Where is the kingdom of heaven today? Or, perhaps more aptly stated, “where is our heart” today?
Many, most, have dismissed the kingdom of heaven as a kingdom that will come after the tribulation; these folks have said that, for now, we must live according to the “laws of the land.” But this “laws of the land” false image comes only from a spirit of harlotry which we have all learned? The very reason that Yehovah’s men are commanded to wear tassels or tzitzit is so we remember to keep His commandments and not follow the harlotry to which our hearts and eyes are inclined.
Again Yehovah spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of Yehovah and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your Elohim. I am Yehovah your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your Elohim: I am Yehovah your Elohim.” (Num 15:37-41)
You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband. Men make payment to all harlots, but you made your payments to all your lovers, and hired them to come to you from all around for your harlotry. You are the opposite of other women in your harlotry, because no one solicited you to be a harlot. In that you gave payment but no payment was given you, therefore you are the opposite.” (Eze 16:32-34)
Because your fathers have forsaken Me,’ says Yehovah; ‘they have walked after other elohim [lawmakers,judges, masters] and have served them and worshiped them, and have forsaken Me and not kept My law. and you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart, so that no one listens to Me. Therefore I will cast you out of this land into a land that you do not know, neither you nor your fathers; and there you shall serve other elohim day and night, where I will not show you favor.’ “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says Yehovah, “that it shall no more be said, ‘Yehovah lives who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘Yehovah lives who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.’ For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers. (Jer 16:11-15)
Abram, later Abraham, was different. When Abram left his father, his country and his home in Haran, he did not follow the ways of the Canaanites, Amalekites and Amorites; nor the false ways which he learned from his father.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is Elohim. (Heb 11:8-10)
The principal of coming out of one’s country, the country of our birth, and joining our selves to Yehovah’s people and ways, no matter where we live, is a foundational principal of the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven which was codified into the law of Moses at Sinai.
According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am Yehovah your Elohim. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am Yehovah. (Lev 18:3-5)
Yehovah is saying that even though we live in the land of the Canaanites, we are not to obey their statutes. Can we leave the country of our birth and join ourselves to Yehovah’s people True Israel?
Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people’s, AND THEY DO NOT KEEP THE KING’S LAWS. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. (Est 3:8)
Baptism was, and still should be, an expatriation from one kingdom, and an entrance into another; it is a way of publicly saying “Your Elohim shall be my Elohim and your people shall be my people.” This is exactly the commitment Ruth made in Moab before she came to Israel with Naomi.
But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your Elohim, my Elohim. (Rth 1:16)
And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. (Ruth 2:11)
Both John and the disciples of Yeshua were baptizing the people from the kingdom of the Pharisees into the Kingdom of Heaven, which is the kingdom of true repentant Israel. The people no longer kept the additions to the Torah that were being added by the rebellious Pharisees. They were instead repenting and turning to all the ways of the Father given through Moses.
Now when he [Yeshua] was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of Heaven / God would come, he answered them and said, “The kingdom of Heaven / God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of Heaven / God is within you.” (Luk 17:20-21)
You can not currently see Yehovah’s kingdom of Heaven except in His people; it is invisible to the unbelieving, unrepentant and disobedient people who dwell in the kingdoms of the earth!
The “secular church” today says they obey Yehovah but in reality has incorporated with the state and the federal government; and most of His “so-called” people are no different. Yeshua spoke of this conflict by quoting the words of Isaiah.
He answered and said unto them, well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honors Me [Yehovah] with their lips and draws neigh unto Me with their mouth, but their heart is far from Me. Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of Yehovah, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, full well ye reject the commandment of Yehovah, that ye may keep your own tradition. (Mar 7:6-9)
We can only serve one Elohim. The time is coming, too soon I fear, that Yehovah’s people will be forced make a decision to obey the Lords(Lawmakers, judges, masters) of the land or Yehovah, the Elohim of all the earth. How long will we wait to make ourselves completely His? That is the question at hand today.
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now, they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore Elohim is not ashamed to be called their Elohim, for He has prepared a city for them. (Heb 11:13-16)
Blessings Michael! This was a hit home lesson as YAH is taking me step by step from the church/world’s teaching into Kingdom teaching. Well written, it spoke to my heart, as I see these principles come to light since coming out of Babylon, and removing the false teachings of man. No wonder the world thinks we’re heretics as we embrace, repent, submit to and obey Yehovah’s Torah. I needed to understand why I am separate from family (Physical, and church) and this explained so much.Thanks again! Praying for your protection from the “stuff” coming in your side of the world’s waterways. Shalom!