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Index
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Index
Kingdom of Heaven.
And in the time of those kings, the God of Heaven will establish a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, a kingdom that shall not be transferred to another people. It will crush and wipe out all these kingdoms, but shall itself last forever—
Daniel 2:44 (Tanakh)
"Do you not know what these are?"
Zechariah 4:13b NRSV
The epigraph, above, confirms that there is much that can be learned through a study of the Kingdom as it is portrayed in Zechariah 4, and as expanded in the opening picture. The words also are a rebuke, as if to say, "Why have you not studied these things and discussed them with the Lord?" The opening composite depicts the Kingdom's existence and unity across the Heavenly Realm and here on Earth. As to God's dwelling place here on Earth, here are a few texts on the subject:
[5] 'Since the day that I brought My people from the land of Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, so that My name might be there, nor did I choose a man to be the leader over My people Israel; [6] but I have chosen Jerusalem so that My name might be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.' (2 Chronicles 6:5-6 NASB)
[4] He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. [5] Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, [6] "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain." (Psalm 2:4-6 NASB)
[11] Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; Declare His deeds among the peoples. (Psalm 9:11 NASB)
[1] God is known in Judah; His name is great in Israel. [2] His tabernacle is in Salem; His dwelling place also is in Zion. (Psalm 76:1-2 NASB)
[13] For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it as His dwelling place. (Psalm 132:13 NASB)
[3] And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let's go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; So that He may teach us about His ways, And that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go out from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3 NASB)
[2] Many nations will come and say, "Come and let's go up to the mountain of the LORD And to the house of the God of Jacob, So that He may teach us about His ways, And that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Micah 4:2 NASB)
[17] Again, proclaim, saying, 'This is what the LORD of armies says: "My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem."' (Zechariah 1:17 NASB)
[3] The LORD says this: 'I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of armies will be called the Holy Mountain.' (Zechariah 8:3 NASB)
[1] Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. [2] So I said, "Where are you going?" And he said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is." [3] And behold, the angel who had been speaking with me was going out, and another angel was going out to meet him. [4] And he said to him, "Run, speak to that young man there, saying, 'Jerusalem will be inhabited as open country because of the multitude of people and cattle within it. [5] But I,' declares the LORD, 'will be a wall of fire to her on all sides, and I will be the glory in her midst.'" (Zechariah 2:1-5 NASB)
Certainly, within the new-covenant, all eyes are on the New Jerusalem. Not surprising, because Paul et al have annulled the Covenant (qv), and have maintained the division between Jew and Gentile (eg, Romans, chapter 11). And so these people live out their lives in hopes of eventually dwelling in the New Jerusalem. Because the Covenant has been annulled on the grounds that it was lethal, faulty, based on inadequate promises, and past its sell-by date, there has been no need to study it - certainly within new-covenant circles. Yet, if those followers of Paul's false doctrine were to look at the Covenant, then they would discover how much they are actually missing.
Those who understand what Moses had to say about the Covenant, and who now have committed to its Messianic Amendment, know that they don't have to live in hopes as they wait for the New Jerusalem, for they can dwell with the Lord God in Zion in this life:
For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it as His dwelling place. (Psalm 132:13 NASB)
Admittedly, there is not enough room to house everyone at the Physical Level. Nevertheless, there is room for all at the Spiritual Level:
5 I looked up, and I saw a man holding a measuring line. 6 “Where are you going?" I asked. “To measure Jerusalem," he replied, “to see how long and wide it is to be.” 7 But the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him. 8 The former said to him, “Run to that young man and tell him:
“Jerusalem shall be peopled as a city without walls, so many shall be the men and cattle it contains. 9 And I Myself — declares the LORD — will be a wall of fire all around it, and I will be a glory inside it." (Zechariah 2:5-9 (Tanakh))
Although many must live far away, some may be lucky enough to visit Mount Zion and Jerusalem. Eventually, following the Day of Judgement, every one of God's People will dwell under one roof in the New Jerusalem.
The fact that the Lord God chooses to dwell with His people on Earth is fundamental to an understanding of David's Tent: its instantiation, its function, its destruction ... and now, as the Lord extends His hand over Jerusalem, saying, "It shall be rebuilt!" It is time to fulfil the promise He made at the time of Amos8C:
"In that day I will restore David's fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, (Amos 9:11 NIV)
[Essay: The relationship between God's home in the Heavenly Realm, and His home in Jerusalem on Mount Zion.]
[Essay: The integration of the New Jerusalem into the Heavenly Realm.]
The Kingdom of Heaven is likened to:
| Comparison | Reference | Text |
|---|---|---|
| Sower of good seed | Mat. 13:24 | Matthew 13:24 NIV The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. |
| Mustard seed | Mat. 13:31 | Matthew 13:31 NIV The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. |
| Yeast | Mat. 13:33 | The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough. |
| Hidden treasure | Mat. 13:44 | The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. |
| In search of pearls | Mat. 13:45 | Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. |
| Net | Mat. 13:47 | Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. |
| Landowner | Mat. 20:1 | For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard |
| Wedding banquet | Mat. 22:2 | Matthew 22:2 NIV [2] "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. |
| Ten virgins | Mat. 25:1 | At that time [End of Age, chapter 24] the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. |
[Analysis and implications: The likenesses of the Kingdom of Heaven.]
The Kingdom of Heaven:
The Kingdom of Heaven is an existential kingdom within the Heavenly Realm. Currently, it is occupied by the Heavenly Temple, God's home, and the Heavenly Beings.
It predates and takes precedence over the kingdoms of the nations (implication):
[5] Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard [6] and said:
"O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you." (2 Chronicles 20:5-6 NIV)
The nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven contains a warning:
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea [2] and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." (Matthew 3:1-2 NIV)
As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' (Matthew 10:7 NIV)
[11] Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!
Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
[12] From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.
[13] For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. [14] And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. (Matthew 11:11-14 NASB)
The Hebrew meaning of Elijah9C is 'My God is Jehovah'. This sets the stage for a word-play on 'Elijah'.
John, then, is Elijah, because he understood and was committed to the Mosaic Contract as it was understood by Moses. John tried to get the Jews to return the Covenant as it had been understood by Moses. And John spoke of Jesus, whose name could also be interpreted as Elijah, since His God was His Father.
Following on from this, Jesus is able to declare Hinself to be least in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 11:11), because the Lord God and the Lord Spirit were already in existence when He was begotten (as opposed to 'created').
[13-14] "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. (Matthew 23:13-14 NASB)
[Essay: From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.]
Israel is under attack from the nations. The violence is sufficiently well documented as to require no further elaboration here.
But Israel is also undermined, let down, and bought and sold by those nations who are supposedly their ally. These 'allies' are not interested in the restoration of David's fallen Tent or in restoring Israel to a kingdom; instead, they seek to make Israel subservient to their own authority and power.
The 'allies' want only to divvy-up the Promised Land between Israel and Palestine. They want to turn the promised land into a two-nation state. In short, the US et al want Israel to obey them, not the Most High God. The allies think that this will lead to peace, totally oblivious to the fact that the House of Esau, together with many others, are intent on wiping out the Jews and grabbing their land. Alas, the US shuts its ears against Esau's intention to wipe out the Jews,
Not only is the Promised Land being broken up into job-lots, but Jerusalem, too, has been broken up. And so we find the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock (an Islamic shrine at the centre of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound) standing in the Old City of Jerusalem (Wikipedia). Incidentally, the Dome was built on top of the Second Jewish Temple (destroyed in 70 CE) - with all that that implies (namely the destruction of Israel and the supremacy of Islam and the House of Esau).
When David's fallen Tent is rebuilt, this temple to Allah [the lord Satan], this desecration of the Lord's dwelling place, will be forcibly destroyed and removed after the manner of King Josiah7C (2 Kings, chapter 23).
As it was in the days when Israel put its trust in Egypt and Pharaoh, so it now is with the US and its president. They - like Egypt of old - are but a broken reed:
21 You rely, of all things, on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which enters and punctures the palm of anyone who leans on it! That's what Pharaoh king of Egypt is like to all who rely on him. (2 Kings 18:21 (Tanakh))
6 You are relying on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which enters and punctures the palm of anyone who leans on it. That's what Pharaoh king of Egypt is like to all who rely on him. (Isaiah 36:6 (Tanakh))
The Kingdom of Heaven's demands:
Matthew 3:2 NASB [2] "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Matthew 4:17 NASB [17] From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
The Kingdom of Heaven requires the maintenance of the absolute integrity of the Law:
[17] "Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. [18] For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished!
[19] Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19 NASB)
Altering the Law even slightly will set in motion an exponential descent into sin and error. See Exponential growth of evil.
Matthew 5:17-19 does not explain the fate of those who defile and annul the Law.
See: Messianic Amendment.
Those holding office must first be trained/retrained in the Kingdom of Heaven:
[51] "Have you understood all this?"
They answered, "Yes."
[52] And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." (Matthew 13:51-52 NRSV)
The 'Old Treasure' is the Mosaic Covenant; the New Tresure maps to the subsequent amendments, especially the Messianic Amendment.
Version: 2024-07-23