Study the Bible with Arthur Bailey

In the teaching last week, Mysteries of the Kingdom: Sowers and Reapers, Yeshua interpreted the parable of the tares upon the request of His disciples. Yeshua spoke additional parables and explained further mysteries of the Kingdom as His disciples listened intently and informed Him that they understood when Yeshua asked if they did. Upon completion of the parable teachings, Yeshua turned His attention toward His hometown. He and His disciples went there and Yeshua taught in the synagogues. In His hometown, Yeshua amazes the people with wisdom and miracles. Then He exposes a profound prophetic revelation of how true prophets are treated amongst those who are familiar with them and the importance of faith. 

YeHoVaH told Abraham to no longer call his wife Sarai, but Sarah. Sarai first heard her new name called by her husband Abraham, not by YeHoVaH.  It is clear according to YeHoVaH’s intent, that in order for the Covenant YeHoVaH made with Abraham to come to pass, Sarah had to comply and come in agreement with it.  Although Abraham felt it was impossible for him and Sarah to bear children together, he knew it was not impossible for the Most High Elohim to produce a child with them!

After the conversation with YeHoVaH, Abraham took Ishmael and all the men of his house and circumcised them as YeHoVaH had commanded.  This Command of Circumcision brought all of the men in Abraham’s house into and under the Covenant YeHoVaH made with Abraham.  Abraham was 99, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.  Our circumcision is based on the Covenant of Abraham; not a Mosaic Covenant or Covenant made with the Jews.

Mysteries or secrets of the Kingdom were revealed to Yeshua's disciples, but were hidden from satan and the masses who did not have ears to hear the teachings Yeshua presented. Before Yeshua began to teach in parables, He taught in clear simple everyday speech to the people beginning with the Beatitudes and the Sermons on the Mount in Matthew Chapter 5. When Yeshua started teaching in parables, it required His listeners to inquire further for understanding; this separated those who wanted an understanding from those who did not. In this teaching, Mysteries of the Kingdom: Sowers and Reapers, Yeshua speaks parables to the masses, but reveals to His disciples the Kingdom plan. Yeshua exposes the counterfeit plan and deceptive work of the enemy of sowing seeds to compete for the souls of men; and He explains the end-time Kingdom game plan of reaping the harvest. 

When Abram was 99 years old, YeHoVaH appeared to Abram and proposed a covenant with Abram based on conditions. Abram’s part of the covenant was to walk before YeHoVaH’s face and be perfect/without blemish.  YeHoVaH changes Abram’s name to Abraham and lets Abraham know that he would become a father of many nations and that all the other nations would be blessed because of him.  Although we are included in the Covenant, we must enter into the Covenant for ourselves. We must accept the conditions of the Covenant just as Abraham did.     

The religious leaders of Israel resisted and fought the ministry of Yeshua and His message of repentance. Yeshua’s family was concerned about His mental condition as was discovered in the previous lesson. Satan, the prince of the power of the air, had blinded the minds of the religious leaders and dispatched evil spirits that occupied and bound up the people of the land. Repentance and acceptance of the Gospel of the Kingdom was the only hope for the people to be set free from the bondage of satan and the evil spirits that bound them. Yeshua knew that once He left, the enemy would try to devastate the people of the land of Israel by increasing the demonic presence seven-fold. Therefore, the only hope for the people was for the seeds of the Word to be planted throughout the land. In this portion of Matthew, Yeshua reveals secrets of the Kingdom to His disciples that had been hidden from the people and the devil. 

Assessing her inability to have children, Sarai came up with the idea of having her husband sleep with her servant, Hagar, in order to produce children. Scripture implies that the children Hagar produced would be Sarai’s children since Hagar was Sarai’s maidservant or slave.  Abram went in unto Hagar, she conceived, and when Hagar saw that she had conceived, she despised Sarai.

Although Abram did not give Sarai permission to mistreat Hagar, he did give Sarai permission to do with Hagar as she pleased and that permission led to harsh treatment toward Hagar.

Abram was 86 when Ishmael, the son by Hagar, was born. The name Ishmael, was not chosen by Hagar, but by the angel of YeHoVaH and given to Hagar to name the child.  

Repentance is required to receive the message of the Kingdom and to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. John the Baptist preached repentance for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, Yeshua taught His disciples and sent them out to proclaim this message. Many who heard the message, received the message, but the religious leaders of Israel resisted and fought the ministry of Yeshua and His message of repentance. The refusal to receive the message of repentance was the result of satan, the prince of the power of the air. He had blinded the minds of the religious leaders and dispatched evil spirits that occupied and bound up the people of the land. Repentance and acceptance of the Gospel of the Kingdom was the only hope for the people then to be set free from the bondage of satan and the evil spirits that bound them. Repentance and acceptance of the Gospel of the Kingdom is the only hope for the people now

YeHoVaH speaks to Abram in a vision saying, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”   Abram responds to YeHoVaH by saying that YeHoVaH has given him much, but YeHoVaH has not given him an heir and all his possessions would be inherited by a servant born in his house.  YeHoVaH assured Abram that a servant would not become his heir and that Abram’s heir would come from his own bowels or inward parts.  A covenant was made between YeHoVaH and Abram that included Abram’s seed being too great to number.  Abram believed in the LORD; and the LORD counted it to Abram for righteousness. 

In this teaching, The Kingdom vs. the kingdoms, we will identify the Kingdom as the Kingdom of God/YeHoVaH and the kingdoms as the kingdoms of men. We will differentiate between the Kingdom and the kingdoms, compare their rulerships, and make the case of why we must choose which one we will serve, commit to, and pay homage to. On our journey through the Gospel according to Matthew, this teaching will be one of the clearest, revelatory, thought provoking teachings of Yeshua’s Kingdom Gospel teachings to date. Don’t miss a moment! We go Live at 11AM ET. 

 | In the process of rescuing Lot, Abram had acquired an abundance of spoils or possessions from the war with the 4 kings.  It is in this passage that Abram meets Melchizedek, priest and king of Salem. Melchizedek introduces us to the phrase “Most High God”.  Abram gave tithes of ALL to Melchizedek.  What was the ALL that Abram gave as tithes?  After Abram gave tithes of ALL, the word of YeHoVaH came to him in a vision saying, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”