The Lord is my Shepherd

     Sorry to take a break from Revelations but I feel the Lord wants me to post about what  I am going through now.  Recently I have felt like I am in transition.  I know a lot of people feel this way so I thought the comfort I have been receiving from the Lord may also help others through this time. 

     My life feels like it is going through the valley of death, death to dreams, death to finances, death to identity.  Everything seems to be ending at once with no clear vision of the future.  My youngest child has turned 18 and is growing into a godly young woman, although I should be happy about this, she is my last child and I feel we are both moving into a whole new stage in life and I will no longer be "mommy".  Most of my life I have been "mommy" to someone, that has been my identity for so long I am not sure that I know how to be anyone else.  Also I have had three sources of income for many years now and this year those sources have either begun to dry up or will dry up over the next few months.  I went to college for 8 years in order to find a job in the field that I love, helping people and have been working steadily for the last two years toward building up that job.  Now all of a sudden over the last three months I have seen a steady drop in business to the point of barely having any income.  I have also felt all the life I once received from helping people slowly dissipating.  I no longer gain any satisfaction or life from what I felt called to do.  It feels like a part of me that has always been there, including my dreams for the future in this field, is dying right before my eyes.  I could go on and on this way as there are so many other areas this death seems to be touching in my life.  But God!  

     He is so good and faithful!  He never leaves me and I can always depend on him to be there for me.  Last Sunday at church during worship I got a vision of myself as a little girl and I was holding my hands up to Father God, like a kid would who wanted to be picked up by their daddy.  I saw him reach down and pick me up in His arms.  He wrapped His arms around me and I felt so comforted and safe.  I looked at His arms and they were very big and muscular it was almost as if just one of His arms was bigger than me.  As I looked at His right arm I saw a word tattooed on it in large letters, it said DEFENDER. Then I looked over at His left arm and it also had a word tattooed on it in large letters, it said RESTORER.  I knew these words were for me.  I knew also He was saying He was my Defender and Restorer and I could feel safe in this huge arms because they would fight for me and restore everything I felt was dying.  After that encounter I felt His peace come into my heart and I knew that even though I did not have a vision for my future it would be safe in those arms.  

     Yesterday I was feeling that sinking feeling again, and my mind began to question my circumstances and God about my future and the seeming death of what seems like everything around me.  I was talking with God about what I should do about finding another source of income and He said rest and let me take care of it. But Lord, shouldn't I work with you, isn't that what you ask of us to work with you.  Then I heard the familiar scripture running through my head, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me to the still waters, He restores my soul."  So I went to my amplified Bible and looked it up and this is what I found.

       Psalm 23

          1.The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. (I had written in the

              margins here -I shall not shrink, fail, or get ripped off) 

          2. He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful

              waters.

          3. He refreshes and restores (I had added in the margins - He renews) my life (my self); He leads 

              me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him - not for my earning it, 

              but] for His name's sake.

          4. Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread

              no evil, for You are with me;  Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.

          5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my

              [brimming] cup runs over.

          6. Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and 

              through all the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling

              place.

     Through this Scripture the Lord re-emphasized what He was saying to me on Sunday, He will take care of me, He knows my future, and He is my Defender and my Restorer and He is yours as well.

     Again today I was thinking about my how my income is drying up this year and I have no idea how I will pay my bills and cannot seem to get a clear picture of what I should do next or where I should look for a job.  I have known for some time that this was coming but was hoping that God would prosper the business I have been trying to build up, the business I felt He called me to do so that it would cover the loss of income I would have this year.  It looked as though that would happen as through the months of October to January I had more business than I have had since I began.  Then February came and March and April with little or no business at all and little or no income at all.  Then the Lord said to me, "This is 2012, 12 is the year of government.  I am setting up My government over your life.  Some things have to come to an end in order to make room for other things to begin.  My government is so much wider and fuller than what you have been living under and it will now reign over your life in that fullness and power because I am making room for it.  I have your future in my hands, trust Me to be your Defender and Restorer."

     So today I again put my toward God, looking beyond my circumstances and listening for His voice to lead, guide, protect, restore, and bring me life.  I hope you can too.

 

Revelations From the Book of Revelation

Post 2

John begins the book of Revelation as, “a revelation of Jesus Christ”. He said God gave this revelation to Jesus so that we could know the things that were to come to pass.  Jesus then made them known to John through a messenger so that he could write them down and we could know as well.  John makes it clear in Revelation 1:4-8 that this vision of the things we need to know is coming from God the Father, Holy Spirit, and Jesus. He goes further by identifying the very nature of each one so as to not be misinterpreted (Revelation 1:4-8).

Starting in verse 12 John states that while he was in the vision he turned to see who was speaking to him and it is here where he begins to relay what he saw; which are the very attributes of Jesus given to the churches.

“Then I turned to see [who was] the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands [One] like a Son of Man, clothed with a robe which reached to His feet and with a girdle of gold about His breast. His head and His hair were white like wool, [as white] as snow, and His eyes [flashed] like a flame of fire.  His feet glowed like burnished (bright) bronze, as it is refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth there came forth a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full power at midday. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead.  But He laid His right hand on me and said, Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last, and the Ever-living One [I am living in the eternity of the eternities.] I died, but see I am alive forevermore; and I possess the keys of death and Hades (the realm of the dead).” (Revelation 1:12-12 Amplified)

What did John see?

            John first saw the seven golden lampstands; these represent the seven churches to which John was to send the vision.  He saw Jesus standing in the midst of those lampstands.  Jesus always stands in the midst of His people so that they may have free access to Him as well as to the Father.  He is our bridge or connection to Father God.  “…I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) 

John goes further to describe this One, Jesus, and His appearance is unlike anything we could imagine.  As we read each physical attribute that John relays; the picture that forms in our minds can seem a bit unreal even frightening.  But, if we take each aspect one at a time and ask ourselves “Why does He look this way, is there some reason behind His appearance?” we may find peace in knowing each one of His physical attributes are there for our good, our safety, and our provision.

Just scanning the description we can see correlations between the wordings in these verses to the wording John uses in other chapters as he addresses each church.  “His eyes [flashed] like a flame of fire.  His feet glowed like burnished (bright) bronze” (Rev. 1:14-15); these are the same words used to address the church in Thyatira in Revelation 2:18.  "In His right hand He held seven stars"  (Rev. 1:16) are also seen in addressing the church of Ephesus in 2:1 and the church of Sardis in 3:1. "From His mouth there came forth a sharp two-edged sword" can be seen in 2:12 as John states to the church at Pergamum that Jesus "has and wields the sharp two-edged sword." Then in 1:17-18 John says Jesus is "the First and the Last, and the Ever-living One" which he also relates in 2:8 to the church in Smyrna and again in 3:14 to the church in Laodicea as he states Jesus as the "Amen...the Origin and the Beginning..."
John also begins each address to the churches with other descriptions of Jesus beyond those similar to the first chapter which give more insight into the provision we have in Him for what He is asking from us.  We will continue to examine each one of these aspects of Jesus' character seen in chapter one within the next post.

Revelation from the Book of Revelation

Post 1

For the next few posts I felt the Lord wanted me to write out the insight He has been giving me from the book of Revelation. This insight is long and includes each church that John wrote about in the first three chapters so I am going to divide it into 7 or 8 posts one for each church and maybe a follow up post to conclude. I hope those who read these posts will be encouraged and intrigued enough to look to the Word of God and find out what the Lord is saying to them through these verses.

The insight the Lord gave me regarding the first three chapters of Revelation began as I was reading about each church and trying to determine if I could belong to one of these churches in my heart. Most of the churches have good qualities that God encourages them in as well as bad qualities that He points out and asks them to change. However, the one thread that I noticed running throughout was the fact that before God told them what He held against them He told them who He was for them. As each church is addressed God reveals an attribute of His nature that directly correlates to the very thing the church needs in order to change their behavior. So not only is God encouraging them in the things they are doing right He is also offering them attributes of Himself to help empower them to change their destructive behavior even before telling them they have destructive behavior. He is such an awesome God full of love and mercy. His mercy towards us does endure forever.

In order to understand the fullness of this insight I want to begin by directing you to Revelation 1:12-18 where John describes Jesus’ attributes.

"Then I turned to see [who was] the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands [One] like a Son of Man, clothed with a robe which reached to His feet and with a girdle of gold about His breast. His head and His hair were white like white wool, [as white] as snow, and His eyes [flashed] like a flame of fire. His feet glowed like burnished [bright] bronze as it is refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth there came forth a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full power at midday. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead. But He laid His right hand on me and said, "Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last. And the Ever-living One [I am living in the eternity of eternities]. I died, but see, I am alive forevermore; and I possess the keys of death and Hades (the realm of the dead)."

Each attribute he mentions in these verses also appears to be one or more attribute that God has revealed to each church as provision for them to utilize in repenting and changing their behavior.

As I looked at each church, their strengths, weaknesses, and the power available to them through Jesus, I realized the issues addressed, both good and bad, were ones we, as churches and individuals, encounter even today. Holy Spirit also showed me that just as Jesus was revealed in specific attributes for each church listed, we today also have access to these same attributes. This provides us with strength and wisdom to flourish in those things God is encouraging in us so that the inheritance of Jesus can be revealed on the earth. As we walk in these attributes of Jesus, making them a part of our lives, we then become a part of the will of God for this earth and we will see the promised inheritance of Jesus, which is the Kingdom of God on earth, be fulfilled in and through us.

The following post will examine these attributes of Jesus seen in Revelation 1:12-18. We will take a look at the way John sets the tone for the next few chapters introducing the provision of Jesus for each church even before he addresses them. As we continue on our examination of each church and the provision both physical and spiritual through Jesus’ attributes we will then be able to see how relative those attributes are to the needs of the churches and how that translates to us today. I hope you enjoy discovering these attributes of the nature of Jesus that are available to you through His Word.

The History of the Palestinians

A little lesson in history: The etymology of the word "Palestinian" in English is derived from the Old French word "Philistin," from Late Latin it is "Philistinus," and from Late Greek, "Philistinoi." They were not an Arab or a Semitic people, but were more closely related to the ancient Greeks and originated in the Aegean region of Asia Minor. Any student of the Bible knows that the Philistines were enemies of Israel.

In the history of the Philistines is also the story of the young Hebrew man, David, son of Jesse, who was incensed that a Philistine warrior was allowed to challenge the one true God. The enemy of Israel had advanced to the Valley of Elah and there challenged the Israelites. They produced a brobdingnagian (gigantic) champion, Goliath of Gath. David volunteered to fight the giant and went out to face him with his slingshot and five smooth stones he had retrieved from a dry river bed. He slipped one of the stones into his sling and smote the Philistine on the forehead. He used the giant's own sword to behead him. Jehovah God gave David the courage and skills not only to face Israel's enemy, but to kill the challenger. The Israelites pursued the Philistines all the way to the city of Ekron.

The Philistines were ultimately defeated, absorbed into the Babylonian/Persian Empire, and by the late fifth century BC, had disappeared.

In 135 BC, Simon bar Kokhba, a Jew, proclaimed himself Prince of Israel, Son of the Star, the Messiah, and led a revolt against the Romans. The Roman governor and two legions of soldiers were defeated. Bar Kokhba controlled the state of Israel from the Fort of Herodium just south of Jerusalem. His coins were inscribed, "Year one--the redemption of Israel."

The Roman emperor, Hadrian, in response razed 985 villages and killed almost 600,000 Jews. Hadrian wiped Jerusalem and Judea off the map and deliberately renamed the area Palaestinia after the Jews' ancient enemy, the Philistines.

So, spread the word. Wanted: Non-Arab Philistines. As soon as all these peace-loving nations can prove that Philistines are back, then let's persuade the Arab League to absorb them as refugees the way Israel did with the Jews and all nations have done. Let them then turn over the territories that have become a nightmare for the Jewish people to the Philistines. You can be certain of one thing: there will probably be some pretty large dudes in the bunch. Goliath was a Philistine, and from what I know about him, he was not what you would call a "happy camper." I expect life will not be too pleasant for mythological Palestinians when they meet the original Philistines.

To fulfill the reality of a Palestinian state, the world must demand that the vast majority of the land occupied by Arabs in Judea and Samaria be returned to Israel. The people that call themselves "Palestinians" must return to the Arab lands from which they came. Then true Palestinians, the proven descendants of the Philistines, could have their land. Since there are none to be found on this planet, perhaps the next Mars rover will find them.

Repost from Mike Evans of the Jerusalem Prayer Team

Seek the Lord Now!

Hosea 10:10-12

"When I please I will chastise them, and hostile peoples shall be gathered against them when I shall bind and yoke them for their two transgressions [revolt from the Lord their God and the worship of idols]. Ephraim indeed is a heifer broken in and loving to tread out the grain, but I have [heretofore] spared the beauty of her fair neck.  I will now set a rider upon Ephraim and make him to draw; Judah shall plow and Jacob shall break his clods.  Sow for yourselves according to righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God); reap according to mercy and loving-kindness.  Break up your uncultivated ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, to inquire for and of Him, and to require His favor, till He comes and teaches you righteousness and rains His righteous gift of salvation upon you."

The Lord has me reading in Hosea and Colossians lately and I realized they are very similar in nature and content.  Both seem to be a call to repentance and turning back to God.  When I read these Scriptures in Hosea the Lord unfolded before me a beautiful picture of how He turns our wrong choices into opportunities of discipline in order to bring us to a place of righteousness before Him.

The period of time in which Hosea was called to prophesy is when Israel had separated themselves from Judah and created their own nation with their own king.  This was not in God's plan for Israel and He was calling them on their sin.

The interesting thing is God says in verse 10 He will chastise them with hostile peoples that will gather against them and He will bind and yoke them for their sins which were rebellion from Him and worshiping idols.  When I read this what I realized was even though God was saying "He" was going to gather nations against them and bind and yoke them, in reality it was their choice that brought these things upon them.  They had stepped out from under God's will, protection, and authority over their lives and the result was the consequence of war and bondage.  Yes God allowed it, but only because they chose it.   We always have the choice to choose life or death.

Verse 11 reinforces this notion as God speaks of Israel being a "heifer broken in and loving to tread out the grain."  The picture the Lord showed me, as I read this portion, was of a work horse that only knows how to slave in the heat and sun breaking up the dirt through hard labor and is satisfied to be there, not realizing he was created for so much more.  Israel was satisfied in the slavery of their bondage and sin, even loving being there.  They were deceived into believing that this was the good life, that this was the best it was going to get.  They did not understand how much better it could be as a son with inheritance and authority, but God did.  In His mercy He "spared the beauty of her fair neck."  This statement stood out to me and the Lord showed me how the heat and sun that came and burned their neck stripped them of their identity and dignity as they worked plowing in the field of their sin.  During this time in history a person who worked in the field was a slave or of lower class and you could identify them from the sun burn or tan on the back of their necks.  So God is saying He is coming to spare them the humiliation of being known as a slave or servant and He will do this by setting a warrior on the work horse with a sword in his hand so that the work horse can now become  who he was created to be, a war horse with authority and power. "I will now set a rider upon Ephraim and make him to draw."  Even when we make wrong choices and find ourselves living in the bondage of our sin experiencing the resulting consequences, God says that is not who we were created to be and it is not our inheritance to stay there.  He comes and calls us into our inheritance of power and authority over the sin we have chosen and the consequences, giving us the grace to come out of the fields as a mighty warrior.

It is fascinating the next statement God makes appears to not fit at all, but if we understand the true identity of Judah and Jacob we will see clearly how well it does fit.  Judah means praise and Jacob represents intercession.  "Again she conceived and bore a son, and she said, now will I praise the Lord! So she called his name Judah [praise]; then [for a time] she ceased bearing." Genesis 29:35 (Amplified).  Jacob meant supplanter because as he was being born he held onto his brother's heel.  "Afterward his brother came forth, and his hand grasped Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob [supplanter]"....Genesis 25:26 (Amplified).  This is a perfect example of intercession because when we pray for someone or something we stand in the place or position of that person or situation to see it changed.  So what does praise and intercession have to do with a work horse becoming a war horse?  Everything!  It becomes that war horse through the tools of praise and intercession!  God is showing Israel how He will help them become who they were created to be through praise and intercession.  As we engage in prayer and intercession we become who God created us to be with power and authority.  We no longer have to sweat and labor to break up the clods of dirt in our lives because, "Judah shall plow and Jacob shall break his clods."  Our praise will plow through and intercession will break the hard clods of dirt.  These are the tools of God's grace and power that we have been given.

Once the ground has been plowed and the clods broken up in our lives then we can sow the seeds of righteousness and reap a harvest of mercy and loving-kindness.  "Sow for yourselves according to righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God); reap according to mercy and loving-kindness."  Just as God showed His mercy and loving kindness toward Israel so will He show us the same.  The call to Israel comes forth in the last part of verse 12 when He says, "Break up your uncultivated ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, to inquire for and of Him, and to require His favor, till He comes and teaches you righteousness and rains His righteous gift of salvation upon you."  Just as it was time for Israel to seek the Lord so I feel the Lord is speaking the same to us.  Through praise and intercession break up your uncultivated ground so He can teach you righteousness and give you the gift of righteousness, grace, mercy, loving kindness, and the fullness of His salvation for you to walk in.  We are His sons and daughters with an inheritance of power and authority so we do not have to live in the bondage of being a slave to our sin and the consequences of it.  Break up the uncultivated ground in your heart and minds and seek the Lord today!

Thank You God!

I am not sure how to start this post as I have so much to say and it all seems not adequate enough for what my heart is feeling. My journey with the Lord started in the womb as I was created to love Him. The expression of that love grew as I grew and began to understand this nearness and oneness with Him I thought was a normal part of life. My heart opened up to Him fully at age five and at age six through the act of baptism I solidified my relationship with Him to those around me. It was as natural as breathing for me to become one in heart and spirit with Him. At the age of 13, at a time when I began to grow into adulthood and felt the pressures of being a teenager I again solidified to those around me my relationship with Him. Throughout my teenage and young adult years I tried to do what I felt He was telling me to do and I consistently felt His leading and His heart for me. He was always there during the good times and the hard times to comfort me and pull me out of the pit I continued to find myself in. Although those times were special and His presence was very real I felt there was something missing. I would read my Bible and encounter men and women of God who were overcomers. Who consistently walked in miracles, healings, and encounters with God. Who had faith that moved mountains and brought peace and restoration to their lives. I did not see that happening in my life, even though I knew God’s love and His presence. The yearning in my heart for more grew and grew and I could not be satisfied with life as it was. It was then God gave me an understanding of the baptism of the Holy Spirit that changed my life forever. He showed me that although I had the Holy Spirit living inside of me, He did not have all of me. If I gave Him control of all of me, then I would begin to live the life I wanted. The act of giving all of me to the Holy Spirit was an easy one; the act of living it out was another story. I had lived independently for so long, making all of my decisions out of places of the hurt and pain of my experiences. Although I used the principles I found within the Bible to place boundaries on my decisions, those decisions were still mine and not His. It was hard for me to go to Him first trusting He had my best interest in mind. However each time I did the results were amazing. I continued to fight Him on certain issues but He was always faithful to allow me to make mistakes and run back to Him to fix it, and He always did. I am not sure why He did, but it spoke to my heart and eventually I learned He was safe. My life has not been an easy one, I feel I have been through hell and back many times, but He has always been there going to hell and back with me, restoring me back to life and wholeness.

How do you say thank you to a God who has healed you, delivered you, restored you, protected you, defended you, comforted you, empowered you, put up with you, befriended you, parented you, unconditionally loved you, favored you, held you, gave life to you, and always believes in you.

Words are not enough!

I want to begin to blog about God’s goodness and all the things He has done for me over the years. My heart is over flowing with thankfulness and I want to express that thankfulness as best as I can. Feel free to add the ways in which you are thankful to the comments.

Hebrews 11 – The Faith Chapter

Hebrews 11 has been described as the Faith Hall of Fame or the Faith Chapter because it is filled with many who have believed God and stood on His promises no matter what they had to encounter. The verses talk of men and women “who by faith subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouth of lions, extinguished the power of raging fire, escaped the devouring of the sword, out of frailty and weakness won strength and became stalwart, even mighty and resistless in battle, routing alien hosts” (11:33-35a) It also talks of “women receiving again their dead by resurrection, and others tortured to death with clubs refusing to accept release offered on the terms of denying their faith. Of men and women who had to suffer the trial of mocking and scourging and even chains and imprisonment, being stoned to death, tempted by offers to renounce their faith, sawn asunder, slaughtered by the sword, wrapped in the skins of sheep and goats destitute, oppressed, and cruelly treated roaming over the desolate places and the mountains living in caves, caverns, and holes in the earth” (11:35b-38). These were amazing individuals and yet there are those today who endure the same affliction and suffering as well as believe God’s promises to be true.

The author of Hebrews, a pastor encouraging his congregation not to give up and lose faith in God, appears to have revealed two types of faith in the list above. A faith that created activation and a faith that stood strong. In verses 33-35a, he talks of those who’s faith activated God to move on their behalf subduing kingdoms, administering justice, and closing the mouths of lions. While in verses 35b-38, he talks of those who had the faith to stand alongside of Jesus and suffer as He did for their belief in Him. As Christians it is important that we employ both types of faith, the kind that moves mountains and the kind that stands up for what is true.

This pastor saw his congregation wavering in the light of the suffering they were encountering and reminded them of those who had gone before them and the hope they found in believing God. Today, many things are happening in our country, our perfect and easy world appears to be crumbling around us. Life is getting harder and we all are feeling the effects. There is uneasiness in the world that is creating as sense of fear and anxiety. Our generation has not had to face the effects of war and devastation that other generations have had to endure. Life has been easy for us and we have been blessed. I feel most people wonder more about the unknown and whether they will be as strong as those who lived before them to endure whatever may occur.

I imagine this pastor’s congregation was experiencing some of the same fears. They had lived in relative peace for several years but things had begun to change and they were beginning to feel the effects of those changes. This sermon appears to have been written sometime around 64 A.D. during the rule of Nero in Rome. Nero was not a very popular ruler and the people of Rome were angry at him because they believed he was responsible for starting a fire that destroyed a large part of their city. Although he made a concerted effort to rebuild the city the people still believed he started the fire for his own political gain without any thought to their lives. So, Nero, in order to take the attention off himself, made scapegoats out of the Christians, spreading rumors that blamed them for the fire. Their friends, neighbors, and church members were being rounded up and taken before the magistrate in order to be tried and convicted. The Roman people who were already angry found it easy to take their anger out on the Christians who they already thought to be inferior. The pastor seems to have brought this message at just the right time as it wasn’t long before Christians were being tortured and killed by their neighbors and friends not for the fire but because it became the popular and accepted thing to do. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be a small house-church when all of Rome and its government were against those who called themselves Christian. The catacombs then became the Christians’ new homes and martyrdom became common place among the Christian population.

As we look at the list of men and women here it is hard not to admire them for their courage, boldness, and faith to stand and believe in the midst of so much hardship. We are a nation founded upon God and His Word and we have a hope that cannot be shaken. Haggai 2:6 -7 speaks of the shaking that is going to come to the nations in order that the Lord’s house will be filled with splendor. God wants the nations to come to Him and in order for that to happen things must be shaken. In Hebrews 13:26-27, the pastor reminds his congregation that this shaking must take place “in order that what cannot be shaken may remain and continue.” This is our hope, our faith to move the mountains in our lives, our faith in God to stand no matter what the hardship, and our belief that God is in control of the shaking in order to bring the fullness of His kingdom here on earth.