ECCE

      This ministry was named by the LORD after His everlasting covenant. This fall, the ministry will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. It is necessary to understand the importance and many facets of the everlasting covenant because, as we will see, it is not just an "Old Testament" term but is also present in the New Testament through Jesus Christ.      The first mention of the everlasting covenant is found in Genesis 9, as the LORD spoke to Noah: "And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh ; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." (v. 15-16). The everlasting covenant was not just for Noah, but for all flesh, for every creature. The rainbow appearing in the cloud is not the covenant, but it i...

      The LORD brought His Word of judgment to His prophet Amos against His whole family of Israel, saying in part: "Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? Surely the LORD God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the LORD God hath spoken, who can but prophesy ?" (Amos 3:1-8, excerpt).      The LORD must deal with sin eventually, as He warned that He was about to do with His family of people. The LORD is often viewed as an angry God, but He is a God of grace and mercy to those who will heed His warning and seek Him. The purpose of the prophet is to receive the revelation of the secret thing that the LORD is doing or will do, as Amos wrote above. The Bible is the only Book in the world that is composed of prophecies as they are revealed at the proper time, as well as their subsequent fulf...

      The Gospel of salvation is for both the individual person and for the whole world. Jesus spoke to a ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus, and He told him of this truth about salvation: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God...Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit...And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (Jn. 3:1-16, excerpt).      Jesus spoke about how each person must be changed, or be born again by the Spirit of God, in order to enter into the kingdom of God, which is Spirit. Nicodemus pretended that he did not understand what Jesus was speaking about, but Jesus knew that he did.      In His discussion with Nicodemu...

      God is the God of all, and the Gospel is for the whole world. This is especially true in these times of wickedness: "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 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." (Mt. 24:12-13). Only by Christ in us will we be able to endure this time of abundant iniquity. The Bible has been translated into every language of the world, and many people of various nationalities and religions are having visions of Jesus.      The true Gospel of Jesus Christ, "who gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this evil world," is so important to the whole world that the apostle Paul warned the church of other gospels that are false: "I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ into another gospel: Which is...

       The Psalms will play a large role in this message. We should remember that the Psalms are songs, meant to be sung. Just as we are able to sing along with our favorite popular songs, we should also be that familiar with the Songs inspired by God. They are the soundtrack for our lives.      Psalm 119 says: "Order ( kun - prepare, establish, ready, set, direct, order, fashion, be securely determined, to direct toward, be enduring) my steps in thy word ( 'imra - word, speech, commandment, word of God, Torah): and let not any iniquity have dominion over me...Thy word ( dabar - speech, spoken word) is a lamp ( nir - candle, light, lamp, to glisten) unto my feet ( regel - foot, to endure, journey), and a light ( 'or - morning light, light of day, light) unto my path ( natib - way, path, footpath)." (v. 133, 105, also Ps. 85:12-13 ).      God's Word is the direction for our lives. It is like a user's manual written by the creator of...

      Remaining steadfast in our faith in God and Jesus Christ is the most important part of our walk as a Christian and faith has played a major role in the founding of this ministry from the beginning. Without faith, it is impossible to please God, the scriptures say. Some of the last words of Moses to the Israelites concerned their lack of faith: "Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten the God what formed thee. And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith...I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation." (Deut. 32:21).      The LORD said that He would hide His face from Israel because they had no faith in Him.      The prophet Habakkuk was...

      There are many examples of lives transformed by the Gospel. Those transformed lives went on to affect many other lives. Paul wrote: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature ( ktisis - thing created, creation, the act of founding, converted ): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Cor. 5:17). Through Christ, God has reconciled us to Himself, and in addition, has given to us the ministry of reconciliation and the word of reconciliation that reconciles others to God through Christ in the same manner. Paul calls us "ambassadors for Christ", beseeching others, "be ye reconciled to God." (v. 18-20). This reconciliation and new creature are the result of the Father's work through His Son, Jesus: "For he (God) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (v. 21). We, as ambassadors of reconciliation, have the responsibility to tell ...

       Wearing the white linen Kittel on the Day of Atonement      The month of Elul plus the ten days up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement totals forty days. Moses interceded several times for forty days for Israel and for Aaron. One of those occasions was after the Israelites had demanded that Aaron create a golden calf for them to worship. Despite witnessing many miracles of God, His people still sinned and rejected the LORD. Do we have golden calves?      The LORD still kept His promise to Israel, but made this clear to them: "Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that He may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...for thou art a stiffnecked people...ye have been rebellious against the LORD." (Deut. 9:5-7, excerpt). The LORD tol...

      Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God with great authority as He taught the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer and the Golden Rule. He taught that with the Kingdom of God comes the righteousness of God. Jesus told His listeners not to be worried about what they will eat, drink or wear. If God provides glory for the flowers and food for the birds of the earth, how much more will He care for you? "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek): for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need for all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for these things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Mt. 6:25-34, excerpt).      Do not be conformed to this world but be tran...

      The Book of Revelation has caused consternation as people have tried to interpret it. "Revelation" means "unveiling". It is unveiled by Jesus and we will see what Jesus intends to unveil to the Church. This Book begins: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly ( tachos - quickness, speed: [when it happens it will happen quickly]) come to pass, and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word ( logos - word uttered by a living voice [see Jn. 1:1 , speaking of Christ]) of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth ( anaginosko - read, to distinguish, to recognize, to know accurately), and they that hear ( akouo - hear, to attend to, perceive, understand) the words of this prophecy, and keep ( tereo - keep, attend to, guard, hold fast {do it, observe it]) those things which are written ...