©September 25, 2011 Revive Israel Ministries

Kingdom in Daniel

Daniel's prophecies of the "kingdom" lay a foundation for the teachings of Yeshua and the Apostles in the New Covenant. We can summarize Daniel's teachings in three general points:

1. God's Sovereignty over the Nations
2. Transfer of Authority to Messiah
3. Transfer of Authority from Messiah to the "Saints"

God used Nebuchadnezzar repeatedly to demonstrate His own sovereignty over the nations. Daniel 4:17 – "The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men." He reaffirms this principle in Daniel 4:25, 4:32, and 5:21.  

This exhortation can be taken in two directions: first, a rebuke against those who have government authority, yet do not submit to God's will; secondly, against those who do believe in God but do not have faith to influence and take dominion in world society.

In Daniel's prophecies, God would one day appoint a Man to become the head of all authority on earth. That Man is the Messiah. The transfer of eternal authority to Him is depicted in Daniel 7:13-14 – "Behold, one like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He was brought before the Ancient of Days… To Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that all peoples, nations, and languages, should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom will not be destroyed.

This prophetic moment describes temporal earthly government being transformed and transferred to an eternal divine kingdom, under a Man who is both human and divine. This is one of the essential prophecies of the Messiah; and it is fulfilled in Yeshua.

After the Messiah receives all authority, He shares it with His disciples, the "saints." Daniel 7:18, 22, 27 – "The saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever… Judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom… Kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High." (Of course the victory of the "saints" comes at the end of a painful period of trials and tribulations – Daniel 7:21.)

There it is: 1) God to 2) Messiah to 3) the Saints. This three-fold transfer of authority is central to the gospel message ("All authority is given to Me in heaven and earth. Go therefore and make disciples…" – Matthew 28:18-19.) It is fulfilled in the end times at the sounding of the 7^th Trumpet.  Revelation 11:15 – "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He shall reign forever."

Not only does Messiah become King over all the government and authority in this world, but He invites us to rule and reign with Him. Revelation 5:10 – "You have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth."  The gospel commands us to receive Yeshua's authority as Lord. It invites us to become His disciples. In discipleship, we are trained to share government authority on this earth forever and ever with Him.

The fact that this kingdom message is fulfilled at the 7^th Trumpet connects us to the Feast of Trumpets, on the first day of the 7^th month. The Rabbis have taught that one of the central meanings of blowing the shofar is "Malchuyot," proclaiming the "kingdoms." It also connects us to the 7 shofars at the battle of Jericho. This week, during the Feast of Trumpets, let us remember the prophetic meaning of transferring kingdom authority through Messiah Yeshua.

Netanyahu at the U. N.

Netanyahu spoke before the General Assembly of the U. N. and represented well the Israeli position. Among other points, he boldly challenged the Assembly about the lies against Israel, calling it a "theater of the absurd (see Psalm 2)." 

He also called them to wake up to the evil "malignancy" facing the world today, which is "militant Islam."  He noted that Ahmadinejad's calling 9-11 an American conspiracy was parallel to denying the Holocaust. Netanyahu said militant Islam is not opposing the "policies" of Israel, but the "existence" of Israel.

Watch the entire 38 minute speech: click here. In calling the United Nations "absurd" and militant Islam as "evil," Netanyahu spoke with moral and spiritual authority from his office as Prime Minister of Israel, which is in some ways, the earthly office of Messiah Yeshua, the King of Israel. He ended by quoting from Isaiah 9, for a light of truth to shine in darkness.

U. S. President Obama also gave a positive speech supporting Israel. The morning of his speech, we gathered our team in Jerusalem, opened the Bible to Proverbs 21:1 and read aloud together: "The heart of the king is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord, and He will turn it wherever He desires." Thank you, Lord.

Durban

I also wish to thank Robert Stearns (Eagles' Wings), Caleb Meyers (Jerusalem Institute of Justice), and Mati Shoshani (from our team) who led the protest against the Durban conference. By standing against the anti-Semitism of the conference, they broke its power. Durban has lost its standing and influence. Robert, Caleb, and Mati fulfilled what is said in Ezekiel 22:30 – "I sought for a man who would… stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land…" They did so and succeeded.

Interestingly, the spiritual warfare concerning the protest came less from the anti-Semites, as from "anti-Messianic" Jewish religious leaders who opposed Caleb's leadership in the event, because he is Messianic. They showed that their hatred of Messianics is greater than their love for Israel. This also "worked for the good," in that many other Jewish people who care for Israel saw the difference between the sincerity of Caleb's efforts and the hypocrisy of those who opposed him.