Bar Enash: His Kingdom is Without End

[Robert A Green]

Bar Enash: His Kingdom is without End

As I prepare to take us to the place of truth as it relates to our position in God and the reality of who we are, I want to prefix my sermon by laying at least four (4) premises on which we will build. The first of these premises are:

Jesus’ Worldview was Kingdom of God

Any search of the scriptures will reveal that Jesus spoke of little else but the Kingdom of God. He sparingly spoke of the church but made numerous declarations about the Kingdom. When we look at the parables of Jesus most are introduced with the phrase “The Kingdom of God is like…”

Since the fall of man creation has lived in an atmosphere of kingdom versus kingdom.

Kingdom of God versus the kingdom of satan

Kingdom of Light versus the kingdom of darkness

Kingdom of Heaven versus the kingdom of hell

Kingdom of Good versus the kingdom of Evil

Kingdom of the Spirit versus the kingdom of the world

As we look at this we find that in every dispensation and age there have been manifestations of this confrontation. As we look in our contemporary setting we find that the kingdom of darkness base on the time of the age has vehemently opposed the kingdom of God. When the Bible says “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free”, postmodernism says “There is no absolute truth.” Everything is relative and what you feel is the right way to live and not necessarily what you know.

The kingdom of God in this age is forced to wrestle with ideologies such as materialism. In philosophy, materialism is that form of physicalism which holds that the only thing that can truly be said to exist is matter; that fundamentally, all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions; that matter is the only substance. Yet the Bible tells us that everything that we now see came out of the invisible realm. It would push against faith as the Bible declares it to be the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.

Internal War

There is also an internal battle that is raging because of the fact that there are kingdoms warring on our inside. The Bible says we were born in sin and shaped in iniquity. Our nature was fashioned after the kingdom of darkness through the sin of Adam. Every human being came into this world bearing the mark of the origin sin of Adam. Those of us who have accessed the Kingdom of God through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ are now in a crisis point. First we had the principles of the kingdom of darkness reigning on our inside, but now as Christ said in Luke 17:20-21

"The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'there it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."

Paul explains that because of this experience of coming into the kingdom of God he is finding that he sees another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (Romans 7:23)

A couple verses before this Paul said when he wants to do good evil is present right there with him. It’s kingdom against kingdom.

Everything we do is influenced by, affected by, impacts on and recorded in a Kingdom

There is no action or thought that we do that is not in one way or another aligned and or associated to a one of the two kingdoms. The writer of the Hebrews in chapter 9:27

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…

This is telling us that our actions in the now matters and will be taken into account. Psalm 10:13 says,

Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, "He won't call me to account"?

and in verse 15 David makes and assurance that the wicked man will be called into account.

Jesus admonishes in Matthew 12:36 that,

I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

Every action must count for one side of the other and will be taken into account at a point when it matters most in the destiny of our souls.

The Kingdom has eschatological as well as ecclesiastical significance.

The Kingdom of God is not just a reality to come with the second coming of Jesus. It is a reality that is presence in the now. Matthew 3:2 says that John the Baptizer went about preaching repentance to all men because the Kingdom of God was near. Further down in the book Jesus declares that if He expels demons by the Spirit of God then the Kingdom of God has overtaken his audience.

While it is true that the kingdom is an eschatological phenomenon that is wrapped up in mystery, it is also true that the kingdom is existing in a real sense in the earth today. Wherever the rule of Christ is declared the Kingdom of God is established.

THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE KINGDOM

Now the Old Testament has much to say about the Kingdom of God as it was ushered in by the Christ. A former pagan king gets a revelation in the book of Daniel 4 and posits:

I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation.

Another King during the time of Daniel says in chapter 6

25 Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end.

Isaiah says in Isaiah 9

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

But as we contemplate the Old Testament references we want to talk a look at one that is mentioned in Daniel 7, as we look at the potency of this Bar Enosh and his Kingdom.

13 "I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.

BAR ENASH

Ezekiel in his writings uses the term son of man many times as he wrote about God’s conversations with him. The term used by Ezekiel is different from the one used by Daniel. Ezekiel used the term ben adam in reference to him, it literally means son of Adam. This Ezekiel used as a reflection of his frailty and ineptness as it related to perform the duties given to him or to answer the questions asked of him by God. Daniel on the other hand uses the Aramaic found of the word which is bar enash. This is the same found that Jesus seem to use as He made mention of himself in relation to the Kingdom.

This bar enash according to Daniel is not an ordinary man. We have been taught and I have taught in the past that the title son of man spoke to the humanity of Jesus and not to his divinity, but base on Daniel’s use of the term it has shifted the gear.

This son of man that Daniel spoke of is not an ordinary man. Firstly,

This Son of man came with the clouds of heaven!

This significance of this points is that this son of man is in contradistinction to the rest of us. What he is bring is not of this world. His kingdom is from above, while the other kingdoms rose from the sea. He is the manifestation of the divine order of God in bodily form. This son of man is He who Isaiah prophesied of,

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

S. M. Lockridge under divine revelation and making the logos contemporary says this SON of MAN is my king:

The Bible says He's a Seven Way King. The Bible says He’s the King of the Jews
He’s the King of Israel
He’s the King of Righteousness
He’s the King of the Ages
He’s the King of Heaven
He’s the King of Glory
He’s the King of Kings
and He is the Lord of Lords

Now that’s my King! David says
The Heavens declare the glory of God
And the firmament showeth His handiwork
No means of measure can define His limitless love
No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply
No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing

He’s enduringly strong He’s entirely sincere
He’s eternally steadfast
He’s immortally graceful
He’s imperially powerful
He’s impartially merciful

That’s my King! He’s God’s Son
He’s the sinners’ Saviour
He’s the centrepiece of civilisation
He stands alone in Himself
He’s august
He’s unique
He’s unparalleled
He’s unprecedented
He’s supreme
He’s pre-eminent
He’s the loftiest idea in literature
He’s the highest personality in philosophy
He’s the supreme problem in higher criticism
He’s the fundamental doctrine in true theology
He’s the cardinal necessity of spiritual religion

That’s my King! He’s the miracle of the age
He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him
He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously
He supplies strength for the weak
He’s available for the tempted and the tried
He sympathises and He saves
He guards and He guides
He heals the sick
He cleansed the lepers
He forgives sinners
He discharges debtors
He delivers the captives
He defends the feeble
He blesses the young
He serves the unfortunate
He regards the aged
He rewards the diligent
And He beautifies the meek

Do you know Him? My King is the key of knowledge
He’s the wellspring of wisdom
He’s the doorway of deliverance
He’s the pathway of peace
He’s the roadway of righteousness
He’s the highway of holiness
He’s the gateway of glory
He’s the master of the mighty
He’s the captain of the conquerors
He’s the head of the heroes
He’s the leader of the legislators
He’s the overseer of the overcomers
He’s the governor of governors
He’s the prince of princes
He’s the King of Kings
And He’s the Lord of Lords

That’s my King That’s my King!
My King
His office is manifold
His promise is sure
His life is matchless
His goodness is limitless
His mercy is everlasting
His love never changes
His word is enough
His grace is sufficient
His reign is righteous
His yoke is easy
and His burden is light
I wish I could describe Him to you
He’s indescribable
He’s indescribable
He’s incomprehensible
He’s invincible
He’s irresistible
I’m trying to tell you
The heaven of heavens cannot contain Him
Let alone a man explain Him
You can’t get Him out of your mind
You can’t get Him off of your hands
You can’t outlive Him
And you can’t live without Him
The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him
but they found out they couldn’t stop Him
Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him
The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree
And Herod couldn’t kill Him
Death couldn’t handle Him
And the grave couldn’t hold Him

That’s my King! He always has been
And He always will be
I’m talking about
He had no predecessor
and He’ll have no successor
There was nobody before Him
and there’ll be nobody after Him
You can’t impeach Him
and He’s not going to resign

That’s my King! Praise the Lord
That’s my King
Thine is the Kingdom
And the power
And the glory
The glory is all His
Thine is the Kingdom
And the power
And the glory
For ever
And ever
And ever
And when you get through with all of the forevers
Then
Amen

He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him.

This son of man had direct unhindered access to the Father.

14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,

He has rulership, glory and a kingdom given to him by the Father.

That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.

He is not a king that is limited by regional authorities. His dominion extends beyond culture, class, creed, economical stability, linguistic divides and ethnicity.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion,

His reign in not going to come to an end at anything. He rules in time and when time stops he will rule in eternity.

Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.

Unlike the other kingdoms that Daniel spoke of and the different transition that we have gone through as a race there is nothing that is able to destroy the Kingdom that the son of man has ushered into our lives.

Jesus Christ is the KING of this real Kingdom that we live in.

Government of the Kingdom

This kingdom that Christ established is one that functions in the life of humanity according to the principle of Grace. Now, Grace is the undeserved love and favor of God.

UNDESERVED

There is nothing that we could do to become merited with this kingdom. Our entrance in the kingdom is by grace through faith.

Like the son in the parable of the Loving Father we have squandered much. We have turned our back on God and have left the presence of our Father. But once we return the reality is that He is always waiting with open arms for the returning of his child. That is grace alone, but he takes it a step further and reinstates us.

But some of us in the kingdom operate like the son that stayed at home. We often times question the decision of grace. Why did she make it in? What is God blessing her after all that she has done? She does not deserve it! He does not deserve it! We think there has to be a reasonable answer to the actions of grace, but there isn’t.

Reality of the Kingdom

The kingdom of God according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:20 is not a matter of talk. It’s not about eloquence or arrogance of speech as some people might think. And even though God uses those who are eloquent it is simply not about being eloquent. In the Corinthian church people where talk, so Paul said

I will come to you …and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

Now as a young preacher I often times preached about the types of power as if they exist independently and are not interdependent on each other. But just this week as I was preparing in my spirit to speak I recognized that they are woven together to manifest the whole and divine reality in the life of the believer. When we consider the account of Acts 19, we recognized that even though these boys were trying to use the (dunamis) power that was in the name of Jesus to cast out demons they had no (esxoucia) authority to do so.

Acts 19:13-16

13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

The authority and ability of the kingdom run in tandem and are the reality of the Kingdom that we live in.