(3) The TWO spiritual KINGDOMS - 3 November 2017
Scripture tells us about the KINGDOM OF GOD but there is also another KINGDOM - the KINGDOM OF SATAN.
The KINGDOM OF YHWH GOD:
John 18:36 "Yahshua answered, MY KINGDOM (KINGSHIP, ROYAL POWER) BELONGS NOT TO this world. My followers would have been fighting to KEEP Me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, MY KINGDOM IS NOT FROM HERE (this world); [it has not such origin or souce.]
"Ps. 47:7-8 "For YHWH God is the KING ... YHWH REIGNS OVER the NATIONS, He SITS ON HIS HOLY THRONE." Ex. 15:18 "Elohim Yahweh (God) SHALL REIGN FOREVER AND EVER." Ps. 45:6 "Your THRONE, O YHWH God, is FOREVER and EVER; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of YOUR KINGDOM." Ps. 93:1-2 "Elohim Yahweh (God) REIGNS, HE IS CLOTHED with MAJESTY; YAHWEH HAS CLOTHED AND GIRDED HIMSELF WITH STRENGTH; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. Your THRONE IS ESTABLISHED FROM OF OLD; You are from everlasting."
Ps. 103:19 "Elohim Yahweh has ESTABLISHIS HIS THRONE in the HEAVENS, and HIS SOVEREIGNTY RULES OVER ALL."
Isaiah 37:16 "O ELOHIM YAHWEH, GOD OF HOSTS, the GOD OF ISRAEL, WHO is ENTHRONED ABOVE THE CHERUBIM, YOU are the YHWH GOD, YOU ALONE, OF ALL THE KINGDOMS of the earth YOU HAVE MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH."
Dan. 4:34-35 "But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward HEAVEN AND MY REASON RETURNED to me, and I BLESSED the MOST HIGH and PRAISED AND HONORED HIM WHO LIVES FOREVER; For HIS DOMINION IS AN EVERLASTING DOMINION, and HIS KINGDOM ENDURES FROM GENERATION to GENERATION. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but HE DOES ACCORDING TO HIS WILL IN THE HOST OF HEAVEN AND AMONT the INHIBATANTS of EARTH; And NO ONE CAN WARD OFF HIS HAND or SAY to HIM, 'WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?' "
Operating in the KINGDOM OF GOD we FUNCTIONS and LIVES IN 'eternal treasures' - our MINDS SET on the THINGS that is ABOVE and not the things on earth - (Col 3:3 "For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new real] life is hidden with CHRIST IN GOD.")
Completely and utterly YIELDED to the KING of kings - our GOD AND SAVIOR CHRIST YAHSHUA - FUNCTIONING and WALKING DAILY in the KINGDOM of LIGHT - we KILL and DEPRIVE (deny, disposses and remove) the POWER of our EVIL DESIRES, animal impulses, and ALL that IS EARTHLY in us that is EMPLOYED in SIN - all SEXUAL VICE, IMPURITY, SENSUAL APPETITES - UNHOLY DESIRES - all GREED and COVETOUSNESS, for that is IDOLATRY - DEIFYING of SELF and other CREATED THINGS INSTEAD OF GOD (Col 3:5).
We PUT AWAY and RID OURSELVES COMPLETELY of all these things - ANGER - RAGE - BAD FEELINGS TOWARD OTHERS - CURSES - SLANDER - FOULMOUTHED ABUSE - and SHAMEFUL UTTERANCES from our lips. We do NOT LIE to one another for we have STRIPPED OFF the OLD UNGENERATED SELF with its EVIL PRACTICES and HAVE CLOTHED OURSELVES with the NEW SPIRITUAL SELF which is ever in the process of being RENEWED AND REMOLDED INTO FULLER AND MORE PERFECT KNOWLEDGE UPON KNOWLEDGE AFTER the IMAGE AND LIKENESS of HIM WHO CREATED US - (Col. 3:8-10).
The KINGDOM of the EVIL ONE:
John 14:30 In the Words of Yahshua: "I will not talk with you much more, for the PRINCE (EVIL GENIUS RULER) OF THE WORLD IS COMING. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]
:31 But Satan is coming and I do as the Father has commanded Me ..."
The apostle Paul describes it in Acts. 26:18
Acts 26:13 "When on the road at midday, O king, I saw a light from heaven surpassing the brightness of the sun, flashing about me and those who were traveling with me.
:14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I HEARD A VOICE IN THE HEBREW TONGUE SAYING to me, SAUL, SAUL, WHY DO you CONTINUE to PERSECUTE Me ...
:15-16 And I said, 'Who are You Lord? And the Lord said, I AM YAHSHUA, WHOM YOU ARE PERSECUTING. But arise and stand upon your feet; for I appeared to you for THIS PURPOSE, that I MIGHT APPOINT YOU TO SERVE AS [My] MINISTER and to BEAR WITNESS BOTH to WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN OF Me AND to that in which I will appear to you.
:17 CHOOSING YOU OUT [SELECTING YOU FOR MYSELF] and DELIVERING YOU from among this people and the Gentiles to whom I AM SENDING YOU -
:18 To OPEN THEIR EYES that they MAY TURN FROM DARKNESS to LIGHT and from the DOMINION OF SATAN to GOD, that they MAY RECEIVE FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND an INHERITANCE AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SANCTIFIED by FAITH IN ME."
Col. 1:13 "[The Father] has DELIVERED AND DRAWN US TO HIMSELF OUT OF THE CONTROL AND THE DOMINION OF DARKNESS and HAS TRANSFERRED US INTO the KINGDOM of the SON of HIS LOVE."
In EVERY KINGDOM there are:
1. A MONARCH - a RULER over the kingdom
2. A REALM or TERRITORY over which the MONARCH RULES
3. The REALM'S CITIZENS
4. LAWS of the KINGDOM
5. CUSTOMS of the KINGDOM
6. AN ARMY - the STRENGTH AND POWER in CONQUERING AND DEFENDING
7. A GOAL (to RISE TO GLORY) - its DESTINY
The points above is true ALSO of the KINGDOM OF YHWH GOD AND of SATAN'S KINGDOM. When we think of the KINGDOM OF YHWH GOD - we are either HIS CITIZENS and IN "HIS ARMY" or we are by DEFAULT letting SATAN'S KINGDOM HAVE DOMINION over us and WALKING as part of the ARMY of the EVIL ONE.
We are either USED by YHWH to be HIS REPRESENTATIVES or we are by DEFAULT BEING USED by the ENEMY as his REPRESENTATIVES.
When we look at it out of a personal point of view:
1. Am I acknowleging Yahshua as my God and King?
2. Where is my LIFE and HEART CENTERED? Are my AFFECTIONS and DESIRES for THIS WORLD or for the HEAVENLY KINGDOM of YHWH God?
3. Am I a true BELIEVER in YAHSHUA MESSIAH - therefore a CITIZEN of HIS KINGDOM or am I a UNBELIEVER - therefore an ALIEN TO HIS KINGDOM?
4. Am I a IMITATOR of CHRIST - FOLLOWING HIS EXAMPLE - FOLLOWING, BELIEVING, KEEPING and OBEYING HIS COMMANDS/COMMANDMENTS or am I DECEIVED into DISREGARDING of HIS COVENANT LAW?
5. Am I WALKING my DAILY LIFE in the LIGHT and SPIRIT OF CHRIST or AM I WALKING IN the 'darkness' of WORLDLINESS AND FLESHLY LUSTS?
6. Am I living in the VICTORY AND POWER of YAHSHUA as a CONQUEROR THROUGH HIM (Rom. 8:37) or am I LIVING IN MY OWN SELF under the ILLUSION and DECEPTION that I am STRONG?
7. WHERE will I BE SPENDING MY ETERNAL LIFE after DEATH? What is my DESTINY? Will it be IN HEAVENLY GLORY with CHRIST or IS HE GOING TO SENT ME AWAY telling me that HE DOES NOT KNOW me for I HAVE NOT HONOR HIM as MY KING - did NOT BECOME A LOYAL CITIZEN of HIS KINGDOM - DID NOT OBEY HIS COMMANDS/COMMANDMENTS. (Matt. 7:23 "Then I will tell them plainly 'I NEVER KNEW YOU. GO AWAY FROM Me ...")
Abba - please help us to WALK OUR WALK and TALK OUR TALK as REPRESENTATIVES OF YOU. Help us to DETECT immediately when we are in the wrong. Give us INSIGHT O Father into our SELF - our FLESHLY DESIRES so that we can REPENT and BE CLEANSED. Please help us to LIVE ACCORDING to YOUR WORD - to HEED YOUR WORD AND YOUR VOICE - to KEEP YOUR COMMANDMENTS - to be IN RIGHT STANDING WITH YOU. In the name of OUR SAVIOR - CHRIST MESSIAH - the KING of kings. Amen.