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The Good News of the Kingdom of Elohim

Marqos (Mark) 1:15 
and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of Elohim is at hand; repent, and trust in the good news.

In these modern times the idea of the “gospel” has changed from what we actually find described in Scripture.  Part of the reason for this dichotomy is that it is simply referred to today as the “gospel” rather than the “gospel of the kingdom” or the “gospel of the kingdom of Elohim.”  Either one of the latter two ways to refer to the “gospel” begins to reveal more to us than what is commonly understood today. 

Instead of using the term “gospel” we will translate this into modern day vernacular in order to help increase our understanding.  Thus, the term “good news” will be used throughout this study.  The term “gospel” will be used in the remainder of this study to distinguish that which is commonly referred to as the “gospel” from what is actually found in Scripture.   So what is the good news of the kingdom of Elohim?  The answer may surprise you.  Let’s find out from Scripture.

Luqa (Luke) 8:1 
And it came to pass soon afterwards, that He went about through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of Elohim, and with Him the twelve.

What is commonly taught as the “gospel” consists of the death, burial, and resurrection of Mashiach Yeshua.  However, as we can see from the passage above such a definition really does not fit.  It does not make sense that Yeshua was teaching about His death, burial, and resurrection since it had not yet happened.  Yeshua did tell His closest followers about his soon coming death and resurrection immediately before He was killed, but they did not really understand this until after it was done.  Only then did they truly understand what He had previously told them.  

Furthermore, it is not recorded that He taught the masses this plain and simple understanding, especially in the beginning of His ministry.  So what was Yeshua teaching these people if it was not His death, burial, and resurrection?

Luqa (Luke) 9:2 
And He sent them forth to preach the kingdom of Elohim, and to heal the sick.

Notice in this chapter that Yeshua sent out His talmidim to teach what He had been teaching in the previous chapter.  Now they could not have been teaching something that had not yet happened.  And they certainly were not teaching something they did not understand.  Yet they were teaching something very important: the good news of the kingdom of Elohim.  Please note specifically that they were sent to “preach the kingdom of Elohim.”  Knowing what message they were preaching is very important for us today.  It would seem few understand what this message was.

Luqa (Luke) 9:11 
But the multitudes perceiving it followed Him; and He welcomed them, and spoke to them of the kingdom of Elohim, and them that had need of healing He cured.

Every chance Yeshua had, He taught the multitudes the good news of the kingdom of Elohim.  The good news as recorded by Matithyah refers to it as the “kingdom of heaven” rather than the “kingdom of Elohim,” but both phrases are referring to the exact same thing.  The only difference is that the phrase “kingdom of heaven” as used by Matithyah refers specifically to the kingdom of Elohim being manifested in the earthly realm, which is the commission Yeshua our Mashiach gave to His followers then and now, to manifest the kingdom of Elohim upon earth.

Marqos (Mark) 10:14-15 
14 But when Yeshua saw it, He was moved with indignation, and said to them, “Do not hinder the little children from coming to Me; forbid them not; for to such belongs the kingdom of Elohim.
15 Amein, I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of Elohim as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein.”

Here is our first solid clue concerning the good news of the kingdom of Elohim.  It is good news because it is easily understood by all, even those who are children or child-like.  In fact, Yeshua actually teaches us that we need to receive this good news of the kingdom of Elohim in the same fashion as a child or else we cannot even enter into it at all.  This strongly suggests to us that it is not some complicated message, but rather a very simple message with its foundation in the Torah and the prophets.

Marqos (Mark) 4:11 
And He said to them, “To you is given the mystery of the kingdom of Elohim; but to them that are outside, all things are done in parables.”

Yeshua draws a very stark contrast: to those inside, understanding is given; this is contrasted with those who are outside, to whom understanding is locked up in parables.  This brings us to the question:  “inside” or “outside” of what?  Of what is Yeshua speaking when He uses the term “outside?”  The short answer is: the “kingdom of Elohim.”  We will see this as we proceed through this study.

Marqos (Mark) 12:32-34 
32 And the scribe said to Him, “A truth, Teacher, You have well said that He is one; and there is none other but He;
33 and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the sacrifices.”
34 And when Yeshua saw that he answered well, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of Elohim.”  And no man after that ventured to ask Him any question.

The two greatest commandments stand as pillars marking the entrance into the kingdom of Elohim.  The way to enter into that kingdom is to hear and obey these two greatest commandments.  One must love YHWH our Elohim with every fiber of his being as well as with all one’s possessions.  Along with this one must love his neighbor as himself, so that if one sees that his neighbor is in need, then one does what he can to meet that need.  Furthermore, the commandments found in the Torah Moshe define how to love both YHWH as well as one’s neighbor.

Marqos (Mark) 9:1 
And He said to them, “Amein, I say to you, there are some standing here, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of Elohim come with power.”

The prophets of old had prophesied that this kingdom of Elohim would one day be manifest upon the earth.  Yeshua declares to those hearing Him that the time of the kingdom of Elohim to begin to be manifested was at hand.  However, this manifestation was not to come in a way that would be easily seen or identified by men on the outside of the kingdom as Yeshua points out above.  Just because it was about to be manifested in the earthly realm does not mean that this is the beginning of the kingdom of Elohim.

Tehillim (Psalm) 45:6 
Thy throne, Elohim, is forever and ever;
A scepter of equity is the scepter of thy kingdom.

One of the things we need to understand in this passage is that the kingdom of Elohim is forever.  However, that does not mean men have always been in subjection to that kingdom or to the King of that kingdom.  Please note in the following passage what it is Yeshua taught those who would subject themselves to Him and His kingdom are to pray.

Matithyah (Matthew) 6:10 
“Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.

The kingdom of Elohim is manifest in two realms.  First and foremost it is manifest in the heavenly realm.  In the kingdom of Elohim in the heavenly realm when the King gives a commandment, His subjects set out immediately to carry out the commandment of the King, regardless of what that commandment is.  There is no debate.  There is no questioning.  There is simply obedience to the word of the King.

The other realm in which the kingdom of Elohim is manifest in is the earthly realm.  The manifestation of the kingdom of Elohim in the earthly realm does not yet appear in the same manner as the kingdom of Elohim in the heavenly realm.  This is why Yeshua taught us to pray in this manner concerning the manifestation of the kingdom of Elohim in the earthly realm.  It is actually part of our commission to go and make manifest the kingdom of Elohim in the earthly realm in the same manner that the kingdom of Elohim is already made manifest in the heavenly realm.  This is done, in part, by each individual hearing and obeying His Voice.  So when is the manifestation of the kingdom of Elohim going to happen in the earthly realm?  When is the kingdom of Elohim going to be made manifest upon the earth in the same way it is made manifest in the heavens?

Dani’el 2:44 
And in the days of those kings shall the Elohim of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

YHWH gave Nebuchadnezzar a vision in which He briefly outlined the history of the world.  At the conclusion of the vision YHWH tells the king of Babylon, which was represented by the head of gold in the vision, that after all the days of those kings (kingdoms) had been completed then He would set up a kingdom here on earth that would never pass away.

However, as we are going to see, the setting up of the kingdom of Elohim on earth is not going to happen in an expected way.  When one of the kingdoms of man came into existence in the past they all did so in pretty much the same pattern.  However, the kingdom of Elohim being made manifest (set up) on earth is not going to follow that pattern in the same way that the typical earthly kingdom has been set up in the past.  The marked difference is, earthly kingdoms focus upon making men subservient outwardly, whereas the kingdom of Elohim focuses upon bringing a man into subjection from his heart.

Marqos (Mark) 4:26-29 
26 And He said, “The kingdom of Elohim is like a man who casts seed upon the earth;
27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow; he knows not how.
28 The earth bears fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is ripe, straightway he puts forth the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Yeshua likens the setting up of the kingdom of Elohim with the planting of a crop.  In the planting of a crop there are several steps.  First, the ground is prepared.  Then, the seed is planted into the ground.  Then, as the conditions become favorable; i.e., right temperature and enough moisture, the seed will germinate.  Then, the plant must have time to grow to maturity and produce its seed before it is ripe for harvest.  Only then is it ready to produce that which is expected.

Likewise, the kingdom of Elohim was planted into this world after the ground was properly prepared.  Then there has to be favorable conditions for the seed to sprout; once sprouted the plant must be given time to grow to maturity before it is ready to harvest.  All of this takes time.  One step does not follow immediately upon another.  Even in the harvesting of the crop, the whole field is not harvested at once, but a little at a time.  Since Yeshua likened the kingdom of Elohim to a man who plants a crop, then we should rightly expect that the harvesting should happen in stages as well.  We see the truth of this in that Yeshua said two thousand years ago that the fields were then ripe unto harvest.

Just exactly where is this field in which YHWH our Elohim has planted His crop?

Luqa (Luke) 13:29 
“And they shall come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of Elohim.”

After the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms, the northern ten tribes committed idolatry against YHWH, and as a result He sent the Assyrians to carry them away into captivity.  From there, because of a lack of repentance, they and their descendants were carried into all the nations of the world.  The whole world is the field in which YHWH planted the seed of Israel.

Vayyiqra (Leviticus) 26:33 
“And you will I scatter among the nations, and I will draw out the sword after you; and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.”

The word “scatter” in the above passage is the Hebrew word אזרה , the root word being זרה – “zarah” which means “seed.”  So the scattering YHWH is describing in the above passage is a planting of His people in all the nations of the world.  The world is the field.

Do you know what you get when you plant corn?  Corn!  One would never expect to get anything except corn when he plants corn.  This is one of the eternal principles of sowing and reaping.  Whatever it is one plants, that is what he will reap in the time of the harvest.

Galatians 6:7 
Do not be deceived; Elohim is not mocked; for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.

Since YHWH planted Israel in all the nations of the world, then in the time of the harvest what He will reap are Israelites!  That is the eternal principle of sowing and reaping in action.

Luqa (Luke) 17:20 
And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of Elohim would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of Elohim comes not with observation;”

Notice what it is Yeshua teaches us here.  The kingdom of Elohim does not come in a visible matter.  The way the kingdom of Elohim comes is in a manner that cannot be observed with the eye of man.  The good thing for us is that in the very next sentence Yeshua tells us how it comes, and perhaps even more importantly, where it comes.

Luqa (Luke) 17:21 
“neither shall they say, ‘Behold, here!’ or, ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of Elohim is within you.”

It is important for us to understand what it is Yeshua is saying in this passage.  Remember, Yeshua likened the kingdom of Elohim to a man planting a crop in a field.  The most specific understanding of where that seed was planted is within people.  The seed of the good news is planted within the hearts of men and women.  If a person will bring favorable conditions to bear in his heart; i.e., making his own heart good soil so that he can grow the seed of the kingdom of Elohim within, then one day that seed will come to maturity and produce a harvest for the Master of the universe.

The kingdom of Elohim begins within the heart of a person.  If a person’s heart does not have the kingdom of Elohim within it, then there is nothing external such a person can do to make himself a part of that kingdom.  This is not to say that what one does or does not do externally is not important, for it is.  However, those external actions are only indications of what is already inside one’s heart.

Romans 14:17 
for the kingdom of Elohim is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Where does one find righteousness, peace, and joy?  Is it not within one’s heart?  To be sure!  But if these things be in a person’s heart, then surely these things will be manifested for all to see.  For, whatever is in a person’s heart, whether that be goodness or darkness, it shall be manifested in his life through his words as well as his actions.

Matithyah (Matthew) 15:18 
“But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart; and they defile the man.”

Yeshua surely understood these matters and taught them to us if we have ears to hear.  This is especially pertinent for us concerning the kingdom of Elohim being manifest in an individual’s life.

Matithyah (Matthew) 15:8 
“These people honor Me with their lips;
But their heart is far from Me.”

Yeshua is quoting the words of YHWH spoken through the prophet Yeshayah.  In those hundreds of years, not much changed.  In fact, from the days of Moshe to today, it is still the same; there are those who honor YHWH with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him.  Do not be deceived brothers and sisters, YHWH knows the hearts of men and women and he will deal with each person in an appropriate manner.

Qorintyah Aleph (1st Corinthians) 4:20 
For the kingdom of Elohim is not in word, but in power.

The kingdom of Elohim has the power to do what?

Ma’aseh (Acts) 15:9 
“and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.”

The good news of the kingdom of Elohim is that Yeshua provided a way in which to enter into that kingdom by having a person’s heart cleansed.  Yeshua did not come to simply provide salvation.  Yeshua came to open the gates into the kingdom so that those who were willing could enter into it.  Make no mistake about this matter, just because a person has his heart cleansed does not mean that such a person will enter into the kingdom of Elohim. 

Remember the parable of the sower in which his seed fell on the path, among the thorns and briars, among the rocks, and in the good soil.  The seed which fell among the thorns and briars and the seed which fell among the rocks grew, but it did not produce a harvest.  Likewise, not all who receive the seed of the kingdom will make it into the kingdom because some are more concerned with the things of this world’s kingdoms than with the kingdom of Elohim.

Qorintyah Aleph (1st Corinthians) 6:9-10 
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of Elohim?  Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men,
10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists, shall inherit the kingdom of Elohim.

There are many today who wrongly think they can make up their own rules to follow as long as they have a Savior.  But this is wrong thinking.  The grace and mercy of our Creator does not give one a license to do however he pleases.  The grace and mercy of our Creator frees us from the bondage of sin so that we might freely choose to serve and worship Him.  The sad thing is that many who receive this grace and mercy choose to go back into and live in the filth of the sin from which He set them free.  Such is not the kingdom of Elohim!  Those who practice such things are not part of His kingdom.  And certainly those who teach this darkness are not part of His kingdom!

Luqa (Luke) 19:11 
And as they heard these things, He added and spoke a parable, because He was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of Elohim was going to appear immediately.

Yeshua gave this parable to His followers because He did not want them to be misled or deceived in any way.  He wanted them to understand that while the kingdom of Elohim was being planted into the hearts of men and women, it was not yet time for His kingdom to be openly manifested to the world.  That would come after His kingdom was well established in the hearts of His subjects.

Yochanan (John) 3:5 
Yeshua answered, “Amein, amein, I say to you, except one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Elohim!”

The entrance into the kingdom of Elohim has never changed.  When YHWH manifested Himself in the flesh through Yeshua, He did not change how one enters into His kingdom.  He simply made it easier to understand; at least for those who have ears to hear and a heart willing to understand these things.  But, as we saw above, if one is not willing, then all he sees and hears is parables.

Ma’aseh (Acts) 14:22 
Confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of Elohim.

Yeshua came and pointed us to the entrance into His kingdom.  However, while this entrance is simple to understand, it is not quite so easy to gain.  It is through many tribulations; or as Yeshua taught in the Sermon on the Mount, the entrance to the kingdom of Elohim is found between a rock and a hard place (see verse Matt. 7:14).

Please notice what was being testified to in the following passage.

Ma’aseh (Acts) 28:23 
And when they had appointed him a day, they came to him into his lodging in great number; to whom he expounded the matter, testifying the kingdom of Elohim, and persuading them concerning Yeshua, both from the Torah of Moshe and from the prophets, from morning till evening.

So, if the early disciples went out by the commissioning of Mashiach Yeshua to spread the good news of the kingdom of Elohim, what exactly were they spreading good news about?  Remember the earlier passage examined in which Yeshua commissioned them to go out and do the same thing as part of their training.  He simply repeated this commission at the end of His life.

Matithyah (Matthew) 8:11 
“And I say to you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Avraham, and Yitzchaq, and Ya’aqov, in the kingdom of heaven.”

The good news they were spreading was that those who had formerly been a part of the kingdom of Elohim (the northern ten tribes and their descendants) now had a way back into the kingdom of Elohim.  Formerly, they had been divorced by YHWH and sent away from Him and His land.  They had attached themselves to another lover.  Because of this, according to Torah, they could not return to their first Husband YHWH.  So He came in the form of a man to die and bring to an end the first marriage covenant.  Thus, YHWH manifested Himself in the form of a man in order to open the door for those who were formerly far off that they too might be brought near.  This is the good news of the kingdom of Elohim, that those who had been separated could now come home.

Ephesians 2:13 
But now in Mashiach Yeshua you that once were far off are brought near in the Blood of Mashiach.

The good news of the kingdom is that Yeshua made a way for those who had been separated, divorced, and scattered throughout all the nations and then lost their identity can now come back home.  This is the essence of the parable of the prodigal son.  The younger son (Ephrayim) went away from his father’s house and lived among those in the nations.  He ended up living with the pigs.  But one day he came to his senses and realized that obeying his father was much better than the life he had.  So he returned to his father’s house. 

Likewise, when we realize that we are better off obeying our heavenly Father and returning to His house (Torah), then we will remove ourselves from living with pigs and return to keeping His commandments.  When we set out to return to our Father’s house, He will be watching and come out to meet us and welcome us with open arms.  Such is the good news of the kingdom of Elohim.

Qorintyah Aleph (1st Corinthians) 15:50 
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of Elohim; neither does corruption inherit incorruption.

We must also realize that the kingdom of Elohim is not about one’s ancestry.  It is not about from whom one descended that will get one into the kingdom of Elohim.  The kingdom of Elohim is about making the King of the kingdom of Elohim sovereign in one’s life.  Only those who do this will enter into the kingdom of Elohim and live with Him in the Olam Haba (the world to come).

Matithyah (Matthew) 8:11-12 
11 “And I say to you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Avraham, and Yitzchaq, and Ya’aqov, in the kingdom of heaven;
12 but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.”

Yeshua makes this point very clear to us, that it is not bloodlines that will get one into or exclude one from the kingdom of Elohim.  Rather it is he who hears and obeys His Voice who will gain entrance into the kingdom of Elohim.

Matithyah (Matthew) 12:50 
“For whosoever shall do the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother.”

The good news of the kingdom of Elohim is that it is here now in our hearts.  What one does with that kingdom is up to him as an individual.  One can accept the reign of the King of the kingdom of Elohim, or one can choose to sit on the throne of his own life and do as he pleases.  Everything one says and everything one does is proving which way he has chosen. 

Ivrim (Hebrews) 12:28 
Therefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to Elohim with reverence and awe.

ABBA YHWH, if our service to You is not pleasing in Your eyes, then please reveal that to us that we may change it in such a way as to make it pleasing in Your eyes; in the name of Yeshua our Mashiach we pray.  Amein.

Zerubbabel ben Emunah
www.onetorahforall.com
zerubbabel@onetorahforall.com

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