The Invitation of God; You are Invited to the Wedding Feast of My Son
"And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for His Son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out the other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding."' But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to His business. And the rest seized His servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them."-Matthew 22:1-6
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is sending out the invitations.
The kingdom of God is nipping at our heels and rapidly approaching. The world is in chaos because evil is fighting the inevitable fact that God is establishing His kingdom and paving the way to dwell with us on earth as He does in heaven. Our redemption is drawing near, and yet, somehow, many who call themselves believers in the Living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and those who call themselves saved by Yeshua (Jesus), seem to resist the steps it takes to bring the justice and peace that humanity craves.
One of those steps is building a house of prayer for all nations. A place where all people can come and pray and seek wisdom from the King of Kings. When we look at biblical accounts of God establishing His kingdom, we can see history playing out again in our age.
King Saul
King Saul was chosen as the first king of Israel. The inception was a heartbreaking event.
"Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So, Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them...However, you shall solemnly forewarn them,and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them." -1 Samuel 8:4-7,9
The very first king of Israel was chosen out of rejection of God! After all God did for their deliverance, salvation, healing, giving them land, and walking in battle formation with them to overcome their enemies, and yet they rejected Him. We can only fathom the pain that must have caused Him.
Rejecting God in favor of another leader is a generational curse from which we must repent. Instead of asking our leaders to save us, we need to cry out and ask God to forgive us for our sins, and our forefathers' sins, of asking for a human king in place of God. We should be crying out for the King of Kings to rule over us and guide us into the peace we so long for. Our hope should be firmly rooted in God and not in our leaders. We pray for our leaders, but our hope is in God.
Biblical prophecy states that God wants to rule the earth from Jerusalem in the temple, which serves as a house of prayer for all nations. This is where Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus) will establish His throne. This is where the nations will come and present offerings to the King of Kings and seek His wisdom. It is the very place where He will usher in a thousand years of peace.
The Golden Calf
"Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him...And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and make a molded calf. Then they said, "This is your god, O Israel,that brought out of the land of Egypt!" -Exodus 32:1,4
Just as some of the Israelites lost their faith and patience for Moses to come down from the mountain, we see the same great falling away in our day. If one reads back in previous chapters, Moses was on the mountain learning how God wanted to establish His kingdom. God was establishing the order and laws that would become the bedrock of a strong kingdom for generations to come. Yet the people did not realize the blessings Moses was receiving to help forge them into a strong nation. They lost faith in the God who delivered them from Egypt.
Yeshua cautions us to stay faithful even though He may tarry.
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." -John 14:1-3
Where will His kingdom be established? In Jerusalem. Ruling and reigning from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. While we await His return, we should not lose heart or faith. He is making His kingdom ready. This is wedding language being used in this verse. During a biblical wedding, the groom would spend a year preparing a house for his bride before he brought her home. We must be patient while he builds the house.
"This is your god"- Israel made a "god"of their own imaginings. They did not take the time to hear from the heart of Adonai Himself about what He wanted His kingdom to look like. They did not take the time to know Him face-to-face. Instead of being willing to receive the kingdom they needed, the kingdom God was creating for them, they set up the god and kingdom they thought they wanted. This is ultimately what is leading to the rejection of the King's invitation in our day. Some do not want the kingdom. They fully accept Yehsua dying on the cross so that they might be saved. But, they do not show the same enthusiasm for giving up their own beliefs of what they think the kingdom should look like so that the Messiah may establish His. Many have created a 'god' of their own imaginings and will reject the invitation of the true King. If possible, even the elect will be deceived (Matthew 24:24).
Ten Spies vs Two
"Then Moses sent them to spy out the land [kingdom]...Be of good courage...Now they came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation...Then they [the spies] told him [Moses], and said, "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey...Nevertheless, the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak [giants] there. The Amalekites dwell in the land...Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it. But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we…So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept…But Joshua spoke to the congregation…’If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us…Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land…The LORD is with us, do not fear them." -Numbers 13, 14
We have ten spies who sowed doubt (the meaning of Amalek also means doubt in Hebrew), causing the people to lose heart, lose faith, and reject the land and kingdom God wanted to give them. This is no different from what we hear about the kingdom coming today. Let us take a look at what the ten spies’ fear caused.
“And all the congregation complained against Moses and Aaron.”
“If only we had died in the land of Egypt.”
“Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims?”
“Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”
“Then the LORD said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs and wonders which I have performed among them?...How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness…But, you little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised.” -Numbers 14:11
In this case, the land is the kingdom that God is trying to establish. Yet many complain because they see the giants and say that God is bringing destruction. It is better to die than establish the kingdom. Yet they feared that their wives and children would be killed and did not trust that God was out to redeem them in full. They feared God would destroy them and their families. Therefore, they asked for another leader. Here is what this fear speaks in our day;
“The Anti-Christ will come.”
“We will all die from the judgments.”
“Trump, Netanyahu, Biden, Obama, Bush, etc., save us.”
“It will bring about the end of the world.”
“It will cause WWIII.”
Instead of focusing on our redemption drawing near, the peace of God being established on earth, the end of all wars, and all nations going up to Jerusalem to celebrate in unity, we focus on what we fear. Let us step away from listening to social media, influencers, and those who sow fear and doubt about God's promises Instead, let us step into faith, listen to the heart of God for His people, and trust that He is establishing His kingdom for our good, not our destruction. Pay more attention to the headlines of heaven rather than the headlines of our news media. Building a House of Prayer for all nations is a blessing, not a curse. The kingdom of God is the beginning, not the end.
One Final Thought
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But, when the man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” -Matthew 19:21-22
There are some who do not want to give up their kingdom. The time is coming for many to make a choice between their own kingdom and God’s kingdom. There are forerunners who have already begun using their wealth for the kingdom because they see God's vision and know that there is a greater treasure in the Kingdom of God, which brings peace. Not all are called to use their wealth to build the temple. But, all the wealth belongs to God. Use whatever resources He has given you to the glory of our King.
Be of good courage, He has overcome the world!
Let your hands be strong…that the temple might be built!