is a common term/idiom that is used when people cannot make a decision one way or the other.
It’s a life choice that we must make when considering who we follow and serve and which kingdom we are a part of;
either the kingdom of darkness
or
the kingdom of light.
We cannot be in both and there is no grey,
it’s black OR white.
Making no choice is a choice in itself!
The question is, in which kingdom are we dwelling?
Many people are familiar with the sirens that sound a warning of an imminent tornado, or other life threatening situation… when we hear that sound there is no time to prepare ..it’s too late to get ready for whatever is about to happen. This is in a natural sense and everyone should have a plan for things that take us by surprise. If this is true in the natural, then how much more important is it to have an eternal plan already in place? In the natural, people can pick up the pieces and start over and make provision for being ready next time… With the things that pertain to life and godliness, there is no reset button once our days are complete according to His book.
Ps 139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.
Then we are called home and we need to know for sure which direction we are headed in for eternity.
We must make that decision that choice now, today is the day of salvation.
The stark truth is there is
NO fence
to sit on.
There is one Kingdom of Heaven where our Heavenly Father and His Messiah is, and another of darkness where He is NOT.
The alarm is sounding loud and clear to get ready
choose this day and choose life,
eternal life. Deut. 30:19
There is only
THE GATE … John 10:1-9
Then we are to live with the kingdom within us, awaiting the fullness of it when we move to His realm; then the physical body will no longer support us or if we are still here at His return.
Only the Father knows when that will be and only He knows when our race is complete…if we are still here then our race is not yet finished….
We are to encourage all those around us
to be ready,
be prepared,
to…
Wake up o sleeper!
Ephesians 5:14
This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’
Often in the Scriptures believers are exhorted to awake. They are warned of the dangers of spiritual sleep, that such a slumber is like a coma that will result in death unless the believer awakens.
Right now each and every one of us is living/dwelling in a kingdom…. but which one?
There is NO fence…
so in which kingdom are we dwelling?
He who dwells… the first 3 words of Psalm 91:1
The world is in crisis mode and Psalm 91 is one place we can go for help.
Many conversations over the years have revealed that people feel out of place; like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.
Our feelings, responses, beliefs, personality, core values never seem to find a perfect solution, and this feeling grows more than ever in our world today.
The words to many songs describe our position that we are just passin’ through, because this world is without doubt NOT our home. It’s true to say that if you feel comfortable in this world then you are probably dwelling in the wrong kingdom. This world and its systems belong to and have been formed by the prince of this world; the prince of the kingdom of darkness. Scripture says if we love the world the love of the Heavenly Father is not in us. And we cannot have two masters we love one and hate the other. So which one do we really love? Which one are we attached to? The fruit of our lives will reveal truth …
Our lives are a reflection of and summed up by our choices. We are indeed the sum of our choices. What we choose day by day reveals who we truly are. It doesn’t matter what we say who we are is in our choices. The place we cannot depart from is the place of our bondage and we defend the things that have been established in the flesh.
Everyone seems to spend their lives looking for somewhere to call home…
Psalm 91 is likely the home address for all believers and until we experience this psalm, we will forever searching.
We are no doubt familiar with Strong’s definitions, however here are some meanings from the Hebrew Alephbet.
As Proverbs 4:20-22 tells us,His Word is life to all who find it.
In the very first verse of Ps. 91 is a reference to the individual:
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High.
Dwells is not a word we hear everyday.
It may be used to encourage someone to stop focusing and thinking about a situation, however there is another angle revealed in the Hebrew meaning.
InStrong’s #3427, dwells is a primitive root:
yashab
Phonetic Spelling: yaw-shab’
defined as: to dwell, to sit down, to remain, to settle, to marry, make to keep [house], and to return.
Dwell, is indicated as a permanent address by most of the words used to describe it; and not like a hotel, B&B, motel or a travel trailer used on holidays and vacations.
To dwell means: to set up a permanent household, settling down where a house/home can be established, to marry and set up housekeeping.
We may not have realized that all the promises of this Psalm hang on this first phrase…why? Because dwelling is an absolute condition if we want to experience the benefits that are listed in the rest of the Psalm.
We should ask ourselves what does dwell mean to us personally? Then we should find out what does it mean to our Heavenly Father?
We can do this by looking at the Hebrew letters
in the word dwell (remember to read from right to left.)
Bet Shin Yod – yashab
Recall from previous posts that each Hebrew letter has a name, a picture, a number value, and a meaning.
We know that humans discoveries and knowledge called Science, only serves to confirm what believers already know as Truth and scientists have discovered that each letter also has a specific sound frequency when spoken out loud and is the only language known with all of these qualities.
YOD – 10 = The outcome, the completion of something.
Picture:Hand, Right Arm,
Means:Power – Right hand of God’s power, a Deed Done, to Work, to Cover, Allow, Hollow, Open Hand, also refers to His Holy Spirit as the letter always hangs in the air, overseeing.
SHIN – 300 = Victory of good over evil, Holy Spirit.
Picture: Teeth or Fire.
Means:Teeth, Fire, the Fiery zeal of God to consume all His enemies, Devour, Destroy, Something Sharp.
BET 2 = Divide or Division.
Picture: House/floorplan of tent.
Means:House/Family; God’s word, God’s dwelling place
A deeper meaning behind the worddwell is:
He who Dwells is:
Bet…
one who has made the choice to live permanently in God’s house – trusting in God and honoring His Word.
Yod…
There he will experience the activation of God’s right hand of power covering him.
Shin…
And God in His fiery zeal will consume all that tries to keep or draw him away from Dwelling.
When we choose to trust and obey Him, we live secure in His Presence.
We are His dwelling place and He is ours.
According to 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple/sanctuary of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
Colossians 2:9-10 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
He is our house—our hiding place
In the Amplified Bible 2 Corinthians 12:9 reads: But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!
He will pitch a tent over us and DWELL
covering us with Himself!
In our drive through microwave Instagram, hashtag life, dwelling is not something we do very well we have become impatient, wanting everything immediately.
We need to take time with our Heavenly Father today and ask Him to show us how we can dwell more fully in His presence because it’s not just a Sunday/Wednesday attend meeting experience, it is a lifelong process.
Those who have ever remodeled a house know it takes time and longer than a weekend to complete, How much more is it so for Him to dwell in us and for us to dwell in Him; it is a total surrender and commitment of all that we are.
Where do we dwell?
The text says: He who dwells in the Secret Place…
What did he mean by: the Secret Place?
A Secret Place is a …hidden, concealed, private, safe.
SECRET PLACE inStrong’s #5643
סֵ֣תֶר
Cether
Phonetic Spelling:say’-ther
is defined as:
a cover
secrecy
hiding place
protection
and the primitive root #5641 is defined as:
to hide (by covering)
keep close
conceal
to guard
Again reading from right to left, these are the letters that spell Secret in Hebrew:
RESH, TAV, and SAMEKH
SAMEKH 60 = Pride, Conceit, Earthly.
Picture: A Tree propped up by a piece of wood.
Meaning:To Lean Upon, a Prop or Aid, Hold, Assist or Support – the heart of God.
TAV 400 = the Outcome of Trial and Testing.
Picture:A Rough Cross.
Meaning:Cross, Covenant, Seal, Mark, a Sign, Ownership, Finished or Complete.
RESH 200 = Insufficiency, Poverty.
Picture: Head
Meaning: Head, Chief, Beginning, Highest, Most Important, a Person, Human Reasoning vs. Obedience.
When we allow human reasoning, sometimes referred to as common sense, to be our head or master, Spiritual poverty inevitably follows.
The Hebrew Sages see the circular form of the samekh as: the heart of God, which upholds and supports us, in the same way as a circle has no beginning or end, neither does our Heavenly Father. His love is from everlasting to everlasting, we can lean on His faithful love and support and as we do, we will be surrounded, supported, and kept in perfect peace/shalom in the heart of God.
Isaiah 26:3 says,
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
The meaning of this word through Hebrew eyes when putting this understanding together with the other letters is:
The Secret Place is: living in the midst of our Heavenly Father’s heart, trusting fully in His Word that covers us with His covenant promises of protection, because He loves us and He is head over all.
In Psalm 32:7 David wrote:
You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah
And in Psalm 31:19-20
Oh, how great is Your goodness,
Which You have laid up for those who fear You,
Which You have prepared for those who trust in You
In the presence of the sons of men!
20 You shall hide them in the Secret Place of Your presence
From the plots of man;
You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion
From the strife of tongues.
The words
hiding place and the secret place
come from the same root word.
To dwell in the Secret Place is:
to live in the midst of our Heavenly Father’s heart /Samekh, trusting fully in His Covenant /Tav Word
and trusting that He is Head/ Resh over all.
His covenant covers us with promises of protection, because He loves us.
David wrote:
One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
5 For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock. Psalm 27:4-5
Oh, how great is Your goodness,
Which You have laid up for those who fear You,
Which You have prepared for those who trust in You
In the presence of the sons of men!
You shall hide them in the Secret Place of Your presence
From the plots of man;
You shall keep themsecretly in a pavilion
From the strife of tongues. Psalm 31:19-20
Our Heavenly Father will keep us in the
secret place,
away from the strife of tongues.
These days everywhere we turn there is a contention/strife stirred up by things that are spoken surely we need a secret place right now?
The secret place
is a place of quiet, inside our souls, a place to rest in Him completely.
A secret place
is not just a stopping place or a place to run to in times of chaos and danger,
but a place to live, to abide, to dwell.
The secret place is IN Him, where we are to live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28
Outside of this place is chaos, confusion, fear and dread. which is the opposite of shalom/peace.
The secret place is the place to be, whether we are running from the enemy or not; and we can live there ALL of the time It’s a personal choice to remain in Him.
By putting the two phrases together we see that: He who Dwells – is one who has made the choice to live permanently in our Heavenly Father’s house; trusting in Him and honoring His Word. There the individual will experience the reality of our Heavenly Father’s right hand of power covering them; and in His fiery zeal He will consume all that tries to keep or draw the individual away from dwelling.
So once more to recap.:
To dwell in the secret place is to
live in the midst of God’s heart, trusting fully in His Covenant Word and trusting that He is Head over all.
His covenant covers us with promises of protection because He loves us.
If we haven’t found the secret place yet, we must spend time asking His Holy Spirit to help us and by reading this psalm and other psalms, we can feed on the attributes of our Heavenly Father. The more we know Him, the more we will dwell in the secret place.
There are countless messages and many teachings on the power of our words and how what we sow in words, we reap physically, emotionally and spiritually.
It is critical to remember that what we say about our Heavenly Father is of utmost importance.
His word tells us that out of the abundance of our hearts our mouths speak, so, what we believe about our Heavenly Father is heard when we speak and it sets a course for our faith.
In Psalm 91:2David writes: I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust. What David believed, out of the abundance of his heart, he said.
Proverbs 18:21says that, Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. David was living in the secret place and wanted others to enter in and enjoy the benefits.
He is declaring what he discovered about the Lord when he says, I will SAY of the Lord…
The wordSAYin this verse is one of those familiar words:
I will say
is Strong’s #559.
omar
אֹמַ֗ר
Phonetic Spelling:aw-mar’
And it means:
to utter, to say, answer, consider, declare, publish, report, think.
What we say is what we get because there is power in our words, they are containers of life or death. Just as pebbles drop into water releasing ripples, our words release blessings or curses, freedom or bondage.
Why is it so important about saying or confessing something, isn’t it possible to just believe it inside without saying anything?
The Hebrew text points out that, in addition to vocalizing, the word say,refers to internal speech. 2 Samuel 13:32; Esther 6:6. and it also refers to what is being conveyed by a person’s actions along with their words.
Exodus 2:14; 2 Chronicles 28:13.
The Hebrew letters for the word
say are:
אֹמַ֗ר
aleph/alef mem resh.
אֹ
ALEPH/ALEF 1 = God – Echad –
Unity, Unique – no other like it.
Picture: Ox head
Meaning: Strength or Leader, Most Important, First – The Strength and Power of the leader.
מַ֗
MEM 40 = Trial, Testing, Tribulation.
Picture: Water
Meaning: Womb, Water from the womb, Cleansing water, flowing water that brings life, Mighty, Massive Chaos, Humility, taking the low place, hidden relationship with God, Cleansing water, flowing water that brings life.
Resh 200 = Insufficiency, Poverty.
Picture: Head
Meaning: Head, Chief, Beginning, Highest, Most Important, a Person, Human Reasoning vs. Obedience. When we allow human reasoning/common sense, to be our master, our head, poverty of the Spirit results.
What we SAY, releases Aleph – God’s strength and power. In humility we are declaring our Mem- hidden relationship with Him. It transforms the circumstances of our testing, based on what we declare. What we say, reveals who, or what we believe to be the most important and worthy of our obedience – Resh.
In the secret place David discovered that Our Heavenly Father is Who He says He is, and by declaring Who He is, David consistently put himself in a position of trust. He kept his focus on the Lord God and he was not shaken by the circumstances around him, but instead he was rested, protected by Him, being free of stress and worry.
I will say of the LORD…
Our Heavenly Father wants to establish us in the secret place of His presence. He wants us to settle down and confidently trust in Him. Our focus and the choice of our words, what wesay, can enable or disable our ability to dwell.
When we are praying with other people and the prayers are focused on needs and people are crying out to our Heavenly Father for help, let’s ask Him to reveal Who He is in the midst of this circumstance; and begin saying/declaring those things in spoken prayer.
We could say for example:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are our help and that nothing is impossible with You. Thank You that Your name is above every name and You are Lord/Adonai over everything and every circumstance. You are our provider and all that we need is found in You. Thank You that when we ask according to Your will, You hear us and answer us. Father, intervene in this situation by bring about Your will and plan and purpose. You triumphed over the enemy at the calvary and You are exalted above all principalities and powers. Come now and show Yourself strong on our behalf because we place our trust in You in the wonderful Name of our Messiah Jesus Christ, Yeshua haMashiach.
These words redirect the focus of the prayer meeting from the problems to being centered on our Heavenly Father. Answers of salvation and deliverance will be released, not only for the specific situation being lifted up in prayer, but also for those seeking help, as It will build our faith and trust in Who He is.
Who do weSaythe LORD God is? What is the declaration coming from the abundance of our hearts? Is He truly on the throne of our lives and hearts? Is He known to us as our Heavenly Father, or is He still some far off untouchable, unreachable religious deity?
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide…”
Psalm 91:1
Abide is not really a common word we use today unless we are studying the Bible.
In John 15:4
Jesus/Yeshua gave a clear message:
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
The word abide here seems to indicate an invitation to stay. In Psalm 91:
ABIDE is
Strong’s #3885 and it is a primitive root.
In Hebrew,ABIDE is:
לוּן
luwn –
pronounced: loon;
or liyn –
pronounced: leen/luwn Phonetic Spelling:(loon)
ABIDE is defined as:
to stop (usually over night), to stay permanently, lie all night, (cause to) lodge (all night, in, -ing, this night), remain, or tarry.
The individual letters reveal more…
ל
LAMED
Numerical value: 30
Number 30 = Blood of Messiah, Dedication to a task.
Picture:Staff,Goad or Stick,
Meaning:to Teach or Instruct, Authority, to Control, Urge Forward, a Tongue
וּ
VAV
Numerical value: 6
Number 6 = Man.
Picture:Nail or Hook,
Meaning:to Secure, Pin together, Connect -Yeshua
FINAL NUN
Numerical value: 700
Number 700 = Restoration, Holy Spirit, Jubilee.
Meaning: Life or Action
The meaning of
To ABIDE is:
to permanently stay under God’s instruction and Authority, moving forward as He direct and when we do, our Father connects us with heaven, and manifests His life in and through us on earth.
Recall that He who dwells, is:
one who moves in permanently – trusting in God and obeying Him.
When he does, he will experience the activation of the Father’s hand of power, His Holy Spirit, consuming with His fire all that destroys or tries to invade, or keep us from His house.
ToABIDEpromises even more,by promising that He will teach us how to overcome our enemies by His power, and to keep them from invading our lives.
Build faith by readingJohn 15:4-6 again:
Abide in Me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;
for without Me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in Me,
he is cast out as a branch and is withered;
and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
To abide, like the word dwell, means: we have to stay put in order to receive the full impact of the secret place.
Instead of going from conference to conference and from teaching to teaching in search of spiritual refreshment; we can settle down in the secret place, spend time with Him and allow Him to uncap the well of living water that will never dry up.
All that is needed is for us to make Him our priority and put time with Him first place in our day because to remain fruitful, we must abide, stay close to the source of that living water.
In John 15:7 Jesus promised that, if you abide in Me and My Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done for you.
He will answer in accordance with His will and His plan for us, because He knows what we need better than we do. During times of trial and the testing of our faith, the thing we most often need is to know is that He is with us, and that His perspective on our situation is the best for us. Instead of complaining and questioning why things are happening to us, we should ask how can we cooperate with You Father, for Your Will to be established in this situation?
The answer may come quickly, however it’s more likely to unfold as a step by step process as we continue to wait, are willing to listen, and obedient to apply His counsel and instructions.
In a world where the media can be overwhelming with reports of danger and cause fear, we can choose to listen and allow worry and panic to rule us, or we can go to the secret place of the Most High and learn to abide, trusting in His direction where we can dwell, abiding in peace/shalom. The choice is ours and Psalm 131:2 is another beautiful picture of this abiding: Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Our souls include our minds, our will and our emotions…and in Hebrew thought, our bodies are also included so in abiding/dwelling, we will find complete peace/shalom.
When we choose to move into and remain in the secret place of the Most High, we become acquainted with the One Who is the source of every breath we breathe.
It won’t take us long to find out that only IN HIM do we live and move and have our being. If we are outside of Him and have not completely surrendered to Him, we are simply functioning on our own power, which is not going to have a happy ending.
The alarm is sounding and we all need to move in now and while there is still time, get to know the One who loves us more than His very life. In Him we have the source of all power, because all that is good is Him living in us.
Seek the lord while He may be found
and make certain the kingdom
in which you are dwelling is His…
because
…there is NO fence
only THE GATE!
Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
It’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
Here the translations of the verses use the words:
govern and rule as well as dominion:
Genesis 1:16 HEB:הַמָּא֤וֹר הַגָּדֹל֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַיּ֔וֹם וְאֶת־ NAS:light to govern the day, KJV:light to rule the day, INT:light the greater to govern the day light
Genesis 1:16 HEB: הַמָּא֤וֹר הַקָּטֹן֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַלַּ֔יְלָה וְאֵ֖ת NAS:light to govern the night; KJV: light to rule the night: INT: light and the lesserto govern the night the stars
1 Kings 9:19 HEB: וּבְכֹ֖ל אֶ֥רֶץ מֶמְשַׁלְתּֽוֹ׃ NAS:and in all the land underhis rule. KJV:and in all the land ofhis dominion. INT:all the land his rule
We are most familiar withGenesis 1:26: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness and let them have dominion over fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
During the last 2,000 years Christianity followed in their own way and not the way of their Hebrew/Jewish/Israelite heritage and have missed out on special blessings as well as spiritual experience.
The Hebrew word yiredu is translated into our English Bible as dominion but the Hebrew language has a different rendering for this word. Without exception all the modern translations of the Bible follow the common teaching that the word yiredu comes from the root word radah; which means:
dominion, or to subdue,
to rule over,
to tread upon like in a winepress.
It has been suggested that the root word is really yarad.
Here it would follow, that as the original inspired Word of God had no vowel dots, it would seem more correct to the original by using the root word yarad – to lower oneself,
rather than radah – to rule over.
In the original Hebrew, the word starts with a letter Y – Yod
which is a picture of a heavenly messenger
or yarad which means to lower oneself
and not an R – Resh in radah,
which means to rule over…something to chew on at least!
A King makes it his domain, his own.
Melek מלך
Melech (מלך) is a Hebrew word that means king and may refer to: Melech (name) a given name of Hebrew origin. The title of king in ancient Semitic culture.
a male monarch; member of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation.
The word me•lech is mentioned over 1,000 times in the Bible, but only a handful of references refer to our Heavenly Father. Interestingly, the title me•lech is a part of God’s name in every Hebrew prayer.
All Hebrew prayers begin with
Blessed are You Lord, King of the universe.
Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu,melekh ha’olam
ברוך אתה ה’ אלהינו מלך העולם
It raises a question as to why we see only a few references to our Heavenly Father as a King. An interesting note is that many of the Hebrew prayers were inspired by the Book of Psalms, where King is most frequently used in reference to Adonai.
“Thus says the Lord the King of Israel…”
Isaiah 44:6
“The Lord is King for ever and ever”
Psalm 10:16
“and the Lord sits enthroned as King forever”
Psalm 29:10
“For the Lord Most High is awesome; he is a great King over all the earth”
Psalm 47:2
All other references of me•lech/king are of the many human kings mentioned throughout scripture.
It is noteworthy to mention that Messiah is also called
King Messiah.
In Luke 23:2 “They began to accuse him, saying, ‘We found this man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king’”
that’s what the Greek wordeuangélionmeans – good news.
And what exactly is thegood news?
In western Christianity the answer is usually something like,“Jesus died for our sins and we are forgiven.”
That is good news, however, it isn’t exactly the biblical euangélion.
The realgood newsis clear in Mark’s introduction of Jesus/Yeshua’s ministry in this verse.
The good news is this:
God’s Kingdom is close and its time to repent.
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,[ the Son of God,[2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:“I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”[— 3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.
The writers of the new testament understood this. In Paul’s opening statement in his letter to theRomans he says:
Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, . .” Not, the
good news of forgiveness
but ratherthe good news of God.
The kingdom is close to arriving.
It’s worth a second thought that Yeshua/Jesus preached the kingdom, while the church/ecclesia mostly preaches Jesus/Yeshua. It is important to be aware that we may be preaching and teaching about Jesus/Yeshua, however we may lose the vision of the kingdom that He came to bring?
We first hear John speak In Matthew 3:2repent because the kingdom of Heaven is here.
The word heaven in this verse is shamayim and it is used as a reverent and respectful way of avoiding speaking the divine Name/Hashem – YHVH/YHWH. Notice Heaven has a capital H when it’s referring to our Heavenly Father, while heaven refers to the sky or in some cases paradise. When reading, we often miss the use of the capitalized letter which is not a typo or misprint but indicative of the above observance.
Yeshua/Jesus instructed His listeners about the kingdom of God, however the phrase kingdom of God is not anywherein the Torah/Towrah. It does have parallels in the Torah, (first 5 books); however, and it became more popular as the rabbis taught it so when Yeshua/Jesus spoke about the kingdom, it was familiar to the people because they knew what the rabbis taught.
What is the definition of the Kingdom?
Matthew 6:33…..
The kingdom of heaven /the kingdom of God
is tikkun ha’olam,
God’s redeeming work in this world.
We are not simply waiting for heaven to come to earth and neither is it an escape from our earthly life. It’s not just the hope of some special reward after our bodies die; rather it is doing with our Heavenly Father what He is doing right now.
InLuke 4
it’s, as Yeshua/Jeus tells us, healing the sick, visiting prisoners, forgiveness of sins, encouraging those in despair, bringing light to the blind both physical and spiritual and caring for the poor. It is giving hope in times of darkness, food to the hungry, health and deliverance to the captives; and making disciples. The reason the Kingdom of God is close at hand, is because all of these godly actions are only as far away as our willingness to do them. The gospel, the good news, is NOW, it is for everyone who has ever known the sadness and desperation of living in this broken sin sick world. The Kingdom of our Heavenly Father can be manifested anytime we choose to yield ourselves and experience His redemptive power. One day His Kingdom will be obvious and it will be manifest everywhere, until then, His Kingdom comes when we allow our Heavenly Father’s character to be shown to the world through our lives.
The Kingdom of God
אלוהים – elohim
מלכות האלוהים
The Kingdom of Heaven – מַלְכוּת הַש .
sha•ma•yim,
mal•choot ha•sha•má•yim
מַלְכוּת הַלְמַוּם
ממלכה
kingdom –
A nation having as supreme ruler a king and/or queen
Hebrew word מַּלְכוּ, malku (Strong’s 4437) translated ‘Kingdom’.
מַּמְלָכָה ‘mamlakah’ meaning Kingdom
Hebrew word מַּמְלָכָה, mamlakah (Strong’s 4467) translated kingdom, king’s, reign, royal
From malak ; dominion, i.e. (abstractly) the estate (rule) or (concretely) the country (realm) — kingdom, king’s, reign, royal.
In ancient times kings were kings over cities and smaller areas. Often called empires.
Nowadays there are only a few countries who have a royal family or a king /queen ruling over them; and most are in name only, not having the full control or dominion over the land they are king/queen over.
In His conversation with Pilate, the scripture tells us that Messiah stated His kingdom is not of this world
His kingdom is the kingdom of the heavens
and is not yet visible to us and we live in it by faith because… it is an unseen realm, one purely spiritual in nature. There is a scripture that tells us that…
the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ/Messiah and He shall reign for ever and ever. Revelation 11:15.
This tells us that it is yet to come and meanwhile, the adversary has Gods’ permitted rule and dominion as the prince of the power of the air and as Yeshua/Jesus said, in John 14:30 the prince of this world cometh…. He could not have offered them to Messiah during the wilderness temptations, if they were not his to offer.
The question is.. if we are children of light and the kingdom of the heavens is within us which kingdom are we living in and for?
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
John 17:11, 15–16
We are in the world but not of it so……
where are we dwelling?
Ps 91:1 states that He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide …
so where are we dwelling?
Is it IN the kingdom of heaven?
The Kingdom of Heaven – מַלְכוּת הַש.
This phrase is very important to every believer.
It is made of two words:
kingdom and of heaven.
Recall Hebrew is written from right to left, therefore
kingdom is on the right followed by of heaven on its left.
If heaven is sha•ma•yim, then what is the ha in front of it?
It’s the definite article the. The word the is not a separate word in Hebrew as it is in English, but is a prefix that is a part of the word that it is defining.
The wordsha•ma•yimwas given by our Heavenly Father…
“And God called the firmament Heaven…”
Genesis 1:8
..after He divides the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. Therefore, this word in Hebrew only speaks of the biblical narrative; the word
water –má•yim
is a part of the word for
heaven – sha•ma•yim!
Recall that there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. The kingdom of heaven is mentioned 22 times in the New Testament when searching for whole words (not combinations).
kingdom of heaven
מלכות השמים
malkut or mamlakah shamayim
mamlakah meaning Kingdom
Strong’s 4467
מַּמְלָכָה
used in
2 Sam. 7:13.
He shall build a house for my name,
and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
Hebrew wordמַּלְכוּת, malkutStrong’s #4438
translatedKingdomused in
2 Chron. 7:18. Then will I establish the throne of your kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David your father, saying, There shall not fail of you a man to be ruler in Israel.
מַּלְכוּ malkumeaningKingdomStrong’s #4437
used in Ezra 7:13 Levites, in my kingdom, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with you.
Kingdom of Heaven & Kingdom of God.
We read of two different phrases in the gospels:
kingdom of heaven and kingdom of God.
InMatthew, kingdom of heaven is used, while in Mark and Luke, kingdom of God is used. This is because in the Israelite culture of Messiahs’ day, and today, people show respect for our Heavenly Father by not pronouncing His Name. Another word is often substituted, e.g., heaven, the name (Hashem), or the mighty one.
For example, the prodigal son says to his father,“Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.”The son is using the word heaven as a reference to God. Here, Matthew is preserving the culturally-correct quote kingdom of heaven while Mark and Luke are explaining that heaven is a reference to God.
The words that Messiah spoke were probably
Malchut shemayim – mahl-KUT shuh-MAH-eem;
which was a phrase used then in the rabbis’ teaching.
The word malchut is related to the word
melekh which we have noted means king.
Malchut is associated with the
actions of a king: his reign and authority,
and also anyone who is under his authority.
and shemayim is Hebrew for heavens.
(Shamayim is sometimes spelled Shemayim).
A simple way of translating it would be:
God’s reign,
or
how God reigns
or
those God reigns over.
But what does it really mean?
The basic understanding of the kingdom of heaven was
God’s reign over the lives of people who enthrone him as king.
We might think that God by default as its creator, is king over everything He created. In scripture, however, it’s assumed that after the fall and the tower of Babel, the world began to serve other gods and here, God ceased from being their king. Much of the world did not know God, however the Bible promises that one day,The LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one. Zech 14:9.
The main question of Messiah’s day was when and how God would establish this kingdom over the world. It was believed that when the Messiah came, the Kingdom of God would arrive at the same time and all at once be established with great glory. Yeshua/Jesus clearly disagreed:
On one occasion, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied,The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:20.
Yeshua/Jesus meant that: an individual is brought into the kingdom of God when they repent and choose, deciding to accept God as their King, this is something that happens in a person’s heart; it is not a political movement nor a visible display of God’s power. Messiah agreed with the teaching of the other rabbis who said that; when a person committed himself daily to love God with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength, (by saying the Shema), he had received upon himself the kingdom of heaven. Meaning: the person had put God on the throne over their life and entered under God’s king-ship, giving Him dominion and rulership.
One of the reasons Yeshua/Jesus preached about the Kingdom of God was to proclaim the fact that He is the Anointed King (Messiah) and this Kingdom is His Kingdom. The good news of the kingdom is that when Messiah, the Son of God arrived on earth, the Kingdom had arrived with Him. Yeshua/Jesus told His disciples to go out and heal the sick, and say that thekingdom of heaven is near,meaning: this Kingdom is arriving NOW on earth, not that it isn’t quite here yet…. fulfilling Balaams 4th prophetic word..
in Numbers 24:17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel…..
A Star out of Jacob is believed to be what the wise men allude to when they search for Messiah as a child and report,
We have seen his star in the east. Matt. 2:2.
The word Sceptre used in Numbers 24:17 relates to rulership; Jacob used the word when he predicted that the sceptre would notdepart from Judah until Shiloh comes; Shiloh was a name used to identify the Messiah, Gen. 49:10. Messiah’s birth, accompanied by the unique cosmic/heavenly sign/signal, was in Bethlehem of Judea. Matt. 2:1.
For us the message is that Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, the King, has arrived, and He is continually establishing His Kingdom as people repent and follow Him. He always described His Kingdom as One which was gradually expanding using descriptions with which we are familiar: like a mustard seed or a tiny bit of yeast that grows and grows. He is describing the groups of believers that start small, and grow as people join. The finale will be when every knee shall bow, and every tongue will confess that Yeshua/Jesus is THE King of all Kings!
Note that the basic understanding of the Kingdom of heaven is our Heavenly Father and Messiah’s reign over people in this world. Often we understand it by likening it to heaven itself, leading us to think that Yeshua/Jesus was always talking about the place heaven, when in fact He was talking about His Father’s work in people’s lives. This leads us to understand that our Heavenly Father cares very little about the lives we live in the here and now, and that He is primarily focused on and cares very deeply about us and our final destination in heaven with Him.
We are not to always interpret the kingdom in terms of Messiah’s return; although of course when He does return His Kingdom will be beyond glorious. Sometimes in the 4 gospels we read the use of the word kingdom where Messiah’s return is referred to, or about His future Heavenly Kingdom, however, much of what He says about His Kingdom is about its’ reality in the here and now.
Which kingdom are we a citizen of/ a part of?
Which kingdom are we looking forward to?
Which kingdom has us in its grip?
Which kingdom have we given our heart, mind, life & strength to?
From David to Yeshua/Jesus, the everlasting kingdom rules and reigns; His kingdom is pure, righteous, holy and is without end.
Obviously we understand the connection between seeing and light.
In Hebrew the biblical prophet, the seer, is called
ro-eh, which also comes from or, light.
LIGHT – NOOHRA (ARAMAIC)
‘OR (HEBREW) אור נהר
The Hebrew word is spelled Aleph, Vav, Resh.
The Hebrew word forlightexpresses
aconnectionbetween thenaturaland thesupernatural.
No doubt that many reading this will have felt at one time or another that we are square pegs trying to fit in round holes! Our core values, convictions, responses, beliefs and feelings never seem to find a perfect equal and it’s in those times we must remember… this world is NOT our home and we are just passing through. We are not to build our piece of paradise here on this earth. The only firm foundations we are to lay down must be in our knowledge, understanding of our Heavenly Father and any building must be one of faith in the creator of all things, including the 1st paradise and the one into which we shall one day come.
Dwellsis not a common word that we use every day. Once in a while we may hear someone say…
it’s time to stop dwelling on that.
Meaning In other words, that we are stuck on an issue that has bothered us.
However the Biblical definition reveals another perspective.
Genesis 4:20 HEB: הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י יֹשֵׁ֥ב אֹ֖הֶל וּמִקְנֶֽה׃ NAS: he was the father of those who dwell in tents KJV: he was the father of such as dwell in tents,
Dwells is defined as:
to sit down, to remain, to settle, to marry,
make to keep [house], and to return.
Most of the words used to describe Dwell, point to it as a permanent address/place. It’s not like a hotel/motel or a type of travel trailer used during holidays/vacations.
To dwell means: to set up housekeeping, plant flowers, grow trees, hang pictures, to marry and set up a home/ housekeeping.
All the promises of this psalm rest on this first few words and therefore Dwelling is not an optional choice. Dwelling is an essential component for a believers lifestyle if we want to experience the benefits listed inPsalm 91.
It may be a good opportunity to reflect on exactly what this word means to us individually and furthermore, what does it mean to our Heavenly Father?
Looking at the Hebrew spelling of the word Dwell.
and remembering in Hebrew to read it from right to left
Bet Shin Yod….
Recall from previous posts that every Hebrew letter has a name, a picture, a number value, and a meaning. Interestingly, scientists have discovered that each letter also has a unique sound frequency. No surprise that our Heavenly Father’s chosen language is the only language known with ALL of these qualities!
The very 1st book tells us that His spirit moved upon the face of the waters…
Genesis 1:2 HEB:וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־ פְּנֵ֥י NAS: of God was moving over KJV: of God moved upon INT: and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface
The word moved is:
merachapheth – me·ra·ḥe·p̄eṯ – מְרַחֶ֖פֶת
which means:
to move rapidly, to flutter or to vibrate…
The Spirit of God vibrated over the earth and whatever were His vibrations which came from the sound of His kol/voice as He spoke.. all particles, atoms etc., vibrated in a symphony, synchronized with Him in perfect harmony and creation literally came into being. WOW!
Deeper look at the word: Dwell.
יָשַׁב
Bet Shin Yod….
YOD יָ numerical value of 10
has a meaning of:
The outcome, the completion of something.
Also Means: Hand, Right Arm, Power – Right hand of God’s power, a Deed Done, to Work, to Cover, Allow, Hollow, Open Hand, and also refers to His Spirit of Holiness as is always hanging in the air overseeing.
SHIN שַׁ numerical value of 300
has a meaning of:
Victory of good over evil, Holy Spirit.
Is the picture of: Teeth or Fire and
means: Teeth, Fire, the Fiery zeal of God to consume all His enemies, Devour, Destroy, Something Sharp.
BET ב numerical value of 2
has a meaning of:
Divide or Division.
Is the picture of: House.
Means: House/Family; God’s word, God’s dwelling place
A deeper meaning behind the wordDwell could be said to be:
He who Dwells is one who has made the choice to live permanently in God’s house/BET– trusting in God and honoring His Word
There he will experience the activation of God’s right hand YOD of power covering him.
And God in His fiery zeal will consume SHIN all that tries to keep or draw him away from Dwelling.
We are His dwelling place and He is ours and when we choose to trust and obey Him, we live secure in His Presence.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
Colossians 2:9-10 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
BECAUSE…
HE IS OUR BET/HOUSE—OUR SAFE/SECURE HIDING PLACE
2 Corinthians 12:9 But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me! Amplified.
He will pitch a tent over us and dwell – covering us with Himself.
Isn’t this a more preferable place to be, than in the adversary’s kingdom where stress is at an all time high and fears of every imaginable flavor abound? That kingdom, whose promises are always and inevitably too good to be true and those ventures that end in disaster and ruin. Luck and chance NEVER lead to victory and everlasting peace. The true kingdom is where the true shalom of a Heavenly Father with unconditional love is.
He longs to place us under that canopy where we can not only dwell in His kingdom but His kingdom can dwell in us too. We just have to do our part and make the choice to not just visit a couple of times a week…
but to live permanently to dwell in God’s house –
trusting in God and honoring His Word.
Thrones, dominions, powers, rulers, principalities and spiritual wickedness described in Ephesians 6.
1Tim. 1:17 so to the KING, eternal, imperishable, invisible…
One day we will hear the declaration of complete and total victory….
The kingdoms of this world
have become the kingdoms of our God and His Christ.
Revelation 11:15
Yeshua/Jesus said when He was here…
My kingdom is NOT of this world!
A principality is an area presided over by a Prince.
Jesus/Yeshua’s own words we
Can’t serve two masters ..god and mammon.
The world systems are comprised of commerce, buying and selling which requires some kind of currency; i.e. money/mammon and uses mens’ form of governments.
Trade – buying and selling, wealth, riches and pleasures.
The end times list includes
lovers of pleasures – not lovers of God.
The kingdoms are opposed to one another
The kingdoms of darkness and light…
good and evil…
holy and profane…
The world encourages a lifestyle of taking care of self FIRST.. self serving ..to save self, to better self, to advance self.
Are we building our own kingdom?
…trying to make our own paradise here on earth?
Are we continually trying to re establish our lost authority and dominion by building and creating our own kingdom where we are the king in control and safe within our domain?
This, by definition is seeking to save self and preserve our own life apart from Messiah who wants us to…. leave it all and go…seekig His Kingdom and His Way….
No where does scripture tell us to build our own kingdom; instead, we are to lay down our life and take up our cross.
So which kingdom are we in
and
in which one are we serving?
How does this understanding of the
kingdom and king and dominion
affect how we read the scriptures
when Jesus/Yeshua is teaching?
If we read Yeshua/Jesus’ sayings in terms of what our Heavenly Father is doing on earth, rather than in terms of heaven, it may give new insight to his words. When He said:
Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Matt. 19:14.
Childlike trust is a model for a believer’s commitment to God. Those who are humble, know they can’t live without His care and direction, and they approach Him as children would to their father; these individuals are the ones that He really can teach and have a relationship with. Proud people who feel they have everything under control have a very hard time being under God’s king-ship.
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matt. 6:33
If we devote ourselves allowing our Heavenly Father to direct our lives and do His will, He promises He will take care of our physical needs.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matt. 6:10
Tavo Malkhutekha.
When we say this in what we term as the Lord’s prayer,
we often assume that your kingdom come
means we are waiting for you to return.
We interpret it as a request for Messiah to return quickly.
The two phrases
your kingdom come and your will be done on earth
are really synonymous and are saying :
May all the peoples of the earth enthrone you as king! May everyone on earth know you and do your will!
There is no doubt we are all waiting for Messiahs return; however this is really a request for our Heavenly Father to use us in spreading the gospel/good news and establish His Kingdom on earth within every believer!
We cannot straddle both kingdoms with one foot in each and there is NO fence upon which to sit…we must decide and then live wholeheartedly in and for the kingdom we choose.
The words of this song should be our hearts cry for us not only to be within His Kingdom but to have the fullness of His Kingdom within.
Shalom shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.
… and…
it’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
YOD – 10 = The outcome, the completion of something.
SHIN – 300 = Victory of good over evil, Holy Spirit. 
BET 2 = Divide or Division.
SAMEKH 60 = Pride, Conceit, Earthly.
TAV 400 = the Outcome of Trial and Testing. 
RESH 200 = Insufficiency, Poverty.
A 
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