Pv 29:2 ¶ When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
My father in law told me that the best government is a
benevolent monarchy. This is a true statement, but such men that can rule and
still care for their subjects with fairness, compassion, and justice are not
easily found, and a rare breed. A leader’s relationship and reverence for God
is very important to his successful reign.
Ps 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all
they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Those who are Born Again, and filled with the Holy Ghost, have available the manifestation of a word of God’s wisdom, as God wills; doing the right thing at the right time. Another manifestation is the word of God’s knowledge which tells you how to do it. These manifestations are sometimes coupled with other supernatural “gifts” of which there are 9 mentioned in 1 Cor 12. Basically when you have exhausted your given capabilities, God gives you some of His. Very cool stuff.
It has always been the LORD God’s intent to have good
leadership for mankind. Adam, the first created man was given dominion and
authority.
Gn 1:28 And God
blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish
the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Now when Adam/Eve followed Satan, and disobeyed God,
they gave the dominion to the devil, who became known as the adversary, the
“god of this world”. This was not what God wanted, the war with Lucifer, a
fallen cherub, had been going on for a long time, and one sin of man was not
going to stop God’s intent of having mankind, made in His image, as part of His
family. God is Salvation, and made sacrifice for Adam/Eve, a temporary “fix”
until the permanent sacrifice for sin could be legally done; a Messiah, Emanuel
(God in man), a perfect sacrifice to bring peace between God and man.
After Adam’s sin, God spoke of this to the serpent,
who was possessed by the devil:
Gn 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
This was the first prophecy by God of the coming Messiah.
Of course we know that the “seed of the woman” is
Jesus, son of Mary.
Melchizedek
Order
God set up the royal order to rule His people, this was a Priest, Prophet, and King that could be God’s representative of those things and a leader that would bless the people. This was the order of Melchizedek (King of righteousness and Peace). The Bible mentions this order in Gn 14, Ps 110, and Heb 5-7.
The DSS and Gn 1:28 tell us that Adam was the 1st and picked his great grandson to succeed him.
Cainan or Kenan was the 2nd and also picked
his great grandson to succeed him.
Enoch was the 3rd and he also picked his great grandson to succeed him. (Raptured at 365 years)
Methuselah was the 4th and picked his
grandson to succeed him. (Oldest man 969)
Noah was the 5th and picked his son to
succeed him. (Flood, perfect generations, Noahide laws which lasted until the Torah)
Shem was the 6th and picked Abraham to
succeed him; ninth generation grandson. (witnessed defeat of kings as prophesied by Noah,
Gn 14)
Abraham was the 7th and picked his son
Isaac, the promised son to succeed him. (friend of God)
Isaac was the 8th and by deception of
Rebecca and will of God, picked Jacob to succeed him. (loved Esau, first born)
Jacob was the 9th and by Divine direction separated the Order into 3 parts, to 3 of his 12 sons to continue:
Birth of Esau and Jacob
The Order of Priests was given to Levi.
The Order of Kings was given to Judah.
The Order of the Prophets was given to Joseph.
Jacob was the grandson of Abraham in the time period about 2000 years before Jesus Christ. He wrestled with a man who was a Christophany and was blessed and had his name changed to Israel.
Jacob's 12 sons became the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob lived in the time about 2000 years before Jesus the Christ.
Jesus is the 10th and eternal Melchizedek Priest, Prophet, and King. John the baptizer was the head of the school of the Prophets of the Essene Community and had the authority to baptize Jesus the Son of God, to receive all three as witnessed by John at the river Jordan when the Holy Ghost came from Heaven to anoint Jesus in the form of a dove.
Jesus ,of course is God in the flesh. He is the center of the Bible and our eternal King, Priest, and Prophet. He was the strength, guidance, and power for all the previous Melchizedek Order, and by the Spirit of God on all of those maintaining the Prophet, Priest, and King until He came and united them forever.
Every righteous and upright leader in History was
influenced by the teachings and influence of these men. They learned to fight
against the stolen power of Satan on the earth and trust in God to deliver
them. The Noahide laws were a legal foundation for the earth and honoring God
until the LORD gave the upgrade of the law to Moses at Mt. Sinai.
God’s
leaders
Aaron was the first High Priest. Miriam was a Prophetess. In the book of Exodus their leadership of Israel is recorded. God gave Moses the Torah, the foundation first 5 books of the Bible.
The LORD God told the Israelites (offspring of His friend
Abraham), that he wanted them to be His special people, a Kingdom of Priests,
and a Holy Nation. This was God’s intent. Moses led them to Mt. Sinai in Arabia.
Ex 19:1 ¶ In the third month, when the children of
Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into
the wilderness of Sinai.
2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and
were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and
there Israel camped before the mount.
3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD
called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house
of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians,
and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.
5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice
indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me
above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests,
and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the
children of Israel.
7 And Moses came and called for the elders of
the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD
commanded him.
8 And all the
people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do.
And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
At this point, God was not pleased with their arrogant
answer, and thus the 10 Commandments were given to Moses on Mt. Sinai and 603
more recorded in Leviticus. No one has ever kept the whole law except Jesus of
Nazareth, God’s perfect lamb.
Joshua succeeded Moses and led Israel into the Promised Land by conquest. Once the land was divided among the 12 tribes, (actually 13 because Joseph had given his lot to both of his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh), the land was at peace, and the people honored God while Joshua was alive. God was with Joshua and many miracles followed him.
Josh1:1 ¶ Now after the death of Moses the servant of
the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’
minister, saying,
2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise,
go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give
to them, even to the children of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall
tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto
the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto
the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
5 There shall not any man be able to stand
before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be
with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this
people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their
fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that
thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant
commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the
left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of
thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt
make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not I
commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou
dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Joshua and Caleb were both great men of faith. They are
the only ones who survived the 40 years of the wilderness wandering from the generation
that left Egypt. Only the children of that generation entered the Promised Land.
After his death, they went their own ways after other
gods and turned away from the LORD. Soon invading neighbors would put them into
bondage and tribute. When they cried to God, He would raise up a Judge to lead
them back to God and deliver them from their enemies. There were 12 powerful
Judges written about in the book of Judges, each being a righteous leader in
his time: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Samson, as well as, Eli, and Samuel. This was over a period of about 350 years.
Samuel was the last of the Judges and the first of the
Prophets listed in the Old Testament, as well as the High Priest after Eli.
Samuel was truly a great leader. He was given to Eli the High Priest and Judge
to minister to the LORD by his mother Hanna (Grace) who had prayed to the LORD
for a child because she was barren. God answered her prayer and Samuel was born
to her. Hanna promised the LORD that she would give Samuel to the LORD once he
was weaned.
1 Sam 3:19 ¶ And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him,
and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba
knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.
21 And the LORD
appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by
the word of the LORD.
Samuel Judged Israel for his adult life and led the people to trust God and the Philistines were repelled during his life. When the Philistines came against Israel with Samuel as their Judge, he made sacrifice of a lamb to the LORD and they were miraculously vanquished.
However, Israel wanted a king to rule over them like those nations around them. God was Samuel’s King and Samuel warned the people that the king would take their young men and daughters to be in the army and his court, and would tax them heavily to fund it all. But nay, they wanted a king anyway. Samuel as the aging Prophet of God anointed Saul as the first King of Israel.
Saul did a lot of good things and killed a lot of Philistines, who were the enemies of Israel.
His son Jonathan was strong in the LORD and very
brave. 1 Sm 13, we see an example of the valiant exploits of Jonathan:
1 Sm 13:6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in
a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves
in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.
7 And some
of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul,
he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8 ¶ And he
tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed:
but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.
9 And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering
to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.
10 And it came to pass, that as soon as he had
made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went
out to meet him, that he might salute him.
11 And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And
Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that
thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines
gathered themselves together at Michmash;
12 Therefore said I, The Philistines will come
down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I
forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.
13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done
foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he
commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel
for ever.
14 But now thy
kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart,
and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because
thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.
19 Now there was no smith found throughout all
the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them
swords or spears:
20 But all the Israelites went down to the
Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and
his mattock.
21 Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for
the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.
22 So it came
to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in
the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with
Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.
1 Sm 14:1 ¶ 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. But he
told not his father.
2 And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of
Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were
with him were about six hundred men;
3 And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s
brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD’S priest in Shiloh,
wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.
4 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, and the name of the other Seneh.
5 The forefront of the one was situate
northward over against Michmash, and the other southward over against Gibeah.
6 And Jonathan said to the young man that bare
his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised:
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.
7 And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all
that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee
according to thy heart.
8 Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over
unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them.
9 If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come
to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them.
10 But if they
say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the LORD hath delivered them
into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us.
11 And both of them discovered themselves unto
the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews
come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves.
12 And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan
and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing.
And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD hath
delivered them into the hand of Israel.
13 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.
14 And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and
his armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of
land, which a yoke of oxen might plow.
15 And there was trembling in the host, in the
field, and among all the people: the garrison, and the spoilers, they also
trembled, and the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling.
16 ¶ And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of
Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on
beating down one another.
17 Then said Saul unto the people that were
with him, Number now, and see who is gone from us. And when they had numbered,
behold, Jonathan and his armourbearer were not there.
18 And Saul said unto Ahiah, Bring hither the
ark of God. For the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel.
19 And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto
the priest, that the noise that was in the host of the Philistines went
on and increased: and Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thine hand.
20 And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.
So, because of the faith of Prince Jonathan, a great
battle was won by Israel with overwhelming odds. The swords of the Philistines
when they ran away probably found their way into the hands of Israel’s army.
Saul fought against many enemies and was a victorious leader.
1 Sm 14:47 ¶ So Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and
fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the
children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and
against the Philistines: and whithersoever he turned himself, he vexed them.
48 And he
gathered an host, and smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the
hands of them that spoiled them.
After Saul disobeyed God a few times, Samuel told him that God had given the monarchy to a man after His own heart. That was David; truly the greatest King of Israel. Samuel obeyed God, but was sad because he loved Saul. Samuel went where God told him to find the next King at the house of Jessie. Samuel looked at Jessie’s sons but God said none of these were the one. Jessie said he had one more son who was out with the sheep, for he was a shepherd. When David was brought in God said this was the one, for God does not look on appearance, but looks at the heart. So, Samuel anointed him with oil to be the next King of Israel, 1 Sam 16.
In time, David came to the rescue of Israel and killed Goliath by his faith and strength in the LORD even though a youth.
David grew in favor with all of Israel. After Saul’s reign, David became King of all of Israel. Jonathan and David were blood brothers in covenant with each other for life.
As we have seen, Jonathon was a natural leader. At
Saul’s last battle with the Philistines, both Saul and Jonathon were killed.
David mourned greatly. The only remaining descendent of Saul was Mephibosheth,
the son of Jonathan. He was crippled by an accident as a small child and was in
hiding all his life. David found him and brought him to his palace where he
lived the rest of his life. This was Hesed, or the love and mercy of God. David
did so because of his covenant friend, Jonathon, 2 Sam 7-8.
David set up a Tabernacle for the Ark of God. He did
this after the recovery of the Ark that had been taken by the Philistines at
the time of Eli and had been in Kirjath-jearim for 20 years. He wanted God’s
throne to be in Jerusalem and the people to worship the LORD openly and freely
without a veil or the High Priest to intercede. This was a new kind of worship
and in reality was bringing the symbol of Messiah (Jesus) which was the Ark of
the Covenant, God’s throne on earth. David had seen all of this as the Spirit
of the LORD was upon him. David many times acted as a Prophet while he was King
when God’s Spirit was upon him.
1 Crn 6:31 ¶ And these are they whom David set over
the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had rest.
32 And they
ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with
singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and then
they waited on their office according to their order.
1 Crn 15:16 And
David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be
the singers with instruments of musick, psalteries
and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.
David set up 24 hour 7 days a week worship of the LORD
at this “Tabernacle of David” for a period of about 33 years, until the Temple
of the LORD was built by David’s son and the next King of Israel, Solomon. 1
Crn 23-25.
1 Crn 29: There were more than 4000 singers a
musicians to lead the worship of the LORD at the Tabernacle of the Ark. David
paid them to perform the worship services perpetually for 33 years.
David had stored up gold, silver, brass, iron and made
deals for the stone cutters and wood cutters to build the Temple. The LORD had
told David that his son would build the Temple. This was a dual meaning, for
not only David’s son, Solomon would build the Temple, but God’s own Son Jesus
would build the eternal Temple.
The weights of the metals:
Gold 5000 talents, or 50,000 lbs… at today’s prices
(2000 oz) that would be $1,200,000,000.
Silver 10,000 talents, or 1,000,000 lbs… at today’s
prices (25 oz) that would be $300,000,000.
Brass 18,000 talents, or 1,800,000 lbs… at today’s
prices (3 lb) that would be $5,400,000
Iron 100,000 talents, or 10,000,000 lbs… at today’s
prices (1 lb) that would be $10,000,000
Many precious stones, plus the salary of all who were
doing the worship and building would be millions more. All in all David put
many billions of dollars in the worship services and the building of the
Temple. David had seen the Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus and knew that this was
the Kingdom of God in the making. He wrote several Psalms describing the
Crucifixion. To David it was more than worth it, for the earth is the Lord’s
and the fullness thereof.
The Tabernacle of David will be part of the worship of
the LORD for all time.
Isaiah 16:5 And
in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in
the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting
righteousness.
Amos 9:11 ¶
In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close
up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as
in the days of old:
Acts 15:16 After
this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is
fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
God promised David that his seed would sit on the throne of Israel
perpetually. His reign in Israel was in 1000 BC.
2 Sm 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou
shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall
proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall
build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for
ever.
Solomon was crowned King of Israel by his father, David. He loved
God and accepted this honor yet was young and sought God for guidance.
2 Crn 1:6 And Solomon went up thither to the brasen
altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation,
and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.
7 In that night did God appear unto Solomon,
and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.
8 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed
great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead.
9 Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David
my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the
dust of the earth in multitude.
10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may
go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that
is so great?
11 And God said to Solomon, Because this was in
thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of
thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and
knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made
thee king:
12 Wisdom and
knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth,
and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before
thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.
Solomon was the King in the Glory Days of the history
of Israel. He ruled in the wisdom of God, and there was peace during his reign,
970-930 BC.
He built a magnificent Temple with the wealth that David,
his father, had left him. Plus much wealth flowed into Solomon every year. He also
built his own Palace.
1 Ki 10:14 ¶ Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in
one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,
15 Beside that
he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and
of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country.
I wanted to highlight the Godly men/women in this study
who changed the course of civilization, but there are ungodly men who changed
things for the worse. Satan has influenced many over the course of history.
Solomon’s son Rehoboam was one, whom was King following Solomon. His harsh
treatment of the Northern tribes caused them to secede and split the nation
into Israel and Judah. Jeroboam, a servant of Solomon, led the revolt and
became the first King of Samaria. David’s seed continued in Judah and had many
good and Godly kings. Judah and Benjamin were the tribes of Judah.
Paul by the Holy Spirit tells us that where sin
abounds, Grace does much more abound.
Rm 5:20 Moreover
the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound: 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might
grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
So, even in the times of sin and idolatry taking place in Israel,
the LORD sent Elijah, and after that, Elisha to the Northern tribes in Israel.
These Prophets are considered great, as recorded in Kings. They did signs and
wonders that demonstrated that God was with them.
Elijah calls down fire from heaven, 2 Ki 1.
Elisha parts the Jordan River, 2 Ki 2
Some of the Godly Kings of Judah
who did right in the sight of the LORD:
Asa, son of Abijam, who ruled for 41 years, 911-870 BC. Azariah was a Prophet then. He took away the
sodomites from the land and pulled down the idols that his fathers and made.
Asa also cut down the groves where idolatry had taken place. His heart was
perfect with the LORD all of his days. 1 Ki 15, 2 Crn 14.
2 Crn 14:4 And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of
their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.
5 Also he took away out of all the cities of
Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.
6 And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the
land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him
rest.
7 Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build
these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while
the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we
have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built
and prospered.
8 And Asa had an army of men that bare
targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin,
that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were
mighty men of valour.
9 ¶ And there came out against them Zerah the
Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and
came unto Mareshah.
10 Then Asa went out against him, and they set
the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and
said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with
them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in
thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not
man prevail against thee.
12 So the LORD
smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.
The Ethiopians never recovered from this defeat, and
Asa took lots of spoil back to Jerusalem.
Jehoshaphat son of Asa
reigned 25 years, 870-848 BC.
2 Crn 17:1 ¶ And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead,
and strengthened himself against Israel.
2 And he placed forces in all the fenced cities
of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim,
which Asa his father had taken.
3 And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he
walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim;
4 But sought to the LORD God of his
father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.
5 Therefore the LORD stablished the kingdom in
his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and
honour in abundance.
6 And his heart
was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places
and groves out of Judah.
7 Also in the third year of his reign he sent
to his princes, even to Benhail, and to Obadiah, and to Zechariah, and
to Nethaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah.
8 And with them he sent Levites, even
Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and
Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, Levites; and with them
Elishama and Jehoram, priests.
9 And they taught in Judah, and had the
book of the law of the LORD with them, and went about throughout all the cities
of Judah, and taught the people.
10 ¶ And the
fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round
about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.
This was a good start, but the only perfect man without sin was our Lord Jesus. Later in Jehoshaphat’s reign he made some mistakes and joined with the evil kings of Israel in war against enemies that almost cost him his life.
2 Crn 20:1 ¶ It came to pass after this also, that
the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other
beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat,
saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this
side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is
Engedi.
3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to
seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to
ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to
seek the LORD.
5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of
Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,
6 And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art
not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the
heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is
able to withstand thee?
7 Art not thou our God, who didst
drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it
to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a
sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as
the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and
in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in
our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and
Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came
out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;
11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to
come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we
have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know
we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
13 And all
Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their
children.
14 ¶ Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the
son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of
Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;
15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto
you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the
battle is not yours, but God’s.
16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold,
they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the
brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle:
set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with
you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against
them: for the LORD will be with you.
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his
face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before
the LORD, worshipping the LORD.
19 And the
Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the
Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
20 ¶ And they rose early in the morning, and went
forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood
and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the
LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye
prosper.
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he
appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness,
as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth
for ever.
22 And when they began to sing and to praise,
the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir,
which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up
against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them:
and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to
destroy another.
24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in
the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were
dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.
25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to
take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches
with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for
themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in
gathering of the spoil, it was so much.
26 And on the
fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they
blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley
of Berachah (blessing), unto this day.
As we look at the great kings of Judah, there are some
things that they all share:
They loved, respected, and honored the LORD.
For the most part they obeyed the laws of God. When a
Prophet warned them of their disobedience, they were quick to repent and come
back to God.
This was patterned after their father, David, who committed
adultery and murder, but repented and changed his mind back to God. However,
sin always has a consequence of destruction. In David’s case, his child with
Bathsheba died. His son, Absalom, revolted against him and was killed.
Romans 6:23 For
the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Uzziah son of Amaziah reigned 52 years starting at 16 yr old,
781-740 BC.
2Crn 26:2 He built Eloth, and restored it to
Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers. 4 And he did that which was right in the
sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did.
5 And he sought God in the days of Zechariah,
who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD,
God made him to prosper.
6 And he went forth and warred against the
Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the
wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines.
7 And God helped him against the Philistines,
and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims.
8 And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and
his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he
strengthened himself exceedingly.
9 Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at
the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall,
and fortified them.
10 Also he
built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both
in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vine
dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry.
13 And under their hand was an army,
three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with
mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.
14 And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all
the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings
to cast stones.
15 And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by
cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and
great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously
helped, till he was strong.
16 ¶ But when he was strong, his heart was lifted
up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and
went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and
with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men:
18 And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said
unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto
the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn
incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it
be for thine honour from the LORD God.
19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer
in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the
leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the
LORD, from beside the incense altar.
20 And Azariah the chief priest, and all the
priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead,
and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out,
because the LORD had smitten him.
21 And Uzziah
the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being
a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was
over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.
Power and self reliance is what corrupted King Uzziah,
he did right in the beginning of his reign and prospered.
God did not like for His Kings to act a Priests. As we
have seen, Saul was guilty of this, and now Uzziah. Jacob, the 9th
Melchizedek Priest, King, Prophet had separated the offices and they would
remain that way until Messiah would come to earth. Understand this, all
sickness comes directly or indirectly from Satan, not God. If God removes His
protection, Satan comes in to steal, kill, and destroy.
Acts 10:38 How
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went
about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for
God was with him.
Jesus is the same, yesterday, today, and forever… Just like God, because
He is God. Heb 13:8.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
In the Old times people blamed God for everything. God does not
have sickness to give. Sickness is a perversion of God’s creation.
Jotham,
son of Uzziah, was 25 years old when he began to reign and reigned 16 years,
740-736 BC. Some of his time was a regent because of the separation of his
father because of leprosy. His mother’s name also [was] Jerushah, the daughter
of Zadok. Zadok was the faithful Priest at the time of David.
2 Crn 27:2 And he did [that
which was] right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father
Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the people
did yet corruptly.
3 He built the high gate of the house of the
LORD, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.
4 Moreover he built cities in the mountains of
Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.
5 He fought also with the king of the
Ammonites, and prevailed against them. And the children of Ammon gave him the
same year an hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and
ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon pay unto him, both
the second year, and the third.
6 So Jotham
became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.
Jotham probably did not go into the Temple because of the deal
with his father’s leprosy, vs 2.
Hezekiah, son of Ahaz (bad), was 25
when he began to reign and did so for 29 years, 716-687 BC.
2 Ki 18:3 And he did that which was
right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.
4 He removed the high places, and brake the
images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that
Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to
it: and he called it Nehushtan.
5 He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that
after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that
were before him.
6 For he clave to the LORD, and departed
not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded
Moses.
7 And the LORD was with him; and he
prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of
Assyria, and served him not.
8 He smote the
Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of
the watchmen to the fenced city.
In the 4th year
of Hezekiah’s reign, Shalmaneser the king of Assria besieged Samaria and took
them all away captive to Assria.
2 Ki 18:12 Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD
their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant
of the LORD commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them.
13 Now in the
fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up
against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. (modern Syria).
They threatened them and King Hezekiah took them a bribe of silver
and gold out of the Temple. Rabshakeh was the Assyrian general in charge of his
vast army. He was cocky and arrogant and threatened King Hezekiah that they had
overcome all the gods of Israel and would not have any problem taking Jerusalem
of Judah. The messengers that King Hezekiah sent came back with their clothes
rent and very discouraged.
2 Ki 19:1 ¶ And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard
it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and
went into the house of the LORD.
2 And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah,
This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children
are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
4 It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the
words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach
the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard:
wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.
5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to
Isaiah.
6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say
to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast
heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
7 Behold, I
will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his
own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
8 ¶ So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of
Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from
Lachish.
9 And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of
Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers
again unto Hezekiah, saying,
10 Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of
Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying,
Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
11 Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of
Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be
delivered?
12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them
which my fathers have destroyed; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and
the children of Eden which were in Thelasar?
13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the
king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?
14 And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand
of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the
LORD, and spread it before the LORD.
15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and
said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou
art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou
hast made heaven and earth.
16 LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open,
LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent
him to reproach the living God.
17 Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have
destroyed the nations and their lands,
18 And have cast their gods into the fire: for they
were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore
they have destroyed them.
19 Now
therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that
all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even
thou only.
20 ¶ Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah,
saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed
to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.
21 This is the word that the LORD hath
spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and
laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
22 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and
against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high?
even against the Holy One of Israel.
23 By thy messengers thou hast reproached the
Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the
height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall
cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter
into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel.
24 I have digged and drunk strange waters, and
with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places.
25 Hast thou not heard long ago how I
have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I
brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into
ruinous heaps.
26 Therefore their inhabitants were of small
power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the
field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as
corn blasted before it be grown up.
27 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and
thy coming in, and thy rage against me.
28 Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is
come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle
in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
29 And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye
shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year
that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and
plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof.
30 And the remnant that is escaped of the house
of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.
31 For out of
Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the
zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.
32 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the
king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there,
nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he
return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for
mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
35 ¶ And it came to pass that night, that the
angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred
fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold,
they were all dead corpses.
36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and
went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
37 And it came
to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that
Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped
into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.
Just as the Prophet Isaiah had said.
Understand these Biblical facts are real history. There are many archeological finds that prove the stories in the Bible are true. Shalmaneser’s wall relief tells the story of Lachish and taking away Samaria, yet his loss of 185,000 troops killed by the Angel of God in his attempt to capture Jerusalem is somehow left out. Imagine that.
The Bible is full of such stories of hero’s whom God used to deliver the Nation and people of God. There are way too many to mention in this teaching. I wanted to give you some examples of what God has done for His servants who were Kings and leaders.
Great empires that are mentioned in the Bible, usually are only because their interaction with Israel/Judah. We have seen that Assyria took Israel captive because of idolatry in 721 BC.
Judah was also taken captive to Babylon after a siege of Jerusalem for 3 years in 597 BC the complete destruction of the Temple and further captives took 10 years until 587 BC. The people were warned by Prophets to return to the LORD, but they continued with idolatry and the latter Kings were bad and were deaf to the truth. Isaiah and Jeremiah were two of the Prophets who warned Judah. King Manasseh of Judah had Isaiah sawed in half. Jeremiah was killed in the siege of Jerusalem by stoning. Before his death, he hid the Ark of the Covenant according to the book of Macabees.
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Asariah were some of the youth that were taken to Babylon. The King of Babylon was Nebuchadnezzar, who was very powerful and ruled an empire. After Daniel interpreted a dream for the king, he was promoted to prime minister and made the head of the School of the Magi. Daniel was a great Prophet of God and held that Prime Minister position through 4 kings.
Daniel before Nebuchadnezzar and interpret his dream.
He suffered by men who wanted him removed, even thrown
in a lion’s den, but God saved him and destroyed his enemies.
Nebuchadnezzar renamed Hananiah, Mishael, and Asariah to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. After they were thrown in a fiery furnace and survived without harm (because God sent His Son to be with them), the king appointed them to the School of the Magi under Daniel, Dn 3.
Ezekiel was another Prophet in Babylon under the
captivity. He was another great Prophet of God and got to see God and His
portable throne room, as well as receiving the plans for the 3rd
Temple, and visions of Israel being restored.
The last book of the OT is Malachi. He prophesied:
Mal 4:1 ¶ For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn
as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble:
and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it
shall leave them neither root nor branch. (future judgment of the fire of God)
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun
of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and
grow up as calves of the stall. (Jesus the King)
3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they
shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this,
saith the LORD of hosts.
4 ¶ Remember ye the law of Moses my servant,
which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes
and judgments.
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
6 And he shall
turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to
their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (John the Baptist-according
to Jesus)
New Testament
There are 400 years of silence in the Bible until the
NT.
The Dead Sea Scrolls record some history from this era and were hidden
for close to 2000 years.
Isaiah speaks of this: Isa 29:4 And thou shalt be
brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be
low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar
spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.
After Israel became a nation again in one day (as prophesied), the DSS were discovered in Qumran near the Dead Sea. They were records kept by the Essene scribes, who were descendants of Aaron through Zadok, the High Priest at the time of David. Records found were writings from all of the books of the OT, Enoch, Jasher, Jubilees, testaments of Noah and the Patriarchs, and other writings. This proved that the Masoretic text of the Jewish Bible was accurate as the date of the DSS being buried is about 200 BC. Masoretic is the accepted text of KJV OT as well as other early English translations.
The Essenes told how they left Jerusalem with their
books and went to Qumran because of the perversion of the truth of the Word
concerning the Messiah to come. The Pharisees and Sadducees were at war with
one another and had changed the calendar to a lunar one. (See my teachings on
the Gospel of the Old Ones).
The Order also accurately predicted the birth of the
Messiah in 2 BC and the sacrificial death and resurrection in 32 AD. They still
maintained the School of the Prophets. They knew of the future Tribulation and
that Messiah would come for His own before the time of Jacob’s Trouble would come.
The gospels tell us about the conception, life,
ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus and all of the hundreds of
prophecies written in the scriptures about Messiah that Jesus fulfilled. He was
and is the One true Messiah, God in the flesh, Immanuel, the Prince of Peace,
and the Mighty God.
Jesus’ family was very special. His father, Joseph,
was descended from the King David as prophesied. Yet the line of King Coniah
(one of the last bad kings of Judah) was cursed by God in Jer 32:30.
30 Thus saith
the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in
his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of
David, and ruling any more in Judah.
But God’s plan will never fail. You see in Gn 3:15 God said to the serpent: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. So, Christ Jesus is descended from Mary, the seed of the woman, whose Father is God. Mary’s line is traced in Luke from David’s son Nathan, not the line of kings.
As the Bible teaches, Jesus was born of a virgin in Bethlehem, which is the City of David. He was the incarnation of God in man, called Immanuel, the Mighty God, and the Prince of Peace. He taught of the Grace of God, He healed many, fed thousands with a boy’s lunch, He walked on water, He calmed the storm, Jesus raised the dead, everywhere He went He did good and blessed all who saw him or heard of Him. Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophecies about His coming.
Mary’s aunt Elizabeth also had a miracle birth in her old age of John the Baptist, who is Jesus’ cousin. He was the leader of the School of the Prophets of the Essenes when Jesus came to him to be baptized. John was 6 months older than Jesus.
Mt 3:13 ¶ Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto
John, to be baptized of him.
14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be
baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it
to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he
suffered him.
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up
straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a
voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
John was the one who had the authority to baptize Jesus and bring the Melchizedek order of King, Prophet, and Priest back into one man, who would be the 10th and final and eternal Melchizedek Priest.
Ps 110:4 The
LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after
the order of Melchizedek.
Paul writes, by the Holy Ghost, of this order and how
Jesus fulfilled it in Heb 7-10. By the way the Essenes prophesied that in the
book of the New Covenant to yet be written, a Benjamite would write how all of
this comes together. That was Paul, who wrote 14 of the 27 books of the NT.
Jesus was and is the Perfect Sacrifice as the Lamb of God. Judaism, ran by the Pharisees and Sadducees were threatened by Jesus and His teachings of His Father. They finally convinced Roman authorities to execute Him, as they had no power to do so under Roman rule. They crucified Jesus at the altar of the cross.
His innocent and Divine blood saved the world from sin for those who accept Him and believe Him.
Jesus promised to not leave His followers alone, and
50 days after His resurrection, on the day of Pentecost, He sent the Holy Ghost
to His followers and the Christian Church was started, Acts 1-2.
At the Crucifixion the dispensation of the law ended
and at the resurrection, the dispensation of Grace began and was given Divine
Power with the Holy Ghost. The mystery of the Church was not recognized in
Judaism of that day. This was prophesied in Dn 9 and the time of trouble for
Israel was 490 years. 483 years into this period Messiah was cut off. The last
7 years of the time of Jacob’s Trouble is the Tribulation yet to come. The
Rapture will end the dispensation of Grace. Armageddon is the 2nd
Coming of Jesus to conquer the earth. Then after that is the millennial reign
of Christ on earth, Rev 19-21.
Age of Grace
My last series was on the 7 Churches in Revelation.
These plot out the different times of the Church during the age of Grace, of
which we are coming close to the end of, for the time is at hand and the Rapture is imminent.
During the Church Age there have been many Godly men
and women who have honored and followed God. All of Western Civilization was
built on the Judeo/Christian God Jehovah and His laws, the Bible, became the foundation for the moral laws
around the world.
There are basically 5 different forms of government:
Monarchy- which we have been studying the benevolent
kind where a good king rules.
Aristocracy- where a group of good men governs.
Democracy- the weakest type of rule, for the majority
rules whether right or wrong. Our Republic is a form of democracy, but one
where we have checks and balances and elect representatives to run the
government under the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.
Oligarchy- where the rich, and usually corrupt, run
the government.
Tyranny- where an evil man rules. (socialism, marxism,
communism, and the like)
Here is a list (although not in any way complete) of many leaders who have affected the world and their nations in this age of Grace we live in. These were some of those who honored God and did their best to follow Him.
Early Church Fathers who continued in the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the 2nd and 3rd Centuries, men like: Clement of Rome, Mathetes, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus.
Constantine the Great: 306-337 who
was the last Roman Emperor who converted to Christianity and relieved the
Christians of persecution, and made Christianity the world religion. He also
had part with the Church leaders to Canonize the books of the New Testament.
King Charlemagne: 800 who was king
of the Franks. He united Western Europe and was known as the King of the Holy
Roman Empire which was revived after several hundred years.
Martin Luther: a German theologian who
was mainly responsible for the Protestant Reformation and published his 95
thesis in 1517 to try to turn the Catholic Church back to Jesus and the Bible.
His life was threatened for his stance for Jesus and the Word.
England:
Alfred the Great 875-880: united
the kingdom.
King Richard I: known as Richard the Lion Heart, great warrior and king till 1199.
King Edward I: 1272-1307 reformed
common law.
Queen Elizabeth I: 1558-1603 Queen
of England and Ireland, secured the Church of England.
King James I: gathered 47 of the
best Hebrew and Greek scholars and translated the KJV of the Bible which became
the standard Bible in English for the world in 1611 and still holds that
standard. It is the best version as far as accuracy to the Hebrew and Greek.
The KJV has so many Divine anomalies that show that it is from God. (see my
study on the Marvelous King James Bible).
Prime Minister Winston Churchill:
1940-1955 twice Prime Minister. Instrumental in leading the United Kingdom in
WWII.
Queen Elizabeth II :1952-2022
longest reigning monarch of England.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher:
1979-1990 first woman Prime Minister and longest serving in the 20th
Century. Conservative leader of United Kingdom during the cold war.
United States:
John Smith and Captain Christopher
Newport in 1607 led the first settlement in America in James Towne (Virginia).
Smith was instrumental in making friends with the Natives to help feed the
settlers.
John Smith
Captain Christopher Newport
John Alden and William Bradford in
1620 came to America on the Mayflower as Puritans to escape the Church of
England who was too much Catholic. Bradford became the 1st Governor
of Plymouth, RI, with Alden as his assistant. Puritans believed that Salvation comes
from a Covenant with God through His Son Jesus Christ.
Daniel Boone: 1734-1820,
frontiersman who explored and lived in KY. Patriot and fought in the
Revolutionary War. Elected to the House
of Delegates in Fayette County, later Kentucky.
Samuel Adams: 1722-1803, born in
Boston MA, was a primary leader of the movement that became the Revolutionary
War. Founding father, patriot.
Patrick Henry: 1736-1799, born in
Studley VA, patriot, founding father, served as Gov of VA, member of 1st
Continental Congress. Famous quote, Give me liberty or give me death!
John Hancock: 1737-1793, born in
Braintree MA, patriot, founding father, 1st President of the
Continental Congress.
Davy Crocket: 1786-1836, born in
Limestone TN, king of the wild frontier, patriot, soldier, Congress as TN
representative, died fighting at the Alamo in TX.
George Washington: 1732-1799, born
in VA, mostly self educated, founding father, patriot, valiant soldier, general
in Rev war, 1st President.
USA Christian Founding
Although this is not all of the
founding fathers, it is a good show of these people that:
- signed the Declaration of Independence
- signed the Articles of Confederation
- attended the Constitutional Convention of 1787
- signed the Constitution of the United States of America
- served as Senators in the First Federal Congress (1789-1791)
- served as U.S. Representatives in the First Federal Congress
Some signed more than one document and served more than one
role, 204 unique individuals.
|
Religious Affiliation |
# of |
% of |
|
Episcopalian/Anglican |
88 |
54.7% |
|
Presbyterian |
30 |
18.6% |
|
Congregationalist |
27 |
16.8% |
|
Quaker |
7 |
4.3% |
|
Dutch
Reformed/German Reformed |
6 |
3.7% |
|
Lutheran |
5 |
3.1% |
|
Catholic |
3 |
1.9% |
|
Huguenot |
3 |
1.9% |
|
Unitarian |
3 |
1.9% |
|
Methodist |
2 |
1.2% |
|
Calvinist |
1 |
0.6% |
|
TOTAL |
204 |
|
Abraham Lincoln: 1809-1865, born in
KY, self educated, patriot, abolitionist, 16th President, ended the
Civil War and united the Country. Assassinated.
Teddy Roosevelt: 1858-1919, born in New York NY, patriot, soldier, 26th President, expanded the Navy to a world sea power, won the Nobel Peace Prize for his successful actions in the Russo-Japanese war, famous for the “fair deal” for Americans. He was shot in the chest delivering a speech, and stayed to finish the speech because he determined the bullet had not entered his lung.
Franklin Roosevelt: born in Hyde
Park NY, 32nd President, served more than 2 terms 1933-45, focused
on ending the Great Depression, instituted the “new deal”, in the 3rd
term focused on WWII and winning the war. He died and Harry Truman, his Vice
President, dropped the bomb on Japan and ended the Pacific war with Japan.
Truman was the 1st to recognize Israel in May 1948.
Jewish men help USA win wars
Haym Salomon financed much of the
American Revolution out of his own pocket and helped George Washington to win
the war. He died a pauper in debtors prison.
Chaim Weizmann was a chemist that
saved Britton in WWI, who had cut down all their forests to make acetone for
gunpowder and were running low. Weizmann taught them how to convert their
distilleries to make acetone out of grain. He became the 1st
President of Israel in 1949,
J Robert Oppenheimer and Albert
Einstein were brilliant Jewish physicists who developed the bomb to help end
WWII.
USA has helped Israel in all of
their wars since their inception in 5/14/1948. They are our ally in the Middle
East with a similar government.
Dwight D Eisenhower: 1890-1969,
born in Denison TX, powerful man and patriot, became the Supreme Allied
Commander in WWII- 5 stars, Organized D Day, 34th President.
John F Kennedy: 1917-1963, born in
Brookline IA, patriot, Commander of PT109 in WWII, 35th President-
youngest one, champion for civil rights, called to put men on the moon, friends
with Martin Luther King Jr. , a leader in the civil rights movement, both were Assassinated. Also Robert Kennedy
who was the Attorney General- and probably would have been the next President,
the brothers were close.
Ronald Wilson Regan: 1911-2004:
patriot, actor, Governor of CA, 40th President- 2 terms, built
economy, lowered taxes, built up the military, told Mikhail Gorbachev of Russia
to take down the Berlin wall (Iron Curtain) which happened, made the year of
the Bible, reduce inflation, peace through strength, attempted assassination,
kept peace in the world.
Donald John Trump: born June 14,
1946 in New York NY, business man turned politician, patriot, loves USA, honor
to God and Israel, 45th President, built up military, reduced
inflation, lowered tax, peace through strength, MAGA, exported oil, booming
economy, made our trade partners do their share, made NATO countries pay their
share, running to be 47th President, attempted assassination. Prayed
over by American and Jewish spiritual leaders, President in the last tetrad
signs of heaven and Jubilee of Israel, 70th yr, he was 70 yrs 7
months when inaugurated. Trump moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Rabbis told him that God put him in the office to help Israel build the 3rd
Temple. He was instrumental in setting up the “Abraham Accords” and bringing
peace in the Middle East.
Natives to America (these believed
in God as the “Great Spirit” and were strong in love of their people and the
land)
Dragging Canoe: 1738-1792, born in
Cherokee settlements, he was the most famous Cherokee war Chief who with a band
of warriors protected his homeland (upper South NC) from settlers and
colonists. “We will hold our land”. The
Cherokee were one of the “5 civilized tribes” because of their form of
government. They were forced to move to OK from SC on the “Trail of Tears”;
many died.
Osceola: 1804-1838, Seminole Chief
who led his tribe to resist the government to remove them from the everglades
in FL, tactical warrior. Seminoles were one of the “5 civilized tribes” and
never surrendered.
Red Cloud: 1822-1909, born in North
Platt NE, leader of the Oglala Lakota from 1865-1909, strong leader and
warrior, led the Oglasl and Cheyenne in a war against the white soldiers,
settlers, and minors building the Bozeman Trail… after 2years of war he forced
the US to abandon their forts and stop building the road.
Chief Joseph: 1840-1904, from NW
Nez Perce, resisted the settlers and the government trying to force them to
move to Idaho. He led his people as a warrior and wanted to take them to
Canada.
Crazy Horse: 1840-1877, Oglala
Lakota who resisted the intrusion of his land by the incoming settlers. A
warrior, loyal to his tribe territory and raised to respect the Great Spirit.
Was part of the battle of Little Big Horn.
Crazy Horse Memorial being constructed in South Dakota
Henry Chee Dodge: 1860-1947, born
in Ft Defiance AZ, the last of the Chiefs of the Navajo tribe and first of the
Tribal Chairman of the Navajo Business Council, Chairman of the Navajo Tribal
Council. He promoted keeping the culture of the Navajo people, yet learning how
to live in a modern society.
Geronimo: 1829-1909, born in
Mexico, Mescalero-Chiricahua ,was a warrior and medicine man from the
Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apaches. He led his people and was fearless in
doing so, while evading the US Army who was after them.
Sitting Bull: 1831-1890, born in
SD, was the warrior leader and spiritual leader of the Sioux that defeated
General Custer at the Little Big Horn.
Israel
David Ben Gurion:1886-1973, born in
Poland, primary national founder of the
State of Israel, first Prime minister.
Menachem Begin: 1913-1992, born in
Russia, a Zionist leader who became the 6th Prime Minister of
Israel, he won the Nobel Peace Prize along with Anwar Sadat in 1978 for the
peace between Egypt and Israel.
Golda Meir: 1898-1978, born in
Ukraine, helped found the Nation of Israel, 4th Prime Minister of
Israel, in 1972 Yom Kippur war, she contacted President Richard Nixon and told
him that they were facing huge numbers of enemies in Egypt (486 to 80,000
soldiers) and Syria (180 to 1400 tanks). Nixon was told a prophecy by his
grandmother that he would one day save Israel. He did so, and sent 112,000 tons
of supplies and munitions by air and sea, and saved Israel.
Moshe Dayan: 1915-1981, born in
Israel, loyal soldier, fought in Haganah (Palistine defense a precursor to the
IDF, lost an eye fighting Nazis, general in IDF, Defense Minister of Israel,
later Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Yitzhak Rabin: 1922-1995, born in Jerusalem, the 5th Prime Minister of Israel, He and Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and Palestine. Assassinated by anti-Oslo terrorist.
Benjamin Netanyahu: born 1949 in
Israel, he is the current Prime Minister and his 3rd time to be
Prime Minister serving a record of over 16 years. The Temple Institute in
Israel minted a coin with Netanyahu and Trump on it and calls them the “Sons of
Light”.
The Church started in Acts 2 when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the upper room and everyone was filled with the Spirit and spoke with tongues.
Over the Church age there have been many denominations made by divisions since the beginning, but God has always had His faithful remnant which makes up the Body of Christ. These are the born again, Spirit filled followers of Jesus. When I went to Israel in 1981, I learned that the early church there split into 4 sects right away. The idea that there is “the” Church, and all others split off of it is not accurate.
I was raised in a Baptist church and later was filled
with the Holy Ghost and became a Pentecostal. I am still non-denominational. I
see very differently than I did before being baptized in the Holy Ghost. The
supernatural has become natural. The insights into the truths of scripture, and
communication with the LORD is now part of daily life. It is not me, but God,
who loves and teaches me.
The following were influential to my spiritual growth and understanding. There are many more as well.
Smith Wigglesworth: 1859-1947, born in the UK and a
famous Pentecostal man of God. He died before I was born, but influenced many
whom I had as mentors. Several miracles followed him and many raised from the
dead.
William Seymour: 1870-1922, an evangelist preacher who
started the 312 Azusa St revival in LA CA from 1906-1909 which spread the
Pentecostal revival around the world. Many of my mentors knew of this.
Oral Roberts: 1918-2009, born in OK, a powerful man of
God, Pentecostal, Pastor, healer, and taught me about “seed faith”. He met
Jesus personally and was healed of tuberculosis. He started a healing ministry
and preached all over the Country. He was the founder of Oral Roberts
University and one of my mentors. His son Richard is continuing in the ministry.
Kenneth Hagin:
1917-2003, born in TX, a powerful man of God, Pentecostal, Pastor,
healer, taught the “word of faith”. He met Jesus personally and was healed of a
heart condition. He founded Rhema Bible College. His son, Kenneth Jr continues
in the ministry.
Paul Yonggi Cho: 1936-2021, born in Seoul South Korea,
he found the Lord at a young age and believed Him and his Word. He built the
largest Christian Pentecostal Church in the world with 10s of thousands of
people whom he taught the truths of God’s word. Wrote several books.
Note: the Lord told me in the early 80’s that Roberts,
Hagin, and Cho were his main Apostles at that time. All were mentors to me in
my Christian growth.
Lester Sumrall: 1913-1996, born in LA, he was a
healer, evangelist, expert in spiritual warfare, missionary, and Pastor. He
founded LeSea feed the hungry, and World Harvest Bible College. I went to Israel
with him in 1981 and witnessed many miraculous things. He laid hands on me.
While there the LORD gave me a vision of my (our) ministry.
Kathryn Kulman: 1907-1976, healer, Pentecostal
preacher, evangelist.
Andrew Womack: born in 1949 in TX, an teacher, and
Pastor, Pentecostal, founded Charis Bible College in Colo Springs. One of my
mentors.
Charles Capps: 1934-2014, a farmer born in AR turned
Pastor, Evangelist, pilot, Pentecostal, Teacher of faith. One of my mentors.
The Lord told me he was the best faith teacher of his time. His daughter,
Annette still teaches and sends out pamphlets, books, CD’s.
Billy Graham: 1918-2018, born in Charlotte NC, Baptist
evangelist, attended to several Presidents, had big revivals where thousands
met Jesus. His invitation was irresistible. He was my Mother’s favorite and my
first introduction to an evangelist. His
son, Franklin, continues in the ministry.
John Paul II: 1920-2005, born in Poland, he became the
Pope from 1978 till his death in 2005. He was genuine, benevolent, loved Jesus
and people. I saw him in Tempe AZ and was impressed by him and his prayer over
the sick there.
Joseph Prince: born in 1963 in Singapore, is a powerful teacher of Grace, senior pastor of New Creation Church in Singapore. I have never heard anyone teach the Gospel of Grace as well as Pastor Prince. He brings teachings from the Scriptures into the light of Grace.
We are still in the Church Age of time. This is a time
when God is calling those who would be part of His Kingdom. The close of this
Age is approaching and will end with the Rapture of the Church.
Hos 6: 2 After two days will he revive us: in the
third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
Two days would be 2000 years. 2032 will be 2000 years
from Jesus’ resurrection. If we deduct 7 years for the Tribulation (for that is
not in the Grace Age) we come to the date of 2025. Not trying to set a date,
just showing we are in the end times. We will be raised up on the third day,
after Armageddon, Jesus will have a 1000 year reign on earth.
We need to be careful whom we support as leaders and representatives; Godly and
truthful men/women, or ungodly, those who trample good underfoot and lie and accuse
those who are good for problems themselves create. Good is determined by what God
says, not what you feel. We need to know right from wrong, love from hate,
generosity from selfishness, order from chaos, character from immoral, virtue
from depravity, integrity from dishonesty, and boys from girls.
Our ultimate leader is Jesus. If you have Him in your
spirit, listen to His guidance. If you don’t, change your thinking (repent) and
ask Jesus to save you. He is the way, truth, and life and no one will come to
the Father except through Him, Jn 14:6.
All of the scriptures are from the AKJV. All pictures and art are from the Internet, no infringement intended.
My book The Plan: A Biblical Adventure is available at Amazon.com.
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