The Feast of Tabernacles and the Kingdom of God (of Yah) in You
My goal in delivering this discussion to you here today is to communicate to you another way of looking at and understanding the Kingdom of Yah. Another perspective. Another angle. Another Truth.
The “church” sees and teaches the Kingdom of Yah from an “End-Game” perspective: For the Churches of God and the many Messianic and Hebrew Roots groups out there, the Kingdom of God is about the coming millennial reign of Yeshua on this planet, followed by the New Heaven, the New Earth and New Jerusalem where God’s elect people look forward to hanging out in a physical place where they never die; they’re happy and at peace; and the best thing is that Yah will be tabernacling with His people for the rest of eternity.
And this scenario/understanding of a coming, physical Kingdom coming to this planet, in the process consuming and destroying all other earthly kingdoms, should be a wonderful, blessed hope and desire for all those who call upon the Name of Yeshua as their Messiah.
In fact, this ministry spends most of its teaching and preaching time proclaiming and informing about this coming Kingdom and the importance of getting our lives together so that we may get into this glorious kingdom. Indeed, getting into this coming Kingdom is one of the most important things every disciple of Yeshua must work out in their individual lives, or face the prospects of hearing the Master say to him or her: “I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23); “depart from me you cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels…(Matthew 25:41).
And as certain as we are that our God is real, we can be equally certain that there is coming a Kingdom that Daniel prophesied as described as follows:
“And in the days of these kings (I.e., the End Time nations that oppose Yah’s people), the Eloh of Heaven shall set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. And the kingdom shall not be left to other people. It shall crush in pieces and make an end all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44; HRB).
The prophet goes on to describe the occupants of this coming Kingdom:
“But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever” (Daniel 7:18; HRB).
It stands as a firm and sacred belief that we who “keep the commandments of Yah, and have the testimony of Yeshua Messiah” are the saints that Daniel is referencing in his prophecy. And thus we await this glorious Kingdom that is promised to come sometime in the days-years ahead.
Was is the Gospel of the Kingdom Truly About?
So I’m here to challenge you today by posing to you the following questions: Was the Gospel that Yeshua, John the Baptist/Immerser and the Apostles preached and taught on about this same Kingdom of Yah that Daniel and John the Revelator prophesied about in their writings; this coming, true to life; physical Kingdom where YHVH will dwell forever with His saints?
I need you to repeat this statement with me and I also need you to remember this statement throughout the rest of this discussion:
THE KINGDOM OF YAHWEH IS WHEREVER YAHWEH CHOOSES TO DWELL!
The bible records that John the Immerser preached a message about repentance and baptism (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:2-3) and about a Kingdom of Heaven that he proclaimed was at hand:
“Now in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the deserted places of Judea, and saying, Repent! For the kingdom of Heaven has drawn near” (Matthew 3:1, 2; HRB).
The KJV reads:
“Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Greek=”eggizo”—to bring near, to join one thing to another; to draw or come near to, to approach).
And then we find after John’s arrest and imprisonment that John’s biological cousin, our Master Yeshua, picked up where John left off and:
“…came into Galilee proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of YAHWEH, and He said, ‘The time is complete and the Kingdom of YAHWEH has arrived. Repent and believe in the good news’” (Mark 1:14, 15; HRB)
The Kingdom of Yah, according to this reliable source, Yeshua Messiah, HAS ARRIVED!
What?! When did it arrive? According to Yeshua Himself, the time had been completed and the Kingdom of His Father had arrived.
Imagine that.
Have you seen the Kingdom of Yah? I haven’t. In fact, have we not all been taught from the “Church” that the Kingdom of Yah is this soon to come realm that we described just a moment ago? Yet both John the Immerser and Yeshua our Master declared that it had arrived.
And beyond these references, we find strewn throughout the Gospels, record of Yeshua teaching the people about this Kingdom as though it was already there in existence. And strangely enough, Yeshua was teaching the people about this “unseen” Kingdom in code: what the bible refers to as “parables”:
“And coming near, the disciples said to Him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?’ And answering He said to them, ‘Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it has not been given to those.’” (Matthew 13:10-11; HRB; cf. Luke 8:9-18; Mark 4:11).
So Yeshua Himself declares that the Kingdom of Yah is “a mystery.” Mystery here in the Greek is ““musterion”, meaning hidden things, secrets.
This then leads to my next question: If Yeshua and John the Immerser stated that the Kingdom of Yah (also of Heaven) had arrived, even in their first century-AD time, there in Israel, yet we’ve not to date seen any physical evidence of this Kingdom, and Yeshua describes it as mysterious or hidden or secret, what then are we really talking about regarding this Kingdom of Yah? Is the Kingdom of God one and the same Kingdom that the Church has spent so many years telling us about?
Or could it be that the end-game for Yah’s elect—this coming, awesome, grand Kingdom of Yah, the one that Yeshua and John spoke of, is maybe somewhat more than what the Church has been teaching us all these years?
We Must Understand What the Kingdom of Yah is All About
Obviously there seems to be somewhat of a disconnect with the Kingdom of Yah that the church teaches and the Kingdom of Yah that Yeshua, John the Immerser and the Apostles taught. And if we’re serious about being citizens and employees of Yah’s coming Kingdom, we need to figure out exactly what the Kingdom of Yah is and how we get plugged into that Kingdom.
Scripture Provides us Clues as to What the Kingdom of Yah is About
So for the rest of this discussion I want to see if we can identify exactly what this mysterious Kingdom of Yah really looks like, and what we need to do in order to adjust our perception of the Kingdom to better align with the Kingdom that Yeshua tells us to search out or seek out as He instructed in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:32.
And by the end of this discussion, we should all be in better positions to enter this mysterious Kingdom and in the process, bring glory and honor to our heavenly Father. And the great thing we have going for us in working through this finding of the Kingdom of Yah is the promise that Yeshua made to His disciples:
“…To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of YAHWEH. But to these, those outside, all things are being given in parables, that seeing they may see and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand, lest they should be converted, and the sins be forgiven to them” (Mark 4:11-12; HRB; cf. Isaiah 8:6:9-10).
What is the Kingdom of Yah to you?
- The Jewish leaders of Yeshua’s time were all waiting for the Kingdom of Yah to come.
- Joseph of Arimathaea—sat on the Sanhedrin, waited for the Kingdom of Yah–Mark 15:43; Luke 23:51.
- Just and devout Simeon who held Yeshua in his arms—waiting for the consolation of Israel–Luke 2:25.
- Anna, a prophetess, sojourned at the Temple—Luke 2:36-38; 23:51.
- Paul’s evangelism of Jews involved reasoning with them about the Kingdom—Acts 19:8; 28:23, 31.
The People of Israel During Yeshua’s Earthly Ministry Missed the Fact the Kingdom Had Come
- The Kingdom of Yah had come to the ancients and they never realized it—Luke 10:11.
- The ancients had virtually no understanding of the Kingdom of Yah and felt that it’s appearance was imminent because of Yeshua’s ministry:
Luke 19:11—”And as they heard those things He added and spake a parable, because He was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the Kingdom of Yah should immediately appear.”
- Yeshua’s apostles, although taught by Yeshua during His ministry, failed to receive the full understanding of the Kingdom of Yah:
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. (Act 1:2-7 KJV)
Rabbinic Judaism’s Understanding of the Kingdom of Yah
Yah’s kingdom is spoken of in Psalms 22:29 (28), 53:19; 145:11-13; Obidiah 21; Daniel 3:33 (4:3); Tobit 13:1; Sibylines 3:47-48, 767; Pslams of Solomon 27:3; Wisdom 10:10; Enoch 84:2.
It speaks to the reign or sovereignty of Yah as contrasted with the kingdom of the worldly powers (Targum; Mishnah; Haggadah).
The hope is that Yah will be King over all the earth, when all idolatry will be banished (Exodus 15:18; Zechariah 14:9; Isaiah 24:23, 52:7; Micah 4:7; Psalms 29:10; 93-99).
“The Kingdom of God…in order to be established on earth, requires recognition by man; that is, to use the Hasidaean phrase borrowed from Babylonia or Persia, man must “take upon himself the yoke of the Kingdom of Yah.” This the Jew does daily when he/she recites the Shema (Ber. 2:2), and so do the angels when singing their “Thrice Holy” (Hekalot), and in the future “all men shall take upon themselves the yoke of the Kingdom of Yah when casting away their idols.”
The concept of the “yoke of the Kingdom of God” is a contrast with servitude to man: being in servitude to God by taking on the burden of Yah’s Torah—His Laws. But throughout the Psalms we are reminded that Torah is a delight and is not burdensome (Psalms 1:2; 40:8; 119:70, 77, 174; Romans 7:22). The burden or yoke is really the traditions and laws that were put in place by the Pharisees—by religion:
Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. (Mat 23:1-4 KJV)
Our Master, the walking talking Torah, in offered the people His yoke which He brilliantly described as follows:
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Mat 11:29-30 KJV)
For the average Jew of Yeshua’s earthly ministry days, it was better to be under the yoke of the Rabbis than under the yoke of Rome.
The Midrash says, “when the Kingdom of Rome has ripened enough to be destroyed, the Kingdom of Yah will appear.”
The Kingdom of Yah is in You
Was the Rabbinic understanding of the Kingdom of Yah consistent with Yeshua’s understanding of Yah?
Not at all. And this is part of the overall conflict that Yeshua had with the Pharisees and other religious leaders of His day.
Because the religious leaders of Yeshua’s day were blinded to the things and ways of Yah because of this history of being a stiffnecked people (even up to this day), they could not recognize that the Kingdom of Yah had in fact come unto them. And because their hardheadedness prevented them from recognizing that visitation, they along with their followers suffered destruction:
“But to you will come the days when your enemies will surround you, and will oppress you from all sides. And will overthrow you, and they will not leave in you a stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:43-44; HRB).
How many of us, like the pharisees, caught up in religion and ignorance of who and what we truly are and how we fit into this Kingdom of Yah, are looking for a Kingdom that is not to be found? At least not to be found by us if we don’t figure this thing out. A Kingdom that is right under their noses yet nowhere to be found. Found only in the teachings of the Church that teaches a doctrine of us getting into the Kingdom if we but keep the feast days, the food laws and the weekly Sabbath. In other word, the “Christian” version of the “yoke of the Kingdom of Yah.”
While heading to Jerusalem with His disciples, this leading up to His crucifixion, our Master was met by a group of 10-lepers who He healed. And on the heels of that miracle, a group of Pharisees demanded Yeshua tell them when the Kingdom would come. And Master in response made this shocking statement:
Luke 17:20, 21—”The Kingdom of YAH cometh not with observation (parateresis): neither shall they say, lo here! Or lo there! For, behold, the Kingdom of Yah is within (entos=within; inside) you.”
Many English translations have taken it upon themselves to alter the Greek word “entos” in this passage to mean “in your midst.” But I believe, as do so many others, that “within” is the most accurate, for “entos” does not mean in your midst, and to state that the Kingdom of Yah is in one’s midst limits the point of what the Master teaches about the Kingdom of Yah. Yes, there is coming a physical Kingdom which is the end game for true disciples of Yah. But for this time, it’s that aspect of the Kingdom that cannot be seen or touched that Master is focusing on: this is the aspect of the Kingdom that Yeshua’s Gospel message was based upon.
What did Yeshua tell the woman at Jacob’s Well in Samaria:
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. Yah is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth” (John 4:23-24; KJV).
Yeshua was not offering us an option here as it related to how we are to interact and relate to YAHWEH. He said that “true worshippers SHALL worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth” and “they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.”
So when we look at this question about the Kingdom of Yah being something that is not to be seen or discerned with the naked eye, and the statement that Yah’s people can only worship/interact/relate with Him in Spirit and in Truth, we can only conclude that the Kingdom of Yah is an invisible, spiritual reality that is present within the True Child of the Most High.
Well, if this is indeed the case, riddle me this Batman: Why is it that the Churches of God and so many Hebraic Roots and Messianic Congregations reject anything having to do with the Spirit? If the true Child of Yah is required to worship Yah in the Spirit, and the Kingdom of Yah exists as a spiritual reality within the Child of Yah, why isn’t the Church equipping her members on matters related to operating in the Spirit and in the Kingdom within?
What the Church will not tell us is that the Kingdom of Yah has been in existence on this earth in one form or another from the beginning of time till now. It’s one continuous chain of wondrous existence that is referred to as a mystery by Yeshua and Paul.
And we shouldn’t be too hard on the Church about her failure in equipping and training her members on the things of the Spirit. Truth be told, Yeshua’s disciples didn’t understand that there was a spirit link to the Kingdom either. Remember, up to the very day Master ascended up to Father and instructed His disciples to await the gift of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem, they still hounded Yeshua as to when the Kingdom of Israel would come.
And it wasn’t until Pentecost 10-days later that they finally understand what Master had been teaching them during all those days and months he dwelt with them, teaching and modeling for them the Gospel of the Kingdom of Yah.
And to a greater or lesser extent, we’re no different than Master’s disciples.
We have a lot of doctrines and beliefs that we have to rid ourselves of before we truly can embrace the spiritual and physical Kingdom of Yah.
One of the first things we have to learn is:
The Kingdom of Yah is Wherever Yah Chooses as His Dwelling Place
Wherever in the world a world leader travels, he or she brings with them or they are representative of the whole of their nation.
A nation’s embassy represents their home country in whatever nation the embassy stands. In fact, the embassy structure and soil upon which it is built is deemed the sovereign territory of that embassy’s nation.
The same principle applies here regarding the Kingdom of Yah. The Kingdom of Yah is wherever Yah chooses as His dwelling place. For again, we are pointed back to the teachings of Yeshua in which He states that Yahweh is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.
Paul taught the Romans the importance of recognizing the Spiritual nature of our calling:
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Rom 8:1-14 KJV)
So our perceptions of the Kingdom of Yah is something that we must bring into alignment with Yah’s Word so that we do not find ourselves in the same place the Pharisees and other religious leaders of the day found themselves in: looking for a Kingdom that is nothing like that which their religion teaches. Unfortunately, many of us are facing this potential problem because the churches and congregations we attach ourselves to reject pretty much anything and everything associated with the things of the Spirit.
Over and over the apostles in their writings put forth teachings that under this New (Renewed) Covenant, Yahweh lives within the Creator’s Elect:
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (Eph 2:18-3:1 KJV)
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1Co 6:19-20 KJV)
Again, the Kingdom of Yahweh is wherever Yahweh chooses to dwell. And the question we must be able to answer today is: Are our bodies suitable dwelling places for Yahweh?
There is to be no transition between the spiritual kingdom and the coming kingdom. For if we aren’t manifesting the spiritual kingdom here and now in our lives, what makes us think we will be welcomed into the physical coming kingdom. What makes us believe we will be prepared to receive the coming physical Kingdom? We have a lot to overcome before we can receive and enter the coming physical Kingdom of Yahweh.
Requirements for Receiving the Kingdom of Yah
- One must endure many tribulations in order to enter the Kingdom of Yah—Acts 14:22.
- One must be born again in order to “see” the Kingdom; born of Spirit and of water–Acts 8:12; John 3:3-5; 1 Corinthians 15:50.
- Commandment-keeping is essential to entering the Kingdom—Mark 12:34.
- Those who look back and desire their former lives are not worthy to receive the Kingdom—Luke 9:62.
- The unrighteous cannot inherit the Kingdom—1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:21: Ephesians 5:5.
- We have to learn to die to self and to our own agendas. The Kingdom of Yah will not compete with our own internal kingdoms. We must give way to His Kingdom within us—Galatians 2:20-21; 5:24; Romans 6:6; 8:10.
- To be wholehearted as Caleb was as Father stipulated that he had “another spirit with him and hath followed me fully”—When we have flipflop constitutions, Father’s Kingdom and Spirit cannot operate as it should within us. We have to be wholehearted in all our Ways and give deference to Yah and His Spirit and His Kingdom.–Numbers 14-1-24 ; Joshua 14:6-15.
- Yeshua gives us the keys to the Kingdom in the Beatitudes—the Sermon on the Mount—Matthew 5:1-7:29.
What The Kingdom of Yah Consist Of
- Healing and preaching go hand-in-hand in bring the Kingdom to our midst—Luke 9:2, 11; 10:9.
- The Kingdom is not coming in a way that you can see—Luke 17:20, 21.
- The Kingdom is about righteousness, peace, joy in the Holy Spirit—Roman 14:17.
- The Kingdom is about power—1 Corinthians 4:20.
- The eternal existence of Yah’s Kingdom—Psalms 45:6.
- Luke 10:9—The Kingdom of Yah is come nigh unto you (healings).
- John 18:36—The Kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
- 1 Corinthians 4:20—The Kingdom of Yah is not in word, but in power.
We Have a Lot to Overcome Regarding the Kingdom of Yah
There is a power and authority that we are called to walk in. And that authority we have been called to walk in is directly tied to the Kingdom that is supposed to reside in each of us.
Yet again, the Kingdom of Yah is Wherever Yah Chooses as His Dwelling Place.
Yah can only dwell in us when we’re holy! He won’t dwell in the midst of filth! Thus Yah will send correction and testing for purposes of sanctifying us so that we may be holy and acceptable unto Him as a dwelling place and from where the Kingdom of Yah may operate in this world.
Thus in order that Yah’s Kingdom may dwell in us, we must recognize that we are called to holiness:
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. (1Pe 1:15-16 KJV)
The Kingdom is both present and future
The Kingdom comes to us in Spirit and power—it comes to dwell within us. Paul wrote:
“And may Elohim of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, of r you to abound in hope, in power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13; HRB).
This power is that of miracle working power. There is Kingdom work to be done.
Paul provided us the example when he wrote:
“For I will not dare to speak of anything which Messiah did not work out through me for the obedience of the nations in word and work, in power of miracles and wonders, in power of the Holy Spirit, so as for me to have fulfilled the preaching of the good news of Messiah from Jerusalem and in a circle as far as Illyricum” (Romans 15:18-19; HRB).
So in closing, the questions that each of us must be willing to answer today as we close out here in just a moment is:
- Does Yahweh’s Spirit dwell in us (I.e., are we filled with the Holy Spirit)? If not, why? If not, do we want His Kingdom to even dwell in us?
- Is Yahweh’s indwelling Spirit and Kingdom in us manifested in powerful workings and signs? Are our prayers effective? Are we able to overcome the evil ones when they come to pay a visit to us? Are healings manifested in our lives? Are we bold in our witness and in our teaching and preaching of Yah’s Word?
It comes down to “how we see ourselves.”
More importantly, it comes down to how “Yah see us.”
And don’t think ladies that this doesn’t apply to you. For centuries the Church has robbed you of your due calling in the work of the Kingdom. Do NOT allow the lie of the Church to stifle the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom that is maybe dormant in you. Step out and allow the Kingdom of Yah to be manifested in your life. Teach-preach-intercede-disciple-exhort-prophesy-lead—whatever the Spirit of Yah is leading you to do in the service of the Kingdom, do it. Follow the leading and call of the Holy Spirit in your life before it’s too late and you miss the visitation.
Our calling is indeed precious and holy. When we come to Faith and receive Yah’s Ruach, we also receive the Kingdom of Yah within us. Thus we image the Creator of the Universe and His Kingdom wherever we go throughout the world. However, we are also called to work for the Kingdom while it is still day, for the night comes when no person may work (John 9:4). No kingdom can stand without its subjects working for the furtherance of that kingdom.
What an amazing opportunity the Creator of the Universe has given each of us. And all we have to do to receive this opportunity of the Kingdom of Yahweh operating within us is that we allow Yah’s Spirit—His power and authority (die to self) to manifest through us so that He receives the glory and honor He so justly deserves.