Has Your King Died?

Has Your King Died? is published by and is a discipleship curriculum of the International School of The Bible

Marietta, GA USA

Email address info@isob-bible.org -www.isob-bible.org

Version 5.1  November, 2016

Copyright © 2010 by Larry Chkoreff

Published by International School of the Bible, Marietta, Georgia, U.S.A.

ISBN 978-0-9676731-7-2

All rights reserved. This book is the sole property of the author. It may not be reproduced, altered, or transmitted in whole or in part without the express written consent of the author. Any unauthorized reproduction, alteration, transmission, or printing of this book, or any material contained in this book, is strictly prohibited. Permission to reproduce, alter, transmit, print or reprint this book, or any materials contained in this book, may be requested at the above email address.  Any reference to the materials, ideas, or direct quotations taken from this book must be cited appropriately to this published edition.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the NKJV of the Bible. Copyright 1979,1980,1982 by Thomas Nelson, publishers. Used by permission.

Introduction

I have no idea who will be reading this book as I write it. Prior to this book I have had the privilege of watching the Lord take over 500,000 of our books (as of 2014) and distribute them to needy people around the world, mostly for free. When I write, it is really the Lord writing, as I try my best to hear Him speak. I am simply making the effort to hear from God and write what He puts on my heart. I have been working on this book for several years.

My style of writing is simple and conversational. While I understand that my style may not fit your religious language and protocol, please bear with me as I attempt to pour out the truth of my heart into this writing the best I know how. I know that many Jewish people can be offended if we do not use their certain protocol like G-d, Old Testament, etc. I respect that, but I need to write in my style in order to convey my message. Please forgive me in advance.

If you happen to be Jewish, I want to address you personally from my heart.

I love the Jewish people and always have. I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in Los Angeles and Hollywood California, worked with and partnered with Jewish people in business. I want to apologize to you on behalf of so-called Christians, who in the past have horribly mistreated Jewish people and Israel. Trust me, these people are not Christians, but they call themselves that, and in doing so they have blasphemed our God. It is almost hard to believe the horrible things that have been done to the Jews dating back thousands of years, and even in recent history!

Also I would ask you to forgive many Christians who have embraced the “Replacement Theology.” They believe that the Christian church has replaced the Jews and Israel in the eyes of God. Not so!! Scripture is in Romans 11:12-24.

Those of us who were not born Jewish realize without the Jewish contribution to Christianity, there is no Christianity.  We owe you a deep debt of gratitude for making the way for us to reconnect with God.  At the risk of severely understating its gravity, we acknowledge that the atrocities and persecution you have endured demand a profound apology that we humbly offer here.  More and more "enlightened Christians" have stood with the Jews especially with the outpouring of revelation during the past 100 years. God said of the Jewish people, "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you."  It has been said that anti-Semitism cannot be explained, but only recounted. While I understand that, I do believe a major explanation is that the invisible forces of Satan despises the Jewish people because they are God’s original people group who were created to bring redemption to all mankind. In a later chapter as I compare the kingdom of this world, ruled by Satan, to the Kingdom of God, this will become clearer.

I know many God-fearing Jews who I respect very much for their heartfelt devotion. God has a great love for you. What I write here is in no way to convince you to abandon your Jewish roots. On the contrary, you should continue in your Jewish roots to the extent they are Biblical.

Many Jews have found their completion in Jesus in record numbers, especially since the re-gathering of Israel in 1948. They have not abandoned their Jewish roots or culture, but rather have added to it. They have discovered that God wants to be very personal to people and to make Himself known to them. As you keep reading you will see and understand why Jesus was needed as the Perfect Lamb to pour out His blood for your sins!

I do not ask you, the reader, to take anything that I write here as something that I am trying to convince you to believe.

In the world of spiritual truth, only God Himself is reliable to believe. God desires a deep intimate conversational relationship with you. All you have to do is to keep your heart open, pour out to Him every doubt, fear and frustration that you may have, be totally gut level honest, and God will respond to you personally. He craves that kind of closeness!

If He convinces you by the Scriptures that I quote and by the witness of the Spirit of God who hovers over the Scriptures, then you will just know that you know that what your are reading is absolute truth! In order to believe you must have a God ordained “experience.”

John 6:44 says,

“44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

The Jewish fisherman Peter was given a God revelation of who Jesus was when he saw Him.

Matthew 16:15-18 says,

“15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

That is what happened to me in 1979 and I have been walking in a conversational and intimate relationship with God the Creator ever since. The Spirit of God who’s purpose it is to inhabit mankind, is the only one who can give you absolute truth by enlightening the Word of God. You will know that you know that He is speaking to you when He does. Just be real with Him, and He will be real to you!

The entire Bible is absolutely beyond reproach. There is no chance that both Old and New Covenants are not totally accurate! It is impossible that they are not inspired by The God of Creation!

What caused me to see the light and to see the Truth was reading a book about Bible prophecies. After over four hours of reading God revealed Himself to me like a bolt of lighting. I said to my son who was guiding me through the books, “Patrick, Jesus is alive, the Bible are His Words, and He is the winner over all issues in life!” Then I said to God, “Father, I have made a mess of my life, please take over.” Then the Holy Spirit entered in to my soul like floods of living water. I wept when I felt His presence enter me. I have never been the same!

The purpose of this book.

The primary purpose is to give you an opportunity to return to “normal,” which will keep you in God’s original purpose for your life, not only here on earth but also for eternity in Heaven.

Normal is simply a man created by God from the dust of the earth, filled with His Breath, the Holy Spirit of God. We are not normal unless we contain God’s Holy Spirit. You cannot be filled with His Spirit unless you are cleansed by having your sins permanently removed.

You must choose your king. Will it be a human government leader or leaders? Or will it be God Almighty as Isaiah chose?

Isaiah 6:1,

“1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.”

You will read more about normal in the following chapters. This flies in the face of legalistic religions. You will also read about the critical choice you must make to choose your king!

Chapter 1

Jesus Misunderstood

Many have misunderstood the mission of Jesus here on earth.

When I was walking through the streets of Jerusalem one time the Lord spoke something to me I will never forget. I noticed so many people of different religions and races were all miserable and even mad. The Lord spoke to me from Luke 2:14 which says, “Peace on earth, good will toward men.” Angels spoke this at the birth of Jesus. Then He took me to the Amplified Bible, which states it more accurately.

Luke 2:14 Amplified says,

“Glory to God in the highest [heaven], and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased [men of goodwill, of His favor].”

The Lord showed me that He knew people’s hearts, and that people who had a “good will,” or a good heart to hear truth, would have inner peace, which can only come from a real time relationship with God. In the meantime there would be spiritual warfare here on earth between God’s people and Satan’s demons and people.

Jesus warned His disciples in Luke chapter 19 just before He was crucified, that if not careful, they would misunderstand Him. He discerned that they thought that He was coming into Jerusalem to bring in the Kingdom in the way they thought. He was coming to bring the Kingdom of God, but by first overcoming Satan in the heavenlies through the Cross and resurrection. Then He would give us, His people, that same power to overcome satanic forces here on earth, which would eventually bring His Kingdom to earth,

Matthew 10:34 says,

“34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”

One major difference between following Jesus, which is real Christianity, and other religions.

Faith or works? I respect the Jewish custom, and the custom of other religions, of good deeds and good works. I want to state that real Christianity also incorporates good works, contrary to some popular view that we are faith-only people.

We believe in the way God dealt with Abram (Abraham as his name was changed). In Genesis 15 he was made righteous by faith by believing God.

Genesis 15:1-6 says,

“1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

2 But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”

4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”

5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”

In Genesis 22 Abraham was required to obey God in order to confirm his faith.

So it is with real Christ followers. God made us righteous not by our own works - but by faith in what Jesus provided for us as the spotless lamb who cleansed us from our sins. When we accept that by faith, then God can fill us with His Holy Spirit to return us to “normal.”

The New Testament says that our faith without works is dead. But our works are the by-product of faith, and hearing and obeying God.

Abraham was made righteous by faith, and his works followed that. The New Covenant is the same

James 2:18-24 New Living Bible says,

18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone

We believe in good works after our faith has made us righteous.  There are no works that can earn our righteousness. But our righteousness by faith leads to good works.

Most “religion” is based upon fear of punishment. Real Christianity is based upon a deep love for Jesus, the Father and the Spirit because we have seen Him face to face and seen His love. You cannot love someone that you have only heard about; you must see him/her face to face. Seeing Jesus gives us the “want-to” attitude, not the “have-to” attitude.

God’s chosen people.

What does it mean to be the chosen? It means you were born into a race of people starting with Abraham. As time progressed God gave His Law to Moses for the Jews. I know for sure that this was the beginning of God’s redemption for all mankind. He created the Jewish race with the law in order to put His redemption plan into action. But the Law given by Moses was not the end of His work of redemption from sin.

If you are trying to please God by living by the Law, then ask yourself this question. How are you doing in keeping the entire Law?

Deuteronomy 27:26 Amplified Bible says,

“Cursed is he who does not support and give assent to the words of this law to do them [as the rule of his life]. All the people shall say, Amen.”

The Law is used by God as our tutor, our guide.

Galatians 3:24-26 Amplified Bible says,

‘24 So that the Law served [to us Jews] as our trainer [our guardian, our guide to Christ, to lead us] until Christ [came], that we might be justified (declared righteous, put in right standing with God) by and through faith.

25 But now that the faith has come, we are no longer under a trainer (the guardian of our childhood).

26 For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.’

Satan.

Many of God’s chosen people, the Jews, do not realize that Satan is the governing force of this world system, and he has made a point of trying to annihilate and at least persecute God’s chosen people. Just look at how the Jews have been so mistreated for centuries by so many different people groups. There is no way to explain it except for Satan’s work against the Jews.

Satan’s main tactic is to blind people from truth. I go into more detail about this in Chapter 3 of this book.

This was a promise to the Israelites. To return them to “normal.”

Ezekiel 37:11-14 says,

“11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’

12 “Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

13 “Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.

14 “I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,” says the LORD.’””

What is “normal”?

We all need forgiveness for sins. That is what the lamb and other animal sacrifices were to do on a temporary, but not permanent basis. The Bible prophecies show that eventually there would be a permanent sacrifice for sins that would not just atone for our present sins, but that would cleanse us from our sin so permanently that God would be justified to re-insert Himself, through His Spirit, inside of us. This is how Adam was created; inhabited by God’s Spirit.

However this type of permanent forgiveness required a very special “lamb.” That is why God sent Himself, in the form of a man, Jesus, to earth to take our sins upon Himself. Yes, God loves us that much!!

John 1:29 says,

“29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

The Trinity- one God or three?

There is a sub-chapter later in this book that explains the Trinity in greater detail – page 93. But I wish to assure you that Christians do not believe in more than one God. Jesus made this clear and He stated it as follows:

Mark 12:28-30 says,

“28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.

30 ‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”

Can you really trust in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments?

The following is an amazing statistical fact that proves that the entire Bible, both Testaments, are 100% true.

You can trust the Bible; it is the Word of God. [1]

A Summary of Messianic Bible Prophecies.  Prophecies about Jesus. [2]

There are over 300 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled in His birth, life, death, and resurrection, but consider as an example only the seventeen most prominent ones. The combined probability against these seventeen predictions occurring is equal to:

1 chance in 480,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. (480 billion x 1 billion x 1 trillion).

In the life of the Lord Jesus himself there are over 300 fulfilled prophecies.  It is ridiculous to imagine that these prophecies would all be fulfilled by accident by one person.  Only one chance in a number followed by 181 zeroes years.  It is impossible that the Bible is NOT the Word of God.

Impossible?  With the same chance, Jesus the Christ lived and died, was resurrected and is now alive according to the Scriptures, and all this by "accident." With God nothing is impossible.

Matthew 17:20

“20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Luke 1:37

“37 “For with God nothing will be impossible.””

Isaiah 55:8-13

“8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.

9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater,

11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

12 “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thorn [the curse] shall come up the cypress tree [stately and noble], And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the LORD for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.””

People of all kinds and in all nations struggle to make life work. Even in the “prosperous nations” millions are struggling financially, socially, and mentally. Life seems like a bad joke that one cannot laugh at.

Jesus knew that people would suffer because of the path they have chosen to live, that being a path that does not include a personal relationship with Him and living within His Kingdom while still on earth. Some people seem to escape this desperation and even feel that the purpose of life is to “enjoy life.” While there is nothing wrong with enjoyment and God loves it for us, it is certainly not the primary purpose our Creator had in mind. Jesus promised “abundant life,” which is far better than just “enjoying life.” Later in this book, we will cover the subject of suffering, which many believers misunderstand.

Chapter 2

Has Your King Died?

Has what you have been trusting in let you down?

I experienced this in my life many years ago. My “king died.” That king was my idol of trusting in myself for making life work. What I write here is not only founded on Biblical truth but also my own life and testimony as I have experienced Biblical truth.

Isaiah’s king died.

Isaiah was one of God’s key prophets in Old Testament times. However, he really did not see God’s kingdom until the human king in whom he was trusting died.

Isaiah 6:1 (KJV) says,

1 “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.”

Throughout the Old Testament God always had a solution for sin, or for breaking the Law. The blood shed by the lamb atoned for sin. The problem was that the people had idols. That was God’s major complaint with His people. I submit that Isaiah had sort of a sneaky idol with King Uzziah. Uzziah had brought peace and prosperity to Israel. But when Uzziah died, Isaiah’s idol died. Now the Lord could really use Isaiah. He saw that he was undone, he repented, and God cleansed him. Then Isaiah saw not only the Lord in a powerful way, but he also saw Him as King of the Kingdom of God.

We all depend on some kind of “king.”

We all have various kinds of “kings” in our lives that we trust in. Self-sufficiency, worldly religion, money, family, and even our self-made fantasies of what we expect in our future, called dreams. These are all classified as “idols.” King Uzziah was a powerful king in Israel. He brought victory in war and brought peace and prosperity. Many Israelites were trusting in him.

What if you are wealthy, “happy,” and feel that all things are well in your life?

King Solomon in the Old Testament thought this for a while. He was the wealthiest man on earth at the time. He was king of Israel. He had more wives and women then he could count. Yet, when he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes all he could say is “vanity, vanity, all under the sun is vanity.” Why?

Like many of us, his life without a personal relationship with God lacked purpose, it lacked contentment, and there were too many answers to questions about life that he did not have. You may, on the surface, be wealthy, happy and “wise,” but your own works may have been your “king,” and perhaps it is time to recognize that this type of king has no life. It is already dead! At the end of life all he could recommend was to fear God and keep His commandments. Fearing God means to have an intimate relationship with Him and you fear anything than can hurt that relationship. Jesus, The Father and the Holy Spirit only can give you that deep intimacy with the Creator.

Keeping His commandments has been impossible for everybody, however when we receive the Holy Spirit to dwell inside of us, we have His commandments living in us. See Ezekiel 37:14.

When these “kings” die, that is when Jesus best reveals Himself to us. When that happened to me in 1979, not only did I see King Jesus, I saw His Kingdom and began to live my life in the Kingdom of God under His care and authority. Actually, many smaller “kings” have continued to die since that happened, and while it is not comfortable, it always results in eternal and earthly benefits for me and for the Kingdom of God.

Isaiah obtained a more accurate vision of God than his predecessors. He saw the Throne, the King and His Kingdom, and His major attribute which is Holiness! When we obtain an accurate view of God, we then can obtain an accurate view of ourselves as Isaiah did. This type of revelation knowledge, seeing the glory of God, changes us permanently.

Isaiah 6:2-4 says,

“2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”

4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.”

Isaiah 6:5 says,

“5 So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.””

When we obtain an accurate view of God and ourselves, then we experience God’s other major attributes - mercy and love. Notice Isaiah saw the real King. Then he progressively obtained information about the Kingdom of God.

Isaiah 6:6-11 says,

“6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.

7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.””

Notice that when Isaiah saw who he was compared to God’s holiness, he was “undone.” But God purged his sin with the power of the altar, or sacrifice. It is the sacrifice of Jesus that purges our sin.

“8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

10 “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.”

11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered: “Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate,”

Notice in verses 9-11 that Isaiah is called to a very unusual preaching ministry. He was to tell the people that they had hearts that would not allow them to see the truth of God for their lives. Jesus quoted Isaiah in Mark 4:12, and I believe that the Amplified Bible brings some understanding why God would cause people not to see the truth. Notice God is speaking about people who willfully reject the truth, and know it.

Mark 4:12 Amplified, says,

“In order that they may [indeed] look and look but not see and perceive, and may hear and hear but not grasp and comprehend, lest haply they should turn again, and it [their willful rejection of the truth] should be forgiven them.”

Then Isaiah asked, “Lord, how long must I preach this message.” God answered and basically said, “Until the people are desperate enough” – verse 11.

I believe that because of this experience of having his sins purged, that Isaiah was ordained to write about the coming Messiah in the later chapters of Isaiah. I cover that subject later in this book.

Chapter 3

We All Live In A Kingdom

We all, by default, belong to a spiritual, invisible, kingdom.

There is a question that each person must ask. To which invisible kingdom do I belong? In which kingdom do I trust, and live my everyday life in?

The Bible makes it clear that there are invisible kingdoms under which each and every person’s life is governed. You may be Jewish, Christian, an atheist, or some other religion, but by default you are indeed living in an invisible kingdom. Your life will be governed by whatever invisible kingdom you choose. That is a mystery to most people. Also, where you go when you die will be determined by which kingdom you choose.

Jesus’ own words tell us that there are only two kingdoms, that being the kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of this world is headed up and ruled by Satan. The Kingdom of God has a king, and His name is King and Lord Jesus. Surprisingly, many believers are not aware of the choice that they are called to make, not just for eternity, but also for this life now on the earth. If you are not a believer in Lord Jesus, then read on and see how you can live in God’s Kingdom and His economy right now on this earth like He originally designed.

Luke 4:5-8 says,

5 “Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.’

8 And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the LORD your God and Him only you shall serve.”’”

If you do not make an intentional choice, you will by default be living in the kingdom of this world. However, everyone has an opportunity to choose, but it must be intentional. Also, choosing the Kingdom of God is more often than not very uncomfortable, but eternally profitable for those who make that choice. In later chapters I will give more definition to both of these kingdoms, their histories and how they function. This book will be more than philosophical; it will be very practical even for the uneducated and simple minded.

The Word of God is clear that there is a battle for the proper choice.

Matthew 11:12 (Amplified Bible) says,

12 “And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize—a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].”

Acts 14:21-22 says,

21 “And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,

22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.’”

The kingdom of this world is a real spiritual power.

James 4:4 says,

4 “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Those are strong words! God is jealous of His people. Spiritual adultery is committed every day by Christ’s believers without any sense of remorse. When we place anything, any ideal or belief above our Creator, we are like an unfaithful wife that sleeps with other men. When we live our lives in the kingdom of this world’s system, we are adulterers.

Watchman Nee said, “The world has advanced to the very door of the Church and is seeking to draw even the Saints of God into its grasp.”

Does God love the world?

Yes, He does according to John 3:16. He passionately loves people and wants the best for them. He will help you if you ask with an open heart and in truth.

John 3:16 says,

“16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

The creator God did indeed give us the solution. This book will address that solution.

All that most people have available to meet their needs is what the Bible calls the “world system,” or “the kingdom of this world.” It is what we can see and hear, but it’s real ruler and prince is invisible. It is what most of our parents and the media has taught us. This is referred to many times in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments. It is a system of government; it is a monetary system, a system for relationships, morals, even religion, and everything else in life. It is also referred to in the Bible as “the Harlot,” “the Whore,” and “Mystery Babylon.” Unfortunately, many believers in God do not know better than to try to operate in this system. In Revelation chapter 18, the Lord tells His people to “come out of her.”

This book will go into detail on the alternative system that any of us may operate in, called the Kingdom of God, which also has an invisible ruler, a King. Some believers do indeed operate in the Kingdom of God, but without a real knowledge of what they are doing. That is fine, but I believe that we all need to know how to function intentionally in that Kingdom. I will go into detail about it in this book.

A quick summary of the difference between the lifestyle of these two kingdoms can be put this way.

Before Adam sinned, or claimed his independence, God had given him the godly way to live, which was by bearing fruit. Adam could bear physical fruit within the garden God had provided. Adam could bear spiritual fruit because he would meet God daily, the Tree of Life, and listen to Him speak. Those words of God would then be planted in Adam’s heart, and spiritual fruit would be a result of it. That spiritual fruit would also govern the natural fruit of the Garden of Eden. However, when Adam sinned, or declared his independence, God informed him that he forfeited his right to be a bearer of fruit.

Genesis 3:17-19 says,

17 “Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, “You shall not eat of it”: Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.

18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.

19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.’”

Notice, Adam went from fruit to sweat and thorns. Now Jesus gives us the opportunity to go from sweat and thorns back to fruit.

My “kings” died. That is my testimony as well. In the year that Larry’s kings died, Larry also saw the Lord, the King, and His Kingdom!

When the Lord came into my life, I had already attempted to succeed in the world’s system with everything that I had. I was 39 years old, it was 1979, and although on the surface things looked okay, inside I knew that I was not making life work. I had not really done any major crimes. I always thought that God would grade on the “curve” scale. I thought if I at least obtained a C average I would make it to Heaven. Thankfully the “kings and kingdom” in which I had been living my life had died to me. They were lifeless idols. They failed me. They were dead. I finally cried out to know, “Where do I go when I die.”

I found God’s answer to living here on earth.

I will never forget watching a minister on television teach on Mark chapter 4, and how the Word of God planted in a human heart would bear fruit for everything we need, for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). I grabbed that idea and lived by it. Little by little I could see God producing His fruit in my life, and that it would produce things and situations that I would not have had the power to do on my own. I knew this was Truth.

I also saw how this fruit did not grow quickly. Satan would war against the production of fruit in powerful ways. There was much suffering, but my wife Carol and I would not give in or give up because we knew that God meant what He said. Actually, the suffering for the Word’s sake was part of entering into the Kingdom of God.

Eventually things got better, little by little, and God showed up in marvelous ways. Now, as I write this this years later, I can testify not only by the Word of God, but also by my own experience, that living life by bearing fruit is indeed the mystery of the Kingdom of God.

Even then, I knew that I did not have the resources to make life work. I cried out desperately to Him for help with finances, family relationships, and ministry. I knew He had a calling on my life, but had no idea what that meant. I knew that God wanted me to have the “abundant life,” and all I could do was to believe and invite Him to take over 100%. I loved the Word of God and spent hours every day consuming it. It began to change my life in many ways.

Best of all, during these past years since 1979, by focusing on hearing God speak and keeping my relationship with Him fresh and vital, my personal intimacy with Jesus has become very deep and satisfying. Even if I had nothing else in this world, just knowing Him at this deep and intimate level is more than enough!

The Lord made some changes in my life, both in my relationships and in business, in order to put me on His path for my life. As of this date, I have been in a godly marriage since 1982, and God has prospered the business that He gave to me.

What I am writing in this book is based upon my personal testimony since 1979, all of which is also confirmed and supported by the Bible and Biblical principles. I do not claim to be an expert in anything. I am not an expert in Biblical end time doctrine, nor have I attended seminary or Bible school. While I have studied end-times doctrine extensively, and even encountered the Lord in 1979 by reading a book about the Book of Revelation and end-times events, the more I know the Lord, the more I know that I do not know the details and timing of end time events.

I am like the blind man to whom Jesus restored his eyesight as recorded in John chapter 9. Onlookers challenged the man who had received his sight regarding how it happened and who was the person who healed him. He replied, “One thing I know; that though I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25 b). That’s me.

I used to be desperate in all areas of my life, in my relationships, in my finances, and in my purpose. I used to live in fear and guilt. I used to wonder how I would make enough money just to make it to old age, and then I did not know where I would go when I died. When I asked the question of where I would go when I died, Jesus not only came in like a mighty rushing river, with the answer. I did indeed receive an abundant peace from God’s Word that passed all understanding. He also supplied abundantly in all the other areas of my life. He continues to amaze me with more and more since 1979!

I believe that I inherited a blessing from my dad’s side of the family. Many of them had a real relationship with God. My grandfather Spiro Chkoreff was an immigrant from Macedonia who had been living in Detroit Michigan. He started a Greek church in Detroit that was Bible based, actually contradicting in many ways orthodox “religion” that so many were trapped in. He was bold for the truth of God. Spiro was an evangelist and church planter.

Spiro passed away in 1936 in a miraculous manner. His circulatory system was failing therefore his feet and hands would become cold. One day as he way laying in bed, his son, my Uncle Mike, was rubbing his feet to make them warm. Spiro looked up at him and said, “Son, you can stop now, Gabriel is here for me.” Spiro then gloriously passed into Heaven to be with Jesus.

Don’t miss the best!

One of the most tragic things I can imagine is to live your life, missing the best for it, and not even have any idea of what you have been missing. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah did not know what he was missing until his king, King Uzziah, died. That was a tragic event for Isaiah. However, the Bible says that Isaiah also saw the Lord (KJV version) in His Kingship at that time. Isaiah had been a religious Hebrew, even from a royal family, but when He saw the Lord as King, his life entered into a new dimension. He saw what he had been missing. See a short biography of Isaiah in the endnotes.

Chapter 4

What Is This World Coming To?

. Most intelligent people know and realize that this earth is not going to last forever, it will have an end. Even if you do not believe the Bible’s account of the end, you should know that our earth’s resources are almost exhausted. In spite of the fact that many organizations are on a mission to save the earth, in my opinion, that is impossible. There are just too many natural destructive forces in place that humans can no longer control.

I am in no way attempting to perpetrate fear on you, the reader. Jesus does not normally utilize fear to get His point across. The Bible says that His perfect love casts out fear. However, if you have been uninformed about what could possibly happen here on earth, it is possible that you may react in sort of a “wake up” way like I did in 1979. That was a healthy thing for me.

The Bible is clear about the earth finally coming to an end. Jesus spoke about it, and the first apostles and writers of the New Testament wrote about it under the inspiration of God.

2 Peter 3:10-13 says,

10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,

12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

Matthew 24:4-31 says,

4 “And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.

5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.

10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

15 Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),

16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.

18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.

19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.

21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.

24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

25 See, I have told you beforehand.

26 Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.

27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Notice Jesus said something interesting in verses 15 and 16.

15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),

16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”

While I do not claim to understand all of the future events of history, and I don’t think anybody does, there is something in verses 15 and 16 of Matthew 24 that is one of the foundational blocks of this book. I believe that Jesus was telling us that there would be a future season of time that we would be able to discern. That season would be a time for each of us to beware of. I believe that this world is quickly entering into an “end time new world order.”

Israel is the time clock.

The primary evidence, in my opinion, that we are in an end time season is the fact that Israel is again a nation. They became a nation in 1948 for the first time since Titus drove them out in 70 AD. The Old Testament is full of prophecies that Israel would again become a nation. To my knowledge, Israel is the only civilization that survived without a homeland in the history of the world. Certainly, they are the only people whose re-gathering into their homeland was so perfectly prophesied in Scripture. There is a set of prophecies that predict the exact date of their re-gathering. See endnotes [3]. I remember, as a child, watching the United Nations vote on Israel on TV. This is a real Wow! That could have only been done by God’s intervention in history!

The final attempt.

This new world order will be a final attempt by humans to make a heaven out of this earth without God. This world has seen wars, inhumane treatment of people, genocide and so many horrible atrocities for thousands of years. All one has to do is to make an honest appraisal of world history. There have been more brutal wars with inhumane killings than we can ever study or even imagine. Mankind has been brutal. I believe that such evil events have been more prevalent than the “good times.”

Many people in the Western world are oblivious to this, but many of those who live in Africa and other Third World nations have a first hand and personal knowledge of how absolutely savage others can be.

Yet the humanists still feel that they are able to control this world and bring order. It amazes me that good intelligent people who have access to thousands of years of history, could still hold any hope for the prosperity of this world in its’ present system. However, this new world order will have the look of something different than the “world’s system.” It will look to many like God has finally intervened.

Hitler claimed to be the one who could bring order. World rulers for centuries have claimed that they have the final solution to mankind’s woes, but they all have failed. Now, at the end, there will be a different kind of attempt, one that will baffle even the elect of God and deceive even some Spirit filled believers.

The abomination of desolations.

I do not claim to be an expert in end time prophecy nor do I totally understand all the timing of future events.

However, this I believe, that the abomination of desolations represents two things. First, it is a lifeless idol that will attempt to bring peace, security, and financial well being to individuals and the world. In both Biblical and rabbinical Hebrew, abomination is a familiar term for an idol.

In addition it is prophesied that the Antichrist, the future and final human leader of the “world system, will enter into the new Temple in Jerusalem and desecrate it, as it has been done in past history.

Location of the Temple.

As I was updating this book in October of 2014, a very important issue was made public regarding the location of Herod’s and Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. For centuries most everyone, including Muslims, Christians and Jews, have believed that the old Jewish Temples were located where the existing Muslim Dome of The Rock is located. For years many have felt that the Bible disagreed with this idea, but did not go public with it. Just this month in 2014 an author by the name of Robert Cornuke released a book titled Temple, that gives biblical and archeological evidence that the Dome of the Rock was not where Solomon’s Temple was located, but rather was in the City of David about a quarter of a mile away. [4]

While I have never been one who looked at headlines to predict the Coming of the Lord or how and when the End Times scenario would take place, I do believe that his discovery is significant in the timing of these events. The author has an interesting idea on the construction of new temples. It is a good read!

False Bible teachers.

During this end of time, false teachers who have a form of Christianity will lead many astray from the truth. We have seen this for many years, but now it is increasing exponentially.

After a short time of apparent peace and reconciliation on earth, the I believe that the wicked spirits that govern radical Islam will re-engage their horrible and destructive activities in an effort to control all the governments of this world. I believe that horrible events will take place on this earth that surpasses anything yet recorded in history.

This book will give you the answers on how to live the overcoming lifestyle during both the new world order and the horrible wars that will be after that. It is not about reforming our society; it is about bringing in the Kingdom of God to this earth.

In a later chapter you will read some detail about the history of the major empires of this world as viewed by Daniel in Daniel chapters 2 and 7. The last kingdom is both spiritual and physical. It is inferred in Scripture that this last kingdom will rise up with an effort at a new world order just before the end of time, and will for awhile seem to be the first glimmer of hope for peace and prosperity on this earth. But it will not last long, and it will be a deceitful attempt at world control by evil spiritual powers.

2 Peter 2:1-3 says,

1 “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.

3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.”

The solution is not in this world’s governments.

Isaiah saw the Lord as recorded in Isaiah chapter 6 when Uzziah died. Uzziah was one of the strongest government leaders in Israel’s history. Isaiah had to become desperate and to be convinced that a strong earthly government did not become his idol. Read Isaiah chapter 6:1-11. [5] This book will cover Isaiah’s experience in a later chapter.

Today so many people, including many modern Christians, are looking to our governments, both national and worldwide, to solve the problems of our age. While I believe in praying for our governments, we are not to look to them for our solutions in life. We are not to make an idol out of our governments. The best of governments belong to the world’s system.

Going back into all the past kingdoms of this world, (referred to in a future chapter), they all either attempted to provide some sort of security for their own people, or they were operated by an evil dictator that only cared about his own power. They have all failed. Even the wonderful United States of America has not been able to provide security in health care, financial matters, and even solid law and order for its people. One would think that people would finally see how the world system has failed, but interestingly, new movements and governments still try to fix the problems. New humanitarian efforts by well-intentioned people have failed.

No blurred distinctions.

Too many Christians get blurry eyes when they consider the Kingdom of God. Many believe that it is reserved for after we die. Some think it is for the “Millennium” as described in the Book of Revelation. However, some do believe that it is for the present time as well as for the future. Groups of people have, for thousands of years, attempted to create the Kingdom of God here on earth as an earthly and physical government. I believe that the Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom that we may bring to earth right now, at least in part. The Kingdom will not be complete on earth until the second coming of Jesus, in my opinion. Certainly, it is also for the time after we die and go to Heaven as well. However, many blur the Kingdom of God with the kingdoms of this world. They feel that just improving our national governments will bring God’s will and kingdom into this earth.

Satan is in control of all the kingdoms of this world.

Satan offered the kingdoms of this earth to Jesus when he tempted Jesus as told in Luke chapter 4. Satan and Jesus agreed upon this in Luke 4:5-8.[6] Jesus passively admitted that all the kingdoms of this world belonged to Satan at that time. Even the best governments, banks, financial systems, and, yes, even religions that are not based upon the truth of the Gospel, are under the control of Satan.

Revelation chapter 18 makes it clear, that taken together and named Mystery Babylon, all the kingdoms of this world will destroy themselves. Revelation chapter 11 also makes it clear that Jesus finally will rule in every area that the kingdoms of this world are now ruling. In my opinion, that will not be by improving them from their present state but by allowing them to destroy themselves as stated in Revelation 18:1-13.

Revelation 18:1-13 says,

1 “After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.

2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!

3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.’

4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.

5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

6 Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.

7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’

8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day – death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.

9 The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning,

10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’

11 And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:

12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;

13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men.’”

Therefore, we should not stand around and wait for our governments, our schools, our health care, or our finances to improve because our governments will improve. We need to repent, and turn to the Kingdom of God.

It is normally accepted that dictator and communist governments are often corrupt and offer no hope for their people. Why is this true? It is simply because the dictators and the leaders are corrupt. It is the same even in a democratic government. While I love the United States of America, and I would rather live here than anywhere else in the world, our government is still of the world’s system. I recognize that America is a very special government even in the history of the world; nevertheless, it is only as good as the people in control. Who is in control in a democracy? The voters. And you can be sure that the majority of the voters who rule most democracies in world history, including America, are corrupt, or at least, not godly. Having said that, America still has many public servant leaders and many godly voters.

Jesus told us to repent, which is to take a 180-degree turn, because the Kingdom of God is now at hand. He said to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all the things that non-believers sweat and work hard for will simply be added to us as fruit (Matthew 6:33). Not only will we see fruit in our lives for our character, our provisions, our ministry, but also our relationship with Jesus will be very real and tangible.

A sinking ship.

If you were on a ship, like the Titanic, that was sinking slowly but surely, what would be your reaction? Would you attempt to fix the ship so that it would not sink? Would you go down to the saloon, the bar, and just have some wine or whiskey with the other passengers and attempt to drown yourself in becoming drunk so that you could avoid reality? Or, would you attempt to gather as many passengers as possible and bring them into the life boat that you knew for sure would not only save your life but theirs as well?

That is our task. It is to rescue people from this world’s system and bring them into the Kingdom of God, now. When your kings die, rejoice for the Kingdom of God is near to you then. Also, keep your eyes open for those people whose “kings have died” and give them the good news of the Kingdom.

By the way, a side note about the Titanic. My father lived in Macedonia in the early 1900s at which time Muslims came into his city and overtook it. They made him a prisoner. He somehow escaped and made his way across Eastern and then Western Europe to London. He stowed away on a ship headed for America, however just before the ship left port they found my dad and put him off of the ship. The ship was the Titanic!

Has what you have been trusting in let you down? What is it that you have been trusting in? Ask yourself how reliable it is.

Chapter 5

The Invisible Kingdom of Satan

Satan’s spiritual exploits have too often been veiled not only from unbelievers, but also even from believers in Jesus, even Spirit-filled believers. My life has passed through some very difficult phases, and through them God has given me revelation on what I had been through not only from a spiritual point of view, but also He has revealed to me specific demonic forces that were at work. I certainly am not an expert, but I know what things He has revealed to me, and I want to share them with you.

You need to know the truth about this world in which you live!

The purpose of this chapter, and indeed of this book, is to bring the invisible spiritual realm, both good and evil, to the surface so that you may clearly see it. Most people, even many believers in Jesus, do not understand that we live in a “world” system that is governed by Satan.

The World system had its seed planted with Adam.

Adam was created by God to be a fruit bearer. He was to “eat” of the Tree of Life, which is the Word of God. He was told to only “use” but not eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which represents the human intelligence without God involved. Adam decided that he no longer needed to fellowship with God in order to hear Him speak the Word for all things, but that he could make some decisions on his own without hearing from God. That is sin. That is the essence of humanism. That is what caused the Holy Spirit to “move out” of Adam. After that he could no longer be a fruit bearer, but was told that he would then have to make life work through sweat and thorns.

We will study the two spiritual kingdoms, the World System, and the Kingdom of God. The Bible tells us Satan is the Prince of this world. He actually rules it even though he remains invisible.

Ephesians 2:1-2 says,

“1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

Surprise! Our real enemies are not people! They are the satanic forces behind the people.

The verse below from Ephesians makes it clear that there is a very organized host of demons and spiritual beings that have a clear plan on how to keep people away from truth and watch them spend eternity in Hell.

Ephesians 6:12, 13 says,

“12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

The Old Testament is loaded with evidence of the reality of Satan and his forces, and of their satanic activity.

Isaiah 14:12-17 says,

“12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!

13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’

15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.

16 “Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,

17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’”

1 Chronicles 21:1 says,

“1 Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.”

Job 1:6-9 says,

“6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.

7 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”

9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?”

Job 1:12 says,

“12 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.”

Job 2:1-4 says,

“1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

2 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.”

4 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.”

Job 2:6, 7 says,

“6 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”

7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”

Psalms 109:6 says,

“6 Set a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand.”

Zechariah 3:1, 2 says,

“1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.

2 And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?””

God set up the entire creation upon laws that if not kept would lead to death. When we break or do not keep His laws we suffer. But God knew this in advance. He gave us the Law so that we could be convicted of our sin; otherwise we would not look for His remedy, the blood.

The Jews could cover their sins through the blood of a perfect lamb, but their enemies could not. All the Jews had to do was to stay clear of idols, like Joshua and Caleb in the wilderness. They stayed close to the Tabernacle long after the others had left to go home. Joshua and Caleb are the only two who left Egypt and made it into the Promise Land. All the others died, and their children went in.

So it is with us. Our spiritual enemies, Satan and his demonic beings, cannot keep the law or protect themselves from breaking it. But we have the blood of Jesus that gave us the Holy Spirit to make us righteous. That gives us victory in our spiritual conflicts.

It was Satan that brought down Adam and Eve. He is the real enemy, and was the motivating force of the enemies of the Jews in the Old Testament. Jesus brought down Satan by ordaining that He would be crucified through Satan motivating the evil humans at that time. The crucifixion was against the law because Jesus was righteous. He was the perfect Lamb that had never sinned.

The Blood Covenant offered us by Jesus Christ has given us the way to escape this demonic world in which we live. Even though we do live in this world, we can and should intentionally change kingdoms and live as ambassadors here. We do not have to be totally governed by the World system, which is called Mystery Babylon. For sure we are called to obey the laws of our land, but our true resource and allegiance should be the Kingdom of God.

Chapter 6

Satan’s Kingdom Progresses

The Kingdom of the world

Satan runs this “world system.” He is the prince, or the commander of all the world’s systems that are visible, including but not limited to, the financial, political, social systems, and many religious systems.

Ephesians 2:2 says,

“ 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.”

History shows that all the past kings and kingdoms of this world have been defeated, displaced, and have died. The present kingdoms of this world that are dominated by Satan are in the process of dying. Actually, in future history, from God’s prophetic viewpoint, they are already dead. All the world’s kingdoms fell due to pride. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

Daniel’s dream.

Beginning at Daniel 7:1 through 7:8, Daniel saw in his dream, in the form of various beasts, the historic and spiritual kingdoms which had ruled the earth. First, he saw the Babylonian Empire as the lion, which was toppled by the Media-Persian Empire represented as the bear. Then, he saw the Grecian Empire, Alexander the Great, represented by a leopard that toppled the Media-Persian Empire. They were all actual historic empires; however, they also had invisible spiritual foundations. Each of these kingdoms ultimately failed. They were all part of the “world system.” The kingdoms that toppled were simply physical manifestations of the spiritual forces behind them. Therefore, in my opinion, all four spiritual kingdoms exist today as one beast.

Many, but not all, of physical manifestations of all these kingdoms are gone, but their spiritual manifestations still exist. However, they are subordinate to the Kingdom of God.

Babylonian Empire:

Gold = Lion

Media-Persian Empire:

Silver = Bear

Grecian Empire:

Bronze = Leopard

Roman Empire:

Ten Horns, Iron legs and feet mixed with clay.

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.

Daniel had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about these kingdoms in chapter 2.  It was interesting that Nebuchadnezzar did not even remember his dream.  He asked his magicians and astrologers to first tell him what he had dreamed, and then to interpret it.  They could not, but Daniel did both. He told him what he had dreamed and gave him the interpretation of it.

The first three kingdoms were represented by gold, then silver, and then bronze, wherein he described this fourth kingdom as having feet and toes made of both clay and iron, being partly strong and partly brittle. It had iron teeth and devoured ruthlessly.  This fourth kingdom was represented by ten horns (ten standing for world government). He saw this kingdom as being divided.  Remember, Jesus said that a kingdom divided couldn’t stand.

This final kingdom is very different and “interesting.”

The fourth kingdom started with the Roman Empire, which dominated the world and continues today, as a component of the entire beast, under different labels and guises. However, the spiritual foundations of all the kingdoms still exist, but they were rendered subordinate to the Kingdom of God at the Cross and resurrection of Jesus. That is why its feet are depicted as both iron and clay. Its natural manifestation was and is like iron, but the truth about its spiritual foundation is that it is as clay. Daniel said that all the spiritual components of these gold, silver, bronze and iron kingdoms would be destroyed by the Kingdom of God.

The spiritual combining of these four past kingdoms of the earth is shown in Revelation 13:1-2, which says, “Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority”.

In Daniel chapter 7 this fourth and final kingdom is destroyed through a process that can be interpreted as overcoming by God’s people. In Daniel chapter 2, Satan’s kingdom, which is represented by all four of the previous kingdoms combined spiritually, is shown to be divided or weakened by clay mixed with iron at their feet. It is destroyed by God’s Kingdom, this time depicted as the Rock or the Stone that was cut out of the mountain, not made with human hands. It was divine; it is Jesus the Rock.

Here is how the destruction of these kingdoms is described in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel chapter 2.

Daniel 2:31-36, 44-45 says,

31 “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome.

32 “This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,

33 “its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.

34 “You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.

35 “Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

The stone in verse 35 is Jesus in us.

36 “This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king.”

44 “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold – the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.””

Here is a description of the destruction of these kingdoms from Daniel’s dream in chapter 7.

Daniel 7:1-7, 19-27 says,

1 “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts.

2 Daniel spoke, saying, ‘I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.

3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.

4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.

5 And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’

6 After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.

7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.’”

19 “Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet;

20 and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.

21 I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them,

22 until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.

23 Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces.

24 The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings.

25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.

26 But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever.

27 Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’”

The verses above show how our “courtroom” experiences bring in the Kingdom God. When Satan and the world system attack us, it is “illegal” just like it was illegal to crucify Jesus. When we overcome our attacks then the Kingdom of God is increased through the courtroom experience, just as it was when Jesus was attacked and crucified.

God ordained that these empires destroy one another.

Each time, each empire became weaker - each one being destroyed by another evil empire. The final kingdom was historical Rome. However, there is a transition here. The spiritual power holding up the final kingdom is destroyed by God’s Kingdom. Jesus came during the Roman Empire. His Kingdom was established during it. Jesus destroyed Satan’s kingdom, but we must take His victory and make it real in this world. We are responsible for working with Him for the final destruction.

Scripture confirms this in Daniel 2:44 which says, “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”

Although these historic kingdoms were manifested in the flesh, their ultimate authority came from various demonic forces. As these demonic forces ruled the humans of their day, the humans took on their personalities. That included a lack of unity. Demonic forces, in my opinion, have never been unified. Jesus spoke about the lack of unity in Satan’s kingdom in Luke 11.

Luke 11:17 says,

17 “But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.’”

When we were in Rome recently, we learned that the physical Roman Empire was indeed divided. Notice that in the dreams this empire had two legs.

The Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western parts; first, by emperor Diocletian in 283 A.D. and then, this division became permanent at the death of emperor Theodosius in 395 A.D. The two became separate empires, the western generally governed from Rome, and the eastern governed from Constantinople, often called the Byzantine Empire.

I was told that it spread so far and wide that two divisions actually had seven leaders in various regions of the world. These seven leaders became hungry for power and began to assert their own autonomy. That, I was told, was the beginning of the end for them.

In Daniel chapter 2, Satan’s kingdom is shown as destroyed by the Kingdom of God. In Daniel chapter 7, the Scripture goes into more detail about how that destruction takes place. What is so interesting is just as God describes all of these empires in Daniel 7:1-8, in verse 9 He showed Daniel a courtroom. Why? I believe this is how the final kingdom is finally destroyed. I do not propose to know exactly how and when this final destruction will take place. I cannot explain exactly “how much” of the kingdom of the world our overcoming, before Jesus returns, will destroy. That is not the important point of this book. I do know however that our overcoming destroys those parts of the worldly kingdom that are in our realm of influence. Even Scripture confirms this idea.

Daniel 7:26 (Amplified Bible) says,

26 “But the judgment shall be set [by the court of the Most High], and they shall take away his dominion to consume it [gradually] and to destroy it [suddenly] in the end.”

Matthew 16:15-18 says,

“15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

We are involved with the “Rock” that destroys the final satanic kingdom.

This is applicable in our lives as well.  In Matthew chapter 16 when Peter received divine revelation on who Jesus was, that Jesus told him that this type of revelation is the foundation of the Church, which has access to the keys to the Kingdom of God.  When we receive divine revelation and speak it out, it works as a Rock that destroys this final spiritual kingdom.  Jesus the Word is the Rock.  For those of you who may not be familiar with this idea of God speaking directly to a mere human, I will go into more detail in a later chapter.

There is something different about this fourth kingdom of the world.

The Bible tells us that the final kingdom of the world will be different. There will be a world leader or a group of leaders, who will seem to succeed in bringing peace, financial security and healthcare to the entire world. I believe that the banking systems of the world will combine and be in control of the world economy. I believe that this was actually put into action in its infancy in the early 1900s in America with the Federal Reserve System. Most people believe that the Federal Reserve is a government system, but it is not, neither does it have any significant reserves. It is a large banking organization owned and operated by an elite group of financial people undercover. I speculate that this system will eventually bring a socialist form of economics to the United States, the most powerful economic system in the world (presently, anyway) and will spread that to a worldwide control of the economy. With economic control, other powers and goals will be easier to achieve.

The new world order will have a form of peace and prosperity before its destruction.

However, the Lord will break up their “party.” God will cause wars to come against Israel by their enemies in order to fill to the full the wrath that God’s enemies are due. Read Ezekiel 37-38 to see how God will ambush Israel’s enemies.

Notice in the few Scriptures below how God uses ambush to defeat the enemies of Israel. This is a process of the coming of the “end.” As I update this in 2016 it seems as this event is being prepared.

God also uses “ambush” in our lives as the Rock that crushes clay feet.

Ezekiel 38:1-4 (NLT)

A Message for Gog

1 This is another message that came to me from the Lord:

2 “Son of man, turn and face Gog of the land of Magog, (a land north of Israel from which the King of Gog will come) to attack Israel) the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him.

3 Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: Gog, I am your enemy!

4 I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws to lead you out with your whole army—your horses and charioteers in full armor and a great horde armed with shields and swords.”

Ezekiel 39:1-7 (NLT)

The Slaughter of Gog’s Hordes

1 “Son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am your enemy, O Gog, ruler of the nations of Meshech and Tubal.

2 I will turn you around and drive you toward the mountains of Israel, bringing you from the distant north.

3 I will knock the bow from your left hand and the arrows from your right hand, and I will leave you helpless.

4 You and your army and your allies will all die on the mountains. I will feed you to the vultures and wild animals.

5 You will fall in the open fields, for I have spoken, says the Sovereign Lord.

6 And I will rain down fire on Magog and on all your allies who live safely on the coasts. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

7 “In this way, I will make known my holy name among my people of Israel. I will not let anyone bring shame on it. And the nations, too, will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.”

Now be prepared for the ambush of the enemy through your trials!

Chapter 7

The History of the Kingdom of God

The previous chapter of this book had to do with the history of Satan’s world system of government and religion. A study of history is important because it tends to reveal the root of an institution or spiritual force. This chapter is going to give the history of the Kingdom of God. I believe, as you will see in the chapter, that the House of David as described in the Old Testament eventually was renamed and became the Kingdom of God.

One of Jesus’ missions was to re-establish His reign on earth through man, which was temporarily compromised when Adam sinned.

Psalm 8:4-6 says,

4 “What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?

5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels [elohiym God], And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.”

The establishment of the Kingdom of God here on earth that Jesus spoke about so often was not only extremely important to Him, but it is also very important to us. God’s original idea was to create an earth, put man in charge of it, but at the same time rule that earth through man for His purposes. When we thought that we could operate our own lives without being in intimate contact with God, God’s authority over the earth, through man, was temporarily compromised. It is only with the re-establishing of His Kingdom that His rule is restored, and that happens through you and me.

We need to know that there are two purposes for operating in the Kingdom of God while still on this earth, in this lifetime.

1. To allow God’s rule and purposes to return to this earth, which will permit His Kingdom to expand. This includes helping the poor and oppressed, and paying more attention to them than to our own needs.

2. God will supply our needs in this life on earth.

The Lord spoke to me years ago when it looked like my business was about to fail completely. I had tried everything in my power to work it out, but at that time it looked like my family would just have to go without the normal provisions we needed to eat and live. I said to the Lord, “Okay, take it, take it all. I will just pitch a tent under the nearest tree and move my family in there. We can eat the grass.”

The Lord spoke and said, “Larry, you are working for Me, you are My employee. I take care of My employees. I need you.” I said, “You need me?” Of course I took great caution on what “need you” really meant. It was more like, “I want to use you.” The recovery took a long time and was gradual and painful. He restored our business, which gave us funds for ministry and for our living expenses. However, it was clear to me that God was not just prospering me because He loved me. He loves everybody. He chose to prosper me because I had agreed to be used to bring His Kingdom to earth. Are you one of God’s employees, or are you “self-employed”?

Remember, the Lord’s Prayer linked bringing His Kingdom here with our daily bread.

Matthew 6:10-11 says,

10 “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.”

The primary and original purpose of the House of David was to execute judgment (mercy and help) for the poor and oppressed of Israel.

I believe that the beginning of the revival of God’s reign on earth through the Kingdom of God was instituted with King David. I believe that when the House of David is referred to in the Old Testament, that it is a foreshadow of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, I would like to dig into its history as a history of the beginnings of the Kingdom of God and how it developed over the centuries.

The promise to David.

2 Samuel 7:1-17 says,

1 “Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around,

2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.’

3 Then Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.’

4 But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying,

5 ‘Go and tell My servant David, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Would you build a house for Me to dwell in?

6 For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle.

7 Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?”’”

8 Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel.

9 And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth.

10 Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously,

11 since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the LORD tells you that He will make you a house.

12 When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.

13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.

15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.”’”

17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.”

The Lord spoke very clearly to David and about David’s kingship, stating that it would last forever. God had in mind that Messiah Jesus would sit on the throne through this promise. This was even more than a promise; it was a covenant with David. Thus, the House of David was a foreshadow of the Kingdom of God. Since this is a house that God is to dwell in then we need to know that God’s heart is toward the poor and oppressed.

Psalm 89:35-37 says,

35 “Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David:

36 His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me;

37 It shall be established forever like the moon, even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah”

2 Chronicles 21:7 says,

7 “Yet the LORD would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.”

Since David’s immediate descendants did not keep the original purpose of the House of David, God removed the anointing from them, as stated in the following Scriptures. However He also promised a future revival of the House of David.

God began to speak, through the prophet Isaiah, Jeremiah and Amos, about reviving the House of David.

Jeremiah 22:1-9 says,

1 “Thus says the LORD: ‘Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word,

2 and say, “Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates!”

3 Thus says the LORD: ‘Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.

4 For if you indeed do this thing, then shall enter the gates of this house, riding on horses and in chariots, accompanied by servants and people, kings who sit on the throne of David.’

5 “But if you will not hear these words, I swear by Myself,” says the LORD, “that this house shall become a desolation.”

A real warning!

6 For thus says the LORD to the house of the king of Judah: “You are Gilead to Me, the head of Lebanon; yet I surely will make you a wilderness, Cities which are not inhabited.

7 I will prepare destroyers against you, everyone with his weapons; they shall cut down your choice cedars and cast them into the fire.

8 And many nations will pass by this city; and everyone will say to his neighbor, ‘Why has the LORD done so to this great city?’

9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.’””

Isaiah 22:20-25 (New Living Translation) says,

20 “And then I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah to replace you –(Shebna – the secretary of King Hezekiah).

21 I will dress him in your royal robes and will give him your title and your authority. And he will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah.

22 I will give him the key to the house of David —the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them.

Notice how this Scripture matches Revelation 3:17 which says,

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.’”

This idea of the key to the house of David is important to understand. In Isaiah 22 it talks about giving Eliakim the key to enter King David’s house. In Revelation 3:7 it refers to giving the key to enter King Jesus’ house, or the Kingdom of God.

Bear in mind that there were seven “churches” mentioned in this part of the book of Revelation. I believe that also refers to the seven different types of believers. The key to Jesus’ house, or to the Kingdom of God, is offered to the type of believer mentioned in the church of Philadelphia. They were different than the other types of believers.

Peter’s experience with Jesus was a great example of the key for us to enter the Kingdom of God, as did the Philadelphia believers.

Matthew 16:15-19,

“15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.””

Notice Jesus gave Simon son of Jonah a new name, Peter, which means rock. Peter had a divine God given revelation of who Jesus was in verse 16. This divine revelation was the key for Peter to access the Kingdom of God even prior to Jesus’ death and resurrection. It was also a prophetic word for us. As Jesus reveals Himself to us and we acknowledge who He is, we also gain access into the Kingdom of God.

Verses 18-19 shows the authority that we have gained to overcome satanic influences of all types, to build His church, and to pray His Kingdom to earth.

The prophet Amos spoke about the days when the House of David would be rebuilt.

God spoke through the prophet Amos to expand the purpose of the House of David to include the Gentiles. He spoke that the House of David would eventually reach to the poor and oppressed Gentiles, or the nations. He also expanded the purpose to include the dispersed Jews by bringing them back to Israel and giving them businesses and farms. Amos was speaking about the days we are in now, the days just before the second coming of Jesus.

Amos 9:11-15 says,

11 “On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old;

12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” says the LORD who does this thing.

13 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.

14 I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.

15 I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,” says the LORD your God.”

If a plowman overtakes the reaper, and the treader of grapes overtakes him who sows the seed, then something supernatural must be going on!

That just does not happen in the natural. Moreover, this type of increase cannot be measured by addition, nor multiplication, but only by exponential math.

We have seen the reality of this in our lives, much to our amazement. It had little to do with our abilities, and everything to do with God’s power coupled with our submission to His plan.

Do you live by the House of David standards– later to be transitioned into the Kingdom of God (also the Church of Philadelphia)?

There is a valuable personal application here for all of us. Are you going to live like people in the world by always focusing on your own needs? Or are you going to live according to God’s heart, which is to help the poor and oppressed?

When you live putting God’s ways first, He will take care of your needs. Jesus said of the Pharisees that they coveted money and material things, but neglected the poor, and even persecuted them. Even if you are in a desperate financial situation, you can still live God’s way. Find someone that needs some help and give whatever you can. If your church needs cleaning, clean it. If your neighbor is hungry, share what little you have. Each and every time my wife and I have met a financial challenge, the first thing we did was to look for some way to give something! It has always paid off.

The Gentiles come in.

In Acts 15, at the Jerusalem Council, James prophetically announced that the Amos prophecy was being fulfilled because he was watching the Holy Spirit fall upon the Gentiles.

Acts 15:12-18 says,

12 “Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.

13 And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me:

14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.

15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:

16 ‘After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up;

17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the LORD who does all these things.”

18 Known to God from eternity are all His works.”

The Jews have not been replaced!

The oppressed Gentiles coming in through the anointing of the House of David did not exclude nor replace the Jews. The oppressed Jews are still candidates for the House of, the Key of David.

The House and the Key of David is also for those Jews who are poor and oppressed who are returning to Israel in the last days.

It is also for Jews everywhere who are “spiritually poor.” God knows the hearts of the Jew who has not believed in Jesus, but have a love for the God they know. He respects that kind of heart and will reveal ultimate truth to them. I have witnessed this more than one time.

God spoke to Zechariah about Jesus coming to remove sin.

Zechariah 13:1 says,

1 “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.”

How does this apply to you and me?

The House of David has matured into the Kingdom of God in our time.

The Lord took me by surprise when He revealed this to me. I had not intended to study about the House of David, and really did not ever give much thought to it. He began speaking to me through Revelation chapter 3 regarding the Church in Philadelphia. My understanding about the seven churches in the Book of Revelation has always been that they represent the seven types of believers. Obviously both the Church at Smyrna and the Church at Philadelphia are without rebuke from the Lord. I have not, at least not yet, identified with the Church at Smyrna as that depicts today’s martyrs. I have always identified with the Church at Philadelphia, believers who are at least attempting to walk in the Spirit and stay close to the Lord. However, I had never known what the Key of David represented until the Lord just all of a sudden revealed it to me.

The Key of David is for the House of David. This key opens the door for the anointing to make us God’s “employees.”

Revelation 3:7-13 says,

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens:

8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie – indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.

10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.”

13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’”

I believe that the “name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem” that God will write on you is the Kingdom of God.

Jesus has the Key of David, which opens a door that no one can shut. Since Jesus lives within us, we also have that same anointing, that same key, provided of course that we overcome the sufferings and tribulations that Satan would put on us to forget about and abandon the Key.

Supernatural increase.

Matthew 6:33 says,

33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

What things? Jesus had just mentioned that the Gentiles, the people who have no blood covenant with God, have to spend their lives seeking things, much like the wild animals do. However, as a blood covenant child of God we are called to a higher life. Jesus will pay us for seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness. His righteousness includes two things: first, His imparted righteousness to us, and second, our righteous lifestyle, defined as “walking in the Spirit.” Our lifestyle may not be perfect, but as we walk in the Spirit, we repent our way through life.

Those who are cooperating with God to bring His will to earth, or in other words, as I mentioned earlier in this chapter, those who are “employed by God,” can expect supernatural increase. I am not referring only to those who work full time as church employees. The potential for being a God’s employee applies to all believers, from young people, to mothers, to widows, and to corporate executives.

Finally, notice how one of David’s last prayers, his prayer for his son Solomon, reflects God’s plan for the Kingdom of God.

Psalm 72 (Amplified Bible) says,

“[A Psalm] for Solomon.

1 GIVE THE king [knowledge of] Your [way of] judging, O God, and [the spirit of] Your righteousness to the king’s son [to control all his actions].

2 Let him judge and govern Your people with righteousness, and Your poor and afflicted ones with judgment and justice.

3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the hills, through [the general establishment of] righteousness.

4 May he judge and defend the poor of the people, deliver the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor,

5 So that they may revere and fear You while the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

6 May he [Solomon as a type of King David’s greater Son] be like rain that comes down upon the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.

7 In His [Christ’s] days shall the [uncompromisingly] righteous flourish and peace abound till there is a moon no longer.

8 He [Christ] shall have dominion also from sea to sea and from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth.

9 Those who dwell in the wilderness shall bow before Him and His enemies shall lick the dust.

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the coasts shall bring offerings; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him, all nations shall serve Him.

12 For He delivers the needy when he calls out, the poor also and him who has no helper.

13 He will have pity on the poor and weak and needy and will save the lives of the needy.

14 He will redeem their lives from oppression and fraud and violence, and precious and costly shall their blood be in His sight.

15 And He shall live; and to Him shall be given gold of Sheba; prayer also shall be made for Him and through Him continually, and they shall bless and praise Him all the day long.

16 There shall be abundance of grain in the soil upon the top of the mountains [the least fruitful places in the land]; the fruit of it shall wave like [the forests of] Lebanon, and [the inhabitants of] the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

17 His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun [indeed, His name continues before the sun]. And men shall be blessed and bless themselves by Him; all nations shall call Him blessed!

18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who alone does wondrous things!

19 Blessed be His glorious name forever; let the whole earth be filled with His glory! Amen and Amen!

20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.

Chapter 8

A Blood Covenant With The Eternal King

Blood covenants between God and man began with Abram, later renamed Abraham.

He was the very first Jew, the very first person who was to receive the fantastic free gift of a blood covenant with deity, with God Himself, the Creator. Later God offered this free gift to Gentiles, that they would be grafted into the real branch, Israel. I do not consider myself to be a Gentile any longer because I have accepted the Blood Covenant with God.

Abraham’s blood covenant with God is more important than most people can imagine.

If your king has died, then you need a blood covenant with the real King!

Genesis 15:1, Amplified Bible says,

“AFTER THESE things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your Shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great”[7]

One may wonder why God may have begun this conversation with “Do not be afraid.” Abram had just refused a great material reward from the King of Sodom, and had just confirmed the blood covenant with a ceremony with Melchizedek. God says “fear not” many times in Scripture. He knows that we have these opportunities to doubt, and that doubt can bring fear. Abram refused the earthly king’s reward, but was promised a reward from the King of Kings.

This is a wonderful lesson about the character of God for our lives. When we forsake and cease to depend upon our worldly strengths, (the strength of our flesh, our old un-regenerated nature, our inherent dishonesty, human manipulation) and rely entirely on God, through His Word which represents the blood covenant, then God says to us like He said the Abram, “Fear not, I am your Shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great.” In other words, “You have depended upon the exchange in the blood and not on the King of Sodom, therefore, I am free to really bless you. I AM your King!”

In Genesis chapter 14, there was the passing of the blood covenant elements between Melchizedek and Abram and then Abram tithed to Melchizedek. I believe that the tithe that Abram paid to Melchizedek was more significant than many of us, including myself, can imagine. From the standpoint of the recipient the tithe is to enable him to bless others. From the standpoint of the giver, the tithe cleanses the rest of what he/she owns and receives from the corruption of the world and Satan.

I can only guess what prompted Abram to pay tithes. Perhaps Melchizedek instructed him. Perhaps this was something that Abram intuitively knew, or maybe it was a custom in his idol worship.

However, I can surmise this much that Abram was so completely taken aback with the radical implications of this blood covenant with deity that he would have given or done anything. As it ends up, he did just that in Genesis chapter 22.

Abram had some questions about God’s promise to bless him and reminded God about his most serious infirmity, being without child.

Genesis 15:2-6 says,

2 “But Abram said, ‘Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’

3 Then Abram said, ‘Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!’

4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.’

5 Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’

6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”

The apostle Paul used this over and over as his main doctrinal reference for our righteousness, and especially in Romans chapter 4.

Romans 4:16 says,

16 “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”

Believing in the finished work of the Cross is what made us righteous, keeps us righteous and what, by grace, transforms our lives to the righteous holiness of God.

Abram was not afraid to ask questions.

Genesis 15:7-11 says,

7 “Then He said to him, ‘I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.’

8 And he said, ‘Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?’

9 So He said to him, ‘Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.’

10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.

11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.”

The blood covenant ditch was prepared.

The animal carcasses were cut in halves and set on each side of the ditch to bleed into it. Blood would flow into the ditch and both covenant parties would wade through the blood.

The Lord did not directly answer his question, but went directly to demonstrate His answer through the blood covenant. It should be the same with us. Often we want God to do this thing or that thing, and we need to go back to see what He has already done through the blood covenant. To see what is already ours, we need to pray Ephesians 1:16-20, that the eyes of our hearts may see revelation knowledge, the very personal rhema of God speaking to us. The three parts of this Ephesians Scripture that God suggests that He wants us to see are:

1. His purpose for our calling and for our lives.

2. His inheritance to equip us for living out that calling.

3. His power to bring about both of the above; the power of the resurrection!

I believe that God wanted Abram to see the finished work of the Cross, just as He wants us to see and believe.

John 8:56-59 says,

“56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”

When we see the finished work, then we can concentrate on our calling. We are called to abide in the Vine as in John chapter 15, or in other words, to be in strong real-time communion and fellowship with Jesus. John 15 goes on to say that when we keep that relationship right, then fruit happens in our lives. First, fruit for our character. Then, fruit for our provisions, and finally fruit to extend the Kingdom. We are not to be task oriented, but rather we need to be relationship oriented. We turn things upside down so many times and concentrate on doing this or that for God, and often we forsake the relationships that are so important in our lives, including the main one, with God Himself.

When your relationships are right, God’s fruit will animate your tasks! I cannot help but to comment here: the primary issue for relationships with others and with God is truth! Too many people try to maintain relationships without honesty; it will not work! Also, God will not tolerate it! His name is Truth! You will be unable to really see God and receive His revelation knowledge without absolute truth!

God speaks in the dark, in the ditch.

Genesis 15:12-17 says,

12 “Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him.

13 Then He said to Abram: ‘Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.

14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.

16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.’

17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces.”

The following is what most likely happened in those days in the blood covenant ditch.

Each party would walk the ditch towards the other, each proclaiming the blessings if the covenant conditions were kept and the curses if the conditions were not kept. As they reached each other they would often even press an open wound to the other person’s open wound, often in their wrists. They would exchange coats, weapons and pledges. Sometimes they would exchange rings and signets. They would exchange weaknesses and strengths and they would become more closely related than their “milk” brothers.

Why did God put Abram to sleep?

If Abram had walked through this blood covenant ditch to exchange his curses for God’s blessings, it would not have worked. Why? It was because Abram was unable to keep his end of the bargain. He would have failed in the promise, or at least his children would have failed, and for sure, you and I, as his spiritual children have failed.

How did God deal with this? How did God, in His mercy and passion to bless Abram and you and me, pull this off?

I submit that the two persons who walked the blood covenant ditch were the Holy Spirit, representing the Father, and Jesus, representing Abram and you and me! Notice, the two people were a “smoking oven and a burning torch.” Abram saw this entire ceremony while in a deep sleep; he had little to do with it.

Upon looking up the Hebrew implications of the words “smoking oven” and “burning torch” they seems to indicate the fire of God’s wrath. We know that God’s entire wrath was put upon Jesus at the Cross in order to allow God to offer us His blessing. That is what happened in a pre-figure (a shadow of the future work of Jesus) in that bloody trench.

I don’t think that it is a stretch to say that God appeared unto Abram as recorded in Genesis chapters 12-15 as the incarnated Jesus, the crucified and resurrected One. Many Scriptures tell us that God never changes.

James 1:17 says,

17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

We also know that Jesus was crucified before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). In John 8:56 Jesus said that Abraham saw His incarnation.

Paraphrasing the unsaid message may be like this: “Okay son, I want to bless you with children so that I may have my purpose done on this earth, which is to purchase mankind back from Satan. It is going to take the life of My Son to accomplish this because He is the only perfect One with whom I can make covenant. If you were to walk this ditch, you would fail, you would be without child and My Messiah could not come to redeem you and your descendants. But if My Son, Jesus, were to walk this ditch on your behalf, then when you and your descendants do indeed fail, My Son will die on their behalf.” Now that is Good News!

How could God die on behalf of Abraham’s descendants? God would have to become God-incarnate!

John 1:1-4, 14 says,

1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Abram’s main activities for this blood covenant ceremony were:

1. Obeying God to cut and prepare the animals.

2. To keep the vultures away from the covenant promise (spiritual warfare). After that he fell asleep.

3. To believe the unbelievable, the promise. To believe that God was offering to exchange His very life, the life of His Son, for Abram’s life of being childless. Romans chapter 4 states that Abraham believed beyond human hope, believed that God, who calls those things that be not as though they were, could perform that which He promised. Also, in the exchange was the promise that Abram’s descendants would receive the Holy Spirit, the very personhood of God in their spirit.

God speaks His covenant purposes and promises.

Genesis 15:18-21 says,

18 “On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates –

19 the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites,

20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,

21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.’”

What was the significance of this blood covenant ceremony?

What did Abram see?  What was its real meaning?

Walking the blood trench. The Man (Jesus) in the ditch was Abraham's seed but was also Deity. What must have Abraham thought? In the blood covenant exchange Abram received forgiveness, i.e., the cutting away of his very sin nature, his very character, his very personhood. This extends far beyond merely the removal of sin, as we often characterize it. For instance, we can be very grateful that when we fail in our lives, when we perform in a way that is not like the character of God, that God forgives us, or removes that particular transgression. However deeper forgiveness is experienced in the fact that not only are our “sins” forgiven, but our “sin nature” is removed, that being our very old carnal flesh nature. It is removed, or “forgiven,” going into Jesus and we receive His nature in exchange.

When we receive revelation on this, then we experience our true identity.

When we experience our true identity, then our lives will line up, little by little, with God’s holiness. When this occurs, then we can resist the devil and accomplish spiritual warfare for our families, the world and ourselves. We need all three: Sit, Walk, and Stand. Ephesians 2:6, 4:1, and 6:11.

Experiencing our new identity has far reaching effects. Our sin is no longer ours it is His. Our cancer and other infirmities are no longer ours they are His. Our failures are no longer ours they are His.

What was the real, the true bottom line, promise to Abram?

Galatians 3:13-14 says that God promised the Holy Spirit to Abraham’s descendants. What does this mean? I submit that the Holy Spirit is the very person of God and God promised that He Himself, through the Holy Spirit, would be Abram's inheritance via this blood covenant. The other side of this coin is that God’s inheritance would be the very spirit of Abram and Abram's descendants, which is a spirit separated from God. This is what happened to Jesus on the Cross. He was separated from God the Father and the Holy Spirit so that you and I could inherit the very personhood of God Himself.

Galatians 3:14 (Amplified Bible) says,

14 “To the end that through [their receiving] Christ Jesus, the blessing [promised] to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might [all] receive [the realization of] the promise of the [Holy] Spirit.”

The true promise to Abram, and to you and me, was the Holy Spirit.  To put it in other terms, it was to receive the very nature and character and personhood of God into the human race, at least to Abram’s descendants (those who believe and have the faith of Abram).

This is The Great Exchange of Identity!

This is the very bottom line of the blood covenant exchange, His Spirit for our spirit. It was not even a restoration of what Adam had lost, for Adam had forsaken the Spirit of God prior to the resurrection of Jesus. Now we receive the Holy Spirit after the resurrection, and the very personhood of the resurrected Jesus, over Whom death and Satan has no more dominion or power! Praise His name forever!

Our inheritance is not simply the blessings that come from God (healing, removal of shame and guilt, removal of the curses that came with our old nature). Our inheritance is far beyond, no matter how exhaustive one makes the list of blessings. Our inheritance is Christ Himself, through the Holy Spirit.

To Moses He said, “I AM.” To Abram He said, “I AM in the ditch with you right now. I am swearing to receive your curse and give you My resurrected blessing.” To you and me He is saying the same thing! “I AM in the ditch with you, receiving your infirmity, your curse and giving you My blessing.”

God cannot lie, nor does He change.

Hebrews 6:17 says,

17 “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath.”

You may ask: “If this is so complete, if this blood covenant is so inclusive, if it was to Abraham's seed, and if his seed is Christ and if I have Christ, then why is this not working for me?”

I am glad you asked. You may be thinking that this whole thing is too good to be true, or perhaps you think that you are not worthy enough to experience this great exchange. Maybe you have heard about this and you think it is for others, or maybe you have heard this and think that it is too radical and that those who expound it are just faith freaks. Maybe you have never heard of it. It is called the Gospel, the Good News!

The fallen human nature, the flesh, depends upon circumstances for truth. Even believes in Jesus get caught up in the idea that circumstances must prove that God’s Word either is not true, or it does not work for me. The blood covenant is intended to change your thinking from circumstantial to the absolute reality that you have a binding covenant with God. Even the Law had to be sprinkled with blood.

Listen!

1. The blood covenant on your behalf is complete, there is nothing left out, there is nothing that has yet to be accomplished.

2. Notice, however, that even with the promise to Abram in Genesis chapter 15, that God told him that there would be a time of apparent failure. He told him that the Hebrew nation would go into Egyptian bondage for 400 years and then would come out.

3. God works His works on the basis of death and resurrection. One cannot receive the blessing of resurrection without the pain of death. In Genesis chapter 17 God ordered Abram to confirm the covenant by physical circumcision.

Genesis 17:9-21 says,

“9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

10 “This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;

11 “and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

The New Testament tells us that Jesus completed our heart circumcision. Now we have to accept that and live in it’s truth.

Colossians 2:11-15 says,

11 “In Him you were [past tense] also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

4. In the experience of “death” during your walk with Jesus you will also notice that you have an antagonist, an enemy to your inheritance: Satan and his team of fallen angels and demons. Abram was called to chase away the vultures from the blood covenant ceremony, that being a type of our standing against the devils that are attempting to block our inheritance.

5. You must experientially inherit the blood covenant through the Word of God planted in your heart as in Mark chapter 4. John 6:63 confirms this idea. Also notice in Mark chapter 4 in the parable about the Word of God, that Jesus emphasizes that seeds do not grow overnight. He stated in verse 4:23-24 that we have the responsibility of hearing and taking responsibility for what we hear; i.e., obeying what we hear and keeping it as a seed in our heart. Notice in Mark 4:26-32 that Jesus warns that the seed starts out very small, and then takes time to grow into the fruit intended.

6. Jesus warned in Mark 4:14-20 that Satan would use all his resources to steal the seed of the Word. Going through the process of spiritual warfare and of continual death and resurrection is called “overcoming.” This is our calling here on earth.

While on the Isle of Patmos, John spoke one common theme to each post-resurrection church as recorded in the Book of Revelation. He ended each of his letters with an exhortation that they become overcomers. It is God calling to all of us saying, “Will anybody sign up for this Overcoming Ministry I have? It pays well, good fringe benefits, life insurance, a promise for eternity, but in the meantime you may not be too comfortable. You see, I have gained the victory over your enemies as I promised Abraham, but now you, My Body, must exercise that victory over the circumstances and enemies in your realm of influence. But fear not!”

A major part of our spiritual warfare responsibility lies in the proclamation of God’s Word to the spiritual enemy.

The Good News is radical!

It is a complete exchange of your personhood for the Holy Spirit, or His personhood. It is the Great Identity Exchange! However, not all people experience the radical exchange. Some don't believe, some are lazy, and others give up while Satan is stealing the seed of the Word that Jesus plants into their hearts.

Chapter 9

Israel’s Blood Covenant with The King

The new covenant for Israel actually matches the blood covenant that God made with Abram in Genesis as described in the previous chapter. It is a covenant of grace where God actually exchanges our old un-regenerated nature for His nature via the blood exchange. It is not longer based upon law, but upon the very Spirit of God dwelling in us and inserting the law into our hearts.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 says,

31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when 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 lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.

33 “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

34 “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.””

Notice in the above Scripture that God promises a new type of relationship, one that Adam originally had. God will re-insert His Spirit inside of man; He writes the Law inside of our heart, not as some harsh stone that religious people beat us with.

God’s original design for man was reflected in Adam, a mere “mud creator” with the Almighty God living in his spirit. It also states that they shall “know Me.” The word “know” refers to the strongest type of intimacy.

Genesis 4:1 says,

“1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.””

Adam was to take dominion over the earth, and satanic spiritual beings, and establish God’s Kingdom on earth. Now we are to do the work through the Spirit of God in us, as He was in Adam.

Genesis 1:26-31 says,

“26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.

30 “Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so.

31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

Genesis 2:7 says,

“7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

Genesis chapter 2 tells about man’s fall from dependence to independency. God was to fellowship with God at the Tree of Life, hear Him speak, and then speak the same words in order to establish His Kingdom here on earth. But as we know, he failed.

Genesis 3:1-19 says,

“1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;

3 “but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

5 “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

13 And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.

Verse 15 is God’s promise for the Messiah.

15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

16 To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”

17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.

18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.

19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.””

All people fell short of God’s plan – even His own chosen race, the Jews.

We will show in many Scriptures in this chapter how God in His deep love for all of us, especially the Jews. Anything short of God in you is not normal; we all need help to return. God’s love for us draws us. This chapter will show God’s broken heart and in how people did not really give their hearts to Him. We will also show how His unfathomable love gives us a chance for restoration to “normal.”

Ezekiel 36:26, 27 says,

“26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

Colossians 1:27 says,

“27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

As the Scripture says, this was certainly was a mystery to the Gentiles, as almost all the original believers in Jesus were Jews.

Jesus made us righteous so that we could return to normal.

Isaiah 53:11 ESV version says,

“11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.”

After Isaiah saw the Lord, he obtained more vision than most. God revealed to him the message of returning to normal by the Messiah making many righteous in spite of Israel and of course the Gentiles following after idols. All of mankind, even God’s chosen Israel were idol worshippers. There were always a handful of God-fearers however, and God used those to propagate His powerful Word of redemption for mankind - to return man to normal.

It starts to be described in Isaiah chapter 46. This applies to everybody, not just the Jews and Israel.

I also believe that those who have an intuitive “fear of God,” or to those whom God see has seen latent, but perhaps dormant, potential for the fear of God are in a better position to return to normal.

Psalms 85:9 says,

“9 Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land.”

Take a trip with me through certain chapters of Isaiah that show how God worked to return us to normal through a blood covenant.

Isaiah 46 shows God identifying the idols of Babylon who had Israel and all of us trapped in prisons.

Idols of any kind take the place of the real God in our lives, especially the “sneaky ones.” We all start off with idols in our lives. That is just that way we are born, without God in us. The following few chapters in Isaiah shows that path that God takes us on - from idols to normal.

Isaiah 46:1-13 says,

“1 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, A burden to the weary beast.

2 They stoop, they bow down together; They could not deliver the burden, But have themselves gone into captivity.

3 “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, Who have been upheld by Me from birth, Who have been carried from the womb:

4 Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

5 “To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal And compare Me, that we should be alike?

6 They lavish gold out of the bag, And weigh silver on the scales; They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god; They prostrate themselves, yes, they worship.

7 They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it And set it in its place, and it stands; From its place it shall not move. Though one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer Nor save him out of his trouble.

8 “Remember this, and show yourselves men; Recall to mind, O you transgressors.

9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,

10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’

11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.

12 “Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, Who are far from righteousness:

13 I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory.”

Isaiah 47 shows God speaking destruction to the idol of Mystery Babylon, the demon sprit who controls the world system.

Isaiah 47:1-15 says,

“1 “Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called Tender and delicate.

2 Take the millstones and grind meal. Remove your veil, Take off the skirt, Uncover the thigh, Pass through the rivers.

3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered, Yes, your shame will be seen; I will take vengeance, And I will not arbitrate with a man.”

4 As for our Redeemer, the LORD of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel.

5 “Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; For you shall no longer be called The Lady of Kingdoms.

6 I was angry with My people; I have profaned My inheritance, And given them into your hand. You showed them no mercy; On the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily.

7 And you said, ‘I shall be a lady forever,’ So that you did not take these things to heart, Nor remember the latter end of them.

8 “Therefore hear this now, you who are given to pleasures, Who dwell securely, Who say in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, Nor shall I know the loss of children’;

9 But these two things shall come to you In a moment, in one day: The loss of children, and widowhood. They shall come upon you in their fullness Because of the multitude of your sorceries, For the great abundance of your enchantments.

10 “For you have trusted in your wickedness; You have said, ‘No one sees me’; Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; And you have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me.’

11 Therefore evil shall come upon you; You shall not know from where it arises. And trouble shall fall upon you; You will not be able to put it off. And desolation shall come upon you suddenly, Which you shall not know.

12 “Stand now with your enchantments And the multitude of your sorceries, In which you have labored from your youth--Perhaps you will be able to profit, Perhaps you will prevail.

13 You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels; Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, And the monthly prognosticators Stand up and save you From what shall come upon you.

14 Behold, they shall be as stubble, The fire shall burn them; They shall not deliver themselves From the power of the flame; It shall not be a coal to be warmed by, Nor a fire to sit before!

15 Thus shall they be to you With whom you have labored, Your merchants from your youth; They shall wander each one to his quarter. No one shall save you.”

In the Book of Revelation God Himself speaks to the idols, spiritual Babylon. He speaks destruction to them in Revelation chapters 17 and 18.

Revelation 17:1-6 says,

“1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,

2 “with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”

3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.

5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.”

Isaiah 48 is God’s reminder to leave the idols.

Isaiah 48:12-22 says,

“12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last.

13 Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together.

14 “All of you, assemble yourselves, and hear! Who among them has declared these things? The LORD loves him; He shall do His pleasure on Babylon, And His arm shall be against the Chaldeans.

15 I, even I, have spoken; Yes, I have called him, I have brought him, and his way will prosper.

16 “Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit Have sent Me.”

17 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.

18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

19 Your descendants also would have been like the sand, And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; His name would not have been cut off Nor destroyed from before Me.”

20 Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of singing, Declare, proclaim this, Utter it to the end of the earth; Say, “The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!”

21 And they did not thirst When He led them through the deserts; He caused the waters to flow from the rock for them; He also split the rock, and the waters gushed out.

22 “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.””

Isaiah 49 is a promise to restore Israel and the Gentiles by the same servant, Jesus.

Isaiah 49:8-26 says,

“8 Thus says the LORD: “In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages;

9 That You may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’ To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ “They shall feed along the roads, And their pastures shall be on all desolate heights.

10 They shall neither hunger nor thirst, Neither heat nor sun shall strike them; For He who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water He will guide them.

11 I will make each of My mountains a road, And My highways shall be elevated.

12 Surely these shall come from afar; Look! Those from the north and the west, And these from the land of Sinim.”

13 Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people, And will have mercy on His afflicted.

14 But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me.”

15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you.

16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.

17 Your sons shall make haste; Your destroyers and those who laid you waste Shall go away from you.

18 Lift up your eyes, look around and see; All these gather together and come to you. As I live,” says the LORD, “You shall surely clothe yourselves with them all as an ornament, And bind them on you as a bride does.

19 “For your waste and desolate places, And the land of your destruction, Will even now be too small for the inhabitants; And those who swallowed you up will be far away.

20 The children you will have, After you have lost the others, Will say again in your ears, ‘The place is too small for me; Give me a place where I may dwell.’

21 Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me, Since I have lost my children and am desolate, A captive, and wandering to and fro? And who has brought these up? There I was, left alone; But these, where were they?’”

22 Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations, And set up My standard for the peoples; They shall bring your sons in their arms, And your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders;

23 Kings shall be your foster fathers, And their queens your nursing mothers; They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, And lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD, For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.”

24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, Or the captives of the righteous be delivered?

25 But thus says the LORD: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, And the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends with you, And I will save your children.

26 I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh, And they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. All flesh shall know That I, the LORD, am your Savior, And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.””

Isaiah chapter 51 shows God’s promise to deliver His people.

Isaiah 51:1-3,21-23 says,

“1 “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.

2 Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.”

3 For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

21 Therefore please hear this, you afflicted, And drunk but not with wine.

22 Thus says your Lord, The LORD and your God, Who pleads the cause of His people: “See, I have taken out of your hand The cup of trembling, The dregs of the cup of My fury; You shall no longer drink it.

23 But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, Who have said to you, ‘Lie down, that we may walk over you.’ And you have laid your body like the ground, And as the street, for those who walk over.””

Isaiah 52 shows The Lord’s Coming Salvation.

Isaiah 52:1-15 says,

“1 Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you.

2 Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!

3 For thus says the LORD: “You have sold yourselves for nothing, And you shall be redeemed without money.”

4 For thus says the Lord GOD: “My people went down at first Into Egypt to dwell there; Then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.

5 Now therefore, what have I here,” says the LORD, “That My people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them Make them wail,” says the LORD, “And My name is blasphemed continually every day.

6 Therefore My people shall know My name; Therefore they shall know in that day That I am He who speaks: ‘Behold, it is I.’”

7 How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

8 Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, With their voices they shall sing together; For they shall see eye to eye When the LORD brings back Zion.

9 Break forth into joy, sing together, You waste places of Jerusalem! For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.

10 The LORD has made bare His holy arm In the eyes of all the nations; And all the ends of the earth shall see The salvation of our God.

11 Depart! Depart! Go out from there, Touch no unclean thing; Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You who bear the vessels of the LORD.

12 For you shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight; For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

13 Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.

14 Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men;

15 So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider.”

Isaiah 53 – We need a Lamb to take away our sins through a blood covenant with God, so that He may insert His Spirit within us.

The only way to restore man to his original condition was for God to cut a blood covenant with mankind through Jesus Christ. In a blood covenant all the nature of each party is swapped in full for the nature of the other party. Jesus became sin for us that we could be righteous. That is why He was crucified so that we who believe in Him can inherit Zoe, eternal life.

Middle of the chapter - item of special interest

The Trinity

I realize that it is impossible to believe in the fact that God took on the body of a man, God incarnate, without a special revelation from the Father God Himself. I attempted to believe it eight years before Jesus revealed Himself to me and I could not.

Peter was a common Jewish fisherman in the days of Jesus. He was not a religious Pharisee. The Father God gave Peter a special revelation on who Jesus actual was. God looks for people’s hearts that are receptive to this amazing truth.

Matthew 16:13-17 says,

“13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”

Isaiah chapter 53 emphasizes the Cross upon which Jesus was crucified. Notice in verse 53:11 that He made many righteous. How? He was the perfect Lamb without blemish that bore our sin. Why? In order to return us to “normal.” Adam, God’s original man, was normal in that God dwelt inside of him. God had to move out when Adam became independent. Up until the death and resurrection of Jesus, the perfect lamb could only be a covering for our sin, but it could not transform us to a righteous person in which God could dwell.

Genesis chapter 3 foretells of the fact that the Messiah will be born of a virgin and crucified.

Genesis 3:14, 15 says,

“14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.””

In a natural birth the woman does not have the seed. Jesus’ feet, His heel was nailed to the Cross, but in doing so He crushed Satan for good!

This was not just some natural man that was crucified; it was Jesus, God in the flesh. You may ask, “How can Jesus be God, I always believed that God is One, and many people?” “I have heard people speak of the Trinity, how do you explain that?” Good question, and I am glad you asked. Jesus agreed with you that there is only one God.

Mark 12:28-30 says,

“28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.

30 ‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”

Please understand, God Himself is more than we can comprehend with our natural reasoning. It is only as the Word of God is revealed to you that you may understand more about Him. All you can do is to prepare your heart with truth and be honest about your desperation for the truth about God. Has your king died?

John 6:44 says,

“44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

After I met God in 1979 He showed me why God consists of One God, but nevertheless is manifested in three different ways. We need a father because God wants us as His children. Only a father can produce a birth, and we all need a new birth and we need God as our progenitor. We need the Holy Spirit because as God’s children we need His Spirit to indwell us. That is as I have written, returning us to normal. However God could not insert His Holy Spirit within us and become our progenitor because God cannot indwell a sinful human. He had to “move out” of Adam when Adam became independent. Therefore Jesus is needed, the third personality in the Trinity, who as the Bible says was “crucified before the foundation of the world for our sin.” The Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit, One God, manifested in three ways,

Isaiah 53:1-12, Amplified Bible, says,

1 WHO HAS believed (trusted in, relied upon, and clung to) our message [of that which was revealed to us]? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been disclosed?

2 For [the Servant of God] grew up before Him like a tender plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He has no form or comeliness [royal, kingly pomp], that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.

3 He was despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains, and acquainted with grief and sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy].

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well- being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has made to light upon Him the guilt and iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, [yet when] He was afflicted, He was submissive and opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who among them considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living [stricken to His death] for the transgression of my [Isaiah’s] people, to whom the stroke was due?

9 And they assigned Him a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief and made Him sick. When You and He make His life an offering for sin [and He has risen from the dead, in time to come], He shall see His [spiritual] offspring, He shall prolong His days, and the will and pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

11 He shall see [the fruit] of the travail of His soul and be satisfied; by His knowledge of Himself [which He possesses and imparts to others] shall My [uncompromisingly] righteous One, My Servant, justify many and make many righteous (upright and in right standing with God), for He shall bear their iniquities and their guilt [with the consequences, says the Lord].

12 Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great [kings and rulers], and He shall divide the spoil with the mighty, because He poured out His life unto death, and [He let Himself] be regarded as a criminal and be numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore [and took away] the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors (the rebellious).

Notice in verse 11 that this suffering savior will make many righteous with God. How? That sounds impossible! Even the spotless lamb in the First (Old) Testament Scriptures could not do that; it only gave an annual atonement.

How was Jesus the perfect Lamb? He was God born in the flesh. The Word of God was planted into the virgin Mary’s womb and she gave birth to God in the flesh. There was a time before I met Jesus that I turned down Christianity because I could not believe in a virgin birth. But stop and think; If God created everything that is out of nothing but His Word, why would He not be able to make Mary pregnant with Jesus, His Son.

Luke 1:26-35 says,

“26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.

32 “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

33 “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”

The Jews and Israel have a special revival planned by The Ancient of Days, God The Creator.

Hosea 14:7, 8 says,

“7 Those who dwell under his shadow shall return; They shall be revived like grain, And grow like a vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

8 “Ephraim shall say, ‘What have I to do anymore with idols?’ I have heard and observed him. I am like a green cypress tree; Your fruit is found in Me.””

This applies also to any Gentile who believes. They will be grafted into the tree of Israel.

Romans 9:30-33 says,

“30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;

31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.

32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone.

33 As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.””

Romans 11:11-24 says,

“11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.

12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,

14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.

15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree,

18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.”

20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.

21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.

22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?”

The blood covenant offered by God to humans is almost unbelievable.

After all the rebellion by mankind, God, in His love, was willing to give Himself, through Jesus, as a lamb to bring mankind back to normal, back into oneness with Him. God craves that oneness with us. When I sense that in my own life, it is absolutely wonderful. We were created for oneness with God, not for “religion.

Chapter 10

You Choose

It is my hope that through these chapters you have seen a clear distinction between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom(s) of this world. It has been my goal to make a sharp dividing line of how the two work so that you may eliminate any blurred distinctions. Here is a summary.

The two qualifying attributes to seeing and operating in the Kingdom of God, are desperation and truth. You must be desperate, or in other words, your “Kings must die,” whatever type of idols they may be. While there are many desperate people, not all could see and operate in God’s Kingdom. You must also be totally honest with yourself and with God.

Remember, as I wrote in the first few chapters, even though you may see evidences of the kingdom of this world with your natural eyes, the real worldly kingdom is spiritual and invisible to the natural senses. If you depend upon your natural senses you will never see the real kingdoms at all, good or evil.

I believe that most people who have responded to this message have traveled down the path described below.

a. Desperation and truth.

Without these two ingredients there is a likelihood that one will remain self-sufficient and by default continue to operate in the kingdom of this world system. That could have horrible consequences not only for this life but also for eternity.

The Rich Young Jewish Ruler-not desperate enough!

In Matthew 19 the Rich Young Ruler confronts Jesus. Jesus knew that the young man had much to trust in; riches, fame, position, religion, etc. He advised him to give it away if he really wanted life. The man would not give up what he had worked for and earned for, and what he could inherit. Think about that! The man refused what Jesus asked of him and Jesus was grieved because He loved him.

Then the disciples got anxious about how could anybody enter the Kingdom. Jesus told them a parable to answer their questions. Matthew chapter 20 contains a parable about a man who owned a vineyard and went to the market place to hire workers for the harvest. [8]

He hired the first man for one denarius a day. This was for a full day’s work. I submit that he hired the strongest and most able of the five men. This was Man # 5

At the third hour he returned to hire more help and asked Man # 4 to work a partial day and he would pay him fairly.

At the sixth hour he did likewise. Man # 3.

At the ninth hour he did likewise. Man # 2.

At the eleventh hour he returned again. Man # 1.

He asked Man # 1 why he was still there. The man answered, “Because no one would hire us.” Then Man # 1 got hired by the vineyard owner, went out and worked for one hour.

First, these men were not lazy or they would not have been sitting in the employment agency all day. Most likely, this one-hour man was the least able of all. Perhaps he had a physical or mental handicap. I submit that he was the weakest of all. Remember, this parable is about the Kingdom of God and how and when people receive it.

When pay time came, the master called the one-hour man first, Man # 1. He called the all day man, Man # 5, last, saying, “So the last will be first and the first last. For many are called but few chosen” (Matthew 20:8-16).

The one-hour man received the Kingdom of God in here and now and brought the Kingdom to earth, as in the Lord’s Prayer. Perhaps Man #5 went to Heaven when he died and received the Kingdom at that time. But the one who had nothing else to trust in received it now.

What was the manifestation of receiving it now? If you are a one-hour man, you will trust only in hearing the Word of God while fellowshipping with Jesus to supply everything you need for life and godliness – see 2 Peter 1:2-11. While we ministered this in a Spanish speaking country the group of leaders really got it. They came up with a theme and carried signs reading, “El Hombre una sola hora!” (“The one-hour man!”) “We are one-hour people,” they shouted. Are you desperate enough to call yourself a “one-hour person” and shout Halleluiah?

Many people in this world are desperate, but not all desperate people are broken.

I submit that the one-hour man was both desperate and broken. Broken means that one has come to the place that he/she knows that there is no help available from any human being or agency, not even from one’s own abilities.

Notice that the one-hour man remained in the employment agency. He was not out begging, or trying to manipulate people to support him. Applying this to your Christian walk it means that unless your Lord does something you are done for you are lost!

The one-hour man “waited” on the Lord.

b. Hope.

I knew a Christian man, whose life had fallen apart, including his marriage and his children. He told me, “Larry, I can live without love, I can live without faith, but I cannot live without hope. I have no hope.”

An exhilarating sense of hope is offered by the fact that God, through His love, has provided a wonderful way of living an abundant life, freely given, by the fruit bearing process. When people realize that God has a passionate desire to bless them beyond what they can produce, it raises hope and faith to a new level. Often it is such good news that it is difficult to believe while we are still in the “Valley of the Shadow of Death.”

c. Intimacy with God.

Once that hope is given, then you must continue to seek the Lord and His Kingdom with all of your heart. You must dedicate your entire life to seeking and maintaining a daily, even hourly, real-time relationship with God.

d. Spiritual agriculture.

As you become intimate with Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit, He will plant valuable seeds in your heart. The seeds are meant to: a) give you a godly character: b) take care of your earthly needs: and, c) provide a significant purpose for your life that glorifies God and gives you satisfaction. Since I discovered this almost 30 years ago, I have become a “Fruit junkie.” See the discipleship books mentioned below that can be a guide for you.

Now you can rest in the New Testament Sabbath.

While I do believe in the traditional weekly Sabbath and a day of rest, we are also to rest from the works of our flesh, our sweat, and rest in the fruit bearing process of the Word of God. Resting from the works of our flesh; that is the Sabbath that pleases God. Only fruit bearing glorifies God, not the works of our flesh, or our old undegenerated soul. It is a New Testament Sabbath in addition to the traditional Sabbath.

Hebrews 4:1-12 says,

1 “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.

2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”;

5 and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”

6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience,

7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.

9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.

10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.

12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Isaiah 58:13-14 says,

13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words,

14 Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

We must stay connected.

Entering the New Testament Sabbath involves continually doing what is needed to stay in God’s presence to hear His Word, and to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Then God pulls us along in “His chariot” through the “abundant life” so that we experience what God has written, and completed, for our lives before the foundation of the earth.

The ongoing growing or discipleship process.

If you are at the point of wanting to make Jesus your Lord, to invite Him in to your being, simply pray the prayer at the end of this chapter. Then I suggest that you pick up one of our discipleship books that will guide you into “walking with the Lord” as a fruit bearing believer. Our Grow or Die [9] book is the most popular, but there are others that include inner healing.

www.isob-bible.org. Many are available for free download or you may purchase a paper copy. We also have free IBooks and audio books for download.

Why did I name this chapter, “You Choose?”

While there are two kingdoms from which to choose, you will choose by default the kingdom of this world if you do not make a conscious choice. Regrettably, most people, even many Christians do not make a conscious choice, and they find themselves in a lifestyle of works, trying to make it by “the sweat of their brow” as was promised to Adam after he sinned. You have read about the horrible consequences of living according to the kingdom of this world. You have read about the wonderful consequences of living according to the Kingdom of God. You choose!

You must choose your king. Will it be a human government leader or leaders? Or will it be God Almighty as Isaiah chose?

Isaiah 6:1,

“1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.”

A suggested prayer if you have felt the Lord’s invitation to welcome Him into your life, and to return you to His “normal.”

“Dear God. I can see, or begin to see, that Jesus is real, that He has been crucified, buried and resurrected in order to bear away and forgive my sins and sin nature. I understand that He loves me with a love beyond my comprehension, and that He desires intimacy with me

I have a desire to turn my life in trust to the One True King, King Jesus, the Creator of all things. So I hereby invite you to come into my heart with Your Holy Spirit, and make you Lord of my life.”

Endnotes

Daniel’s prophesy about the coming of the Messiah to Jerusalem.

One of the most amazing prophecies in the Word of God is Daniel’s prophecy in Daniel Chapter 9 telling the exact day that Jesus would enter Jerusalem to be crucified, 500 years before it happened!

Daniel had been shown many prophecies in visions. Chapter 9 of Daniel records the angel Gabriel coming to Daniel and speaking the most amazing prophesy to him.

He told him that God’s people would have a period of 70 weeks cut out of history for them, during which time several things would take place.

69 of the 70 weeks have been fulfilled in actual history. There is a pause of thousands of years, and then the last week will be fulfilled. This is a common thing in Bible prophecy. In a spiritual way we are in the last week, now in our lives today.

The word week is “shabua,” which in Hebrew means seven; it is like saying a dozen. The entire Old Testament proves this out; when a week is spoken of it means seven, and it usually associated with years (Leviticus 25). Daniel was thinking in terms of periods of seven years for each "week."

We are going to focus on the 69 weeks, which now is history and prophecy fulfilled in a supernatural way.

The year in Old Testament terms was not 365 days but 360 days; proven in Genesis 7:11- 8:3. It verifies that the flood lasted 150 days and then it gave us the five-month period by dates.

The starting point for this prophetic event was to be the issuance of a command to rebuild Jerusalem, including the streets, the walls, and the moat as a protection against the enemies.

“Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens’, and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble” (Daniel 9:25).

The starting point was the command to rebuild the City, and that was given in Nehemiah 2:1. It was the month of Nisan in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes. He began his reign in 465 BC, + 20 years = 445 BC, so the decree took place in 445 BC the month of Nisan. 445 BC Nisan = March 14.

69 weeks X 7 X 360 days = 173,880 days.

Now for the rest of the math:

Add to March 14, 445 BC 173,880 days = April 6, 32 AD, which is the very day Jesus rode into Jerusalem in his triumphal entry. What an amazing prophecy and fulfillment!

One of the most amazing prophecies was given by Ezekiel. Quoted from our book Is There A New World Coming? (http://www.isob-bible.org/world.htm)

It was the foretelling of the very month (maybe even to the day) of Israel’s return to the Promised Land after being away over 1,900 years. The year was 1948!

In 70 AD, a little more than 30 years after Jesus was resurrected, the Roman General Titus came and destroyed Jerusalem. The Jews dispersed all over the world. Multitudes of civilizations have come to Israel to steal God’s promise. Later, in the 1940s, Hitler tried to destroy the last traces of Jews from the face of the earth.

They are the only race of people to survive thousands of years without a country! In 1948 (during my own lifetime) after World War II and Hitler’s failure, the Jews came back and formed a new country called Israel. I watched it on TV! I saw the United Nations vote to ordain this.

Ezekiel was given this prophecy in a most unusual way from God.

“Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.

Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity.

For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year” (Ezekiel 4:3-6).

God said this would be a sign to Israel. He told Ezekiel to lie on his left side 390 days (representing 390 years), and then lie on his right side 40 days (representing 40 years), or a total of 430 years. This would be a sign to Israel that their punishment would be for 430 years.

In the spring of 536 BC they were released from Babylon. If you count the 70 years of captivity in Babylon, they still had 360 years left (430- 70 = 360).

However, nothing happened at the end of this 360-year period. The majority of the Jews were still in Babylon, now known as Iraq and Iran, and they were still backslidden people. They had failed to repent of their disobedience.

The solution to this mystery is in Leviticus 26 where it states that the punishments for Israel are based on her obedience and disobedience to His commands. God said here that if Israel did not repent, the punishments would be multiplied by 7 .

This means that the 360 years of further punishment prophesied by Ezekiel was multiplied by 7 (360 X 7 = 2,520 Biblical years). A Biblical year was 360 days. Converting this to our calendar years that would total 2,483.8 years (2,520 X 360 = 907,200 days) / 365.25 = 2,483.8 years)

Ending of Babylonian

Captivity was in 536 BC

Plus 2,483.8 calendar years

Equals 1,947.4

Adjust for no zero year.

between 1 BC and AD 1 1

Therefore the captivity of

Israel would end in May 1948

Which was the date Israel became a nation; May 14, 1948.

This great day marked the first time since the days of Solomon that a united Israel took its place as a sovereign and independent state among the nations of the world.

This is more proof that God is the Author of the Bible.

Such prophecies being fulfilled in this way are beyond human manipulation. It also shows that Israel is part of God’s plan and that we are living in very special days; some call it end times. We do not know when things on this earth will change, when Jesus will come back, when anything will happen, but we do know that in 1948 a major Bible historical event took place!

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate” (Isaiah 6:1-11, KJV).

Luke 4:5-8

“5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.’

8 And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.”’”

Matthew 20:1-16:

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

4 and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went.

5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.

6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’

7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’

8 So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’

9 And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.

10 But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.

11 And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner,

12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’

13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?

14 ‘Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.

15 ‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’

16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”

[1] Taken from my book Is There A New World Coming http://www.isob-bible.org/component/content/article.html?id=615

[2] Quoted from - Pratney, Winkie, a handbook for FOLLOWERS OF JESUS – Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis, MN. 1977 page 72

Daniel’s prophesy about the coming of the Messiah to Jerusalem.

One of the most amazing prophecies in the Word of God is Daniel’s prophecy in Daniel Chapter 9 telling the exact day that Jesus would enter Jerusalem to be crucified, 500 years before it happened!

Daniel had been shown many prophecies in visions. Chapter 9 of Daniel records the angel Gabriel coming to Daniel and speaking the most amazing prophesy to him.

He told him that God’s people would have a period of 70 weeks cut out of history for them, during which time several things would take place.

69 of the 70 weeks have been fulfilled in actual history. There is a pause of thousands of years, and then the last week will be fulfilled. This is a common thing in Bible prophecy. In a spiritual way we are in the last week, now in our lives today.

The word week is “shabua,” which in Hebrew means seven; it is like saying a dozen. The entire Old Testament proves this out; when a week is spoken of it means seven, and it usually associated with years (Leviticus 25). Daniel was thinking in terms of periods of seven years for each "week."

We are going to focus on the 69 weeks, which now is history and prophecy fulfilled in a supernatural way.

The year in Old Testament terms was not 365 days but 360 days; proven in Genesis 7:11- 8:3. It verifies that the flood lasted 150 days and then it gave us the five-month period by dates.

The starting point for this prophetic event was to be the issuance of a command to rebuild Jerusalem, including the streets, the walls, and the moat as a protection against the enemies.

“Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens’, and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble” (Daniel 9:25).

The starting point was the command to rebuild the City, and that was given in Nehemiah 2:1. It was the month of Nisan in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes. He began his reign in 465 BC, + 20 years = 445 BC, so the decree took place in 445 BC the month of Nisan. 445 BC Nisan = March 14.

69 weeks X 7 X 360 days = 173,880 days.

Now for the rest of the math:

Add to March 14, 445 BC 173,880 days = April 6, 32 AD, which is the very day Jesus rode into Jerusalem in his triumphal entry. What an amazing prophecy and fulfillment!

One of the most amazing prophecies was given by Ezekiel. Quoted from our book Is There A New World Coming? (http://www.isob-bible.org/world.htm)

It was the foretelling of the very month (maybe even to the day) of Israel’s return to the Promised Land after being away over 1,900 years. The year was 1948!

In 70 AD, a little more than 30 years after Jesus was resurrected, the Roman General Titus came and destroyed Jerusalem. The Jews dispersed all over the world. Multitudes of civilizations have come to Israel to steal God’s promise. Later, in the 1940s, Hitler tried to destroy the last traces of Jews from the face of the earth.

They are the only race of people to survive thousands of years without a country! In 1948 (during my own lifetime) after World War II and Hitler’s failure, the Jews came back and formed a new country called Israel. I watched it on TV! I saw the United Nations vote to ordain this.

Ezekiel was given this prophecy in a most unusual way from God.

“Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.

Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity.

For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year” (Ezekiel 4:3-6).

God said this would be a sign to Israel. He told Ezekiel to lie on his left side 390 days (representing 390 years), and then lie on his right side 40 days (representing 40 years), or a total of 430 years. This would be a sign to Israel that their punishment would be for 430 years.

In the spring of 536 BC they were released from Babylon. If you count the 70 years of captivity in Babylon, they still had 360 years left (430- 70 = 360).

However, nothing happened at the end of this 360-year period. The majority of the Jews were still in Babylon, now known as Iraq and Iran, and they were still backslidden people. They had failed to repent of their disobedience.

The solution to this mystery is in Leviticus 26 where it states that the punishments for Israel are based on her obedience and disobedience to His commands. God said here that if Israel did not repent, the punishments would be multiplied by 7 [3].

This means that the 360 years of further punishment prophesied by Ezekiel was multiplied by 7 (360 X 7 = 2,520 Biblical years). A Biblical year was 360 days. Converting this to our calendar years that would total 2,483.8 years (2,520 X 360 = 907,200 days) / 365.25 = 2,483.8 years)

Ending of Babylonian

Captivity was in 536 BC

Plus 2,483.8 calendar years

Equals 1,947.4

Adjust for no zero year.

between 1 BC and AD 1 1

Therefore the captivity of

Israel would end in May 1948

Which was the date Israel became a nation; May 14, 1948.

This great day marked the first time since the days of Solomon that a united Israel took its place as a sovereign and independent state among the nations of the world.

This is more proof that God is the Author of the Bible.

Such prophecies being fulfilled in this way are beyond human manipulation. It also shows that Israel is part of God’s plan and that we are living in very special days; some call it end times. We do not know when things on this earth will change, when Jesus will come back, when anything will happen, but we do know that in 1948 a major Bible historical event took place!

[4] http://www.amazon.com/TEMPLE-Discoveries-Everything-Location-Solomons/dp/193977909X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413055108&sr=1-1&keywords=robert+cornuke

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate” (Isaiah 6:1-11, KJV).

[6] Luke 4:5-8

“5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.’

8 And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.”’”

[7] The reference in this Scriptures is to the Lord as Abram's King.

[8] Matthew 20:1-16:

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

4 and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went.

5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.

6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’

7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’

8 So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’

9 And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.

10 But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.

11 And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner,

12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’

13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?

14 ‘Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.

15 ‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’

16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”

[9] This is covered in detail in our book Grow or Die. http://www.isob-bible.org

Table of Contents

Title Page

Chapter 1

Jesus Misunderstood

Chapter 2

Has Your King Died?

Chapter 3

We All Live In A Kingdom

Chapter 4

What Is This World Coming To?

Chapter 5

The Invisible Kingdom of Satan

Chapter 6

Satan’s Kingdom Progresses

The Kingdom of the world

Chapter 7

The History of the Kingdom of God

Chapter 8

A Blood Covenant With The Eternal King

Chapter 9

Israel’s Blood Covenant with The King

Chapter 10

You Choose

Footnotes