Kingdom Power and Authority (Part 1 of 6)

Author: Dwight A. Pryor (of blessed memory)

- from the final, twelfth lecture of the audio seminar Our Hebrew Lord

Can you explain what the kingdom of heaven/God is? To do so you must simplify, because the term is rich
with meaning in the Hebrew culture (like most Hebrew terms). It is like an onion there is layer after layer
and you can peel them off and get the richness of flavor. But when we speak about the kingdom of
God/kingdom of heaven we are speaking primarily of three things, and of all three at the same time.
Sometimes one is emphasized more than the others, but all of these things constitute the essential heart of
the kingdom.

A. The kingdom of God is the subject of the king i.e. when you speak of it, you are speaking of the King.
This is typical of the way that Jesus spoke of himself. In his humility and in his Hebrew character he always
spoke in roundabout ways of himselfnever coming out and saying, I am the Messiah. He was always
speaking in synonyms, terms like: Son of Man, or others. Or, it was a matter of drawing it out of others, who
do you say that I am?. When Jesus was before the high priest he draws it out of them (Luke 22). Finally in
their frustration they blurt it out, so, you are the Messiah, and Jesus says, you said it. But when he speaks
of the kingdom of God, he is speaking of himself as King.

B. When Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God/Heaven he speaks of what a king does. Ruling and reigning is
the activity of a king he exercises sovereignty and dominion over subjects. So when you speak of the
kingdom of heaven you are speaking of the ruling and reigning of God. Where is the first reference to the
kingdom of God in the OT? Everything Jesus said had some reference to scriptures in the Tanach. You wont
find it if you look for the word kingdom, but you have to understand Hebrew every word has a root, and that
root has different levels of adaptation. The first reference to the kingdom is found in Ex. 15:18
Adonaiyimloch leolam vaed - the Lord will reign forever and ever.

This was after their miraculous deliverance from Egypt, and they break out in this prophetic praise of God,
the deliverer; concluding this dramatic passage by saying, the Lord reigns forever and ever. What is that?
That is the kingdom namely, that is the reigning and the ruling of God. But you have to understand, in order
to rule and reign (when you speak of it in biblical terms) you must first redeem. Redemption precedes
reigningfirst you redeem, and that gives you the right to rule. Remember Pauls terminology: you have
been bought with a price, you are not your own, i.e. you have been ransomed from the kingdom of darkness
and now you are subject to somebody else you are now subject to the one who redeemed you. He now has
the right to rule you - he is your king. So, ruling is preceded by redemption.

But I want to tell you an even greater truth: not only does God rule because he redeems; he redeems in
order to rule. There is a purpose in his redemption. The kingdom of God (which Jesus speaks about) is the
supernatural intervention of God in our lives. Just as he intervened for Israel and brought them out of Egypt
to redeem them, so he intervenes in our lives supernaturally. The kingdom of God is Gods activityand his
activity is attended by supernatural power and manifestations. Jesus said, if I cast these out by the finger of
God, then know the kingdom of heaven has arrived, it is at hand.

C. The kingdom of heaven is a phrase that Jesus took and used as a designation of his movement, i.e. his
followers the people whom he rules and reigns. The term was very popular in Pharisaic thought, it was
used all the time. But Jesus co-opted this to become a designation for his movement like a political party;
his became the party of the kingdom people. When he speaks of the kingdom of heaven, he is talking about
those who submit to his reigning as king. Do you see the relationship? Who are these people (movement)?
These are the people who submit to his rulership, his active intervention and lordship in their lives as King
those are the people who make up his movement. Blessed are the poor in spirit - these are the people I am
ruling over; or to say it in a word, blessed are the humble that is what this beatitude means. The poor in
spirit has many meanings, it is a wonderfully rich termbut in its essence it's 'blessed are the humble'
they are those who are willing to submit to me as king and permit me to rule and reign over them. They are
the people in my movement, they make up the kingdom. It says in some translations: theirs is the
kingdombut the kingdom is not something you possess; you dont own it the kingdom owns you. Jesus
redeemed, therefore he is ruling. If he redeemed and you submit to that redemption you claim that
atonement, then you need to submit to his authority as king. If he saves you, then he deserves to be your
Lord. Many know him as saviour, not so many know him as ruler.

Whoever is least in my kingdom (the kingdom of heaven) is greater than John, and John was the greatest
of all people. What does that mean? Does that mean John didnt die and go to heaven? No, the kingdom of
heaven doesnt refer to heaven there is a heaven, but that is not what the terminology the kingdom of
heaven is. Jesus is saying, John was the greatest born of women ever to live; but I am telling you something,
anybody in my movement who submits to my ruling and reigning as king are greater than John. John was not

a part of Jesus movement; he was the one who prepared the way. Of course John was faithful, of course he
receives his eternal reward with God he did Gods perfect will. But John was the forerunner, he was not part
of it; he was the one who made the way ready for it. So Jesus is saying, he is great, there is none greater
than John; but if you are in my movement and have submitted to me as king, you are greater.

*This is a polished audio transcript, not a perfect written article. Thank you for understanding!

Kingdom Power and Authority (Part 2 of 6)

Author: Dwight A. Pryor (of blessed memory)
- from the final, twelfth lecture of the audio seminar Our Hebrew Lord

What I am now going to share with you can transform your life in God, and therefore transform your life in
this world. These are 7 applications of what it means to operate in the authority and power of the kingdom of
God. We know now what and who the kingdom of God is; it is

King Jesus;

His ruling and reigning of those who submit to his authority;

A present reality that has future implications.

The day will come in which Jesus will be King over everyone every knee shall bow, every tongue will
confess. Sure, the kingdom of heaven has future applications; but Jesus is ruling and reigning over those who
volunteer and submit now to his ruling and reigning, those who bow the knee and who confess with the
tongueit is present reality.

What does it mean to be in the kingdom of God

What does it mean to operate in the authority and power of the kingdom?
1.
You live a King-centered life a God-centered life.
The Kings priorities become yours; that is, what matters to the king matters to you. Is the kingdom
important to Jesus? Luke 4:42 I must preach the good news of the kingdom of Godbecause that is why I
was sent. He is saying: my mission in coming here was to make it clear that I am the king, and that I am
ruling and reigning over those who submit to me. I am setting the captives free they are breaking loose,
they are finding freedom; their lives are being transformed. This was vitally important to Jesus over 100
times in the gospels he talks about the kingdom of Heaven/God.

In Acts 1:3 the resurrected Jesus spends 40 days with his disciples, and he is still teaching them. Did it
matter to Jesus whether you taught or whether you learnt? He came to teach about the kingdom of God (he
spent his whole life doing it), and even in his supernatural resurrected body he continued instructing them.
What did Jesus teach his disciples? Acts 1:3 he spoke about the kingdom of God. Do you get the point? The
kingdom of God was at the very heart of Jesus concerns, and that is why it needs to be at the heart of your
concern and understanding because to be in his movement means that what matters to Jesus is what
matters to you. What the king cares about is what you care about which is exactly what he taught his
disciples to pray: Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done. You say, wait a minute, right here you have just
disproved what you have said earlier; because the Scripture says: your kingdom come. Is that not referring to
the future coming of the kingdom? No, it is not.

In Hebrew the most typical form of expression is what is called parallelism, i.e. you say things in parallel,
you repeat things two and three times. Why two times? Because, out of the mouths of two witnesses God
confirms his word. Therefore you say, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my pathway you
are saying the same thing, but in two different ways. It is parallel in meaning it builds on itself, it is
complimentary. When Jesus says, Thy kingdom come, they will be done, he is saying exactly the same thing
twice those are equivalent meanings. To say: Thy kingdom come, is to say: may your will be done.
Actually, a better translation of that text would be: may your kingdom continue expanding. In other words:
God, may your authority, your ruling and reigning continue to expand; may your will continue to expand and
be done in my heart. To pray: may your kingdom come, means to pray: God, may your will be done.
Because the essence of the kingdom is: not my will but Thy will be done. To be in the kingdom is to have the
Kings priorities.

This prayer of Jesus is very powerful, and this phrase is at the heart of the Lords Prayer. In Hebrew it
comes across so clearly, it has such an intensity about it. When you say: God, may your kingdom continue to
grow and establish, may your will be done in our lives, you say it with great fervency, with intensityyou
want the Kings will to be done; and it begins in you. That is why Jesus says, seek first the kingdom of
heaven, and then all else shall be added unto you. Is he saying, seek first to be saved and die and go to the
world to come make that your top priority in life? Thank God when you die, you will receive a reward in the
world to come, you will be with him eternally; but Jesus is saying, in this world, what I want your priority to

be is to seek first to do my will seek first to make me king of your life, seek first to permit me to rule and
reign in your life. Seek first to be part of the movement that I have established; and then all else shall be
added unto you.

Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you that this is the heart of the Christian life. If you could ever simplify
your life in Christ to the extent that your number one priority seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 100% of
your finances, 100% of what you eat, 100% of what you let come out of your mouth, 100% of what you let go
into your eyes and your ears, 100% of what you do. If you would do everything from the point of view of
seeking first his kingship in your lifehis ruling, his reigningthen you are going to be set free, and he is
going to reap a reward.

Do you understand what I am telling you? We are parting the veil, we are seeing the very heart of Jesus,
we are seeing what matters to him. And he promises us if we will do this all else shall be added. Dont be
anxious for things; seek first my ruling and reigning in your life look how I have taken care of the lilies of the
fields and the birds of the air, how much more will your heavenly Father take care of you if you seek first to
make me king to be part of my movement, to submit to my authority? This is powerful! Like Jesus said, it is
like coming across a pearl of inestimable valueyou find it in a field, and you go and sell all that you have to
buy that field, so that you can possess that great pearl. That is what the kingdom is likeit is so important
that everything else in your life pales by insignificance.

*This is a polished audio transcript, not a perfect written article. Thank you for understanding!

Kingdom Power and Authority (Part 3 of 6)

Author: Dwight A. Pryor (of blessed memory)

- from the final, twelfth lecture of the audio seminar Our Hebrew Lord

2. You lead a life characterized by humility.

Blessed, how fortunate, how happy are the humble for these are the people I am ruling and reigning,
these are the people who make up my movement the peacemakers, those who mourn, those who strive
after righteousness, those who humble and submit themselves to me; these are the ones I can rule and reign
not the haughty, not the proud, not those who insist on doing their will; but those who recognize their total
dependence and need of me. These are the people that I can be king over; of such is the kingdom of
heaven. (Mark 10:14) The issue is sovereignty who is in charge.

That is one reason Jesus says (Luke 18) it is hard for the rich to enter like trying to put a camel through
the eye of a needle. The camel was the largest animal known in that day and the eye of a needle was just a
figure of speech for the smallest thing. Jesus says: it is as difficult for the rich to get into my movement as it
is for you to try and stick a camel through an eye of a needle. Why? Because the rich tend to rely upon their
riches rather than upon God. Their security is in their bank account, not in Gods provisionthey are the ones
who find it difficult to let Jesus rule and reign in their lives. This is not just talking about finances are you
rich in intellect, are you rich in talent and in abilities? You tend to rely on your strength; you pastors tend to
rely on your abilities rather than to submit to him as king and authority. That is why it is difficult to be in his
movement because you are not willing to humble yourselves and submit to him as king.
3. You live a life characterized by the obedience of faith (as Paul calls it).
Obedience is the hallmark of a disciple, of someone in the kingdom of God. Matt. 7:21 not everyone who
says to me Lord, Lord enters the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in
heaven. What is Jesus saying here? Is he saying that many who say that they are saved are going to die and
not go to heaven? No, that is not the point he is making. I have actually heard this text used by certain
preachers saying that if you arent in the right church (the right denomination) and if you dont have the right
beliefs it doesnt matter then if you call Jesus Lord, you are not going to heaven. That is complete misuse
of this text. Jesus is saying, just because you call me Lord doesnt mean you are part of my movement. It
takes more than just what you say with your mouthjust claiming doesnt get it for you. You can call me
Lord, but if you are not obeying me you are not part of my movement you are not in the kingdom of
heaven. Just because you call me king, just because you refer to me as Lord does not mean you are
permitting me to rule and reignif you were, let me see the obedience of your faith.

In Matt. 11 Jesus says, take on my yoke, for it is easy to bear. This is direct parallel to taking on the yoke
of Torah, the yoke of the kingdom of heaven that the Pharisees talked about. Jesus said, some of you
Pharisees tend to load people up, you make it burdensome keeping the Torah. Take on my yoke, it is easy to
bear. I want to show you something; yes, it is easy to bear but it is a yoke. What does that mean? A yoke is
something that you have to bend your neck to put on, it is something you have got to submit to. A yoke is

used to harness the animals to do some work. To be in the kingdom, to put on the yoke of Jesus means first of
all that you submit to him as king you bow the neck, you worship. Secondly it says that if you are going to
get into his kingdom it is not just to put some pins on your lapel and be impressed with your spiritual
credentials. It means we are going to do some ploughing, I have saved you because from the beginning of
the world I have prepared works for you to do; and when you get into my movement I am going to give you
the authority and power to do those works, because I am going to do them in and through you. So it is a
yoke. Luke 11:28 blessed are those who hear and obey the word of God. To be in the kingdom means to
live a life of obedience, the obedience of faithfulness.

*This is a polished audio transcript, not a perfect written article. Thank you for understanding!

Kingdom Power and Authority (Part 5 of 6)

Author: Dwight A. Pryor (of blessed memory)

- from the final, twelfth lecture of the audio seminar Our Hebrew Lord

5. You come connected to the community of the faithful.

You must be a part of Jesus movement, you must be involved with others. In the kingdom of God there are
not supposed to be any Rambos no lone rangers. Even guys who have fought in Vietnam are offended by
the Rambo movie, because they know in real life he'll last about two seconds just long enough to stand up
and flex his muscles, and then he will get it in the back. That is exactly what happens to you if you take on
the Adversary by yourself. You may have all the implements of the armor of God the shield, the sword, the
helmet, you are girded up, your feet are shod, and you go after that enemy. But there is one area of your
body that is not protected (even if you have got the full armor of God on) your back; because there is
supposed to be somebody behind you who is in the army with you. You dont fight these battles alone, and
that is the issue. The kingdom is a matter of warfare, we are an army we are more than just an assembly of
people. Jesus says: I am building my church and the gates of hell are not going to withstand it. We are Gods
witnesses in this world. I am giving you my Spirit so that you may be my witnesses throughout all the world
Acts 1:8.

6. You are involved with conflict.

The kingdom is a matter of conflict. I am speaking of spiritual warfare. There is somebody who gets real
irritated when you get in the kingdom of heavenhe is the one who opposes the things of God and who
ridicules Gods authority and power, he is the one who wants to ascend higher than God. He wants to rule
and reign - his name is Satan the Adversary. And he will oppose you, and if you are part of the kingdom he
will oppose you with great might and force, because the kingdom is setting his captives free! How would you
like it if somebody is stealing people out of your ranks? You would be a little incensed if you had people
captive and imprisoned and somebody came in and set them free. That is exactly what happens when the
kingdom of God breaks in the captives get set freethat is the violence that we are speaking of when we
are talking of the kingdom. People are being set free, power is being set free (loosed) and the king of the
dominion of darkness takes offense at it.

Being in the kingdom of heaven is to be part of the army of God; and that is why you need to be equipped
with all of the armor of God. You need to operate in his authority and in the power of his Spirit; he says that
the mission of the church is to equip the saints for ministry. All these functions the apostles, the prophets
and teachers and pastors, are designed to do one thing: to equip the body of Christ for their ministry. The
word equip there is the same word that is used when it talks about repairing nets that are broken. To equip
means to prepare something for use. It may involve repair (it often does), but the central idea is that it is
preparing something for service. If it is nets, you get them ready so that you can go catch a harvest of fish.
And if it is the church, you prepare them to go out and take dominion over the Adversary, to set captives
free, to proclaim the kingship of Jesus the lordship of our Messiah; and to do his will, that his name may be
glorified in all the earth. Heb. 2:14-16 Jesus destroyed the devil and death. 1 Jn 3:7-8 - the reason the Son
of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. I dont want to scare you (I can elaborate on it); but
believe me, to be in the kingdom of heaven is to be part of a community that is engaged in conflict with the
forces
of
this
world.
7.

The

kingdom

is

in

and

among

you.

Jesus says, the kingdom does not come visibly, nor will people say here it is, or there it is, because the
kingdom of God is within you (Lk 17:21). It can also be translated, among you (in your midst). Both
translations are correct it is not one or the other, it is both in you and among you. To be in the kingdom is to
be part of a community so the kingdom is among you collectively; but it is also in you individually. Where is
the kingdom? In you. Who lives in you? Jesus. Who is Jesus? He is King, he is Lord. If you are part of his
movement then he is operating in and through you. What are you to do? You are to proclaim the good news,

heal the sick, raise the dead, teach, cleanse, drive out (Matt. 10). You are the kingdom this is the most
staggering revelation of all.

*This is a polished audio transcript, not a perfect written article. Thank you for understanding!

Kingdom Power and Authority (Part 6 of 6)

Author: Dwight A. Pryor (of blessed memory)

- from the final, twelfth lecture of the audio seminar Our Hebrew Lord

Our Hebrew Lord in summary:

We have talked about who the kingdom is Jesus the King. What the kingdom of God is the King ruling and
reigning over people who submit to his authority. We have talked about when the kingdom is it is a present
reality, it is breaking loose, it is breaking free, it is something that is here and now. We know how the
kingdom operates in the authority of Jesus name and the power of his Holy Spirit. I suggested as to whythe
kingdom is operating - because God has a purpose for planet earth; he has things he wants to accomplish
and it is vitally important for you to realize that God needs you to give evidence of his kingship in your home,
in your workplace, in offices, in society. And he want his name to fill the earth the glory of God, the
knowledge of the Lord. So, there is a purpose for your salvation.

You know now who Jesus is he is the Yeshuat Elohim, he is Elohim incarnated for our salvation; he is
Immanuel God with us in order to save. You know who he is and you know of his power; not only the
authority that accompanies his name, but the authority that he has in the Spirit. And you now understand
that it is very dear to his heart to see his kingship expanded expanded in your life individually and
expanded collectively in the community and in society. If then you know who the king is, if you know what his
name is and the authority and power of that name, and if you are empowered by his Spirit, and know that
your body is a temple of his Holy Spirit, then you have everything you need to operate in the kingdom of
God/Heaven here and now. How does it happen? First of all it is a recognition and belief in who Jesus is,
secondly it is a submission to him as King, permitting him to rule and reign over your life. So I challenge you
to operate in the authority of the kingdom of heaven he has called you.

How do you enter his movement? You repent, you turn around, you stop going your way and you start
going his way. He has called you, he has cleansed you in the waters of immersion (baptism), he has
consecrated (set apart) you by the power of his sacrificial blood, he has clothed you with garments of
righteousness, he has commissioned you to go, teach, baptize, heal, cleanse, deliver, set free i.e. he has
commissioned you to do the work of the kingdom of God. So I challenge you to be the people of God, to make
Jesus Lord, make him King, give him sovereignty over every dimension of your life. Not for your glorification,
not for your rewardswhatever they may be whether in this world or in the world to comedo it because of
who he is. Remember, I told you the uniqueness of Jesus is not so much in how he taught, how he dressed,
what language he spoke, his teaching methods, his healings that is not the uniqueness of Jesus. Who he is
that is the uniqueness of Jesus. You now know who he is, therefore be the people of God,humble yourself
under his mighty hand, obey his teachings.

I hate to tell you this but you now are much more accountable and responsible than you were before we
started this study. To whom much is given much is required. He has redeemed you and therefore he has a
right to rule you. Will you submit and permit him to do so? Will you humble yourselves, will you obey him, will
you do the works he has prepared? You say, O I cant do it, little old me, I am unable I know he has called
me to do this, to do that, but I am unable. Baloney! In modern Hebrew that means: that is a bunch of
nonsense. You know what is wrong with that statement? You are too preoccupied with self and your failures
get preoccupied with the King, his authority, his power, his glory. He is the Son of Man, he is the King, he has
arrived and he has established a kingdom that shall not be shaken it shall go forth now and forever more.

AMEN and AMEN.

*This is a polished audio transcript, not a perfect written article. Thank you for understanding!