The Kingdom of Elohim

So many times Protestants speak of the kingdom of God, and longing for the kingdom of God.  But since our churches teach that we are set free from the Law (Torah), we don't bother ourselves with the Old Testament (Tenach).  Because of this, we forget what the kingdom of Elohim (the name primarily translated as "God" in English Bibles) actually looks like in the Bible.

Protestant Christians have a nebulous (unbiblical, subtley anti-Semitic) view that while Yhwh deals with the Jews here on earth, "Christians" are taken to a kingdom that is fairer than day somewhere above the celestial domain.

What is interesting is that this picture is not even Biblical (kinda like the view that says "the church is a hospital for sinners"!  That's not the purpose of the Ekklesia, and is not Biblical, but that's another post!).  The only time sinners are shown in heaven, in Revelation, is in the interim period just before the return of Messiah to earth, to reign from the Temple, as is explained in Ezekiel. Cha.  40-48.

Zech. 14:16 - And then every survivor from all those nations coming against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the king, Yahweh of hosts, and celebrate the Feast of Booths. And then whoever of the clans of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the king, Yahweh of hosts, it will not rain on them.

Mica 4:2 says - And many nations will come and say, “Come! Let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, and to the temple of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways, and that we may walk in his paths,” for thelaw will go out from Zion, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.

From these and many other references, we see that Yhwh, Adonai Yeshua will reunite the tribes of Israel to live in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to live under Yhwh's instructions (Torah) forever.

Ezekiel. 37Then speak to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I am taking the piece of wood for Joseph that is in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel its associates, and I will put them on it, the piece of wood of Judah, and I will make them into one piece of wood, so that they be one in my hand.’ ” And the pieces of wood on which you wrote will be in your hand before their eyes. And speak to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I am taking the Israelites from among the nations to which they went, and I will gather them from everywhere, and I will bring them to their own soil. And I will make them into one nation in the land on the mountains of Israel, and they will all have one king as their king, and they will not again be two nations and will not again divide into two kingdoms again.

Wonder where those tribes are today?  Believe it or not, that can be discerned, much as many pastors and teachers rightly discern the children of Esau, so the children of Israel can be seen.  A good Jewish research site for this is www.hebrewnations.com, or www.britam.org.

This is the Kingdom of God,. all the tribes/nations of Israel inhabiting the land promised to their forefathers so long ago, under the reign of Messiah Yeshua, who is the Torah made flesh (Jn. 1:14).  This is why the gospel of Messiah is to the Jew first, then to the Gentiles (ie, dispersed Israelites) Rom. 1:16.