challenge them to make a choice and to choose wisely.

*Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson, Jr.'s 5/26/24 message to the church. If you would like to hear the complete message, you can find it on Dr. Stevenson's Facebook page. To contact or support this ministry, or to request prayer, you can write to PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. To find out more about the Shroud of Turin, and to receive a free e-book now available in several languages, go to http://www.theshroudofturin.org/freebook

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