Kingdom Come

Richard Dawkins enjoys the freedom of speech in a country that won the right to do so by going on the offensive against the Nazi and Japanese authoritarian regimes which were slaughtering millions of dissenters to their rule.

Success in WWII led to a massive reduction in genocide worldwide.

There can be no doubt the Sea Peoples invasion that appeared in the Middle East in the 12^th or 11^th century BC, cut a path of destruction, destroying the three dominant powers of the era: Mycenaean Greece, the Hittite Empire and the New Kingdom of Egypt.

So why don’t the historians who demonize the fledgling nation of Israel who were destroying monsters demonize the Sea Peoples who utterly destroyed an entire civilized world at this same time in history ?

We can’t call Odysseus a hero for rescuing his people from the Cyclops and contrarily accuse the leader of the Hebrews of genocide against the same monsters. 

Continue reading “137) Taking Dominion Against Genocide”

After Moses the Levite dies he is succeeded by Joshua the Ephrathite who leads the newly constituted nation of Israel into the Promised land. He is succeeded by a variety of tribal leaders within the scattering and burgeoning twelve tribes.

Ironically, the social peace brought about by following God’s ways, which by natural law allows prosperity, by human nature relaxes one’s reliance on God, promotes a prideful conviction of achievement by one’s one efforts with a sense of entitlement and results in a cycle of domestic violence on a grand scale.

If you’ve ever poured your life into improving someone else’s only to have them put you down, you’ll understand how God feels.

Continue reading “138) Melchizedeks In The Running”

As this account progresses, it is important to maintain the timeline in the chapter numbers.

I Samuel 13:

“And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up…then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits… (I Sam 13:1-6) 

Except for one intrepid teenager.

Chapter 14:

“Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison, that is on the other side.

And between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez / shining / in context of rock climbing, “smooth as ice, sheer face” and the name of the other Seneh / thorn / sharp, jagged rocks. (My son is a mountaineer and rock climber, that’s why I know this stuff.)

“And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised / rejectors of YHVH’s covenant: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few. And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart….And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him:

and they fell before Jonathan; and his armourbearer slew after him…and the earth quaked… 

• and, behold, every man’s sword [of the Philistines’] was against his fellow,
• And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle:
• the Hebrews that were with the Philistines before that time…turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan.
• the men of Israel which had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, followed hard after them in the battle.
• So the LORD saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over unto Bethaven.” (I Samuel 14) 

Naturally Jonathan’s fame as the champion of Israel spread throughout Israel. 

Continue reading “139) The Man Who Wouldn’t Be King”

“And Jacob [the current Melchizedek] called unto his sons, and said,

1. Gather / אָסַף yourselves together / removing any discord]that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days / end of space-time
2. Gather /  קָבַץ yourselves together / a different word, meaning bring together what was scattered] Prophetically this is noted by James, brother of Jesus, writing to “the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” (James 1:1) and hear / pay attention to this message ye sons of Jacob; and hearken/ respond obediently unto Isra-el / The Prince of El your father.

“Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

As evidenced by cave paintings, lions have been symbolic of power since the most ancient times. Since the earliest historical times in Mesopotamia lions symbolized kingship, being associated with Nimrod / Gilgamesh. depicted in Assyrian art and architecture, notoriously at the Ishtar Gatein Babylon, in Egypt, throughout  East Asia, Classical Greek and Roman culture, into modern times. 

No question about it, Judah is being declared Adam’s successor King of the World in opposition to the Adversary’s Pretenders.

“The sceptreshall NOT depart from Judah,” 

Continue reading “140) Judah’s First Melchizedek. Finally.”

After Shem and Abram, King David has the only other Old Testament explicit declaration of filling the position of Melchizedek, consistent with the first documented mention of Melchizedek by name honoring Abram for the “slaughter of the kings”. He brings peace the only way possible when evil rules – by fighting back.

The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek [through his genetics and epigenetics passed down through his seed]

• The LORD at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
• He shall judge among the heathen,
• he shall fill the places with the dead bodies;
• he shall wound the heads over many countries.” (Psalm 110)

“I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him…my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted…

He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. Also I will make him my firstborn / heir, higher than the kings of the earth…His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. ” (Psalm 89:20-37)

The following excerpt from James M. Gibbs, Ph.D.’s doctoral dissertation on the meaning of “son of God” is very enlightening.

Continue reading “141) The Sacral King David”

“the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart…because thou [Saul] hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.” (I Samuel 13:14)

What commandment is this?  It cannot be any one of the commandments given to the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai, which include “Thou shalt not kill” and Thou shalt not commit adultery“, both of which David transgressed.

” I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.” (Acts 13:22),

And what is YHVH’s Prime Directive Will? For man to take dominion!

I grew up in your basic Baptist church with a list of “Thou shalt not…” As long as you abstained from sexual immorality, drinking and drugs, and dancing, you were a righteous person. It’s not that you went to hell because you committed these sins, it’s that the commission of these sins proved you never seriously asked Jesus to come into your heart in the first place.

I know everyone doesn’t think like that, but there’s no question that a certain self-righteousness permeates Christianity, consigning “for all have sinned” to degrees of sinfulness of which the lesser sort are easily overlooked. Like pride in one’s good behavior.

In my lifetime I’ve discovered that the people who are the most ashamed, most regretful, most sorrowful, most aware of how far short they’ve fallen, are most appreciative and grateful of God’s mercy and aware of the price paid to redeem them and most committed to reflecting God’s light and love in a dark world.

And David is the prototype of the repentant sinner, and through that process, becomes the prototype redeemed son of God, fulfilling all God’s will for mankind.

Continue reading “142) Righteousness Is Fulfilling All God’s Will”

Solomon, the first heir to this dynasty, was known for his wisdom, documented in his collection of Proverbs. Yet he let his emotional and physical feeling overwhelm his better judgment, as anyone who allowed themselves to be overwhelmed by sex hormones can attest.

“Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination / hybrid demi-god of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination / hybrid demi-god of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice…he kept not that which the LORD commanded.” (I Kings 11:7-12)

But God had covenanted with Solomon’s father to guarantee an everlasting kingdom.

“[this is how] I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever…If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men…And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever.” (II Samuel 7:1-14)

Continue reading “SECTION XXVIII: What God Hath Joined Together, Let Not Man Put Asunder”

“And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days. And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet.” (II Chronicles 35:17-18)

“And Jeroboam said in his heart…If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me. Whereupon the king…said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem:

• made two calves of gold, and said, behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt…
• the people went to worship unto Dan.
• And he made an house of high places,
• and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi…which he had devised of his own heart;
• and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.” (I Kings 12)

And God wasn’t having it.

“Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel, And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes; But hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back:

Continue reading “143) The Sins Of Jeroboam”

Despite the fulfillment of the prophecy that God would hand over to him the majority of the kingdom of Israel without a fight, Jeroboam failed to trust God for an everlasting kingdom.

The natural consequence of distrust is an insatiable need to control to feel safe, leading to tyranny.

Continue reading “144) A Kingdom Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand”

Good King Jehoshaphat of Judah was open to a peaceful restoration of the entire nation of Israel, and rightly believed that the desolation of Israel could only be ended by a restoration of relationship with YHVH. In the following succession of the kings of Judah and Israel the kings of Israel are listed first to minimize the repetition of who is king of which nation.

From I Kings 15-16

• There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
• And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
  • And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa son of Abijam, and Baasha of the house of Issachar, conspired against him and reigned in his stead, he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed.
• And there was war between Asa and Baasha all their days during which Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures and sent them to Benhadad / son of the god of war king of Syria to pay him to attack and desolate Israel for him, after which Israel could only afford to fight amongst themselves.
  • Elah the son of Baasha reigned over Israel two years
  • Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was drinking himself drunk and killed him and was made king by his army. He reigned seven days during which he slew all the house of Baasha.
  • Omri, the captain of the host, followed by all Israel, besieged Zimri, who, when he saw that the city was taken, burnt the king’s house over him with fire, and died. Then half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri in battle, Tibni died
  • Omri reigned twelve years. And he bought the hill of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built the city which he named after the owner of the hill, Samaria. Omri walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger with their vanities.
• And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years.

 “Jehoshaphat the son of Asa came down to the king of Israel and Ahab said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramothgilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.”

The second strategy to unite two nations is intermarriage between royal dynasties, practiced since the Late Bronze Age to

• avoid the inevitable border conflicts
• promote peace and trade between nations
• secure a military alliance against a third dynasty,
• provide a legal claim of inheritance to expand into the allied territory whenever the allied monarch failed to leave an undisputed heir. 

Continue reading “145) Be Ye Not Unequally Yoked With Unbelievers”