The Sword of the LORD

THE MESSAGE OF the Kingdom of Heaven, or the Kingdom of God, is one that is central to the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Kingdom of Heaven is a place we hope to inhabit after we die, but we are often unclear about just what it is and how it has any relevance to us in this present world.  Without a proper understanding of the heavenly Kingdom, we fall short of living a truly Spirit-filled life, and we become entangled in a temporal system which God has condemned and intends to ultimately destroy.    When John the Baptist began his preaching in the wilderness of Judea, his message was simple and direct.  He said, “Repent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. ” (Matthew 3:2).  His purpose was to announce the imminent appearance of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the ushering in of a new dispensation of grace.  He was also announcing a shift from the importance of an earthly, visible kingdom (the Jewish nation) to an invisible, all-i...

“ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers : for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).   " Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing ; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18).   “And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness .” (Exodus 7:16).    In His Word, God has provided us with many types and shadows: historical accounts that also reveal deeper truths concerning the Kingdom of Heaven.  There are many important principles that are presented in those stories which are the keys we need to become mature in the faith.  They are ...

ACCORDING TO THE Bible, sometime around 600 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon had a dream.  The problem was, while he thought the dream might be significant, he couldn’t remember either the dream or what it might have meant.    Having many “wise” men in his employ, Nebuchadnezzar called them together and demanded that they tell him what the dream was that he had dreamed, and the interpretation of that dream.  After all, wasn’t that what he was paying them to do?  Oh, and as a little incentive, if they couldn’t come up with the dream, the King was going to have them cut in pieces.  No pressure.    The wise men naturally urged the King to reveal the dream to them and then they would gladly interpret it for him, but that was useless because the King truly had forgotten it.  Anyway, it seemed like a good test for his wise men.  He would be able to see which of these guys really were wise and which were not.  After their ...

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." (1 John 3:2, 3).   Scripture declares that we are now the sons of God.  Sonship is not a state that we must earn, wait for, or work toward.  When a male child is born or adopted into a family, he becomes a son immediately.  He does not become more "son-ish," or more "sonny," over time; he is already 100% a son from the beginning.  What is not clear, however, is what that son will become.  It does not yet appear what he shall be once he is fully mature.  It is apparent then, that as sons and daughters of our heavenly Father, we must grow up and mature.    It is natural for every living thing to go through a state of growth; and when this does not occur, then we know something ...