Mark 1:14-15
14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 
15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

John 1:11-13
11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 

Zechariah 4:6
Then he said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts. 

1 Samuel 17:46-47
46 This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 
47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord's and He will give you into our hands." 

Revelation 5:9-10
9 And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 
10 "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth." 

We discussed this in the past, but it is always good to go over the fundamentals of our faith. 

First, I can do nothing to save myself.  I cannot save you.  I cannot save my wife or my family.  Our job as a Christian is to point people to the one who can save; Jesus.  Jesus is the Anointed One from God the Father to redeem mankind to Himself.  Understanding God requires thinking about the form and function of God which describes the different roles each part of the Trinity of God performs.  This relationship can be described in various ways to attempt to understand the different roles of God.  Each description has limits so I am careful when I use these illustrations, but here are a couple good ones.  H2O is water and it can be in the form of a liquid, or solid or vapor.  All three forms are H2O, but all three forms have different properties.  Another illustration is an egg.  An egg is made from a shell, the egg white and the egg yolk.  All three parts of the egg are dependent upon each other to be a complete egg.  The examples of H2O and the egg both describe the three in one concept.  Each third is different, but together they are all one.

The best illustrations for the Trinity of God are the ones from scripture.  Think about Abraham when he offered his son for sacrifice.  Jesus is the Son who gave Himself up as a sacrifice just like Isaac.  Abraham gave his son just like God the Father gave His only son.  But where is the Holy Spirit in that story?  Well, you could say that the Holy Spirit could be represented as the intercession of the Angel of the Lord, but Jesus is the actual Angel of the Lord.  God the Holy Spirit draws mortal men to the saving knowledge of Jesus as their Messiah/Christ/Anointed One to have a relationship with God the Father.  All three forms are God, but all three forms have different forms and functions.  All three parts are dependent upon each other, but all three parts are independent.

Think about prayer.  As a Christian, I go to God the Father by the blood of Jesus as my Christ (God the Son) while God the Holy Spirit intercedes in my heart.  Think about the Tabernacle.  The High Priest would go before the Ark once a year, but only after a blood sacrifice was given for himself, a blood sacrifice given for the Nation, and always with incense burning.  This was done under threat of death.  If the High Priest came before the Living God in an unworthy manner, he was a dead man.  As a Christian, I stand before the Ark each time I pray using Jesus as my blood sacrifice and the Holy Spirit as my burning incense.  Please keep this in mind the next time you pray.  Come to God with reverence.  Approaching God by any other way than Jesus as the Christ is a death sentence.

It is sad when a mortal man thinks he can go before the Living God on his own righteousness or on his own good deeds.  Not by the will of the flesh or the will of man, but of God.  This is the self-righteousness of man which is idolatry.  This reminds me of a religious group who practice baptism for the dead.  It is so sad to think that these religious people believe that they can force dead people into heaven (against God's will) by getting dunked in water.  How sad that they do not understand the form and function of God, but they rest in their own righteousness.  It breaks my heart because I know some of these people and they are nice, friendly people who will be burning in hell for eternity.  You cannot get this wrong in this life.  Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.  Jesus is the doorway to the Father.

Open your bibles to . . .

Judges 5:18-20
18 "Zebulun was a people who despised their lives even to death, And Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.
19 "The kings came and fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo; They took no plunder in silver.
20 "The stars fought from heaven, From their courses they fought against Sisera.

Daniel 10:12-13
12 Then he said to me, "Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. 
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. 

2 Corinthians 10:3-6
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 
5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 
6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. 

As you can see above, this life is a spiritual battle.  If you did not realize the spiritual significance of your relationship with Jesus, then you are not facing in the right direction.  Turn around and face the enemy.  That starts by facing the man in the mirror.  Taking thoughts captive deals directly with the man in the mirror and describes your personal battle to force yourself to submit to the Living God. 

Today we will focus our attention on the twelve tribes, and then see how it relates to the Kingdom.  If you happen to share the bloodline of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that does not mean you get a free pass into heaven. 

Open your bibles to . . . 

Matthew 7:21-23
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22 Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'

Below are five places where I find the twelve tribes listed at different periods of time.  Some people say you can find twelve listings of the tribes and others say you can find eighteen.  Ezekiel 48 also lists thirteen tribes because it does not count Joseph who is represented by Ephraim and Manasseh just like Numbers 13.  Regardless, take a look at the time when the list below was prepared and who happens to be missing. 

It is interesting that both Numbers 26 and Deuteronomy 33 were estimated to be written in 1423 B.C., but one list has Simeon and the other does not.  Moses wrote both lists so what did Simeon do to get removed from Deuteronomy 33?  What is God trying to show us?  What did Ephraim do to get removed from the list in Joshua and how did Simeon get back on the list?  What is God trying to show us?  What did Dan and Ephraim do to get removed from the list in Revelation? 
 

Genesis 49:3-28
3  "Reuben, you are my firstborn; 4 "Uncontrolled as water...
5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers; Their swords are implements of violence...
8 "Judah, ... 10 "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, ... Until Shiloh ... 
13 "Zebulun will dwell at the seashore; And he shall be a haven for ships, ...
14 "Issachar is a strong donkey, ...
16 "Dan shall judge his people, ... 17 ... serpent in the way, A horned snake ...
19 "As for Gad, raiders shall raid him, But he will raid at their heels.
20 "As for Asher, his food shall be rich, And he will yield royal dainties.
21 "Naphtali is a doe let loose, He gives beautiful words.
22 "Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a spring; ...
27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; ... 
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and ...

Numbers 13:3-16
3 So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel. 
4 These then were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; 
5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; 
6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; 
7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; 
8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun; 
9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; 
10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi;
11 from the tribe of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; 
12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; 
13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; 
14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; 
15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 
16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land; but Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua. 

Deuteronomy 33:6-24
6 "May Reuben live and not die, Nor his men be few."
7 And this regarding Judah; so he said, "Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah, And bring him to his people. With his hands he contended for them, And may You be a help against his adversaries." 
8 Of Levi he said, "Let Your Thummim and Your Urim belong to Your godly man, Whom You proved at Massah, With whom You contended at the waters of Meribah; 
9 Who said of his father and his mother, 'I did not consider them'; And he did not acknowledge his brothers, Nor did he regard his own sons, For they observed Your word, And kept Your covenant.
10 "They shall teach Your ordinances to Jacob, And Your law to Israel . 
They shall put incense before You, And whole burnt offerings on Your altar.
11 "O Lord, bless his substance, And accept the work of his hands; Shatter the loins of those who rise up against him, And those who hate him, so that they will not rise again."
12 Of Benjamin he said, "May the beloved of the Lord dwell in security by Him, Who shields him all the day, And he dwells between His shoulders." 
13 Of Joseph he said, "Blessed of the Lord be his land, With the choice things of heaven, with the dew, And from the deep lying beneath, 
14 And with the choice yield of the sun, And with the choice produce of the months.
15 "And with the best things of the ancient mountains, And with the choice things of the everlasting hills,
16 And with the choice things of the earth and its fullness, And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush.  Let it come to the head of Joseph, And to the crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.
17 "As the firstborn of his ox, majesty is his, And his horns are the horns of the wild ox; With them he will push the peoples, All at once, to the ends of the earth.  And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim, And those are the thousands of Manasseh."
18 Of Zebulun he said, "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going forth, And, Issachar, in your tents. 
19 "They will call peoples to the mountain; There they will offer righteous sacrifices; For they will draw out the abundance of the seas, And the hidden treasures of the sand ."
20 Of Gad he said, "Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad; He lies down as a lion, And tears the arm, also the crown of the head. 
21 "Then he provided the first part for himself, For there the ruler's portion was reserved; And he came with the leaders of the people; He executed the justice of the Lord, And His ordinances with Israel."
22 Of Dan he said, "Dan is a lion's whelp, That leaps forth from Bashan." 
23 Of Naphtali he said, "O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full of the blessing of the Lord, Take possession of the sea and the south." 
24 Of Asher he said, "More blessed than sons is Asher; May he be favored by his brothers, And may he dip his foot in oil . 

Revelation 7:4-8
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 
5 from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, 
from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, 
from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, 
6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, 
from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, 
from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, 
7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, 
from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, 
from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, 
8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, 
from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, 
from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.

Numbers 26 has all twelve tribes listed plus Joseph sons.  All the other twelve tribe lists are different.  Why?  In Deuteronomy 33 Moses blesses the sons of Israel before his death.  Who did Moses bless?  Thirteen sons of the twelve.  Who is missing?  Simeon.  Genesis 34 tells the story of Simeon and Levi killing the innocent men of a town because the prince had raped their sister Dinah.  Numbers 13 has Levi missing.  Why?  I think that is because that chapter deals with occupancy of the land and Levi was not given a territory.  That makes sense.  Ephraim took Levi's spot and Manasseh took Joseph's spot.  The tribes listed in Joshua do not include Ephraim.  Why?  The tribes listed in Revelation does not include Ephraim or Dan.  What happened with Ephraim and Dan?

Open your bibles to . . .

Joshua 24:14
"Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 

Joshua 24:19-20
19 Then Joshua said to the people, "You will not be able to serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins. 
20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you." 

Revelation 21:9-14
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 
11 having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. 
12 It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. 
13 There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. 
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 

Four sets of three gates on each side?  In Numbers 3 God gave instruction as to how the tribes were to be positioned around the tabernacle.  The tabernacle had one way in and one way out which was the East gate and positioned at that gate was Judah in the middle with Issachar on one side and Zebulan on the other.  Think about this; Leah had six sons. Reuben, Simeon and Levi were the first three sons, but there actions cost them the place of prominence.  Judah, Issachar and Zebulan were the other three sons of Leah.
Do you think God respects the first wife? 

Genesis 49:30-31
... 30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a burial site. 
31 There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah-... 

What about Hagar (Abraham's second wife)?  What about Jacob's second wife Rachel, or Bilhah, or Zilpah?  Why is the burial spot only for Sarah and Leah?  Rachel died and is buried in a town that would later be known as Bethlehem, but why is she not with Israel (Jacob)?

On the West gate were the sons of Rachel (Joseph); Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin.  On the North side was Naphtali, Asher and Dan.  Naphtali and Dan were sons of Bilhah, the handmaiden of Rachel.  Asher and Gad were sons of Zilpah, the handmaiden of Leah.  Gad, Simeon and Reuben are positioned on the South side of the tabernacle. 
Open your bibles to . . .

Numbers 33:50-56
50 Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 
51 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 
52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images and demolish all their high places; 
53 and you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. 
54 You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the larger you shall give more inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give less inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to anyone, that shall be his. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers. 
55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live. 
56 And as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you.'" 

Judges 1:27-35
27 But Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; so the Canaanites persisted in living in that land. 
28 It came about when Israel became strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely. 
29 Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer; so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them. 
30 Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and became subject to forced labor. 
31 Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, or of Achzib, or of Helbah, or of Aphik, or of Rehob. 
32 So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out. 
33 Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, but lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; and the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath became forced labor for them. 
34 Then the Amorites forced the sons of Dan into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the valley; 
35 yet the Amorites persisted in living in Mount Heres, in Aijalon and in Shaalbim; but when the power of the house of Joseph grew strong, they became forced labor. 
36 The border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward.

Judges 2:1-3
1 Now the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim.  And he said, "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you, 
2 and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.' 
But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done? 
3 Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.'" 

So why was Ephraim left out of the lists in Revelation and Joshua? 
Open your bibles to . . .

Hosea 4:16-19
16 Since Israel is stubborn Like a stubborn heifer, Can the Lord now pasture them Like a lamb in a large field?
17 Ephraim is joined to idols; Let him alone.
18 Their liquor gone, They play the harlot continually; Their rulers dearly love shame.
19 The wind wraps them in its wings, And they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

Hosea 7:1-16
1 When I would heal Israel, The iniquity of Ephraim is uncovered, And the evil deeds of Samaria, For they deal falsely; The thief enters in, Bandits raid outside,
2 And they do not consider in their hearts That I remember all their wickedness.  Now their deeds are all around them; They are before My face.
3 With their wickedness they make the king glad, And the princes with their lies.
4 They are all adulterers, Like an oven heated by the baker Who ceases to stir up the fire From the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.
5 On the day of our king, the princes became sick with the heat of wine; He stretched out his hand with scoffers,
6 For their hearts are like an oven As they approach their plotting; Their anger smolders all night, In the morning it burns like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot like an oven, And they consume their rulers; All their kings have fallen.  None of them calls on Me.
8 Ephraim mixes himself with the nations; Ephraim has become a cake not turned.
9 Strangers devour his strength, Yet he does not know it; Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, Yet he does not know it.
10 Though the pride of Israel testifies against him, Yet they have not returned to the Lord their God, Nor have they sought Him, for all this.
11 So Ephraim has become like a silly dove, without sense; They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
12 When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the sky.  I will chastise them in accordance with the proclamation to their assembly.
13 Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me!  Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against Me!  I would redeem them, but they speak lies against Me.
14 And they do not cry to Me from their heart When they wail on their beds; For the sake of grain and new wine they assemble themselves, They turn away from Me.
15 Although I trained and strengthened their arms, Yet they devise evil against Me.
16 They turn, but not upward, They are like a deceitful bow; Their princes will fall by the sword Because of the insolence of their tongue.  This will be their derision in the land of Egypt.

Genesis 48:18-22
18 Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn.  Place your right hand on his head." 
19 But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people and he also will be great.  However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations." 
20 He blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will pronounce blessing, saying, 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!'" Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and bring you back to the land of your fathers. 
22 I give you one portion more than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow." 

Last week I referenced a distinction in scripture when God spoke of the people of Jacob and the nation of Israel.  Jacob refers to the physical man and Israel refers to the spiritual man.  God rejected Reuben and then rejects Joseph to select Judah.  But Judah is number four in line behind Simeon, Levi and we must also consider the position of Benjamin, Ephraim and Mannasseh.  Israel gave a double portion to Joseph which is the blessing that was suppose to go to Reuben, but God passed over Joseph.  Why?  Why does God make a distinction between the people and the nation?  See Psalm 78 below.  Why does God skip all the other brothers and select Judah? 

Psalm 78:67-71
67 He also rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.
69 And He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has founded forever.
70 He also chose David His servant And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him 
To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance.

I think we need to look at things from God's perspective.  Remember that God has a plan for a nation and if the people do not get in line then He can choose to replace the people.  Take a look at Moses in Exodus 32:9-10.

Exodus 32:9-10
9 The Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. 
10 Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation." 

God does not need the relatives of Jacob.  Think about this; when Jacob had his name changed to Israel, all the kids were born under the name Jacob.  The man Israel did not have any children.  Israel is a reflection of the man of the spirit.  Jacob is a reflection of the man of the flesh.  These kids are a children of the flesh, not children of the spirit.  Think about that as you read these stories of the disobedience of these tribes.

So what happened to Dan to get him off the list in Revelation?
Open your bibles to . . .

Judges 18:30-31
30 The sons of Dan set up for themselves the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. 
31 So they set up for themselves Micah's graven image which he had made, all the time that the house of God was at Shiloh.

1 Kings 12:26-31
26 Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. 
27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah." 
28 So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt." 
29 He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 
30 Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. 
31 And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi.

Jeremiah 4:14-16
14 Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, That you may be saved.  How long will your wicked thoughts Lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares from Dan, And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.
16 "Report it to the nations, now!  Proclaim over Jerusalem, 'Besiegers come from a far country, And lift their voices against the cities of Judah.

Numbers 25:1-4
1 While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. 
2 For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 
3 So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel. 
4 The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel." 

Two major sins are noted in the Old Testament by the Israelites.  One is the sin of Jeroboam as seen in 1 Kings 12.  The second is the sin of Peor as seen in Numbers 25 and Revelation 2:14.  The city of Dan hosted one of the golden calves Jeroboam made.  Judges 18 shows us that the people of Dan are prone to idol worship.  Odd thing is that one of the largest figures in scripture is Samson and he was from the tribe of Dan.  His poor behavior actually reflected what we see in scripture about the tribe of Dan. 

Now, what is the difference between the Gospel VS Gospel of the Kingdom?  The word gospel means good news.  The Gospel is that God became a man being born from the virgin Mary.  His name was Jesus and He lived a sinless life, died on the cross as a perfect offering for the sins of mankind and God raised Him from the dead as the Messiah.  The Messiah is the chosen one or Anointed One who redeems mankind to the Living God.  The Gospel of the Kingdom is not the same as the Gospel of Jesus.  Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and said that He came to earth for the purpose of establishing His kingdom.

God choose the twelve tribes to bring about the Messiah.  God choose the twelve apostles to bring about the Kingdom.
Open your bibles to . . . 

Revelation 21:12-14
12 It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. 
13 There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. 
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 

Matthew 13:11
Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 

Personal Testimony – I remember when I saw my testimony in the following parable. Listen carefully and I bet you can hear your testimony. 

Matthew 13:18-23
18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. 
19 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.  (How many people do you know who just can not understand the Word.) 
20 "The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 
21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. (This was me as a very young believer.  I remember that I wanted to save the world.  Today I realize that I can not even save myself, but I know Him who does save; Jesus.  I just need to point people to Him.)
22 "And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  (I look back on my life as an adult believer in my 30's and I get mad at myself.  When I see people doing what I was doing, I call them 'time-clock' Christians.  They punch the time card each Sunday to make sure that the salvation insurance plan is in full force and live the rest of life as if God does not exist.)
23 "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." 

You must be submitted to God to hear and understand His Word.  In my early walk I did not hear or understand the Word because I was not submitted.  When the light did start to come on, I was not rooted in the Word and fell into temptation.  As I got older, I studied the Word more and started understanding more, but again I was not fully submitted and I approached God as a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card.  The cares of life took priority over my relationship to God and I was not fruitful.  It took several years and God is still dealing with my wicked heart and mind, but He is now allowing me to become fruitful in His work and He made life very sweet.  Thank you Jesus!

Do you remember the parable we started this course with? 
Luke 13:6-9
6 And He (Jesus) began telling this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, and did not find any. 
7 "And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any.  Cut it down!  Why does it even use up the ground?' 
8 "And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; 
9 and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but it not, cut it down.

John 18: 36-37
36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." 
37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." 

The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus is the focal point of all history!  All the old testament looks forward to it and all Christians look back at it.  Jesus came to establish a kingdom.  What is He talking about?   What kingdom?  The Jews handed Jesus over because they thought it was suppose to be an earthly kingdom and He did not deliver the way the Jewish leadership wanted.  They did not understand that the kingdom of God prophesied in the old testament is not of this realm.  They wanted the Romans kicked out and the nation re-established as in the days of David and Solomon.

Remember what John the Baptist preached. 
Matthew 3:2
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Jesus preached. 
Matthew 4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 

When Jesus sent out the twelve to the Nation of Israel, He told them... 
Matthew 10:5-7
5 These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 
6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 
7 "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' 

In Matthew 15:7-28 we see Jesus call the Pharisees hypocrites and He moves the ministry out from Israel and opens it the outside world;
Matthew 15:21-28
21 Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. 
22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed." 
23 But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, "Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us." 
24 But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 
25 But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" 
26 And He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." 
27 But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." 
28 Then Jesus said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once. 

Why did she call Jesus the Son of David?  Why not call Him the Son of Abraham, Isaac or Jacob?  Because the kingdom was promised to David which I will show you in a few verses. 

Notice that Jesus is in Tyre and Sidon.  This area was Gentile territory and not part of Israel.  This story shows that the nation of Israel has been rejected and this marks the transition of Jesus' ministry to the outside world. 

Soon after these events Jesus sent out the seventy to the world. 
Luke 10 verses 1, 8 & 9
1 Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. 
8 Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you; 
9 and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

In 1 Chronicles 17: 1-14 we see the story of David wanting to build a proper covering for the ark of the covenant.  In the last sentence of verse ten, God tells David He will build a house for him.  Look at the last sentence in verse ten and read through fourteen.
1 Chronicles 17: 10-14
10 ... Moreover, I tell you that the Lord will build a house for you. 
11 When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 
12 He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. 
13 I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. 
14 But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever."'" 

David misunderstood and initially thought God was talking about Solomon, but in his last words David understands God's plans. 
2 Samuel 23:5
Truly is not my house so with God?  For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, Ordered in all things, and secured; For all my salvation and all my desire, Will He not indeed make it grow? 

David wrote the following Psalm about the covenant God made with him. 
Psalm 89:34-37
34 "My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. 
35 "Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. 
36 "His descendants shall endure forever And his throne as the sun before Me. 
37 "It shall be established forever like the moon, And the witness in the sky is faithful." Selah. 

You see from above that the Kingdom was promised to David, the Messiah was promised to Abraham and the Prophet was promised to Moses.
Genesis 22:18
"In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

Deuteronomy 18:15
The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. 

Abraham, Moses and David are sure the heavy weights in the old testament, but God also spoke about His kingdom and His Messiah using other prophets.  Look at the following passages from Daniel and Isaiah.

Daniel 2:44-45
44 "In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. 
45 "Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy." 

This was when Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar the dream he had and the interpretation.  God was telling mankind when the Messiah was going to come to the earth.  It was during the reign of the forth kingdom in the dream.  The stone cut from the mountain without hands is Jesus.  Jesus is the Rock of our salvation.

Daniel 7:27
Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.'

Isaiah 25:6-12 (8-9)
8 He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. 
9 And it will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation." 

When Adam disobeyed God, death entered our world.  Jesus defeated death for us.
Acts 2:24; "But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. 

Isaiah 55:1-5 (3)
3 Incline your ear and come to Me.  Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, According to the faithful mercies shown to David. 

Trivia; How many days was Jesus on the earth after He raised from the dead? 

Acts 1:1-3
1 The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 
2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. 
3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. 

Trivia; who has more scripture written to him than anyone else in the bible?  Luke wrote the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts to his friend Theophilus.  Have you ever wondered what could turn disciples from scared men hiding behind locked doors into brave servants willing to go to their death for Jesus?  It had to be a combination of Jesus teaching them forty days about the kingdom of God and the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 24:14
This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. 

Luke 17:20-21
20 Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed;
21 nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst."

Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs in the kingdom of heaven.

The first step to blessedness is the realization of one's spiritual helplessness.

Luke 1:30-35
30 The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 
33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." 
34 Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" 
35 The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

Romans 14:16-20
16 Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; 
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 
18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 
19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. 
20 Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food.  All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. 

Matthew 8:5-13
5 And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, 
6 and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented." 
7 Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."
8 But the centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 
9 For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it." 
10 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.
11 I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven;
12 but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
13 And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed that very moment. 

OK, why twelve tribes and why twelve apostles?  We mentioned last week that some things are just designed by God.  All mankind must give an answer why they use a seven day week.  A day is the time it takes the earth to turn 360 degrees.  A month is the time it takes the moon to go around the earth.  A year is the time it takes the earth to go around the sun.  Where did we get a seven day week?  God gave mankind a seven day week.  God designated it and that is it.  God designated twelve tribes and twelve apostles.  Who takes the specific spots on each list is God's call.  Who are the twelve apostles mentioned in Revelation?  We all know the eleven, but who replaces Judas Iscariot?  Does Judas even get replaced?

Acts 1:15-26
15 At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said, 
16 "Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 
17 For he was counted among us and received his share in this ministry." 
18 (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out. 
19 And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 
20 "For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his homestead be made desolate, And let no one dwell in it'; and, 'Let another man take his office.' 
21 Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us- 
22 beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us-one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection." 
23 So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias. 
24 And they prayed and said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen 
25 to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place." 
26 And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles. 

What about Paul?  Look at the letters written by Paul and see how he introduces himself.  All the introductions are packed with theology.  Compare Paul's introductions to the two letters from Peter and see how Peter describes himself. 

Romans 1:1-6
1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 
2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 
3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 
4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, 
5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name's sake, 
6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 

1 Corinithians 1:1
Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 

Galatians 1:1
Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), 

Colossians 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 

1 Timothy 1:1-2
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope, To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

1 Peter 1:1-2
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 
2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. 

2 Peter 1:1-3
1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 
3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

Again, God is in control.  He tells us what He wants us to know and some things we will just have to wait and find the answers to those mysteries when we get into heaven.  God does not need me, but He invites me to join Him on His great work in mankind.  God does not need Peter or Paul or another man, but He invites them to join Him on His great work in mankind.  God does not need you, but He invites you.  Will you accept his invitation and walk with Him in this life?

John 1:12-13
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 

Revelation 19:7-8
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." 
8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Anointed One (Jesus) is the Lamb who will marry His church.  Again, look at this as two groups; a people and a nation.  Or in our case today, the people and the church.  God still has some unfinished business with His nation of Israel as you can clearly see in scripture.  His bride is the church which is different from the nation of Israel.  The people of Israel are different from the people of the church although an Israelite can be a Christian.  The early church was full of Israelites.  Jesus was an Israelite. 

Ephesians 5:25-33 
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 
26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 
27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 
28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies.  He who loves his own wife loves himself; 
29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 
30 because we are members of His body. 
31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 
32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 
33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.