Theocracy - Part 2

The Big Question

by Pastor Don Elmore

November 9, 2014

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 31:23

What kind of government did Israel operate under when they were freed from Egyptian slavery?  Were they under a democracy?  Monarchy?  Dictatorship?  Republic?  No, there were under a form of government that no one else ever was under.  The seed of the people who were recipients of the covenant made and swore to by God; were under a theocracy. 

A theocracy was rule by God.  God had made a covenant with Abraham, later confirmed this covenant with his son, Isaac, and then passed it on to Esau.  But Esau despised the covenant and sold it to Jacob; the other of Isaac’s twin-sons.  This is why many, many times in the Bible, God refers to Himself as being the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Exodus 3:6, and many other places).It is nowhere written in the Bible, that God is the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Esau” although that is what most Christians believe!  God wasn’t the king of the entire world; He was king of His people.

Why was Israel in Egypt in the first place?  God, in his covenant, had said that His people were to go to a nation and serve them.  The time that they were to be there was 215 years; 4 generations.  The Canaanites, whose land they were promised, had not as yet fulfilled all of the evil that they were to do. 

God, through Joseph, the first shepherd of Israel, got the Israelites to go to Goshen in Egypt because of the severe drought that was upon the land.  After their father, Jacob, had died and all the sons had taken him back to Hebron to bury him; the sons had feared that their brother Joseph would remember that they sold him into slavery, after they threatened to kill him.  They feared his revenge.  

But Joseph acted very differently.  He told them that they “…thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass as it is this day, to save much people alive.  Now therefore fear ye not; I will nourish you, and your little ones.  And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them” (Genesis 50:20b, 21).

Joseph died at the age of 110.  That was 64 years before Moses was born.  When Moses was born the Pharaoh had already put the people of Israel into slavery.  But it was not until Moses was close to 80 years old that the Scriptures say that “…God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, and with Isaac, and with Jacob” (Exodus 2:24b).

When God appeared unto Moses, the second shepherd of Israel, to call him to be the deliverer of Israel, He met him at the “burning bush” that was a-fire but not consumed.   Notice the words that God used to identify Himself to Moses:  “Moreover He said, I am the God of thy father, The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”  (Exodus 3:6a).  This was what Moses was to say to the Israelites as to the name of the God who sent him to them (Exodus 3:15b). Notice the Israel had a government at this time as Moses appeared before the elders, the ruling body and the court of judges, by which all legal decisions were made (Exodus 3:16).

It was God who took the initiative in their deliverance in view of His covenants and promises to their fathers.  A few of the Israelites knew God, but as a whole, the nation was in apostasy and rebellion.   It was the fourth generation.

And the Israelites were not freed in one day.  It took several weeks, maybe months.  For “…the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.  And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:  And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us” (Exodus 5:19b-21). 

The Hebrew officers almost gave up hope when they saw that they could expect no mercy or justice from the Egyptians and that their deliverance seemed almost impossible.  The Israelites blamed Moses and Aaron for their plight and called God to witness the truth of their accusation.  They concluded that they were destined to death by the sword for not being able to perform their tasks. 

But who performed the miraculous tasks that brought the Israelites their freedom?  The mighty plagues, the midnight death of the enemy’s first born son on Passover, the opening of the waters of the Gulf of Aqaba, the daily feeding of the manna, the water supply in the desert coming from the rock, the complete destruction of the mighty army of the Egyptians; it was the LORD their God who guided His people in the pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night in Israel’s own special tabernacle.  No wonder their enemies feared and hated them.  It was because their God was their King.

After Israel's Exodus

Do you remember when Moses sent the 12 spies into the land of Palestine to search out what it was like?  They were to get information of how strong the people were that they were to fight.   And they were also to find out what the land was like and how their cities were constructed.  They entered in the month of July and they were also instructed to bring back some of the fruits of the land; which would include the just ripening grapes.  

One man from each of the twelve tribes of Israel was to be chosen by Moses to travel into their future home.  Chosen from the tribe of Judah was a man by the name of Caleb; chosen from the tribe of Ephraim was a man by the name of Joshua. 

Joshua and Caleb were the only spies, out of 12, that gave the report that they should go up at once and possess the land.  The other 10 spies convinced the people that they could not defeat the giants who lived in the land. 

What did Moses and Aaron do?   The fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.  There was nothing left to do but to seek God’s intervention.

What did Joshua and Caleb do?  They rent their clothes and tried to persuade all the company of the people of the children of Israel to be in favor of attacking the people of the land.  For they reasoned that the defense of their enemies would be parted from them for the LORD is with us.  Don’t fear them; fear God.

What did the people of Israel do?  “But all the congregation bade stone them with stones” (Number 14:10a).  This was the climax of their present rebellion; and if God had not intervened the people would have killed Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb and returned back to Egypt; probably perishing on the way.  How disgraceful Israel acted!

God’s punishment of Israel was that all the people who were 20 years old or older would not enter the Promised Land.  They would wander for almost 40 years in the wilderness until they had all died off.  There were only two exceptions:  Joshua and Caleb.  Moses and Aaron would die before they enter the portion of land that was on the Western side of the Jordan River; but it would be for other reasons.

Moses asked God to pick a person to replace Him so that the sheep of Israel would have a shepherd.  God picked Joshua, the third shepherd of Israel.

Numbers 27:18: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of NUN, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him….”

After Israel Entered the Promised Land

Joshua led Israel to take possession of Canaan land and divided it up as an inheritance among the twelve tribes.  “And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that He had done for Israel” (Joshua 24:31).

Let have a quick review:

• Joseph, the first shepherd, led the flock into Egypt. 
• Moses, the second shepherd, led the flock out of Egypt. 
• Joshua, the third shepherd, led the flock into the Promise Land. 

After Joshua died, who ruled Israel?  God was still their King, but who did He picked to serve as His judges?  From the entrance into Canaan to the reign of their first monarch, King Saul was a period of over 520 years!  During this time there was 16 judges who were picked by God:

Here is another list of Israel’s judges and how many years they served; there is a little bit of difference:

The 450 years “until Samuel the prophet” of Acts 13:19-21 began perhaps with the 1st servitude and continued through the time of Eli as the 15th judge; the one just before Samuel.  The 480 year period ending with the 4th year of Solomon’s reign (spoken in 1 Kings 6:1) began with the entrance of Israel into Canaan and excludes the 111 years of servitude and 3 years of confusion under Abimelech.  It was the whole period of Israel’s security as a nation free from servitude and civil strife up to that time is Solomon’s reign.

Nevertheless, Israel was ruled by judges and were in servitude for a period of time that was over twice as long as the United States has been a country! About 490 years compared to 238 years.  Samuel was the last judge of Israel.  And that does not even count the 3 kings of Israel, which lasted for 120 years and the split into 2 kingdoms with their 18 and 19 kings and their captivities.  Israel has been around for a long time; under different kinds of governments.

Did God love Sodomites (homosexuals) and permit them to marry?  Did God allow Sodomites to be in his nation? Notice that good king Josiah, King of Judah, destroyed the Sodomite houses that were close by the Temple.  This was just one part of the revival in Judah after King Josiah performed the keeping the commandments and words of the book of the covenant which had just been found in the house of the LORD:

2 Kings 23:7“And he [King Josiah] brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.”

Did God allow abortions?  Did (would) God allow the playing of Rock & Roll music?  Did God allow banks charging interest to His people?  Did God allow immigrants of strangers to come into His nation?  Did (would) God allow MTV VMAS Music Awards to be shown?  Did God allow His nation to make covenants with other non-Israel nations? 

Did God allow His people to eat pork, shellfish, catfish and ham?  Did God allow his covenant people to welcome any immigrant stranger with all of their strange religions?  Did God allow His people to sell their farm land?  Did God allow His people to cancel all debts every seven years?  Did God allow His people to cancel all leases on their farm land every fifty years?  Did God allow his land to be under a property tax?  Etc., etc, etc.

Do you know who this judge is?  What judge of Israel killed a lion and then made a riddle about it?  It was the 14th judge of Israel that Brian Jones talked about in great detail a couple of Sunday’s ago.  It was Samson.

Israel rejected God as their King and demanded a king to rule over them like the other nations.  So, God’s task of appointing Israel a judge was changed to God’s appointing Israel a king. 

• Saul was chosen as Israel’s first king and he ruled over Israel for 40 years.  Saul was head and shoulders larger than any man in Israel.  But his bigness failed to make him a good king; for his integrity and faithfulness was the size of a midget.  Saul attempted to kill David 21 times and he eventually went to a séance and practiced witchcraft.  Saul was a very bad king.  
• God rejected Saul as king over Israel and chose David to be the next king of Israel. King David ruled for 40 years – 7 years over Judah and 33 years over all Israel.  All future kings of the House of Israel, after they ceased as a nation, would come from David’s loins.  David’s sons would be the only candidates for kingship in the House of Judah.  Jesus Christ would be born in David’s line; qualifying Him to being king over who?  The whole world?  Or only Israel!
• David’s son, Solomon, succeeded David as king over all Israel and Judah.  Solomon built the Temple and ruled all Israel and Judah for 40 years.  Surprisingly, only for about half that time both Houses worshipped at the magnificent Temple in Jerusalem.

For when Solomon died, his son Rehoboam reigned as king in his place.  Soon after he took over the reins, there was a disagreement over the taxes.  And just as quickly, there was a split in the nation.  The tribe of Benjamin was given to Judah so that the descendants of the family of David of the tribe of Judah would have a light always before him in Jerusalem.

The Ten remaining tribes formed the House of Israel.  They never had a descendant of David on the throne while they were a nation in the Promise Land and they also kicked the Levites out as their Priests as they built their own Temples; they were apostate from their beginning to their end of their kingdom.   Each of their kings was worse than the one he replaced!

The reign of about 490 years since the death of Joshua to the first monarch of Israel; the reign of the first three kings of Israel for 120 years equals about 610 years since the death of Joshua to the split of Israel into two kingdoms.

King Saul        40 years

King David      40 years

King Solomon 40 years

The kingdom of Israel split into two separate kingdoms; 931 BC:

Difference between the Two Former Kingdom

I can tell you from experience what the differences between Calvinism and Arminianism are.  It has been a bloody battleground for centuries in the Christian churches.  And each side has their Scriptures that they present to each other showing their opposite viewpoints.  For the one expresses the individual’s free will; the other God’s sovereign will. 

But it is absolute wrong for any preacher to teach his flock that Abraham was a Jew; that God made a New Covenant with every person who lives on the planet; and that the Gentiles are everybody on the planet who is not a Jew?  And they are seminary graduates!

I started out an Arminian, then switched to Calvinism when I couldn’t answer their questions.  Now, I understand that both of them are wrong; because they apply their verses to the universal people instead of the two Houses of Israel.  They completely ignore the House of Israel!

What do I mean?  The average Christian doesn’t even know that Israel split into two different kingdoms.  They both had different destinies and futures.  The House of Israel never had a good king, each new king was worse that his predecessor.  Eventually, the nation got so bad that they were professing Baal worshippers.  They had the true priests of God hiding in a cave, with Elijah the prophet giving a contest in Israel to show who the true God was!  Elijah won the contest, but he had to flee for his life.  

We are quickly getting in the same predicament in the United States.  The Bible tells us that the House of Israel failed to keep God’s laws and I was taught in my youth that the Laws of God were nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ; so we don’t have to keep them either.  As a result, it won’t be too long before Israel commits genocide!

But there was a major difference.  The House of Israel got so bad, that they repeatedly committed fornication with other women; in other words, they served other gods.  After sending many prophets to them, God finally had no choice.  He divorced them; i.e. He cut them off from His marriage covenant.  They were no longer His people; no longer would He show mercy to them; they would be scattered from the Promised Land.  This is found in the book of Hosea; chapters 1 & 2.

This includes the majority of Israelites.  They made up 10 of the tribes of Israel.  Plus, there were Israelites that left Egypt before they became slaves and went to Rome; then later Brutus led many of them to England.  There were thousands of Israelites who never participated in the Exodus; for they had left Egypt in the 215 years that they were there.  Plus, other Israelites left Israel and went to live in other countries. 

Daniel gave prophecies about when the arrival of the Son of God would occur.  But Bibles had to be handwritten.  How long would it take you to hand copy the Bible or just the Old Testament?  So very few people were aware of what the Bible said.  There were so few Bibles that most families did not have one!

Think about this?  In the time period where the House of Israel was divorced by God, were they totally or partially spiritually dead?  Which was it?  The Bible describes them are being “without hope.”  If you had no hope, that would be that same as saying that you were totally deprived!  There was nothing that you could do to get yourself or your friends back into the covenant that God made with your fathers.  Nothing!

They were in this condition for a long time.  Between 700 and 800 years they were in a state of divorcement.  And almost a thousand years, they had been disobedient.  Eight hundred years ago we are in the 1200s!  They had “no hope” for that length of time.  And no one of the House of Israel could erase their divorcement from God!

But Hosea tells of the unconditional love of God towards the people that He once made an unconditional covenant with their fathers.  The descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and his seed failed to keep the marriage covenant; Jesus Christ kept the unconditional covenant that was made with our fathers; because it was only made by Him! Abraham was in “a deep sleep” when God walked between the 5 slain animals (Genesis 15:9-16). 

The House of Israel failed to keep the ordinances of the shadows of animal sacrifices that would provide a yearly forgiving of sins.  But this was good for only one year and had to be repeated year after year after year.

When the Benjaminite preachers came with the news of the sinless Lamb of God dying on their behalf so that they were adopted back into the kingdom; thousands of them repented and believed.  What a joyous time! 

The Calvinists call this “Unconditional Election.”  But they misunderstood who the verses were referring to:  they were referring to the people of the House of Israel.  The House of Israel had “no hope.”  They were never going to get back into the kingdom without God, Himself, doing something.  There was only one way; there was only one solution.  This matches up to all the verses the Calvinist’s use.

For the House of Israel had married other gods after their divorce.  They couldn’t come back to Him in marriage under any circumstances; unless something happened that wasn’t in their control.  The Son of God had to be born of a virgin on the earth, live a sinless life and die for the sins of the House of Israel.  And then be resurrected from the dead; which would show that His blood offering was accepted by His Father.  There was absolutely nothing that the individuals of the House of Israel could do! 

They could be crucified, they could live the best life that they could, they could lock themselves in a room and pray all the day long, they could do whatever they thought right—but it would not bring them back into the covenant.  The House of Israel could only be remarried to the risen Christtheocracynbsp; //tdtd style=/td2 (Romans 7:1-4).

When Jesus Christ, was born of a virgin of the kingly tribe of David (Judah), lived a sinless life and was crucified, dead and buried; He rose again the third day—the House of Israel was once again a part of the unconditional covenant that God had once made with father Abraham.  His death and resurrection all coincided with Feast days of Israel.  Christ, before He ascended into Heaven, instructed His disciples to go to the lost sheep of the House of Israel and tell them that after 800 years they were once again a part of the kingdom of God.  They were once again shown mercy by God; they were once again His people (Hosea 2; 1 Peter 2:9, 10).  What good news!

The House of Judah

But what about the House of Judah?  They were never divorced; they were never cutoff from the covenants and their people.  In fact, the Bible says that they acted more treacherously than the House of Israel behaved.  But it also says that they were never cut off from the promises and blessing of the covenant. 

These are the verses the Arminian uses.  It was written about the Judahites.  Jesus Christ would come from this tribe that lived in the House of Judah:  the family of David of the tribe of Judah.

The House of Judah did not have to be put back into the covenant that they were once cut off from; no, for they were never cut off.  But they had to accept their brethren who were “now made near by the blood of Jesus Christ.”  These uncircumcised, non-keepers of God’s laws were now a part of them, once again.  For eight hundred years or longer, they had been their enemies; now, they were to be their friends?

So strong was their hatred of their brethren that God had to show by his miracles that they were to call “no man [Israelite] unclean.” The men of Judah were to accept the men of the House of Israel.  For the two Houses were one, once again.  There were questions that had to be answered.  For example, were the men from the House of Israel required to be circumcised?  A special council had to settle that argument.   

Even the Apostle Peter, along with other brethren, had to be rebuke by the Apostle Paul for how they treated those of the House of Israel.  For Peter had taught that the middle wall of partition was broken down between the two Houses; but when certain men from the House of Judah came from James he became fearful and withdrew from all fellowship with the men from the House of Israel (Galatians 2:11-14).

Nothing had to be shown to the House of Israel to accept the House of Judah; it was the other way around.  The House of Israel had not kept God’s Law, but a few of the House of Judah had. That was because Jesus Christ had established a New Covenant with both parties.  Jesus Christ died for the sins of both Houses of His Covenant People.  And His death provided the means by which both Houses, which had been separated for centuries, were reconciled into ONE body!

Conclusion

Here is an article that appeared in the Tulsa World newspaper that talked of the Racial Reconciliation Service that was held in Tulsa.  It was an interview with Anthony L. Scott, the Black Baptist preacher who was the main speaker.  Notice a couple of things that he said during this interview:

• “Eleven o’clock Sunday remains the most segregated hour, and that needs to change, he said.  The church needs to be a model of integration for society.” 
• “The true gospel as preached by Jesus reconciles us to God, and to each other,” he said.”

If the church for 2000 years has been segregated, why does it need to change?  Why does the church need to be a model of integration which their God forbid?  And who said that the true gospel reconciles Blacks and Whites and Asians and Polynesians and mullattos to God and to each other?  We believe that Israel is to be a separate people.

And in another article that appeared in the Tulsa World, Representative Markwayne Mullin said:  “‘Israel [the jew] has the right to do more than defend itself,” Mullin said.  “Biblically speaking, I want to be a blessed country, and the Bible is very clear that those that stand with Israel [the jews] will be a blessed country.’”

There is the great deception.  He has been misled as to who is the true Israel.  He believes wrongly that whoever stands with the jews will be a blessed country, while we believe that whoever stands with the jews will be a cursed nation.  With Jews, we lose. 

Most Christian Americans believe that the Arabs pulled off 9/11.  They set up all the bombs in the basement so the THREE buildings could come down in record speed.  It took months to prepare.  This was the mastermind of Osama Bin Laden.  So, in opposition to the Arabs, we must stand with the jewish people who murdered Jesus Christ; who blaspheme him and who hate both him and us.  If we don’t we won’t be blessed!  It seems to me, that America is being cursed!

The Old Covenant, by the death of Jesus Christ, was put away forever.  There was a New Covenant now, made with the same people that the Old Covenant was made with.  This New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant. 

For Jesus Christ was superior to all the prophets; for Jesus Christ was superior to all the angels; for Jesus Christ was superior to all the priests; for Jesus Christ was superior to all the kings; for Jesus Christ was superior to all the animal offerings.  Jesus Christ only had to be offered only one time.  That provided the eternal salvation for all (both Houses) of His people.

It is far worse punishment to trample on the blood of Jesus Christ than it was the blood of animals.  May God have mercy on our souls and forgive us!

Blessed be the LORD God of Israel.