THE PROMISE OF THE GOVERNOR’S RETURN

Acts Chapter 1






Today we are walking in: The Promise of the Governor’s Return








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 Promise of the Governor’s Return


When the end becomes the means, and the minor becomes the major, then injustice is inevitable.


Before looking more closely at the King’s plan to restore the Governor, let’s review some major points regarding the kingdom of heaven and its plan for the colonization of earth:


√ The King of the eternal and invisible kingdom desired to extend his own nature and influence to the physical realm of earth, which he had created. The kingdom of heaven is his governing influence over the world, 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.


√ Human beings were created in the image of the King and were given the Spirit of the King to live within them. The King’s Spirit gave life to their spirits, souls, and bodies.


√ Human beings were designed to function like their Creator-King. The presence of the Spirit of the King within human beings guaranteed that they would have his character and nature. It also assured that they would be able to rule on earth as he would rule in the heavenly kingdom, having his very nature of love, mercy, kindness, and forgiveness.


√ The King did not desire to rule the earth directly, but to cultivate his colony through his children, who also functioned as his local governors. They were to exercise dominion over the earth under the direction of the chief Governor, the Spirit of the King.


√ Adam and Eve’s declaration of independence cut humanity off from the King and caused the Governor to be recalled by the kingdom of heaven.


√ The departure of the Governor meant the departure of the heavenly government and its direct influence over the colony of earth.


√ After humanity rebelled against the authority of the heavenly government, the King immediately promised to restore the Governor to his children.


√ The most important promise the Creator-King ever made to human beings was the promise that the Governor would return to live within them, because he is the key to life.


√ The restoration of the King’s Spirit to humanity is central to the restoration of his kingdom on earth.


All the above leads us to this conclusion: The principal purpose of the redemptive program of the Creator-King, in his dealings with humanity throughout human history, was the restoration of the Governor to the colony of earth.


In light of this, let’s consider the theme of the sacred literature of the Old or First Testament, also known as the Hebrew canon of Scripture. Some say its theme is the creation of a monotheistic religion. Others say it’s the story of the rise and fall of the ancient Hebrew nation. Still others see it as the record of various traditions and rituals. If we look at it in any of these terms, however, we miss its crucial essence.


The Theme and Significance of the Scriptures


What is the significance of the Scriptures? Why do we have the accounts of Noah, the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the story of the nation of Israel? What was the purpose of all the blood sacrifices? Why is there a record of priests, prophets, and the lineage of kings?


While its events revolve around the people and nation of Israel, the theme of the Old Testament is universal: it is the restoration of the key to humanity’s existence, the reestablishment of true life for every human being on the planet. The record of the people and events depict the unfolding of the King’s plan to restore his Spirit within human beings so they can be and do what they were originally intended to; so they can fulfill their remarkable purpose and potential once again.


The first two chapters of Genesis explain the heavenly government’s plan for expanding the kingdom to earth. The third chapter describes the interruption of this plan, and the immediate promise of restoration. From the third chapter all the way through the last book of the Old Testament, the King’s plan for the return of his Governor to earth is revealed. All the situations, people, and programs we read about serve these ends:


1. They are a continual reminder of the promise of the Governor’s restoration.


2.They depict the King’s intervention in the lives of specific families on earth to preserve a lineage for the Offspring who would restore the Governor.


3.They depict a prototype of the restoration of the kingdom of heaven on earth.


4.They expose the fact that only the Governor himself can reconnect the earthly colony to its heavenly government.


5.They foretell the coming of the Offspring who will personally reconcile the children-citizens to the King and authorize the return of the Governor.


In other words, after humanity’s rebellion, the King’s intent was essentially this: “My purpose in creating the world was disrupted, and I’m going to correct it. My Spirit can no longer live in the earthly residence I created. I will therefore restore my Spirit to humanity so my kingdom can function on earth again.”


Everything depicted in the Old Testament about the intervention of Yah in the lives of human beings was ultimately a means to this end. Yah was revealing to humanity, in effect, “Here’s the program: Your rebellion has put you in a hopeless situation. I am therefore going to come to the earth personally, and I will provide a way of restoring purity of heart and wholeness to you, so that the Governor can come to live in you again. Second, I will reappoint the Governor to the colony of earth to live within you once more and carry out my desire to transform the earth into a reflection of my kingdom.”


Humanity’s Need for Holiness


The Old Testament emphasizes the fact that when Adam and Eve lost the Ruach HaQadesh, humanity became unholy. I think this word has so many religious images connected with it that we don’t really know what it means anymore. We find its essence by looking at what the Creator-King told the nation of Israel: “You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” In this instance, he is using the word holy in relation to a nation. He’s obviously not talking about wearing a cross or a liturgical robe or entering a religious order.


So what does the concept mean? There are two related connotations of the word that I want to emphasize here: one of them is “pure,” and the other is “devoted” or “dedicated.”


These words signify, first of all, something that is set apart specifically and purely for a certain use. In this sense, holiness can be applied to many things. For example, I could set apart my favorite cup and say, “This may only be used by me for drinking hot tea, nothing else.” I’ve sanctified it by setting it apart and dedicating it for a specific purpose. Thus, the word pure in this context means something beyond just “clean.” It has to do with being pure in use.


In relation to human beings, the King said his people needed to be “holy unto me.” How can you be holy unto a person? Holiness, in this connection, means, “I am devoted only to you. Not only am I dedicated to you, but my loyalty to you is not tainted by any other loyalties. I have no ulterior motives.”


Next, let’s look at what it means for the Creator-King to describe himself as a “holy” Yah. Does it mean he’s devoted to himself alone? No, it means that he is true to himself. He is faithful and consistent in who he is, what he desires, what he says, and what he does. I associate the word holy with integrity. The King is fully “integrated” or unified. His nature is so pure that he can never have an ulterior or deceitful motive. This is why the King cannot lie. This is also why the King-Father can never disagree with the King-Son, who is the Offspring who came to restore the Governor; and this is why neither of them can disagree with the Governor. The three persons of the Creator-King are one or integrated.


Having personal holiness therefore means “to be one with yourself.” When Yahusha of Nazareth told his disciples, “Be perfect [holy], just as your [King-Father] is perfect,” he was saying, “Be one with yourself, as your King- Father is one with himself.” Here is the practical application: if you say that you will do something, you do it. If you promise something, you fulfill it. If you are truly holy, you can never say something and then do something contrary to it. Your public behavior is the same as your private behavior. Nothing the King does is ever in conflict with his nature so that he has to hide it. You don’t have to hide anything unless you are saying or doing something that is contrary to what you say you are. Adam and Eve had been totally integrated before they disobeyed the King and then lied about it, destroying the trust he had placed in them.


The central issue of the Old Testament is that, when Adam and Eve rebelled, the Ruach HaQadesh had to leave humanity because human beings were no longer pure in motive or integrated in themselves, and consequently were no longer set apart for Yah or in agreement with him. The Governor is a pure Spirit and could not live in intimate relationship with humanity in that environment.


Stages of the King’s Plan


When human beings cut themselves off from the Governor, the King was faced with a supreme challenge. Human beings needed to live in his presence, and to have his presence within them. However, their current state would not permit this. If he wanted to restore the Governor to his children and continue his purpose of having the earth reflect his kingdom, something had to happen to change their state of being.


The King’s plan to fully restore the Governor unfolded in stages:


1. He implemented a program that allowed the Governor to come upon people, although not within them, so as not to violate his integrity. His Spirit could come upon any person who chose to submit to the influence of the heavenly government. Since the Governor had been recalled and was therefore “illegal” on earth, he would come and rule in someone’s life when that person yielded to his prompting and direction. This wasn’t the same influence over the entire world that was in place before the rebellion; it was what we might call “selective rulership” or “rulership by submission.”


2.The sacrificial system, which the Hebrew people practiced, and which we will talk more about shortly, allowed the Governor to work on earth through a special nation of people who were meant to be a prototype of the return of the kingdom to the whole world.


3.The King himself would come to earth to restore integrity to humanity, and thus provide a way for the Governor to again live within human beings on a permanent basis.


Understanding the Creator-King’s program to restore humanity puts the entire Old Testament in the proper light. It is not a group of stories strung together or a handbook of rituals. It is about the King initiating his restoration program.


In Genesis, when the King said that the Offspring would come and “crush the head” of the serpent, this was actually the first promise that he himself was coming to earth—incarnated as a human being—and would defeat humanity’s deceiver, reconcile his people to himself, and restore the Governor. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty Yah, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”


The King-Father was preparing the earth to receive the King-Son. And the old sacrificial system would be replaced by a permanent sacrifice made by the King-Son himself. The New Testament writer to the Hebrews, quoting Psalm 40, wrote, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.” From Genesis onward, therefore, the King-Father was working to set apart and preserve a lineage dedicated to his Son’s eventual coming to earth. Let’s take a fresh look at the Old Testament from this perspective.


Influence over Earth’s Environment


The Governor’s presence on earth through the submission of individuals to the heavenly government was always accompanied by the manifestation of kingdom influence over the earth’s environment. In other words, when the King made himself known to people, and they responded by yielding to him and his redemptive purposes, miraculous things would happen on earth. Yet what we call “miracles” were not extraordinary from the point of view of the kingdom of heaven. They were natural outcomes of the influence of the heavenly government in the lives of those yielded to the King.


Noah and the Flood


After the rebellion of Adam and Eve, the culture of the world became so evil that it had to be virtually destroyed in order to preserve a lineage for the coming Offspring. This is why the Creator-King came to a man named Noah and instructed him to build an ark to save himself and his family from the flood that would destroy the rest of the earth’s inhabitants.


His message was essentially this:
“Noah, the people of the world have become totally wicked, and I need to preserve a pure lineage. Therefore, I’m going to start over again with you and your family because you have a heart that is obedient toward me.”


Notice that the King’s words to Noah after the flood were almost exactly the same as the ones he had first spoken to Adam: “Then Yah blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.’” The King was continuing the same program with Noah’s family that he had begun with Adam and Eve; he did not change his original purpose for humanity on earth because of the rebellion. Instead, he was working out his plan to restore it. Noah was not the actual source of the restoration but was part of the pure (set apart) lineage that needed to be preserved for the coming of the Offspring. The worldwide deluge and the survival of Noah and his family on the ark were the result of the kingdom manifesting its influence through the faith Noah placed in the King and his ultimate purposes for humanity.


Abraham


Ten generations later, Noah had a descendant named Abraham, and the King’s plan of preparing a lineage and a body for himself started to take more specific shape. He told Abraham that even though he and his wife were old, they would have a child. This child would be the beginning of a great nation, which in turn would be a prototype of what the kingdom of heaven on earth was supposed to look like. Moreover, one of his descendents would be the promised Offspring.


Sarah’s ability to conceive and bear a son in her old age was a result of Abraham and Sarah’s willingness to cooperate with the purposes of the heavenly government. Although they did not fully understand the plan, their relationship with the Creator-King brought about the next stage in his redemptive purposes for earth.


Both Noah and Abraham believed and obeyed the King’s instructions. Belief and obedience were the means of their holiness or righteousness before him. Righteousness refers to “right standing” or “right alignment” with evident authority, and Noah and Abraham lined themselves up with the government of heaven.


The Tribes of Israel


Abraham had his miracle child, Isaac. Isaac had twin sons, Esau and Jacob, and Jacob was chosen as the one to carry on the lineage. Jacob’s name was later changed to Israel, which means “Prince with Yah.” He was the heir of the promise of the coming Offspring. Jacob had twelve sons, and each son’s family grew and became a large tribe; this was the origin of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Creator-King chose Jacob’s son Judah as the one through whom the special lineage would be carried on, even though all the tribes were destined to play a part in the unfolding drama.


The Israelites: A Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation


Eventually, the twelve tribes moved to Egypt because of a famine in their homeland. They were preserved through the heavenly government’s intervention in the life of another son of Jacob’s, named Joseph, who became the Egyptian pharaoh’s second-in-command. But the tribes eventually become slaves of Egypt under a different pharaoh. After several hundred years, the Creator-King called a man named Moses, of the tribe of Levi, to free the Israelites as part of his plan to preserve a lineage for the birth of the Offspring.


All the events we read about in the life of Moses show the manifestation of kingdom influence on earth through Moses’ submission to the purposes of the kingdom government. For example, Moses’ ability to bring the plagues of locusts and flies was an example of a human being exercising dominion over “all the creatures that move along the ground” through the power of the King’s Spirit. The same is true for the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea that allowed the Israelites to cross over on foot and escape the pursuing Egyptians. Moses was the heavenly government’s instrument to bring about many manifestations of kingdom influence on earth during his lifetime.


I want to reemphasize that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and the Israelite nation were not preserved in order to create a religion. The nation of Israel was an instrument in the hand of the King’s unfolding purposes to reconcile the whole world to himself and to restore the Governor—it was not an end in itself. The Israelites were called and set apart as a special nation so they could rediscover the King and his ways for the purpose of becoming a nation with a holy (dedicated) purpose. As we will shortly see, they were to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” to help fulfill the King’s plan of restoration for the world.


The Hebrew word for “kingdom” in this context is mamlakah, which means “dominion” or “rule.” Here we return to the theme of earthly dominion. Kingdom indicates governing responsibility, while the role of the priest was to help people become realigned with the heavenly government. In essence, priestly work involves lining up with true authority, and kingdom work has to do with executing rulership under that authority. The Creator-King wanted a kingdom or nation of priests on earth. He wanted the entire nation of Israel to be properly aligned with him, all the time, the way Adam and Eve had been when they still had the Spirit of the Creator living within them. Every human being was meant to be a priest—personally aligned with the Creator-King—and a ruler—having dominion over the earth.


Yah had told the Israelites when they came out of Egypt that, if they continued to believe and obey him, he would make them the greatest nation in the world. He gave them instructions for living, called the law. This was a comprehensive picture of how they were supposed to think and act as a kingdom of priests and rulers living in integrity. If they did so, he would provide for them and protect them; they would have everything they needed, and they would never be defeated by their enemies. The nation as a whole was to be a prototype of what the King would do for all who were submitted to his Governor and were ruling their homes, communities, and nations under his guidance.


Sadly, the nation of Israel didn’t live up to its high purpose. The people rejected the laws of the King, just as Adam and Eve had. They were no longer in alignment with him.


Consequently, they failed to be an example to other nations of the kingdom of heaven on earth. Although there were times when the people returned to their King, they rejected him over and over again throughout their history as a nation. Whenever this happened, the King allowed other nations, which didn’t acknowledge him, to overrun them so they would see their need and return to him. Throughout the Old Testament, we read how the nation was often overtaken by other peoples, such as the Canaanites, Moabites, and Hittites.


The Meaning of the Law


When the Israelite people first came out of Egyptian slavery, they had forgotten much about the King and his ways. They had lost a clear conception of his nature and will. They didn’t know about Abraham’s personal relationship with the King, but had only a vague idea that Abraham was their forefather. This is when Yah instructed Moses to tell them who they were and what their true purpose was as a nation of kings and priests:


This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: “You your- selves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.


With these words, the King established his relationship to the Israelites, and their relationship to him. Then he instructed Moses to tell the whole nation to meet him at the mountain where they were encamped. He wanted to give them his laws directly. He didn’t want to give them to just one person who would pass them along to the people; he wanted the whole nation to hear them because all of them were to be rulers and priests. When they came to the mountain, and the King descended to talk to them, they were afraid of the display of his power and greatness. Moses told them not to be afraid but to reverence the King. But instead, the people wanted Moses to serve as their mediator.


Again, the King gave the law so the people would know what it meant to live according to his nature. Yet his ultimate desire was not to have his laws recorded merely on stone or even paper. He wanted them to exist in the spirit of their minds. He revealed his ultimate plan with these words, which he gave to his prophet Jeremiah: “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time....I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their Yah, and they will be my people.” This is a direct reference to the eventual return of the Governor to live within humanity.


For now, however, Moses received the written code, the laws and principles of the kingdom, or the “kingdom standards,” to give to the people. Their King wanted them to understand how his Spirit thought and how his kingdom worked so they could stay in alignment with him. If the nation obeyed the King’s laws, they would attract his Spirit because they would be living in holiness and be in harmony with his nature.


When Moses came down from the mountain after meeting with the King, the people agreed to obey the law. As we saw, however, this didn’t last long. Joshua, Moses’ second-in-command, eventually took the people into the land the King had promised them. What we consider amazing miracles at this time, such as the parting of the waters of the river Jordan, the collapse of the walls of the city of Jericho, and the sun standing still and not setting for about a full day during a battle, were merely evidence of kingdom influence over the physical universe. Yet even with all these demonstrations of the presence of the kingdom of heaven among them, the people turned away from the will of the King. They began to intermarry with citizens outside the prototype kingdom and took on the traits of nations that did not acknowledge the King. They gradually became alienated from him and unaligned with his kingdom purposes.


The Priesthood and Sacrifices


This is where the priesthood comes in. I don’t believe Yah’s real desire was to have a specific group of people called priests. Remember that he wanted a kingdom or nation of priests. But in order for the Israelites to remain his prototype nation, he provided a way for them to be restored when they rebelled against him and violated his kingdom standards.


Since they had forsaken their calling to be a nation of priests, the King appointed Aaron, Moses’ brother, and Aaron’s sons, who were of the tribe of Levi, to be the nation’s priests. Their descendents would succeed them as priests. He also told Moses to set aside certain other men of the tribe of Levi to assist the priests in their duties. The priests were to keep themselves aligned with the King. They performed rituals of sacrifice prescribed by the King, which served to atone for (cover over) their rebellion and position the nation of Israel in alignment with the heavenly government again.


In this way, the Governor could reveal the will of the King to the people, and his kingdom culture could come on earth through them. The result was that they would bring all other nations back to the King through their example. Therefore, all the sacrifices, the rituals involving the blood, the incense that was burned, the various components of the tabernacle, and later the temple—all these things were for the purpose of realigning the people with Yah so they could be what they were originally called to be.


The rituals that the priests performed involved the sacrifice of animals because the culture of rebellion, murder, and death that human beings had created needed to be paid for. So did individuals’ infractions of the King’s law. The first-century writer of the book of Hebrews wrote, “The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” In the system of sacrifices, therefore, the blood atoned for the violations against the kingdom law that the people had committed.


When we read about all the intricacies of priestly dress and practice, the systems of worship, and the specific details of the animal sacrifices, we tend to be caught up in the particulars and miss their overall meaning. The ultimate goal of the King’s program was not the priests, the robes, the incense, the showbread, the goblets, and the inner and outer courts. Some people almost seem to consider these things as mystical religious icons. Instead, they were a means to an end. They were Yah’s provision (his temporary program) for realigning the people with him so that his Spirit, the absent Governor, could come back to them and intervene on the earth.


The ultimate goal of the entire Old Testament ritualistic program was designed, motivated, and developed for this purpose: when the high priest went into the innermost chamber of the tabernacle (later, the temple), the sacrifices would be accepted on behalf of the people, and the Spirit of Yah would be able to come and dwell between the cherubim on the mercy seat (or atonement cover) there because the requirements for holiness had been fulfilled.


Everything that came in the presence of the Spirit had to be holy because he is a Ruach HaQadesh. The sacrificial blood would cleanse both the people and the high priest who would stand in the immediate presence of the Governor in the inner room of the tabernacle, called the “Holy of Holies.” As a result of these sacrifices, a most beautiful thing occurred. The Spirit came back. The Governor was on earth! All the temporary sacrifices brought the Governor into the people’s presence, but not into them. He could not enter into human beings at that time because the permanent sacrifice had not yet been made.


The animal sacrifices had to be offered again and again because the people were continually rebelling against the authority of heaven, and the sacrifices were a temporary method of atonement that allowed the heavenly government to intervene in their lives, even though it couldn’t change their rebellious nature.


Whenever the people of Israel were aligned with the King and his Spirit was with them, they won every battle, had no sickness among them, and experienced peace. Why? They were living as true human beings again. They were living as they were intended to live—above their environment and circumstances.


Great lengths had to be taken by the priests just to ensure the Governor’s presence in the inner chamber of the tabernacle or temple so the people could be at peace, prosper, and fulfill their role as the prototype nation. When the people disobeyed Yah, the Ruach HaQadesh left them, and their lives became chaotic again. When they received forgiveness through the sacrifices and again obeyed Yah, the Ruach HaQadesh would return, and they would have success.


The sacrificial system served its purpose, even though it was inadequate to fully solve humanity’s dilemma of separation from the heavenly kingdom. It actually emphasized the incompleteness of the temporary cleansing to keep the people aligned with Yah. They were “sprinkled” with the blood because the blood of animals cannot permanently cleanse a person from the inside out. The intent of the hearts of men and women are basically and continually evil. The unholy (nonintegrated, non set apart) state of the human heart and its potential for evil are always under the surface and always emerge in one way or another.


Yet this program was the Creator-King’s temporary provision for working with human beings, whom he couldn’t yet dwell within—because of their unholiness—but still needed to influence. He created his own environment of holiness through the sacrificial system in order to work among his people without violating his purity and integrity. The prophets, priests, and kings of the nation of Israel would receive the Spirit of the King upon them for specific instances where they would speak or act on earth in behalf of the King.


Many people like to study and teach all the intricacies of the Old Testament rituals; some even make quite a bit of money off books and products expounding on such things as the “ten keys to the tabernacle.” I’ve found that many people are (at best) missing the main purpose of these things, and other people are (at worst) exploiting people by overemphasizing them. They were not ends in themselves. We must always remember that their whole purpose was to be a means of bringing the governing influence of heaven back to earth for the benefit of humanity.


The Kings


Because the Israelites wanted to be just like the other nations around them, having the same standards and lifestyle, they had asked for their own earthly king. The King had told them, in effect, “No, you really don’t want an earthly king. A king will just oppress you with taxation and forced labor. I am your King, who provides everything for you and gives you what is good.” He was trying to tell them, “You are not like other nations. You are supposed to be an example to them. You’re supposed to be the prototype for my kingdom.”


Human kings were not the King’s ultimate plan for his people. He wanted a whole nation of kingdom rulers who would be directed by him. This idea reflects his ultimate goal of having every citizen on earth be a local governor, exercising authority under the chief Governor. Yet the Israelites insisted on having a king, so he gave them what they wanted.


The people’s desire for a king indicated a lack of alignment with the King and complete misunderstanding of their calling. After they told the prophet Samuel they wanted a king, “the Most High told [Samuel]: ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.’” They were rejecting their heavenly King once more.


Yet the King used the institution of kings to further his redemptive purposes. The second king over Israel, David, was a man who desired what the heavenly government desires. Kingdom influence was manifested in his life in many ways. His amazing slaying of the giant Goliath when he was still a youth was an example of a human being exercising kingdom dominion over a pawn of the kingdom of darkness. When David said to Goliath, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Most High Almighty,” he was saying, “I come to you under the authority of the government of heaven.”


Ultimately, the King used the line of Israelite kings to preserve the lineage for his Son’s coming to earth. The Offspring would be a descendant of David.


The Prophets


However, most of the nation’s kings, who were supposed to represent the King’s justice on earth, became corrupt. The priesthood also become corrupt. The very ones who were supposed to align the nation to the King had become unaligned themselves. So the King raised up people from within the Israelite nation, at various times, who could speak to both priests and kings on behalf of the heavenly kingdom.


A distinct pattern is emerging: The nation of Israel was raised up as a prototype to address the need of a rebellious people called humanity. The priesthood came about when those who were meant to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” failed to fulfill their corporate calling. The institution of kings was established when the people rejected the Creator- King as their ruler. The King therefore raised up individual voices—the prophets—who called upon the kings, priests, and people to change their ways and come back into alignment with him.


The prophets would begin their assignments by saying something like, “The word of the Most High came to me.” Where does the word of the Most High come from? It comes from his Spirit. The Spirit would come upon the prophet, and the prophet would tell the king and the priests to correct themselves so they could correct the nation.


In other words, the prophet’s job was to bring the earthly king back to the Creator-King so the king could execute the heavenly government’s justice and help bring the nation back to the law and ways of the Creator-King. He was also to bring the priests back in alignment so they could help bring the people and nation back in alignment. In this way, the nation could return to being the prototype of the kingdom of heaven. The nation could then correct the nations of the world, for the ultimate purpose of redeeming the whole earth.


The prophets manifested the influence of the kingdom on earth in many ways. For example, because the prophet Elijah was submitted to the King, the heavenly government used him to bring back to life the son of a woman who was also submitted to the kingdom. We should not really be surprised at this particular administration of the kingdom, since the King’s Spirit originally gave life to humanity and can also restore that life. The heavenly government was manifested in the life of the prophet Daniel when he received special communication through the Governor regarding the future of the Israelite people and when he escaped harm after being thrown into a den of ravenous lions. His “miracle” of preservation was, again, an example of the dominion of the kingdom of heaven over the earth.


However, how did the leaders and people usually react to the prophets? They would ignore, criticize, threaten, or kill them! Eventually, the people were so disobedient as a nation that they were perpetually unaligned; the result was that the Spirit left the temple prior to the people’s captivity in Babylon. The Israelites had only the trappings of their old way of life. The prototype nation was essentially gone, setting up the next phase of the plan for the complete restoration of the kingdom on earth.


The King spoke through his prophets, saying, “I’m not going to keep sending word to you through other people. I’m going to come there myself to bring you back to me!”


Governmental Messages about the Coming King Who Would Restore the Governor


The entire Old Testament is therefore about the repetition of the promise of the Governor’s return, and the evidence of heavenly kingdom influence selectively manifested through the prototype nation and individuals who were submitted to the kingdom. Over the centuries, specific prophets, as well as other leaders such as Moses and David, spoke messages from the King announcing that he himself would reestablish his kingdom in the colony of earth, paving the way for the restoration of the Governor to humanity. For example, the prophet Isaiah said,


For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty Yah, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.


The King of the eternal, invisible kingdom was going to reclaim his property. When the colony was regained, he would set up his government on earth again and recommission his Spirit as Governor once more. Yahusha told a parable about him- self that describes the King’s desire to implement his plan of extending his influence on earth, and of the resistance of most the earth’s inhabitants to him until he himself came to rectify the situation:


There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son,” he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.” So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?... The kingdom of Yah will be...given to a people who will produce its fruit.


The Mandate of the Coming King


The last book of the Old Testament ends with the prophet Malachi giving this message from the heavenly government about the coming King of heaven: “He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.” This was the mandate of the Offspring, whom the prophets referred to as the “Messiah,” to reconcile the children of Adam and Eve to their Creator-King. When this was accomplished, the Governor could be restored to his earthly residence within them.


The Governor’s Return Is for All Humanity


The prophet Joel gave one of the major messages from the heavenly kingdom regarding the Governor’s return:
Afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.


Joel was saying, in effect, “I see a day coming when we aren’t going to have to read or study the law in order to know how to obey the King because his Spirit will come upon young and old, and they will obey the King as naturally as they formerly disobeyed him.” No longer would there be a need for “selective rulership,” with only certain individuals being influenced by the Governor. All of humanity had lost the Spirit, and Joel was saying the Spirit would be poured out on “all people”—male, female, Israelite and non-Israelite, free and slave. Earthly prejudices related to gender, race, or social status would disappear in the face of the Governor’s return.


The Ruach HaQadesh is not just meant for people of a certain “religion” or nationality. The whole world lost the presence of the Governor within them, and the King wants everyone in the world to receive him into their lives again through the provision of the Offspring. The Governor is the key to life for all of humanity.


The Era of the King’s Coming


The idea of the Spirit’s coming upon the people probably seemed incredible to the Israelites when they heard Joel’s message. In their experience, the Ruach HaQadesh would only come upon the priests, the prophets, and some of the kings. Or, he would dwell between the cherubim on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies in the temple. Joel referred to the time of the Spirit’s coming as “the day of the Most High.” The word “day” in this context means “era” or “age.” Therefore, the day of the Most High would be the era or the time when the King came to earth.


The word “Most High” here is the Hebrew word for “self-Existent or Eternal” one. The message of these prophets was, “Animal sacrifices and other rituals can’t restore humanity to its relationship with the King, so the King himself is coming.” When he came to earth, his Spirit would also return. The Governor would come upon young and old men, young and old women. More than that, he would once more be able to dwell within humanity.


The prophet Malachi was the last prophet to promise the King’s return before the King himself came. The heavenly government gave him this message:


“See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Most High you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Most High Almighty.


The first messenger mentioned would prepare the way. The second messenger, “the messenger of the covenant,” was the one who would “turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.” This messenger was referred to as “the Most High you are seeking.” What was his covenant message? It was the restoration of the Spirit to humanity, which had been promised since the initial rebellion.


Announcing the Arrival of the King


When we turn the page of the Scriptures from Malachi in the Old Testament to Matthew in the New Testament, we encounter the messenger who prepared the way for the King’s coming:


In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Most High, make straight paths for him.’”


“The kingdom of heaven is near.” In other words, the King’s government was imminent because the King had come to earth. What was the theme of this message? The Governor. John said, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Ruach HaQadesh and with fire.”


The King would baptize them with his Spirit, thus aligning them with the kingdom. The Spirit’s coming would no longer be a temporary appearance but a permanent one. The Governor would be like a consuming fire, burning out every false mindset and philosophy that alienated the citizens from the heavenly kingdom. He would correct all their confusion and satisfy all their hunger to know and fulfill their purpose in life. At last, they would be permanently reconnected to the King and his kingdom. The earth would be a colony of holiness and power again because its inhabitants would finally have the Spirit of holiness and power living within them once more.