The Three Angels' of Revelation 14:6-12

The Three Angels' of Revelation 14:6-12
Fear Jehovah, and give glory to him!

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Kingdom of God PART 1


Acts 1:6-11

They therefore, when they were come together, asked him, saying, Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father hath [e]set within his own authority. But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they were looking stedfastly into heaven as he went, behold two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven.

 

The Kingdom of God was taught for 40 days by Jehoshua to His apostles and at the conclusion they posed the question as to when the Kingdom would be restored to Israel. This shows that the concept of the Kingdom is essential to the gospel message for we cannot preach the gospel without the Kingdom idea attached it. We can also glean from above that Israel is the recipient of the restorative Kingdom. What constitutes biblical Israel will be touched on in this study.

 

It’s important to note the Messiah’s answer to the apostles’ question. Just like the question regarding His second advent the Son of God states that only the Father knows when the time of the restoration takes place. We can fairly conclude from this that the restoration of the Kingdom takes place in sync with the second advent of the Messiah. We learn from the above passage that in between the Son of God’s ascension and the restoration of the Kingdom that the apostles were to take the gospel of the Kingdom world-wide. Also, the return of the Messiah will be visible and will be Him coming on the clouds presumably to the Mount of Olives where the ascension took place. These are all key things to remember.

 

There is so much written and preached about the Kingdom of God with many false ideas, everything from the Hebrew roots, dispensationalist, Messianic Jews and biblical Unitarian camps that posit a future millennium where modern “Geo-Political Israel” reigns supreme over Gentile nations with animal sacrifices administered by the Levitical priesthood. This belief also posits a rebuilt third temple in this age that will carry over to the millennium.

 

The question of the apostles concerning the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel has been a long debated subject. Various views such as dispensationalism and heavenly Amillenialism and everything in between have clouded the truth of this subject. Adventism posits a 1,000 year heavenly millennium derailing the prophetic hope of the Kingdom of Israel on earth. The Mormons believe that the Kingdom will be restored to Israel in Missouri of all places. Heavenly Amillenialists have removed any earthly hope and made heaven in the sky the ultimate destination where saints as disembodied souls reign during the intermediate state.

 

Dispensationalism, Hebrew roots, Messianic Judaism and much of Biblical Unitarianism believes in an earthly Kingdom yet they ascribe this to modern Geo-political Israel with animal sacrifices, Levitical Priesthood and a rebuilt third temple as features of that Kingdom. These groups deny or greatly minimize the truth that the Kingdom is already a reality including that Jehoshua is already on the throne of David. 

 

Like many things, balance is the answer here. It is important to note that the apostles question is not rebuked by Jehoshua but rather He gives them an honest answer that it is in the Father's timing when this will take place. This is the same answer given when asked when His return will be. This shows us that the return of the Messiah brings about the fulfillment of the hope of the apostles which is that the Kingdom will be restored to Israel. 

 

With this being understood, a 1,000 year heavenly millennium is impossible. While many of the groups mentioned above will agree with my statement, in equating the second advent of Jehoshua with the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel, they fail badly on the nature of that Kingdom. 

 

Unlike what these groups teach there is no future 1,000 year millennium but what scripture clearly shows is that they arrival of the Son of God brings about the new heavens and new earth where New Jerusalem will be the capital city. 

 

As the book of Hebrews shows us there is no more need for animal sacrifices. Also, the Levitical Priesthood is abolished according to Hebrews. We also learn from that chapter that the heavenly sanctuary is the true sanctuary. Also, Israel as it's known today is not the Israel that the apostles have in mind when they asked Jehoshua this question. It is clear from scripture that the return of the Israelites to the land happens only after Messiah comes back not before. Also, scripture says that they come back in righteousness meaning they will be in covenant with Jehovah God. The modern state of Israel fits no prophecies of the old testament. They do however fit the prophecies of Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 i.e. the synagogue of Satan. 

 

The Israel that gets the Kingdom restored is the one Paul talks about in Galatians 6:12-16 i.e. those who glory in the cross of Jehoshua Messiah. Paul calls us the Israel of God. It is those who are the seed of Abraham which Paul says are those in Messiah.

 

Galatians 3:26-29 (KJV)

 

26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

 

What a powerful message by Paul! The apostle removes any hope for ethnic, economic or gender pride but says that all who have put on Messiah through baptism are children of God and heirs of the promise given to Abraham. All believers whether Jew or Gentile are referred to as the seed of Abraham and thereby heirs of the Abrahamic land covenant which is now expanded to include the new heavens and new earth. 

 

Paul clearly lays out who is Israel in Ephesians 2:

 

12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

 

Paul clearly refers to the Church as the commonwealth of Israel as His definition of the commonwealth are those in covenant with God through His only begotten Son. We as Gentiles were once aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and not partakers of the covenants of promise. The covenants of promise are the Sabbath, Abrahamic, Davidic and new covenants. These covenants belong to the commonwealth of Israel not the Catholic, Protestant or Evangelical Churches. Paul's definition of the commonwealth of Israel is not the "Geo-political state of Israel" either then or now but rather those in covenant with the God of Israel Jehovah. The thing that brings Gentiles into the commonwealth of Israel is the Son of God and His atoning sacrifice. Having faith that Jehoshua is the Son of God and what He did on the cross brings one into covenant with God.

 

In Galatians 6, Paul clearly lays out who comprises the Israel of God

 

12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

 

Paul identifies the Israel of God as those who glory in the cross of our Lord Jehoshua Messiah which is the rule that those who desire to be the Israel of God must follow.

 

We must remember what was said by both John the Baptist and the Messiah Himself concerning the timing of the arrival of the Kingdom:

 

Matthew 3

 

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

 

Mark 1:14-15

 

14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

 

John the Baptist preached, before the arrival of the Messiah on the scene, that the Kingdom of heaven was at hand. It would be hard to imagine that he meant 2,000 years later. The Messiah also preached that the Kingdom was at hand meaning near. Again, it’s hard to believe that this was meant to be understood as 2,000 years later. This brings us to the tension of the Kingdom. Acts 1 shows us that the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel coincides with the second advent of the Messiah which has not happened yet, so how are we to understand John’s proclamation?

 

Let’s remember these words by the Son of God:

John 18:36

36 Jehoshua 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.

 

When Jehoshua says His Kingdom is not of this world he is referring to the political nations of this earth. One day His Kingdom will be consummated on this very earth renewed, but in the meantime His Kingdom is not be identified with any of the countries in this system of things. Also, if the Kingdom of God is indeed a present reality as scripture states then we could rightly say that the Kingdom of God is here on earth now but not in the form that it will be when the Lord returns.  This statement above by Jehoshua eliminates any possibility that the modern Geo-political Israel has anything to do with God’s Kingdom or is a part of bible prophecy in any way. This statement also exposes the fallacy of America being a Christian nation. It also shows us that we are not to fight in the nations of this earth’s wars. Jehoshua’s servants do not fight for the kingdoms on earth because the Lord’s Kingdom is not from here.

 

The scriptures do teach that the Kingdom of God arrived nearly 2,000 years ago, but if the Kingdom is not from here then how do we understand the Kingdom as being a present already?

 

Luke 17:20-21

 

20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

 

Here is the answer to the above question, Jehoshua clearly said that the Kingdom does not come with observation meaning it is absolutely not a Geo-political military Kingdom like those of this world. No country can ever claim to be the Kingdom of God because as Jehoshua said, the Kingdom comes without observation meaning not seen visibly as earthly governments are. The Son of God said that the Kingdom that was established nearly 2,000 years ago is within us meaning it is a spiritual Kingdom. This statement by Jehoshua is despised by those that have not eyes to see because it refutes their dispensationalist, pre millennialism ideas and their false doctrine that we are NOT kings and priests now and that we are NOT under the leadership of our Davidic King who is NOT on that throne now. It attacks their false eschatology (end times), soteriology (salvation) and ecclesiology (doctrine of the church).

 

What does Jehoshua mean by a spiritual Kingdom? That God’s law would be written in your heart which would be evidenced in how you treat others including your enemies. In fact, the terms of the new covenant Kingdom would be that God’s law would be written on your heart:

 

Jeremiah 31:31-34

 

31 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; [j]which my covenant they brake, although I was [k]a husband unto them, saith Jehovah. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

 

Jehoshua equated the installment of the new covenant with the inauguration of the Kingdom:

 

Luke 22:28-29

 

28 “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. 29 And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

 

We see that the apostles were appointed (covenanted) a Kingdom by the Son of God at the last supper. Since the apostles were to remain on earth after the Messiah’s resurrection, the Kingdom that they were appointed to was earthly. However, it wasn’t earthly in the Geo-political sense but rather the spiritual one for the Messiah said His Kingdom was not of this world (Geo-political). This Kingdom was the Church of the Messiah in which the apostles were to judge the 12 tribes of Israel. Remember, that Messiah gave the keys to the Kingdom to the apostles in Matthew 16:19; and in Matthew 18:19-20. The reference to the 12 tribes of Israel refers to the church as a whole, both Jews and Gentiles, as the lost tribes had been scattered throughout the Gentile nations. All throughout the new testament, prophecies and statements that applied to old covenant Israel are applied to the Church. We see this done by James, Paul, John and Peter.

 

Jehoshua is not telling the apostles that they will get a Kingdom some 2,000 years in the future but rather it is (present tense) being bestowed upon them on that very day. The eating and drinking at the table of the Kingdom likely refers to the Eucharist meal where the saints would break bread in honor of Jehoshua’s death and partaking of His doctrine as well as drink wine in honor of His shed blood and His Davidic lineage as they referred to Jehoshua as the holy vine of David.

 

The emphasis on the spiritual aspect of the Kingdom over the Geo-political is seen in Jehoshua’s conversation with Nicodemus in John chapter 3:

 3 Jehoshua answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be begotten from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be begotten when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be begotten?

Jehoshua answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be begotten of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

That which is begotten of the flesh is flesh; and that which is begotten of the Spirit is spirit.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be begotten from above.

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is begotten of the Spirit.

Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

10 Jehoshua answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

 

This is a revolutionary statement by Jehoshua as He tells Nicodemus that the kingdom can only be seen by those who are begotten from above by the Spirit of Jehovah, proving undoubtedly that the Kingdom is spiritual and not Geo-political. Those who try and dismiss that the Kingdom has already been here for nearly 2,000 thousand years and that it is only a Geo-political kingdom centered in earthly Jerusalem in the distant future, are rebuked here sharply by the Son of God. He is emphatic that the Kingdom is spiritual in nature and is only seen by those who have born from above by the Holy Spirit. God’s Kingdom brought by His Son is not one that can be seen by human eyes as it takes spiritual eyes to see it. The Kingdom is one of spiritual treasures, in which its members enjoy the riches of heaven as a foretaste of eternity in the new heavens and new earth. Those who are still waiting for the Kingdom to arrive in some Geo-political format are the Nicodemus’s of the world who although being learned in the word of God lack the Spirit to see the true treasures of heaven. The true treasures of this Kingdom are not in wielding power to lord over others but rather to serve others in humility like the great King Jehoshua did during His earthly ministry.

 

To see the Kingdom spiritually is to appreciate the here and now of it and to pick up one’s cross and follow Messiah with all one’s heart. It’s to live out the principles of the Kingdom outlined in the Sermon on the Mount. Much of Christendom misses out on this as they are told that Kingdom isn’t here yet and thereby also negate the need to follow the Kingdom law as taught by Jehoshua.

 

To see the Kingdom now spiritually is to deny the riches of this world and the lust of it and instead build treasure in heaven. Essential to this Kingdom is the willingness to pick up the cross of Messiah and die for it. This is why American Christianity is lukewarm because they do not see that the Kingdom is here and now and thereby look at this world as their Kingdom and that God’s is only future. What a cost the Church has suffered by giving up the idea that Kingdom is the Church and instead await some Geo-political Kingdom ran by ethnic Jews.

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