BINDING AND LOOSING

Genesis chapter 1
















Today we are walking in: Binding and Loosing










Today we look to the word-DOMINION- H4475 memshalah--rule, dominion, realm, rule, dominion, realm, domain









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






Genesis 1:28

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.










The prophets proclaim...............…





Jeremiah 34:1

The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, H4475 and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying,










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






Psalm 103:22 - Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: H4475 bless the LORD, O my soul.

his dominion. H4475










Binding and Loosing




This transfer of ruling authority over the earth from Yah to man has major implications for all of us regarding our daily circumstances and our relationship to our society and culture. Therefore, it is important that we understand it. Yah has given us authority over the earth. That means we’re in charge. Whatever we say goes. This gives us a lot of freedom to do what we please within our domain. But it also means that we can’t blame Yah for everything that goes wrong, yet that is exactly what we do. “Why does Yah allow so much suffering in the world? Why doesn’t Yah do away with evil? Why does He allow sickness to continue? Doesn’t He care? Why doesn’t Yah do something?”




Why doesn’t Yah intervene? Because this is not His domain. He will not intervene in the affairs of this earthly domain without the permission of those who hold dominion authority here. And who holds dominion authority? Every human being on earth who is a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. Yah is not to blame for human evil and suffering. We brought these things on ourselves by our own selfishness and rebellious spirit. Yah wants to help but won’t intervene unless invited to do so by Kingdom citizens who know their dominion authority. Through prayer we invite Yah to act in our domain.




This is what Yahusha meant when He said:




I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 18:18).




Many believers have been taught that this verse deals with binding and loosing demonic spirits. It has nothing to do with demons. Yahusha is using Kingdom language. To “bind” means to lock up or prohibit; to “loose” means to unlock or permit. On earth we have dominion authority. Yahusha is saying that what we prohibit on earth, heaven will prohibit, and what we permit on earth, Heaven will permit. Consider the implications of this. Whatever we allow in society, Heaven will not stop, and whatever we disallow in society, Heaven will make sure it does not happen.




Do you understand how serious this is? The management of the earth is totally up to us. We are responsible for the evil, ills, and suffering in our world. These things are reflections of the nature and quality of our management. That is why Yah needs us to pray. He cannot interfere on earth unless we release Him to do so because He has given us sovereignty here. When we do, Heaven invades our territory on our behalf.




The King of Heaven has given us dominion authority here on earth, and He will not violate it without our permission.




This truth holds a critical key to how we should live as Kingdom citizens on earth. Having been raised in one or another of the various human systems of government, we all have been “programmed” to think of life and society in terms of the “have’s” and the “have not’s,” of periodic economic upheavals and downturns, chronic shortages of commodities, corruption, despotism, and the strong preying on the weak. We look at these things, sigh, and then say, “Oh well, that’s life.”




Not in the Kingdom of Heaven!




As I said before, in the Kingdom of heaven, there is no economic crisis and there are no shortages because heaven’s resources are infinite. And because all Kingdom citizens are equal, there are no “have’s” and “have not’s”; everyone is a “have.” There is no corruption or despotism because our King is a righteous and benevolent ruler. The strong do not prey on the weak because there are no weak. Everyone is strong in the strength and presence and influence of the King and in the secure knowledge of their place and privilege as equal citizens of the Kingdom.




Seeing life from this perspective will require a major change of mind-set for most people. We have to learn, we have to train, we have to be taught to think this way. A change of mind is what the Bible calls “repentance.” So now the words of Yahusha become much clearer when He says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt. 4:17). He is saying, “Change your mind! Stop thinking like the world with its inadequacies and inequities, and start thinking like a Kingdom citizen! Stop operating from a worldly mind-set of “never enough” and start operating from a Kingdom mind-set of “more than enough”! The Kingdom of Heaven is here and everything has changed!”




Ten Principles of the Power of Land




I hope that by now it is becoming clear how important territory is to the kingdom concept. With this in mind, I want to conclude this chapter with a brief discussion of ten principles of the power of land. In this context, land, territory, and domain mean the same thing.




1. The first thing Yah gave man was land. We have already discussed this. Yah created the earth and then created man to rule it. Specifically, Yah placed Adam in a lush, beautiful garden and gave him the responsibility of caring for it and all its inhabitants. The King of Heaven gave the king of earth a physical domain—land— over which to exercise dominion.




2. The first thing man lost was land. When Adam and Eve rebelled against the king, He drove them out of the garden. They lost the property Yah had given them. Having lost their dominion, they discovered that the earthly environment was now hostile to them.




3. The first thing Yah promised Abraham was land, not heaven. The first thing Yah promised Moses was land, not heaven. Our big dream is to go to Heaven, while Yah’s big dream is for us to possess land because He created us to be kings, and all kings own property.




4. Real wealth is in the land. That’s why it’s called real estate. All other estates aren’t “real.” So many people expend all their resources acquiring “wealth” that never lasts—commodities that dissipate through consumption or are wiped out by economic depression or natural disaster. Land never loses its value regardless of what the economy does. In fact, land almost always grows in value even during difficult times. If you want to help ensure prosperity for yourself as well as future generations, focus on acquiring real estate. There is power in land, which leads us to the next principle.




5. He who owns the land controls the wealth. Once, I was in Omaha, Nebraska, riding in from the airport, and remarked to my driver about the beauty and impressiveness of a particular skyscraper that dominated the skyline. “What is that?” I asked. He chuckled and said, “That’s the disgrace of the city.” “Why?” I asked, surprised. He replied, “That’s the tallest building in the city, and it is owned by the Japanese.” Smart people—Kingdom-minded people— go after land. Why?




6. True wealth is in the land. It never loses its value and, in fact, almost always increases in value the longer you own it. I once acquired a small piece of land for $35,000. Several people made offers to buy the land, but I held on to it. A few years later, a wealthy businessman built a $3,000,000 estate on an adjacent piece of property. What do you think that did to the value of my land? True wealth lies in real estate.




7. The meek will inherit the earth. And Yahusha said that is a blessing: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5). “Meek” means “gentle,” but it also means “disciplined.” The Greek word refers to the demeanor of a horse that has been broken for riding. A horse is a very strong animal. After it is broken it is still strong, but that strength is now under control. It is under discipline. These kind of people—the meek—Yahusha says, are the ones who will inherit the earth—not Heaven.




8. Land is the only estate that is real. Real estate is the only property of truly lasting value that we can pass on to our children. Everything else fades away too easily. The Bible says: “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children” (Prov. 13:22a).




9. Yah considers the loss of land a curse. This is very important in the Bible. Every time Yah cursed the Israelites for their rebellion and disobedience, He took land from them. When they repented, He blessed them by restoring their land. Yah uses land to measure blessing or cursing. Therefore...




10. The restoration of land is a blessing. Land is important. Land has power because without land there is no domain and without domain there is no king.




Kings of a New Earth




Many Kingdom citizens have been taught so thoroughly to anticipate and look forward to Heaven as the ultimate “reward” for the life to come that talk of an earthly inheritance makes them uncomfortable. But this is what the Bible says. Isaiah, an ancient and early spokesman for the Kingdom of Heaven, recorded:




For this is what the Most High says—He who created the heavens, He is Yah; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited—He says: “I am the Most High, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:18).




Yah created the earth for people to live on it. He is so committed to this planet that even when it passes away He will re-create it:




Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away....And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of Yah is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and Yah Himself will be with them and be their Yah...for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:1, 3, 4b-5a).




Yah’s program never changes. He is committed to His plan for earth, and for earth dwellers, which is why we can’t stay in Heaven. The Bible promises a full resurrection in which all Kingdom citizens will have a new body, a physical body of some sort, and will reign in the earth forever, just as Yah intended from the beginning. In the meantime, He wants us to practice—to learn how to take up rulership and exercise wise dominion over this territory called earth that He has given us. The Kingdom of Heaven is here now. We are its citizens, representatives of its colonial government, and we possess the authority right now to act in the name of our King and bring the influence of His will and desires over this earthly domain.




Principles




1. Every kingdom has territory.




2. Heaven is a real Kingdom with a real government.




3. A king is not a king unless he has territory over which to rule.




4. The Son of Yah came to get the Kingdom back for man.




5. Without territory no kingdomcan exist.




6. A king is only as wealthy as his domain.




7. Our destiny as human beings is wrapped up in land.




8. We were made for the earth, and that is where our place of dominion will be in the life to come.




9. We are kings by delegation, not by creation.




10. Yah will not intervene in the affairs of this earthly domain without the permission of those who hold dominion authority here.




11. Through prayer we invite Yah to act in our domain.




12. In the Kingdom of Heaven there are no “have’s” and “have not’s”; everyone is a “have.”




13. The meek will inherit the earth, not Heaven.

KINGDOM CONCEPT OF TERRITORY

Genesis chapter 1













Today we are walking in: The Kingdom Concept Of Territory













Today we look to the word-LAND- H776 'erets -- land, earth,piece of ground












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




Genesis 15:13




And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;














The prophets proclaim...............…




Jeremiah 3:18




In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land H776 of the north to the land H776 that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
















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






Psalm 27:13




I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land H776 of the living.







Kingdom Concept #3: Understanding the Kingdom Concept of Territory




The essence of a kingdom is property. Land or property is the validation of a king. Land or property defines a king or queen and gives him or her right to claim kingship. Remember that the first thing Yah created in the creation narrative was property... the earth. Earth was created before mankind was formed because it was necessary in order for man to be a legitimate ruler. Man was created to dominate, and it is impossible to dominate nothing.




Thus the mandate of Yah to Adam was to be king over a property. Every kingdom must have territory. The word kingdom derives from the phrase “king domain.”Domain refers to the property, the territory over which a king exercises his dominion. A “kingdom,” then, is a “king’s territory.” Without territory, a king is not a king because he has nothing to rule over. You cannot be “king” over nothing.




Let me give you an example from history. The “discovery” of the new world in 1492 set off a wave of westward expansion over the next several centuries. The great maritime empires of Europe such as England, France, Holland, Spain, and Portugal all competed for new territory in the Western Hemisphere. It was, in fact, the Portuguese monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella who sponsored and financed Columbus’ epic voyage.




Portugal focused most of its attention on South America and eventually claimed the area that now comprises the nation of Brazil. For many years Brazil was a colony and a possession of Portugal. That is why to this day Brazilians speak Portuguese. It is a legacy of their years under Portuguese influence and control.




The story goes that the son of the king of Portugal said to his father, “I want to be king.”




“Well,” the king replied, “you can’t be.”




“Why not?”




“I am the king of Portugal, and we are in Portugal. You can’t be king because I am still alive. When I am dead, then you will be king.”




“But I want to be king now,” the prince said. “I don’t want to wait that long.”




So the king of Portugal shipped his son off to South America and made him king over the territory of Brazil. The son was sovereign in Brazil but ruled as a regent under his father, the king of the Portuguese empire, which included Brazil. Whenever the father visited his son in Brazil, the son became the prince again until his father left. Then the prince was again king. Whenever the son visited his father in Portugal, he again became the prince until he returned to his own domain. If the son wanted to rule as king, it was better for him to stay away from his father.




That’s how kingdoms work. All kingdoms have territory, but there can be only one sovereign to rule over it. More than one does not mean divided rule; it means revolt.




This picture also illustrates the relationship between Yah, the King of Heaven, and man, His regent on earth. Because Yah is a King, and because a kingdom is a country ruled by a king and must therefore have territory, we can draw the conclusion that Heaven is a place. It is not some nebulous, mystical idea from the mind of man. Heaven is a real Kingdom with a real government. The fact that its primary realm encompasses the spiritual dimension of creation does not make it any less real.




But the realm of the Kingdom of Heaven also takes in the natural world. Yah designed it this way when He created the earth and then fashioned man in His own image to rule it for Him. The sequence of events here is very important. Yah envisioned man to be a king in his own right, but a king is not a king unless he has territory over which to rule. So Yah prepared the territory first—the earth—and then brought forth man. Yah placed man on the earth and told him, “I am giving you dominion over this physical domain. You have authority over every acre of land and sea and over every creature that inhabits the earth. Rule it freely as My legal representative.”




Yah does not want to come here where we are personally, so that we can retain our authority as earthly kings. This is also why Yahusha is not anxious for us to go to the invisible country of Heaven because when we do, we are reduced to princes and princesses. He prayed that we would not be taken out of the world but be kept in it but away from evil. The earth is man’s key to dominion power and his only legal territory for rulership.




A careful review of the model prayer of our Most High Yahusha reveals that it specifically identifies the location of the Father and King of Heaven: “Our father who is in Heaven....” His location is the key to our power and authority on earth. If He comes to earth, we lose our privileged position. Mankind was designed to serve as a corporate rulership of kings representing their Father, the King of Heaven, in the colony called earth.




Like the Portuguese prince in the story above, man was sovereign within the sphere of his own domain, but he acknowledged Yah’s ultimate sovereignty over all by right of creation and ownership. That ideal arrangement was shattered, however, when man rebelled against Yah, abdicated his regency, and passed control of his realm to a demonic usurper, a fallen angel who had no right or authority to take it.




Yah’s purpose is unchanging. He created man for rulership, and so immediately set into motion His plan to restore to man the Kingdom he had lost. The Bible lays out a detailed record of the historical outworking of Yah’s plan. In the fullness of time, when everything was in place, Yahusha Hamachiach, the Son of Yah, was born into human flesh and appeared to men, saying, “Repent [change your mind],for the kingdom of heaven is near [or has arrived]” (Matt. 4:17b). The Son of Yah came to get the Kingdom back for man. He came as a human because earth is man’s Yah-given domain, and only a human has the legal authority to rule it directly.




Seven Kingdom Principles of Territory




Territory is vital to a kingdom because without territory no kingdom can exist. This is why a king is always interested in expanding his territory. Why is territory so important? Why can there not be a kingdom without it? Here are seven reasons.




1. No king can rule nothing. A king is a ruler, which by definition requires a domain to rule over. No domain, no ruler; no ruler, no king. That is why Yah made the earth before He made man; man could not be a king until he had a domain. When Yah set out to establish His Kingdom, He began by creating territory: “In the beginning Yah created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). First He created Heaven, His territory, and then He created earth, man’s territory. That way man could be a king like his Creator.




2. There is no kingdom without a domain. Why is the territory of a king called his domain? Because he dominates it. A territory dominated by a king is called his “king dominion,” which is where we get the word “kingdom.”




3. The essence of a kingdom is the right, the power, and the authority of the king to exercise complete sovereignty over a domain. In other words, a true kingdom is one where the king has the right to rule. Rights are very important because they are the basis for authority. Yah has the right to rule the universe. Why? Because He created it. Within His Kingdom Yah can do whatever He wants because His rights as King give Him absolute power and authority—infinite power and authority because His Kingdom is infinite.




4. The heart of the kingdom concept is king domain. The domain of the king is the key to his kingdom because to be a king he has to have some domain to rule.




5. A king is not a king without a domain. I’ve already said this, but it bears repeating because many people who have no kingdom concept have trouble understanding the connection between a king and his domain. When the Shah of Iran was ousted by Islamic fundamentalist revolutionaries in 1979, he fled to another country. Although he was still called the shah (the Iranian word for king), it was mainly a courtesy. In reality, he was no longer a king because he no longer had a domain. He was a king in exile. You cannot be a king without territory. This is why Hamachiach had to come to earth to get our earthly kingdom back. We are supposed to be rulers, but without our territory we cannot fulfill our destiny.




6. The wealth of a king’s domain defines his value. We touched on this in the last teaching. Territory is important to a king because the more territory he has, the richer he is. A king is only as wealthy as his domain. And as we will see later, territory— real estate—is important because it is the only form of earthly wealth that never loses its value.




7. The loss of a domain is the loss of a kingdom. Again, the Shah of Iran is a good example. As soon as he lost his domain he was no longer a king except in name. Another prime example is Adam. When Adam, the king of the earth, rebelled against Yah, the High King of Heaven, he lost his kingdom and with it, his place as king.




The Bible says that Yahusha Hamachiach is the “second Adam” who came to restore what the first Adam lost. Because Yahusha restored the Kingdom, all who are citizens of the Kingdom of heaven can now be kings and queens of the earthly realm again. What does this mean in practical terms? It means we can control our circumstances and our domain rather than they controlling us. The “good news of the Kingdom” that Yahusha preached is not just that we can have our sins forgiven and become aligned rightly with Yah, although these are absolutely essential; the good news is also the fact that we can have our Kingdom back!




Five Principles of Man’s Earthly Authority




Our destiny as human beings is wrapped up in land. Yah created us to be kings over the earthly realm, and He will not rest until we are fully restored to our rightful place. I want to share with you five principles that help explain the basis of our authority on earth as Yah intended it to be.




1. The first thing Yah gave man was territory. He did not give man a religion or rules to follow. He gave him land. Before man could be the king Yah created him to be, he had to have a king domain to rule over.




2. The earth was created to give man kingship legitimacy. Yah gave us the earth so that our kingship would be legal. He made Adam a king and He made Eve a queen equal to Adam in every way. The rulership of the earth belongs to both men and women. My wife is my partner in rulership. She does not serve me. We dominate the earth together on behalf of our government of Heaven.




3. The domain of earth is mankind’s legal right, power, and authority of rulership. When Yah said, “Let them have dominion,” He transferred the legal rights to the earth to us. He did not say, “Let us have dominion,” including Himself, because He already had His dominion in heaven. He said, “Let them have dominion over that territory called earth. I’m going to rule heaven; My kids are going to rule earth. I’m going to be King of heaven; they’re going to be king of the earth. I’m going to be Sovereign of heaven; they’re going to be sovereign of earth.” The dominion of earth is our legal right. We have a right to be here and Yah gave us that right. So many believers look forward to going to heaven, but I look forward to coming back to rule the “new earth” that Yah will fashion when this earth passes away! (see Rev. 21:1). Heaven is fine, and it will be a glorious place, but ultimately it is not where we belong. In heaven we have no legal authority to rule; it is Yah’s domain. We were made for the earth, and that is where our place of dominion will be in the life to come.




4. “Let them” are the key words in the transfer of authority from Yah to man. Yah delegated authority to us because He wants us to experience rulership. He wants us to know what it is like to be in charge.




5. Man’s kingship is by privilege, not by creative right. Yah controls the domain because He created it. He rules it by creative rights. We rule it because of privilege. We are kings by delegation, not by creation. Yah gave us rulership but not ownership. But our rulership “charter” includes a sense of ownership because He gave us sovereignty within our earthly dominion.

LIVING UNDER A LORD

Genesis chapter 1













Today we are walking in: Living Under A Lord







Today we look to the word-KINGDOM- H4467 mamlâkâh, (mam-law-kaw') -dominion, (abstractly) the estate (rule) or (concretely) the country (realm):—kingdom, king's, reign, royal









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





Numbers 32:33




And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom H4467 of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom H4467 of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about.







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






Jeremiah 18:9




And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom H4467, to build and to plant it;









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





1 Kings 9:5




Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom H4467 upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.










Living Under a Lord




It is the lordship aspect of a kingdom that makes living in a kingdom better than a republic or any other form of national administration or rulership. Lordship in a kingdom protects the citizenship from competition with their fellow citizens for national resources. It destroys such elements as jealousy, fear, deceit, and hoarding. In a true kingdom, the lord owns all resources and distributes the same as he determines. Whenever he gives resources to a citizen, it is never for ownership but for stewardship. Submission to a king as lord positions the citizen to receive from the king.




From a kingdom standpoint, then, the most important confession any of us could ever make is to declare, “Yahusha Hamachiach is Lord.” Ambassador Paul stated this explicitly in his letter to the believers in Rome when he wrote:




If you confess with your mouth, “Yahusha is Lord,” and believe in your heart that Yah raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).




By “saved,” Paul means redeemed, bought back, salvaged, restored from the estrangement of our rebellion against Yah the King into a right relationship with Him. The key affirmation in that process is our acknowledgment that Yahusha is Lord of everything, including our lives and our destiny.




But if we say, “Yahusha is Lord,” what does that mean in practical terms? What does it mean to live under a “lord”? The only experience most westerners have with a lord of any kind is with a landlord. If you now live or have ever lived in rental property, you know that the landlord is the landowner (or the landowner’s direct representative who exercises the landowner’s authority, which amounts to the same thing), the person you pay rent to and to whom you are accountable for the way you treat his property. Why? Because you do not own the property; the landlord does.




Dealing with a landlord provides a small taste of what it would be like to live all of your life under a lord. If you say, “Yahusha is Lord,” you are acknowledging His authority over you as well as your responsibility to obey Him. There is no such thing as lordship without obedience. If He is Lord, you cannot say, “Lord...but,” or “Lord...except,” or “Lord...wait.” If He is Lord, the only thing you can say is, “Lord...yes.”




Yahusha Himself reiterated this truth throughout His public ministry:




If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me (Luke 9:23b).




Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:37- 38).




Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Yahusha told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead” (Matthew 8:21-22).




If Yahusha is Lord, He must receive first priority in your life. He is above every other love and every other loyalty. He is above every goal, dream, and ambition. You cannot be a disciple and say, “Lord, first let me...” He must be first...in everything. Otherwise, He is not truly Lord of your life, regardless of what you say. Yahusha said:




Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I say?

(Luke 6:46).




You cannot call Him Lord and then start making excuses for not obeying Him. You can’t claim that He owns you and then go ahead and do whatever you please. In the Kingdom of Heaven there is no such thing as a “weekend citizen.” You do not follow Him one time and not another depending on your preference. If Yahusha is Lord, you cannot live for Him on Saturday and for yourself the rest of the week. Yahusha is either Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all. The Lordship of Hamachiach is a 24/7 proposition. There is no other schedule.




Living under a Lord also means giving up all concepts of personal ownership. This does not mean you have to sell your house or sell your car or give away all your personal possessions. It does mean learning not to take a proprietary view toward these things. The King of Heaven is a righteous and benevolent Lord who graciously allows us to use and fully appropriate His riches and resources and all good things. That is one of our rights as Kingdom citizens. We can enjoy all of these things without measure as long as we remember who owns them. The moment we begin to think that they belong to us, however, we set ourselves up for trouble. If we think ownership is ours, we make ourselves a lord. This takes us out of alignment with the will and character of the King because in His Kingdom there can be only one Lord.




What happens when we think of ourselves as owners? In our dog eat-dog culture it means we feel we have to fight for what we get, hoard what we have, and guard it anxiously from fear that someone will take it away. And our neighbors do the same thing. We live in fear of economic downturns, inflation, downsizing, and never having enough. This is not Kingdom thinking!




In the Kingdom of Heaven, there is no economic crisis and there are no shortages. With a King who owns everything, how could there be? When we relinquish our sense of ownership and acknowledge Yah as the Owner and ourselves as stewards, it relieves us of the pressure of having to worry about how we are going to make it because we are now depending on Him for our welfare. And He is a benevolent and generous Lord of infinite resources.




Relinquishing ownership then also puts us into the position of full access to those resources. As we learn to give and receive and transfer at His will, He shares with us freely and abundantly. But a hoarding sense of personal ownership that shouts, “Mine!” cuts us off from those same resources. Which position would you rather be in?




Letting go of personal ownership also nourishes and releases a generous spirit within us. If we are only stewards and not owners, we can give freely as the Lord has given freely to us, knowing that He, who has no limitations, can replace what we give to others. His reputation as King and Lord rides on how well He cares for His citizens and He will give special care to those citizens who reflect His character by giving as He gives.




As a matter of fact, the best time to give is when things are tight personally because that is when you acknowledge that He owns even what you don’t have. The greatest sign that you truly believe that Yahusha is Lord is by how much you are willing to get rid of. You have learned how to live under a Lord when you can give freely without hesitation, regret, or fear and say to the Lord of all with a joyful and willing spirit, “It’s all Yours! It’s all Yours!”




Seven Points in Summary




In summary, here are seven fundamental principles of lordship.




1. A king personally owns everything in his domain. There is no private ownership in a kingdom. Everything belongs to the king.




2. Use of anything in a kingdom is a privilege. If the king owns everything, then anything in that kingdom that we use is not by right but by a privilege granted by the king.




3. A king can give or distribute anything to anyone in his kingdom. Why? Because he owns it. He can shift things around any way he pleases. This is why we need to hold onto “our” possessions lightly. They really are not ours. Sometimes the King will test us by telling us to give up something He has given us. Our response—obedience or disobedience—will reveal whether or not we really believe He is Lord. If we obey, we show that we believe He owns everything and that He not only can replace what we give but even multiply it.




4. Submission to a king’s lordship means that we have no right to ourselves. That is why the greatest confession we can ever make is the confession, “Yahusha Hamachiach is Lord.” The moment we say those words, we are acknowledging that we have no more right to our own life; it now belongs to Hamachiach. We have put ourselves willingly under His control and direction and are at His beck and call. He can help Himself to our lives anytime He wants.




5. Obedience is acknowledgement of lordship. When we obey the King, we are simply saying to Him, “You are Lord and my life is Yours. Your wish is my command.”




6. Thanksgiving is an acknowledgement of the King’s Lordship. Daily thankfulness for food, water, clothing, shelter, and other daily needs reveals that we believe that the King owns all and is the source of all we have.




7. The word “Lord” can never be used with the word “but.” Those two words are impossible together. We cannot say, “I love You, Lord, but...” or else He is not Lord. We cannot claim Him as Lord and then make excuses for not obeying Him. The only appropriate word to go with “Lord” is “Yes!” Either He is Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.




Principles




1. All kings are automatically lords.




2. Kingship has to do with authority; lordship has to do with ownership.




3. All true kings must have and own territory.




4. As lord, a king literally and legally owns everything in his domain.




5. If the king owns everything, then no one in the kingdom owns anything.




6. If the king owns everything, he can give anything to anyone at any time according to his own sovereign choice.




7. A king’s wealth is measured by the size and richness of his domain.




8. Yah, the King of Heaven, is King and Lord of all.




9. Yahusha Hamachiach is King and Lord of all.




10. The most important confession any of us could ever make is to declare, “Yahusha Hamachiach is Lord.”




11. There is no such thing as lordship without obedience.




12. If Yahusha is Lord, He must receive first priority in your life.




13. Yahusha is either Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.




14. Living under a Lord also means giving up all concepts of personal ownership.




15. In the Kingdom of Heaven, there is no economic crisis and there are no shortages.




16. Relinquishing ownership puts us into the position of full access to all of Heaven’s resources.




17. Letting go of personal ownership also nourishes and releases a generous spirit within us.

UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM CONCEPT OF LORD

Genesis chapter 1













Today we are walking in: Understanding The Kingdom Concept Of Lord










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.







Kingdom Concept #2: Understanding the Kingdom Concept of Lord




One of the most common words used in Scripture is the word lord. This word does not exist in democracies, socialist societies, or republics, except in the word landlord, in reference to one who owns land. Landlord is the only common remnant of kingdoms in modern governments and Western societies. Yet this concept of lord is one of the fundamental principles of a kingdom.




Every kingdom must have a king, but it is also true that every king is automatically a “lord.” It is this quality of lordship that distinguishes a king from a president, a prime minister, a mayor, and a governor. As a matter of fact, a king’s lordship makes him different from any other kind of human leader. Lordship makes a king unique.




In the last teaching we talked about a king’s sovereignty— how a king is free from external control and he can do whatever he pleases with accountability to no one except himself. A king’s sovereignty is absolute. He is neither voted into nor voted out of power; sovereignty is his by right of birth. The same is true of a king’s lordship. All kings are automatically lords.




So what’s the difference between a king and a lord? Lordship is only one aspect of a king’s overall identity and status, but it is one of the most important ones. One way to put it is to say that king relates to dominion, while lord relates to domain. The word dominion refers to a king’s authority—his power; the word domain refers to the territory, the property, the geographical area over which his authority extends. A king exercises authority (dominion) over a specific geographical area (domain) and within that area his authority is absolute.




Without a domain there is no king. A king is a king only so far as he has something to rule over. What good does it do to have authority if you have nowhere to exercise it? In that case, you really don't have authority. The most you have is potential authority. Until you have a physical domain over which to rule, your so-called “authority” is little more than theory.




If the word lord relates to a king’s domain, then the lordship of a king is tied up in his territory. To put it another way, if kingship has to do with authority, then lordship has to do with ownership. Let me explain. If a king must have a domain in order to be a king, then all true kings must have and own territory. This is what we call the kingdom lordship principle. You cannot be a king unless you own property. It is not the same simply to exercise rule and authority over a geographical region. Presidents do that. Prime ministers do that. Governors do that. But presidents, prime ministers, and governors do not own the territory over which they rule, and therein lies the difference. Kings personally own the physical domain over which they reign, and that is what makes them not only kings but also lords. So king and property go together. And the word lord defines the king’s identity as “owner” of his domain.




As lord, a king literally and legally owns everything in his domain: the forests and the meadows, the mountains and the valleys, the rivers and the streams, the crops and the livestock, even the people and the houses they live in. Everything in a king’s domain belongs to him. Because of this, a king has absolute and unquestionable control over his domain. This goes back to a king’s sovereign authority. A king is sovereign by right of birth, but he is also sovereign by right of ownership.




The fact of a king’s sole ownership of his domain carries a couple of significant implications that are easily lost by people who have grown up in a democracy. First, and rather obvious, is that if the king owns everything, then no one in the kingdom owns anything. In a true kingdom, there is no such thing as private property ownership. Kingdom citizens are stewards, not owners. They may occupy the land; farm it; mine its minerals, ores, and precious gems; build houses and places of business on it; and carry on all the other normal activities of human communities; but they do all of these only by the king’s permission and good pleasure. Ultimately, everything belongs to him.




Second, if the king owns everything, he can give anything to anyone at any time according to his own sovereign choice. In a democracy, if the prime minister or the president gives you property as a personal favor, it is called corruption. But if a king gives you property, it is called royal favor. And no one can question it or protest it because as owner, it is his prerogative to do as he pleases. Not only does a king possess the authority to distribute his property anytime, anywhere, to anyone, as much as he wishes, but he also can switch his property from one person to another. He can take something from one person and give it to you, or he can take something from you and give it to somebody else.




Because a king’s dominion is so closely tied to territory, his wealth is measured by the size and richness of his domain. That is why kings always want to expand their kingdom; they seek to increase their wealth. Think about the British, French, and Spanish kingdoms of the last several hundred years. The kings of those realms dispatched ships and established colonies all over the world. Why? Because they wanted to enlarge the borders and fill the coffers of their kingdoms. The larger and richer their domain, the greater their reputation and glory.




King and Lord




Although I have been speaking about lordship from the context of earthly kingdoms, everything I have said so far applies with even greater validity to the Kingdom of Heaven and its King. We have already seen that Yah is the King of heaven and earth by divine right of creation; He is King of all because He created all. And because every king is automatically a lord, the King of all is also the Lord of all; He owns everything because He made everything.




The Bible, the constitution of the Kingdom of Heaven, plainly identifies Yah as King and Lord of all. One of the most common Hebrew words used to refer to Yah in the Old Testament is adonai, which literally means proprietor or owner. It is usually translated “lord.” The personal name for Yah, Yahhawah Shi, although difficult to translate with complete accuracy, carries the same idea of master, owner, or lord.




This biblical picture of Yah as Lord is further enhanced by the fact that in most Bible versions, the personal name Yahhawah Shi, wherever it occurs, is replaced with the word “Lord.” This is in keeping with an ancient Hebrew tradition where devout Hebrews so respected and honored Yah’s name that they would not even speak it or read it aloud to ensure that they did not inadvertently violate the Third Commandment by misusing His name. Instead, they substituted the word adonai, or “Lord.”




So over and over the truth is hammered home: Yah is the Lord...Yah is the Lord...Yah is the Lord. This truth is reiterated even in the most basic confession of faith for a Jew, recited every morning:




Hear, O Israel: The Lord our Yah, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your Yah with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).




So in this way the Hebrews were reminded every day that their Yah was Owner of all. This included Heaven and earth. An ancient Hebrew poet expressed it this way:




May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth He has given to man (Psalm 115:15-16, emphasis added).




As Maker and Owner of heaven and earth, Yah could give any portion of it to anyone He chose. And He chose to give the earth to man, not for man to be owner but ruler/manager, or steward. Here are some additional references verifying Yah’s rights to Lordship over the property of earth:




The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters (Psalm 24:1-2).




For Yah is the King of all the earth; sing to Him a psalm of praise. Yah reigns over the nations; Yah is seated on His holy throne. The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the Yah of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to Yah; He is greatly exalted (Psalm 47:7-9).




And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out My hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it (Exodus 7:5).




O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

(Psalm8:1a).




I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing (Psalm 16:2).




The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise Him—may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations (Psalm 22:26-28).




The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want (Psalm 23:1).




Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—He is the King of glory (Ps alm 24:7-10).




“The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,” declares the Lord Almighty (Haggai 2:8).




In the same way as the Old Testament reveals Yah as King and Lord and Owner of all, the New Testament reveals Yahusha Hamachiach as Lord and Owner of all. First of all, as we have already seen, Yahusha came announcing the arrival and reestablishment of the Kingdom of heaven on earth, something only the King Himself could do. And because a king is automatically a lord, this means that Yahusha is Lord also.




In addition, the most common Greek word for “lord,” kurios, is applied to Yahusha repeatedly in the New Testament. Kurios signifies having power. It also means one who possesses ultimate authority; master. Everything the Old Testament says about Yah as Lord, the New Testament says about Yahusha.




The Lordship of Yahusha is also by creative rights and was a natural result of His role in the creation of all things both seen and unseen. In essence, we do not “make” Yahusha Lord; He is Lord by creative right, whether we acknowledge Him or not. In His pre existence before He came to earth, Yahusha was identified as “the Word.” It was in this dimension that He was the source of creation. Let us read the record of His creative activity that gives HimLordship rights:




In the beginning Yah created the heavens and the earth

(Genesis 1:1).




And Yah said, “Let there be light,” and there was light

(Genesis 1:3).




In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Yah, and the Word was Yah. He was with Yah in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made (John 1:1-3).




The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).




But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of Yah’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word (Hebrews 1:2-3a).




Here is ample evidence that Yahusha as the eternal Word was responsible for the creation of the universe and for sustaining it.




One familiar story about Yahusha drives this point home. Only a week before His death, Yahusha was preparing to enter Jerusalem, but He intended to do it in a very specific way.




As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Yahusha sent two of His disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’” They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Yahusha had told them to, and the people let them go (Mark 11:1-6).




In this story, Yahusha acted in His authority as Lord. There is no indication that He had prearranged this with the owner of the colt or that He asked anyone’s permission. As Lord of all, He owned the colt anyway. Yahusha just told His disciples, “Bring me the colt.” When challenged, all the disciples had to say was, “The Lord needs it.” That was all it took; the owners released the colt.




In those days, animals such as that colt were valuable commodities as beasts of burden and as transportation. They were like a car is to us today. So untying that colt was no small matter. The modern day equivalent would be as if Yahusha had said, “Go down to the corner, where you will find a brand-new silver Mercedes sport coupe. The keys are already in it. Bring it here to me.” In the end, one word from the Owner of the colt was all that was necessary. The manager/steward of the colt let it go.




Another New Testament passage also presents Yahusha clearly as Lord of all. It is found in a letter written by Paul, the Kingdom of Heaven’s ambassador to the Gentiles, to Kingdom citizens in the city of Philippi:




Your attitude should be the same as that of Hamachiach Yahusha: who, being in very nature Yah, did not consider equality with Yah something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a crucifixion stake! Therefore 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 Lord, to the glory of Yah the Father (Philippians 2:5-11).




Yahusha Hamachiach is King and Lord of all.

THE KING IS CENTRAL TO HIS KINGDOM

Genesis chapter 1













Today we are walking in: The King Is Central To His Kingdom







Today we look to the word-UNDERSTAND- H8085 shama`--to hear with attention or interest, listen to understand (language)










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




Genesis 11:7




Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand H8085 one another's speech.










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




Nehemiah 8:2




And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear H8085 with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.











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




1 Kings 3:9




Give therefore thy servant an understanding H8085 heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?







The King Is Central to His Kingdom




If we were created for kingship, and if Yahusha came to earth to restore the kingship we lost, and if we want to be prepared to resume our rightful place as kings, then we had better learn what it means to be a king and how a king relates to his kingdom. This is important both for teaching us how to think, speak, and behave like rulers and for teaching us how to relate properly to Yah, our High King. A true king is not a dictator.




The first thing we need to understand is that a king is the central component of his kingdom. A king embodies the essence of his kingdom; the kingdom is the king. Without the king, there is no kingdom. The land and the people may still be there, but unless they are ruled by a king, they are not in a kingdom. This is one primary distinction between a kingdom and a democratic state. In a democracy, the country’s leader, whether called a president or a prime minister or whatever, is not the center of the government. The constitution is. Presidents and prime ministers change every few years, but the constitution provides continuity of law and government. In a kingdom, the king is the constitution. His word is the law. His word is the government.




Second, a king is the ultimate and only source of authority in his kingdom. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the authority of Yah the King is exclusive and absolute. His word is law and His will is carried out even to the farthest reaches of His realm. And Yah’s realm is infinite.




The sole and absolute authority of the King is what distinguishes the Kingdom of Heaven from religion. Religious people give lip service to Yah’s kingship but then turn around and debate, question, and even amend His laws. For example, the King says that homosexual behavior is an abomination (see Lev. 18:22), yet a gathering of bishops who supposedly honor the King’s law install an openly and actively homosexual priest as an archbishop! In the Kingdom, the King’s word is law. It is not open to debate, discussion, challenge, or amendment.




While this may seem restrictive or even despotic to someone raised in a democratic environment, in many ways it actually relieves a lot of pressure. If you are under the King and someone asks you, “What do you think about so-and- so?” you can defer to the King’s authority: “What I think does not matter. I am bound to follow my King, and my King says this...” or “I agree with my King, and this is what He says...”




In a democracy, political leaders campaign, negotiate, compromise, and consult committees in an effort to reach a consensus for establishing law and policy. In a kingdom, the king speaks...and that’s it; no debate or question. The authority of the King is like the slogan that began circulating years ago: “Yah said it, I believe it, and that settles it.” Even better is the variation: “Yah said it and that settles it, whether I believe it or not.”




Yahusha demonstrated this kingly authority when He said numerous times, “You have heard...but I tell you...” (see Matt. 5:21-22,27-28, 33-34,38-39,43-44, emphasis added). The biblical account of this occasion records:




When Yahusha had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law (Matthew 7:28- 29, emphasis added).




Yahusha spoke and taught on His own authority. He did not rely on the thoughts, ideas, interpretations, or traditions of others. Why? Because He was a King whose authority was independent and sovereign.




This leads to a third point to understand about a king: The sovereignty of a king is inherent in his royal authority. The people do not make a king sovereign; he is born sovereign. Yahusha told Pilate that He was born a king; He did not receive His kingship—or His sovereignty—from the hand of men. Sovereignty means freedom from external control. As sovereign, a king is free to do as he pleases with no accountability to anyone else in the kingdom. Otherwise, a king has no true authority. No one has the authority to tell Yah what to do. Yah’s sovereignty is absolute. He is completely self-determining.




Fourteen Characteristics of a King




A king is distinct both from a democratically elected leader, such as a president or prime minister, as well as from a dictator in a totalitarian state. Following are 14 characteristics of a king that clarify that distinction.




1. A king is never voted into power. His power is inherent from birth. Democratic leaders are elected to power; totalitarian dictators seize power; but a king is born into power.




2. A king is king by birthright. His kingship is not conferred by men. Elected leaders rule by the will of the people. Dictators rule through fear, repression, and coercion. A king rules because he is born to it. Yahusha Hamachiach was born a King. We do not make Him King; all we can do is acknowledge that He is King.




3. A king cannot be voted out of power. Because the kingdom is his by birth, a king rules for life. A president is voted out of office or departs due to term limits. A dictator may be brought down by a coup d’etat or popular uprising. Kingship, however, is a lifelong office. A human king may be dethroned by force or revolution, but he can never be voted out. The King of Heaven reigns by sovereign right of creation. He will never be voted out of power. Nor will He ever be dethroned. Lucifer tried and failed. Human empires have tried and failed and then fallen themselves, as is the destiny of all regimes that challenge His sovereignty. He was King before this world began, and He will still be King after it has passed away. In fact, Scripture makes this bold declaration:




The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Most High and of His Hamachiach, and He will reign for ever and ever (Revelation 11:15b).




No act either of man on earth or of the spiritual powers of darkness will ever remove the King of Heaven from His throne.




4. A king’s authority is absolute. That is why he is not a president or a prime minister. Presidents must consult Congress, and prime ministers, Parliament. If the prime minister of the Bahamas makes a decision, the senate can discuss it, the parliament may attack it, the media may mutilate it, and he may change his mind. Dictators, on the other hand, while perhaps exercising absolute power (for a time), possess no legitimate authority. This is why they must use force and repression to stay in power. But when a king speaks, he speaks with absolute authority— authority that is inherent to his kingship.




5. A king’s word is law. Because a king’s authority is absolute, his word is law. No one can countermand his orders, negate his pronouncements, set aside his decrees, or amend his statutes. David, an Israelite king who loved the King of Heaven with all his heart, had this to say about his King’s law:




The law of the Most High is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Most High are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Most High are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Most High are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Most High is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Most High are sure and altogether righteous....By them is Your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward (Psalm 19:7-9,11).




The King’s word is law. Great reward follows obedience. Disobedience brings severe penalties.




6 . A king personally owns everything in his domain. Presidents and other elected leaders do not own their countries; they are citizens like everyone else. Dictators often act as though they own everything, but whatever they possess they acquire by fraud, theft, and corruption. A king, on the other hand, personally owns everything in his domain. In fact, a kingdom is the only form of government where the ruler owns everything and everyone. In the words of King David, once again:




The earth is the Most High’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it (Psalm 24:1).




The King of Heaven Himself declares:




Every animal of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10).




A king owns the people, the animals, the plants, the land, and the air around the land. He owns the value under the earth—the gold, the silver, the platinum, the diamonds, etc. He owns the soil and the seeds in the soil. A king owns everything in his territory. That is why he is called a Most High. Most High means owner. We’ll discuss more on this concept in the next teaching.




7. A king’s decree is unchanging. In a democratic system, laws can be amended, revised, or revoked. Dictators change and even reverse their own decrees whenever it suits them. They renege on their word all the time. But a king’s word is law. Once a king issues a decree, it cannot be changed.




Daniel, a faithful, Yah-fearing Hebrew in exile, was a high official in the court of Darius, a Medo- Persian king. When Daniel’s enemies plotted to destroy him, they persuaded Darius to issue a decree that for 30 days no prayers or petitions were to be raised to any Yah or anyone else except to the king himself. Violators would be thrown into a den of lions. This decree was a “law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked” (Dan. 6:8b NASB).




Catching Daniel in the act of praying to Yah in violation of the king’s decree (as they knew they would), Daniel’s enemies took him to the king. Darius was trapped. Even he could not revoke his own decree! The king spent a tormented, sleepless night while his trusted servant Daniel cooled his heels in the lion’s den. The Most High delivered Daniel safely, and his enemies ended up with the lions instead.




The point here is that a king’s decree, once issued, cannot be undone. The decrees of the King of Heaven are just as permanent:




The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our Yah stands forever (Isaiah 40:8).




Yahusha the King said:




Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away (Matthew 24:35).




8 . A king chooses who will be a citizen. In a democracy, the citizens choose their leader while a totalitarian system treats its “citizens” as little more than tools of the state. A kingdom operates in the opposite manner—the king chooses the citizens. Because his authority is absolute, he determines the standards of citizenship in his kingdom. The people do not vote for the king, but in essence, he votes for them.




Yahusha demonstrated this kingly prerogative as well when He said to His closest followers:




You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My name. This is My command: Love each another. If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you (John 15:16-19).




Yahusha chose them out of citizenship in the world and made them citizens of His Kingdom with full benefits of citizenship. They no longer belonged to the kingdom of the world. Now, like Yahusha, their Kingdom was from another place. Yahusha does the same thing today for everyone who believes Him —everyone who accepts His message of the Kingdom.




9. A king embodies the government of his kingdom. This means that wherever a king is, his entire government is present. Whenever a king speaks, his whole government is speaking. Whenever a king moves, the government moves with him because he embodies the government; the king is the government.




When a President travels abroad, the authority of the United States government travels with them because he or she represents the government and the people. The government itself, however, does not travel with them. It remains in place and functioning in Washington. The government of a king, on the other hand, is wherever the king is. A king and his government are inseparable. This is how we can know that the Kingdom of Heaven is on earth; the Kingdom is here because the King is here. Yahusha said:




...if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them (Matthew 18:19-20).




and:




...All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations...teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20).




The Kingdom of Heaven is here because the King of heaven is here in the hearts and lives of His citizens who populate His colony here.




10. A king’s presence is the presence of his authority. When a king shows up, his full authority is present. His authority does not reside in a place or in a document; it resides in him personally. This is why citizens of Yah’s Kingdom colony on earth can act with kingly authority. Because the King is present, His authority is present also. It was this present authority that Yahusha had in mind when He said:




I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 18:18).




and:




I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it (John 14:13- 14).




Kingdom citizens may always exercise kingly authority because the King is always present with them.




11. A king’s wealth is measured by his property. The larger and richer in resources a kingdom is, the wealthier the king, because the king owns everything in his kingdom. Dictators become wealthy by stealing from the people.




Democratically elected leaders may or may not be personally wealthy, but they definitely do not own their country. This is one of the major distinctions between a king and other government leaders. Kings own everything in their domain by right of birth and kingship. As a matter of fact, property is so tied up with a king’s identity that without it a king is not a king. We will discuss this more thoroughly in teachings to come.




Why is wealth so important in a kingdom? So the king can take care of his citizens. A righteous and benevolent king does not amass wealth for himself but for the welfare of his citizens. This is why it is only in a kingdom where we truly find commonwealth; that is, the wealth is common to all the people.




No kingdom is greater or richer than the Kingdom of Heaven because it encompasses all that exists. And no king is wealthier than the King of Heaven because He owns everything everywhere in both the natural and supernatural realms. Consequently, no citizens of any government are more prosperous or have greater welfare than do citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven because all the infinite wealth of that Kingdom is their common wealth.




12. A king’s prosperity is measured by the status of his citizens. If the citizens are poor, the king is seen as a poor king. If the citizens are prosperous, however, the king is seen as a wealthy king. Wealthy citizens make a king proud. That is why it is important for a king to make sure his people prosper. Yahusha never preached prosperity. Why not? Because prosperity is a matter of Kingdom business. Anyone who becomes a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven automatically prospers because the King of heaven is a wealthy King— the wealthiest of all. And He is also a righteous and benevolent King who is committed to the fullest and greatest welfare of His people.




13. A king’s name is the essence of his authority. A king can delegate authority to anyone he pleases to act in his name or on his behalf. This is often done by issuing a “king’s letter,” a royal edict signed by the king and bearing his official seal that authorizes the bearer to act on his authority. Anyone to whom the king’s letter is presented must treat the bearer as if he were the king himself.




Nehemiah, another exiled Hebrew who was a contemporary of Daniel, was cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes. Hearing that Jerusalem had been destroyed, Nehemiah longed to go there and rebuild the city. When the king learned of Nehemiah’s desire, he granted him permission to go. He also issued letters instructing the keeper of the king’s forest to give Nehemiah all the material he required and for the governors of the various provinces to grant him safe passage. Nehemiah carried the king’s name and, therefore, his authority (see Neh. chapters 1–2).




Citizens of the kingdom of Heaven have the same privilege. Yahusha the King has issued king’s letters to all His people, delegating His authority to them. That is why the New Testament says that Kingdom citizens are to pray in the name of Yahusha. It is why He promised to do anything that they asked in His name. There is nothing religious or mysterious about this. It is simply a kingdom principle at work. The King’s name carries the same authority as the King Himself, and all who carry His name can operate in His authority.




14. A king’s citizenry represents his glory. Any conscientious king wants his citizens to be happy, prosperous, and content because their status and quality of life reflect on him. The greater their prosperity and wellbeing, the greater the glory and honor that rest on the king who provides for them so well. Citizens of Yah’s Kingdom are supposed to show what their King is like by the way they live, act, dress, walk, and talk. Kingdom citizens are to reflect the nature and character of their King, who is righteous, just, benevolent, compassionate, and full of glory.




This is why there is no poverty in the Kingdom of Heaven, no economic crisis, and no shortages. As King David observed:




The Most High upholds the righteous...I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread (Psalm 37:17b, 25).




The King of Heaven takes care of His citizens.




Appropriating the riches of the Kingdom of Heaven means first of all understanding that the King owns everything and we own nothing; and second, that He can give whatever He wants to anyone He wants whenever He wants. This is the kingdom concept of Most Highship and is the subject of the next teaching.




Principles




1. A kingdom is the sovereign rulership and governing influence of a king over his territory, impacting it with his will, his intent, and his purpose.




2. In the fullness of time, Yahusha came to the earth and reestablished the Kingdom. Because only a king can establish a kingdom, this act alone reveals that Yahusha Hamachiach is the King.




3. Yahusha said that His Kingdom was not of this world; He never said that it was not in this world.




4. Inside each of us is a latent kingdom consciousness striving for expression.




5. We all seek power over things and over circumstances, and that is what the Kingdom of Heaven promises.




6. A king is the central component of his kingdom.




7. A king is the ultimate and only source of authority in his kingdom.




8. The sovereignty of a king is inherent in his royal authority.




9. Yah’s sovereignty is absolute. He is completely self-determining.