Introduction
The biblical narrative tells us of Humanity’s history with the Creator of Heaven and Earth. He worked from Eden and the Rebellion against Him, through His scattering of the nations while choosing the descendants of Abraham as His own, to the birth of His Son as a Jew – an Israelite. The Master of history brought about history’s build up to the Incarnation.
Rebellion in Eden
The Creator made a world very good and put Humanity in charge as His viceroys. He provided in Eden easy food and water and no need for protection, healing, or covering of flaws. However, the humans listened to the Serpent (nahash, fiery being) and disobeyed the Creator about following their own morality. The Creator promised that the offspring of the woman would crush the head of the snake’s offspring.
Rebellion in Babylon
All of Humanity rebelled again, building a city to keep themselves together and to make a name for themselves. They also attempted to reach into the heavens to obtain Eden’s benefits their way. God confused their languages, and the nations scattered. He assigned members of His divine council (the sons of God) to rule over them while keeping Israel for Himself (Deuteronomy 32:8-9).
History of the Nation of Israel
God Almighty started with the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) to build up their family into twelve tribes. He prospered and protected them as long as they obeyed and worshipped Him. He sent them into Egypt to survive a worldwide famine. He delivered them from slavery to make them into a nation under His Kingship.
The King sent them into Canaan to drive out or exterminate the evil peoples that lived there. He gave His people the wealth the Canaanites left behind and taught them how to prosper under His laws and instructions (torah). This included how to care for the orphans, widows, and vulnerable people among them.
Sometimes, they obeyed and received His provision, health, and wellbeing – the benefits of Eden. More often, they rebelled and went after the lesser gods of the peoples around them. Then, Yahweh allowed foreign gods and their peoples to oppress and enslave the Israelites. When they cried out for deliverance, He sent one person or another to strike down the oppressors and restore His rule over them.
Exile under Various Empires
Yahweh granted His people human kings, bringing Israel to great prosperity and reputation under David and Solomon. Time and again, the kings led the people away from following Yahweh to following and worshipping the foreign gods. This led to them oppressing the orphans, widows, and vulnerable people.
Finally, Yahweh allowed the Assyrians to scatter the ten northern tribes of Israel. Then, He allowed Babylon to drag the southern tribes and Levites into exile. Many returned after seventy years and rebuilt the nation in the land but under various empires.
Promised Anointed One
By this time, various prophets – spokesmen for Yahweh – had confronted the Israelites again and again about their rebellion. The people were worshipping and following other gods. They even sacrificed children to these gods. They oppressed the orphans, widows, and vulnerable people instead of helping them.
The prophets also promised Yahweh would send some divine Servant, His Anointed One (Messiah) to bring Israel back into obedience and trust and to crush the human empires that oppressed them. These included the Greeks and the Romans.
During the Roman occupation, Yahweh sent His Spirit to a teen girl of Israel and impregnated her with His Son. This was the incarnation or embodiment of God into a human body. He was called Yeshua (English “Jesus”), which meant “salvation”. Not being from a human father – yet fully human because of His His mother, Yeshua overcame the temptations to rebel against His Father. He lived, taught, and demonstrated the return of God’s kingship to the people of Israel. He showed them and His students how to obtain the benefits of Eden God’s way. He instructed God’s people how to live in trust and obedience to the Father.
Yeshua sacrificed His life to break the power of human rebellion and the lies of the lesser gods to rule in people’s lives. Then, He rose from the dead and was given rulership over Heaven and Earth. He sent His students as colonial leaders to spread His reign throughout the Earth (Matthew 28).
The Fullness of Time
Paul wrote that Yeshua came “when the set time had fully come” (Galatians 4:4). Myles Munroe said that this meant the time of the Roman empire because of their colonial system. After a Roman general had successfully led an army to conquer some distant land, he returned with slaves to his triumph – his victory parade.
The emperor usually sent that general back as his apostle (sent one). This man led a colony of Roman citizens (an ecclesia) from various trades and walks of life. They would bring Roman culture to the conquered land. They would hear the emperor’s decrees and enforce them on the conquered people.
Other scholars have written that the Romans built roads throughout the empire and enforced the safety of the sea lanes on the Mediterranean. This enabled Paul and other Kingdom spreaders to easily travel to various Roman colony cities to proclaim the kingship of Yeshua and to build His Kingdom colonies and ecclesias – not churches.
History Built Up to the Incarnation and Beyond
Thus, the history of the Israelites built up from the family and tribes the Creator chose, through the nation Yahweh, ruled to the embodiment of His Son as a human. His death on the Cross and return to life by the power of the Spirit became His enthronement as King of Heaven and Earth. That Spirit, poured out on those who believed, began the spread of His Kingdom throughout the Earth. This was opposed by the Roman and other earthly rulers but enabled by their transportation system and by the ecclesia of King Yeshua.
That ecclesia has taken care of orphans, widows, and vulnerable people and made Western culture as civilized as it is today. The Spirit, working through His ecclesia, will one day make the whole Earth like Eden again. King Yeshua will return to take His throne in Jerusalem. Then, His edenic reign will last for a thousand years.
Questions
Are you making your mark on the history of the world by your service to King Yeshua and His ecclesia?
Are you looking forward to living in the new Eden of Heaven on Earth after the King comes to take up His throne?