THE CHARACTER OF THE KINGDOM!!!!

Exodus chapter 20




Today we are walking in: The Character Of The Kingdom!!!!




Today we look to the word- KING- H4427- Malak- to reign; inceptively, to ascend the throne; causatively, to induct into royalty; hence (by implication) to take counsel:—consult, indeed, be (make, set a, set up) king, be (make) queen, (begin to, make to) reigning, rule, surely.











The Torah Testifies……………………




Genesis 14:18

And Melchizedek king H4427 of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.











The Prophets Proclaim……………………




Isaiah 44:6

Thus saith the LORD the King H4427 of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.










The Writings Bear Witness…………………..




Psalm 10:16

The LORD is King H4427 for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.










DANIEL AND A KING’S DREAM




Among Daniel’s gifts was the God-given ability to interpret dreams, which he did on several occasions. In one instance King Nebuchadnezzar had a puzzling and disturbing dream he could not understand. Summoning the chief magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers in his kingdom, he demanded on pain of death that first they tell him what he had dreamed, and then interpret it for him. When they explained that no one could tell him his dream, the king ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. Before the king’s decree could be carried out, however, Daniel heard of it and offered both to describe the king’s dream and give its interpretation.





When summoned before the king, Daniel correctly explained the dream in every detail. Nebuchadnezzar had seen a great statue with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, abdomen and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet made partly of iron and partly of clay. Then a stone cut out with no human hand smashed the feet of iron and clay and proceeded to break the rest of the statue into tiny pieces, which the wind blew away. After this, the stone grew into a great mountain that filled the whole earth (see Dan. 2:31-35).





After describing the king’s dream, Daniel began his interpretation. He explained that the different parts of the statue represented different kingdoms that would arise in the earth. Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom of Babylon was the head of gold. Then Daniel said:




After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. In the time of those kings, the The Most High Yah of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands— a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. The great The Most High Yah has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy (Dan. 2:39-45).




Biblical scholars generally agree that except for the feet of iron mixed with clay, the various segments of the statue refer to kingdoms and empires that have come and gone on the earth. Babylon, the golden head, gave way to the Persian Empire, represented by the chest and arms of silver. Persia, in turn, fell to the empire of the Greeks, symbolized by the abdomen and thighs of bronze. The legs of iron stand for the Roman Empire, which was stronger, and more widespread than the Greeks or any other empire that had preceded it. For centuries the Romans crushed all opposition, established a stable government based on law, and became the greatest empire the world had ever known.




The final kingdom, represented by the feet of iron and clay, has not yet appeared on history’s stage, but many people believe it is already in the making. Clay and iron do not mix; they cannot be joined together to form a strong and stable mixture. This image, then, refers to an empire or federation that cannot hold together. Many people believe it is a prophecy concerning Europe and, in particular, the modern European Union of our day. The nations of Europe have always struggled to coexist with each other, alternating between devastating war and uneasy peace. According to the Book of Revelation, it is from this governmental system that the “beast” and the antichrist will arise. Some interpret prophecy to say that before Hamachiach returns there will be a resurgence of the Roman Empire, and that the European Union represents this in the process of fulfillment.





THE FINAL KINGDOM




Nevertheless, this future succession of earthly kingdoms is not the focal point of Daniel’s interpretation of the king’s dream. Another kingdom is coming, symbolized by the stone, a kingdom that will smash and blow away all the others, a kingdom that will grow to fill the whole earth and will last forever. What is this kingdom that Daniel foresaw with prophetic vision? This final and eternal kingdom, this kingdom of the “rock,” is the Kingdom of The Most High Yah that would be ushered in by the coming of Hamachiach and would eventually rule absolute and unopposed.




When Yahusha came, He spoke of the rock. One day He asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (Matt. 16:13). After their reply, He got more personal:




“But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Hamachiach, the Son of the living The Most High Yah.” Yahusha replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matt. 16:15-18).




Yahusha was using a play on words here. The name Peter, or petros in Greek, means “stone” as in a small rock. When Yahusha said “rock,” however, He used the word petra, which refers to a large boulder. Yahusha Himself was the “rock” upon which His Church would be built. He Himself was the rock in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream that crushed all the kingdoms of the earth to dust. His is the Kingdom made without human hands that will last forever.





THE CHARACTER OF THE KINGDOM




Chapter seven of the Book of Daniel relates a dream and vision that came to Daniel himself that reveals the character and awesome majesty of the Kingdom of The Most High Yah. Daniel saw a procession of four frightening beasts rising from the sea. The first was “like a lion” with “wings of an eagle.” The wings were stripped off, and the beast stood on two feet and was given the “heart of a man” (see Dan. 7:4). Next came a creature that looked like a bear. Following this was a beast that looked like a leopard, except that it had four heads and four wings like birds’ wings on its back. The fourth beast was the most terrifying of all, with huge iron teeth that “crushed and devoured its victims,” and ten horns. As Daniel watched, three of the horns were uprooted and replaced by one smaller horn, which “had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully” (Dan. 7:8).




These four beasts, and the fourth one in particular, represent the demonic and satanic forces that lie behind the power, wickedness, and corruption of many kingdoms of the world. As terrifying as these creatures appear to be, the next scene in Daniel’s dream puts them in their proper perspective. What follows assures us of both the certain defeat of Hasatan and the absolute triumph of the Kingdom of The Most High Yah.




As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of His head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before Him. Thousands upon thousands attended Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) 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 ever-lasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed (Dan. 7:9-14).





A PEEK INTO THE HEAVENLY REALM




What an awesome scene this is, revealing the King of heaven in all His glory, splendor, and majesty. Daniel taxed his vocabulary trying to find words to describe the indescribable. The “Ancient of Days” in verses 9 and 13 is a reference to The Most High Yah the Father, eternal, without beginning or end. His white clothing speaks of His purity and holiness, while the white of His hair suggests the wisdom of the ages. Blazing flames and the river of fire also symbolize The Most High Yah’s purity and holiness, as well as His majesty and power.




The Ancient of Days took His seat in the midst of thrones —thousands of them. Thrones are for rulers, and these thrones were the seats of authority for the kingly citizens of the Kingdom, the King’s court. Daniel saw many kings, but then the King of kings entered, and all the focus was on Him. Thousands attended Him, as befitted such a great King. These verses at least imply that those who occupied the thrones around the King were also among those who attended Him. Here was a scene unlike anything ever found on earth: kings attending the King; rulers taking care of the Ruler. Earthly kings have servants and advisors attending them. The King of kings, the Ancient of Days, has kings as His attendants.




After the Ancient of Days took His place, the court was seated (no one sits while the King is standing) and the books were opened. This is a scene of judgment, not the judgment of men, but of Hasatan. Daniel saw this in a vision 500 years prior to the birth of Yahusha. Hasatan was judged, his power destroyed, and his body “thrown into the blazing fire.” Fire consumes, and here it symbolizes loss of power. The other beasts were also stripped of their authority, but allowed to live for a while.




THE FINAL DESTRUCTION AND THE SON OF MAN




What this means for us is that, even though Hasatan and the forces of darkness are still around to harass us if we let them, their power and authority over us have been broken. They have already been judged. Their final destruction awaits the consummation of all things with the return of Hamachiach, but it is as certain as though it had already happened. This is why we do not have to surrender to defeat or despair or helplessness in our daily lives. We can live in victory and walk in confidence because the power of our enemy has been broken. The The Most High has given us authority over him. We are among those seated in judgment over him with the King.




Immediately after this in Daniel’s dream, the reason for Hasatan’s destruction becomes clear. “One like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven” approaches the Ancient of Days and is led into His presence. This is a direct reference to Yahusha, 500 years before He was born. Yahusha’ preferred title for Himself was the “Son of Man.” Through His death on the crucifixion stake and resurrection from the dead, Yahusha the Son of Man conquered Hasatan and broke his power and authority forever. With this victory He entered heaven triumphantly where He was given “authority, glory and sovereign power,” was worshiped by people of all nations, and ruled “an everlasting dominion,” a Kingdom that will never be destroyed. This picture is very similar to Paul’s words about Yahusha in Philippians:




And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a crucifixion stake! Therefore The Most High Yah exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Yahusha every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Yahusha Hamachiach is The Most High, to the glory of The Most High Yah the Father (Philippians 2:8-11).