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BACKGROUND
DEFINITION OF TERMS (For Serious Students)
COVENANT
LAW
LAW
I. In the Old Testament
II. In the New Testament
GRACE
GRACE, MEANS OF
KINGDOM OF GOD
KINGDOM OF GOD, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
I. In John the Baptist
II. In the teaching of Jesus
III. Kingdom and church
IV. In the rest of the New Testament
V. In theological thought
The
full background to this teaching is available online at this link
<b>DEFINITION OF TERMS</b> (For Serious Students)
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Online links to scriptures (New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise stated) are shown in blue
| GOVERNING THE KINGDOM |
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___________THE THREE KINGDOM AGES__________
THEME______PATRIARCHS__PROPHETS___PEOPLE___
_______________Creation_____c.1500BC______c.5BC___
_______________c.1800BC_____c.432BC___Jesus Return
SOCIETY_______Nomadic_____Agrarian___Developmental
REACHING_______Family_______Nation________World
SALVATION___Righteousness____Law_________Grace
PRIESTHOOD__Melchizedek_____Aaron________Jesus
SUCCESS BY_Reproduction____Prosperity____Sacrifice
SACRIFICE______Isaac________Animals________Jesus
PROMISE_____Edenic Cvt.__Abrahamic Cvt._New Covenant
PERSONIFIED_Abraham (Seed)_Moses (Guide)_Jesus (The Way)
GOVERNED___Patriarchal__Authoritarian__Relational
For each of the kingdom ages, we see God provide a different form of governance for the people. A balance between what God required and the people desired.
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| THE FAMILY TREE |
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 The Patriarchal age was based around the family, a patriarch being, according to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, the 'father and ruler of family or tribe.'
The patriarchal system was extremely important to the Jews. And still is today. Hence the great emphasis they place on genealogy, which those of us with a western mindset struggle to appreciate or value. For under the patriarchal system, the family you come from and live in, has a huge influence upon your life.
So from the families of Adam and Noah, to those of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the book of Genesis places a huge emphasis upon family and family inheritance.
Interestingly, the original relationship between Adam and Eve was a relational, rather than a patriarchal one.
Genesis 2:22-24
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God is a relational God and this is how He would have preferred it to remain. But sin brings the dominance of one over another, both within families and in society in general. Unfortunately though, sin brought an end to this.
Genesis 3:16
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 The patriarchal system commenced. The spiritual fortune of the family became largely determined by the behavior of the husband. Noah's family was saved from drowning through Noah's righteousness.
Genesis 6:8-9
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Abraham had authority over his nephew Lot, although unusually, he didn't enforce it. Rather, Abraham gave Lot the option of where to go once he had determined the need to separate because of population pressures on resources.
Genesis 13:8-9
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 The patriarchal inheritance was passed down from the father, theoretically to the oldest son. But as in Abraham's line, this was also the spiritual inheritance, God intervened to ensure that the inheritance was received by the one with a heart for Him. For He was not bound by the system - this or any other! So we had the problem between the twins, Esau and Jacob. A problem the Lord informed Rebekah about before they were even born!
Genesis 25:23
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And Rebekah manipulated the normal situation of the oldest son's blessing so that God's will would be done.
Genesis 27:5-8
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 Rebekah arranged for Jacob to be covered with skins to become hairy and smell like his hunter brother. In spite of Isaac's doubts, Jacob received the blessing.
Genesis 27:27-29
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Isaac was not pleased when Esau returned, but he could do nothing about it. God had had His way.
Genesis 27:36-37
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 For the blessing of the physical and spiritual inheritance had already been given. An unwelcome blessing of servitude to Jacob was given to Esau.
Genesis 27:38-40
In spite of his personality flaws, Jacob did have a heart for God. God will always have His way.
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| JOSHUA, JUDGES, KINGS, PROPHETS AND PRIESTS |
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 As Jewish society changed from a wandering nomadic, to a settled agrarian lifestyle in Egypt and then Canaan, their structures of governance developed. Although not necessarily in line with God's will!
God raised up Moses and Joshua as leaders, to unite the people and organize their escape from the captivity in Egypt in the case of Moses, and in the initial possession of their own, Promised Land, under Joshua.
Coming as they did from a nomadic, family oriented background, there was considerable difficulty in getting the tribes (families of Jacob's sons) to work together. However, both Moses and Joshua managed to unite the people sufficiently to achieve the first stage of their promise.
Both Moses and Joshua were close to God. Both too, can be viewed as types of Jesus. Moses had the greater intimacy with God while Joshua was skilled in the strategy of war and general leadership. Both again, the right men in the right place at the right time, as God purposed.
Once Joshua died, national leadership dissipated, and the nation became a loose informal grouping of tribes. Family feuds festered. The Lord raised up 'Judges' who had authority within their own tribe and amongst those others who recognized their leadership. Generally this recognition only happened in times of hardship and external threat.
Finally, God lifted up the prophet Samuel to unite the country after a period of particularly severe persecution by the old enemy, the Philistines. It is amazing how external threats unite both families and nations! Under Samuel's leadership the Philistine threat was overcome and Jewish society was reformed.
However, Samuel had an unruly family. He placed his sons in judicial authority. The people were unhappy with this and demanded a king instead. This displeased both Samuel and God.
1 Samuel 8:4-9
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The people were warned of the dangers of instituting an authoritarian governmental structure, headed by a king. But the people persisted and God gave them their desire.
1 Samuel 8:19-22
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 Saul was chosen. He was the best human candidate for the position. Tall, well built, handsome, and a successful warrior. But with accompanying, very human, character flaws. King Saul was disobedient to the Lord's will, as had been predicted, and God finally rejected him choosing David in his place.
1Samuel 16:1
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 For David, in spite of his weaknesses, had a real heart for God.
Acts 13:22
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 Under David's leadership, approved by both man and God, the nation grew in strength to become a major regional power, by the time of his death. Unfortunately however, his son Solomon, although starting out well, was seduced by the usual vices of men, 'girls, gold and glory.' And in a big way! For he could afford it! Wisdom was insufficient to rescue him. He lacked godliness, a true heart for God.
After Solomon's death, as a result of his actions, and his son Rehoboam's signaled intention to further increase the hardship on the people, the country split into two.
1 Kings 12:12-19
The downward spiral continued, eventually leading to the downfall of the Northern Kingdom to the Assyrians in 722BC, and Judah to Babylon, in 586BC. An unsuccessful and costly error of judgement, going against the Lord's will and instituting a human based, authoritarian, governmental system based on man rather than God.
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 A 'relational' form of governance in which we have the ability, through Jesus, to have restored a direct relationship with God, our Father lost when Adam and Eve began mankind's rebellion by eating the fascinating, forbidden fruit.
Jesus came as the second Adam, to restore spiritually, that which was lost in the natural.
1 Corinthians 15:45-9
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As Adam and could physically walk with God 'in the garden in the cool of the day' (Genesis 3:8) so can we again be as one with the Father in Spirit, through Jesus.
Ephesians 2:18
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We are able to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:23-24
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 The Father is found only through Jesus. The Bible says it, not David Tait!
John 3:35-6
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 And we can only restore this relationship with the father through Jesus.
John 14:6
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 Jesus and the church are to be one, as in the examples of the body and marriage.
Ephesians 5:29-32
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 Problems arise however, when people, in their natural minds, take the authoritarian governance structure of the second kingdom age and apply it once again to the church. Effectively placing the intermediary of a pastor or priest between man and God. In the natural, the leaders concerned like this, for it gives them status and power. Many believers like it also, for it supposedly absolves them of the effort of building a personal relationship with Jesus. Nothing however could be further from the truth, for pastor, priest or parishioner! We have moved into a new and different kingdom age, one again of personal relationship with our Lord. Regaining in the spiritual, what Adam and Eve had in the natural, before they sinned. Therefore the role of leadership is to train the saints, not to rule over them.
Ephesians 4:11-13
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 The key then, is to prepare God's people in order to bring them to maturity, so each one of us may become representations of Christ to the world through a deeper and deeper personal relationship with Him. May we all learn to live in the 'relational' truth of today's kingdom age.
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| <i>NEXT WEEK</i> A REVELATION OF....... 3 KINGDOM AGES
THE 'OTHER' SIDE |
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 For us to have freewill there must be alternatives to choose between. For there is no choice without choice!
So we need to have both good and evil available to us.
This study looks at the different ways satan has persued his influence through the kingdom ages.
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| A NOTE FROM DAVID |
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 Many people, primarily through laziness, still prefer to seek a relationship with through a priest. And many 'priests' are prepared to try and do that for them! Unfortunately for them, both the people and the priest are doomed to failure.
For the only way to relate to God today is directly through a relationship with Jesus.
As leaders, we must be encouraging people not to rely upon us for spiritual fulfillment, but to seek Jesus for themselves.
We are not to relate to others on a priestly or elevated basis, for we are all in the same position. We all need Jesus personally! And to share our exeriences with others, in order to encourage them to seek Him personally too. The heirarchy of the priesthood in no longer applicable today.
WOMEN TRAVELLING
Women traveling in the ancient world.
Source: http://www.bible-history.com
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So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours
Learn more about us at...
www.wwj.org.nz/about.php
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A DAVID'S DOODLING
247. A believer communicates with God at their own convenience, but the disciple's heart is open to the Lord at all times.
David Tait
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Check
out the WWJ website for….
More David's Doodlings: www.wwj.org.nz/dd.php
Eagles Fly High!: http://www.wwj.org.nz/eagle.php
Eagles Fly High! (Pastors, Teachers and Students): http://www.wwj.org.nz/eaglepts.php
God Facts (A mine of information): http://www.wwj.org.nz/gfacts.php
Facts for Fun: http://www.wwj.org.nz/facts.php
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Jesus came with a new and better way.