THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

Transcription

1 THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN Published by Sowing the Word of God December 31, Matthew 3: 3 Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 2 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight! What is this voice in the wilderness crying out, and how does it prepare the way of the Lord? To answer these questions, we must go back to the book of Isaiah, which is what Matthew is quoting from. Isaiah 40: 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; 5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; 1

2 For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 6 The voice said, Cry out! And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever. Who is the Word of God? It is our Messiah. John 1: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Let s go back and take a look at some of the Words in Isaiah. 1. Crying Strong s H7121- Qara (Kaw-raw) To call out by name. Brown Driver Briggs says to be chosen, called out, be named. 2. Wilderness Strong s H4057 midbar a pasture where cattle is driven, desert. The root of this word is Dabar Strong s H this is the Word, to speak, to arrange. Brown Driver Briggs to speak, declare, command. There are verses that discuss this pasture being the Word of YHVH. John 10:9 is a portion of the parable of the sheep who hear the good Shepherd, and says that anyone who is saved shall enter in and find pasture. This word pasture in greek is nomah Strong s G3542 and 2

3 means pasture, fodder, food, and feeding. The root of this word is nomos Strong s G3551 and means law, specifically of Moses. Thayer s Definition says Custom, a law, a command approved by God. It is interesting that the Hebrew word for Wilderness has references to pasture and a root word relating to the Word of YHVH. While the Greek word for pasture has a root word for Law of YHVH (God). The Law or Torah is considered to be the first five books of our bible these first five books are known by many as Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; but those are not the original names of these books. The original names have to do with the first words in each of these books. Genesis BeReysheet בּ ר אשׁ ית - In the Beginning Exodus V elleh Shemot ו א לּ ה שׁ מוֹת - And these are the Names Leviticus Vayikra ו יּ ק ר א -And He Called Numbers Ba Midbar בּ מ ד בּ ר - In the Wilderness Deuteronomy Dvarim (plural for Dabar) א לּ ה ה דּ ב ר ים - These are the Words It appears that there is a message in the title of the first five books: In the beginning these are the names and He called in the wilderness these are the Words. 1. In John 1:1 we learned that In the beginning was the Word and this Word stands forever (Genesis/BeReysheet/In the beginning). 2. Isaiah indicates that there is a voice crying (To call out by name Exodus/Shemot/The Names, and Leviticus/Vayikra/He called). 3. This voice is crying in the wilderness. The root word for Wilderness is the Word : (Numbers/BaMidbar/In the Wilderness and Deuteronomy/Dvarim/These are the Words). It looks like there are clues telling us that this voice in the wilderness is calling out the message contained in these first five books. In Isaiah 40:6, we can see the question was asked, What shall I cry? The voice responded, The grass withers, the flower fades, But the Word of our God stands forever. 3

4 Looking back at Isaiah 40:3, The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. Let s review these words. 1. Prepare Strong s H6437 Panah-To turn to face. Brown Driver Briggs to turn toward or from or away. To turn and do. To turn toward and approach. 2. Way Strong s H1870 Derek- a road or course of life. Brown Driver Briggs Road, way, path, course of life, of moral character. 3. Straight - Strong s H3474- yashar- to be straight, upright. Brown Driver Briggs to be right, be straight, be just, be lawful, be upright. 4. Desert Strong s H6160 arabah- desert, wilderness. Root word- Strong s H6150- Arab- Be darkened, sundown. Brown Driver Briggsgrow dark, become evening. We have already established that the voice is crying out the first five books, the Word of YHVH. In doing so it: 1. Prepares, causing one to turn towards the 2. Way, course of life and makes 3. Straight, to walk lawfully and upright in the 4. Desert, or darkness. So, what is the Word? What is its purpose? THE WORD What is the Word? When the Pharisees accused the Messiah of not holding the traditions of the elders he said: Mark 7:6 6 He answered and said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors Me with their lips, But their 4

5 heart is far from Me. 7 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do. 9 He said to them, All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. 10 For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother ; and, He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death. 11 But you say, If a man says to his father or mother, Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban (that is, a gift to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, 13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do. If we pay close attention to the description above, we can see that the commandment of God and the Word of God is what was given to Moses. What other comparisons do we have between the Word and the Messiah? THE TRUTH The Messiah says: John 17: 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. Psalm 119: 30 I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me. 31 I cling to Your testimonies; O LORD, do not put me to shame! 32 I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart. Psalm 119: 142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth. Psalm 117: O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. 5

6 2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD. Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever. 1 Peter 1: 22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 24 because All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, 25 But the word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. The Hebrew word for Law is defined in Strong s as: 8451 Torah a precept or statute, the Decalogue (a basic set of rules carrying binding authority) or Pentateuch (first five books of the Scriptures) - law. Torah comes from the root word Yarah, Strong s 3384, which means to flow as water, to point out if by aiming a finger, to teach, to instruct. TORAH = TRUTH THE WAY Psalm 18: 30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. Psalm 119: 1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. 6

7 Isaiah 30: 20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: 21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the WAY, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. 2 Samuel 2: 31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. 32 For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God? 33 God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. When Paul was accused of heresy, he said: Acts 24: 14 And this I confess to you that according to the Way, which they call a sect, so I worship the Elohim of my fathers, believing all that has been written in the Torah and in the Prophets THE LIGHT Proverbs 6: 23 For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life Psalm 119: 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. 130 The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. Matthew 6: 22 The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. Psalm 19: 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 7

8 THE LIFE Deuteronomy 32: 45 Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 and he said to them: Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe all the words of this law. 47 For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life, and by this word you shall prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess. Deuteronomy 30: 15 See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them. Philippians 2: 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. John 6: 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 8

9 Proverbs 6: 23 For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life, Proverbs 13: 14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death. Comparison The Word is the Truth, The Way, The Light, and The Life. John 14: 6 Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. 23 Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father s who sent Me. What does the WORD do? Psalm 19: 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; John 3: 9

10 3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. 3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother s womb and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born from above. 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. The Law/Word of God is perfect and converts the soul. This is the same conversion of being born from above, as we have to be born of Water and of the Spirit. Ephesians 5: 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, John 1: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 10

11 The Messiah is the WORD that became flesh. As stated in verse 4 the Word/Messiah has the Life (Torah) in him and this Life (Torah) was the Light of men. If our Messiah is the Way, The Truth, and The Life, If the Word of YHVH (God) is the Way, The Truth, and The Life, If our Messiah is the Word of God that became flesh, If being born from above means to have Yehoshua (Jesus) in you, Then in order to have him in you, you need the Words of YHVH in you. This is what The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God, is saying. The word of our God stands forever. As John is baptizing for repentance of sins, he is announcing that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. He is telling people to repent and 1. Prepare, causing one to turn towards the 2. Way, course of life and makes 3. Straight, to walk lawfully and upright in the 4. Desert, or darkness. This way of life is what makes a highway for our God. If we are to make Earth as it is in Heaven, then the Word needs to be in us. This is a picture of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God are used interchangeably in the New Testament and are used very frequently. Luke 9: 23 Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in 11

12 His own glory, and in His Father s, and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God. The very next passage describes how some of the disciples were witnessing the Kingdom of God. 28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. 30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. 33 Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son. Hear Him! 36 When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen. It appears that Peter, James, and John witnessed a vision of the Kingdom of Heaven. Moses is a representation of the Torah/Law/Word of God. In fact, the Law is often referred to as Moses throughout the New Testament. He also represents the Water of the word. Recall that the root word for Torah is Yarah, and means to flow as water, to point, and teach. Moses name means drawing out in Hebrew, because he was drawn up out of the water as a baby. He was responsible for giving the word to the people, washing them in the water of the word (Ephesians 5:25), and brought them through water as they escaped Egypt. Elijah is a representation of the Prophets, the Spirit, and of Fire as he called down the fire from heaven in 1Kings 18:38. The phrase the Spirit 12

13 of Elijah is used in 2 Kings 2:15 and Luke 1:16, further connecting this idea of the Spirit of YHVH being associated with Elijah. Both Moses and Elijah are providing witness to the Messiah s death and resurrection. The three of them together are also a representation of the Father (Moses), the Son (Messiah), and the Holy Spirit (Elijah). Above we read John 3, which says: 3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother s womb and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. I propose that the picture of this transfiguration is the Messiah showing His disciples what it means to be born from above. He is transformed, in this vision of the Kingdom of Heaven, by the Water/Word/Moses and by the Spirit/Fire/Elijah. Part of this vision was of Moses, Messiah and Elijah discussing Messiah s death, which was about to take place in Jerusalem. It is by Messiah s sacrifice for us, that we too may enter into the Kingdom by the water of God s Word and the Fire of His Spirit. Peter wants to set up a tabernacle for the three of them. It is obviously relevant that this is the ultimate purpose for what transpired with the death, resurrection, and ascension of our Messiah. In John 14, Messiah illustrates that the Father, Son, and Spirit will make their dwelling place (tabernacle) in us if we keep His commandments. John 14: 15 If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know 13

14 that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world? 23 Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father s who sent Me. 25 These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, I am going away and coming back to you. If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, I am going to the Father, for My Father is greater than I. These statements by our Messiah in John 14 could be the explanation for what was witnessed in Luke 9 when Peter, James, and John saw the Kingdom. The Last Piece of the Puzzle We ve established that these three figures represent the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, and we saw that Moses, Elijah, and the Messiah on the mountain together are a representation of the Kingdom. Moses represents the Law, but Elijah also represents the Prophets, and both are witnesses who point to the Messiah. John 5: 39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 1 John 5: 14

15 This is He who came by water and blood Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. Let s look at one more comparison. Elijah is a Tishbite, according to 1 Kings 17:1. 1 Kings 17: 1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word. 1. Tishibite תשבי Strong s H8664 Tishbite or inhabitant of Tishbeh. Brown Driver Briggs Captivity -Site unkown and name uncertain. Site unknown but maybe a town. Look at the word below. The first three letters are identical. 2. Inhabitants תשב Strong s H8453 Toshab- A dweller, a resident alien, stranger, sojourner. Notice the similarities of the Hebrew letters in these words. This may very well imply that Elijah was not part of the 12 tribes by blood but a stranger, grafted in as Ruth, and as all of those who were previously gentiles but are now part of the common wealth of Israel. Ephesians 2: 11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 15

16 So, what is the picture here? Moses is a Levite, the Voice of God, charged with bringing the Word of God to the 12 tribes of Israel. Elijah is a prophet who may be a sojourner or foreigner, and both are standing with and speaking to the Messiah. Ezekiel 37: 15 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 16 As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions. Then take another stick and write on it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions. 17 Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand. 18 And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, Will you not show us what you mean by these? 19 say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand. 20 And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. Genesis 48: 17 Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father s hand to remove it from Ephraim s head to Manasseh s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head. 19 But his father refused and said, I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations. 1. Nations- Stong s H1471 Goy, Goee- Gentile, Foreign Nations, Heathen, non-hebrew people. Romans 11: 16

17 16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in. 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel (Gen 48:10 the blindness of Israel) until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Notice that the grafted in foreigner does not support the root but the root supports them. Keep in mind that the new covenant is with the House of Israel (Hebrews 8:10 and Jeremiah 31:31). As foreigners we are grafted into that root by Messiah s sacrifice and through our belief in Him; the Word of God. The prophecy from Ezekiel is what Paul is referencing here. He is indicating that Ephraim (or Joseph, the ten lost tribes) will be the multitude of the Nations/Gentiles that are grafted into the Holy Root. Ezekiel is indicating that the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Ephraim will be grafted back together in His Hand. This vision in Luke is also indicating that this is what the Kingdom of Heaven is. 17

18 The Stick of Judah Judah, the Lawgiver (Genesis 49:10), and Moses, the Lawgiver, was a Levite and the Voice of God, in charge of bringing the Word of God to the 12 tribes of Israel. The Stick of Ephraim/Joseph Ephraim, strangers or gentiles (Genesis 48:19), and Elijah, a prophet, and representation of the Spirit, and a sojourner or foreigner, are grafted together into Messiah who is the Root. In conclusion, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand is: Crying out the first 5 books, the book of Life, which is the Messiah. This Messiah who died for the forgiveness of Sins, and was resurrected to restore the relationship between the Father and His creation. His ascension to the Father allowed the connection for the Father, Son, and Spirit to live in you IF YOU FOLLOW HIS FATHER S COMMANDS. The Way, Truth, and Life and what we must walk in to prepare the way of God so that His Kingdom may be established on Earth as it is in Heaven. These two branches that represent the entire house of Israel (including those grafted in) which will become one in His hand. The very last words of the Tanakh (Old Testament) are found in the book of Malachi. Malachi means My Messenger in Hebrew. Malachi 4: 1 For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up, Says the Lord of hosts, That will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. 18

19 3 You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this, Says the Lord of hosts. 4 Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded 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 will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. THIS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN! 19