BORN
TO
RULE !
"Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt 25:34).
The Holy Scripture tells us that the saints will one day reign with Christ as kings and priests in the Kingdom of God. It is one of the major commitments God promised the faithful who will stand by Him even to the point of losing their lives.
"Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer, behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye maybe tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days, be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life"(Revelation 2:10).
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death" (Revelation12:11).
"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seal thereof, for Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nations. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth" (Revelation 5:9-10).
Rulership is no easy task. It is a formidable responsibility. In the world tomorrow qualified leaders skilled in applying God's laws and in making wise judgments will hold key positions in God's hierarchal government. When the call of circumstances comes far beyond the usual and the ordinary a well-trained group of people are needed to effectively carry out the reign of governance. People with ample knowledge tempered with Godly wisdom who can speedily execute a just, swift and fair judgment to all will be summoned to active duty. Are you prepared to assume the role you have been called to play?
Written on page 64 of the booklet The Wonderful World Tomorrow - What it will be Liked, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong said, "One of the great problems facing the returned glorified Jesus Christ will be that of re-educating the supposedly educated. These minds - and they are indeed, the world's finest and best minds - have become so perverted with false education that they will be unable to accept truth until they first unlearn error. And it is at least ten times more difficult to unlearn error, firmly embedded in the mind, than it is to start from scratch and learn new truth."
We are Godly teachers on training right now. Mr. Armstrong made a comment, sort of - that the first fruits are called not merely to salvation but to be kings and priest under Christ when He set His hand to bring salvation to the people in the millennium and the world in the Last Great Day (Revelation 5:10).
But judgment today is now in the house of God (1 Peter 4:17). More than anybody else, we alone have that unparalleled privilege of applying God's laws in our lives today and develop our God-given natural talents. Development can be attained through a lifetime of training and education by fiery trials and testing to see if we will make it or not. It is often said, practice makes perfect - and God is perfect. Christ said; "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (complete) (Matthew 5:48).
God's justice system will basically be anchored on the word of God, the Bible - the only accurate weighing scale that will determine right from wrong as white is entirely different from black, truth from lies, real and imagined. This present evil justice system will not only be over-hauled but completely changed. For one thing, there will be no more filing fees to be collected. No more charges on unreasonable acceptance and court appearances, no postponement of hearings, no more decision in favor of the highest bidder, dilatory tactics or legal maneuvering will be a thing of the past. Bribery to pervert sound judgment will be gone. The slogan justice delayed is justice denied will no longer be heard to torment the poor. In the overall dispensation of justice no one will be above the law.
The fundamental law of the land will simply be summed up in one single word, LOVE. "Owe no man anything, but to love one another: For he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law" (Romans 13:8) "Love worketh no ill to his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law" (Romans 13:10). Love encompasses all faucets of human behavior. It will be the very heart and essence of God's way of life starting in the millennium and on till it will cover the whole earth as the water covers the sea.
We are all familiar with some form of a pyramidal structure in an organization. At the top is the constitutional law of love. Below that fundamental principle are two principal divisions: Love toward God and love toward man. These two major divisions are further divided into ten points, the Ten Commandments - the first four falling under love toward God, the last six under love toward man. Below the ten major divisions, we could add any number of other lesser laws that will cover all possible human acts and tendencies. "And if there be any other commandment, Paul said in Romans 13:9, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Every other act not covered in a command or statutes is covered by this law of love.
Included in God's law of love, the Supreme Lawgiver issued also specific guidelines to follow and rules to live by so that His people will not go astray. Statutes and judgments were revealed to the ancient patriarchs. Statutes were lesser laws which dealt with common occurrences. In ordinary language today, statutes according to Webster's dictionary are laws passed by a legislative body like ordinances. Whereas judgments were decisions designed to protect everyone's legal rights. They are decisions rendered by a competent court based on the merits and demerits of the case at bar.
The book of Deuteronomy, written by Moses just before the Israelites entered the Promised Land consists mostly of these statutes and judgments covering their religion and manner of worship, execution of justice, their government structure and even rules of engagement in times of war. It also included administration of their private and social life. Moses was already dying and this is the last document he left behind.
In the first chapter of the book, Moses voice out the hardships and difficulties he encountered of leading a rapidly growing nation of Israel (verse 9). Moses needed help. God instructed him to take wise men capable of applying the law and run the government with him. In verse 17 Moses told these judges who were chosen for their proven courage and integrity; "Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's; and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me and I will hear it."
Remember when Samuel was sent to anoint David king over Israel. David was not Samuel's first choice. In fact, we might say he was not even included in the list for his consideration. He was out in the field tending the sheep while his seven brothers were trying to get Samuel's attention for the coveted position. God told Samuel, "Look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature - for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh at the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). With God it doesn't matter who you are, how wealthy you are or how poor you are. What you look like or even how many degrees are attached in your name. At whatever station in life the same law will apply to all.
One thing we can be assured of is God's consistency. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 3:8). Deuteronomy 17 outlined the instruction to would be kings: "You shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set a king over you, you may not set a foreigner, who is not your brother. But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has told you shall not return that way again. Neither shall he multiply wives for himself; lest his heart turn away. Nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. Also when he sets on the throne of his kingdom that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites, And it shall be with him. And he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of the law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brethren that he may not turn aside from the commandments to the right hand or to the left and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel" (Deuteronomy 17:15-20).
Let's take a good look on some of these requirements God had laid out for His people to follow. Foremost and above all, the king must not be a foreigner. He has to come from God's own people, Israel. Incidentally, for the first time - and I suppose we know who the Israelites are today, the President's credential as head of the United States of America is in question. Whether modern day Israel have not heeded God's clear instruction on this important command remain to be seen. Meanwhile, Bible prophecy on the revealing of the man of sin after the great falling away is now gaining headway to its prophetic fulfillment.
Another important advice to would be future leader is for the king to avoid multiplying horses for himself. Horses represent wealth. In ancient time, thorough breed horses are expensive and most welcomed gift to heads of governments. It is also a symbol of power when horses were still the fastest medium of travel. Hordes of horses will surely put the king at an advantage in times of war. Secondly, accumulating wealth and resources for the benefit of the kingdom should be the immediate concern of the king. His throne must be free from covetousness and corruption. All material pursuits in life, however, should be treated second only to the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).
Another prerequisite law laid out for rulership is for the king not to cause Israel to return that way again. The reminder has more to do with the unbearable hardships they experienced as slaves in Egypt.
Most likely, since Egypt is the symbol of sin, they are therefore admonished that when they take hold of the Promised Land - they must not allow themselves to be a slave of sin again. In the same token that God's people today must endeavor hard never to become slaves again of their old sinful ways.
Future king's to be, are also instructed to copy in his own handwriting - the book of the law. Then he is to keep reading it all the days of his life. His knowledge about the law will surely ensure wise decisions and sound judgments in the exercise of his functions and duties. Reading and writing are two effective tools in the learning process and God used it already long before our grade school teachers adopted them in our school curriculums.
When Joshua succeeded Moses to lead Israel, God told him -"Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" (Joshua 1:8). For sure, the book of the law will be used in running the government in the Kingdom of God. Another reason why the king had to keep reading the book of the law is to inculcate the spirit of humbleness in his mind. Kingship in God's standard does not mean lording over his constituents, it is not bossism or some form of dictatorship but more on the true spirit of servant hood.
One of the important lessons Christ taught his disciples is on the area of true leadership. "You know that those who are considered rulers over the gentiles lord it over them and their great ones exercise authority over them, yet it shall not be so among you, but whosoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant, and whosoever of you desires to be first shall be slave to all. For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:42-45).
At the closing years of his missionary campaign, Peter wrote the elders of the church. "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly. Not as being LORDS over those entrusted to you but being examples to the flock" (1 Peter 5: 2-3).
The kings of Israel had only a lifetime to rule. A few misguided ones even less than a year. They have to do it right or the kingdom will be rent away. On the other side of the spectrum, the people of God today are offered rulership for all eternity. Thus it is just commensurate that the road to glory will not be all beds of roses.
Our own survival is at stake. The great arch deceiver roars in anger looking at you on the threshold of victory. But knowing the enemy and who his cohorts are never shall we ever allow them to gain ground in all quarters. By all means put on the whole armor of God, "resist the devil for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).
Be of good cheers, our elder brother had already defeated the enemy. He is now sitting at the right hand of God and made a solemn pledge:"To him that over cometh will I grant to sit me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my father in his throne"(Revelation 3:21).
Romeo Samudio
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