Earlier we saw how mankind rebelled against Yahweh. However, Yahweh is not mocked, so He set forth a multi-faceted, multi-phase campaign to bring a remnant of us back into joyful, eager submission to His authority.
The first step was to allow our forefathers to enter bondage in Egypt, which forged our identity as a nation. Then He redeemed us from bondage, and trained us to be His army. Yet our forefathers still rebelled against Him, so He scattered us throughout the nations. This fulfilled the promises to Avraham that every family, clan, and nation would become heir to the promise of salvation in Messiah Yeshua, should we choose to submit and serve Him.
After the exile to Babylon, Yahweh sent His Son to earth as Messiah the Prince, to gather the lost and scattered sheep of Israel. Strong’s Concordance tells us the word prince refers to a military commander who leads from the front.
OT:5057 nagiyd (naw-gheed’); or nagid (naw-gheed’); from OT:5046; a commander (as occupying the front), civil, military or religious; generally (abstractly, plural), honorable themes.
Yeshua the Commander raised up a spiritual officer corps (or spiritual army) of twelve disciples, and trained them to lead through service. He then commanded them to go and make more disciples, all around the world.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 28:19-20
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, immersing them in My name*,
20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amein.
[*For why we immerse only in Yeshua’s name, please see “Immersion in Yeshua’s Name Only,” in Nazarene Scripture Studies, Volume Three.]
The definition of a disciple was later expanded to include not only those who serve in the army (the priesthood), but also those who support the army with their time, talents, and tithes. That is, Yeshua honors both full-time and part-time workers who support His cause.
In Revelation and the End Times we show how there are three Babylonian faiths which leaven the whole lump of earth. These are the three main variations of the Avrahamic faith: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These Babylonian faiths wage financial, spiritual, and literal war against the inhabitants of the earth—and as they fight among themselves, they also conquer other nations. These faiths are now colluding to establish a Zionist one world order, which will fall at trumpet 7. The kingdom will then be given to us (for more details, see Revelation and the End Times).
While the Babylonian faiths all grasp some aspect of the truth (Torah), they cannot obey the full truth, because they have selfish Babylonian spirits. For example, in Catholicism (on the left side of the graphic), unity can only be achieved by suppressing the truth. The Messianics (on the right side of the graphic) have more knowledge, but do not obey what they know. Many of them are selfishly seeking to receive, rather than generously giving. They fail to understand why Yahweh does not bless them with true, lasting unity.
Because we have a different Spirit, we seek to give (rather than receive). This kind of maturity allows us to increase knowledge, seek the low place, and still labor together, to please our Husband.
In Babylonian pyramidal hierarchies, the elite leaders are on top. In contrast, the Nazarenes visualize leaders as being on the bottom, just as the lower parts of the tree support the weight of the upper parts.
With Yeshua as the root, the priesthood serves as the trunk. They transmit the moisture and nutrients Yeshua extracts from the ground, and pass them to the congregational elders and servants. The priesthood also supports the weight of the assemblies. The leaves are united as part of one living tree.
Living trees are healthy only when each part of the tree eagerly gives its all to the rest of the tree. If any part of the tree does not eagerly give, then it is diseased—and the Master Gardener will cut that limb out of the tree, and burn it in the fire (of tribulation), so the rest of the tree does not get infected.
Yochanan (John) 15:6
6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
We can switch the analogy to that of a human body, and the same rules still apply. Living tissues depend on fluid exchange and respiration. For there to be health, there must be an equal exchange. Our bodies are only healthy when each part of the body gives to the rest. When all parts of the body give their share, then the body will grow and edify itself in love. (And if any part of the body does not want to do its share, it is a sign that it is sick or diseased, and it must be removed from the body.)
Ephesim (Ephesians) 4:16
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
We can use any number of analogies, but we are a nation—and like any nation, we have certain needs that need to be met, if our nation is not only to survive the tribulation, but to grow in numbers in spite of it.
Without land to defend, we do not need a physical army, but we still need a spiritual army (the priesthood). To speak plainly, we also need taxpayers (the people), to support the war that is being fought on their behalf.
In 1 Corinthians 9, Shaul encouraged the people to support him in fighting Yahweh’s spiritual war. While he changes the analogy throughout the verse, Shaul’s message is that the people and the priests are partners in Yeshua’s victory. If we all do our part, together we can bring the world into right order, and win the world for our Husband.
Qorintim Aleph (1 Corinthians) 9:7
7 Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock?
If we confess Yeshua as our Commander, and claim to keep His Torah, but we fail to pay our taxes (tithes) to help His priests fulfill His mission, our King will not be pleased. If we are not joyful to give to His cause, He will see us as malingerers, or traitors worthy of death.
Many of us were under a controlling spirit in the Babylonian church, in which we paid our tithes to be taught lies. This makes us fearful of organization and leadership, and it makes us hesitate to give joyfully of our time, talents, and tithes in support of the Great Commission. But let us realize that Elohim has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.
TimaTheus Bet (2 Timothy) 1:7
7 For Elohim has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
If we let our experiences in the Babylonian church stop us from obeying Yeshua’s will for us today, then we do not love our Husband as we should—because perfect love casts out fear and torment.
Yochanan Aleph (1 John) 4:18
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
Yeshua wants a people who are eager to do all they can to overcome their fears, join together in love, and further His kingdom. Those are the kind of people He wants to spend the rest of eternity with.