Kingdom Come

“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard...when even was come…they came that were hired about the eleventh hour…received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, thou hast made them equal unto us…

So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.” (Matthew 20)

All the people who signed on with the goodman for the means to extend their life received it. But the ones who argued that their longevity qualified them for special treatment didn’t win their argument. They represent the current rulers in Isra-El’s sacral kingdom, arguing with YHVH’s Savior’s authority.

“the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things…And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.” 

And then he immediately demonstrates his authority over them by passing judgment.

“Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots / sinners go into the kingdom of God before you.

Bestowing responsibility for the most significant role in the universe is not casually distributed like necklaces at a Mardi Gras parade. Becoming a ruler in God’s kingdom is given at the discretion of the giver to those of his choosing, only to those who prove they are entitled to it by their actions.

Isra-El / Warrior Prince of God is not a name. It is an award, a Medal of Honor, granted in recognition of a developed character trait, perfected through years of faithfulness despite adversity, proven through exemplary behavior, designating anyone who God chooses to set apart as a ruling member of his administration in his kingdom designed from the beginning for humans to take dominion over sin and death.

“Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame…

• For thy Maker / the Singularity ever-present source of power is thine husband / united with you;
• the LORD of hosts / armies is his name;
• and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Isra-el/ the medal of honor awarded to those who fight to be on the side of El;
• The God of the whole earth shall he be called.” (Isaiah 54:4-6)

“The God of the whole earth” is not an afterthought put into place on the Day of Pentecost with Christianity. It was the gauntlet thrown down by Adam, Enoch, Noah and a great cloud of witnesses before and after the single Hebrew nation challenged Nimrod’s 70 nations at Babel.

As depicted in virtually every fairy tale, the commoners are all saved when the hero defeats the wicked queen, but the Prince only elevates the fighters to positions of power and wealth in his new government. When America’s Founding Fathers voted to sign their names to the Declaration of Independence, they pledged to risk “our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”

 “If thou wilt be perfect [whole-heartedly united with me], go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom [governing structure] of heaven.” (Matthew 19:16-23)

“give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (II Peter 1:10-11)

“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding:

This is not a random parable. This is the classic preparation for the son’s inheritance of the kingdom – making an alliance with another nation: “And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David.” (I Kings 3:1, 4:21)

Attendance at the wedding of the newly announced heir to the throne signifies acceptance of the designated heir as their King:

“and they would not come…But they made light of it, and went their ways…And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage…both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:”

This is gross disrespect.

Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away…For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 19-21)

The high priest in Jesus’ day was not authorized by descent from Aaron as required in the Mosaic Law. He had gained his post during the Maccabean revolt when the Seleucid king Alexander Balas made peace with a Hasidean Jonathan, rewarding him by making him high priest in Jerusalem by virtue of Alexander’s authority as King of Israel, creating the high priestly Hasmonean line and dispossessing righteous priests such as Zacharias and his son John the Baptist.

With this in mind, we realize that John the Baptist’s ministry consisted in large part of calling the usurper priests to relinquish their privileges and allegiance to the Mosaic heirs.

Likewise, the royal dynasty in Jesus’ day was not the Authorized line of David, but a legal appointment made by the Romans to their collaborators.

Herod was an Edomite, an Arab, who converted to Judaism for political reasons. He provided local support for Julius Caesar during the Roman civil war for supreme power. In payment, Caesar granted him Roman citizenship, which according to law descended to Herod and his children, and thus the Herodian dynasty over Judea was created.

Meanwhile, the Pharisees who had come into being during the Exile and in the absence of the Temple had replaced the impossible-to-perform temple rituals with impossible-to-achieve legalistic minutia regulated by a religious court system called the Sanhedrin. Replacing the Law of Moses, this body took upon itself the final authority on Jewish law and any scholar who went against its decisions was put to death as a zaken mamre (rebellious elder).

In other words, in Jesus’ day the rulers of the Jews had replaced

• the authority of the Mosaic code with themselves,
• the finality of God’s word with their changing mores to blend in the changing society,
• the simplicity of the law with a perverse justice system,
• and most of all, YHVH’s designated Sacral King / Melchizedek.

The New Testament explicitly states that the Order of Melchizedek from the Old Testament, now permanently headed by Jesus Christ, continues to register regular humans chosen to function in that same sacral government capacity now.

If we Redeemed are going to understand our role as Royal Priests empowered to take control back from the Evil One on the earth in the here and now, we need to recognize and learn from the actions of the Melchizedeks throughout scripture.

“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge [unity] of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of a Chosen One.” (Ephesians 4:13)