Restoring The Connection In A Season Of Wisdom!!!!!

John chapter 14

We are walking in today:  Restoring The Connection In A Season Of Wisdom!!!!!

Witness restore throughout the Bible:  H7725 shuwb--to return, turn back, come or go back

Isaiah 1:26 And I will restore H7725 thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.

The Torah testifies...............
 Genesis 42:25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore H7725 every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.

The prophets proclaim..................
 Nehemiah 5:11 Restore, H7725 I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.

The writings bear witness..........................
 2 Kings 8:6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore H7725 all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.

Ezekiel 33:15 If the wicked restore H7725 the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.

John 14:13-15
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. 15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

The King-Son had promised his disciples concerning the Governor, “He lives with you and will be in you.” He would connect them to the Father through the Spirit. After his resurrection, the work of preparing humanity to receive the Governor was complete. The spirit of rebellion and independence from the kingdom was broken. Any human being who personally received the sacrifice of Yeshua, applying it to his own life, was now cleansed and qualified to be a residence for the Governor.

The Breath of Yeshua

Yeshua’s life, ministry, death, and resurrection therefore led up to his most important act on earth: the giving of the Governor. Shortly after his resurrection, Yeshua came to the room where his disciples had gathered, and said, “‘As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”Note that Yeshua breathed on them. Does that act seem familiar? It was very similar to what the Creator did when he first made Adam a living being: “The LORD The Most High formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” But in this life-giving act, the King-Son specifically explained what this meant.

He didn’t just say, “Receive the breath of life.” He said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The breath of life is the Holy Spirit; the Governor is the life of humanity. Without Him, even though our bodies may be physically alive for a limited length of time, we are dead to the kingdom, to the heavenly influence we were created to live in, and to the Creator-King himself. In other words, when the Creator first breathed into Adam, he was essentially saying, “Ceive the Holy Spirit.” Now, Yeshua was saying to his disciples, as the first human beings (besides himself) to be filled with the Spirit, “Ceive the Holy Spirit.” In the English language, we don’t use the word ceive as a verb, but the English word receive comes from the Latin re- (again) and capere (to take). When Adam rebelled, he lost the Spirit he had been given. So when Yeshua brought the disciples together after the resurrection, he was saying, in effect, “Humanity, take the Spirit again, as Adam did.” He was giving human beings back what they had lost. In breathing on his disciples, Yeshua reconnected humanity to the kingdom of heaven.

He was literally bringing his disciples into identity with heaven’s government. He was renewing human beings’ standing and authority in the kingdom. They were restored to their original assignment as vice governors of earth. So the disciples of Yeshua were the first human beings after Yeshua to receive the Governor resident within them again. The return of the Holy Spirit is the most important act of redemption in The Most High’s program for humanity. At that moment, the kingdom of The Most High returned to earth because the Spirit lived within humanity once more! Note that, after his resurrection, Yeshua’s message continued to be the kingdom. Luke the physician wrote, In my former book…I wrote about all that Yeshua began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of The Most High. Some people question whether the kingdom of heaven is on earth right now. The answer is absolutely yes. In order to understand why, we have to remember the nature of kingdoms. Wherever the Governor is, the kingdom is present.

Wherever the Spirit of the King is, the kingdom is. The Governor is the presence of the absent King. Luke recorded Yeshua’s response when he was asked about this very question: Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of The Most High would come, Yeshua replied, “The kingdom of The Most High does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘there it is,’ because the kingdom of The Most High is within you.”The kingdom of The Most High is within you when the Governor is resident within you. And when the Governor is resident within you, the kingdom of heaven is present on earth. Yeshua told his followers, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of The Most High come with power.” According to Luke’s account in his second book, Acts, about one hundred twenty disciples were present when the Governor was poured out and fully reinstated on earth.

Waiting for the Fire

Yeshua’s purpose was to reintroduce the government that had been recalled from earth by humanity’s rebellion. After he had completed his mission of providing a way for the inhabitants to be holy again, he returned to the heavenly kingdom. The ascension of Yeshua was evidence of his finished work on earth, indicating that all was in readiness for the Governor’s full return. The gospel of Mark records, “After the Lord Yeshua had spoken to [his disciples], he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of The Most High.” I believe he reported to the Father at this time that everything was in place for the Governor to be poured out on the inhabitants of earth. Yeshua had instructed his disciples about how they would receive this power from the Governor. On various occasions, he made these statements to his disciples: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.

They had received the Governor into their lives and were connected to the kingdom. But they still needed to be connected to the kingdom’s power, which the King would soon send them. This is what John meant when he said Yeshua would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. After Yeshua returned to the heavenly kingdom, the “fire” would come, and his mission of both reconnection and restored power would be fully realized. In other words, Yeshua was saying, “For the last three-and a-half years, I have been telling you that the influence of the heavenly government is coming. Every time I talked about the kingdom, I was referring to the Governor’s influence in your lives and on the world. Now, stay here in Jerusalem because you’re about to receive the fullness of the promise my Father made to you.” Yeshua told them they would be clothed with power from “on high.” This point is vital: we are to receive our power from the heavenly country, from a place outside this world, because this world is controlled by the kingdom of darkness. Again, the King-Son sent the Governor to earth from the throne of the Father, just as a royal governor was sent to a colony from the throne of the king to carry on the work of the sovereign there.

The Power of Absence

As we saw in the previous chapter, while the Holy Spirit once dwelled only in Yeshua, now He is able to dwell in millions of people throughout the world. He’s back home in the colony so that the whole planet can be filled with the glory of the King. Now that he has been poured out, he can be all over the world at the same time. He lives in people of all races and skin colors. He lives in both men and women. The physical Yeshua had only two hands with which to bless children and break bread for the hungry and relieve the sick. Now, through the Spirit dwelling in the lives of his followers, there are millions of hands doing the work of the kingdom. While Yeshua’s ministry was once limited to the area of Palestine, it can now be in Australia, China, the United States, the Bahamas, and all over the world at the same time. His purpose is to spread the kingdom of The Most High on earth through a multitude of people, in a multitude of ways, in all spheres of life. For example, if the Spirit lives within you, then, when you are at your job, the heavenly government is also present there. He wants you to bring about his influence in your workplace by your kingdom value system, attitude, forgiveness, love, and patience. If anyone asks you, “Why are you so different?” your answer can be the same as Yeshua’s: “My kingdom is not of this world.” The King wants you to represent his kingdom in the midst of the kingdom of darkness, so others can be reconciled to the heavenly government, also.

Greater Works on Earth

John recorded this statement by Yeshua, which he made shortly before his death and resurrection: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” How could we do greater works than Yeshua did on earth? The word greater here has to do with magnitude, not quality. We could never improve on the quality of the works of Yeshua. But when we are aligned with the mind and the will of the Father, and his purposes are foremost in our lives, Yeshua promised, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” The nature of the heavenly government will be spread throughout the colony, and this will bring due honor to the King of both heaven and earth. All who have received his Spirit will collectively multiply his works in the world. The power of the Governor is that he makes the reality of heaven on earth possible. This is why everybody needs the Holy Spirit. He is the only one who can connect us to the King and, through us, dispel the kingdom of darkness with his kingdom of light. He is the most important person on earth.

Shema Selah this is our return to the King of kings original plan, His Spirit within us as it was in the garden of Eden!!  

Love In The Kingdom In A Season Of Wisdom!

2 Corinthians 13

We are walking in today:  Love In The Kingdom In A Season Of Wisdom!

Witness bound throughout the Bible:  H1366 gĕbuwl--border, territory, bound, limit

The Torah testifies...............

 Exodus 23:31 And I will set thy bounds H1366 from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.

The prophets proclaim..................

 Jeremiah 5:22 Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound H1366 of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

The writings bear witness..........................

 Psalm 104:9 Thou hast set a bound H1366 that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.

Hosea 5:10 The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: H1366 therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.

A King’s Love for His Citizens-- Love is the nature of the King and his kingdom. 

Love’s Voluntary Limitation To fully understand the nature of the kingdom we have an opportunity to enter, we must see that the King-Son’s motivation for coming to earth was unqualified love for its inhabitants. He loved the people of the world so much that he voluntarily limited himself in significant ways in order to restore them to the kingdom. The New Testament writer John penned one of the best-known statements from the gospel writings: “For The Most High so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Love is the nature of the KingFather and the King-Son. Yeshua is the perfect representation of The Most High in human form. He came to show us what The Most High is like and to take away our fear of Him, enabling us to call him not only our King, but also our Father again, because we have the same Spirit within us. 

The Governor’s Limitation

The King-Son’s voluntary limitation of himself was prompted by the limited way in which the Governor had been able to work with the earth’s inhabitants since the rebellion of humanity. As we noted earlier, the Governor could only come upon people in Old Testament times to do the work of the kingdom in specific instances; he could not work from within them yet. When the Son came to earth as the man Yeshua, the Spirit could now live on earth within his body. Yet the Governor still could not dwell in all of humanity. The King-Father’s plan was for the Governor to eventually be released into all human beings who would receive him through the provision of the King-Son. 

The King-Son Limited Himself in order to Become Unlimited 

Yeshua's teachings were filled with seeming paradoxes that contain great truths. For example, he taught that in order to live eternally, one had to die to oneself; in order to be strong in kingdom power, one had to be weak in oneself. He lived out a paradox by voluntarily limiting himself so that he could become unlimited in the lives of his followers—those who became children of the King and received the Governor within them. Yeshua limited himself in the following ways. He… √ emptied himself so that we could be full; became poor so that we could be rich. 

√ placed himself under the restrictions of a world of space and time so that we could be connected to the eternal kingdom. 

√ subjected himself to law so he could free those under it. 

√ submitted to physical death so we could have eternal life. 

Paul wrote to the kingdom citizens in Philippi that Yeshua, being in the form of The Most High, did not consider it robbery to be equal with The Most High, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the stake. All the above are demonstrations of the King-Son’s powerful love for the inhabitants of earth. He did these things so that he could send the Governor back to us—and in us—without limitations. The Holy Spirit continues the ministry of Yeshua on earth. Yeshua told his disciples, And I will ask Abba, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. Let’s take a closer look at the ways in which the King-Son limited himself for our sakes. 

Limited Himself from Glory

 In a letter to the followers of Yeshua in Corinth, Paul wrote, “For you know the grace of our Lord Yeshua HaMashiach , that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he become poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” The King-Son emptied himself of his heavenly power, glory, and riches to live as a physical, earthly being dependent on the King-Father for everything through the Spirit. Yeshua said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” When the Son became a man, he temporarily set aside his former glory. Just before his death, Yeshua prayed, “Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” Only three of Yeshua's disciples were given a glimpse of this glory when he was on earth, when he was “transfigured” by the Father for a short time: Yeshua took with him Peter, James and John, the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Yeshua. Peter said to Yeshua, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” The effect of this experience on Peter, James, and John was overwhelming. The Son had set aside this magnificent glory to fulfill his mission on earth. 

Limited Himself to Time and Space 

The eternal King-Son also allowed himself to become restricted by time. He who owns the universe limited himself to a small region on a small planet during an earthly life of thirty-three years, where he could be in only one place at a time. He lived there, died there, rose again there, and even ascended to heaven from there. Eternity allowed itself to be limited within time, so that those in time could be reconnected to the eternal kingdom.

 Limited Himself under Law 

Paul wrote, “When the time had fully come, The Most High sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” The law of Moses and the sacrificial system had been instituted for those who were disconnected from the King. Yeshua had full access to, and total communion with, the heavenly Father; yet he submitted himself to all the requirements of the law so that he could perfectly fulfill them. Then, when we receive his perfect sacrifice on our behalf, we are enabled to obey The Most High through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The book of the prophet Ezekiel says, I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their The Most High. Yeshua also submitted himself to the laws of nature in this physical world. Can you imagine The Most High having a tired body? Being thirsty? Hungry? the Most High who created the whole world and all its oceans, lakes, and rivers had to ask someone else for a drink of water.  The Most High who made the trees and their ability to bear fruit had to stop to pick fruit to eat. The Most High whom the psalmist said “neither slumbers nor sleeps” had to rest. In fact, Yeshua was once so tired that he kept sleeping in the middle of a violent storm! He temporarily submitted himself to physical limitations in order to give back dominion power to humanity. 

Limited Himself by Death 

The Author of life had to look into the eyes of death. He met it face-to-face and submitted to it. Then he conquered it, taking away its sting from humanity. The prophet Isaiah said it pleased the King-Father for the King-Son to suffer and die. Why would it please him to have the Son experience agonizing suffering and death? Again, it is because he didn’t want the earth’s inhabitants to experience spiritual death as a result of their rebellion, and therefore the King-Son willingly died in our place. He allowed himself to be limited in a physical human body, and to be limited by the experience of death, because only another human being could be a viable substitute for humanity. Paul wrote, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of The Most High is eternal life through Yeshua HaMashiach  our Lord.” Yeshua had no sin, but he took all our sins on himself, and that is why he—the perfect man, the Second Adam—died. Yet Yeshua was resurrected, never to be limited by death again. In the same way, when we enter into the kingdom, we receive eternal life, and death can’t keep our bodies in the grave forever. Again, Paul wrote, “By his power The Most High raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.” The Son’s limitation of death brought unlimited life for us! Death has no ultimate claim on us because Yeshua paid the punishment of death for us. As Paul said, “The Most High made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of The Most High”—so that we could receive eternal life and be in right standing with the kingdom again. The King-Son’s limitation of death brought unlimited life for us! 

This is another clear difference between the heavenly King and the human leaders we are familiar with. You don’t hear of presidents or prime ministers dying in office for the purpose of freeing their citizens. A leader may be assassinated for standing up for a cause or because of someone’s hatred or insanity. But to choose to die for his citizens? This is unheard of in our experience. Remember the words of the disciple John: “For The Most High so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Yeshua compared his sacrifice for humanity to a shepherd laying down his life for his sheep: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” His death was a demonstration of pure love for his people. 

The Promise of Unlimited Kingdom Influence 

Yeshua's limiting of himself made possible the return of unlimited kingdom influence on earth. I’ve heard some people say longingly that they wish Yeshua HaMashiach  was on earth today. They believe that if he were, and they met him personally, their lives would be different. Perhaps you wish for the same thing. I used to, also. But I’ve come to see that this is a bad wish; it’s not in our best interests. The transformation of our lives is possible because Yeshua is no longer physically on earth. Why is this so? First, let’s consider the logistics of it. If Yeshua was physically here, and you wanted to visit him, you’d have to pay for the plane fare to Palestine. After you arrived, you’d have to make your way through all the crowds just to try to get near him. And then, you couldn’t expect him to spend all his time with you. Think of the millions or billions of people who would also want to meet with him every day. Even so, we seem to hold on to the idea that Yeshua's physical presence on earth is what we need. This is because we haven’t realized that the Governor is now available to all people at all times. Yeshua's disciples made the same error we do. When the King-Son told his followers he was leaving earth to go back to the KingFather in the heavenly home country, they became depressed. They had become attached to Yeshua's physical presence in their lives, and they were afraid to lose it. Yet let’s look at Yeshua's response to this perspective: Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you….In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me. Yeshua was saying that he had to return to heaven so that he could send the Governor to be with them always. They would not see Yeshua after he went away, but when he sent the Governor from heaven shortly thereafter, they would be indwelled with the Holy Spirit, who would guide them into all truth and remind them of everything Yeshua had said to them. When the Governor came, he wouldn’t be with them only in a limited way, such as Yeshua had to be when he was ministering to someone else or alone praying to the Father. Before, if Yeshua was in Samaria, he couldn’t be in Galilee. If he was in Jerusalem, he couldn’t be in Bethany. We should be glad that he has returned to heaven because now the kingdom can be all over the world at the same time through the Holy Spirit, who lives in all kingdom citizens. Yeshua assured his disciples, in essence, “My going away is for your good. The Governor is with you now, but he will be in you.” It wasn’t Yeshua's purpose to physically remain on the earth because this would have stopped the King’s plan of restoration right before its culmination in the return of the Governor. When Yeshua was arrested and crucified, Lucifer thought he had won the victory over the King that he had been looking for. Actually, he was being set up for total defeat. If Yeshua hadn’t gone to the stake and been resurrected, we would still be trapped in rebellion and in the kingdom of darkness. If Yeshua hadn’t returned to the heavenly home country and sent the Governor to fill us, the kingdom of The Most High would not have been able to fully return to the earth. Yeshua had said, in effect, “If I go to the stake, I will be able to draw all people to me and into the kingdom. I will be able to release billions of people into their original purpose of kingdom rulership and dominion.” Yeshua limited himself, in the many ways that he did, out of self-sacrificial love and devotion to the estranged children of the King. He made reconciliation and restoration possible for all the inhabitants of the world. 

A Priceless Gift for Humanity 

We have seen all along that the most important person on earth is the Holy Spirit, the Governor of the heavenly kingdom. He is a priceless gift to humanity, and it delighted the King-Father to restore the Governor to us. Luke the physician recorded Yeshua as saying to his disciples, “If you then, though you are evil [controlled by the kingdom of darkness], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven [Ruler of the kingdom of light] give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” He also said, “Your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

Shema selah!!!!! This is why and how Yeshua died to restore us back to the kingdom of heaven--this is our reset to the original intentions of the King of kings!

Weekend Meditation--Re-establishing The Kingdom On Earth!!!!! PART 3

Galatians 4

We are walking in today: Weekend Meditation--Re-establishing The Kingdom On Earth!!!!! PART 3

Witness proclamation throughout the Bible:  H5674 'abar--to pass on, go on, pass on before, go in advance of, pass along, travel, advance

1 King 22:36 And there went H5674 a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country.


The Torah testifies...............
*******

The prophets proclaim..................
  Ezra 10:7 And they made proclamation H5674 throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;

The writings bear witness...........................
2 Chronicles 30:5 So they established a decree to make proclamation H5674 throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover unto the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written.

Ezra 10:7 And they made proclamation H5674 throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;

"He Lives with You and Will Be in You”
This brings us back to what Jesus told his followers about the Governor, the Spirit of the King: “He lives with you and will be in you.” Yeshua’s followers had seen the demonstration of the Governor’s power lived out in his life. The Governor’s works were manifested on the earth, but no other human being besides Yeshua had the Spirit living within. Jesus was promising the disciples that, through his sacrifice, the Governor would be coming back to live within them, also, just as had been promised since Genesis 3 when the rebellion occurred. This would not only align them with the nature and thinking of the kingdom, but it would also empower them to live it out just as Yeshua had lived it out on earth. Soon, the Governor would be taking up his official residence again in the citizens of the kingdom on earth, as the prophet Joel had foretold

The King-Son’s Ultimate Reason for Coming to Earth
After his resurrection, Yeshua told his disciples, “I am going to send you what my Father has promised.” The King-Son was restating the essential reason for his ministry. This next statement may shock a few people, but I believe it is vital for us to understand: the promise of the Father was not Yeshua’s sufferings, his death on Calvary, or even his resurrection. Over the centuries, the Christian church has emphasized these aspects of Yeshua’s ministry to the point that I believe the ultimate reason he endured them has been obscured.

Through the years, people—especially religious people—have changed the meaning of the Father’s promise to humanity. Christianity has become the celebration of what Yeshua did rather than a reception of the reason He did it. We have declared a message that Yeshua never gave. We’ve changed the promise into one of leaving this earth and going to heaven, when what we’re called to is restored dominion over the earth through the indwelling Spirit.The result is that we have worshipped Calvary, rather than benefiting from it. Yeshua’s sufferings, death, and resurrection were the means to an end—the reconciliation of humanity to the King, and, ultimately, the restoration of the Spirit to humanity. They were not ends in themselves. We’ve made the process the purpose. The promise of the Father was the reappointment of the Spirit as a result of these things. The entire reason for the King-Son’s coming into the world was to break the stronghold of HaSatan, destroy the grip of rebellion from human beings, and reconnect them to their King-Father so that the Governor could be restored to them.

The Spirit is what all human beings need in order to be realigned with the King and fulfill their purpose on earth. We should note that John the Baptist never emphasized the blood or death or resurrection of Yeshua. He emphasized the Holy Spirit, because John was expressing the specific reason for his coming: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Humanity is not in need of a “religion.” We don’t need rituals and traditions. We need this promise of the Father to be a reality in our lives.

We must come to truly understand that the Holy Spirit is the heavenly government personified. He is the source of the power of the kingdom in our lives. The Old Testament experience of the priests and prophets was only a shadow of what was to come. At that time, the Holy Spirit couldn’t live in human beings; he could only be among them. But now, Yeshua was saying, “The Spirit of truth...lives with you and will be in you.”As I said earlier, every miracle of Yeshua, every healing, every act of dominion—whether it was walking on water, casting out demonic influences, or cleansing a leper—was not for entertainment or for making an impression; nor was it for the purpose of creating a religion or providing interesting material for preaching. These things were for the purpose of producing evidence to the world that the Spirit of the kingdom had returned to earth and would soon live within humanity again.

Just before Yeshua died, he gave his disciples many instructions, and these instructions had important information about the Governor. He was trying to tell them, in effect, “Everything I’m about to suffer is all because of my purposes concerning the Holy Spirit in your lives and in the lives of those who will believe in the future.” He told them, in essence, “I’m going to leave you, but don’t panic or worry. The Governor is going to come back; he will be with you forever, and he’ll never forsake you.” A striking illustration of the Governor’s return occurred at the moment of Yeshua’s death. The curtain in the temple separating the people from the Holy of Holies tore in two from top to bottom, signaling that Yeshua had made provision for human beings to be holy and receive the Spirit once more. The Spirit no longer had to be separated from them, dwelling only between the cherubim on a mercy seat that had been sprinkled with the blood of animals. Because of Yeshua’s ultimate blood sacrifice, the Spirit could once more be at home within human beings, giving them direct access to the King.

The Goal of the King
The King’s desire to restore the Holy Spirit to humanity, therefore, is what made the entire redemptive program of Yeshua HaMaschiach was necessary. The principle goal and primary purpose of Yeshua’s coming into the world was to deliver the Governor of heaven to the colony of earth. Everything else was a means to that end. He didn’t come to bring us to heaven. He came to bring heaven to earth. This is why our Master Teacher taught us to pray, in what we call The Lord’s Prayer, that the King-Father’s influence, will, intent, and laws be done on earth—the colony—as they are in heaven—the home country.

The Roman Empire as a Type of the Heavenly Kingdom
The best time in history for the concept of the heavenly kingdom to be fully communicated to the inhabitants of earth was during the time of the Roman Empire, and this is a major reason why the King-Son, the Messiah, was born at that time. It was not a random choice by the King; it was the perfect time. Paul wrote, When the time had fully come, The Most High sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, the Most High sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, the Most High has made you also an heir.

The structure and functioning of the Roman Empire (though not its moral nature) at the time of Yeshua served as a type of the kingdom of heaven. For those living under its rule in Palestine, the analogy would have been obvious. Caesar was the emperor or king in Rome, and he was a type of the heavenly King. Caesar sent Pilate to be his procurator or governor over the region of Judea, to oversee it and create the culture of the Roman Empire there. Similarly, Yeshua said that when he returned to the Father, the Governor would be released to earth, enabling the inhabitants to fulfill the will of the King on earth once more, making it into a replica of the kingdom of heaven. Yeshua told his disciples, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me,” and “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Political concepts familiar to the people of the time were present for them to come to understand that Yeshua was talking about the return of the Governor to earth to enable them to fulfill the will and work of the kingdom of heaven. Interestingly, Yeshua’s enemies recognized that his message was about a kingdom, not a “religion.” This kingdom demanded full loyalty to the King-Father through the King-Son. Because Yeshua’s enemies did not want to submit to the authority of the heavenly government, they sought to kill him. They told Pilate that Yeshua was a threat to the political order of the day, saying, “ We have no king but Caesar.” In this way, they pressured Pilate into choosing between killing an innocent man and appearing to support a king other than Caesar. He caved to the pressure and allowed Yeshua to be crucified. He was responsible for his choice, even though Yeshua’s death was part of the heavenly restoration plan. Every person essentially faces the same choice. Allegiance to the kingdom of heaven does not allow for any person or anything to take the place of the King.

The Release and Reception of the Governor
After the King-Son’s life on earth, a process unfolded by which the Governor was given to his followers. First, of course, the Holy Spirit dwelled within the body of Yeshua—the first human being to have the Spirit within him since Adam and Eve. When Yeshua died on the stake, eyewitness and disciple John recorded that he “gave up his spirit.” Although this term can be a description for taking one’s last breath, I believe it also has a deeper significance here. The Greek word for “give up” means to “yield up.” Therefore, I think this term means that Yeshua also released the Holy Spirit back to the Father in heaven at his death.

When Yeshua was resurrected, he was raised by the power of the Spirit, and the Spirit again dwelled in him. Paul wrote, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Yeshua from the dead is living in you, he who raised HaMaschiach from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” Just as the King-Son was raised from death by the Spirit, and the Spirit dwelled in him, those who enter the kingdom through the King-Son’s sacrifice will also receive the Spirit.

At Yeshua’s resurrection, then, the Spirit was now poised to return to humanity and rescue lives that had lived in rebellion, confusion, and despair under the kingdom of darkness. Just as the Spirit brought life out of emptiness and order from chaos at the creation of the earth, he would transform the earth once more into a colony of heaven through the return of the kingdom in the lives of its citizens.
Shema selah it is high time the we return to the goals and intentions of the Most High, our King, our Abba for the earth to operate as they do in heaven!!!

Re-establishing The Kingdom On Earth!!!!! PART 2

2 Corinthians  12



We are walking in today:  Re-establishing The Kingdom On Earth!!!!! PART 2

Witness fire throughout the Bible:   H784 esh--fire,  flames

Exodus 19:18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: H784 and the smoke there of ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

The Torah testifies...............
 Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire H784 out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, H784 and the bush was not consumed.

The prophets proclaim..................
 Isaiah 4:5 And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire H784 by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.

The writings bear witness...........................  
 1 Kings 18:24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire,H784 let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

Psalm 66:12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire H784 and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

 

Baptism with Fire

Water baptism aligned and identified Yeshua's followers with his kingdom teaching. But what had John meant when he said that Yeshua would “baptize...with the Holy Spirit and with fire”? The baptism with the Holy Spirit, which we will talk about in more detail in later chapters, is the consummation of identification with the King and his kingdom, as well as a reception of the power of the heavenly kingdom. The Holy Spirit is the personification of the heavenly government. To be baptized in this way means you are immersed in kingdom philosophy and lifestyle, and that it has total influence over your thoughts and actions.The word philosophy is derived from the Greek word philosophos, which is a combination of two smaller Greek words. Philos means “fond” or “beloved,” and sophos means “wise.” So philosophos means a fondness for or a love of wise things. Disciples of kingdom philosophy are to fall in love with the mind and will of the King, so that his mind and will become theirs, and their actions mirror his. As the wise King Solomon wrote, “As a person thinks within himself, so he is.”This process of transformation into kingdom thinking and lifestyle is absolutely necessary because the Creator-King has declared this about the rebellious inhabitants of earth: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways....As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Our thoughts and ways need to become realigned with the Creator-King’s, and we do this by identifying completely with kingdom thinking, submitting to the Master of the kingdom, and being baptized into his power.The way to fully live out the life of the kingdom, there-fore, is to be baptized with the Spirit. We are to be totally submerged in the Creator-King’s frame of reference and mind-set so that we always think his thoughts, live his thoughts, and manifest his life.The New Testament book of Luke tells us that, following his baptism by John, Yeshua was “full of the Holy Spirit,...and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.” When he emerged from that experience, having overcome each temptation, Luke further records, “Yeshua returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,” and the book of Matthew adds, “From that time on Yeshua began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” The message of the kingdom and the fullness and power of the Spirit are intimately connected.

The King-Son Demonstrated the Influence of the Kingdom on Earth

The King-Son not only spoke the message of the kingdom, but he also lived it out. His entire life on earth was evidence of kingdom rulership. Everything Yeshua said or did was the administration of the King-Father’s will through the power of the Governor within him. He spoke about this reality with statements such as these:The message of the kingdom and the power of the Spirit are intimately connected.

√ My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me.

√ These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

√ My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.

√ I and the Father are one.

√ I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because what-ever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.

√ Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.

√ If The Most High were your Father, you would love me, for I came from The Most High and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.

√ I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father. 

In the Old Testament accounts we reviewed in the previous chapter, we saw that what we call miracles were actually evidence of kingdom influence on earth. The same thing applies to the miracles Yeshua performed. The administration of the kingdom could be seen whenever Yeshua healed some-one who was sick (power over the effects of humanity’s rebel-lion), delivered someone who was possessed by an agent of Lucifer (power over the kingdom of darkness), fed thousands by multiplying small amounts of food (power over the natural world), or raised people from the dead (power to give life). These acts were confirmation of heavenly dominion over the environment of earth; they were demonstrations of kingdom power over circumstances. Yeshua was saying, in essence, “What you see is what the heavenly government is doing. I’m just manifesting it.”

The King-Son Died to Redeem and Restore Human Beings to The King-Father and His Kingdom

The King-Son’s mission on earth was not only to deliver the message and demonstrate the influence of the kingdom, but also to provide a way for human beings to reenter the kingdom and be reconciled to the King-Father. The children’s separation from the Father because of their rebellion had to be addressed. And the only way their holiness (integrity or internal wholeness and devotion to the Father) could be restored was through a sacrifice. As we saw, the Old Testament animal sacrifices of the tabernacle and temple were only temporary. Animal sacrifices were not equitable blood payment for the rebellion and the culture of hatred and death that human beings had brought to earth. Animal sacrifice did not have the power to change the perpetually evil hearts of the world’s inhabitants. Only human blood could make restitution for the rebellion and bloodshed of humanity. Instead of making the people pay for their rebellion with their own blood, however, the Father sent the Son to earth as a human being to pay for it with his blood. The Son took the punishment for all the inhabitants of earth, which allowed them to be reconciled to the kingdom. This was the ultimate reason for his incarnation.

The King-Son could reconcile the inhabitants to the King-Father because he was holy. Again, in his humanity, Yeshua was like other human beings in all ways except one—he had no rebellion in him or double-mindedness toward the kingdom. He was fully integrated, devoted, and set apart for the King-Father. He lived within a human body because he wanted to go through every aspect of human experience—he desired to feel what we feel and experience everything about being human, without the rebellion. Yeshua demonstrated by his life what it meant to be a human being with the Governor living within. He was true humanity rightly related to the King-Father and his kingdom. Yeshua's death on the stake at the place called Calvary (meaning “Skull”) was the plan of the Father to provide for the return of the Governor. It was not a mistake, but part of the program. The earthly temple with its sacrifices would no longer be needed because the heavenly temple had arrived in Yeshua's own body; the Holy Spirit was present within him. Again, Yeshua was able to be the ultimate sacrifice because he was fully aligned with the King and lived a perfect life. Yeshua explained the nature of his death before he died:

The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father. The King-Son laid down his life in payment for the rebellion of all humanity, past and present. When this was paid, the Father gave him authority to take up his life again, and he was raised from the dead. The Author of life chose to die because of his love for the human beings whom he  had created; he desired to rescue them from the kingdom of darkness so they could live within the kingdom of heaven once more. Paul described our entrance to the kingdom through the King-Son’s sacrifice as walking in “newness of life”:

Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into HaMaschiach Yeshua were baptized into His death? There-fore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as HaMaschiach was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Some people wish they could go back to the day Yeshua died and prevent his death. We would all want to spare anyone from that kind of death. However, his dying was necessary to fulfill the Father’s restoration plan. Yeshua's death wasn’t forced upon him; he chose it for the express purpose of saving the world and releasing the Governor to the earth again. Once more, before he was crucified, Yeshua made his choice very clear, saying, I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. Yeshua told his followers beforehand that he was going to die to pay for the rebellion of humanity, even though they didn’t comprehend it at the time. He said, “This is what is written [was predicted by the King’s prophet]: The HaMaschiach will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.” Yeshua therefore wasn’t killed as a tragic mistake. He gave up his life in sacrifice so we could be cleansed vessels for the Governor to live in. He kept moving forward with the restoration plan until everything was set in place for our reconciliation with the Father. Just before he died, he said, “It is finished.” The enemies of Yeshua didn’t finish him. He gave up his life when he was finished with his mission. Just before his arrest, he prayed, Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true one the Most High, and Yeshua HaMaschiach, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. Again, Yeshua wasn’t a helpless victim of jealous enemies. He is the King of glory who overcame both sin and death. Notice that he prayed to the Father, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk had foretold, “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Because Yeshua completed the work of restoration, the glory (nature) of the kingdom of heaven was released and began to spread throughout the earth.Because Yeshua completed the work of restoration, the kingdom was released on earth and began to spread.

The King-Son Destroyed the Spirit of Independence and Rebellion in the Colony 

Yeshua's death at Calvary, the blood that he shed on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead were required in order to break the spirit of rebellion in humanity. I use the word spirit because rebellion is really an attitude or nature within every human being. It’s something we’re born with; it is ingrained within us. This spirit is antagonistic to the kingdom of heaven. It couldn’t be wished away or ignored. It had to be broken. And Yeshua did break this power, allowing the earth’s inhabitants to instead yield to the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote, “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” Breaking a spirit of independence is very difficult, but this is what Yeshua accomplished. He gave us the ability to say to the Father, as he himself said at the most difficult point in his earthly life, “Not my will, but yours be done.” He provided for the spirit of rebellion to be replaced with a spirit of yieldedness to the kingdom. He gave us the ability to obey the will of the Father. In fact, Yeshua said that submitting to him was the same thing as submitting to the Father, since he and the Father are one. “If you love me,” he said to his followers, “you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he and receive the cleansing that the King-Son accomplished for us when he paid for our rebellion through his death. His was the ultimate sacrifice for the rebellious nature of humanity. It was a sacrifice for all of humanity. It is available for all people. Yet each human being must make a personal decision to commit to Yeshua's kingdom school and enter into the kingdom by accepting his sacrifice to break the spirit of rebellion and by desiring to realign with the King. As he does this, he will receive the nature of the kingdom within.

Shema Selah now is the understanding of His original intent being brought to light--this is all about a King and His kingdom!!! Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Re-establishing The Kingdom On Earth!!!

Psalms 24

We are walking in today: Re-establishing The Kingdom On Earth!!!

Witness renew throughout the Bible: H2318 chadash-- to be new, renew, repair, make anew

Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew H2318 a right spirit within me.

The Torah testifies...............
******

The prophets proclaim..................
 1 Samuel 11:14 Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew H2318 the kingdom there.


The writings bear witness.......................
 Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew H2318 a right spirit within me.

 Psalms 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed H2318 like the eagle's.

Lamentations 5:21 Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew H2318 our days as of old.


The Rebirth of a Kingdom
The greatest motivation of the human spirit is to control its environment.The King’s goal was to cause his children to be integrated, set apart, and devoted to him—so that his Spirit could live within them once more. This would be the work of the Offspring, the one called the Messiah by the prophets. The Offspring was first mentioned in Genesis 3 and was revealed by the prophets Isaiah, Malachi, and others to be the King of heaven himself. While the First or Old Testament emphasizes the promise of the coming King, the New Testament reveals the rebirth of the kingdom on earth through his arrival.The rebirth of the kingdom signified the recolonization of earth. Recolonization is unheard of in human history, or is at least very rare. Once a people declare independence, they don’t go back to the home country. The plan that the King was unfolding was therefore unprecedented.

The Birth of the King on Earth
The King, of course, needed to remain in the heavenly kingdom as its ruler and sustainer. At the same time, he had to come to earth to provide for the return of the Governor. The Spirit of the King was directly involved in his coming to earth. Luke the physician, the writer of the gospel bearing his name, wrote,The Most High sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendent of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with The Most High.”The angel’s statement, “You have found favor with The Most High,” shows us that Mary was yielded to the heavenly government and the purposes of the King, and this is why she was chosen for this crucial assignment in the intervention of the heavenly kingdom on earth. The angel continued,You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Yeshua. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord The Most High will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end. “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of The Most High....For nothing is impossible with The Most High.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”Again, we see evidence of Mary’s submission to the heavenly government: “I am the Lord’s servant....May it be to me as you have said.”In this passage is a fact of vital significance: the Spirit conceived The Most High the Son or the King-Son, whose earthly name was Yeshua, in the womb of Mary. Mary was what we might call a surrogate mother for the eternal and invisible The Most High’s entrance into the physical world as a human being. Also, the King-Son was filled with the Spirit when he was conceived. This means that the Governor returned to earth at this time within the person of Yeshua. The Governor was resident in the body of Yeshua until the rest of humanity could be prepared to receive him as well, through Yeshua’s provision. At that time, the King-Son would reappoint the Governor to the earth in order to restore kingdom influence throughout the world and to give back kingdom citizenship to humanity.The King-Son was both fully divine (as The Most High the Son) and fully human (as the man Yeshua). Yet he was not infected by the rebellious nature of humanity. The womb of a woman is designed in such a way that the blood of a mother and her unborn child never mix. Yeshua’s blood was pure; his life was pure. As we read in the third book of Moses, “The life of every creature is its blood.” Like Adam before the rebellion, Yeshua and everything about him was set apart and devoted to the King-Father. The King-Son was fully divine and fully human, yet not infected by man’s rebellious nature.

The Governor Gave the King so the King Could Give the Governor
The King-Son had to be born of the Spirit and filled with the Spirit, so that he could deliver the Governor to the people of earth in fulfillment of the promise. John the Baptist announced to the world the arrival of the King-Son who would restore the Spirit, and he said about Yeshua, “The one who comes from heaven is above all....For the one whom The Most High has sent speaks the words of The Most High, for The Most High gives the Spirit without limit [to him],” and “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Yeshua told his disciples, If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Therefore, the Governor gave the King-Son to the earth so the King-Son could send the Governor to the earth after he returned to the heavenly kingdom. They worked in harmony to achieve this ultimate purpose.


The King-Son Was Completely Filled with the Governor

The King-Son not only was filled with the Spirit at his conception, but he also continued to be filled with the Spirit throughout his entire lifetime. As John the Baptist said, “The Most High gives the Spirit without limit [to him].” This was the first time a human being was filled with the Holy Spirit since before the rebellion of Adam and Eve. The Holy Spirit within Yeshua was limitless in presence and power.In preparation for the King’s appearance on earth, John had been baptizing people who desired to be realigned with the kingdom. Then, just before Yeshua began his public ministry, he also went to John for baptism.The next day John saw Yeshua coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of The Most High, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of The Most High.”John made these declarations about Yeshua:

(1) he was the one who would take away the sin of the world (making it possible for the citizens to be fully aligned with the heavenly kingdom);
(2) the Spirit came down from heaven and remained on him (Yeshua had the total sanction of the King-Father); and
(3) he was the Son of The Most High (he came directly from the King-Father and was one with him). Paul wrote, “In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” The Most High the Father, The Most High the Son, and The Most High the Spirit are one. The King expresses himself in three unique dimensions, which he revealed in the plan to restore humanity. Yeshua therefore possesses a dual nature—he is fully The Most High and fully human. The Most High the Father is the King, and Yeshua HaMachiach is the King who came in human form. The New Testament book of John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with The Most High, and the Word was The Most High.” Yet the King’s coming as a man wasn’t just a convenient way in which to coordinate his rule on both heaven and earth. His mission was to restore holiness to men and women so they could again be a suitable environment for the Holy Spirit to dwell in. As we will see, the only way he could do this was to become a human being himself.

The Era of the King on Earth
In a previous chapter, I stated that Yeshua began his public ministry by saying, “The time has come....The kingdom of The Most High is near,” and I posed these questions:
√ What “time” was he speaking about? And why then?
√ What was the nature of the kingdom he was referring to? The “time” was the “day of the LORD,” or the era when the King-Son would come to earth to restore the Governor to humanity. The purpose and nature of the kingdom was
(1) the reconciliation of the earth’s inhabitants to the King-Father, so that it was possible once more for human beings to be his children, and
(2) the reign of heaven returning to earth through the Governor’s presence and power operating in the lives of the King’s children.The inhabitants of the colony of earth had been ran-sacking the King’s territory—stealing, lying, abusing, killing one another, living their lives outside the nature of the kingdom. Therefore, as the Son and heir of the King of heaven, Yeshua was coming to reclaim his Father’s territory. His arrival on earth marked “the day of the LORD” prophesied by Joel.The King-Son came to reclaim his Father’s property two thousand years ago as a baby born in Bethlehem. The birth of the Messiah is not about a beggar coming; it’s about an owner arriving. He came to reclaim the earth because, as the psalmist David, king of Israel, wrote, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” He came to recover all of creation as its legal owner.The King-Son didn’t come to earth to plead with Lucifer to return his property. He treated him as a thief, saying, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” He also said, “How can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” The King-Son came to bind the strongman, Lucifer, so he could retake the house and give it back to the children of the household. Therefore, the man Yeshua was the fulfillment of the King-Father’s remarkable plan to send his Son to earth to restore the heavenly government here.Through Yeshua, human beings can be restored as vice governors in the world. Paul called Yeshua the “last” or Second Adam. The King-Son came to fulfill what the first Adam had failed to do. He lived a life in total harmony with the King-Father, his kingdom, and the kingdom’s purposes on earth. Yeshua taught his disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”As the Second Adam, Yeshua came to rescue us from being dominated by the kingdom of darkness led by Lucifer and to restore us to the home kingdom. He went through his life and death on earth so we could be reconciled to the King as his children.Through Yeshua, human beings can be restored as vice governors in the world, earthly kings who rule under the direction of the Spirit of the King—the Royal Governor. The kingdom of heaven is therefore a family of kings. This is what the nation of Israel was meant to demonstrate as a prototype: “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Although the Governor is equal to the King-Father and the King-Son, the Scriptures never refer to him as a King in relation to humanity, but as our Counselor or Comforter. This is because his role is to sustain and perpetuate the will and work of the heavenly kingdom in the lives of the inhabitants of earth.
The King-Son Reintroduced the Kingdom of Heaven to Humanity
Yeshua’s first declaration in his public ministry was essentially his mission statement: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” He continually repeated this same message for three-and-a-half years during his entire ministry on earth. Throughout the written record of his life in the New Testament writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we find him restating his central theme of the kingdom of heaven. Sometimes, he would use the phrase the kingdom of The Most High. While these phrases are essentially the same, you could say that the kingdom of heaven is the place, while the kingdom of The Most High is the influence. The kingdom of heaven is the headquarters, the invisible country where the King-Father resides. The kingdom of The Most High is the influence of that country on its territories. Here is a sample of the King-Son’s other statements concerning the kingdom:
√ Yeshua went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
√ “But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of The Most High, then the kingdom of The Most High has come upon you.”
√ “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants....”
√ “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard....”
√ “The kingdom of The Most High will be...given to a people who will produce its fruit.”

Lucifer (also called the devil or Satan) knew that the King-Son had come to overthrow him to restore the heavenly kingdom on earth. He therefore tried to tempt Yeshua away from his mission by appealing to his natural human desire to exercise dominion over the earth. Notice that Lucifer tried to get Yeshua to substitute the kingdoms of the world for the kingdom of heaven, which is basically the same thing with which he had tempted Adam and Eve. This would allow Lucifer to maintain his oppressive domination and destruction of the earth. Yet the King-Son was totally loyal to the kingdom. He countered Lucifer’s temptation by rebuking him with the words of the King-Father, which were first given to the Israelites after they came out of Egypt. The New Testament book of Matthew records,
The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Yeshua said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your The Most High, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him.


Baptism into Kingdom Philosophy
Yeshua’s temptation by the devil occurred right after his baptism by John. Many people are confused about the true nature of baptism and why Yeshua him-self was baptized. While baptism is treated as a religious ritual by many people, it is actually a very practical act that is related to the will of the King and his desire for the colony of earth.


Joining a School of Thought
When you became a student of a philosopher or other teacher, you joined what is called his school of thought. Schools were not originally associated with buildings. They were essentially the ideas unique to a teacher. They were the teacher’s philosophical concepts and ways of thinking, which he passed along to his followers.From this perspective, the significance of baptism is not the water or even the act of being baptized—it has to do with the transformation of your way of thinking and living. When you were baptized in the name of your master teacher, you were saying, “I am choosing you above every other available teacher, philosopher, rabbi, and leader, and I am publicly declaring that I am submitting to your school of thought. I’m going to be associated with you only, so that whenever people see me, they’re going to know, ‘He belongs to that teacher.’”


As I mentioned, at the time of Yeshua, there were a number of teachers and philosophers, and all had their own schools of thought and their own disciples. In that culture, a man couldn’t begin such a school until he was thirty years old because this was the age at which a young man could be officially designated as a master teacher.Therefore, when the Creator of heaven and earth him-self came to earth as a man, he entered the culture of the day and presented himself in a way that the people would understand the life-changing nature of his message and its requirement of total commitment to him. It was at age thirty that Yeshua began his public ministry, became the ultimate Master Teacher, and welcomed those who desired to follow him. The kingdom was the embodiment of his teaching.


The Kingdom School Transferred to Yeshua When a master teacher was no longer able to teach, he would decide which of his disciples would succeed him. Who-ever was chosen to take his place would automatically gain his students. Yeshua had to be a part of John’s school in order to take over leadership of it. And John turned the whole school over to Yeshua; he released his disciples to him, indicating that Yeshua was the one they should follow because he was the King who would restore them to the kingdom. The New Testament book of John records,The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Yeshua passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of The Most High!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Yeshua. Turning around, Yeshua saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Yeshua. Most importantly, we should note that the King-Father had appointed Yeshua as the ultimate Master Teacher of the kingdom school. After Yeshua submitted to John’s baptism to show that he was immersed in the philosophy of the kingdom and in alignment with it, what happened to him? The Holy Spirit—the Governor—descended on him. The New Testament book of Matthew says, As soon as Yeshua was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of The Most High descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”The King-Father was confirming, “This one has the Holy Spirit; he is my Son, and he is fully integrated with my thoughts and ways. He is the one who will restore my Spirit to the earth.” Later on, the King-Father affirmed that Yeshua was the one whom his disciples were to listen to above all others, when he said, as documented in the book of Mark and else-where in the New Testament, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!


Yeshua’s Message Was in Harmony with John’s Message


Note that John the Baptist had been presenting the same message about the kingdom. Yeshua was fully aware of John’s mes-sage when he went to him for baptism. Many people are at first surprised to read of the King-Son submitting to a master teacher for baptism. Yet he did this to demonstrate to the people of the world that his teaching was not independent of John’s; rather, he was in total harmony with it. In fact, Yeshua himself was the fulfillment of the teaching of John who, as the faithful prophet of the King-Father, was proclaiming the message of the kingdom and preparing the way for the King-Son’s appearance in the world. John had been gaining a number of disciples, and when people came to him with a sincere desire to repent (to change their thinking and lifestyle from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of heaven), he baptized them. Yet when Yeshua went to him for baptism, John was taken aback and said, in essence, “You should be the teacher, not me!” John recognized Yeshua as the King who would send the Governor to earth. In fact, John had said to the people earlier, “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”


Yeshua, however, replied to John, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” He was saying, “I understand your reluctance to act as master teacher to me. However, in order to demonstrate to the world that I am aligned with the kingdom of heaven, I need to be identified with it through baptism. I need to publicly declare that I belong to the school of the kingdom of heaven, that I am fully integrated with the mind and ways of the kingdom.”


Yeshua had many disciples or students, but he chose twelve to be in full-time traveling work with him and to learn from him in an intense training relationship. Among these were the notable apostles Peter, James, and John. When Yeshua called various of his disciples, saying, “Follow me,” he was inviting them to join the school of the kingdom of heaven.We are followers of Yeshua when we have decided to identify with the life and message of the King-Son and submit to him as our Master Teacher. Yeshua said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both The Most High and Money.” Although this statement was about money, it also has broader application. In the context of baptism, it tells us, “You cannot be in two schools. You cannot have two philosophies that are in contradiction to one another.”


Shema Selah we are being returned to the Kingdom Heaven by the King's Son, Himself!