A Contrast Of Kingdoms

Exodus chapter 20




Today we are walking in: A Contrast Of Kingdoms




Today we look to the word: RESTORE- H8421- to come back; specifically to reply:—answer, restore, return (an answer).


The Torah testifies………….


Genesis 40:13
Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore H8421 thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.






The Prophets proclaim………….


Joel 2:25
And I will restore H8421 to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.








The Writings witness…….


Psalm 51:12
Restore H8421 unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.










A CONTRAST OF KINGDOMS


The buses lined the streets of the small town, bringing tourists from far and near to visit and photograph the little wooden house. Many traveled over seas to see this antique structure that had no architectural relationship to the modern concrete jungle that surrounded it. It looked like a slice of history served on the streets of the 21st century. It had now become the source of new tourist dollars for the staggering local economy and provided much needed jobs for the citizens of this small town.


However, it wasn’t that long ago that this same old house was falling apart, dilapidated and an eyesore. Its walls held many memories and stories of the great past of the city. Some of the citizens demanded that it be taken down because it was affecting the real estate value of their properties. However, an old man who looked and acted almost as old as the little house began a petition to save the quaint little structure. Finally, he gained enough support to qualify the structure for the city conservation and preservation and antiquities act, and so began the long journey of restoration of this masterpiece of historical architecture.


Being a visitor to the city, I wanted to meet the old man and requested my driver take me to his house so I might hear the full story of the salvation of the condemned house.


A LESSON IN RESTORATION


As the car pulled up to the fence surrounding the old wooden house with the paint peeling, three dogs ran out to meet us with unexpectedly friendly barks. The old man sitting in his creaky rocking chair beckoned to us as if he had been waiting for us for years. I stepped onto the porch and sat on an old crate he provided for us to rest. After I introduced myself, he asked what was our interest in the house. I asked him to tell me how he saved that house from impending destruction. With a twinkle in his eyes, he gathered his thoughts and proceeded to take me on a mental journey that held my attention like a child hearing a tale for the first time.


He spoke fondly of the history of this little old house and of his childhood experiences with its life. When I asked him about the restoration process, he told me a story I will never forget. He said that the house was a genuine restoration. “What do you mean by genuine restoration?” I asked. “Well,” he replied, “You see, some so-called restorations are not genuine because they substitute materials for the original.” Then gesturing toward the city square, he said, “But that project is genuine restoration because the architects went back to the archives and located the original drawings, then used the exact same materials for every part of the restoration reconstruction. In fact, the little house looks just like it did the day it was built.”


“So true restoration requires the original plans and materials to be complete and genuine,” I asked. “Absolutely! This is why the value of the restored house is worth more than the towering skyscrapers surrounding it,” answered the old man. I left that porch that day with a greater appreciation for the complicated process called restoration and also understood more fully the great restoration program the Creator has been executing on this earth.


The divine strategy devised by the all-wise Creator follows the same principle as that of the old man’s story. The loss of heaven’s Kingdom on earth through Adam’s disobedient act and, subsequently, the loss of its earthly envoy, the Ruach Hackodesh, demanded restoration. This required a heavenly program for earth preservation. This program became known as the redemptive work of The Most High Yah. The goal of the program is the recovery and reestablishment of the Kingdom of heaven on earth and the reinstatement of mankind as its legal kingly representative.


The divine strategy was the return of the original Adam to earth to reconstruct the old Adam that had failed. The means would be the coming of the Messiah King to redeem, restore and reconnect man back to heaven’s government once again. This promise of a royal seed in Genesis 3:15 established the coming of The Most High Yah in the flesh as a legal redeemer with all the rights to enter earth’s realm to achieve this goal.


This declaration was known as “the promise” and activated the long historical expectation of a Messiah king destined to redeem all men and restore them back to their kingly position.


This process included the calling and appointment of a specific line through which this great king would come. Divine prerogative then chose an obedient man named Abraham (Genesis 12:1-4) to whom the promise was given of the coming of the Kingdom seed to redeem and restore, not just his nation, but all the nations of the world of mankind.


I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen. 12:2-3).


MISUNDERSTANDING THE MESSAGE AND THE METHOD


The greatest danger in life is the misconstruing of a concept. A careful study of the promise will show that the promise was made “to” the nations “through” Abraham. This promise was the material for the introduction of prophets to the world. All the prophets of the Old Testament were raised up primarily to continually proclaim this promise of the coming messianic king, who would restore the Kingdom our father, Adam, lost.


Abraham had a son of promise as promised, Isaac, who had two sons named Jacob and Esau. Jacob was chosen by The Most High Yah to be the line for the seed of the messiah king and his name was changed by The Most High Yah Himself to Israel, which means “prince with The Most High Yah.” Perhaps this was to confirm the royal line of descendants. Israel had 12 sons who became known as the 12 tribes or clans of Israel and collectively as the Israelites.


The Hebrews or Israelites were reminded of the promise from generation to generation, that the Messiah king would come and through Him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. However, they as a people misunderstood the promise and made themselves the object of the promise rather than the conduit. The Most High Yah had promised Abraham that the Messiah would come through his seed to redeem the world, but the Israelites used the choice of their line as a distinguishing factor to separate themselves from the very people they were to serve.


They developed a self-centered religion that condemned the world to which they were appointed to deliver the Redeemer, rather than The Most High Yah’s intention of a Kingdom of heaven on earth. Israel became the masters of misinformation.


This error has left scars throughout history and continues to feed the remnant of Judaism today. This is where the religion of Judaism was born, causing the reactionary development of many other religions of today. Over the past 3,000 years, the message of the Kingdom was gradually buried in the graveyard of religion.


THE PROMISE OF KINGDOM REDISCOVERY


The Old Testament is earth’s file of heaven’s record of the promise of the coming of the King and the Kingdom. All the prophecies were about His arrival and what He would bring; the laws given to Moses foreshadowed the laws and principles of the Kingdom. There are thousands of references to this specific announcement and a few are worth reviewing:


Moses predicted it:


The Lord your The Most High Yah will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to Him (Deut. 18:15).


David spoke of the Kingdom:

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations (Ps. 145:13).


Isaiah saw the coming of the King and the Kingdom in detail:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty The Most High Yah, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this (Isa. 9:6-7).


Daniel saw the King and the Kingdom in graphic detail:

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed (Dan. 7:13- 14).


So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: “The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever” (Dan. 7:16b-18).


As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom (Dan. 7:21-22).


But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey Him. This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself (Dan. 7:26- 28).


It is incredible to read these few scriptures and see, without a doubt, that the message of the Bible is about the coming of a kingdom, not a religion. However, the announcement of the Old Testament was about the coming of a prophet who would prepare the way and introduce the Messiah-King to the world personally. This was referring to John the Baptist. Let’s read the prophecy from Malachi:


Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse (Mal. 4:4-6).


So we see that the restoration plan of The Most High Yah was in motion from its earliest announcement to the adversary in Genesis, chapter 3. The prophecy stated that He would come and prepare the people for the entrance of the King and the Kingdom.