Acts Chapter 1
Today we are walking in: The Adamic Administration
Joel 2:28
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit H7307 upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
SPIRIT
Today we look to the word-SPIRIT- H7307-RUWACH-wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being:—air, anger, blast, breath,
The Torah Testifies……………………….
Genesis 1:2
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit H7307 of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 6:3
And the LORD said, My spirit H7307 shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Exodus 28:3
And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit H7307 of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
The Prophets Proclaim……………………….
Isaiah 31:3
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit H7307. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.
Ezekiel 2:2
And the spirit H7307 entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
Haggai 1:14
And the LORD stirred up the spirit H7307 of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit H7307 of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit H7307 of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
The Writings Witness………………………..
Job 10:12
Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit H7307.
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. H7307
Proverbs 15:4
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit H7307.
The Adamic Administration
The principle and purpose of delegated authority is accountability and responsibility.
The first government on earth came from a kingdom outside it. The world was governed in a way similar to the colonies we have been looking at. Yet the transcendent kingdom had significant differences:
√ The territory of earth was created by the home country rather than taken by force. It was not anyone else’s possession beforehand.
√ There were no inhabitants on earth at first, which was designed with them in mind; it was specifically prepared for those who would live here.
√ The original inhabitants were not of a different culture from the home country but were actually the offspring of the King himself.
The similarities are these:
√ The home country desired to expand the realm of its influence by bringing the nature, mind-set, and purposes of the kingdom to the colony of earth.
√ The King’s Governor was present in the colony to oversee the transformation process. He was to guide the King’s children—his local governors—who were to convert the colony into a replica of the kingdom.
Let’s take a closer look at the creation of this colony of earth.
The Original Government
The first book of Moses begins with these words: “In the beginning Yah [the Creator-King] created the heavens and the earth [the physical universe].” The Creator-King is described by first-century theologian Paul of Tarsus as “the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Most High of Most Highs, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.” The eternal King of an unseen kingdom conceptualized and made the entire physical universe. By creation rights, it is his property.
It would be impossible to grasp the vastness of the unseen kingdom that encompasses our universe—especially when we consider that the physical realm in which the earth exists is too immense for us to comprehend. Our universe is so enormous that we’re still trying to find out where it ends. Astronomers have discovered billions (some say up to 200 billion) of galaxies in the observable universe. It is estimated that each of these galaxies has tens or hundreds of billions of stars. Multiply billions of galaxies by billions of stars in each galaxy and you have a staggering number of stars in the universe. If these sheer numbers were not enough to astound us, consider the way they are held together. As NASA records,
Almost every object in space orbits around something. The planets orbit the Sun; our Moon and the moons of other planets orbit their planets; comets orbit the Sun....Even the Sun is orbiting around the center of our galaxy....
An orbit is the result of a precise balance between the forward motion of an object in space (such as a planet or moon) and the pull of gravity from the body it orbits. An object in motion will stay in motion unless something pushes or pulls on it. This is Isaac Newton’s First Law of Motion. Without gravity, an Earth-orbiting satellite would go off into space along a straight line. With gravity, it is pulled back toward the Earth. There is a continuous tug-of-war between the one object’s tendency to move in a straight line and the tug of gravity pulling it back.
The universe exists in remarkable balance. This is why the Scripture says, in essence, that only a fool thinks, Nobody is keeping this universe in order. Clearly, an orderly government of vast ability and power maintains our universe.
Expanding the Invisible Kingdom
One of the New Testament writers said, “The universe was formed at Yah’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” The King of the invisible world decided to create a physical world. He did this for the purpose of expanding his heavenly domain as an extension of himself and his government. He created the physical universe so there would be additional territory to rule and to transform into the expression of his nature and desires. Returning to our definition of kingdom, we can say that the invisible kingdom is the governing influence of Yah over the territory of earth, impacting and influencing it with his will, his purpose, and his intent. Heaven is Yah’s kingdom or home country, and earth is his colony.
We see various types of governing influence in our everyday human experience, not just in a political context:
√ An artist extends the domain of his mind and heart by expressing himself in physical paintings or sculptures, which can have an impact on those who view them.
√ A writer expresses the vision of his inner world through the printed word, and these words can influence the thoughts and attitudes of those who read them.
√ A businessman transforms his entrepreneurial concepts into specific companies that reflect his personal philosophy and provide new products and services that change the way others live.
All these are examples of individuals enlarging their personal influence in the world.
What people create, express, or build is usually a reflection of their personalities and outlook. Therefore, as we look at the Creator-King’s desire to extend the influence of the invisible kingdom to earth, it is natural for us to want to know the nature of this King and his kingdom. What influence did he want to bring to earth?
The Nature of the King: A Perfect Government
The nature of the invisible kingdom becomes especially significant when we learn that the inhabitants of earth are to have this very nature themselves. The first book of Moses records these words of the Creator-King:
“Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule [“have dominion”] over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So Yah created man in his own image, in the image of Yah he created him; male and female he created them.
Human beings were not made as machines or as beings with no direct relationship to the Creator. They were drawn out of his own person: “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule...over all the earth.”
After creating the universe by his own divine prerogative, the Creator chose one planet amid all the planets of the universe as the practical and unique extension of his influence—earth. Then he extended rulership of earth to those made in his own image, his royal “children.”
The original Hebrew word for “image,” selem, “means ‘image’ in the sense of essential nature.” The Hebrew word for likeness is demuth, which “signifies the original after which a thing is patterned.” These words define and describe our design, capacity, potential, and value as human beings made to reflect the personhood of our Creator.
The nature of our Creator-King was recorded by Moses as “the compassionate and gracious Yah, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” The only way a kingdom can function perfectly is if it is ruled by a perfect king who will not betray his citizens through corruption or oppression. If he does, he is not a true king but a tyrant and dictator. Since a king is the source and owner of everyone and everything in his kingdom, the key to a true kingdom is benevolence. A perfect government does not exist for itself; it exists for its citizens.
The Nature of Earth’s Citizens
Being made in the image and likeness of the Creator-King means that human beings possessed his spiritual nature, characteristics, and essential specifications. We were designed to be like, act like, and function like the Ruler of the invisible kingdom.
After the Creator gave us his own nature, he (1) gave us physical bodies so we could function in the physical world he had created and prepared specifically for us, and (2) breathed His very Ruach into us, animating and empowering us to fulfill our calling on earth. Moses recorded, “The Most High Yah formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
The Creator-King formed man, Adam, from the dust of the earth, which means that this human “product” was present in the world but wasn’t yet alive. His body and brain were ready, but they were dormant. We couldn’t say that Adam was “dead” because there was no death at that time. He was what we could call an “un-living being.” It was when the Creator breathed into him the breath of life that Adam became a living being.
That breath of the Ruach ignited life in Adam in three distinct ways: (1) in the invisible spirit of man, which, being made in the image of Yah, is eternal; (2) in the soul of man—meaning the total human consciousness of his mind, will, and emotions; and (3) in his physical body, which became a living vessel housing the Ruach and soul. Man’s soul and body gave him an awareness of his earthly environment, while the Ruach of Yah, dwelling within man’s Ruach, gave him a consciousness of his Creator-King and the ability to communicate directly with the heavenly government.
So the Ruach gave life to all aspects of Adam as a human being. The same was true in the creation of Eve, the first woman. When Yah imparted his Ruach to human beings, humanity experienced the reception of the Ruach of Yah for the first time. The Creator’s Ruach was our heavenly “Governor” on earth, who proceeded from the King and dwelled with us in the colony of earth, enabling us to receive, know, and carry out his will, much as the royal governors guided and led the people of the colonies.
The statement, “Let us make man in our own image,” does not refer to looking alike, but being alike. The intent of the Creator-King was to express his nature through humanity. That nature was to be communicated through man’s spirit and manifested through his soul—mind, will, and emotions—eventually finding expression through his physical body. In this way, human beings were created by Yah to live from the “inside out.”
Human beings were created to express the nature of Yah—in other words, what he is like naturally. (We might say “supernaturally-naturally,” since the Creator-King is a purely spiritual Being.) A human being can relate to and reflect the nature of the Creator only if he possesses his essential image and has his Ruach living within him.
Paul wrote, “The Yah who made the world and everything in it is the Most High of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands,” and “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Ruach HaQadesh, who is in you, whom you have received from Yah?” The Creator-King does not live in any type of building, whether temple, shrine, or mosque. His only true residence on earth is within his human creation. When his Ruach fills our bodies, we are his dwelling place. In this way, through the creation of humanity, the King built his own royal residence to settle in and from which to govern the colony of earth.
Royal Children and Full Citizens
Adam and Eve were the offspring or children of the Creator-King. Humanity is therefore really a royal family whose Father is the King of a vast and eternal kingdom. Human beings were not subjects but had full status of citizens of the kingdom, having been given free access to everything on earth.
Then Yah blessed them, and Yah said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
The only exception to their complete access to the earth was a restriction on one part of their garden home, which was under the jurisdiction of the King alone. He told them, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” We will talk more about this restriction in the next teaching.
Assignment as Vice Governors
When the King gave Adam and Eve dominion over the earth, he was delegating authority to humanity. They were made local rulers in the territory of earth under the heavenly Governor. Humanity was like a “little Rome,” established on earth for the purposes of the kingdom of heaven and given the assignment of making the earth like the home country. As such, they were like the patroni of the Roman colonies who founded and guided the colony on behalf of the kingdom. But while the Roman patroni were limited to about three members, each member of humanity to be born on earth was given the mandate of dominion. The earth was to be colonized by all members of the human race. I call this assignment the “Adamic Administration.”
To have dominion means to govern, to rule, to control, to manage, to lead, to affect, and to impact. Human beings are essentially spiritual beings who live in physical bodies to carry out their governing responsibilities in the material world of the colony of earth. When the Creator-King said, “Let them have dominion,” he was saying, “Let them have ‘kingdom’ over the earth. Let them influence the earth on behalf of my country of heaven.” Humanity’s job was to execute heaven’s policies, legislation, and oversight on earth—to cultivate the life of the heavenly kingdom, manage the earth’s natural resources, rule over the animals, govern wisely and justly, and keep everything in order. All these things have to do with the administration of the territory.
The Role of the Heavenly Governor
It is important to note that since human beings were made in the image of the Creator-King and given the assignment of administering the earth, the key to their effective rulership was a benevolent governing that had the best interests of the kingdom and its citizens at heart. Only a perfect colonial government could work in a perfect kingdom.
I emphasized earlier that, in a colony, in order for delegated authority to function, it had to have an open channel of communication to the king, as well as the power to perform its responsibilities in accordance with the king’s wishes. This is why the Governor—the very Ruach of the King himself—was given to humanity.
The Governor came from the King and was the only one who could suitably transform the colony into the home country. He knew the King’s heart, mind, desires, will, and intent, and he was committed to carrying out the King’s purposes in the territory. Paul wrote, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of Yah except the Ruach of Yah.” In addition, human beings were made in the image and likeness of the King, with his own personal presence living within them, so they would be able to transform the colony of earth into an extension of the invisible kingdom. Who could better implement the transformation process than those who had the very nature of the King and were guided by the very Ruach of the King? In this way, the earth would be intimately related to the home country in nature and purpose.
We see therefore that the Creator-King’s intent was to rule the seen world from the unseen world. He desired to rule the visible world through the spirit of man. And the Ruach HaQadesh, as Governor of the human spirit, was humanity’s bridge to the home kingdom; he was the direct channel of communication between the spirit of man and the government of heaven.
It was the presence of the Ruach HaQadesh within human beings that gave them the authority and ability to have dominion over their environment. I mentioned earlier that the primary issue of humanity is one of power, the ability to influence and control life’s circumstances. We desire this ability because we were designed to fulfill our original assignment as vice governors on earth. One of the psalmists wrote, “The highest heavens belong to the Most High, but the earth he has given to man.”
Rulership over a New Territory
Let’s look at humanity’s assignment from one other perspective. A prince or princess who is the king’s heir doesn’t succeed to the throne if the king is still alive. The only way this might occur (apart from a king abdicating his throne) is for the king’s heir to go to another territory to rule. This has happened in history, although rarely. Therefore, while the heir is in the same territory as the king-father, he or she remains a prince or princess. Yet if the heir lives in a foreign country or territory, he or she can rule as sovereign, while the king-father still rules the home country. So, if a king wanted his children to have the same power, authority, glory, and rulership that he possessed, he had to send them to a different territory or territories to rule.
The King of the invisible realm of heaven is eternal. He cannot die. No one will ever succeed him on his heavenly throne. Yet because he delighted in humanity, his children whom he had made in his own image, he wanted them to rule a territory of their own in his name.
This was not a last-minute idea. He prepared the earthly colony before he created the first man and woman. He designed the perfect physical environment for his children to rule in. The first book of Moses recounts the creation of the earth, sea, and animals—which human beings were to rule over as vice governors—prior to the creation of humanity. Then, we read, “The Most High Yah took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” The natural world, as distinct from the encompassing invisible realm, was an entirely new realm over which humanity could legally have dominion.
The message of the creation of humanity is therefore very practical. It is not about “religion” as we tend to think of it; it is not about rituals. It describes the government of an eternal King and kingdom and the King’s royal children whom he made his local governors on earth through the authority and power of his own Ruach. It is about the rule of a King over his territory and the transformation of that territory into the manifestation of his kingdom.
The Divine destiny connection, the chain that links us together.
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
THE POWER OF INFLUENCE
Acts Chapter 1
Today we are walking in: The Power Of Influence
Joel 2:28
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit H7307 upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
SPIRIT
Today we look to the word-SPIRIT- H7307-RUWACH-wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being:—air, anger, blast, breath,
The Torah Testifies……………………….
Genesis 1:2
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit H7307 of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 6:3
And the LORD said, My spirit H7307 shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Exodus 28:3
And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit H7307 of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
The Prophets Proclaim……………………….
Isaiah 31:3
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit H7307. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.
Ezekiel 2:2
And the spirit H7307 entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
Haggai 1:14
And the LORD stirred up the spirit H7307 of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit H7307 of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit H7307 of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
The Writings Witness………………………..
Job 10:12
Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit H7307.
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. H7307
Proverbs 15:4
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit H7307.
THE POWER OF INFLUENCE
Nothing is more damaging to a new truth than an old error.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Kingdom Life
Years of research have led me to the conclusion that the practical outworking of kingdoms points us to truths and principles that transcend the mere political fortunes of individual empires. Seeing how they function actually:
√ provides us with a deep understanding of our own nature as human beings,
√ reveals the key to our remarkable life purpose, and
√ enables us to exercise our full potential in the world.
These things have tremendous implications for the human race personally, professionally, socially, and politically; for our families, communities, nations, and the world.
I am in a somewhat unique position to discuss the nature of kingdoms and their colonies, having grown up in a land that was a British colony for nearly two hundred years, and having witnessed its peaceful transition to independence. I well remember what it meant to live under a monarch—both the mind-set of a kingdom and its functioning and procedures. Yet I also understand what it means to live in an independent nation, having eagerly followed our transition to self-government as a young person. My close acquaintance with these two ways of governing has been extremely beneficial to me as I have explored the nature of kingdom and what it means for every person on this planet.
My investigation into the concept of kingdom has convinced me that the success of your life and mine depends upon how well we understand and live out what I will call the kingdom life. I am not referring to a political system or to any particular national government, but to a way of understanding and living everyday life.
An Anti-Kingdom Perspective
The concept of kingdom may seem antithetical to the contemporary mind. Empires and their colonies seem outdated in the twenty-first century, just fading remnants of the past. Many nations today have representative governments. A number of former colonies and protectorates have gained their independence. Opportunities for self-government have expanded greatly throughout the world, and we rightly celebrate the political freedoms and opportunities these changes have brought. Human history has seen enough tyrannical kingdoms and dictators to want to move on to a different form of government.
Democracy is essentially humanity’s reaction to perverted kingdoms. The founders of the United States rebelled against what they considered an oppressive government, and the very genetics of contemporary Western society are anti-kingdom. Because of the strong influence of political and social ideas of independence and freedom, this perspective has permeated the world and affects many areas of our thinking, not just the governmental realm. It shows up in how we view and conduct ourselves in personal relationships, business, media, education, and even religion because our cultural experiences produce our definitions. This is why the concept of kingdom is dismissed by most people today as irrelevant, and is even considered out-and-out frightening by others.
In the light of these developments, however, many people no longer understand what life in an authentic and uncorrupted kingdom entails. I believe this lack of understanding has hindered them in the way they’ve approached their lives. Most of us have forgotten why kingdoms historically had such a profound impact on people and nations for thousands of years, some of which is still being felt. They haven’t recognized what the concept and history of kingdoms reveal that is vital to us today.
I therefore want to present to you, step-by-step, how the practical working of the kingdom life answers essential questions about our human existence, purpose, and fulfillment. We have approached our personal goals and problems, as well as our national and global crises, from many vantage points, but not often from this perspective. Democracies are valuable political institutions for us today, but I’m referring to some- thing that transcends our contemporary politics and government—something that speaks to the basis of our very being as humans. It has significance for people of all nations, religions, and creeds. It lies at the heart of the existence of every person on earth.
Just as I found myself sitting between kingdom and colony, you and every other person on the planet are, in a sense, supposed to find yourselves in a relationship between kingdom and colony, and to experience that dynamic in your own lives.
Kingdom Power
The character of this kingdom is, again, nothing like the political kingdoms of the past and present that seek to force others under their control based on territorial power, greed, or religious doctrine. Those kingdoms enslave. But the very nature of humanity, as well as the personal and corporate progress of the world, are designed to develop and thrive from the outworking of this kingdom.
I mentioned in the previous teaching that the principal issue of humanity is power, defined as “the ability to influence and control circumstances.” We all want to direct and influence our lives in a positive and fulfilling way. The nature of this kingdom speaks directly to this need.
Understanding our association with this kingdom begins with an exploration of what all human kingdoms have shared in common and how they were different from the contemporary experience of government most of us are familiar with today. Then we can move to the larger context of what these qualities reveal about our human existence and purpose.
The Nature of Kingdom Government
I define a kingdom as “the governing authority and influence of a sovereign ruler who impacts his territory through his will, purpose, and intentions, which are manifested in the culture, lifestyle, and quality of his citizenry.” A king must have his dominion, or his territory. We call it his “king-dominion” or his kingdom. You cannot be a king without having territory; you have to be ruling over something. And you cannot be a king without having kingdom citizens who live and work in the kingdom.
In a true, traditional kingdom, all power is vested in the monarch. The king actually, personally owns the country, including the people. In contrast, a president or prime minister in a representative government doesn’t own the country; he governs it on behalf of the people.
The king implements his vision for the kingdom. There is no congress or parliament to discuss which laws they’re going to create. There is only the monarch, and he has immediate access to his handpicked, trusted council, who carry out his wishes. The job of these advisors is to take the will of the king, translate it into the law of the land, and make sure it is enacted throughout the kingdom.
A kingdom is therefore the governing influence of a king over his territory, impacting and influencing it with his personal will. In a kingdom, the king’s personal interest becomes policy, and the king’s personal will becomes law.
The effectiveness of a kingdom and its power is therefore its ability to influence and control the territory according to the vision of the king.
The Goal of the Kingdom: Ruling and Gaining Territory
Most kingdoms throughout history have sought to take additional land, sometimes at some distance from the home country, because the power of a king is related to the territory he owns. The more territory a king had, the greater he was respected by other kingdoms, especially if the territories had abundant natural wealth. The home country of the king was his domain, and the outlying territories were his colonies.
Once a colony was gained, the sovereign’s number one goal was to exercise his personal influence over it.
The Transformation of Colonies into the Kingdom
A colony is comprised of “a group of emigrants or their descendants who settle in a distant land but remain subject to the parent country.” The word colony comes from the Latin word colonia, derived from colere, meaning “to cultivate.” In this sense, a colony is:
√ the presence of a distinct cultural citizenry in a foreign territory that is governed by the laws and customs of its home country.
√ established to influence the territory for the home government.
This means that a colony’s purpose was essentially to:
1. be an extension of the home country in another territory.
2.establish a prototype of the original country in another territory.
represent the values, morals, and manners of the home country.
manifest the culture and lifestyle of the original nation.
When a kingdom takes a territory, therefore, its goal is to make that territory exactly like the kingdom. The purpose is not only to gain lands, but also to transform these lands so that they mirror the country in its mind-set and lifestyle, its characteristics and culture. In this way, the kingdom not only extends its power, but it also expands the influence of its very nature.
The Roman Empire had a specific way of ensuring the permanency and effectiveness of kingdom influence over its colonies. When the Romans conquered a region, they planted a group of about three hundred of their own citizens, as well as a larger number of those allied with the empire, and a number of settlers, within it to serve as a type of military outpost. These constituted a “colony of Romans citizens” (colonia civium Roma- norum) or a “little Rome.” A colony of Roman citizens was free from taxation and military duty. It had its own constitution based on the Roman constitution and was allowed to elect its own senate and other offices of state. The original inhabitants had to adhere to this new government and its constitution. These “little Romes'' brought the culture and values of the Roman empire throughout Europe and northern Africa. A striking picture of the power and influence of kingdoms over a territory and the lifestyle of its inhabitants can be seen in the various nations of the Caribbean and West Indies. You can always tell who controlled a colony by studying its culture. The Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados are former colonies of the United Kingdom. Cuba was a colony of Spain. Haiti was a colony of France. The cultures of all these islands are distinctly characteristic of the countries that claimed them.
You can still see the kingdoms’ influence in the daily lives of the peoples’ customs. If you visited the Bahamas, you’d see the influence of Great Britain in our narrow streets, our driving on the left-hand side of the road, and our habit of drinking tea. When I was a young boy attending school, my classmates and I grew up singing “Yah Save the Queen.” We were being taught to be a “little Britain.” Similarly, if you went to Cuba, you might think you were in Spain as you observed its architecture and food. Significantly for their cultures, each of these former colonies speaks the language of the kingdom that conquered it.
Most kingdoms in the colonial period had to fight for new territory because there was a limited amount of land in the world. Under European control, the Bahamas was initially claimed by the Spaniards. The French tried to conquer it, but the Spaniards held them off. Finally, the British won out over the Spanish. If the British Empire hadn’t won, I might be speaking Spanish today. So even though the Bahamas, Haiti, and Cuba are all part of a chain of islands, whoever controlled the domain controlled the language and culture of the people. If you really want to investigate the power of kingdoms, study the island of Hispaniola, home of both the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Two kingdoms grabbed the same island, and there’s a line right down the middle of the island; one side speaks French, while the other side speaks Spanish.
The Most Important Person in the Colony
The transformation of a colony into the culture of the kingdom didn’t happen automatically. A purposeful development was involved. The king didn’t usually directly extend his influence to his colony by physically going there. He administrated his will through his personal representative, called a governor or regent. He sent his representative to physically live in the colony in his place. Therefore, the royal governor was the presence of the absent king in the colony.
With the governor in the colony, you didn’t need the physical presence of the king to experience and be changed by the king’s influence. I mentioned that the British monarchs who influenced the English-speaking Caribbean nations didn’t frequently visit their colonies. Yet, in the Bahamas, we all learned to speak English, drink tea, wave the Union Jack, and sing the songs of Britain. We became part of the United Kingdom. And the royal governors were the direct instrument of that transformation.
The governor was therefore the most important person in the colony. We get a greater appreciation for why this was true when we look at his purpose.
The Governor’s Purpose
The governor’s purpose was sixfold:
1.Relationship: The governor was the guarantee that the kingdom could always have access to the colony. The inter-relationship between king and colony was totally dependent on him.
2.Communication: Anything the king wanted the colony to know or to receive, he would send through his governor, his avenue of communication.
3.Representation: The governor was the chief representative of the king and his kingdom in the colony. He also represented the colony to the king.
4.Interpretation: The governor understood intimately the king’s desires, ideas, intent, purposes, will, and plans; therefore, he was the only one who could effectively interpret these things for the colony.
5.Power: The governor was the only one empowered with the authority and ability to execute the king’s desires and commands for the colony.
6.Partnership: The governor was effectively the king’s partner in rulership.
The Governor’s Qualifications and Roles
The qualifications and roles of a governor were significant in terms of kingdom and colony:
1. The governor was appointed by the king.
Unlike the governors of representational governments, the royal governor was not voted in; he was appointed by the king.
2. The governor came only from the kingdom, never the colony.
Governors were never chosen from the indigenous peoples of the colonies. They were always appointed from the home countries. Why? A governor had to be steeped in the original culture of the kingdom. He had to be a person who knew the kingdom and understood the heart, mind, desires, will, and intent of the king in carrying out the kingdom’s purposes in the territory.
3. The governor represented only the king.
Again, the difference between the governors of colonies and the governors many of us are familiar with in representative governments is like night and day. Every state in the United States has a governor who is voted in by the people and can also be voted out by them. He or she is ultimately accountable to the people of the state, not to the federal government or its leaders. In contrast, the royal governor was responsible and accountable to the king alone in his allegiance, attitude, actions, and responsibility.
4. The governor only expressed the mind and will of the king.
The governor was not there to promote his own personal policies or agendas. He was to take the vision and will of the king and communicate that to the people, translating it into policy and law.
5. The governor was responsible for converting the colony into the kingdom.
Once more, it was the governor’s job to oversee and carry out the transformation of the colonies according to the character of the kingdom. The governor was “planted” in the colony to sow the seeds of the home country into the culture of the new territory. Colonization was for the purpose of conversion— to exchange the culture of the territory for the culture of the kingdom. Whatever was happening in the kingdom was supposed to happen in the colony, as well.
6.In converting the colony, the governor transferred the kingdom’s culture, values, nature, language, and lifestyle to the people.
The governor made sure that every subject of the kingdom took on the kingdom culture in language, attitude, dress, food, and so forth. The colonists were even to take on the history of the kingdom as if it were their own, which in fact it now was, because they had become a part of the chronicles of the nation. The subjects were to take on the mind-set and lifestyle of the kingdom until, if you visited the territory, you would think you were in the home country itself.
7. The governor prepared the subjects for citizenship.
When a king took over a colony, the people essentially became his possessions. The inhabitants of the colony did not automatically become citizens; they were called subjects. For example, when the Bahamas was a colony, the people were not citizens of Great Britain. We couldn’t vote, and we didn’t have other rights of British citizens.
In a kingdom, citizenship was a privilege. Who became a citizen was the king’s prerogative, and he personally granted it. The reason citizenship wasn’t automatic is that, once a person was appointed a citizen, he had special benefits and protections in the kingdom. In the Roman Empire, citizenship was a high honor and privilege involving many rights. In the first century, Paul of Tarsus was arrested in Jerusalem by the Roman commander for allegedly disturbing the peace. He was about to be whipped when he declared to a nearby centurion that he was a Roman citizen. Immediately, the soldiers’ attitude toward him changed. The following exchange dramatically reveals the power of kingdom citizenship in the Roman Empire, especially if you were born a citizen:
As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?” When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.” The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes I am,” he answered. Then the commander said, “I had to pay a big price for my citizenship.” “But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied. Those who were about to question him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.
Once you are a citizen, your privileges, rights, and demands upon the throne change. The king is responsible for taking care of you.
Therefore, the governor’s role of preparing subjects for citizenship was a tremendous responsibility. If the governor believed a subject was ready to be a citizen or especially deserved citizenship, he recommended the subject to the king. Since the governor lived in the colony and knew the subjects firsthand, the king accepted the suggestions of the governor in this regard.
8.The governor lived in a residence built by the government of the home country.
A kingdom would build a residence in its colonies specifically for its royal governors to live in. This emphasized that the governor, the chief representative of the kingdom in the colony, was not just a visitor; he lived there, he was there to stay, and this was his legal residence. The British built a governor’s mansion in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, specifically for the royal governor to live in, which today is called the Government House. Great Britain similarly built governors’ houses in Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, and in every colony where it ruled.
9.The governor’s presence in the colony was evidence that the kingdom itself was in the colony.
As long as the governor lived in the colony, the kingdom itself was present. The first time the Bahamas was declared a British colony was when a royal governor drove out the remaining Spanish garrisons, solidifying its ownership by the kingdom of Great Britain.
10. The governor left if the colony declared independence.
Either by force or recall, the royal governor would leave a colony if it declared independence and the kingdom was no longer officially governing. In the American Revolution, the royal governors of the colonies were forced to withdraw from their posts. When the Bahamas received independence, it was through negotiation with Great Britain, and the governor was recalled because he no longer had a legal right to be there.
The Value of the Governor
In kingdom terms, then, the governor was the most powerful and important person in the colony. Because he introduced the kingdom’s culture, language, and lifestyle—every unique aspect of the kingdom—to the colony, he had great value for the kingdom and its larger purposes. To summarize, the governor was valuable:
1. As the presence of the government. Without him, the kingdom would not exist in the colony.
2. For representing the government. If he wasn’t there, the king would not be adequately or effectively represented.
3. For the enablement of the colony. He was the one with the authority and ability to supply power and resources to the colony.
4. For protection. As long as the kingdom was represented in a colony by the governor, the king was obligated to protect the territory from outside threats and danger.
5. For his ability to know and communicate the mind of the king. The governor represented the king’s interests and will to the colony and made sure they were carried out.
6. For enabling the colony’s citizens and subjects to fulfill the will of the kingdom. The colony received its instructions only through the governor and therefore was dependent on him for its effectiveness. The citizens and subjects would not be able to carry out their kingdom mandate without the governor’s guidance and empowerment.
The Influence of Another Kingdom
These were the main features of a kingdom-colony relationship, including the pivotal role of the governor in the process of transforming colonies into the home country. This brings us back to the kingdom I mentioned earlier in this teaching, which transcends our human governments and speaks to the basis of our very nature and existence as human beings. This kingdom has properties that are similar to, but go beyond, those of the traditional earthly kingdoms we’ve been looking at.
Two millennia ago, a startling young teacher described this transcendent kingdom. When Yahusha of Nazareth began traveling and speaking around Palestine, the first thing he is recorded as saying is, “The time has come....The kingdom of Yah is near.”
This statement intrigues me and brings up several questions for us to explore in terms of kingdom:
√ What “time” was he speaking about? And why then?
√ What was the nature of the kingdom he was referring to?
He was announcing the imminent return of a kingdom and its influence on earth. Notice that he didn’t proclaim the entrance of a new religion, nor did he announce the beginnings of a democratic form of government. We have to ask:
√ Why would he use this particular governmental reference at the beginning of his public life?
√ What did it signify about his message and purpose?
√ If the influence of a kingdom was entering the world, what new culture would emerge for the citizens of earth?
To understand the context of these thought-provoking statements and their implications, we need to go back to the first book of Moses, the book of Genesis, to the origins of this kingdom. For this wasn’t the first time the transcendent kingdom had entered the world and impacted its inhabitants...
Today we are walking in: The Power Of Influence
Joel 2:28
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit H7307 upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
SPIRIT
Today we look to the word-SPIRIT- H7307-RUWACH-wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being:—air, anger, blast, breath,
The Torah Testifies……………………….
Genesis 1:2
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit H7307 of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 6:3
And the LORD said, My spirit H7307 shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Exodus 28:3
And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit H7307 of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
The Prophets Proclaim……………………….
Isaiah 31:3
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit H7307. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.
Ezekiel 2:2
And the spirit H7307 entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
Haggai 1:14
And the LORD stirred up the spirit H7307 of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit H7307 of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit H7307 of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
The Writings Witness………………………..
Job 10:12
Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit H7307.
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. H7307
Proverbs 15:4
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit H7307.
THE POWER OF INFLUENCE
Nothing is more damaging to a new truth than an old error.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Kingdom Life
Years of research have led me to the conclusion that the practical outworking of kingdoms points us to truths and principles that transcend the mere political fortunes of individual empires. Seeing how they function actually:
√ provides us with a deep understanding of our own nature as human beings,
√ reveals the key to our remarkable life purpose, and
√ enables us to exercise our full potential in the world.
These things have tremendous implications for the human race personally, professionally, socially, and politically; for our families, communities, nations, and the world.
I am in a somewhat unique position to discuss the nature of kingdoms and their colonies, having grown up in a land that was a British colony for nearly two hundred years, and having witnessed its peaceful transition to independence. I well remember what it meant to live under a monarch—both the mind-set of a kingdom and its functioning and procedures. Yet I also understand what it means to live in an independent nation, having eagerly followed our transition to self-government as a young person. My close acquaintance with these two ways of governing has been extremely beneficial to me as I have explored the nature of kingdom and what it means for every person on this planet.
My investigation into the concept of kingdom has convinced me that the success of your life and mine depends upon how well we understand and live out what I will call the kingdom life. I am not referring to a political system or to any particular national government, but to a way of understanding and living everyday life.
An Anti-Kingdom Perspective
The concept of kingdom may seem antithetical to the contemporary mind. Empires and their colonies seem outdated in the twenty-first century, just fading remnants of the past. Many nations today have representative governments. A number of former colonies and protectorates have gained their independence. Opportunities for self-government have expanded greatly throughout the world, and we rightly celebrate the political freedoms and opportunities these changes have brought. Human history has seen enough tyrannical kingdoms and dictators to want to move on to a different form of government.
Democracy is essentially humanity’s reaction to perverted kingdoms. The founders of the United States rebelled against what they considered an oppressive government, and the very genetics of contemporary Western society are anti-kingdom. Because of the strong influence of political and social ideas of independence and freedom, this perspective has permeated the world and affects many areas of our thinking, not just the governmental realm. It shows up in how we view and conduct ourselves in personal relationships, business, media, education, and even religion because our cultural experiences produce our definitions. This is why the concept of kingdom is dismissed by most people today as irrelevant, and is even considered out-and-out frightening by others.
In the light of these developments, however, many people no longer understand what life in an authentic and uncorrupted kingdom entails. I believe this lack of understanding has hindered them in the way they’ve approached their lives. Most of us have forgotten why kingdoms historically had such a profound impact on people and nations for thousands of years, some of which is still being felt. They haven’t recognized what the concept and history of kingdoms reveal that is vital to us today.
I therefore want to present to you, step-by-step, how the practical working of the kingdom life answers essential questions about our human existence, purpose, and fulfillment. We have approached our personal goals and problems, as well as our national and global crises, from many vantage points, but not often from this perspective. Democracies are valuable political institutions for us today, but I’m referring to some- thing that transcends our contemporary politics and government—something that speaks to the basis of our very being as humans. It has significance for people of all nations, religions, and creeds. It lies at the heart of the existence of every person on earth.
Just as I found myself sitting between kingdom and colony, you and every other person on the planet are, in a sense, supposed to find yourselves in a relationship between kingdom and colony, and to experience that dynamic in your own lives.
Kingdom Power
The character of this kingdom is, again, nothing like the political kingdoms of the past and present that seek to force others under their control based on territorial power, greed, or religious doctrine. Those kingdoms enslave. But the very nature of humanity, as well as the personal and corporate progress of the world, are designed to develop and thrive from the outworking of this kingdom.
I mentioned in the previous teaching that the principal issue of humanity is power, defined as “the ability to influence and control circumstances.” We all want to direct and influence our lives in a positive and fulfilling way. The nature of this kingdom speaks directly to this need.
Understanding our association with this kingdom begins with an exploration of what all human kingdoms have shared in common and how they were different from the contemporary experience of government most of us are familiar with today. Then we can move to the larger context of what these qualities reveal about our human existence and purpose.
The Nature of Kingdom Government
I define a kingdom as “the governing authority and influence of a sovereign ruler who impacts his territory through his will, purpose, and intentions, which are manifested in the culture, lifestyle, and quality of his citizenry.” A king must have his dominion, or his territory. We call it his “king-dominion” or his kingdom. You cannot be a king without having territory; you have to be ruling over something. And you cannot be a king without having kingdom citizens who live and work in the kingdom.
In a true, traditional kingdom, all power is vested in the monarch. The king actually, personally owns the country, including the people. In contrast, a president or prime minister in a representative government doesn’t own the country; he governs it on behalf of the people.
The king implements his vision for the kingdom. There is no congress or parliament to discuss which laws they’re going to create. There is only the monarch, and he has immediate access to his handpicked, trusted council, who carry out his wishes. The job of these advisors is to take the will of the king, translate it into the law of the land, and make sure it is enacted throughout the kingdom.
A kingdom is therefore the governing influence of a king over his territory, impacting and influencing it with his personal will. In a kingdom, the king’s personal interest becomes policy, and the king’s personal will becomes law.
The effectiveness of a kingdom and its power is therefore its ability to influence and control the territory according to the vision of the king.
The Goal of the Kingdom: Ruling and Gaining Territory
Most kingdoms throughout history have sought to take additional land, sometimes at some distance from the home country, because the power of a king is related to the territory he owns. The more territory a king had, the greater he was respected by other kingdoms, especially if the territories had abundant natural wealth. The home country of the king was his domain, and the outlying territories were his colonies.
Once a colony was gained, the sovereign’s number one goal was to exercise his personal influence over it.
The Transformation of Colonies into the Kingdom
A colony is comprised of “a group of emigrants or their descendants who settle in a distant land but remain subject to the parent country.” The word colony comes from the Latin word colonia, derived from colere, meaning “to cultivate.” In this sense, a colony is:
√ the presence of a distinct cultural citizenry in a foreign territory that is governed by the laws and customs of its home country.
√ established to influence the territory for the home government.
This means that a colony’s purpose was essentially to:
1. be an extension of the home country in another territory.
2.establish a prototype of the original country in another territory.
represent the values, morals, and manners of the home country.
manifest the culture and lifestyle of the original nation.
When a kingdom takes a territory, therefore, its goal is to make that territory exactly like the kingdom. The purpose is not only to gain lands, but also to transform these lands so that they mirror the country in its mind-set and lifestyle, its characteristics and culture. In this way, the kingdom not only extends its power, but it also expands the influence of its very nature.
The Roman Empire had a specific way of ensuring the permanency and effectiveness of kingdom influence over its colonies. When the Romans conquered a region, they planted a group of about three hundred of their own citizens, as well as a larger number of those allied with the empire, and a number of settlers, within it to serve as a type of military outpost. These constituted a “colony of Romans citizens” (colonia civium Roma- norum) or a “little Rome.” A colony of Roman citizens was free from taxation and military duty. It had its own constitution based on the Roman constitution and was allowed to elect its own senate and other offices of state. The original inhabitants had to adhere to this new government and its constitution. These “little Romes'' brought the culture and values of the Roman empire throughout Europe and northern Africa. A striking picture of the power and influence of kingdoms over a territory and the lifestyle of its inhabitants can be seen in the various nations of the Caribbean and West Indies. You can always tell who controlled a colony by studying its culture. The Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados are former colonies of the United Kingdom. Cuba was a colony of Spain. Haiti was a colony of France. The cultures of all these islands are distinctly characteristic of the countries that claimed them.
You can still see the kingdoms’ influence in the daily lives of the peoples’ customs. If you visited the Bahamas, you’d see the influence of Great Britain in our narrow streets, our driving on the left-hand side of the road, and our habit of drinking tea. When I was a young boy attending school, my classmates and I grew up singing “Yah Save the Queen.” We were being taught to be a “little Britain.” Similarly, if you went to Cuba, you might think you were in Spain as you observed its architecture and food. Significantly for their cultures, each of these former colonies speaks the language of the kingdom that conquered it.
Most kingdoms in the colonial period had to fight for new territory because there was a limited amount of land in the world. Under European control, the Bahamas was initially claimed by the Spaniards. The French tried to conquer it, but the Spaniards held them off. Finally, the British won out over the Spanish. If the British Empire hadn’t won, I might be speaking Spanish today. So even though the Bahamas, Haiti, and Cuba are all part of a chain of islands, whoever controlled the domain controlled the language and culture of the people. If you really want to investigate the power of kingdoms, study the island of Hispaniola, home of both the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Two kingdoms grabbed the same island, and there’s a line right down the middle of the island; one side speaks French, while the other side speaks Spanish.
The Most Important Person in the Colony
The transformation of a colony into the culture of the kingdom didn’t happen automatically. A purposeful development was involved. The king didn’t usually directly extend his influence to his colony by physically going there. He administrated his will through his personal representative, called a governor or regent. He sent his representative to physically live in the colony in his place. Therefore, the royal governor was the presence of the absent king in the colony.
With the governor in the colony, you didn’t need the physical presence of the king to experience and be changed by the king’s influence. I mentioned that the British monarchs who influenced the English-speaking Caribbean nations didn’t frequently visit their colonies. Yet, in the Bahamas, we all learned to speak English, drink tea, wave the Union Jack, and sing the songs of Britain. We became part of the United Kingdom. And the royal governors were the direct instrument of that transformation.
The governor was therefore the most important person in the colony. We get a greater appreciation for why this was true when we look at his purpose.
The Governor’s Purpose
The governor’s purpose was sixfold:
1.Relationship: The governor was the guarantee that the kingdom could always have access to the colony. The inter-relationship between king and colony was totally dependent on him.
2.Communication: Anything the king wanted the colony to know or to receive, he would send through his governor, his avenue of communication.
3.Representation: The governor was the chief representative of the king and his kingdom in the colony. He also represented the colony to the king.
4.Interpretation: The governor understood intimately the king’s desires, ideas, intent, purposes, will, and plans; therefore, he was the only one who could effectively interpret these things for the colony.
5.Power: The governor was the only one empowered with the authority and ability to execute the king’s desires and commands for the colony.
6.Partnership: The governor was effectively the king’s partner in rulership.
The Governor’s Qualifications and Roles
The qualifications and roles of a governor were significant in terms of kingdom and colony:
1. The governor was appointed by the king.
Unlike the governors of representational governments, the royal governor was not voted in; he was appointed by the king.
2. The governor came only from the kingdom, never the colony.
Governors were never chosen from the indigenous peoples of the colonies. They were always appointed from the home countries. Why? A governor had to be steeped in the original culture of the kingdom. He had to be a person who knew the kingdom and understood the heart, mind, desires, will, and intent of the king in carrying out the kingdom’s purposes in the territory.
3. The governor represented only the king.
Again, the difference between the governors of colonies and the governors many of us are familiar with in representative governments is like night and day. Every state in the United States has a governor who is voted in by the people and can also be voted out by them. He or she is ultimately accountable to the people of the state, not to the federal government or its leaders. In contrast, the royal governor was responsible and accountable to the king alone in his allegiance, attitude, actions, and responsibility.
4. The governor only expressed the mind and will of the king.
The governor was not there to promote his own personal policies or agendas. He was to take the vision and will of the king and communicate that to the people, translating it into policy and law.
5. The governor was responsible for converting the colony into the kingdom.
Once more, it was the governor’s job to oversee and carry out the transformation of the colonies according to the character of the kingdom. The governor was “planted” in the colony to sow the seeds of the home country into the culture of the new territory. Colonization was for the purpose of conversion— to exchange the culture of the territory for the culture of the kingdom. Whatever was happening in the kingdom was supposed to happen in the colony, as well.
6.In converting the colony, the governor transferred the kingdom’s culture, values, nature, language, and lifestyle to the people.
The governor made sure that every subject of the kingdom took on the kingdom culture in language, attitude, dress, food, and so forth. The colonists were even to take on the history of the kingdom as if it were their own, which in fact it now was, because they had become a part of the chronicles of the nation. The subjects were to take on the mind-set and lifestyle of the kingdom until, if you visited the territory, you would think you were in the home country itself.
7. The governor prepared the subjects for citizenship.
When a king took over a colony, the people essentially became his possessions. The inhabitants of the colony did not automatically become citizens; they were called subjects. For example, when the Bahamas was a colony, the people were not citizens of Great Britain. We couldn’t vote, and we didn’t have other rights of British citizens.
In a kingdom, citizenship was a privilege. Who became a citizen was the king’s prerogative, and he personally granted it. The reason citizenship wasn’t automatic is that, once a person was appointed a citizen, he had special benefits and protections in the kingdom. In the Roman Empire, citizenship was a high honor and privilege involving many rights. In the first century, Paul of Tarsus was arrested in Jerusalem by the Roman commander for allegedly disturbing the peace. He was about to be whipped when he declared to a nearby centurion that he was a Roman citizen. Immediately, the soldiers’ attitude toward him changed. The following exchange dramatically reveals the power of kingdom citizenship in the Roman Empire, especially if you were born a citizen:
As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?” When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.” The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes I am,” he answered. Then the commander said, “I had to pay a big price for my citizenship.” “But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied. Those who were about to question him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.
Once you are a citizen, your privileges, rights, and demands upon the throne change. The king is responsible for taking care of you.
Therefore, the governor’s role of preparing subjects for citizenship was a tremendous responsibility. If the governor believed a subject was ready to be a citizen or especially deserved citizenship, he recommended the subject to the king. Since the governor lived in the colony and knew the subjects firsthand, the king accepted the suggestions of the governor in this regard.
8.The governor lived in a residence built by the government of the home country.
A kingdom would build a residence in its colonies specifically for its royal governors to live in. This emphasized that the governor, the chief representative of the kingdom in the colony, was not just a visitor; he lived there, he was there to stay, and this was his legal residence. The British built a governor’s mansion in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, specifically for the royal governor to live in, which today is called the Government House. Great Britain similarly built governors’ houses in Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, and in every colony where it ruled.
9.The governor’s presence in the colony was evidence that the kingdom itself was in the colony.
As long as the governor lived in the colony, the kingdom itself was present. The first time the Bahamas was declared a British colony was when a royal governor drove out the remaining Spanish garrisons, solidifying its ownership by the kingdom of Great Britain.
10. The governor left if the colony declared independence.
Either by force or recall, the royal governor would leave a colony if it declared independence and the kingdom was no longer officially governing. In the American Revolution, the royal governors of the colonies were forced to withdraw from their posts. When the Bahamas received independence, it was through negotiation with Great Britain, and the governor was recalled because he no longer had a legal right to be there.
The Value of the Governor
In kingdom terms, then, the governor was the most powerful and important person in the colony. Because he introduced the kingdom’s culture, language, and lifestyle—every unique aspect of the kingdom—to the colony, he had great value for the kingdom and its larger purposes. To summarize, the governor was valuable:
1. As the presence of the government. Without him, the kingdom would not exist in the colony.
2. For representing the government. If he wasn’t there, the king would not be adequately or effectively represented.
3. For the enablement of the colony. He was the one with the authority and ability to supply power and resources to the colony.
4. For protection. As long as the kingdom was represented in a colony by the governor, the king was obligated to protect the territory from outside threats and danger.
5. For his ability to know and communicate the mind of the king. The governor represented the king’s interests and will to the colony and made sure they were carried out.
6. For enabling the colony’s citizens and subjects to fulfill the will of the kingdom. The colony received its instructions only through the governor and therefore was dependent on him for its effectiveness. The citizens and subjects would not be able to carry out their kingdom mandate without the governor’s guidance and empowerment.
The Influence of Another Kingdom
These were the main features of a kingdom-colony relationship, including the pivotal role of the governor in the process of transforming colonies into the home country. This brings us back to the kingdom I mentioned earlier in this teaching, which transcends our human governments and speaks to the basis of our very nature and existence as human beings. This kingdom has properties that are similar to, but go beyond, those of the traditional earthly kingdoms we’ve been looking at.
Two millennia ago, a startling young teacher described this transcendent kingdom. When Yahusha of Nazareth began traveling and speaking around Palestine, the first thing he is recorded as saying is, “The time has come....The kingdom of Yah is near.”
This statement intrigues me and brings up several questions for us to explore in terms of kingdom:
√ What “time” was he speaking about? And why then?
√ What was the nature of the kingdom he was referring to?
He was announcing the imminent return of a kingdom and its influence on earth. Notice that he didn’t proclaim the entrance of a new religion, nor did he announce the beginnings of a democratic form of government. We have to ask:
√ Why would he use this particular governmental reference at the beginning of his public life?
√ What did it signify about his message and purpose?
√ If the influence of a kingdom was entering the world, what new culture would emerge for the citizens of earth?
To understand the context of these thought-provoking statements and their implications, we need to go back to the first book of Moses, the book of Genesis, to the origins of this kingdom. For this wasn’t the first time the transcendent kingdom had entered the world and impacted its inhabitants...
Monday, May 29, 2023
INTRODUCTION: MOST IMPORTANT PERSON ON EARTH
Acts chapter 1
Today we are walking in: Introduction
Joel 2:28
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit H7307 upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
SPIRIT
Today we look to the word-SPIRIT- H7307-RUWACH-wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being:—air, anger, blast, breath,
The Torah Testifies……………………….
Genesis 1:2
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit H7307 of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 6:3
And the LORD said, My spirit H7307 shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Exodus 28:3
And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit H7307 of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
The Prophets Proclaim……………………….
Isaiah 31:3
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit H7307. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.
Ezekiel 2:2
And the spirit H7307 entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
Haggai 1:14
And the LORD stirred up the spirit H7307 of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit H7307 of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit H7307 of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
The Writings Witness………………………..
Job 10:12
Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit H7307.
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. H7307
Proverbs 15:4
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit H7307.
INTRODUCTION
Human beings of all ages, genders, nationalities, and ethnic groups are on a search for purpose and significance. Consider:
√ the multitude of religions in the world that seek to explain our existence.
√ the large and growing number of books on the “self-help” shelves in bookstores.
√ the enormous emphasis in Western countries on self-actualization.
√ the scientific community’s continual pursuit of the origins of life.
√ the ongoing struggle of Third-World peoples to gain freedom and a sense of identity for their nations and themselves.
We seek to understand why we are here, the significance of the world we live in, and how we can fulfill our personal potential. We want to know if our individual lives have any real meaning in the vast expanse of history and time.
Why do we struggle with these questions? Why don’t we already know the answers to them?
What makes us so introspective and continually longing to find meaning for ourselves and our world?
“Return to Manufacturer”
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all human beings were born with “manufacturer’s instructions” tied to their wrists, explaining who they are and how they work? (Of course, even if we did, most of us would probably skip the instructions and try to figure out life as we went along!)
I believe human beings do come with the equivalent of operating instructions that give us answers to our deepest questions about ourselves and our world. Some of this information has been placed within us; the rest has been given to us by our Creator or “Manufacturer” in written form. The reason we’re filled with such uncertainty and confusion about life is that we’ve lost our connection to these original instructions. We haven’t stopped to recognize our internal programming, or to read our life manual in order to understand our personal potential or how we work. This is why we can’t see the purpose of the world itself and how it is supposed to function.
When we try but fail to solve what is broken in our lives and in our world, it is because our Manufacturer’s labels have become faded, and we haven’t read this crucial instruction: “Do not try to repair yourself. Return to Manufacturer.”
It is the Manufacturer who...
√ has the original blueprints.
√ knows how to repair what is broken inside us.
√ can provide the replacement piece for what is missing in our lives.
When we rediscover the Manufacturer’s original intent, we come to understand our purpose, our potential, and the significance of our role in this world.
Kingdom Government
The mind of our Manufacturer didn’t invent the fragmented life we have today, with its divisions among nations and people groups, its strife among families, its double-mindedness and double standards, its abuse and waste. He conceived of an orderly but energetic life in which every person could reach his fullest potential in conjunction with others for the greatest good of individuals and the community of human beings.
The original blueprint of the Creator was for a kingdom government on earth as an extension and reflection of his own greater, spiritual kingdom. This earthly government was to be a thriving colony with humanity as (1) its citizens, and (2) its local vice governors representing the home kingdom. Our mandate was to transform the colony into the nature of the kingdom.
The character of the initial colony was both peaceful and productive because of the generous nature of its Creator and Sovereign. His interests are the welfare, fruitfulness, and fulfillment of his citizens. His is a perfect government, a benevolent rule.
Inter-Realm Connection
The key to the success of this plan was the establishment of an inter-realm connection and ongoing relationship between
the home kingdom and the colony of earth. This connection was completely effective because it was direct—from Sovereign to individual citizens—through a supernatural communication that allowed the citizens to know the desires and plans of the King. That connection was the very Spirit of the Sovereign living within humanity—his Ruach HaQadesh.
To understand this inter-realm connection, we have to look at the concept of supernatural, and we must address the various misconceptions people have when they hear the term Ruach HaQadesh. I am not talking about some kind of “force,” “mist,” or “feeling,” but a Person. I am referring to the Creator “extending himself” to us in personal interaction, a Person-to-person communication.
The Concept of the Supernatural
The word supernatural does not exist in Scripture, but it does describe a concept clearly presented there. Supernatural simply means “outside” or “above” the natural; it is spiritual rather than physical. The supernatural world is above our natural world. Paul of Tarsus, the first-century theologian, defined this concept as invisible or unseen:
Since the creation of the world Yah’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
The supernatural realm is therefore an invisible or unseen world that is distinct from our physical one. It is what the incomparable young rabbi, Yahusha of Nazareth, was referring to when he said, “My kingdom is not of this world....But now my kingdom is from another place.”
When someone “experiences” the supernatural world of the Creator-King, it refers to his encounter with the kingdom of his Sovereign. The key to his interaction with the unseen kingdom is the Ruach HaQadesh communicating the King’s mind and heart to him so he can carry it out on earth.
The nature of this relationship between the unseen world of the kingdom government and the seen world of the physical earth underscores the incalculable value of the one who makes the connection between these two realms possible, the Ruach HaQadesh.
The Concept of the Kingdom
To fully appreciate the invisible kingdom government, we must realize that the idea of “kingdom” didn’t originate on earth with the ancient civilizations of Babylon and Egypt. It didn’t come from earth at all. The concept of kingdom is rooted in the desire of the Creator to design and sustain both the unseen and seen realms in order to express, represent, and manifest his nature.
Ideas are one of the most powerful forces in existence. We see how the greatest ideas transcend generations and serve as the source of people’s creative activity and the motivation for their productivity. Ideas are the starting point of all that is created. An idea becomes a full-fledged, viable concept when it is envisioned and executed. The concept of an ideal kingdom is so beautiful that only a Creator-King of a certain nature could have envisioned and established it. We need to understand the King and kingdom out of which we come.
The word king refers to the person or personality who influences and oversees the productive development and profitable service of everything under his care, for the fulfillment of his noble desires and the benefit of all those living in his realm. The environment, territory, and authority over which he presides are his “domains” or “realms.” A king effectually relating to his domains is the essence of the concept of kingdom.
Kingdom is thus the perfect example of the divine, creative act of the Creator. The first realm of his dominion is described as heaven. Heaven is the original kingdom; it was the origin of kingdoms. No kingdom existed before it, and nothing natural can be adequately compared to it. It is the first real kingdom because the first King created it. The kingdom of heaven is the only perfect prototype of kingdoms in existence.
When our Creator-King desired to extend his perfect kingdom from the invisible realm to the visible realm, the result was the creation of the physical universe and the appointment of planet earth as the destination for a unique extension of his divine being. Paul of Tarsus attempted to communicate this divine process of creation and extension when writing to people in the city of Colossae: “By him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.”
The kingdom of heaven and its colony of earth exist through the will of our Creator-King. It is therefore impossible to comprehend humanity’s purpose without understanding the kingdom concept and how we are meant to live it out on earth. An inter-realm connection through the Ruach HaQadesh is what enables us to fulfill our very purpose as human beings.
The kingdom government is the ultimate answer to our search for personal significance and the meaning of the world around us.
We can no longer ignore the fading writing on our Manufacturer’s label. Let us return to the initial intent of our Creator-King, so we may understand the original blueprints of both kingdom and colony.
Today we are walking in: Introduction
Joel 2:28
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit H7307 upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
SPIRIT
Today we look to the word-SPIRIT- H7307-RUWACH-wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being:—air, anger, blast, breath,
The Torah Testifies……………………….
Genesis 1:2
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit H7307 of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 6:3
And the LORD said, My spirit H7307 shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Exodus 28:3
And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit H7307 of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
The Prophets Proclaim……………………….
Isaiah 31:3
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit H7307. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.
Ezekiel 2:2
And the spirit H7307 entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
Haggai 1:14
And the LORD stirred up the spirit H7307 of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit H7307 of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit H7307 of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
The Writings Witness………………………..
Job 10:12
Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit H7307.
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. H7307
Proverbs 15:4
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit H7307.
INTRODUCTION
Human beings of all ages, genders, nationalities, and ethnic groups are on a search for purpose and significance. Consider:
√ the multitude of religions in the world that seek to explain our existence.
√ the large and growing number of books on the “self-help” shelves in bookstores.
√ the enormous emphasis in Western countries on self-actualization.
√ the scientific community’s continual pursuit of the origins of life.
√ the ongoing struggle of Third-World peoples to gain freedom and a sense of identity for their nations and themselves.
We seek to understand why we are here, the significance of the world we live in, and how we can fulfill our personal potential. We want to know if our individual lives have any real meaning in the vast expanse of history and time.
Why do we struggle with these questions? Why don’t we already know the answers to them?
What makes us so introspective and continually longing to find meaning for ourselves and our world?
“Return to Manufacturer”
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all human beings were born with “manufacturer’s instructions” tied to their wrists, explaining who they are and how they work? (Of course, even if we did, most of us would probably skip the instructions and try to figure out life as we went along!)
I believe human beings do come with the equivalent of operating instructions that give us answers to our deepest questions about ourselves and our world. Some of this information has been placed within us; the rest has been given to us by our Creator or “Manufacturer” in written form. The reason we’re filled with such uncertainty and confusion about life is that we’ve lost our connection to these original instructions. We haven’t stopped to recognize our internal programming, or to read our life manual in order to understand our personal potential or how we work. This is why we can’t see the purpose of the world itself and how it is supposed to function.
When we try but fail to solve what is broken in our lives and in our world, it is because our Manufacturer’s labels have become faded, and we haven’t read this crucial instruction: “Do not try to repair yourself. Return to Manufacturer.”
It is the Manufacturer who...
√ has the original blueprints.
√ knows how to repair what is broken inside us.
√ can provide the replacement piece for what is missing in our lives.
When we rediscover the Manufacturer’s original intent, we come to understand our purpose, our potential, and the significance of our role in this world.
Kingdom Government
The mind of our Manufacturer didn’t invent the fragmented life we have today, with its divisions among nations and people groups, its strife among families, its double-mindedness and double standards, its abuse and waste. He conceived of an orderly but energetic life in which every person could reach his fullest potential in conjunction with others for the greatest good of individuals and the community of human beings.
The original blueprint of the Creator was for a kingdom government on earth as an extension and reflection of his own greater, spiritual kingdom. This earthly government was to be a thriving colony with humanity as (1) its citizens, and (2) its local vice governors representing the home kingdom. Our mandate was to transform the colony into the nature of the kingdom.
The character of the initial colony was both peaceful and productive because of the generous nature of its Creator and Sovereign. His interests are the welfare, fruitfulness, and fulfillment of his citizens. His is a perfect government, a benevolent rule.
Inter-Realm Connection
The key to the success of this plan was the establishment of an inter-realm connection and ongoing relationship between
the home kingdom and the colony of earth. This connection was completely effective because it was direct—from Sovereign to individual citizens—through a supernatural communication that allowed the citizens to know the desires and plans of the King. That connection was the very Spirit of the Sovereign living within humanity—his Ruach HaQadesh.
To understand this inter-realm connection, we have to look at the concept of supernatural, and we must address the various misconceptions people have when they hear the term Ruach HaQadesh. I am not talking about some kind of “force,” “mist,” or “feeling,” but a Person. I am referring to the Creator “extending himself” to us in personal interaction, a Person-to-person communication.
The Concept of the Supernatural
The word supernatural does not exist in Scripture, but it does describe a concept clearly presented there. Supernatural simply means “outside” or “above” the natural; it is spiritual rather than physical. The supernatural world is above our natural world. Paul of Tarsus, the first-century theologian, defined this concept as invisible or unseen:
Since the creation of the world Yah’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
The supernatural realm is therefore an invisible or unseen world that is distinct from our physical one. It is what the incomparable young rabbi, Yahusha of Nazareth, was referring to when he said, “My kingdom is not of this world....But now my kingdom is from another place.”
When someone “experiences” the supernatural world of the Creator-King, it refers to his encounter with the kingdom of his Sovereign. The key to his interaction with the unseen kingdom is the Ruach HaQadesh communicating the King’s mind and heart to him so he can carry it out on earth.
The nature of this relationship between the unseen world of the kingdom government and the seen world of the physical earth underscores the incalculable value of the one who makes the connection between these two realms possible, the Ruach HaQadesh.
The Concept of the Kingdom
To fully appreciate the invisible kingdom government, we must realize that the idea of “kingdom” didn’t originate on earth with the ancient civilizations of Babylon and Egypt. It didn’t come from earth at all. The concept of kingdom is rooted in the desire of the Creator to design and sustain both the unseen and seen realms in order to express, represent, and manifest his nature.
Ideas are one of the most powerful forces in existence. We see how the greatest ideas transcend generations and serve as the source of people’s creative activity and the motivation for their productivity. Ideas are the starting point of all that is created. An idea becomes a full-fledged, viable concept when it is envisioned and executed. The concept of an ideal kingdom is so beautiful that only a Creator-King of a certain nature could have envisioned and established it. We need to understand the King and kingdom out of which we come.
The word king refers to the person or personality who influences and oversees the productive development and profitable service of everything under his care, for the fulfillment of his noble desires and the benefit of all those living in his realm. The environment, territory, and authority over which he presides are his “domains” or “realms.” A king effectually relating to his domains is the essence of the concept of kingdom.
Kingdom is thus the perfect example of the divine, creative act of the Creator. The first realm of his dominion is described as heaven. Heaven is the original kingdom; it was the origin of kingdoms. No kingdom existed before it, and nothing natural can be adequately compared to it. It is the first real kingdom because the first King created it. The kingdom of heaven is the only perfect prototype of kingdoms in existence.
When our Creator-King desired to extend his perfect kingdom from the invisible realm to the visible realm, the result was the creation of the physical universe and the appointment of planet earth as the destination for a unique extension of his divine being. Paul of Tarsus attempted to communicate this divine process of creation and extension when writing to people in the city of Colossae: “By him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.”
The kingdom of heaven and its colony of earth exist through the will of our Creator-King. It is therefore impossible to comprehend humanity’s purpose without understanding the kingdom concept and how we are meant to live it out on earth. An inter-realm connection through the Ruach HaQadesh is what enables us to fulfill our very purpose as human beings.
The kingdom government is the ultimate answer to our search for personal significance and the meaning of the world around us.
We can no longer ignore the fading writing on our Manufacturer’s label. Let us return to the initial intent of our Creator-King, so we may understand the original blueprints of both kingdom and colony.
Saturday, May 27, 2023
UNDERSTANDING KINGDOM INTERPRETATION PART 2
Proverbs chapter 4
Today we are walking in: Understanding Kingdom Interpretation Part 2
Job 34:16
If now thou hast understanding, hear H8085 this: hearken to the voice of my words.
UNDERSTAND
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?
UNDERSTANDING KINGDOM INTERPRETATION PART 2
How to study and interpret the Bible is what we are going to look at this afternoon. What is the source of the interpreter's principles? The interpreters principles, in other words, where does the interpreter who comes to the Bible, that's you--you are the interpreter. Where did you get your principles from? What frame are you using as you approach, this is a very exciting and important, yet challenging piece of literature? Number one, the importance of interpretation is where we must begin. There is so much information, let's first deal with the word hermeneutics. Hermeneutics those of you who will go to college and you study in the seminary, this word becomes very common to theologians. A theologian is simply one who studies the Most High so don't be afraid of that word. You are a theologian because you are studying your Abba. Is that clear? So don't let no one impress you with robes and rings and and chains the crosses on them. You are all theologians and every student of the Most High, should be a theologian of high degree. Because we live and move by the Word of the Most High. Hermeneutics is a term, that is a Greek context and I want to specifically state, that it simply means to interpret or explain. Hermeneutics means to interpret or explain. Hermeneuein which is the Greek word, from the Greek noun herminia and it means interpretation. So herminia, hermo means to explain--hermeneutics means the process of explanation. The noun herminia, means literally to interpret or interpretation. I would say then, that hermeneutics means explanation. Explanation to interpret. That's what it means so, if you want to sound deep you are taking a hermeneutics class. So for this kind of teaching we will be doing on Fiveamprayer, would be similar to what you would take in Bible colleges. That's what they call this class, hermeneutics class, which means a class of what? Interpretation, that's all it is. Now this word hermeneutics which is a Greek term from the Greek language, is used not only for the Bible. It's used for all historical documents and that's why it's very important to understand the importance of interpretation. Interpretation as a discipline is important because meaning has to do with the core of man's thinking. Interpretation is necessary, because meaning is what we're after. The meaning affects our thinking. And thinking is the foundation for your life. I believe this is because we have lost touch with the Bible as an eastern book. It is not a western book!! The Bible is an eastern book! All the languages of the Bible are eastern languages. So these books must be translated from the concepts of the east. Hebrew and Aramaic are a part of what they call the Semite language family. That word is always referring to of course the Hebrews and that is important because if you are going to study the Bible. You have to appreciate that these languages come from that area. So we have to understand what these people understand so that we don’t try to overlay on these people our English version of life!! Examples that I think we constantly have is, how the Hebrew word or the Semitic word have different meanings than what we think they do in English. They are completely different. We need to be careful not to overlay our meanings on them.The word that the Most High Yah gave for His name. When the Most High used the term “I AM” in the Hebrew language it meant something really different from the English. I AM that I AM, I will be, who I will be! The name of a thing in Hebrew is the exact thing and it is what it is named. So when you call a name in Hebrew, you’re calling the thing--what it is!! You are actually consuming all of its characteristics. That is why naming is so difficult in Hebrew and when you don’t understand that you end up dividing, in a sense, the scriptures. You abuse them, you mutilate them because you begin to apply our understanding of words to the Bible. We have to be cautious with that. The New Testament is written in Greek. But the old testament also has some great translations but it is basically Hebrew. Can anyone tell me why the New Testament is written in Greek? Because of the time. Once again. We are talking about the Hellenistic period they call it. When the Greeks ruled the world and the Greek language of course was propagated as the language of commerce. It was the language of communication for the world and that is why we have so many writings from people like Socrates and Plato and Aristotle because the language of the Greek was very, very sophisticated. The Most High is wise because the Greek language is so perfect. It is such a perfect language that the Most High waited until the Greek language was ruling the world before He sent Yahusha.
When the Romans took over the world they defeated the Greeks, but the Romans kept the Greek language. The Most High wanted to make sure that we got the gospel in its fullest. The Most High could not have used a better language than Greek for the New Testament because it is such an exact language. That’s why I tell you there are four languages for love. It is exact. You cannot miss it. When Yahusha said to His disciples, I love you, He used a different word than He would say I love the flowers. Now if He was speaking English we would have misunderstood Him. But in Greek they could not misunderstand Him. He used agape for them and then He used philos for something else. So The Most High Yah in His wisdom preserved the right language so that there would be minimum misunderstanding even 2000 years later!! The other thing about the Greek language is that it is so well preserved. If the Most High Yah would have used English we would be in trouble. Ten years ago bread was bread that you eat. Now bread is money. I do not know what you mean anymore. I remember when cool meant cold. Thank The Most High Yah that He did not use English. The Most High used a language called Greek and Greek is so perfect. It is such an exact language and The Most High did that to preserve His word. This is textual criticism. This word you will probably hear a lot in different circles of theological study. Textual criticism. Aramaic became the principal language of the Mesopotamian area and of Syria and Palestine and it became the secondary language of the Persian empire. Now remember that Persia is Babylon and they took over of course and they ruled everybody! The Persian empire spoke Aramaic. People like Daniel were under Babylon. That is when they were in exile. So parts of Daniel are written in Aramaic because Daniel was under the influence of the Persian empire. So Aramaic was introduced during that period of the exile and it continued in its influence all the way up until Yahusha time. There are some statements in the New Testament that Yahusha spoke that are actually Aramaic statements. I did not say Arabic. Aramaic is a Persian language and this is the language that Yahusha himself understood. Aramaic was a very common language among the people in the area. The word Palestine, that is where Yahusha lived. That is where Israel is, that is where Canaan is. It is in the Palestine area. So all of that area was covered with that language and they spoke it as a common language every day. So they were covered by the Roman authority and they spoke Greek as the classical language. The teachers said that, the people with high class, they spoke Greek. Then the Aramaic language was a local language, but then you had Hebrew of course among the people. But Hebrew was kind of a lost language in the time of Yahusha because during the exile, people lost the language. So there is a whole lot of stuff going on when you talk about the Bible. When Yahusha came He spoke Aramaic, Greek and Hebrew. Hebrew is a modern language today. Hebrew was reinvented after 1948. If you go to Israel you will see that they speak Hebrew, but it is not pure Hebrew. It has been contaminated by modern words that were put in to reconstruct the language. Pure Hebrew is found way back in the writings of these old testament writings. I am saying this to say, sometimes when Yahusha would make a statement He would make a statement using a Aramaic idiom and if you do not understand His Aramaic idiom, you do not understand what He was saying. Then you end up with a wrong interpretation. Then you end up with wrong application and you kill yourself in bondage. So when we talk about Greek and Aramaic it is very important that we understand the new testament was written mostly in Greek but there were some statements in Aramaic because of the culture that they were in. History means that you must use extra biblical resources and sources to interpret the Bible. When you are going to interpret the Bible it has its own objectives. The Bible is written in time and that time has a context of history. That history includes people, culture, social conditions, economic conditions, wars, and rumors of wars. It includes poverty and wealth and all kinds of changes. The Bible was written in the midst of all of that. So when you are going to interpret the Bible you cannot ignore the historical information that surrounds all of the periods that you are reading. It is important to read historical writings to verify and validate and confirm what the Bible is saying. Okay, so it's important to read history. That's why if you can interpret the Scriptures, you must not ignore the historical documents. Read other books that relate to what's going on. The third principle is drawn from philosophy. If you interpret scripture, you must understand that there's a philosophical assumption that influences interpretation. Everybody comes with their philosophy and this is when we get into people like Martin Luther. Also, famous St. Augustine. They influenced Christian theology. But many of them have different philosophies that they brought to their interpretation. So you have to be aware of what they interpret. Is it their philosophy? Because they interpret based on their assumptions and bring it philosophically. For example, you have people who believe in once saved, always saved, it comes from a different philosophy.So when you read the Bible you look for that. So then you see if you can find that and you dig it out and then you confirm what you feel, and that becomes what? Your philosophy. So your philosophy influences the way you interpret Scripture. Once again philosophy is “do it the way you think”. When you start to study and start to interpret the Bible, you have to consider the philosophical approach so you can understand why this person came to this conclusion. It may not be the one that you came to but you understand why they came to that conclusion. Interpreting the Bible has to do with schools of thought. Schools of theological influences affect the way you interpret the scripture. Everybody has a school of thought. When you interpret Scripture, you have to take an honest look at the theology that is being communicated in that interpretation. Martin Luther for example when he read the Bible as a Catholic priest, He had a revelation concerning salvation And he got it from reading the book of Romans. He concluded that a person is saved by grace through faith in Christ and not by paying for penance and confessing their sins so much. So he said look, based on what I read here we are saved by grace through faith in Yahusha. He says we don’t have to pay all this money and do all these things so he ends up with a theology that creates a problem for the Catholic Church because the Catholic Church at that time got a lot of money from people paying penance. In Europe it was tough to be Catholic. You had to pay everything there, trying to get your sins forgiven. That's how bad it was. So Martin Luther says, I don't know but there's something wrong with this and He read the Bible and says we are saved by grace through the work of Yahusha, not through paying all this money and doing all these things. So that was his theology and it covered all of his writings. So when you interpret the Bible if you are a Catholic you can see a difference and you interpret the Bible a little differently. If you are from the Protestant theological view, you interpret the Bible a little differently. You look and you see something different. So interpretation is very very subjective in a sense to the principles of theology. And that's why theology is important because it's the study of how you see The Most High. How do you see The Most High? And how you see The Most High is how you interpret his word. Make sure our theology is based on what Yahusha believed and what Yahusha says. The last thing is, The Bible never changes. People change but not the Bible. The Bible is the number one best-selling book in history and still is. The Bible has survived every attempt to be destroyed which makes the book a miraculous book in itself. Some of you when you read the scriptures will find out where it talks about nations that the people of The Most High were killed and everything was destroyed and burned, then a thousand years later they went back to that place and rebuilt it and they found the Bible under some rocks. The Most High's Word is surviving every attempt to be destroyed. Thank you Most High for giving us Your word!!!!!
Friday, May 26, 2023
FROM MANNA TO FRUIT OF THE LAND PART 2
Exodus chapter 19
Today we are walking in: From Manna To Fruit Of The Land
Exodus 3:18
And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, H4057 that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
Today we look to the word-WILDERNESS- H4057 midbar --wilderness, pasture, uninhabited land
The Torah testifies.......................................
Genesis 16:7
And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, H4057 by the fountain in the way to Shur.
Exodus 4:27
And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness H4057 to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
Numbers 14:33
And your children shall wander in the wilderness H4057 forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. H4057
Deuteronomy 1:31
And in the wilderness, H4057 where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 42:11
Let the wilderness H4057 and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, H4057 and rivers in the desert.
Jeremiah 9:12
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, H4057 that none passeth through?
Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: H4057 they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, H4057 to consume them.
The Writings bear witness.............
Joshua 1:4
From the wilderness H4057 and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
2Chronicles 1:3
So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. H4057
Nehemiah 9:19
Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: H4057 the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Psalm 65:12
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: H4057 and the little hills rejoice on every side.
Psalm 78:15
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, H4057 and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
SECOND THING YOU NEED - WEAPONS TRAINING
Joshua had to walk the promise out. For hundreds of years, the children of Israel had their promise in their possession, since before Moses, since the time of Abraham, since the time Abraham walked on the land... their promise was written in stone. But not once did they eat the fruit of that land until one day Joshua picked up the sword, led them across that Jordan river, and took Jericho down. They had to fight for the land that The Most High had promised and it was in the days of Joshua that they saw the promise that The Most High had given to them fulfilled. You are saying, “Most High, why is my promise not fulfilled?” Last year, the year before, the year before that... The Most High had given you one promise after the other, and you are still saying, “Most High, where is my Promised Land?” Well, here is the thing - where is your sword? Do you want to survive on manna for the rest of your life, or do you want to take the land that The Most High has indeed given to you? Well, then you are going to have to pick up your sword. That is why this season that lies ahead of you is a season of spiritual warfare. Now, before you think it’s the kind of warfare where you are sitting at home and the enemy comes banging on your door, and you have to defend yourself, I want you to think again. The Israelites were bold, and they were courageous. They picked up their swords. They picked up their ram’s horn, their harps, their tabernacle, and everything else they had in their possession. They went into the land that belonged to the enemy, and they took it back. They didn’t accept the wilderness as their home any longer. They were determined to walk the promise out in obedience according to the rules The Most High had set with His power. This is a season of warfare and of faith. This is a season to pick up your sword in faith, stretch it out in hope, and to overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of your testimony.
YOUR FIRST STOP - OPPOSITION
Tell me child of The Most High, is your promise worth fighting for? What is the first thing that happens when we receive a promise from The Most High? You get so excited! You can’t wait to tell the whole world. You make plans. You make preparations. You start praying and quoting the Word, and getting in there. Then the first thing that happens is that a big, fat, wall called Jericho hits you right in the face, impossible to penetrate. The first thing that hits you is opposition, and the first thing that goes through your mind after that is, “I missed The Most High! Because surely, if The Most High is leading me in this way, wouldn’t the Gentiles and Philistines just have laid their swords at my feet? Would the doors not just have opened? Would the king of Jericho not have come, opened his big doors to his city, and said, ‘Come on in, take my house, feel free! Please, take over!’ If The Most High is leading me in this direction, why all the opposition?” It’s because the rules have changed. Now, you can stay in the wilderness, and you can have your little dish of manna every day and be content therewith, but then don’t complain to The Most High because you are not seeing the promises fulfilled in your life. Let me tell you, He is promising you this year of blessing. He has been promising it to you for some time now, in fact. Is it important enough for you to fight for? Because, the first thing that is going to happen when you actually allow the seed of faith to grow in your heart is that you are going to face the Philistines, the Amalekites, and everybody else that is going to come against you. Yet again, we have a strange doctrine that says, “Well, the doors didn’t open... I guess that direction wasn’t of The Most High...” Anything worth anything in this world is worth fighting for. It’s when you have fought so hard for something, that it has value. Tell me, what price did Yahashua pay for salvation? What price did Apostle Paul pay to give you the gospel today? What price did Peter pay to give you the gospel today? What price did Abraham pay to birth a new generation? So, was Abraham unled when he left his family, still with no son, and he faced one opposition after the other? His own cousin opposed him. Was he unled? Was Yahashua unled when the people turned against Him and spat in His face? So, when we face opposition after The Most High gives us a promise, why do we say that we are unled? Do we think that it’s just going to fall at our feet? Take a good look in the spirit and see that there is a sword in your hand - a double-edged sword that cuts the through the joint and the marrow, the light and the dark. You will see that there is a word of The Most High in your spirit that when it’s sent forth, it doesn’t return void. And you know, when I look at the journey that Joshua took with the Israelites, they didn’t just fight one little war, or two little wars... they fought until they had overcome. Here is the hard part - when the opposition comes from Kora, and the guys that are closest to you like your family, your loved ones. I have this promise from The Most High. This is what I believe The Most High wants us to do. They think, “Are you mad? Where did you get that from? You are in deception. You are crazy! That is never going to happen!” You get so discouraged. For a little while you try and cling to that promise, but then you end up fighting so much with everybody who is opposing you that you forget that you are meant to be fighting for your promise, not against everybody else who is opposing your promise. What just happened? Your hope got distracted. Now, instead of focusing day and night on the promises of The Most High, you are focusing day and night on what everybody has done to you. Then you say, “The Most High, why is your promise not being fulfilled?” He says, “Did you meditate on it day and night? Did you cling to it? Did you walk it out? Did you allow me to fulfill it through you?” The Most High wants to bless you. The Most High wants to meet every promise that He has given you. How many more years must it be written in stone, before you pick up your sword and take that land that He said He has given? Opposition doesn’t mean that you missed The Most High. Opposition means that you have to fight. Pick up that sword in the spirit once again, because you have begun to think, as the children of Israel began to think. “Perhaps, we thought amiss. Perhaps, I put too much emotion into it. Perhaps, I misunderstood The Most High and He didn’t really mean what He said...” You forgot to meditate. You forgot that you are meant to have that word on your mouth day in and day out until it’s all you know, until it’s all you think, until it’s all you feel. But, what have you been meditating on? What have you been speaking? What have you been confessing? “Well, I tithed, and then I took my favorite scriptures, and I paced up and down, up and down, up and down, and now my blessing is going to come.” Go watch the Law of Obedience. It takes a little bit of time. That might get you some manna, but if you want to take your Promised Land, it’s going to mean walking it out in obedience - step 1, step 2, step 3. What has The Most High asked you to give up? Where has The Most High asked you to go? What has The Most High asked you to take on? What load has He called upon you to carry? What character trait has He asked you to put on the cross? Because every instruction that He has given you, just like He gave to Joshua, leads you closer to your Promised Land. Didn’t it seem strange to walk around the walls of Jericho? Didn’t it seem strange to send the priests and the ark ahead into a flooded Jordan river? Yet, as he obeyed the letter of the law, The Most High was faithful. Just as it said there, “I will be with you wherever you go. I am the driving force. I am the power that brings down the walls. I am the power that parts the waters. I am the power that stops the sun in the sky. I just need you to fight. I need you to want it badly enough and to do according to what I have told you to do.”
Thursday, May 25, 2023
FROM MANNA TO FRUIT OF THE LAND
Joshua chapter 1
Today we are walking in: From Manna To Fruit Of The Land
Exodus 3:18
And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, H4057 that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
Today we look to the word-WILDERNESS- H4057 midbar --wilderness, pasture, uninhabited land
The Torah testifies.......................................
Genesis 16:7
And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, H4057 by the fountain in the way to Shur.
Exodus 4:27
And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness H4057 to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
Numbers 14:33
And your children shall wander in the wilderness H4057 forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. H4057
Deuteronomy 1:31
And in the wilderness, H4057 where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 42:11
Let the wilderness H4057 and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, H4057 and rivers in the desert.
Jeremiah 9:12
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, H4057 that none passeth through?
Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: H4057 they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, H4057 to consume them.
The Writings bear witness.............
Joshua 1:4
From the wilderness H4057 and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
2Chronicles 1:3
So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. H4057
Nehemiah 9:19
Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: H4057 the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Psalm 65:12
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: H4057 and the little hills rejoice on every side.
Psalm 78:15
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, H4057 and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
From Manna to Fruit
Joshua 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. (NKJV) It is not news that The Most High has called His Citizens of His Kingdom to a walk of prosperity. It was not news that The Most High had promised Israel a Promised Land. They knew that for hundreds of years, but yet somehow, we find ourselves in the wilderness eating manna.Perhaps that is you right now. The Most High has given you a promise. You can see the possibility of your Promised Land. We have had many prosperity teachers come along and teach, “Yes, you are to be blessed. Yes, The Most High has promised you healing. Yes, The Most High has promised you that spouse. The Most High has given you all these promises...” But yet, you tithe, you pray, you fast, and The Most High is not unfaithful. You have indeed eaten of your manna. Just enough before you lost hope, you got your little manna wafer, your little bit of honey on your tongue to remind you of His grace, to remind you of His goodness. But, Citizens of His Kingdom of The Most High, I am here to tell you that the time of manna is coming to an end and the time of eating from the land has come. Here is the problem though. We are so used to giving our little tithe and doing our little prayer, but tell me something - how much of that has brought the promise to pass? We have this strange thinking that if The Most High has given you a promise, you will wake up one day and “boom” that promise will just be upon you. Well, the Israelites had their promise for hundreds of years. So, tell me, why didn’t they wake up in Egypt one day with the Egyptians handing them the key to the city? Come with me, because I am taking you through a transition today. I am leading you into your year of promise. The time of manna has come to an end. Are you tired of your little wafers morning, noon, and night? Are you tired of the crumbs from off of the table that remind you that there is a greater blessing? There is a whole big roast lamb on that table, but all I am getting is a little wafer when The Most High has promised me the buffet. Yet, I find myself eating from the crumbs. It’s not like we are ungrateful. Let me tell you, it’s not like this is all The Most High has for you. The Most High has more for you than some crumbs. The Most High always has had more for the children of Israel than a few wafers. That just sustained them for the bigger picture. It had its purpose. Let’s not “dis” the manna. It had its purpose. The manna was for a season. A season of what? To build up their strength, to position them, and to prepare them to enter into the Promised Land.
MAKING THE TRANSITION
After The Most High said to Joshua, “I have given you this land,” He didn’t leave it there. In verse 7 it says, Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Most High your The Most High is with you wherever you go. (NKJV)
It doesn’t say, “And the Most High your The Most High is with Himself wherever He goes...” Wherever you go, The Most High goes with you. Where are you going today? You see, it’s time to make that transition. I am here to tell you that with the transition, the rules are going to change. As such even now, we will begin to see the teachers and rise up at a new level as never before. Why? Because it’s time our mindsets change, Citizens of the Kingdom of The Most High. It’s time that we realize that if we are going to enter the Promised Land, and put away our season of manna, the rules must change. They had strict rules in the wilderness. You collected for six days, double on the sixth, eat on the seventh - very strict rules. Things changed up when they entered the Promised Land. They could pick their fruit any day they wanted to. They weren’t limited to two little grapes. Two little grapes, that’s enough for you? No, He said, “I have given you cities that you didn’t build. You are going to eat off of vines and figs and fruit trees that you never planted.” An abundance, a land flowing with milk and honey. Not a sip or a sliver of a taste. Not one wafer, but an abundance.
FIRST THING YOU WILL NEED - YOUR SPIRIT IN LINE
With that abundance comes a change of rules. The rules are laid out in Joshua 1:7-9. You are going to need to do a little more than pray and tithe if you want your Promised Land.
1. OBEDIENCE
The first thing you are going to need is obedience. What did the The Most High just say there? He said, “Observe the law!” With every promise comes an instruction, through the Word, through your life. You look at the promise and say, “I am so excited, we are going to take the Promised Land. We are going to take over! I am going to have a new house. I am going to have a new car...” Then you forget to read the small print... there is always small print. Even for Joshua, there was small print. But, how full of hope was the Most High? “Don’t be afraid Joshua. Be strong and of courage. Obey to the letter of the law and I will be with you wherever you go, as you walk out obedience. I indeed will be with you every step you go!” First, we need the teachers to teach us these new principles so that we know how to take this land. Then, secondly, we need to come and be reminded of the power, the anointing, and the miraculous hand of The Most High that will move the mountains. We tend to overswing. We tend to try and take the mountain all by ourselves and then we give up and go back to the wilderness, and then complain because, “Well, The Most High didn’t give me my Promised Land!” Did you take it His way, with His power?
2. FAITH
You are going to need faith. “Be strong and courageous, trusting in The Most High completely!”
3. HOPE
Then, you are going to need hope. You are going to have to focus! I love what it says here. It says, “Meditate on the promises day and night.” Focus. What do you meditate on day and night, child of The Most High? Are you meditating on the promises or are you meditating on the impossibility of your circumstance, or are you meditating on your little wafer of manna? What are you meditating on? Whatever you are meditating on, you are going to see it come to pass in your life. So, right now I want to challenge you: what have you been meditating on? What has consumed your mind, your emotions, your will? Has it been conflict? Has it been fear? Has it been guilt? Has it been anger? What has it been that you have been meditating on? Has it been peace, blessing, and the promise The Most High gave you? Because when you meditate on the promise of The Most High day and night, it focuses your spirit, your soul, your body. As you walk out in obedience, and in faith, you are going to see that land open up before you. 4. LOVE
Most importantly, you need a reality of His love. He said, “I will be with you wherever you go! You are not on your own.” You know, things really were shaken up between the manna season and the Promised Land season. In the manna season, the people cried out, “Most High, we are hungry,” and The Most High gave them manna. But, when they entered the Promised Land, that very day, the manna stopped. The day that they ate from the fruit of the land, the manna stopped and the rules changed. Instead, The Most High put a sword in their hand. They didn’t need to fight for their manna. They just had to seek the The Most High and trust Him. They had to go out and do a little bit of work to gather their manna every day. You know, He gave them their daily bread. You get up at 5 am to go to work. You make your daily bread. The Most High blesses you in your workplace, He blesses your children, you have a nice life, but yet, somehow you are saying, “Where is my Promised Land?” When they stepped into the Promised Land, the Gentiles in the region didn’t lay the keys of the city down at the feet of the Israelites and say, “Please help yourselves to our fig trees, and our vines, and our cities that we built.” This is your season of promise. Let me ask you this - are you willing to fight for it? Because the second thing you are going to need in order to take your promised land is weapons training.
Today we are walking in: From Manna To Fruit Of The Land
Exodus 3:18
And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, H4057 that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
Today we look to the word-WILDERNESS- H4057 midbar --wilderness, pasture, uninhabited land
The Torah testifies.......................................
Genesis 16:7
And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, H4057 by the fountain in the way to Shur.
Exodus 4:27
And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness H4057 to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
Numbers 14:33
And your children shall wander in the wilderness H4057 forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. H4057
Deuteronomy 1:31
And in the wilderness, H4057 where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 42:11
Let the wilderness H4057 and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, H4057 and rivers in the desert.
Jeremiah 9:12
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, H4057 that none passeth through?
Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: H4057 they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, H4057 to consume them.
The Writings bear witness.............
Joshua 1:4
From the wilderness H4057 and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
2Chronicles 1:3
So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. H4057
Nehemiah 9:19
Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: H4057 the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Psalm 65:12
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: H4057 and the little hills rejoice on every side.
Psalm 78:15
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, H4057 and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
From Manna to Fruit
Joshua 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. (NKJV) It is not news that The Most High has called His Citizens of His Kingdom to a walk of prosperity. It was not news that The Most High had promised Israel a Promised Land. They knew that for hundreds of years, but yet somehow, we find ourselves in the wilderness eating manna.Perhaps that is you right now. The Most High has given you a promise. You can see the possibility of your Promised Land. We have had many prosperity teachers come along and teach, “Yes, you are to be blessed. Yes, The Most High has promised you healing. Yes, The Most High has promised you that spouse. The Most High has given you all these promises...” But yet, you tithe, you pray, you fast, and The Most High is not unfaithful. You have indeed eaten of your manna. Just enough before you lost hope, you got your little manna wafer, your little bit of honey on your tongue to remind you of His grace, to remind you of His goodness. But, Citizens of His Kingdom of The Most High, I am here to tell you that the time of manna is coming to an end and the time of eating from the land has come. Here is the problem though. We are so used to giving our little tithe and doing our little prayer, but tell me something - how much of that has brought the promise to pass? We have this strange thinking that if The Most High has given you a promise, you will wake up one day and “boom” that promise will just be upon you. Well, the Israelites had their promise for hundreds of years. So, tell me, why didn’t they wake up in Egypt one day with the Egyptians handing them the key to the city? Come with me, because I am taking you through a transition today. I am leading you into your year of promise. The time of manna has come to an end. Are you tired of your little wafers morning, noon, and night? Are you tired of the crumbs from off of the table that remind you that there is a greater blessing? There is a whole big roast lamb on that table, but all I am getting is a little wafer when The Most High has promised me the buffet. Yet, I find myself eating from the crumbs. It’s not like we are ungrateful. Let me tell you, it’s not like this is all The Most High has for you. The Most High has more for you than some crumbs. The Most High always has had more for the children of Israel than a few wafers. That just sustained them for the bigger picture. It had its purpose. Let’s not “dis” the manna. It had its purpose. The manna was for a season. A season of what? To build up their strength, to position them, and to prepare them to enter into the Promised Land.
MAKING THE TRANSITION
After The Most High said to Joshua, “I have given you this land,” He didn’t leave it there. In verse 7 it says, Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Most High your The Most High is with you wherever you go. (NKJV)
It doesn’t say, “And the Most High your The Most High is with Himself wherever He goes...” Wherever you go, The Most High goes with you. Where are you going today? You see, it’s time to make that transition. I am here to tell you that with the transition, the rules are going to change. As such even now, we will begin to see the teachers and rise up at a new level as never before. Why? Because it’s time our mindsets change, Citizens of the Kingdom of The Most High. It’s time that we realize that if we are going to enter the Promised Land, and put away our season of manna, the rules must change. They had strict rules in the wilderness. You collected for six days, double on the sixth, eat on the seventh - very strict rules. Things changed up when they entered the Promised Land. They could pick their fruit any day they wanted to. They weren’t limited to two little grapes. Two little grapes, that’s enough for you? No, He said, “I have given you cities that you didn’t build. You are going to eat off of vines and figs and fruit trees that you never planted.” An abundance, a land flowing with milk and honey. Not a sip or a sliver of a taste. Not one wafer, but an abundance.
FIRST THING YOU WILL NEED - YOUR SPIRIT IN LINE
With that abundance comes a change of rules. The rules are laid out in Joshua 1:7-9. You are going to need to do a little more than pray and tithe if you want your Promised Land.
1. OBEDIENCE
The first thing you are going to need is obedience. What did the The Most High just say there? He said, “Observe the law!” With every promise comes an instruction, through the Word, through your life. You look at the promise and say, “I am so excited, we are going to take the Promised Land. We are going to take over! I am going to have a new house. I am going to have a new car...” Then you forget to read the small print... there is always small print. Even for Joshua, there was small print. But, how full of hope was the Most High? “Don’t be afraid Joshua. Be strong and of courage. Obey to the letter of the law and I will be with you wherever you go, as you walk out obedience. I indeed will be with you every step you go!” First, we need the teachers to teach us these new principles so that we know how to take this land. Then, secondly, we need to come and be reminded of the power, the anointing, and the miraculous hand of The Most High that will move the mountains. We tend to overswing. We tend to try and take the mountain all by ourselves and then we give up and go back to the wilderness, and then complain because, “Well, The Most High didn’t give me my Promised Land!” Did you take it His way, with His power?
2. FAITH
You are going to need faith. “Be strong and courageous, trusting in The Most High completely!”
3. HOPE
Then, you are going to need hope. You are going to have to focus! I love what it says here. It says, “Meditate on the promises day and night.” Focus. What do you meditate on day and night, child of The Most High? Are you meditating on the promises or are you meditating on the impossibility of your circumstance, or are you meditating on your little wafer of manna? What are you meditating on? Whatever you are meditating on, you are going to see it come to pass in your life. So, right now I want to challenge you: what have you been meditating on? What has consumed your mind, your emotions, your will? Has it been conflict? Has it been fear? Has it been guilt? Has it been anger? What has it been that you have been meditating on? Has it been peace, blessing, and the promise The Most High gave you? Because when you meditate on the promise of The Most High day and night, it focuses your spirit, your soul, your body. As you walk out in obedience, and in faith, you are going to see that land open up before you. 4. LOVE
Most importantly, you need a reality of His love. He said, “I will be with you wherever you go! You are not on your own.” You know, things really were shaken up between the manna season and the Promised Land season. In the manna season, the people cried out, “Most High, we are hungry,” and The Most High gave them manna. But, when they entered the Promised Land, that very day, the manna stopped. The day that they ate from the fruit of the land, the manna stopped and the rules changed. Instead, The Most High put a sword in their hand. They didn’t need to fight for their manna. They just had to seek the The Most High and trust Him. They had to go out and do a little bit of work to gather their manna every day. You know, He gave them their daily bread. You get up at 5 am to go to work. You make your daily bread. The Most High blesses you in your workplace, He blesses your children, you have a nice life, but yet, somehow you are saying, “Where is my Promised Land?” When they stepped into the Promised Land, the Gentiles in the region didn’t lay the keys of the city down at the feet of the Israelites and say, “Please help yourselves to our fig trees, and our vines, and our cities that we built.” This is your season of promise. Let me ask you this - are you willing to fight for it? Because the second thing you are going to need in order to take your promised land is weapons training.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)