The Kingdom of Elohim Explained (An Ignored Subject in the Church)

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If you were to ask the average Christian to define the term “the kingdom of God” or “the kingdom of heaven,” how would they respond? They might say something like, “It is going to heaven when you die.” Or maybe they would think that it is the church or Christianity as a whole at work on this earth. More likely their answer would be some nebulous, pie-in-the-sky concept that is based more in Christian fantasy than biblical Truth. All of these answers would be missing the mark as to how the Bible defines this most overlooked subject in Christianity. So how does the Bible define the kingdom of heaven and why is it important to know?

To be sure, the kingdom of heaven or Elohim is a major, not to be underestimated, missing element in the preaching of the gospel in the mainstream Christian church and, I suspect, most so-called Hebrews roots or Messianic congregations as well. This is despite the fact that Yeshua made this subject a central theme of his preaching ministry and commanded his disciples to do so as well. This is also despite the fact the Gospels succinctly define the gospel message of John the Baptist, Yeshua and his disciples as “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Not only do few churches teach about repentance of sin or Torahlessness, but fewer still teach about the kingdom of heaven. This is a missing truth needs to be rediscovered and emphasized once again as it was in the first century.

This gross failure and blatant overlooking of this key aspect of the gospel message by most Bible teachers is punctuated by the fact that the kingdom of Elohim is the fourth most mentioned subject from Yeshua’s lips during his ministry (144 references in the Gospels of Matthew and John alone). The only other subjects that Yeshua mention more frequently were himself (316 references), his Father (184 references), the hypocritical religionists of his day (e.g., the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees et al with 177 references) followed by the kingdom of Elohim or heaven. In the Gospel of Matthew alone, “the kingdom of heaven” is mentioned 33 times. In the New Testament, “the kingdom of God” is mentioned 69 times. Obviously, Yeshua and the apostolic writers considered the kingdom of Elohim to be an important topic, and maybe our understanding of Scripture along with our future destiny would be expanded were we to follow suit.

Since the Gospel writers juxtaposed the two subjects of repentance and the kingdom of heaven, it is worth noting that the Bible is clear about an important truth: Without repentance of sin, one cannot enter the kingdom of Elohim. There is zero place for sin in the presence of a holy or set-apart (in Heb. kadosh), totally pure and sinless Elohim, for, as we read in the Bible, without holiness, no one will see Elohim (Heb 12:14).

Before delving into the subject of the kingdom of Elohim or heaven, let’s briefly note some other subjects that the modern church is more likely to teach about instead and then hold that up against the template of the actual words of Yeshua. 

During his ministry, Yeshua preached on about 136 topics. The following list contains a number of topics that the modern church often teaches about compared to the number times Yeshua talked about them:

  • Prophecy – 1 time
  • The rapture or the resurrection of the dead – 1 time
  • Grace – 1 time
  • Money – 3 times
  • Material blessings – 4 times
  • Forgiveness – 24 times
  • Heaven –10 times
  • Hell – 17 times
  • Salvation – 27 times
  • Sexuality – 2 times
  • Sickness (physical) – 1 time
  • The soul –1 time
  • Some subjects Yeshua never discussed include:
  • Self-esteem
  • Retirement
  • Sex, Sexual pleasure and fulfillment
  • Racism, Diversity, Inclusion (or so-called “wokeness”)
  • Sexual orientation
  • Self-fulfillment
  • Personal happiness
  • Social welfare
  • Politics
  • The economy
  • You fill in the blank as to the favorite subject of your local church pastor. It is likely it is not on the list of Yeshua topics!

Why is it vital to our spiritual understanding to learn about and then embrace the concept of the kingdom of Elohim? Because the establishment of the kingdom of Elohim starts with you and me. Yeshua declared that it actually starts within each person—in the heart and mind of each individual (Luke 17:21). He brought the kingdom of heaven down with him to the earth, deposited a bit of its spiritual territory into each of his disciples and then commissioned them to go forth and to expand that kingdom one life at a time. This is done by being salt and light to the world, and as each of us shares the good news of that kingdom everywhere. Are you fulfilling your role to be an emissary or ambassador for the kingdom of Elohim? If so, how?

The Scriptures have many things to say about the kingdom of Elohim that we need to learn about and that affect us directly. Let’s briefly explore some of the ramifications of this subject.

The Kingdom of Elohim Was a Main Theme of Yeshua’s Ministry and the Gospel Message

Spreading the good news of the kingdom of heaven or Elohim was the central theme of the gospel message. John the Baptist, Yeshua and his disciples all laid out the template for us to follow:

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt 3:1–2)

From that time Yeshua began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt 4:17)

These twelve Yeshua sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (Matt 10:5–7)

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Leviticus 26—Health, Wealth, Freedom & Security Promised for Obedience to Torah

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This new video will appear only on our Hoshana Rabbah Rumble channel, since it contains contents that the antichrist activists at YouTube will undoubtedly ban. Please subscribe to our Rumble channel, so you don’t miss any of our life-changing, YHVH-glorifying and edifying videos for your blessing! Shalom. Please subscribe at https://rumble.com/c/HoshanaRabbah.

 

Nathan’s Trip to Europe—Recap and Biblical Insights

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Six countries by plane, rail, bus, small boat, ship, taxi and a worn out pair of shoes—a trip of a lifetime for Sandi and me to celebrate 32 years and four children together. From Pisa to Pompeii, Barcelona to Rome, France to Florence and Andorra to Africa, the dust is still settling, and the head is still spinning from an epic trip. My cup runneth over. Now it’s time to reflect…

Wherever I go and whatever I experience, I am perpetually searching for deeper spiritual understanding. For me, it’s about going through life with an upward look, and a heart that desires to hear the voice of the One above. What is YHVH trying to teach me, how can life’s experiences mold and transform me into a more useful servant-tool in his hands? Ultimately, how will this help to advance his kingdom more effectively, and what wisdom and understanding is to be gained therefrom?

Gratefully, the obvious comes to mind. Safe travels from the time we exited our front door at 3 AM to catch an early plane flight eastward until we stepped back over the threshold of the same front door almost three weeks later. Take traffic, for example, and navigating big city streets. You think the traffic in L.A. or Jerusalem is bad, you’ve experience nothing until Rome! The melee of a gazillion pedestrians mingling with a zillion scooters, buses, cars, bicycles and trucks going everywhere at once. It’s a perpetually complicated dance between man and machine that the Italians have somehow mastered. Crosswalks and dividing lines between opposite traffic are mere suggestions, not the law—lines to color outside of to get from here to there more quickly. It’s an amazing miracle you don’t see more human pancakes laying squashed along the roadside, or smashed vehicles! Initially and justifiably, Sandi was reticent to enter this dance with possible death, but soon, she too was dodging and weaving the seemingly homicidal vehicles just like a native Roman. It’s either that, or “Sandi, I’ll meet you one the same street corner when I return to Rome sometime in the future!” By the grace of YHVH, we survived it all intact.

Weather conditions always seems to the first subject people ask about of travelers. So how was it? Again, we were blessed of YHVH. Exceptional mild, sunny spring weather the whole time. We experienced rain only twice. Both were short and violent outbursts rain squalls. For example, in Rome, we had just visited the Roman Forum and Colosseum, and were heading back on foot to our bed and breakfast a mile away via the Trevi fountain when the heavens let loose. Flooding in the streets is putting it mildly. But we made it back to the Trastevere neighborhood drenched, but nothing a hot shower afterwards couldn’t cure. The second time was after a tour of the Vatican complex where we experienced everything from the top of Saint Peter’s dome down to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Once again, the heavens let loose, this time with thundering and lightening just overhead. (One could only wonder whether YHVH was trying to tell us how he felt about Greco-Roman, Constantine churchianity!) In the midst of the downpour, we pulled raincoats out of our daypacks, and I purchased a cheap umbrella from a street vendor for added good measure, but soon put it away for fear it would reverse itself in the gusty wind. Just as the storm intensified, we hurriedly sought safe refuge in the open doorway of an Italian ristorante along a narrow cobblestoned street. In a flamboyant Italian manner, the restauranteur warmly welcomed us in where we experienced our most sumptuous Roman meal to that point. Again the grace and provision of YHVH even in the smallest things. Otherwise, during our entire trip, no clouds obscured our views; they merely adorned the heavens above with their billowy beauty. 

We successfully rendezvoused with all of our ten tours often after having to navigate narrow and windy cobblestoned streets and alleys with a GPS that failed to work. Dumb phones instead of smart ones! We toured Barcelona and travelled to the Pyrenees into France and Andorra. We then set a foot in the French Riviera for the day. Then it was off to Livorno, Italy for a quick jaunt into Florence and Pisa. Next we cruised to Tunis, Tunisia in Africa were we explored that  city as well as the nearby 3,200 year old ruins of Phoenician and Roman Carthage. After that, we spent the day in Palermo, Sicily—an island the Italian boot seems to be kicking like a football across the Mediterranean Sea. Then it was up to Naples at the ankle of the Italian boot were we visited Sorrento and then the ruins of Pompeii located just below the eruptive Mount Vesuvius. Then we ended our cruising at an port east of Rome where we took a train to that city for the remaining five days of our trip. There we visited a number of the main sights including the Roman Coliseum and Forum and the Vatican complex.

First the overview of our trip, then the insights.

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We’re Back!!!

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Nathan thinking about dinner after a weary day of traveling on the French Riviera.

It has been quiet on my blog for the last few weeks. Why? You may ask. Well my bride and I just returned from a little trip to celebrate 32 years together. We visited six countries in the western Mediterranean including putting a foot on the African continent for a day. We traveled by jet, taxi, large and small buses, train, cruise ship, small boat, and we pounded a lot of cobblestone pavement along the way. In fact, I wore out a pair of shoes in Tunis, Tunisia. The soles were flapping by the end of the day like a flat tire.

Along the way, we visited Spain, France, Italy, Tunisia, Andorra and the Vatican. Below are a few pictures out of the several thousand we took. We had four cameras going! I shoot videos, and Sandi does the stills. The pics below are all ones she took.

The highlight of the trip? For me, it was not the Vatican, or the French Riviera or Barcelona. Not Pisa or Florence, Pompeii and Vesuvius or Sicily. Not Andorra or the Pyrenees. Not the Coliseum, the Roman Forum in Rome or the Sistine Chapel or the Vatican Museum or even climbing to the top of the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. No. As great as these things were, what blessed me the most was slowing the pace down a bit and savoring life in the company of my wife, and experiencing the food and culture of Italy and the exploring the quaint back allies of the Old City and savoring the little things that are often overlooked in the mad pace of life.

Now it’s back to work, and the USA with its mass shootings (been home only a three days and there has been almost one a day so far), pudding eating Biden, the uni-party childishness of the Republicrats and Democans, and constant trans-trope with their alphabet soup of sexual perversions being crammed down our gullets. Oy vey!

Oh well, it is what it is, and may Yah give us the strength to stand firm for him until our ultimate redemption which draweth nigh comes from above with healing in His wings to straighten out this mess below and give rewards to is disciples. HalleluYah!

Please enjoy a few pics hopefully to get our minds on some better things for a moment or two!

Nathan taking a photo of Europe’s largest palm tree located in the Rome Botanical Garden.
Sandi and Nathan in front of the Duomo of Florence, Italy.
When finished, this minor basilica—La Sagrada Familia—will be the second largest church in the world after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It will have the tallest tower in the world at 560 feet. They started building the church in 1882 and it’s still not finished. This Barcelona church is Spain’s top tourist attraction.
Inside view of La Sagrada Familia.
Some good Italian food and a Negroni drink in the Trastvere neighborhood of Rome.
Visiting the tiny country Andorra high in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain. It is the sixth smallest country in Europe.
Nathan pretending to be Samson and trying to push over the pillars of what’s left of this pagan temple in Carthage, Tunisia in north Africa.
St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, the birthplace of Greco-Roman, Constantine Christianity, but NOT the burial place of Peter.
In Pompeii near Naples, Italy with Mount Vesuvius in the background.
No caption is needed here. Y’all know what this is!

Stay tuned for more pics and videos to follow as time allows. I will also be sharing some spiritual insights I gained while traveling through these five Catholic and one Moslem countries. The dust is still settling from this long trip through more than 3,000 years of history, and the cognitive overload of it all is mind boggling. All the while jet lag is still keeping us up at odd hours of the day and night.

Chiao and shalom!

 

Faith & Holiness—The Keys to Immortality and a Glorious Destiny!

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The destiny of the saint is to be a king or a priest in the millennium under King Yeshua the Messiah, and the redeemed believer is now in training to fulfill their ultimate destiny. What does this mean and how are we to live and act in preparation for the future as glorified sons and daughters of YHVH Elohim? Watch and learn to discover what the Bible says about this wonderful truth! This is a stirring, provocative yet encouraging video.