2 Peter chapter 3
Today we are walking in: The Power Of The Garden Principle
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?
Chapter Two
THE POWER OF THE GARDEN PRINCIPLE
BETWEEN the time when Adam and Eve lost the earthly
outpost of the Kingdom of Heaven to satan the pretender and the time when Yahusha Hamachiach appeared announcing its restoration, thousands of years passed. Why did Yah wait so long before reestablishing His Kingdom on Earth? Why did He allow so much time to pass? Why was Hamachiach born in the particular time in history in which He appeared? Why not earlier—or later?
In answering these questions, we must understand first of all that Yah views time and history differently than we humans do because He is bound by neither. From the perspective of eternity, Yah can take all the “time” He needs to accomplish His purposes. Simon Peter, one of Christ’s apostles, put it this way:
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with Yahuah as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Yahuah is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. KEPHA SHENIY (2 PETER) 3:8-9 את CEPHER.
Second of all, Yah waited until He had guided human history to the place where optimal conditions existed for the earthly arrival of His Son and the announcement of the return of His Kingdom on Earth—what the Bible calls the “fullness” of time:
But when the fulness of the time was come, Elohiym sent forth his Son, who was born of a woman, and subject to the Law, To redeem them את that were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. GALATIYM (GALATIANS) 4:4-5 את CEPHER.
In other words, Yahusha Hamachiach came at exactly the right time. Why was the time right? Because when Yahusha appeared announcing that the Kingdom of Heaven was near—that Yah was once again expanding His heavenly government into the earthly sphere—those who heard His words had only to look around them to see a tangible example of the kind of kingdom and the kind of expansion Yah had in mind.
WHEN IN ROME...
Everywhere they turned, the people of Palestine in Yahusha’ day saw the pervasive, mighty hand of Rome directing their everyday lives. The Roman Empire was the most powerful kingdom in history, far outstripping in extent, strength, and splendor all other kingdoms that had preceded it. Furthermore, the kingdom of Rome was the first human kingdom to qualify as an adequate illustration and model, however imperfect, of Yah’s plan for Kingdom expansion.
Earlier empires, such as the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Medo-Persian empires, expanded through the process of invasion, conquest, destruction, and enslavement. Their invading armies would sweep into a region, destroy its army, lay waste to its cities, tear down its infrastructure, and slaughter its people. Most of those who were not killed outright were enslaved and taken away from their own country to the home territory of the conquering power. This is exactly what happened to the Northern Kingdom of Israel when it fell to the Assyrians in 722 B.C. and to the Southern Kingdom of Judah in 587 B.C. when the Babylonians invaded.
Rome, however, followed a different kingdom-expansion strategy. Instead of wreaking widespread destruction and slaughter in a newly conquered territory, the Romans recognized the wisdom and value of preserving the people and leaving their infrastructure intact. While a Roman occupation army maintained order, Roman citizens and government officials were sent in to establish Roman government in the new territory. Their job was to reproduce the culture and society of Rome, to teach the conquered people to think, act, and live like Romans. Thus, the Roman Empire was the first human kingdom to practice colonization to any significant degree. In so doing, it also became the first human kingdom to illustrate by example the process by which Yah wanted to reproduce the Kingdom and culture of Heaven throughout the earthly realm.
Yahusha Hamachiach Himself certainly acknowledged the legitimacy of Rome’s authority in human government. One day Yahusha’ enemies tried to trap Him with a religiously and politically motivated question, asking Him whether or not it was right to pay taxes to Caesar. His answer surprised them:
“show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he said unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Qeycar's. Then says he unto them, Render את therefore unto Qeycar the things which are Qeycar's; and את unto Elohiym the things that are Elohiym's. When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 22:19-22 את CEPHER.
Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Yahusha, and said unto him, Are you the King of the Yahudiym? Yahusha answered him, Say you this thing of yourself, or did others tell it you of me? Pilate answered, Am I a Yahudiy? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you unto me: what have you done? Yahusha answered, My Kingdom is not of this world: if my Kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Yahudiym: but now is my Kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Are you a King then? Yahusha answered, You say that I am a King. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the Truth. Everyone that is of the Truth hears my voice. Pilate said unto him, What is Truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Yahudiym, and said unto them, I find in him no fault at all. YOCHANON (JOHN) 18:33-38 את CEPHER.
Yah waited to send His Son to the Earth until an earthly kingdom appeared that looked, however imperfectly, like His own, so that when Yahusha preached about the Kingdom, everyone would know what He was talking about. Hamachiach came at the right time, into the right setting, into the right culture, into the right kingdom, and into the right environment because He was preaching exactly what was happening in the world under the Roman Empire.
...DO AS THE ROMANS DO
Another way Yahusha acknowledged the legitimacy of the Roman form of government was demonstrated by the fact that He used a portion of that form as a model for establishing His own government on Earth—His Church.
Whenever the Romans set up their government in a new territory, they sent a procurator, or governor, to rule the province in the name and authority of the emperor. At the time of Yahusha’ public ministry, Pontius Pilate was the procurator of Judea. In addition, the Romans borrowed many ideas of government from the Greeks, modified them, and made them their own. One of these was the idea of a “called-out” assembly of citizens who met democratically over matters of common concern. This was, essentially, the structure of the Roman Senate. The Greek word for this assembly of citizens is ekklesia, which literally means, “called-out ones.” Both the word and the concept would have been familiar to the people of Yahusha’ day—the concept, because they saw it in action regularly in everyday government; and the word, because of its frequent appearance in the Septuagint—the Greek translation of the Old Testament that was in common use in Yahusha’ day— where it referred specifically to the children of Yah.
The ekklesia was an arm of government that helped the governor administer the policies of Rome. The job of these citizens was to help ensure that the policies and decrees of Rome passed down to them through the governor were enacted and enforced throughout the region of their jurisdiction.
In English, especially in English-language Bibles, ekklesia is translated as “church.” It was this government agency (not a religious body!) that Yahusha chose as the model for His own ekklesia of “called-out” followers, His government on Earth:
When Yahusha came into the coasts of Qeycaryah Philippi, he asked his Talmidiym, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of A'dam am? And they said, Some say that you are Yahuchanon the Baptizer: some, Eliyahu; and others, Yirmeyahu, or one of the prophets. He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Shim`on Kepha answered and said, You are Ha'mashiach, the Son of the living Elohiym. And Yahusha answered and said unto him, Blessed are you, Shim`on Baryonah: for flesh and blood has not revealed it unto you, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto you, That you are Kepha, and upon this Rock I will rebuild my called out assembly; and the gates of She'ol shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 16:13-19 את CEPHER.
So Christ’s Body on Earth, His Church, is not a religious body but a governmental body. Yahusha’ commission from His
Father was to announce and reestablish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth and to open the doorway into it through His death for the sins of humankind, and through His resurrection. Accordingly, He has commissioned His ekklesia to spread the Kingdom’s influence, culture, and government throughout the world or, in the imagery of Chapter One, to plant Kingdom “gardens” all over the Earth to transform the world into the likeness of Heaven.
Yahusha did not come to Earth to found a religion, and the ekklesia He established was never intended to be a religious body. Yet satan the pretender, desperate to maintain his illegal rulership over the earthly domain, has worked tirelessly over the centuries to reduce Yahusha in the minds of people to a mere religious leader and His Church to a divided and largely ineffective religious institution. Both of these concepts are seriously distorted. Yahusha was not a religious leader; He was a government agent on diplomatic assignment. The Church He established is not a religious institution but a governmental agency charged with publicizing and implementing Kingdom principles and policies throughout the Earth.
Yahusha made this assignment very clear when He said to His followers :
And Yahusha came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Ruach Ha'Qodesh: Teaching them to guard all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amein. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 28:18-20 את CEPHER.
Contrary to popular belief, this command of Yahusha, known historically as the “Great Commission,” is not a religious statement. It is a declaration of government policy. And all of us who are part of His ekklesia, His governmental assembly on Earth, are charged with the responsibility of carrying it out. That is the purpose of the ekklesia. Ours is not a religious crusade. We are government appointees, ambassadors of the King on a diplomatic mission. Like master gardeners, our assignment is to replenish the Earth with Kingdom life, to reclaim, re-fertilize, and re-cultivate land that has been laid waste and made barren by the harsh, evil, and death-dealing rule of the pretender, and to fill it once again with the fresh fragrance and abundant fruitfulness of the Kingdom of Heaven.
A DISTINCTIVE PRESENCE
Wherever the Kingdom of Heaven appears it brings beauty, vitality, and abundant life and fruitfulness. This is in stark contrast to the pretender’s false kingdom, which leaves nothing but death and desolation in its wake. As ambassadors of the King, we have been planted here to change the world, to make a difference by our presence. Most religions of the world, including religious Christianity, focus on getting people ready to leave this world. That is the wrong emphasis. Our mission is not to prepare for departure but to plant Kingdom gardens, to put down roots, and to plan to stick around for a while.
Why would our King place us here with an assignment to fulfill if all we were supposed to do was get ready to leave? No, His plan is to change the world through our influence, or, rather, His influence through us, and to thus transform the Earth from the waste that satan’s dominion has made of it into a lush, abundant “garden” of life and beauty that fully reflects the culture and environment of Heaven. In order to bring our influence to bear, we must be present.
Many of us spend a lot of time praying for the day when we can leave, forgetting all the while that this is not how Yahusha prayed. Yahusha never prayed for our departure. He prayed instead for His Father to prepare us and protect us for what we have been placed on the Earth to do:
I have given them your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that you should take them out of the world, but that you should guard them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through your Truth: your Word is Truth. As you have sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. YOCHANON (JOHN) 17:14-18 את CEPHER.
Yah’s plan is for the Earth to be filled with His glory. And for that to happen, it must be filled with His children, heirs, and citizens of His Kingdom who have seeded the Earth with their influence and manifested His culture. The Earth is the Lord’s, and in His power, His children are going to take it back. Yahusha prays not for their rescue but for their protection from the influence and attacks of the “evil one,” satan the pretender, who will not yield passively to this incursion of Heaven into “his” domain.
As Kingdom citizens, we are in the world but not of it. Our homeland is in another place. We live in one culture but are identified with another culture that should make us a distinctive presence in the world. One reason that Christ’s ekklesia has not made more of an impact in the world is because too many Kingdom citizens have accommodated and adapted to the culture of the world instead of maintaining the culture of our home government. We have neglected our “gardens” and allowed them to become overrun with weeds.
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who are children of the Kingdom of Heaven, and those who are not. Hamachiach Himself made this distinction clear in a teaching story He told about a farmer who planted good seed in his field. At night an enemy came and planted weeds in the midst of the wheat. No one was the wiser until the wheat and the weeds sprouted up together. The farmer told his workers not to pull up the weeds for danger of uprooting the wheat as well. Instead, he allowed both to grow until harvest time, when the weeds were gathered and burned, while the wheat was stored in the granary (see Matt. 13:24-30).
When Yahusha’ disciples asked Him the meaning of the story, He explained it this way:
He answered and said unto them, He that sows the good seed is the Son of A'dam; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the Kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of A'dam shall send forth his angels, and את they shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do transgress the Torah; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Who has ears to hear, let him hear. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 13:37-43 את CEPHER.
As with many of His other stories, Yahusha used here a garden-like analogy to talk about the Kingdom of Heaven. And while the overall meaning of the story relates to the end of this present age, one thing that stands out clearly is the existence in the world of two distinct cultures: Kingdom culture and the culture of the “evil one,” the pretender. Just as wheat and weeds are easy to tell apart, so too is Kingdom culture distinct from worldly culture.
Our lives should leave absolutely no doubt as to which culture we live under. As Kingdom citizens, the world’s culture is not our culture. If we allow the “weeds” of the world to invade our “garden,” it won’t be long before no one can tell the difference.
KINGDOM GARDENS BEAR LASTING FRUIT
The goal of any good gardener is to cultivate plants that produce abundant fruit. Good seed, fertile soil, proper nutrients, sufficient water, and plenty of sunshine are all necessary elements for a productive garden. Kingdom gardens, which should be showcases of Kingdom culture, are distinguished by the presence of the King Himself in the lives of His citizens. Moses, the great Hebrew leader who brought the ancient Israelites out of slavery in Egypt so they could become the chosen people of Yah, understood the importance of the distinctiveness of the Divine Presence. He said to Yah:
“Now therefore, I pray you, if I have found grace in your sight, show me now your way, that I may know you, that I may find grace in your sight: and consider that this nation is your people. And he said, My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest. And he said unto him, If your presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and your people have found grace in your sight? is it not in that you go with us? so shall we be separated, I and your people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. SHEMOTH (EXODUS) 33:13-16 את CEPHER.
The power of the Garden Principle derives from the presence of the Gardener. In the “garden” of His children’s lives, the Gardener’s presence is revealed in at least two ways: vibrant life and abundant, lasting fruit, the greatest of which is love. As Yahusha explained to His disciples:
I AM the Vine of Truth, and my Father is the Husbandman. Every branch in me that bears not fruit he takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the Vine, ye are the Netseriym: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my Talmidiym. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye guard my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have guarded my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if את ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knows not what his Adonai does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another. YOCHANON (JOHN) 15:1-17 א CEPHER.
True Kingdom citizens are distinct from the rest of the world. This is because their lives bear the unmistakable mark of the presence of the true King, who has come to reclaim His earthly domain from the pretender, who seized control thousands of years ago. Life under the pretender’s evil rule is characterized by greed, selfishness, hatred, violence, war, murder, envy, strife, lust, immorality, cruelty, brutality, empty religion, and oppression. The power of the Garden Principle, as exemplified in the lives of Kingdom citizens, brings into being a radically different environment. As we make our way in this world, planting “gardens” as we go, our lives will sow the Earth with seeds of righteousness and holiness. These will grow to produce lasting, life-changing, and world-changing fruit, But the fruit of the Ruach is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law put in place. GALATIYM (GALATIANS) 5:22-23 את CEPHER.
Everyone in the world is looking for the Kingdom of Heaven, even though most of them don’t realize it. People are not looking for religion. Buddhism does not satisfy. Hinduism does not satisfy. Islam does not satisfy. Judaism does not satisfy. “Religious” Christianity does not satisfy. Money and material riches do not satisfy. We were created to rule a garden domain, and we will never be content outside that environment. The King’s Garden Expansion Program is designed to draw many people into His Kingdom from all over the world and to prepare them for Kingdom life and leadership in the “new heaven and...new earth” (Rev. 21:1) that He is already preparing.
IN WORD AND POWER
As I have said many times before, when Yahusha Hamachiach initiated His public ministry, He preached a very simple, straightforward message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt. 4:17b). This was His mission statement and the only message He preached. In one village where the people tried to keep Him all to themselves, He said, “And he said unto them, I must preach the Kingdom of Elohiym to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. LUQAS (LUKE) 4:43 את CEPHER.
Announcing the arrival of a kingdom is one thing; proving its legitimacy is another. Without the demonstrated power and authority to back them up, the words of even a king are meaningless. A king without power is only a man with a fancy title. The Kingdom of Heaven, however, is more than mere words; the eternal power of Almighty Yah gives it undeniable authority. Paul, a great first-century ambassador of the King, wrote, “For the Kingdom of Elohiym is not in word, but in power. QORINTIYM RI'SHON (1 CORINTHIANS) 4:20 את CEPHER.
Consequently, Yahusha came not only with the word of the Kingdom but with its power as well. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He gave sight to the blind. He cast demons out of people—agents of the pretender’s illicit rule— and sent them packing. He even said at one point, “But if I cast out devils by the Ruach Elohiym, then the Kingdom of Elohiym is come unto you. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 12:28 את CEPHER. Everywhere He went, in word and in power, Yahusha demonstrated the authority, legitimacy, and invincibility of His Father’s Kingdom.
One day Yahusha climbed a mountain with Peter, James, and John, His three closest friends among His disciples. They spent the night there, and the three disciples heard the voice of Yah and saw Yahusha revealed in the glory of His true nature as the Son of Yah. This set the stage for a dramatic demonstration of Kingdom power that soon followed:
And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him. And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Rabbi, I beseech you, look upon my son: for he is my only child. And, lo, a ruach takes him, and he suddenly cries out; and it tears him that he foams again, and bruising him hardly departs from him. And I besought your Talmidiym to cast him out; and they could not. And Yahusha answering said, O faithless and perverse nation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring your son hither. And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tore him. And Yahusha rebuked the unclean ruach, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. And they were all amazed at the mighty power of Elohiym. But while they wondered everyone at all things which Yahusha did, he said unto his Talmidiym, LUQAS (LUKE) 9:37-43 את CEPHER.
In the healing of this demon-possessed boy, Yahusha demonstrated undeniable Kingdom power—power so irresistible that even the deeply entrenched agent of satan’s government, who had successfully withstood the disciples’ concerted efforts to expel it, had to flee. This little boy had been taken over by another kingdom, an illegal kingdom, but the rightful, legitimate Kingdom arrived and took him back. In the presence of the true King, the representatives of the false king had no choice but to step down and run away. Such is the power of the Kingdom of Heaven. Such is the power of the Garden Principle.
KINGDOM POWER FOR GARDEN EXPANSION
One significant element of this story of the demon- possessed boy is the disciples’inability to cast out the demon. Why did they fail? The disciples wanted to know this too. Mark’s account of the same story includes this exchange:
And when he was come into the house, his Talmidiym asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. MARQUS (MARK) 9:28-29 את CEPHER.
Matthew adds lack of faith to the reasons why the disciples failed to drive out the demon (see Matt. 17:19-20). Ultimately, Yahusha’ disciples failed because, although they knew the King, they lacked Kingdom power. They were unable as yet to operate with Kingdom authority the way Yahusha did...and the pretender and his agents responded only to the authority of the rightful King.
In order for Yah’s Kingdom-expansion plan through the propagation of Kingdom “gardens” to succeed, it was necessary for His citizens to possess the authority to act in His name. It was also crucial, however, that they not receive that authority before they were ready. In the case of the demon- possessed boy, it is clear that they were not ready—but that soon changed.
Not long afterward, Yahusha decided to send His disciples on their first “independent” field assignments:
AFTER these things Adonai appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore El-Yahuah of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest. Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. LUQAS (LUKE) 10:1-4 את CEPHER, And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The Kingdom of Elohiym is come nigh unto you. But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, Even the very dust of your city, which cleaves on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the Kingdom of Elohiym is come nigh unto you. LUQAS (LUKE) 10:8-11 את CEPHER, He that hears you hears me; and he that despises you despises me; and he that despises me despises him that sent me. And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Adonai, even the devils are subject unto us through your name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the ruachoth are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. LUQAS (LUKE) 10:16-20 את CEPHER).
When the time was right, Yahusha imparted to His disciples His power and authority and then sent them out to do the same things He was doing. He preached that the Kingdom of Yah was near; they preached that the Kingdom of Yah was near. He healed the sick; they healed the sick. He cast out demons; they cast out demons. Only a short time before, the disciples had experienced an embarrassing public failure in trying to evict a demon; but now they discovered that evil spirits submitted to them just as they did to Yahusha. Truly, Hamachiach had given them authority—His authority—in order “to overcome all the power of the enemy.”
Operation of the Garden Principle requires the presence of the Gardener, but it also requires the power of the Gardener. The two go together; they are inseparable. Wherever the Gardener is present, His power is present also, which means that His influence is felt in that place. Apart from the presence and power of Christ, His disciples could do nothing. Accompanied by His presence and power, however, they could do anything He did.
That is how the Garden Principle works. Yah wants to multiply His Garden outposts throughout the world by multiplying His power and presence in the lives of His garden- planters, the Kingdom citizens He has appointed to spread His influence and culture wherever they go. Through delegated authority, the ekklesia is empowered to do the work of the King.
GARDEN IN THE DESERT
The lives and culture of Kingdom citizens should stand out from those of the rest of the world as distinctly as a garden in the middle of a desert. For centuries of desert travelers, nothing has seemed more out of place—or more welcome—than an oasis. Despite outward appearances, life hangs on in the desert, occasionally revealing itself in a flourish of vegetation and vitality, especially where an underground spring bubbles to the surface.
In contrast to the lush beauty, richness, and abundance of the Kingdom of Heaven, the kingdom of this world, under the rule of satan the great pretender, is a vast, arid desert, barren, austere, and harsh. The religions and cultures of humankind offer little to nourish the human spirit. Satan, ever the sly deceiver and trickster, lures the people of the world with false promises of hope and happiness that he never delivers. Looking for clarity, prosperity, and freedom, people find only confusion, poverty, and slavery. The things they seek cannot be found in the kingdom of this world, but only in the legitimate Kingdom, Yah’s original “Garden” Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Yahusha Hamachiach came to Earth to reclaim the desert and transform it once more into a great garden, the vibrant life and abundance of which reflect the character, nature, and environment of His Father’s heavenly Kingdom. He was an oasis—a garden in the desert—and He planted seeds of life, righteousness, and holiness that sprouted into other oases. These were His ekklesia, His Church, called to plant other gardens in other places just as He had planted them. Those in turn would plant others, and the process would continue until the desert would be supplanted and transformed and only the gardens would remain.
This is the plan of Yah and is as sure and certain as if it has already happened. The Kingdom of Heaven has returned to Earth. The King’s Garden Expansion Program is well underway, moving toward the fulfillment of the words recorded by the ancient Hebrew prophet Isaiah:
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Karmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of Yahuah, and the excellency of our Elohiym. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your Elohiym will come with vengeance, even Elohiym with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of Yahuah shall return, and come to Tsiyon with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 35:1-10 את CEPHER.
The power of the Garden Principle is an irresistible power because it is the power of the King, the Master Gardener. That same power lies within the hearts and lives of every Kingdom citizen—the power to plant Kingdom gardens and spread the culture of our King and the influence of His government wherever we go. Like Yahusha’ story of the wheat and the weeds, we live in a world split by two competing and incompatible cultures. One is the evil, corrupting culture of a sly but arrogant usurper squatting illegally on the throne of the earthly domain. The other is the righteous, dynamic, and rich culture of the Owner, the King of the universe, who has invaded enemy territory to reclaim His own.
Many Kingdom citizens are in danger of allowing the “wheat” of their heavenly culture to be choked out and consumed by the “weeds” of the world. As we seek to carry out our King’s Garden Principle, we must understand that we face an opposing culture—and we must be prepared to confront it.
The Divine destiny connection, the chain that links us together.
Monday, February 26, 2024
Friday, February 23, 2024
THE GARDEN OF EDEN: YAH’S KINGDOM ON EARTH
Isaiah chapter 55
Today we are walking in: The Garden of Eden: Yah’s Kingdom On Earth
Numbers 24:7
He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 24:7 ×ת CEPHER
KINGDOM
Today we look to the word-KINGDOM- H4467 mamlâkâh, (mam-law-kaw') -dominion, (abstractly) the estate (rule) or (concretely) the country (realm):—kingdom, king's, reign, royal
The Torah testifies...............
Exodus 19:6
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak unto the children of Yashar'el. SHEMOTH (EXODUS) 19:6 ×ת CEPHER
Numbers 32:33
And Mosheh gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Re'uven, and unto half the tribe of Menashsheh the son of Yoceph, the kingdom of Ciychon king of the Emoriym, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 32:33 ×ת CEPHER
Deuteronomy 17:18
And it shall be, when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this Torah in a cepher out of that which is before the priests the Leviyiym: DEVARIYM (DEUTERONOMY) 17:18 ×ת CEPHER
The prophets proclaim..................
1 Samuel 10:18
And said unto the children of Yashar'el, Thus says Yahuah Elohai of Yashar'el, I brought up Yashar'el out of Mitsrayim, and delivered you out of the hand of the Mitsriym, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: SHEMU'EL RI'SHON (1 SAMUEL) 10:18 ×ת CEPHER
Isaiah 9:7
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of Yahuah Tseva'oth will perform this. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 9:7 ×ת CEPHER
Jeremiah 18:9
And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; YIRMEYAHU (JEREMIAH) 18:9 ×ת CEPHER
The writings bear witness...........................
1 Kings 9:5
Then I will establish the throne of your kingdom upon Yashar'el forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, There shall not fail you a man upon the throne of Yashar'el. MELEKIYM RI'SHON (1 KINGS) 9:5 ×ת CEPHER
1 Chronicles 17:11
And it shall come to pass, when your days be expired that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, which shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. DIVREI HAYAMIYM RI'SHON (1 CHRONICLES) 17:11 ×ת CEPHER
Psalm 145:13
Your Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. Yahuah is true in his word, and holy in all his works. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 145:13 ×ת CEPHER
Chapter One
THE GARDEN OF EDEN: Yah’S KINGDOM ON EARTH
EVERYWHERE I go, I am discovering that more and more people worldwide are tired of religion.
Not long ago I was invited to speak at an international “ spiritual ” conference in Mexico City . It was truly an ecumenical meeting of global proportions. Featured speakers included a leading Hindu Sikh, as well as one of the chief imams of Islam. The Dalai Lama himself was immediately ahead of me on the schedule. The Catholic Archbishop of Mexico was there, as was the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury (from England). I was the only “Evangelical” on the list of speakers.
As my wife and I arrived in Mexico City, we were uncertain as to how we would be received. We needn’t have worried. These interfaith folks greeted us enthusiastically with warm hugs and encouraging words. In fact, the woman who was in charge of coordinating everything said to me, “We know you well by reputation. Feel free to speak however you wish. Say whatever you want to say.”
My allotted time slot for speaking was the last on the schedule, about three o’clock in the afternoon. All the other speakers had preceded me, and those sessions were scantily attended. I don’t know what word went out about me, but when it was my turn to speak, the meeting was packed. Seated right on the front row with my wife were the Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim leaders, all decked out in their fine robes.
As I surveyed the large crowd, I thought, Most High, have mercy! and then I got excited. I took off my human fear, stepped onto that stage in the power of the Holy Spirit, and said, “Stand up, everybody; we’re going to pray. Let’s hold hands together and agree by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Everybody in that stadium did exactly what I asked. The anointing came upon me with authority, I began to pray, and something hit that arena. All of a sudden, everybody started crying. Except for the sound of soft weeping, the place was very quiet.
Finally, I said, “Be seated.” By now it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. “Today,” I said, “I want to speak to you about Yah’s original purpose and why Yah made every human being.” I knew I had one opportunity to speak the message they all needed to hear. When I concluded my remarks 35 minutes later, the meeting erupted in a standing ovation. Shouts of “More, more, more!” arose throughout the arena. The director came out on stage, clapping and nodding in agreement. “Give them more,” she urged me, smiling.
“More?”
“Yes. They want to hear more. Please continue.”
So for the next 25 minutes I told them why Yahusha Hamachiach is different from Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, and all of the other “founders” of the world’s religions. “First,” I said, “let me clarify and make it perfectly clear that I am not a religious man. Second, I am convinced that the number one source of all of our problems is religion.”
The place was absolutely quiet.
“Third, I am here to represent a Man who was never religious, and whose theology, psychology, and ideology are far above religion. I believe that His thesis on human manners and humanity’s future is the only answer we have. After analyzing all of your other presentations, and all of the ideologies that you have presented, I proclaim that His is superior.”
Although it hardly seemed possible, the room got even quieter.
“For example,” I continued, “most religions say ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,’ but this great philosopher says, ‘Love your enemies.’” The Muslim imam squirmed in his chair. “I came to talk about what we need the most. We don’t need more religion in the world, because all of us know that we are the problem. What we need is a government in the world, and I have come to tell you about an alternative government. The only one that works is the Kingdom of Yah. Every single person in this room has misunderstood Yahusha Hamachiach .”
I continued on in this vein for almost half an hour and concluded to another standing ovation. Why was my message so well received? Because I didn’t talk about a religion. If I had preached “Christianity,” it never would have worked. Instead, I talked about Yah, His Son, and His “big idea,” and the people ate it up. Why? Because people are tired of religion. They are tired of something that does not work and cannot answer the deepest questions and longings of their soul. People all over the world are looking for something more.
Our world today is wracked by unrest and violence. War, genocide, “ethnic cleansing,” and terrorism all speak to the violent clash of cultures on an unprecedented scale. At the heart of this cultural conflict lie fundamental, deeply entrenched, and thoroughly differing ideologies that are religiously based. Whenever religion becomes the foundation of a culture, then changing that culture is very difficult because it is based on a belief system. Historically, religious differences have been and continue to be responsible for most of the violent conflict throughout the world. Clearly, religion has failed humankind.
A UNIQUELY BEAUTIFUL IDEA
Religion is man’s idea, not Yah’s.
Yah’s original idea is much bigger and much better than anything we humans could ever dream up. And what was Yah’s big idea? He decided to extend His heavenly Kingdom to the earthly plane, to expand His supernatural realm into the natural realm. Or to put it another way, Yah decided to fill the Earth with the culture of Heaven.
How did Yah bring His big idea into being? In this, as in almost everything else He does, Yah did the unexpected. Typically, human kingdoms and empires rise—and fall— through war and conquest. Not Yah’s. Because His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways (see Isa. 55:8), Yah did something completely different. When Yah decided to bring the culture of Heaven to Earth, He did not use war. He did not use conquest. He did not issue a code of laws right away. No, when Yah set out to bring Heaven to Earth, He did something much simpler, something uniquely beautiful and wonderful.
He planted a garden.
Although invisible, Heaven is a literal place. It is a Kingdom with territory and a government—Yah’s government. From the beginning, Yah had a very simple goal: to extend His invisible heavenly Kingdom to the visible Earth. This original intent lies at the heart of the Scriptures. Historically, whenever the rulers of a kingdom or empire have desired to expand its influence or territory, they have done so primarily by one of two means: outright conquest or colonization. As the sole and uncontested Creator and Ruler of all that is, Yah chose to expand His influence and domain from the spiritual to the natural and from the invisible to the visible by establishing on Earth a colony, or outpost, of Heaven. His plan was to populate this outpost with His own children—human beings created in His own image—who would live by and operate His heavenly Kingdom government in the earthly realm.
Unlike the pattern that would be followed by human kings and rulers throughout history, this original outpost of Heaven on Earth did not consist of an imposing fortress with thick walls, battlements, and stockades, intended to intimidate a cowed and frightened population. No, Yah initiated His Kingdom on Earth by planting a garden in Eden, a place specially prepared as the habitation for the first human representatives of His Kingdom government on Earth. From this hub of abundance and beauty, they would follow their government’s mandate to “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28), filling the Earth their kind and planting Kingdom “gardens” wherever they went. In this manner, like leaven in bread, they would infuse the territory of Earth with the nation of Heaven.
UNDERSTANDING Yah’S ORIGINAL INTENT
The key to understanding humankind’s presence and purpose on Earth is to understand Yah’s original intent. If we know what Yah intended in the beginning, we can make better sense of where we are now and where we need to be going.
Intent can be defined as original purpose. It is more important for us to know what a person intended than to know what he or she actually said or did. If we do not properly discern intent, misunderstanding will follow. This is one reason why there are so many confused people in the world: We have misunderstood Yah’s original intent; we have misunderstood not only ourselves, but also Yah’s purpose for us on Earth.
Understanding intent gives us the “big picture.” If we see or hear only a small part of the whole, we will misunderstand and draw an incorrect conclusion. Yah has a purpose for everything He does. All of us who are citizens of His Kingdom are part of His overall plan, but often all we can see is the tiny portion that involves us at any given moment. Regularly referring to the Bible, Yah’s guidebook for life in His Kingdom, will inform us of His intent, which will, in turn, help us keep the big picture before us.
Intent is also the most critical component of motivation. It is the source of motivation and the reason why someone does something or creates something. Unless specifically stated, however, intent is usually hidden. A good example of this is a work of art by a master painter. Artists rarely state their intent plainly; they let their art speak for itself. For those who take the time and effort to search it out, the intent behind an artist’s
work can be discerned from the painting itself. No other explanation is necessary.
As I said before, if intent is unknown, misunderstanding is inevitable. Misunderstanding intent guarantees a waste of time, talent, energy, gifts, and resources. Unless we know what Yah intended, everything we do will be a waste of time. That is the problem with religion. Religion, at best, is humankind’s best guess at Yah’s original intent. Most religions focus on trying to get Yah’s attention, which is the wrong approach. We already have Yah’s attention. The key to life and purpose, however, is to get Yah’s intention.
Fortunately for us, Yah has not hidden His intent away in some obscure manner the way an artist might in a painting. Instead, He has revealed Himself and His intent through His creation (sometimes called “general revelation”) as well as through His Word (sometimes called “special revelation”). An example of the first is found in Psalm 19:1: “THE heavens enumerate the glory of El; and the expanse shows his handywork. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 19:1 את CEPHER.” General revelation refers to what we can learn about Yah through observation of His created order. Special revelation has to do with what Yah reveals about Himself explicitly through either direct statement or manifestation— things about Him that we could never learn or discern on our own. The Bible is full of such statements of Yah’s self- revelation.
In fact, Yah’s original intention is stated explicitly in the very first chapter of the Bible:
And Elohiym said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So Elohiym created man in his own image, in the image of Elohiym created he him; male and female created he them. And Elohiym blessed them, and Elohiym said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 1:26-28 את CEPHER.
The phrase “Yah said” indicates that what follows is the expression of the intent that Yah purposed beforehand in His mind. Whenever Yah speaks, we need to listen carefully, because we are about to receive His revealed intention. In this case, we learn about Yah’s intention—His purpose—in creating the universe, the planet we call Earth, along with all its creatures, and especially the human race. First, Yah tells us what He intended to do: create a species called “man” in His own image and likeness. Then He tells us why: so that they may exercise rulership and dominion over the Earth and all its creatures.
In order to facilitate this, Yah prepared a special habitat for His human representatives, a “home base” from which they would fulfill His intent and fill the Earth with the culture of Heaven:
And Yahuah Elohiym planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 2:8 את CEPHER
And Yahuah Elohiym took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to guard it. BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 2:15 את CEPHER
Yah’s original intent was to populate the Earth with humankind, who then would rule and dominate the planet for Him and in His name. It’s really very simple.
MADE FOR HABITATION
There are many other references throughout the Bible that also clearly express Yah’s original intention. For example, the Hebrew prophet Isaiah states that Yah created the Earth specifically as a habitation for humanity:
For this is what the Most High says—He who created the heavens, He is Yah; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited—He says: “For thus says Yahuah that created the heavens; Elohiym himself that formed the earth and made it; he has established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am Yahuah; and there is none else. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 45:18 את CEPHER.
In Yah’s plan, the Earth has always had a purpose. Yah never intended to create the Earth and then leave it empty. From the very beginning, even before He formed the Earth, Yah envisioned it filled with plant and animal life of every variety, all of it overseen and ruled by human beings created in His image and exercising His delegated authority.
One of the ancient Hebrew psalms says, “The heavens, even the heavens, are Yahuah's: but the earth has he given to the children of men. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 115:16 את CEPHER. Yah’s desire was to extend His kingly rule from Heaven to Earth, but He did not want to do it personally. Instead, He chose to create humankind in His own image—spiritual beings inhabiting physical bodies perfectly adapted to inhabit the natural realm. The Earth has been given to mankind. Any religion, therefore, that teaches or emphasizes leaving the Earth to live forever in some other place in the “life to come” misses the point. If we are eager to leave Earth forever to live somewhere else, we misunderstand Yah’s intent.
Although the Bible plainly states that this present world will pass away (see 1 Cor. 7:31; 1 John 2:17), it also promises that a new Earth will take its place:
For, behold, I create renewed heavens and a renewed earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 65:17 את CEPHER.
“For as the renewed heavens and the renewed earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says Yahuah, so shall your seed and your name remain. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 66:22 את CEPHER.
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for a renewed heavens and a renewed earth, wherein dwells righteousness. KEPHA SHENIY (2 PETER) 3:13 את CEPHER.
AND I saw a renewed heaven and a renewed earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. CHIZAYON (REVELATION) 21:1 את CEPHER.
If Yah’s original intent—for the Earth to be inhabited—was going to change with the passing of this present world, why would He create a new one? Humankind’s future in the Kingdom of Heaven will always involve the Earth—a recreated Earth.
Yah’s original intent—and His continuing purpose—was and is to extend His invisible heavenly Kingdom to the Earth, to influence Earth from Heaven through the rulership of His earthly children created in His image. The expansion of a kingdom government (or any government) from one place to another by planting an outpost in that new place is called colonization, and the outpost so planted is called a colony. Simply stated, Yah’s original intent was to make Earth a colony of Heaven.
I understand that most people today think of colonization in very negative terms, particularly those who have lived under colonial rule, as I have. And with good reason: throughout history almost all human colonization has been characterized by coercion, brutality, greed, exploitation, victimization, and oppression. These traits, in fact, reflect the nature and tactics of satan, the original enemy of humanity, who illegally seized control of Yah’s original garden “colony” and deposed its rightful rulers: Adam and Eve.
Colonization was Yah’s original idea, but unlike the human way of colonizing, His colony on Earth took the form of a garden. As an analogy, a garden shares the same general traits as a colony, but without all the negative baggage. In sharp contrast to the violent and forceful way that human empires expand, Yah’s way was much more subtle. Just as a garden gradually, beautifully, and completely transforms the fallow ground where it is planted, the influence of Yah’s Kingdom on Earth grows gradually and often invisibly until eventually it will fill the Earth, infusing it with the culture of Heaven. Yahusha likened the process to the way yeast leavens bread:
Another parable spoke he unto them; The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 13:33 את CEPHER.
He also compared the Kingdom to a mustard seed:
What is the kingdom of Yah like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew, became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches (Luke 13:18-19).
Yah’s ultimate goal in planting His garden “colony” was to fill the Earth with His glory. The glory of Yah is one of the significant themes of the Bible. For example, Yah told Moses, “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Yahuah. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 14:21 את CEPHER. King Solomon, son of David, prayed, “And blessed be his glorious name forever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amein, and Amein. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 72:19 את CEPHER. Yah reiterated this theme to the ancient Hebrew prophet Habakkuk when He said, “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahuah, as the waters cover the sea. CHABAQQUQ (HABAKKUK) 2:14 את CEPHER.
In Hebrew, the word for “glory” is kabod, and the equivalent Greek word is doxa. Both words mean “weighty,” or a “heavy weight.” More specifically, “glory” refers to the full nature of a thing. Yah wants to fill the Earth with His full weight, His full and true nature, the fullness of who He is and what He is like. He wants to be on Earth just as He is in Heaven. Psalm 19:1 says that the heavens are filled with the glory of Yah. He wants the Earth to be filled the same way, by filling it with people who are filled with His nature and His Spirit.
THE RISE...FALL...AND RISE...OF A KINGDOM
Understanding Yah’s original intent helps us understand the Bible, His written Word. Many people misunderstand the Bible and its message because they misunderstand Yah’s original intent.
Simply stated, the Bible is about the rise, fall, and rise of Yah’s Kingdom on Earth. It tells the story of a kingdom established, a kingdom lost, and a kingdom regained. The first two chapters of the Book of Genesis describe the establishment of Yah’s earthly kingdom under the rulership of Adam and Eve, who Yah created in His own image and to whom He then gave dominion. Genesis chapter 3 tells how Adam and Eve lost their earthly kingdom, while the rest of the Bible records the working of Yah’s plan to regain that kingdom and restore it to its former place.
The Bible begins with the Creation of the natural realm— the heavens and the Earth—but even earlier than that, He created and established the supernatural realm, which we know as Heaven, as the invisible center of His power. Heaven is Yah’s first and original Kingdom. As a Kingdom, with Yah as its King, Heaven is a country just as real as any nation on Earth, even though invisible. The New Testament Book of Hebrews describes Abraham and other ancient people of faith as “aliens and strangers on earth” who were “looking for a country of their own” (Heb. 11:13-14). This does not refer to their earthly countries of origin, to which they could have returned had they so desired, but to another country in another place:
But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore Elohiym is not ashamed to be called their Elohiym: for he has prepared for them a city. IVRIYM (HEBREWS) 11:16 את CEPHER.
Heaven, therefore, is a country, a Kingdom ruled by a King: Yah. “King” is the only appropriate title to describe Yah’s place in Heaven, because no one voted Him into power. Yah rules His Kingdom by divine right, by right of creation. Because Yah created all things, all things belong to Him. He alone is the rightful ruler of the universe. Psalm 103:19 says, “Yahuah has prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom rules over all. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 103:19 את CEPHER.” There will never be another ruler, because Yah’s Kingdom is eternal: “Your throne, O Elohiym, is forever and ever: the sceptre of your Kingdom is a right sceptre. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 45:6 את CEPHER.
Since it is the nature of kingdoms to expand their territory, Yah decided to expand His invisible, supernatural Kingdom into the visible, natural realm. He created the heavens and the Earth and then planted a beautiful Garden in Eden as the focal point and starting place for His Kingdom expansion on Earth. He filled the Earth with plants and animals of all varieties. Finally, He created a man and a woman—human beings fashioned in His image and likeness—and placed them in the Garden as His Kingdom citizen-representatives to rule on Earth under His overall authority.
Human beings were given dominion over the earthly realm, but Yah is still King because everything belongs to Him. The psalmist said:
THE earth is Yahuah's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 24:1-2 את CEPHER.
For Yahuah ELYON is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 47:2 את CEPHER
When Yah created humankind, He gave us rulership over the Earth, but He never gave us ownership. Yah is King of the Earth, and Adam and Eve were its stewards, imbued with almost unlimited authority to rule in His name.
As the initial outpost of Yah’s invisible Kingdom in the visible realm, Eden was a touch of Heaven on Earth. Everything about it reflected Heaven’s culture, government, and ways. Truly, it was paradise. Unfortunately, this idyllic state of affairs did not last long. Genesis chapter 3 tells the tragic story of how a demonic usurper and pretender to the throne, through a combination of subtlety and deceit, gained control of Heaven’s earthly outpost. Eden’s human stewards, Adam and Eve, were tricked into disobeying their King’s command, thus surrendering their earthly dominion and authority. Satan, an unemployed cherub with delusions of grandeur—and Yah’s archenemy—seized control of a domain that was not rightfully his and quickly contaminated it with the poison of his own evil nature. Paradise was lost, and ever since, we humans have longed for the restoration of our lost kingdom.
The next eight chapters of Genesis describe the deepening corruption of human culture, morals, thoughts, imaginations, and behavior due to the sin nature inherited from Adam and Eve, as well as the continuing deadly influence of satan’s evil and illegal rule.
Genesis chapter 12 begins the story of Yah’s plan to regain and restore the earthly kingdom that humanity lost. He calls Abraham, through whose descendants He builds a nation of people He calls His own, and through whom He later sends His own Son to the Earth to reestablish His Kingdom on Earth and take it away from the great pretender.
After centuries of preparation, and when the time was just right in Yah’s plans, Yahusha Hamachiach , the Son of Yah, was born to a virgin and grew up in a low-class family. Because His mission was to reestablish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, it is no surprise that His message was a Kingdom message, a message of colonization, as it were. Yahusha’ first recorded public words were, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt. 4:17b). His life, ministry, death, and resurrection broke the power of the pretender, restored the earthly kingdom to His Father, and opened the door for humankind to regain our rightful place in that kingdom.
ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
Yahusha taught His followers to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:9-10). With these words, He was calling on His Father to once again restore His Kingdom rule and culture on Earth as it had always been in Heaven—and as it had been in Eden at the beginning. What was Yah’s Kingdom on Earth like? What was life like in Heaven’s earthly outpost, Yah’s “Garden colony” on Earth?
Essentially, Eden was a direct reflection in the natural realm of Heaven in the supernatural realm. For one thing, it had land —territory. Every kingdom must have territory, for without territory there is nothing for a king to rule over. Although invisible, the supernatural realm of Heaven is vast and infinite —much larger than the natural realm visible to human eyes. Eden was a physical realm with physical territory. That is why Yah did not create man first. He created the Earth first so that man would have territory to rule. Adam and Eve ruled Eden and the entire created order, just as Yah ruled in Heaven.
Second, Eden shared a common language with Heaven. Any nation or kingdom needs a common language or else it will begin to lose national and social cohesion. Adam and Eve shared a common language with their Creator. They conversed openly and easily with Him in a completely transparent relationship and always knew exactly what He expected. All that changed when the pretender took over. Even though all humans spoke a common language with one another for many centuries—until Yah confused their speech at the Tower of Babel (see Gen. 11:1-9)—they lost their ability to understand and speak Yah’s language, the language of Heaven. That is why, when we are outside the Kingdom, we do not understand what Yah says and no longer know what He expects. One characteristic of Kingdom life is that we can speak and understand the language of the Kingdom in a way that those outside the Kingdom cannot.
Eden also shared the laws and constitution of Heaven.
These were not written down anywhere, because Yah had inscribed them on the hearts and minds of the human couple He had created. They knew what He expected and demanded. They understood how He wanted them to live and what He wanted them to do. Yah’s instructions were simple: Be fruitful, multiply, fill the Earth, and subdue it. He placed only one restriction on their activities, and it was for their protection: “And Yahuah Elohiym commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die. BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 2:16-17 את CEPHER. Aside from this one prohibition, they were completely free.
In the beginning, Eden operated under Heaven’s moral code. Every nation must have a moral code, or else the people will become a law unto themselves and do whatever they want, resulting in chaos, disorder, and anarchy. At first, Adam and Eve had no consciousness of a moral code; they lived in perfect harmony with Yah. There was no lying, or stealing, or murder, or sexual immorality, or any other corrupt behavior that characterizes life in a fallen world. However, when the pretender’s trickery and deceit led them to disobey Yah’s one restriction, they discovered immediately the full weight of the Kingdom’s moral code as it pressed down on them, producing a deep sense of guilt and shame.
Eden and Heaven also shared common values. Part of being a citizen of any nation is agreeing with the expressed values of that nation. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the most important value is obedience to the will of the King. Through their disobedience, Adam and Eve revealed that they no longer shared the King’s values, which is why they had to leave the Garden.
The disobedience of Adam and Eve violated not only the Kingdom’s moral code, but also its customs and social norms. All nations and kingdoms have customs (unwritten codes of conduct and expectations that have become so ingrained in a people’s consciousness that they take on the force of law). They also have social norms (the manners, etiquette, graces, and standards of behavior that are regarded as normative for that society). Violation of those norms causes one to be labeled as “anti-social,” and sometimes even as “criminal.”
In the Kingdom of Heaven, the King’s word is law, and it encompasses both customs and social norms. It is absolute and inviolable. Defiance of the King is not tolerated. Lucifer (satan) and one-third of the angels in Heaven discovered this the hard way when they mounted a coup against the King and were cast out of Heaven for their trouble. Adam and Eve made the same discovery when they found themselves banished from paradise.
In short, as an outpost of Heaven on Earth, the Garden- colony of Eden displayed the culture of Heaven. Culture is the culmination of all these elements: land, language, laws, constitution, moral codes, shared values, customs, and social norms. Culture defines a people. It is inherent; it comes naturally, which is exactly what Yah wants for His Kingdom citizens. He doesn’t want us to strive to obey laws written on stone tablets or laid down in books. He wants to write them in our minds and in our hearts so that they will become second nature to us. That way, we won’t have to think about living the Kingdom culture; we will simply do it.
By creating an outpost of Heaven on Earth, Yah wanted to establish a prototype of the original country of Heaven in another territory. Planting the Garden was a particularly apt way for Yah to accomplish His desire. First, the natural beauty, vibrant life, and abundant fruitfulness of the Garden are visible reflections of equivalent characteristics of Yah’s invisible Kingdom. Heaven is a spiritual country of indescribable beauty, vibrancy, and abundance because it is the center of power for the King of the universe, who is all of those things and more—infinitely more.
Second, a garden transforms the land it occupies, turning it from barren soil into a place of beauty, provision, and purpose. In the same way, the Kingdom of Heaven transforms the natural realm, wherever the two intersect, so that the natural realm becomes a true reflection of Heaven.
Yah’s big idea was to reproduce the Kingdom of Heaven in the visible realm by planting a Kingdom outpost on the Earth and populating it with Kingdom citizens who would govern according to Kingdom government, live according to Kingdom culture, and expand Kingdom influence until it filled and transformed the Earth. Politically speaking, the term for this kind of governmental expansion is colonization. As a Kingdom outpost on Earth, Eden was a colony of Heaven established by a righteous, just, and benevolent King who is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love (see Ps. 103:8).
But Eden was also a garden. And just as kingdoms expand by transplanting their governments and cultures in another place through colonization, gardens expand through the transplantation of seedlings and cuttings onto new soil and graftings into new plant life. Yah’s purpose was that His Kingdom citizens in Eden—His steward-gardeners—would expand the Garden and the government and culture of His Kingdom by transplanting them wherever they went.
That is still Yah’s big idea—and His purpose for today. Yah is still in the horticultural business. All Kingdom citizens share a common call and commission from their King to be royal gardeners, sowing seeds and planting “gardens” of Kingdom culture and government throughout the world until “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahuah, as the waters cover the sea. CHABAQQUQ (HABAKKUK) 2:14 את CEPHER.
Today we are walking in: The Garden of Eden: Yah’s Kingdom On Earth
Numbers 24:7
He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 24:7 ×ת CEPHER
KINGDOM
Today we look to the word-KINGDOM- H4467 mamlâkâh, (mam-law-kaw') -dominion, (abstractly) the estate (rule) or (concretely) the country (realm):—kingdom, king's, reign, royal
The Torah testifies...............
Exodus 19:6
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak unto the children of Yashar'el. SHEMOTH (EXODUS) 19:6 ×ת CEPHER
Numbers 32:33
And Mosheh gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Re'uven, and unto half the tribe of Menashsheh the son of Yoceph, the kingdom of Ciychon king of the Emoriym, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 32:33 ×ת CEPHER
Deuteronomy 17:18
And it shall be, when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this Torah in a cepher out of that which is before the priests the Leviyiym: DEVARIYM (DEUTERONOMY) 17:18 ×ת CEPHER
The prophets proclaim..................
1 Samuel 10:18
And said unto the children of Yashar'el, Thus says Yahuah Elohai of Yashar'el, I brought up Yashar'el out of Mitsrayim, and delivered you out of the hand of the Mitsriym, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: SHEMU'EL RI'SHON (1 SAMUEL) 10:18 ×ת CEPHER
Isaiah 9:7
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of Yahuah Tseva'oth will perform this. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 9:7 ×ת CEPHER
Jeremiah 18:9
And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; YIRMEYAHU (JEREMIAH) 18:9 ×ת CEPHER
The writings bear witness...........................
1 Kings 9:5
Then I will establish the throne of your kingdom upon Yashar'el forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, There shall not fail you a man upon the throne of Yashar'el. MELEKIYM RI'SHON (1 KINGS) 9:5 ×ת CEPHER
1 Chronicles 17:11
And it shall come to pass, when your days be expired that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, which shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. DIVREI HAYAMIYM RI'SHON (1 CHRONICLES) 17:11 ×ת CEPHER
Psalm 145:13
Your Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. Yahuah is true in his word, and holy in all his works. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 145:13 ×ת CEPHER
Chapter One
THE GARDEN OF EDEN: Yah’S KINGDOM ON EARTH
EVERYWHERE I go, I am discovering that more and more people worldwide are tired of religion.
Not long ago I was invited to speak at an international “ spiritual ” conference in Mexico City . It was truly an ecumenical meeting of global proportions. Featured speakers included a leading Hindu Sikh, as well as one of the chief imams of Islam. The Dalai Lama himself was immediately ahead of me on the schedule. The Catholic Archbishop of Mexico was there, as was the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury (from England). I was the only “Evangelical” on the list of speakers.
As my wife and I arrived in Mexico City, we were uncertain as to how we would be received. We needn’t have worried. These interfaith folks greeted us enthusiastically with warm hugs and encouraging words. In fact, the woman who was in charge of coordinating everything said to me, “We know you well by reputation. Feel free to speak however you wish. Say whatever you want to say.”
My allotted time slot for speaking was the last on the schedule, about three o’clock in the afternoon. All the other speakers had preceded me, and those sessions were scantily attended. I don’t know what word went out about me, but when it was my turn to speak, the meeting was packed. Seated right on the front row with my wife were the Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim leaders, all decked out in their fine robes.
As I surveyed the large crowd, I thought, Most High, have mercy! and then I got excited. I took off my human fear, stepped onto that stage in the power of the Holy Spirit, and said, “Stand up, everybody; we’re going to pray. Let’s hold hands together and agree by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Everybody in that stadium did exactly what I asked. The anointing came upon me with authority, I began to pray, and something hit that arena. All of a sudden, everybody started crying. Except for the sound of soft weeping, the place was very quiet.
Finally, I said, “Be seated.” By now it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. “Today,” I said, “I want to speak to you about Yah’s original purpose and why Yah made every human being.” I knew I had one opportunity to speak the message they all needed to hear. When I concluded my remarks 35 minutes later, the meeting erupted in a standing ovation. Shouts of “More, more, more!” arose throughout the arena. The director came out on stage, clapping and nodding in agreement. “Give them more,” she urged me, smiling.
“More?”
“Yes. They want to hear more. Please continue.”
So for the next 25 minutes I told them why Yahusha Hamachiach is different from Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, and all of the other “founders” of the world’s religions. “First,” I said, “let me clarify and make it perfectly clear that I am not a religious man. Second, I am convinced that the number one source of all of our problems is religion.”
The place was absolutely quiet.
“Third, I am here to represent a Man who was never religious, and whose theology, psychology, and ideology are far above religion. I believe that His thesis on human manners and humanity’s future is the only answer we have. After analyzing all of your other presentations, and all of the ideologies that you have presented, I proclaim that His is superior.”
Although it hardly seemed possible, the room got even quieter.
“For example,” I continued, “most religions say ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,’ but this great philosopher says, ‘Love your enemies.’” The Muslim imam squirmed in his chair. “I came to talk about what we need the most. We don’t need more religion in the world, because all of us know that we are the problem. What we need is a government in the world, and I have come to tell you about an alternative government. The only one that works is the Kingdom of Yah. Every single person in this room has misunderstood Yahusha Hamachiach .”
I continued on in this vein for almost half an hour and concluded to another standing ovation. Why was my message so well received? Because I didn’t talk about a religion. If I had preached “Christianity,” it never would have worked. Instead, I talked about Yah, His Son, and His “big idea,” and the people ate it up. Why? Because people are tired of religion. They are tired of something that does not work and cannot answer the deepest questions and longings of their soul. People all over the world are looking for something more.
Our world today is wracked by unrest and violence. War, genocide, “ethnic cleansing,” and terrorism all speak to the violent clash of cultures on an unprecedented scale. At the heart of this cultural conflict lie fundamental, deeply entrenched, and thoroughly differing ideologies that are religiously based. Whenever religion becomes the foundation of a culture, then changing that culture is very difficult because it is based on a belief system. Historically, religious differences have been and continue to be responsible for most of the violent conflict throughout the world. Clearly, religion has failed humankind.
A UNIQUELY BEAUTIFUL IDEA
Religion is man’s idea, not Yah’s.
Yah’s original idea is much bigger and much better than anything we humans could ever dream up. And what was Yah’s big idea? He decided to extend His heavenly Kingdom to the earthly plane, to expand His supernatural realm into the natural realm. Or to put it another way, Yah decided to fill the Earth with the culture of Heaven.
How did Yah bring His big idea into being? In this, as in almost everything else He does, Yah did the unexpected. Typically, human kingdoms and empires rise—and fall— through war and conquest. Not Yah’s. Because His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways (see Isa. 55:8), Yah did something completely different. When Yah decided to bring the culture of Heaven to Earth, He did not use war. He did not use conquest. He did not issue a code of laws right away. No, when Yah set out to bring Heaven to Earth, He did something much simpler, something uniquely beautiful and wonderful.
He planted a garden.
Although invisible, Heaven is a literal place. It is a Kingdom with territory and a government—Yah’s government. From the beginning, Yah had a very simple goal: to extend His invisible heavenly Kingdom to the visible Earth. This original intent lies at the heart of the Scriptures. Historically, whenever the rulers of a kingdom or empire have desired to expand its influence or territory, they have done so primarily by one of two means: outright conquest or colonization. As the sole and uncontested Creator and Ruler of all that is, Yah chose to expand His influence and domain from the spiritual to the natural and from the invisible to the visible by establishing on Earth a colony, or outpost, of Heaven. His plan was to populate this outpost with His own children—human beings created in His own image—who would live by and operate His heavenly Kingdom government in the earthly realm.
Unlike the pattern that would be followed by human kings and rulers throughout history, this original outpost of Heaven on Earth did not consist of an imposing fortress with thick walls, battlements, and stockades, intended to intimidate a cowed and frightened population. No, Yah initiated His Kingdom on Earth by planting a garden in Eden, a place specially prepared as the habitation for the first human representatives of His Kingdom government on Earth. From this hub of abundance and beauty, they would follow their government’s mandate to “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28), filling the Earth their kind and planting Kingdom “gardens” wherever they went. In this manner, like leaven in bread, they would infuse the territory of Earth with the nation of Heaven.
UNDERSTANDING Yah’S ORIGINAL INTENT
The key to understanding humankind’s presence and purpose on Earth is to understand Yah’s original intent. If we know what Yah intended in the beginning, we can make better sense of where we are now and where we need to be going.
Intent can be defined as original purpose. It is more important for us to know what a person intended than to know what he or she actually said or did. If we do not properly discern intent, misunderstanding will follow. This is one reason why there are so many confused people in the world: We have misunderstood Yah’s original intent; we have misunderstood not only ourselves, but also Yah’s purpose for us on Earth.
Understanding intent gives us the “big picture.” If we see or hear only a small part of the whole, we will misunderstand and draw an incorrect conclusion. Yah has a purpose for everything He does. All of us who are citizens of His Kingdom are part of His overall plan, but often all we can see is the tiny portion that involves us at any given moment. Regularly referring to the Bible, Yah’s guidebook for life in His Kingdom, will inform us of His intent, which will, in turn, help us keep the big picture before us.
Intent is also the most critical component of motivation. It is the source of motivation and the reason why someone does something or creates something. Unless specifically stated, however, intent is usually hidden. A good example of this is a work of art by a master painter. Artists rarely state their intent plainly; they let their art speak for itself. For those who take the time and effort to search it out, the intent behind an artist’s
work can be discerned from the painting itself. No other explanation is necessary.
As I said before, if intent is unknown, misunderstanding is inevitable. Misunderstanding intent guarantees a waste of time, talent, energy, gifts, and resources. Unless we know what Yah intended, everything we do will be a waste of time. That is the problem with religion. Religion, at best, is humankind’s best guess at Yah’s original intent. Most religions focus on trying to get Yah’s attention, which is the wrong approach. We already have Yah’s attention. The key to life and purpose, however, is to get Yah’s intention.
Fortunately for us, Yah has not hidden His intent away in some obscure manner the way an artist might in a painting. Instead, He has revealed Himself and His intent through His creation (sometimes called “general revelation”) as well as through His Word (sometimes called “special revelation”). An example of the first is found in Psalm 19:1: “THE heavens enumerate the glory of El; and the expanse shows his handywork. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 19:1 את CEPHER.” General revelation refers to what we can learn about Yah through observation of His created order. Special revelation has to do with what Yah reveals about Himself explicitly through either direct statement or manifestation— things about Him that we could never learn or discern on our own. The Bible is full of such statements of Yah’s self- revelation.
In fact, Yah’s original intention is stated explicitly in the very first chapter of the Bible:
And Elohiym said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So Elohiym created man in his own image, in the image of Elohiym created he him; male and female created he them. And Elohiym blessed them, and Elohiym said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 1:26-28 את CEPHER.
The phrase “Yah said” indicates that what follows is the expression of the intent that Yah purposed beforehand in His mind. Whenever Yah speaks, we need to listen carefully, because we are about to receive His revealed intention. In this case, we learn about Yah’s intention—His purpose—in creating the universe, the planet we call Earth, along with all its creatures, and especially the human race. First, Yah tells us what He intended to do: create a species called “man” in His own image and likeness. Then He tells us why: so that they may exercise rulership and dominion over the Earth and all its creatures.
In order to facilitate this, Yah prepared a special habitat for His human representatives, a “home base” from which they would fulfill His intent and fill the Earth with the culture of Heaven:
And Yahuah Elohiym planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 2:8 את CEPHER
And Yahuah Elohiym took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to guard it. BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 2:15 את CEPHER
Yah’s original intent was to populate the Earth with humankind, who then would rule and dominate the planet for Him and in His name. It’s really very simple.
MADE FOR HABITATION
There are many other references throughout the Bible that also clearly express Yah’s original intention. For example, the Hebrew prophet Isaiah states that Yah created the Earth specifically as a habitation for humanity:
For this is what the Most High says—He who created the heavens, He is Yah; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited—He says: “For thus says Yahuah that created the heavens; Elohiym himself that formed the earth and made it; he has established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am Yahuah; and there is none else. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 45:18 את CEPHER.
In Yah’s plan, the Earth has always had a purpose. Yah never intended to create the Earth and then leave it empty. From the very beginning, even before He formed the Earth, Yah envisioned it filled with plant and animal life of every variety, all of it overseen and ruled by human beings created in His image and exercising His delegated authority.
One of the ancient Hebrew psalms says, “The heavens, even the heavens, are Yahuah's: but the earth has he given to the children of men. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 115:16 את CEPHER. Yah’s desire was to extend His kingly rule from Heaven to Earth, but He did not want to do it personally. Instead, He chose to create humankind in His own image—spiritual beings inhabiting physical bodies perfectly adapted to inhabit the natural realm. The Earth has been given to mankind. Any religion, therefore, that teaches or emphasizes leaving the Earth to live forever in some other place in the “life to come” misses the point. If we are eager to leave Earth forever to live somewhere else, we misunderstand Yah’s intent.
Although the Bible plainly states that this present world will pass away (see 1 Cor. 7:31; 1 John 2:17), it also promises that a new Earth will take its place:
For, behold, I create renewed heavens and a renewed earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 65:17 את CEPHER.
“For as the renewed heavens and the renewed earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says Yahuah, so shall your seed and your name remain. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 66:22 את CEPHER.
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for a renewed heavens and a renewed earth, wherein dwells righteousness. KEPHA SHENIY (2 PETER) 3:13 את CEPHER.
AND I saw a renewed heaven and a renewed earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. CHIZAYON (REVELATION) 21:1 את CEPHER.
If Yah’s original intent—for the Earth to be inhabited—was going to change with the passing of this present world, why would He create a new one? Humankind’s future in the Kingdom of Heaven will always involve the Earth—a recreated Earth.
Yah’s original intent—and His continuing purpose—was and is to extend His invisible heavenly Kingdom to the Earth, to influence Earth from Heaven through the rulership of His earthly children created in His image. The expansion of a kingdom government (or any government) from one place to another by planting an outpost in that new place is called colonization, and the outpost so planted is called a colony. Simply stated, Yah’s original intent was to make Earth a colony of Heaven.
I understand that most people today think of colonization in very negative terms, particularly those who have lived under colonial rule, as I have. And with good reason: throughout history almost all human colonization has been characterized by coercion, brutality, greed, exploitation, victimization, and oppression. These traits, in fact, reflect the nature and tactics of satan, the original enemy of humanity, who illegally seized control of Yah’s original garden “colony” and deposed its rightful rulers: Adam and Eve.
Colonization was Yah’s original idea, but unlike the human way of colonizing, His colony on Earth took the form of a garden. As an analogy, a garden shares the same general traits as a colony, but without all the negative baggage. In sharp contrast to the violent and forceful way that human empires expand, Yah’s way was much more subtle. Just as a garden gradually, beautifully, and completely transforms the fallow ground where it is planted, the influence of Yah’s Kingdom on Earth grows gradually and often invisibly until eventually it will fill the Earth, infusing it with the culture of Heaven. Yahusha likened the process to the way yeast leavens bread:
Another parable spoke he unto them; The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 13:33 את CEPHER.
He also compared the Kingdom to a mustard seed:
What is the kingdom of Yah like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew, became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches (Luke 13:18-19).
Yah’s ultimate goal in planting His garden “colony” was to fill the Earth with His glory. The glory of Yah is one of the significant themes of the Bible. For example, Yah told Moses, “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Yahuah. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 14:21 את CEPHER. King Solomon, son of David, prayed, “And blessed be his glorious name forever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amein, and Amein. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 72:19 את CEPHER. Yah reiterated this theme to the ancient Hebrew prophet Habakkuk when He said, “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahuah, as the waters cover the sea. CHABAQQUQ (HABAKKUK) 2:14 את CEPHER.
In Hebrew, the word for “glory” is kabod, and the equivalent Greek word is doxa. Both words mean “weighty,” or a “heavy weight.” More specifically, “glory” refers to the full nature of a thing. Yah wants to fill the Earth with His full weight, His full and true nature, the fullness of who He is and what He is like. He wants to be on Earth just as He is in Heaven. Psalm 19:1 says that the heavens are filled with the glory of Yah. He wants the Earth to be filled the same way, by filling it with people who are filled with His nature and His Spirit.
THE RISE...FALL...AND RISE...OF A KINGDOM
Understanding Yah’s original intent helps us understand the Bible, His written Word. Many people misunderstand the Bible and its message because they misunderstand Yah’s original intent.
Simply stated, the Bible is about the rise, fall, and rise of Yah’s Kingdom on Earth. It tells the story of a kingdom established, a kingdom lost, and a kingdom regained. The first two chapters of the Book of Genesis describe the establishment of Yah’s earthly kingdom under the rulership of Adam and Eve, who Yah created in His own image and to whom He then gave dominion. Genesis chapter 3 tells how Adam and Eve lost their earthly kingdom, while the rest of the Bible records the working of Yah’s plan to regain that kingdom and restore it to its former place.
The Bible begins with the Creation of the natural realm— the heavens and the Earth—but even earlier than that, He created and established the supernatural realm, which we know as Heaven, as the invisible center of His power. Heaven is Yah’s first and original Kingdom. As a Kingdom, with Yah as its King, Heaven is a country just as real as any nation on Earth, even though invisible. The New Testament Book of Hebrews describes Abraham and other ancient people of faith as “aliens and strangers on earth” who were “looking for a country of their own” (Heb. 11:13-14). This does not refer to their earthly countries of origin, to which they could have returned had they so desired, but to another country in another place:
But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore Elohiym is not ashamed to be called their Elohiym: for he has prepared for them a city. IVRIYM (HEBREWS) 11:16 את CEPHER.
Heaven, therefore, is a country, a Kingdom ruled by a King: Yah. “King” is the only appropriate title to describe Yah’s place in Heaven, because no one voted Him into power. Yah rules His Kingdom by divine right, by right of creation. Because Yah created all things, all things belong to Him. He alone is the rightful ruler of the universe. Psalm 103:19 says, “Yahuah has prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom rules over all. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 103:19 את CEPHER.” There will never be another ruler, because Yah’s Kingdom is eternal: “Your throne, O Elohiym, is forever and ever: the sceptre of your Kingdom is a right sceptre. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 45:6 את CEPHER.
Since it is the nature of kingdoms to expand their territory, Yah decided to expand His invisible, supernatural Kingdom into the visible, natural realm. He created the heavens and the Earth and then planted a beautiful Garden in Eden as the focal point and starting place for His Kingdom expansion on Earth. He filled the Earth with plants and animals of all varieties. Finally, He created a man and a woman—human beings fashioned in His image and likeness—and placed them in the Garden as His Kingdom citizen-representatives to rule on Earth under His overall authority.
Human beings were given dominion over the earthly realm, but Yah is still King because everything belongs to Him. The psalmist said:
THE earth is Yahuah's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 24:1-2 את CEPHER.
For Yahuah ELYON is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 47:2 את CEPHER
When Yah created humankind, He gave us rulership over the Earth, but He never gave us ownership. Yah is King of the Earth, and Adam and Eve were its stewards, imbued with almost unlimited authority to rule in His name.
As the initial outpost of Yah’s invisible Kingdom in the visible realm, Eden was a touch of Heaven on Earth. Everything about it reflected Heaven’s culture, government, and ways. Truly, it was paradise. Unfortunately, this idyllic state of affairs did not last long. Genesis chapter 3 tells the tragic story of how a demonic usurper and pretender to the throne, through a combination of subtlety and deceit, gained control of Heaven’s earthly outpost. Eden’s human stewards, Adam and Eve, were tricked into disobeying their King’s command, thus surrendering their earthly dominion and authority. Satan, an unemployed cherub with delusions of grandeur—and Yah’s archenemy—seized control of a domain that was not rightfully his and quickly contaminated it with the poison of his own evil nature. Paradise was lost, and ever since, we humans have longed for the restoration of our lost kingdom.
The next eight chapters of Genesis describe the deepening corruption of human culture, morals, thoughts, imaginations, and behavior due to the sin nature inherited from Adam and Eve, as well as the continuing deadly influence of satan’s evil and illegal rule.
Genesis chapter 12 begins the story of Yah’s plan to regain and restore the earthly kingdom that humanity lost. He calls Abraham, through whose descendants He builds a nation of people He calls His own, and through whom He later sends His own Son to the Earth to reestablish His Kingdom on Earth and take it away from the great pretender.
After centuries of preparation, and when the time was just right in Yah’s plans, Yahusha Hamachiach , the Son of Yah, was born to a virgin and grew up in a low-class family. Because His mission was to reestablish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, it is no surprise that His message was a Kingdom message, a message of colonization, as it were. Yahusha’ first recorded public words were, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt. 4:17b). His life, ministry, death, and resurrection broke the power of the pretender, restored the earthly kingdom to His Father, and opened the door for humankind to regain our rightful place in that kingdom.
ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
Yahusha taught His followers to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:9-10). With these words, He was calling on His Father to once again restore His Kingdom rule and culture on Earth as it had always been in Heaven—and as it had been in Eden at the beginning. What was Yah’s Kingdom on Earth like? What was life like in Heaven’s earthly outpost, Yah’s “Garden colony” on Earth?
Essentially, Eden was a direct reflection in the natural realm of Heaven in the supernatural realm. For one thing, it had land —territory. Every kingdom must have territory, for without territory there is nothing for a king to rule over. Although invisible, the supernatural realm of Heaven is vast and infinite —much larger than the natural realm visible to human eyes. Eden was a physical realm with physical territory. That is why Yah did not create man first. He created the Earth first so that man would have territory to rule. Adam and Eve ruled Eden and the entire created order, just as Yah ruled in Heaven.
Second, Eden shared a common language with Heaven. Any nation or kingdom needs a common language or else it will begin to lose national and social cohesion. Adam and Eve shared a common language with their Creator. They conversed openly and easily with Him in a completely transparent relationship and always knew exactly what He expected. All that changed when the pretender took over. Even though all humans spoke a common language with one another for many centuries—until Yah confused their speech at the Tower of Babel (see Gen. 11:1-9)—they lost their ability to understand and speak Yah’s language, the language of Heaven. That is why, when we are outside the Kingdom, we do not understand what Yah says and no longer know what He expects. One characteristic of Kingdom life is that we can speak and understand the language of the Kingdom in a way that those outside the Kingdom cannot.
Eden also shared the laws and constitution of Heaven.
These were not written down anywhere, because Yah had inscribed them on the hearts and minds of the human couple He had created. They knew what He expected and demanded. They understood how He wanted them to live and what He wanted them to do. Yah’s instructions were simple: Be fruitful, multiply, fill the Earth, and subdue it. He placed only one restriction on their activities, and it was for their protection: “And Yahuah Elohiym commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die. BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 2:16-17 את CEPHER. Aside from this one prohibition, they were completely free.
In the beginning, Eden operated under Heaven’s moral code. Every nation must have a moral code, or else the people will become a law unto themselves and do whatever they want, resulting in chaos, disorder, and anarchy. At first, Adam and Eve had no consciousness of a moral code; they lived in perfect harmony with Yah. There was no lying, or stealing, or murder, or sexual immorality, or any other corrupt behavior that characterizes life in a fallen world. However, when the pretender’s trickery and deceit led them to disobey Yah’s one restriction, they discovered immediately the full weight of the Kingdom’s moral code as it pressed down on them, producing a deep sense of guilt and shame.
Eden and Heaven also shared common values. Part of being a citizen of any nation is agreeing with the expressed values of that nation. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the most important value is obedience to the will of the King. Through their disobedience, Adam and Eve revealed that they no longer shared the King’s values, which is why they had to leave the Garden.
The disobedience of Adam and Eve violated not only the Kingdom’s moral code, but also its customs and social norms. All nations and kingdoms have customs (unwritten codes of conduct and expectations that have become so ingrained in a people’s consciousness that they take on the force of law). They also have social norms (the manners, etiquette, graces, and standards of behavior that are regarded as normative for that society). Violation of those norms causes one to be labeled as “anti-social,” and sometimes even as “criminal.”
In the Kingdom of Heaven, the King’s word is law, and it encompasses both customs and social norms. It is absolute and inviolable. Defiance of the King is not tolerated. Lucifer (satan) and one-third of the angels in Heaven discovered this the hard way when they mounted a coup against the King and were cast out of Heaven for their trouble. Adam and Eve made the same discovery when they found themselves banished from paradise.
In short, as an outpost of Heaven on Earth, the Garden- colony of Eden displayed the culture of Heaven. Culture is the culmination of all these elements: land, language, laws, constitution, moral codes, shared values, customs, and social norms. Culture defines a people. It is inherent; it comes naturally, which is exactly what Yah wants for His Kingdom citizens. He doesn’t want us to strive to obey laws written on stone tablets or laid down in books. He wants to write them in our minds and in our hearts so that they will become second nature to us. That way, we won’t have to think about living the Kingdom culture; we will simply do it.
By creating an outpost of Heaven on Earth, Yah wanted to establish a prototype of the original country of Heaven in another territory. Planting the Garden was a particularly apt way for Yah to accomplish His desire. First, the natural beauty, vibrant life, and abundant fruitfulness of the Garden are visible reflections of equivalent characteristics of Yah’s invisible Kingdom. Heaven is a spiritual country of indescribable beauty, vibrancy, and abundance because it is the center of power for the King of the universe, who is all of those things and more—infinitely more.
Second, a garden transforms the land it occupies, turning it from barren soil into a place of beauty, provision, and purpose. In the same way, the Kingdom of Heaven transforms the natural realm, wherever the two intersect, so that the natural realm becomes a true reflection of Heaven.
Yah’s big idea was to reproduce the Kingdom of Heaven in the visible realm by planting a Kingdom outpost on the Earth and populating it with Kingdom citizens who would govern according to Kingdom government, live according to Kingdom culture, and expand Kingdom influence until it filled and transformed the Earth. Politically speaking, the term for this kind of governmental expansion is colonization. As a Kingdom outpost on Earth, Eden was a colony of Heaven established by a righteous, just, and benevolent King who is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love (see Ps. 103:8).
But Eden was also a garden. And just as kingdoms expand by transplanting their governments and cultures in another place through colonization, gardens expand through the transplantation of seedlings and cuttings onto new soil and graftings into new plant life. Yah’s purpose was that His Kingdom citizens in Eden—His steward-gardeners—would expand the Garden and the government and culture of His Kingdom by transplanting them wherever they went.
That is still Yah’s big idea—and His purpose for today. Yah is still in the horticultural business. All Kingdom citizens share a common call and commission from their King to be royal gardeners, sowing seeds and planting “gardens” of Kingdom culture and government throughout the world until “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahuah, as the waters cover the sea. CHABAQQUQ (HABAKKUK) 2:14 את CEPHER.
Thursday, February 22, 2024
INTRODUCTION: RECLAIMING YAH’S ORIGINAL PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE
Genesis chapter 1
Today we are walking in: Reclaiming Yah’s Original Purpose
Job 33:17
That he may withdraw man from his purpose H6213, and hide pride from man.
purpose
Today we look to the word-PURPOSE- H6213 ’asah--to do, work, make, produce; to act, act with effect, effect
The Torah testifies...............
****
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 14:26
This is the purpose H6213 that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.
The writings bear witness...........................
Ecclesiates 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose H6213 under the heaven:
Reclaiming Yah’s Original Purpose
INTRODUCTION
DEATH can never kill an idea. Ideas are more powerful than death; they outlive men and can never be destroyed. As a matter of fact, ideas produce everything. Everything began as an idea and is the result of the conception of an idea. This series itself is the result of an idea, and the paper on which it is printed used to be an idea. The shoes on your feet, the clothes on your back, the house in which you live, the car you may drive, the cup from which you drink, and the spoon you use were all just ideas that were delivered by some human effort.
It is interesting to note, and history has proven that ideas cannot be destroyed. In fact, any attempt to destroy an idea seems to serve only to make it grow and multiply. Ideas that seem subdued or are forced to submerge in one generation will emerge in another generation and impact future ones.
The most difficult thing to fight against is an idea! Philosophically speaking, ideas can never be destroyed by physical weapons such as swords, guns, tanks, nuclear weapons, or biological/chemical weapons. Ideas may have a shelf life but can never be extinct. Why? Because they incubate in a place where no weapon can reach: the mind. If you kill a man, you do not destroy his ideas. Ideas can be transferred and live on for generations.
This is why all ideologies live on no matter what your opinion of them may be. Imperialism, communism, socialism, democracy, dictatorship, and monarchism are all ideas that cannot be destroyed, even though the men who conceived them have died. This is why even the attempts to respond to the specter of terrorism are so difficult! Terrorism is an idea peddled by extremists; this idea is sold, traded, and transferred to the minds of others and becomes the philosophical foundation of the destructive behavior that has become the greatest security challenge of the twenty-first century. How do you fight terrorism? Can a bullet kill an idea? Does terrorism die when a terrorist is killed? How do you win a war against an idea? It is my belief that the only way to defeat a bad idea is with a better idea. Ideas are destroyed by ideas.
It is my conviction that the battle for Earth is a battle of ideas. It has always been a battle of ideas. Throughout history, mankind has fought wars over ideas. The cold war was a result of a clash of ideas, as were World War II and the Korean War. Apartheid was an idea that oppressed human dignity, elevating some humans while discriminating against others; it was basically a clash of ideas about race, ethnicity, and the value of human beings. The tensions between China and the Western culture were the result of ideas. These historical issues and events were all ideological wars.
Perhaps at this point, since we have discussed so much about ideas, it would be helpful to give our attention to defining the concept of an idea. To grasp the full understanding of what an idea is, it is necessary to begin with what we call a precept. The word precept is a grammatical construct that incorporates the prefix pre-, which means “before,” and the word stem, -cept, which means or implies “thought.” Therefore, the word precept means “before thought” or the thought before the thought. In essence, a precept is the “original thought” that refers to the foundation thought. When a precept is conceived, it is then called “an idea.” An idea is therefore “a conceived thought” that becomes the foundation of a concept, which then develops into a mental image and produces a product. Therefore, an idea can be, and usually is, the source of creation. Creation is a manifested idea.
When a thought-idea is conceived, it can be cultivated into a theory and emerge as a philosophy. It is at this stage, when an idea can become a philosophy, that it forms the foundation of a belief system. A belief system then becomes the motivator of all behavior and responses to life and environment. Belief also becomes the shade through which all of life is viewed and interpreted. In essence, ideas are the foundation of philosophy, which becomes our way of thinking, our concept of truth, and our belief system, which then produce our lifestyle and mental conditioning.
Nothing is as powerful as philosophy, and the source of philosophy is precepts, which are the ideas we come to conceive and accept. Thoughts control the world, and we become our thoughts. This is the premise on which the ancient king Solomon, over 3,000 years ago, stated: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, says he to you; but his heart is not with you. MISHLEI (PROVERBS) 23:7 את CEPHER. You cannot live beyond your philosophy and belief system. You will only change when your philosophy changes, and your philosophy will only change when your ideas change.
Today we are walking in: Reclaiming Yah’s Original Purpose
Job 33:17
That he may withdraw man from his purpose H6213, and hide pride from man.
purpose
Today we look to the word-PURPOSE- H6213 ’asah--to do, work, make, produce; to act, act with effect, effect
The Torah testifies...............
****
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 14:26
This is the purpose H6213 that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.
The writings bear witness...........................
Ecclesiates 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose H6213 under the heaven:
Reclaiming Yah’s Original Purpose
INTRODUCTION
DEATH can never kill an idea. Ideas are more powerful than death; they outlive men and can never be destroyed. As a matter of fact, ideas produce everything. Everything began as an idea and is the result of the conception of an idea. This series itself is the result of an idea, and the paper on which it is printed used to be an idea. The shoes on your feet, the clothes on your back, the house in which you live, the car you may drive, the cup from which you drink, and the spoon you use were all just ideas that were delivered by some human effort.
It is interesting to note, and history has proven that ideas cannot be destroyed. In fact, any attempt to destroy an idea seems to serve only to make it grow and multiply. Ideas that seem subdued or are forced to submerge in one generation will emerge in another generation and impact future ones.
The most difficult thing to fight against is an idea! Philosophically speaking, ideas can never be destroyed by physical weapons such as swords, guns, tanks, nuclear weapons, or biological/chemical weapons. Ideas may have a shelf life but can never be extinct. Why? Because they incubate in a place where no weapon can reach: the mind. If you kill a man, you do not destroy his ideas. Ideas can be transferred and live on for generations.
This is why all ideologies live on no matter what your opinion of them may be. Imperialism, communism, socialism, democracy, dictatorship, and monarchism are all ideas that cannot be destroyed, even though the men who conceived them have died. This is why even the attempts to respond to the specter of terrorism are so difficult! Terrorism is an idea peddled by extremists; this idea is sold, traded, and transferred to the minds of others and becomes the philosophical foundation of the destructive behavior that has become the greatest security challenge of the twenty-first century. How do you fight terrorism? Can a bullet kill an idea? Does terrorism die when a terrorist is killed? How do you win a war against an idea? It is my belief that the only way to defeat a bad idea is with a better idea. Ideas are destroyed by ideas.
It is my conviction that the battle for Earth is a battle of ideas. It has always been a battle of ideas. Throughout history, mankind has fought wars over ideas. The cold war was a result of a clash of ideas, as were World War II and the Korean War. Apartheid was an idea that oppressed human dignity, elevating some humans while discriminating against others; it was basically a clash of ideas about race, ethnicity, and the value of human beings. The tensions between China and the Western culture were the result of ideas. These historical issues and events were all ideological wars.
Perhaps at this point, since we have discussed so much about ideas, it would be helpful to give our attention to defining the concept of an idea. To grasp the full understanding of what an idea is, it is necessary to begin with what we call a precept. The word precept is a grammatical construct that incorporates the prefix pre-, which means “before,” and the word stem, -cept, which means or implies “thought.” Therefore, the word precept means “before thought” or the thought before the thought. In essence, a precept is the “original thought” that refers to the foundation thought. When a precept is conceived, it is then called “an idea.” An idea is therefore “a conceived thought” that becomes the foundation of a concept, which then develops into a mental image and produces a product. Therefore, an idea can be, and usually is, the source of creation. Creation is a manifested idea.
When a thought-idea is conceived, it can be cultivated into a theory and emerge as a philosophy. It is at this stage, when an idea can become a philosophy, that it forms the foundation of a belief system. A belief system then becomes the motivator of all behavior and responses to life and environment. Belief also becomes the shade through which all of life is viewed and interpreted. In essence, ideas are the foundation of philosophy, which becomes our way of thinking, our concept of truth, and our belief system, which then produce our lifestyle and mental conditioning.
Nothing is as powerful as philosophy, and the source of philosophy is precepts, which are the ideas we come to conceive and accept. Thoughts control the world, and we become our thoughts. This is the premise on which the ancient king Solomon, over 3,000 years ago, stated: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, says he to you; but his heart is not with you. MISHLEI (PROVERBS) 23:7 את CEPHER. You cannot live beyond your philosophy and belief system. You will only change when your philosophy changes, and your philosophy will only change when your ideas change.
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
PREFACE: RECLAIMING YAH’S ORIGINAL PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE
Genesis chapter 1
Today we are walking in: Reclaiming Yah’s Original Purpose
Job 33:17
That he may withdraw man from his purpose H6213, and hide pride from man.
purpose
Today we look to the word-PURPOSE- H6213 ’asah--to do, work, make, produce; to act, act with effect, effect
The Torah testifies...............
****
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 14:26
This is the purpose H6213 that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.
The writings bear witness...........................
Ecclesiates 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose H6213 under the heaven:
Reclaiming Yah’s Original Purpose
PREFACE
THE world is ruled by dead men. This statement may surprise you, but after a little thought, you would likely agree when you consider that all of the ideologies that serve as the foundations of all governments, religions, and social and civic institutions are built on dead men’s ideas . Imp e ria lis m, monarchism, socialism, communism, democracy, and dictatorship are all born of ideas cultivated, incubated, and developed by men who, though long laid to rest, still live on in the practice of these ideas in our modern societies.
This series is about this unstoppable power of ideas. Our planet spins under the power of ideas, and these ideas are the source of the conditions on this Earth. Consider this: Every government in every nation is guided and regulated by ideas. All laws and legislation are products of ideas, and the social and cultural standards in all communities throughout the world are results of ideas that societies have embraced as acceptable and thus manifested in social behavior.
This series is about an idea that was introduced to the Earth by the Creator of the Earth and was lost soon after the beginning of the human journey—and has ever since been the object of the search of the human spirit. This idea originated in the mind and heart of the Creator and was the motivation and purpose for the creation of the physical universe and the human species. In this series, we refer to this idea as “The Big Idea” and attempt to prove that this idea is superior to all the collective wisdom and ideas of human intellect. It is an idea that is beyond the philosophical reserves of human history and supersedes the institutions that have governed mankind since his first human society.
The “big idea” is not a new idea. It has been imitated, disguised, misused, misinterpreted, and misunderstood by mankind throughout history and still seems to elude the wisest among us.
It is the human pursuit of this “big idea” throughout history that produced all the ideologies we have come to embrace, and this pursuit has germinated all the religions on Earth that humans adhere to. This big idea is the only answer to the deep cry in the heart of every human, and only it can satisfy the perpetual vacuum in the spirit of mankind.
What is this “big idea”? The big idea is the ideology that served as the foundation of the first and original government instituted on Earth. It is the divine aspiration, celestial vision, and eternal purpose of the Creator for His creation and humanity on planet Earth. The big idea is the concept of the ultimate governing program for mankind on Earth that provides for all the fundamental needs of humanity and produces a culture that integrates all of mankind’s noble aspirations, such as equality, justice, peace, love, unity, and respect for human dignity, the value of human beings, and personal and corporate empowerment. It is an idea that is superior to and contains all the noble aspirations of democracy, socialism, communism, imperialism, dictatorships, and all religions. It is my hope that this series will unveil the beauty of this great idea that can bring the solutions to all of our earthly problems—such as war, terrorism, crime, AIDS epidemics, child abuse, environmental destruction, culture clashes, poverty, oppression, ethnic cleansing, economic crisis, family disintegration, political and religious corruption, community violence, and the culture of fear.
This series is the result of my own personal struggle for meaning, reason, hope, and understanding of life. I grappled with the inconsistencies, failures, and disappointments of man’s attempts to govern himself and produce the utopia he continued to promise. I was equally distressed and disillusioned by the promises of religions, as history exposed their massive defects—revealed in their extortion of resources, trading in warfare, destructive human crusades, inquisitions, oppression, complicity in the slave trade, corruption, and more recently, serving as the motivator of terrorism and the annihilation of innocent human life. My hope in science and education was dashed as I saw the advancement of knowledge and technology become the victim of immoral application and abused by power without conscience.
Like millions , I retreated within myself, searching for answers that were not easily available within the structures and institutions that built our human society. This search led me to the most misunderstood man on planet Earth: a young Hebrew philosopher who proclaimed a fresh idea that was unorthodox, unfamiliar, and untried, and challenged all of the ideas that were ever conceived by mankind. This unique idea addressed all the needs, aspirations, questions, and longings in the human experience, while exposing all of the defects, weaknesses, unreasonableness, and inferiority of our own ideas. His unique idea is so complete that it encompasses the entire spectrum of individual and national life and provides for the fulfillment of the entire human race and the planet Earth.
This idea is not some metaphysical, nebulous, impractical, cosmic philosophy that could only work in another world or that must be relegated to or preserved for some “after life” experience. Rather, it is a practical, reasonable, reachable, people-friendly ideology that is Earth-ready even though it originates in another realm. It’s an idea that can work for national government, corporate business, civic life, families, and communities. It’s an idea for children, adults, rich, poor, and all in-between.
I believe in this “big idea” so deeply, and testify of its evidence in my own life experience, that I have dedicated my entire life to propagating it and sharing it with every human I encounter.
This idea is not religious dogma or some narrow theological stance that isolates one from the rest of the human family. Rather, it supersedes any religious institutional position and defies the limited boundaries of all other philosophies and ideologies of mankind. This big idea is so pure that it conflicts with all of our learned theses and leads us to a frontier that appeals to the better nature of mankind.
What is this idea? It’s the divine conception of the colonization of Earth by the Kingdom of Heaven—it impacts Earth’s territory with the loving culture of Heaven on Earth, producing a colony of citizens who exhibit the nature, values, morals, and lifestyle of Heaven on Earth. This is not a religious idea but a global invasion of love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, justice, patience, and righteousness under the influence of the heavenly governor: the Spirit of Yah.
It is the idea that humankind can be restored to the original passion, purpose, and plan of the Creator to extend His heavenly Kingdom to Earth through mankind. The celestial colony of Heaven thus fills the Earth with His divine nature, which is manifested in all human behavior. This is not religion but the manifestation of a government from another realm. What an idea! It’s the Big Idea. Join me as we proceed to discover the greatest idea ever to be introduced to planet Earth. Learn why it could not come from Earth, but had to be brought here by the most benevolent King and Ruler— sovereign of a country from another world.
Today we are walking in: Reclaiming Yah’s Original Purpose
Job 33:17
That he may withdraw man from his purpose H6213, and hide pride from man.
purpose
Today we look to the word-PURPOSE- H6213 ’asah--to do, work, make, produce; to act, act with effect, effect
The Torah testifies...............
****
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 14:26
This is the purpose H6213 that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.
The writings bear witness...........................
Ecclesiates 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose H6213 under the heaven:
Reclaiming Yah’s Original Purpose
PREFACE
THE world is ruled by dead men. This statement may surprise you, but after a little thought, you would likely agree when you consider that all of the ideologies that serve as the foundations of all governments, religions, and social and civic institutions are built on dead men’s ideas . Imp e ria lis m, monarchism, socialism, communism, democracy, and dictatorship are all born of ideas cultivated, incubated, and developed by men who, though long laid to rest, still live on in the practice of these ideas in our modern societies.
This series is about this unstoppable power of ideas. Our planet spins under the power of ideas, and these ideas are the source of the conditions on this Earth. Consider this: Every government in every nation is guided and regulated by ideas. All laws and legislation are products of ideas, and the social and cultural standards in all communities throughout the world are results of ideas that societies have embraced as acceptable and thus manifested in social behavior.
This series is about an idea that was introduced to the Earth by the Creator of the Earth and was lost soon after the beginning of the human journey—and has ever since been the object of the search of the human spirit. This idea originated in the mind and heart of the Creator and was the motivation and purpose for the creation of the physical universe and the human species. In this series, we refer to this idea as “The Big Idea” and attempt to prove that this idea is superior to all the collective wisdom and ideas of human intellect. It is an idea that is beyond the philosophical reserves of human history and supersedes the institutions that have governed mankind since his first human society.
The “big idea” is not a new idea. It has been imitated, disguised, misused, misinterpreted, and misunderstood by mankind throughout history and still seems to elude the wisest among us.
It is the human pursuit of this “big idea” throughout history that produced all the ideologies we have come to embrace, and this pursuit has germinated all the religions on Earth that humans adhere to. This big idea is the only answer to the deep cry in the heart of every human, and only it can satisfy the perpetual vacuum in the spirit of mankind.
What is this “big idea”? The big idea is the ideology that served as the foundation of the first and original government instituted on Earth. It is the divine aspiration, celestial vision, and eternal purpose of the Creator for His creation and humanity on planet Earth. The big idea is the concept of the ultimate governing program for mankind on Earth that provides for all the fundamental needs of humanity and produces a culture that integrates all of mankind’s noble aspirations, such as equality, justice, peace, love, unity, and respect for human dignity, the value of human beings, and personal and corporate empowerment. It is an idea that is superior to and contains all the noble aspirations of democracy, socialism, communism, imperialism, dictatorships, and all religions. It is my hope that this series will unveil the beauty of this great idea that can bring the solutions to all of our earthly problems—such as war, terrorism, crime, AIDS epidemics, child abuse, environmental destruction, culture clashes, poverty, oppression, ethnic cleansing, economic crisis, family disintegration, political and religious corruption, community violence, and the culture of fear.
This series is the result of my own personal struggle for meaning, reason, hope, and understanding of life. I grappled with the inconsistencies, failures, and disappointments of man’s attempts to govern himself and produce the utopia he continued to promise. I was equally distressed and disillusioned by the promises of religions, as history exposed their massive defects—revealed in their extortion of resources, trading in warfare, destructive human crusades, inquisitions, oppression, complicity in the slave trade, corruption, and more recently, serving as the motivator of terrorism and the annihilation of innocent human life. My hope in science and education was dashed as I saw the advancement of knowledge and technology become the victim of immoral application and abused by power without conscience.
Like millions , I retreated within myself, searching for answers that were not easily available within the structures and institutions that built our human society. This search led me to the most misunderstood man on planet Earth: a young Hebrew philosopher who proclaimed a fresh idea that was unorthodox, unfamiliar, and untried, and challenged all of the ideas that were ever conceived by mankind. This unique idea addressed all the needs, aspirations, questions, and longings in the human experience, while exposing all of the defects, weaknesses, unreasonableness, and inferiority of our own ideas. His unique idea is so complete that it encompasses the entire spectrum of individual and national life and provides for the fulfillment of the entire human race and the planet Earth.
This idea is not some metaphysical, nebulous, impractical, cosmic philosophy that could only work in another world or that must be relegated to or preserved for some “after life” experience. Rather, it is a practical, reasonable, reachable, people-friendly ideology that is Earth-ready even though it originates in another realm. It’s an idea that can work for national government, corporate business, civic life, families, and communities. It’s an idea for children, adults, rich, poor, and all in-between.
I believe in this “big idea” so deeply, and testify of its evidence in my own life experience, that I have dedicated my entire life to propagating it and sharing it with every human I encounter.
This idea is not religious dogma or some narrow theological stance that isolates one from the rest of the human family. Rather, it supersedes any religious institutional position and defies the limited boundaries of all other philosophies and ideologies of mankind. This big idea is so pure that it conflicts with all of our learned theses and leads us to a frontier that appeals to the better nature of mankind.
What is this idea? It’s the divine conception of the colonization of Earth by the Kingdom of Heaven—it impacts Earth’s territory with the loving culture of Heaven on Earth, producing a colony of citizens who exhibit the nature, values, morals, and lifestyle of Heaven on Earth. This is not a religious idea but a global invasion of love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, justice, patience, and righteousness under the influence of the heavenly governor: the Spirit of Yah.
It is the idea that humankind can be restored to the original passion, purpose, and plan of the Creator to extend His heavenly Kingdom to Earth through mankind. The celestial colony of Heaven thus fills the Earth with His divine nature, which is manifested in all human behavior. This is not religion but the manifestation of a government from another realm. What an idea! It’s the Big Idea. Join me as we proceed to discover the greatest idea ever to be introduced to planet Earth. Learn why it could not come from Earth, but had to be brought here by the most benevolent King and Ruler— sovereign of a country from another world.
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF GOVERNMENT
Proverbs chapter 29
Today we are walking in: The Responsibility Of Government
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 YOUR PLACE IN YAH’S KINGDOM
DR. MYLES MUNROE
The Responsibility Of Government
The hostility toward the kingdom concept is very common, and I do not find it hard to understand. Just think of the domineering kings throughout human history. The quality of a kingdom depends on the character of the king, and if the king is corrupt, his kingdom will be corrupt as well.
Some parts of the Old Testament read like history textbooks, with lists of kings and their wars and what happened to them. Once in a while, a good king came along who reigned over a period of peace and harmony, but such rulers are rare. Most of the time, the people lived in the midst of upheaval and tumult, all because of their bad kings.
More than once, the Most High spoke through His prophets to correct royal abuses, and in general He tended to include these instructions:
*A king must fear the Most High.
*A king must not gather wealth to himself.
*Rather, a king must use his wealth to take care of the poor.
*In other words, a king must be benevolent toward his people, even loving.
Of course most kings have ignored the advice of the King of kings, carrying out their own schemes, making the same mistakes over and over. But their failure does not change the act that love is the foundation of a sound throne. The requirements for a good kingdom hinge on the disposition of the king, on his character and integrity.
Unrighteous kings, on the other hand, oppress their people. This is why we have proverbs like this one: “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan” (Proverbs 29:2). The quality of a kingdom comes down to a question of authority and how it gets exercised.
Authority
A powerful leader forces people to do what he wants. Oppressive power controls people, restricts them, masters them by means of fear of punishment. The people groan. Authority, especially divine authority, is not the same as raw power. Authority is powerful, but it is not absolute. True authority is derived from the Most High Himself.
I can think of seven qualities of true authority, and every one of them applies to a good king who exercises his governing responsibilities well:
A person of authority fears the Most High and submits to Him. A leader’s personal submission to the Most High ensures that authority will not be exercised abusively. For example, a pastor who fears the Most High and submits to Him will never take advantage of a woman or a child sexually, even though he is stronger and more powerful than they are. He fears One who is greater than he is, and he submits to His commandments.
2. A person of authority has high morals and personal discipline. Fear of the Most High leads to a morally upright, ordered lifestyle.
3. People eulate a person of authority. People admire and want to imitate that kind of lifestyle. This makes leadership easier. A good example of this use of authority is parenthood. The model of the parents’ good behavior becomes a standard for the child’s behavior.
4. A person of authority does not seek to benefit from someone else’s success. He or she will rejoice about someone’s success, but the person in authority will not infringe on it for personal profit.
5. A person of authority does not use other people to promote him/herself. Similarly, the authority figure will not try to ride on the coattails of someone else's success, using it to improve public perception of his or her effectiveness.
6. A person of authority does not expect anything from other people except their own success. People should not have to support a leader financially or in any other regard.
7. A person of authority wants the people under him to become great. He wants people to achieve more than he has. Yahusha Himself said, “He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Abba.” (John 14:12)
When the person in authority is a king, all of the citizens benefit. The people in his kingdom do not need to waste time or effort defending themselves from his abuses and exploitations. The people are happy to serve his government. The entire nation rejoices and flourishes.
Governments Protect Their Citizens
It is a fact of citizenship that all reputable governments, whether they are kingdoms or some other form of government, protect their citizens from harm. Even when people are not within the borders of the country, their government takes responsibility for their welfare.
When two American missionaries were detained in an Asian country, the US Navy moved ships into the nearest port. Military helicopters were mobilized. Diplomatic messages flew back and forth. It became a matter of international urgency, even a potential cause of war--simply because they were American citizens and they were in trouble in a foreign land. When one young Israeli soldier was captured by the Palestinians, the “incident” drew worldwide concern as it escalated tension between the two governments. The government of Israel, concerned for his welfare, negotiated for five long years before they could arrange for his release, at great expense and increased risk.
If this is true of governments in general, how much more is it true in the all-powerful, love-motivated Kingdom of the Most High? When Kingdom citizens are under attack, the King rises up to defend them. Why else, for instance, would He have spoken to saul on the road to Damascus in the way He did: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). Saul did not know he was persecuting the Most High. He was pursuing individual believers, not thinking that their King would rise to their defence against him. The King was taking it personally.
A King Is Responsible For Citizens’ Welfare
A good king is personally responsible for the welfare of every citizen. This is not the case in a democracy. In a democracy, the leaders--the president or prime minister, the congressmen, the state or small town government, the city mayor or district councils--non of the lose any sleep if some of their citizens can’t pay their light bill. When the electric company cuts off the power to those people’s homes, the president still goes to sleep at night in his nice bed without worrying about those citizens. It is every man for himself, for better or for worse.
This cannot happen in a kingdom, because the king’s reputation is tied to his people’s welfare. He becomes personally embarrassed when any of his citizens are broke. He does not want them to have to ask for bread and water, because it makes him look negligent. It is as if they are telling the world that he had failed in his responsibilities, he has forgotten his promises, and he does not have the resources in the first place.
Have you ever wondered about Yahusha’s famous teaching about not worrying about personal provision? Read this with the Kingdom in mind:
Matthew 6:25-33 King James Version (KJV) 25
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
You see, Yahusha was almost in disbelief that anybody in His Kingdom would worry about such things. He needs to remind people that He is more than able to provide everything you need. Their fretfulness sends a message that they do not believe He wants to do it. They should not be so worried, because they are citizens of the Kingdom.
He invites everyone to the most important benefits to their Kingdom citizenship:
Matthew 11:28-30 King James Version (KJV) 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
The King considers your welfare His responsibility. In the Kingdom, the King has a personal interest in your mortgage payment. I do not know how He does it, but He takes a concern in every citizen, personally. He visits each one of us and lives with us, following through with every provision that we need. He knows what each one of us is feeling. He can figure out our biggest needs. He is doing it right now, and He does it day and night.
In the Kingdom, the King is bound by His own laws to take care of His citizens. How many times in the Bible do we read something like this? “Here’s what I will do, because I promised to take care of you.” Even when He feels exasperated with His people, He feeds them and guides them as a shepherd guides his sheep.
Abraham knew about this when he tried to persuade the Most High not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because his nephew Lot lived there. He knew that the Kingdom constitution (Scripture) said that the Most High would never destroy the righteous with the wicked. So he kept coming back to the Most High: “If you can find fifty rightous people in the city, you cannot destroy it...fourty, thirty….” He went down to ten people but even that small number could not be found. At least he bought enough time to get Lot and his wife and daughters out of harm’s way before the rest of the wicked city was destroyed by a firestorm. (Genesis 18:22-33; 19:1-29)
I wonder how many people in each of our families could be saved if we knew our constitutional rights? The Bible says, “The seed of the righteous will be delivered” (Proverbs 11:21). That means we can claim our children for the Kingdom, even if at present they are wandering far away like the Prodigal Son.
Protection On Foreign Soil
I made a point in the previous teaching describing the power of a passport. A passport-carrying citizen has immunity from all sorts of problems when he or she is away from home.
With a passport, you have the authorization to “pass the port.” A port refers not only to the place where ships dock, but also the airport, the customs booth along the highway, or in the case of a Kingdom citizen, the “port” of Heaven. Your passport enables you to move from on jurisdiction to another with freedom.
Because the passport is actually the property of the government of that citizen, the entire power of that government lies at the passport-holder’s disposal. Most of the time, people take their passports for granted. But when they have a problem on foreign soil, suddenly they do not.
For a Kingdom citizen, this means that you have the full protection of Heaven regardless of what happens around you. You can always be sure that your government and your King are looking after your safety as well as your every provision.
The Kingdom takes care of its own in the here and now, not just in the future, by and by. Yes, Kingdom citizenship carries with it a guarantee of Heaven, but in the meantime you get a personal security escort from the King and his angels.
You have citizenship, so you have a passport that list all of the promises and provisions of your government. You do not have to go home to your country (Heaven) to be blessed. You do not even need to be in Heaven to experience freedom from pressure and problems. You can have it all right now.
Until I knew about the way the Kingdom works, I never could understand that Yahusha meant when He said this: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea” (Mark 9:42).
Now I understand that Yahusha was making a threat. In essence, He was saying, “If you dare touch one of my citizens, you had better commit suicide before I arrive to deal with you.” Anyone who tries to hurt a Kingdom citizen triggers the King’s anger.
Deep in the Kingdom constitution (2 Chronicles 16:9), you can find this line:
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
If your heart is right before Him, He is watching over you. When you think you are alone, stuck in traffic with all the other drivers acting like they are crazy, you have got all of Heaven watching to make sure you are okay.
You can also count on this one:
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. (Psalm 91:11).
Don’t wonder why citizens of the Kingdom can go anywhere with confidence and peace; it is because they do not have to worry about taking care of themselves.
The government of the Kingdom takes care of its citizens when their earthly governments turn against them. Daniel’s earthly government put him in a lion’s den, but the Most High’s government put the lions to sleep (Daniel 6). Paul’s earthly government locked him up in a Philippian prison, but the Most High’s government sent an earthquake to set him free (Acts 16). Your government may fire you from your job, but the Kigndom government will pay your bills while you are unemployed. The government of Heaven exercised diving power on behalf of its citizens.
The Most High interrupts evil activities all the time. You don’t know about it, because nothing happens to you after all, and you do not know something got interrupted. When Saul was breathing murderous threats against the Kingdom citizens in Damascus, he definitely got interrupted. I wonder if those citizens even knew they had been first targeted and then preserved. That is something to think about.
“Father, Do Not Take Them Out Of The World…”
Now even a child knows that we are not living in Heaven yet. Regardless of how many times the King protects his own, citizens of the Kingdom do suffer persecution, mishaps, illnesses, financial hardship, hunger and more.
During the first century, believers in Yahusha got driven out of town and killed. They had their houses burned down because they believed in Yahusha. As time went on, the Roman Empire clashed with the Kingdom again and again. Believers were brutally murdered. It is still happeing in some places around the world.
No wonder the early Church prayed, “Come quickly, Lord Yahudha!” (Revelation 22:12, 20). If you were living under those conditions, you would want Maschiach to come right away too.
Yahusha prayed to His Abba on behalf of believers, but He did not pray that they would escape every hardship. Instead, He prayed:
John 17:15-18 King James Version (KJV)
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
In our time, we have built a belief system that is afraid of tough times. We want relief from the pressure. We forget that we too have been sent into the world; we are colonists of the Kingdom, sent to subdue and dominate the evil one, one victory at a time. In the midst of the battles, it must be possible to be kept free in our spirits from the clutches of evil, even as we may suffer in our bodies, because Yahusha prayed for us to be kept from the evil one. Therefore it is possible to live right to the end of life, preserved from the evil one’s impact and influence. It is possible to brush aside fear of evil, because we know that our King is stronger than anything the evil one can throw at us.
Our King has obligated Himself to provide total defensive coverage to His citizens. He wins every time. He never leaves us to our own devices, although we often think we are on our own. Remember when Yahusha was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. His disciples were with Him. Peter grabbed a sword because he thought, “Most High needs help!”
And he cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, John 18). Yahusah took time to heal it. Peter should not have done that. Shortly afterward, Yahusha stood before Pilate and He explained,
John 18:36 King James Version (KJV)
36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
Yahusha did not call His disciples or the messengers to deliver Him, because the whole reason He had to come to the Earth was to suffer and die on that crucifixion stake. Yahusha was a king to the end, exercising his kingly dominion by not interfering with the plan of the Most High, and giving generations of believers courage to face whatever they had to for the sake of the Kingdom.
Citizens’ Authority
Following from all that we have discussed in this teaching, we can see that the government of the Most High invents its citizens with divine authority. The King gave it to them. He takes a measure of His own absolute authority and He bestows it on the people who live under His authority.
Unless the King gives it, the transfer cannot occur. He considers His responsibility to apportion His powerful authority to the ones to whom He has given assignments. This authority brings with it all of the strength, the stagties, and the wisdom necessary to fulfill the King’s assignments.
Yahusha’s coming to Earth signaled a new level of the transfer of Kingdom authority. He started with His twelve disciples:
Matthew 10:1 King James Version (KJV)
10 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
Later He spoke of the authority He was giving to all believers: Here's how the Message version of Scripture puts it:
See what I’ve given you? Safe passage as you walk on snakes and scorpions, and protection from every assault of the Enemy. No one can put a hand on you. All the same, the great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in the Most High’s authority over you and presence with you. (Luke 10:19, The Message)
He gives His citizens authorization to destroy the works of the evil one. In this way, the King enlarges His Kingdom. He extends the purpose for which He came to Earth to His colonist-citizens: “For this purpose the Son of the Most High was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). From the time we become citizens of the Kingdom, it is our job, too and we need the appropriate divine authority to do it. He gives his citizens authority to go to the root of problems--the evil ruler of the world.
Yahusha was going to be leaving the Earth for the time being. But, as He told His disciples, He was not going to leave them orphans (John 14:18). He was sending His Spirit to swell in them, and subsequently in us. Through His Spirit and in His authorivice name, we would be able to overcome the world (John 16).
This heavenly authority is the foundation of all the benefits and privileges that come with citizenship in the Kingdom. The government of the Kingdom takes responsibility for granting it to each of its citizens, and the key to retaining it is righteousness on the part of the citizens. We have described how important it is to remain in right legal standing with the government if you expect to stay out of trouble; people who break the law lose certain privileges. But upright citizens do not have anything to worry about. Quite naturally, they can enjoy the benefits and privileges that come with their citizenship, without begging or bargaining for them.
Today we are walking in: The Responsibility Of Government
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 YOUR PLACE IN YAH’S KINGDOM
DR. MYLES MUNROE
The Responsibility Of Government
The hostility toward the kingdom concept is very common, and I do not find it hard to understand. Just think of the domineering kings throughout human history. The quality of a kingdom depends on the character of the king, and if the king is corrupt, his kingdom will be corrupt as well.
Some parts of the Old Testament read like history textbooks, with lists of kings and their wars and what happened to them. Once in a while, a good king came along who reigned over a period of peace and harmony, but such rulers are rare. Most of the time, the people lived in the midst of upheaval and tumult, all because of their bad kings.
More than once, the Most High spoke through His prophets to correct royal abuses, and in general He tended to include these instructions:
*A king must fear the Most High.
*A king must not gather wealth to himself.
*Rather, a king must use his wealth to take care of the poor.
*In other words, a king must be benevolent toward his people, even loving.
Of course most kings have ignored the advice of the King of kings, carrying out their own schemes, making the same mistakes over and over. But their failure does not change the act that love is the foundation of a sound throne. The requirements for a good kingdom hinge on the disposition of the king, on his character and integrity.
Unrighteous kings, on the other hand, oppress their people. This is why we have proverbs like this one: “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan” (Proverbs 29:2). The quality of a kingdom comes down to a question of authority and how it gets exercised.
Authority
A powerful leader forces people to do what he wants. Oppressive power controls people, restricts them, masters them by means of fear of punishment. The people groan. Authority, especially divine authority, is not the same as raw power. Authority is powerful, but it is not absolute. True authority is derived from the Most High Himself.
I can think of seven qualities of true authority, and every one of them applies to a good king who exercises his governing responsibilities well:
A person of authority fears the Most High and submits to Him. A leader’s personal submission to the Most High ensures that authority will not be exercised abusively. For example, a pastor who fears the Most High and submits to Him will never take advantage of a woman or a child sexually, even though he is stronger and more powerful than they are. He fears One who is greater than he is, and he submits to His commandments.
2. A person of authority has high morals and personal discipline. Fear of the Most High leads to a morally upright, ordered lifestyle.
3. People eulate a person of authority. People admire and want to imitate that kind of lifestyle. This makes leadership easier. A good example of this use of authority is parenthood. The model of the parents’ good behavior becomes a standard for the child’s behavior.
4. A person of authority does not seek to benefit from someone else’s success. He or she will rejoice about someone’s success, but the person in authority will not infringe on it for personal profit.
5. A person of authority does not use other people to promote him/herself. Similarly, the authority figure will not try to ride on the coattails of someone else's success, using it to improve public perception of his or her effectiveness.
6. A person of authority does not expect anything from other people except their own success. People should not have to support a leader financially or in any other regard.
7. A person of authority wants the people under him to become great. He wants people to achieve more than he has. Yahusha Himself said, “He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Abba.” (John 14:12)
When the person in authority is a king, all of the citizens benefit. The people in his kingdom do not need to waste time or effort defending themselves from his abuses and exploitations. The people are happy to serve his government. The entire nation rejoices and flourishes.
Governments Protect Their Citizens
It is a fact of citizenship that all reputable governments, whether they are kingdoms or some other form of government, protect their citizens from harm. Even when people are not within the borders of the country, their government takes responsibility for their welfare.
When two American missionaries were detained in an Asian country, the US Navy moved ships into the nearest port. Military helicopters were mobilized. Diplomatic messages flew back and forth. It became a matter of international urgency, even a potential cause of war--simply because they were American citizens and they were in trouble in a foreign land. When one young Israeli soldier was captured by the Palestinians, the “incident” drew worldwide concern as it escalated tension between the two governments. The government of Israel, concerned for his welfare, negotiated for five long years before they could arrange for his release, at great expense and increased risk.
If this is true of governments in general, how much more is it true in the all-powerful, love-motivated Kingdom of the Most High? When Kingdom citizens are under attack, the King rises up to defend them. Why else, for instance, would He have spoken to saul on the road to Damascus in the way He did: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). Saul did not know he was persecuting the Most High. He was pursuing individual believers, not thinking that their King would rise to their defence against him. The King was taking it personally.
A King Is Responsible For Citizens’ Welfare
A good king is personally responsible for the welfare of every citizen. This is not the case in a democracy. In a democracy, the leaders--the president or prime minister, the congressmen, the state or small town government, the city mayor or district councils--non of the lose any sleep if some of their citizens can’t pay their light bill. When the electric company cuts off the power to those people’s homes, the president still goes to sleep at night in his nice bed without worrying about those citizens. It is every man for himself, for better or for worse.
This cannot happen in a kingdom, because the king’s reputation is tied to his people’s welfare. He becomes personally embarrassed when any of his citizens are broke. He does not want them to have to ask for bread and water, because it makes him look negligent. It is as if they are telling the world that he had failed in his responsibilities, he has forgotten his promises, and he does not have the resources in the first place.
Have you ever wondered about Yahusha’s famous teaching about not worrying about personal provision? Read this with the Kingdom in mind:
Matthew 6:25-33 King James Version (KJV) 25
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
You see, Yahusha was almost in disbelief that anybody in His Kingdom would worry about such things. He needs to remind people that He is more than able to provide everything you need. Their fretfulness sends a message that they do not believe He wants to do it. They should not be so worried, because they are citizens of the Kingdom.
He invites everyone to the most important benefits to their Kingdom citizenship:
Matthew 11:28-30 King James Version (KJV) 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
The King considers your welfare His responsibility. In the Kingdom, the King has a personal interest in your mortgage payment. I do not know how He does it, but He takes a concern in every citizen, personally. He visits each one of us and lives with us, following through with every provision that we need. He knows what each one of us is feeling. He can figure out our biggest needs. He is doing it right now, and He does it day and night.
In the Kingdom, the King is bound by His own laws to take care of His citizens. How many times in the Bible do we read something like this? “Here’s what I will do, because I promised to take care of you.” Even when He feels exasperated with His people, He feeds them and guides them as a shepherd guides his sheep.
Abraham knew about this when he tried to persuade the Most High not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because his nephew Lot lived there. He knew that the Kingdom constitution (Scripture) said that the Most High would never destroy the righteous with the wicked. So he kept coming back to the Most High: “If you can find fifty rightous people in the city, you cannot destroy it...fourty, thirty….” He went down to ten people but even that small number could not be found. At least he bought enough time to get Lot and his wife and daughters out of harm’s way before the rest of the wicked city was destroyed by a firestorm. (Genesis 18:22-33; 19:1-29)
I wonder how many people in each of our families could be saved if we knew our constitutional rights? The Bible says, “The seed of the righteous will be delivered” (Proverbs 11:21). That means we can claim our children for the Kingdom, even if at present they are wandering far away like the Prodigal Son.
Protection On Foreign Soil
I made a point in the previous teaching describing the power of a passport. A passport-carrying citizen has immunity from all sorts of problems when he or she is away from home.
With a passport, you have the authorization to “pass the port.” A port refers not only to the place where ships dock, but also the airport, the customs booth along the highway, or in the case of a Kingdom citizen, the “port” of Heaven. Your passport enables you to move from on jurisdiction to another with freedom.
Because the passport is actually the property of the government of that citizen, the entire power of that government lies at the passport-holder’s disposal. Most of the time, people take their passports for granted. But when they have a problem on foreign soil, suddenly they do not.
For a Kingdom citizen, this means that you have the full protection of Heaven regardless of what happens around you. You can always be sure that your government and your King are looking after your safety as well as your every provision.
The Kingdom takes care of its own in the here and now, not just in the future, by and by. Yes, Kingdom citizenship carries with it a guarantee of Heaven, but in the meantime you get a personal security escort from the King and his angels.
You have citizenship, so you have a passport that list all of the promises and provisions of your government. You do not have to go home to your country (Heaven) to be blessed. You do not even need to be in Heaven to experience freedom from pressure and problems. You can have it all right now.
Until I knew about the way the Kingdom works, I never could understand that Yahusha meant when He said this: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea” (Mark 9:42).
Now I understand that Yahusha was making a threat. In essence, He was saying, “If you dare touch one of my citizens, you had better commit suicide before I arrive to deal with you.” Anyone who tries to hurt a Kingdom citizen triggers the King’s anger.
Deep in the Kingdom constitution (2 Chronicles 16:9), you can find this line:
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
If your heart is right before Him, He is watching over you. When you think you are alone, stuck in traffic with all the other drivers acting like they are crazy, you have got all of Heaven watching to make sure you are okay.
You can also count on this one:
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. (Psalm 91:11).
Don’t wonder why citizens of the Kingdom can go anywhere with confidence and peace; it is because they do not have to worry about taking care of themselves.
The government of the Kingdom takes care of its citizens when their earthly governments turn against them. Daniel’s earthly government put him in a lion’s den, but the Most High’s government put the lions to sleep (Daniel 6). Paul’s earthly government locked him up in a Philippian prison, but the Most High’s government sent an earthquake to set him free (Acts 16). Your government may fire you from your job, but the Kigndom government will pay your bills while you are unemployed. The government of Heaven exercised diving power on behalf of its citizens.
The Most High interrupts evil activities all the time. You don’t know about it, because nothing happens to you after all, and you do not know something got interrupted. When Saul was breathing murderous threats against the Kingdom citizens in Damascus, he definitely got interrupted. I wonder if those citizens even knew they had been first targeted and then preserved. That is something to think about.
“Father, Do Not Take Them Out Of The World…”
Now even a child knows that we are not living in Heaven yet. Regardless of how many times the King protects his own, citizens of the Kingdom do suffer persecution, mishaps, illnesses, financial hardship, hunger and more.
During the first century, believers in Yahusha got driven out of town and killed. They had their houses burned down because they believed in Yahusha. As time went on, the Roman Empire clashed with the Kingdom again and again. Believers were brutally murdered. It is still happeing in some places around the world.
No wonder the early Church prayed, “Come quickly, Lord Yahudha!” (Revelation 22:12, 20). If you were living under those conditions, you would want Maschiach to come right away too.
Yahusha prayed to His Abba on behalf of believers, but He did not pray that they would escape every hardship. Instead, He prayed:
John 17:15-18 King James Version (KJV)
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
In our time, we have built a belief system that is afraid of tough times. We want relief from the pressure. We forget that we too have been sent into the world; we are colonists of the Kingdom, sent to subdue and dominate the evil one, one victory at a time. In the midst of the battles, it must be possible to be kept free in our spirits from the clutches of evil, even as we may suffer in our bodies, because Yahusha prayed for us to be kept from the evil one. Therefore it is possible to live right to the end of life, preserved from the evil one’s impact and influence. It is possible to brush aside fear of evil, because we know that our King is stronger than anything the evil one can throw at us.
Our King has obligated Himself to provide total defensive coverage to His citizens. He wins every time. He never leaves us to our own devices, although we often think we are on our own. Remember when Yahusha was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. His disciples were with Him. Peter grabbed a sword because he thought, “Most High needs help!”
And he cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, John 18). Yahusah took time to heal it. Peter should not have done that. Shortly afterward, Yahusha stood before Pilate and He explained,
John 18:36 King James Version (KJV)
36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
Yahusha did not call His disciples or the messengers to deliver Him, because the whole reason He had to come to the Earth was to suffer and die on that crucifixion stake. Yahusha was a king to the end, exercising his kingly dominion by not interfering with the plan of the Most High, and giving generations of believers courage to face whatever they had to for the sake of the Kingdom.
Citizens’ Authority
Following from all that we have discussed in this teaching, we can see that the government of the Most High invents its citizens with divine authority. The King gave it to them. He takes a measure of His own absolute authority and He bestows it on the people who live under His authority.
Unless the King gives it, the transfer cannot occur. He considers His responsibility to apportion His powerful authority to the ones to whom He has given assignments. This authority brings with it all of the strength, the stagties, and the wisdom necessary to fulfill the King’s assignments.
Yahusha’s coming to Earth signaled a new level of the transfer of Kingdom authority. He started with His twelve disciples:
Matthew 10:1 King James Version (KJV)
10 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
Later He spoke of the authority He was giving to all believers: Here's how the Message version of Scripture puts it:
See what I’ve given you? Safe passage as you walk on snakes and scorpions, and protection from every assault of the Enemy. No one can put a hand on you. All the same, the great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in the Most High’s authority over you and presence with you. (Luke 10:19, The Message)
He gives His citizens authorization to destroy the works of the evil one. In this way, the King enlarges His Kingdom. He extends the purpose for which He came to Earth to His colonist-citizens: “For this purpose the Son of the Most High was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). From the time we become citizens of the Kingdom, it is our job, too and we need the appropriate divine authority to do it. He gives his citizens authority to go to the root of problems--the evil ruler of the world.
Yahusha was going to be leaving the Earth for the time being. But, as He told His disciples, He was not going to leave them orphans (John 14:18). He was sending His Spirit to swell in them, and subsequently in us. Through His Spirit and in His authorivice name, we would be able to overcome the world (John 16).
This heavenly authority is the foundation of all the benefits and privileges that come with citizenship in the Kingdom. The government of the Kingdom takes responsibility for granting it to each of its citizens, and the key to retaining it is righteousness on the part of the citizens. We have described how important it is to remain in right legal standing with the government if you expect to stay out of trouble; people who break the law lose certain privileges. But upright citizens do not have anything to worry about. Quite naturally, they can enjoy the benefits and privileges that come with their citizenship, without begging or bargaining for them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)