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Household of Calhoun

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Elements in Building the Temple Part 2

The Temple of God
Today’s Focus: Building the Temple: Elements in Building the Temple Part 2
Scripture: 1 Chronicles 22; 1 Chronicles 28:9

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Let’s continue from our previous message:

10. Skillful People
1 Chronicles 22:14,15: Now behold in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the Lord an hundred thousand talents of gold and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; thou mayest add thereto. Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber and all manner of CUNNING MEN FOR EVERY MANNER OF WORK.

11. Manifest the Presence of God
1 Chronicles 22:16: Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise therefore and be doing and the Lord be with thee.

12. Servants and Helpers
1 Chronicles 22:17: David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying. No man can do this alone, building the Temple of God is a corporate work lead by the Lord Jesus Christ

13. Seekers of the Lord
1 Chronicles 22:19: Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the Lord.

14. Know the Spiritual Father and the God of the Spiritual Father.
1 Chronicles 28:9: And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off for ever. You must know your spiritual father but moreover know the God of your spiritual father and heed Him and do what He has charged you to do in building the Temple.

In closing, these 14 elements are necessary in Temple building. Solomon was blessed to build the house of the Lord in his time and we as the sons of God have the same privilege to be a part of the building of the Temple in the city. We must repent from the local exaltation mentality and recognize foundational authority and allow God to fit us in the Temple where we belong. We must leave the quarry (local church) and move to the temple. In the next message we will close this series with the benefits of Temple building.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Elements in Building the Temple

The Temple of God
Today’s Focus: Building the Temple: Elements in Building the Temple
Scripture: Ephesians 4:19-21; 1 Chronicles 22; Ezra 1:1-4

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Let’s look at elements that are necessary for the Temple of God to be built:

1. Built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets
People within the city must recognize the apostolic and prophetic within the city. The Temple of the Lord is built upon this foundation in which Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone of the House (Ephesians 4:19-21).

2. Discernment of the Charge of the Lord
In 1 Chronicles 22:6-10 is the conversation between David and Solomon. David tells Solomon that in his mind he wanted to build the house but the charge was not to him because he shed so much blood but the charge would be to his son, Solomon to build the house. So there must be a charge from the Lord to build.

3. Stirring the spirits of the People by the Spirit
In Ezra 1:1-4 by the mouth of Jeremiah the Word of the Lord stirred the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia to support the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. So God’s Spirit must stir up the spirits of the people to build the Temple.

4. People of Peace
In 1 Chronicles 22:6-10 David told Solomon because he shed much blood, he could not build the Temple. The name Solomon means peace and so the people that build the Temple of God must be a people of peace. David was a man of war. Solomon is a man of peace. Blessed are the peacemakers for they are the children of God (Matthew 5)

5. People of Rest
1 Chronicles 22:9: Behold, a son shall be born to thee, WHO SHALL BE A MAN OF REST; AND I WILL GIVE HIM REST FROM ALL HIS ENEMIES round about: for his name shall be Solomon, AND I WILL GIVE PEACE AND QUIETNESS UNTO ISRAEL IN HIS DAYS.

6. Based on Father/Son Model
1 Chronicles 22:10: He shall build an house for my name; and HE SHALL BE MY SON, AND I WILL BE HIS FATHER; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.

7. People of Prosperity
Now do not go over the deep end with this. This is not the prosperity gospel or name-it claim-it phenomena. 1 Chronicles 22:11: Now, my son, the Lord be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the Lord thy God, as he hath said of thee. The prosperity is in the building of the house.

8. People of Obedience
1 Chronicles 22:12: Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the Lord thy God. This requires the people building the Temple to be a people of obedience being lead by God’s wisdom and understanding.

9. People of Strength and Courage
1 Chronicles 22:13: Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfill the statutes and judgments which the Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel: BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE; DREAD NOT, NOR BE DISMAYED.

In the next message we will continue looking at this elements of building the Temple of God.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Building the Temple: The Foundation

The Temple of God
Today’s Focus: Building the Temple: The Foundation
Scripture: Ephesians 2:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:19,20

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Now we know the quarry, royal house, synagogue are pictures of the local church or household of faith. The nation as a whole suffers because of the conduct of pastors. When leadership is misguided then building the temple will not happen. Like the prophet Haggai spoke when the Lord spoke through him questioning the children of Israel and how they sit in their paneled and ceiled houses while the temple lies in waste. Today, the temple lies in waste because there is a focus amongst most leaders to build their particular church and not the Temple within the city. Now if we are to be lead by the Lord in building the Temple within the city it will first require servants and wise master builders. Now what are the qualifications of these wise master builders:
1. Governmental Grace
2. Revelatory Grace
3. Assembly Grace
4. Commissioning Grace
5. Enabling Grace

So who are these wise master builders that build the Temple? Well let’s see what the scripture says:

Ephesians 2:19-21: Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built (The House of God, The Temple of God) upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all THE BUILDING (TEMPLE) fitly framed together growth unto an HOLY TEMPLE IN THE LORD

Question: Who is Paul writing to? The church at Ephesus, not the local synagogue or church but the Body of Christ at Ephesus. Does Paul speak the same way to any other church? Absolutely! To Corinth in 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 Paul asks, did they not know that their body is a temple of the Holy Ghost. Now Paul was speaking individually in this manner but he wrote the letter to the entire church at Corinth.

With all of that said, in order to build the Temple of God within the city:
THE CITY MUST RECOGNIZE THE EXISTENCE OF APOSTLES AND PROPHETS WITHIN THE CITY

I am not going to argue at all this point. The scripture clearly says the Temple is built upon the foundation of APOSTLES AND PROPHETS IN WHICH JESUS CHRIST IS THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE. Now if you do not recognize the apostles or prophets, you will not build or you will not be a part of the building of the temple. To be straight, you will become just like Jeroboam, building your own house that will burn in judgment because it was not what God designed. Do not let man’s doctrine and theology deter you from God’s plan of building His Temple.

In the next message we will discuss the process of building the Lord’s House!

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

God's Focus

The Temple of God
Today’s Focus: The Temple: God’s Focus
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 2 Kings 18:31; Acts 15:1-23

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
When God looks at the Body of Christ in a particular area, He does not look at separate churches like some think. The Body of Christ is not separate. The church at Corinth is the perfect example of the local mindset and Paul was given grace to deal with this problem of division within the city of Corinth. 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 Paul is speaking to the Body of Christ in Corinth and they began to be separate households dividing the church along those lines. No different with local churches. Paul would come in and ask them “Is Christ divided?” So when Paul addresses the various churches of the New Testament, he addresses the entire Body of Christ within that city. Even Jesus with the seven churches of Asia addressed the entire Body of Christ within that city. There was not an exaltation of a particular church or household but the focus of God was on the entire city. Now it is not practical currently for the entire Body of Christ around the world to meet in one particular place. The only time that will happen is when we are gathered unto Christ at His return. Hence there is a focus on building the Temple of God within the cities. There must be deliverance from a local mentality within the Body of Christ.

It amazes me how much advertising and promotions churches do to “influence” people to leave where they are to be a part of something “bigger and better”. The only advertising the first century church did was their lives and the power of the Kingdom being shown forth through them. The church has become so commercialized just like the world and people who maybe immature in Christ are influenced to go to places where all the entertainment looks like the anointing but is simply a show. There is no focus on uniting the Body within the city. It seems everyone is trying to get everyone. True ministry allows you to touch people’s lives where they are at and if they are in the wrong place, the Spirit will move them, not you.

When we look at building the Temple, we must understand the firstfruit principal. During the feast of the firstfruit (Leviticus 23:9-14) the sheaf of the firstfruit that is presented is presented as a representation of the whole harvest. So the part represents the whole. Hence there must be a firstfruit company that must be seen as the church in the city. The question is who is this firstfruit company? We will answer this in a subsequent message. Let me give you an example of this.

The prophet Elijah when confronting the prophets of Baal with the children of Israel at Mt. Carmel took 12 stones (2 Kings 18:31) which represented the spirit of the 12 tribes of Israel and rebuilt the altar of the Lord. Even through 7,000 people was with him, they were not in fellowship with Elijah. Another example is the 12 apostles themselves which would represent the entire church. So there must be a firstfruit company that rises in the city to represent the rest. Here is a great example: When Paul and Barnabas was dealing with problems about circumcision in Acts 15 they went to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about the problem. Notice they were going to Jerusalem (city) to bring the issue to the apostles and elders (leaders) to consider the matter. Acts 15:4 goes on to say that they were received of the church and of the apostles and elders and declared all things that God had done with them. Now watch this:

Acts 15:6: And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.

So it is the leadership within the city that comes together to handle disputed issues. Now during this dispute for the sake of time and you can read Acts 15:6-22 the apostles (Peter and James) stood up and gave the Word of the Lord and answer to this growing problem within the Gentiles. After this conference between the elders, apostles, Paul and Barnabas this is the result:

Acts 15:22,23: Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas and Silas, chief men among the brethren: And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:

So in all of these examples we have the part representing the whole or the leaders representing the nation. In the next message we will begin to discuss the building of the temple.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Four Principals of Unity

The Temple of God
Today’s Focus: Four Principals of Unity
Scripture: John 17; Judges 7:1-20; Ephesians 4:1-7

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
There are four principals that must be present in the call for unity within the Body of Christ within the city and here they are:

Association
There must be an association of fellowship within the city. In John 17 this association is understood when Jesus calls the disciples them and they

Character
There must be a demand of character. The character qualification in John 17 is understood when Jesus declared that He has given them the Father’s name (John 17:6).

Theological
There must be theological qualifications and this is understood when Jesus states that He has given the disciples the Father’s Word (John 17:14)

Statue
The statue qualifications are represented in John 17:23 when Jesus says that they may be made perfect in one.

So there must be association, character, theological and statue qualifications when uniting the Body of Christ within the city. Can we prove that in scripture? We will use one Old Testament example and one New Testament example and show you the four qualifications within each example.

Gideon’s Army (Judges 7:1-20)
Association (7:3): 32,000 came together
Character (7:3): Everyone who was fearful had to leave
Theological (7:5): The drinking of water is the metaphoric designation of one ingesting the Word of God
Statue (7:20): When the three companies came together and held their lamps together as one so that each one’s light is shining.

Church at Ephesus (Ephesians 4:1-7)
Association (4:2): Forebearing one another in love
Character (4:2): Lowliness and meekness with longsuffering. There has to be a level of tolerance with your brother
Theological (4:5): One Lord, one faith, one baptism
Statue (4:7): Measure of the gift of Christ

Hence these four principals must be present in uniting the Body of Christ within the city. This is the biggest problem for the church because the Temple still lies in separate pieces and is awaiting to be build by those who truly will serve the Lord and allow all of themselves to be sacrificed for His Will and His pleasure so that His Temple will be built.

In the next message we will show you that God does not focus on local churches but on the church as a unit within the city.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Monday, December 19, 2011

One Man Company

The Temple of God
Today’s Focus: One Man Company Concept
Scripture: Judges 6:15,16; Judges 20:1; Ezra 3:1; Nehemiah 8:1; John 17

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
What is the one man company concept? It is the focus of one towards the Body of Christ as a corporate entity and a Holy Nation as a whole. The spirit and concept of locality breaks and destroys this concept because it separates the nation within a city into local groups. When we make local group more important that the city church then we cannot build the Temple of God and everyone views the Body of Christ as their denomination and or local clique. Let me show you some powerful scriptures when God always calls for unity for the nation and the Body of Christ.

Judges 6:15,16: And he (Gideon) said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house. And the Lord said unto him (Gideon), Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites AS ONE MAN.

Judges 20:1: THEN ALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, went out, and THE CONGREGATION WAS GATHERED TOGETHER AS ONE MAN, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpeh.

Ezra 3:1: And when the seventh month was come, and the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WERE IN THE CITIES, the PEOPLE GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER AS ONE MAN to Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 8:1: AND ALL THE PEOPLE GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER AS ONE MAN into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel.

So it is clear to God that there is a call for the nation to come together as one man or today it would be called the Body of Christ within the city. Well you may say that God was talking to Israel in the Old Testament. Well we are the spiritual Israel of God and the same rules apply and we need to come together within the city as a one man, corporate Christ in the city bringing the culture of the Kingdom to the earth. Jesus Himself believed in the one man company. In His prayer for the disciples in John 17. Jesus mentions the words “they and/or them” over 30 times in this prayer. Jesus was not just praying for the 12 disciples the Father gave Him at that time, but for the entire corporate body and House of God.

In the next message we will look at four qualifications that must be apparent when there is a call for unity within the city. We will look at John 17 and show you the four qualifications.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Cry of the Orphans

The Temple of God
Today’s Focus: Invasion of Babylonian Systems: The Cry of the Orphans
Scripture: Lamentations 5

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Let’s get right to it:

Lamentations 5:3: We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.
I should be able to stop right here but Babylonian systems produce orphans, members and slaves, not sons who serve their Father.

Lamentations 5:4: We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us.
This is the perfect picture of selling in the church and the current day commercialization of the church.

Lamentations 5:5: Our necks are under persecution: we labour and have no rest.
With the invasion of Babylonian systems, there is no rest, shabat or Sabbath for the people of God.

Lamentations 5:6: We have given the hand to the Egyptians and to the Assyrians to be satisfied with bread.
This is a picture of the best people who have the most potential in the House of God, get their directions from secular people who no longer are available for the work of ministry.

Lamentations 5:7: Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.
This is a great picture of victims of traditions and generational curses.

Lamentations 5:8: Servants have ruled over us: there is none that doth deliver us out of their hand
This is a picture of the absence of a deliverer and the absence of growth because it says servants rule over people who should have dominion.

Lamentations 5:9: We gat our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wilderness.
The Word of God has been driven out of a church that accepts the Babylonian System into the wilderness

Lamentations 5:10: Our skin is black like an oven because of the terrible famine.
The people have become sick and weak

Lamentations 5:11: They ravished the women in Zion and the maids in the cities of Judah.
The picture here is a picture of the church being plundered and raped.

Lamentations 5:12: Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured.
This is a picture of sons that have become impotent

Lamentations 5:13: They took the young men to grind and the children fell under the wood.
This is a very unique picture in the fact that it shows the men doing the job of a woman. It is the metaphoric designation of the feminization or de-masculination of man. And when you feminize a man he becomes effeminate.

For the past 2 to 3 messages we have shown you the consequences of not focusing on the building of the temple within the city and the types of systems that invade the Body of Christ when we fail to do that. We also looked at the consequences of exalting the local church over the city church which represents the Temple. So now what? Just like we discussed in the first message in this series, there has to be a call to unity for the Body of Christ.

In the next message we will show you throughout scripture the call to unity and the Body of Christ.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Enemy Within the Gates

The Temple of God
Today’s Focus: Invasion of Babylonian Systems: Enemy Within the Gates
Scripture: Lamentations 4; Lamentations 5

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Let’s continue our examination of the destructive nature of the Babylonian system on the Body of Christ.

Lamentations 4:12: The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem.

This is a picture of the enemy on the inside of the Body of Christ. It is also a sign of weak leadership.

Lamentations 4:13,14: For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her, they have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.

In the midst of Babylonian systems within the church you have the shed blood of the just and because of the sin, the people are blind. Now this blindness is not physical but spiritual because they lack spiritual insight from the Throne of Heaven.

Lamentations 4:16: The anger of the Lord hath divided them; he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders.

This one is the break point. In the Babylonian system leadership is no longer accepted nor respected. Now look at the church today and see how leaders are no longer respected because they have given themselves over to the world.

This is why we cannot afford and should never throw the Old Testament to the side. Much of what we see today is exactly what was going on back then and if we are serious about building the Temple then we must avoid these systems and mentalities of locality. We must keep the focus that the local church is to shape the lively stones that make up the temple within the city. We should never make the quarry the temple because then we are building by our own minds and imaginations and it was our own mind and thoughts that separated us from the Father the first time.

In the next message we will begin looking at Lamentations 5 and continue to see the effects of the Babylonian system.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Consequences of the Absence of the Temple

The Temple of God

Today’s Focus: Invasion of Babylonian Systems: Consequences of the Absence of the Temple

Scripture: Lamentations 4; Lamentations 5

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

We are going to cover two chapters of Lamentations and we know that Lamentations is a book of the prophet Jeremiah weeping for the nation of Israel. We know that we are spiritual Israel and these very same things are happening right now so let’s get started

Lamentations 4:1,2: How is the gold become dim! How is the most fine gold changed! The stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street. The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter.

This scripture is a picture of believers who have lost their luster, shine, or golden appearance. They are also scattered and not organized. There is an absence of the joining of believers and stable relationships with other households of faith. Men and Women are no longer fashioned by the grace of God but fashioned by men’s hands through psychology, psychiatry and motivation speaking.

Lamentations 4:3: Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.

In this system, animals show a better value system than man for their young. There is an absence of fathering, nurturing and mentoring. Now why would God use an ostrich? Because the ostrich lays it’s egg in the open on the ground and does not tend to it. This is what we have done with the young children, we do not nourish them in the Word of God and mentor them from the aspect of fathering but we leave it up to the world and sometimes, the world within the church to raise our children.

Lamentations 4:4,5: The tongue of the suckling child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask for bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.

This scripture is a picture of hunger and thirst of the people of God but nobody wants to do the feeding. Bread or grace is available. It is the job of leadership to feed the flock and when you feed the flock it shows that you love God. In addition this is also a picture of people who should pursue deep truth but are absent because of the increase in their superficiality.

Lamentations 4:7,8: Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire: Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick.

A superficial church judges people on the external. Nazarites could no longer be recognized because of all the dead bodies in the street. As a result the Nazarite would have to touch the dead bodies and this would be a violation of his covenant. So, he would have to go back home and shave and no one would recognize that he is a Nazarite anymore. This is a powerful picture of the true people of God that cannot be recognized in a Babylonian system. Hence we have people that have to show vestments or garments that say we are pastor or apostle or prophet.

Lamentations 4:10: The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

This is a sad picture of the carnal nature of the people infected by the Babylonian system. This produces infighting amongst the people, gossip, slander and cannibalism. This cannibalism is not in the natural sense but they seek to destroy each other and feed off of the weakness of those children.

We will continue to look at the devastating effects of the Babylonian system on the people of God and how it prevents them from building the Temple

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Treasures of the Temple

The Temple of God

Today’s Focus: Local Church vs. City Church: The Treasures of the Temple

Scripture: Throughout the Message

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

2 Kings 24:13: And he (Nebuchadnezzar) carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house , and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon, king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, as the Lord had said.

The obvious question here is what are the treasures of the temple? They are:

1. The Candlestick (Exodus 25:31-40)

2. The Table of Shewbread (Exodus 25:23-30)

3. Golden Altar of Incense (Exodus 30:1-10)

Now the reason the destruction of these treasures are so devastating then and even now is because these three treasures represent the elements of the culture of the Kingdom.

1. Candlestick = Apostles’ Doctrine

2. The Table of Shewbread = Fellowship and Breaking of Bread

3. Golden Altar of Incense = Prayers

These four elements are known as the four elements of Kingdom culture (Acts 2:42-47). So when there is a Babylonian invasion then there is a destruction of the Temple of God as well as the culture that comes with the rulership of God. God gave the children of Israel types and shadows to maintain them until Christ comes and now that He has come these objects now give way to eternal realities.

The next thing that Babylonian systems do is banish you from your location in the temple so you cannot come together and celebrate the feasts. These systems will provide everything for you except the temple. Once again the spirit of locality and convenience. And you worship God on their terms in and in their ways and customs.

The next thing that happens is the castration of believers. When Israel came in captivity in Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar had Ashpenaz the master of the eunuchs to take certain children of Israel and children of the king of Israel at the time who was Jehoiakim, and castrate them (Daniel 1:1-4) to serve the king of Babylon. When the believers are castrated the language, which is the Word of God is changed. Then they will control your diet. They will control what you know and how much you are supposed to know. Next, they will change the spoken Word of God into musical worship. They will use music to entice and draw worship (Daniel 3:1-15). The next thing that will happen is the rise of false doctrine and ultimately they will change your name.

So when the temple was destroyed and the treasures within the temple were destroyed then the very identity and culture of the people of the temple is now changed and subject to who ever puts themselves before the people. When there is no temple, there are consequences.

In the next message we will look at scriptures to show you the consequences of not building or the absence of the Temple.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Invasion of Egyptian and Babylonian Systems

The Temple of God

Today’s Focus: Local Church vs. City Church: Invasion of Egyptian and Babylonian Systems

Scripture: Genesis 16:15; 2 Kings 24:13; Ezra 5:12

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Now in the last message we left off talking about people who disconnect themselves from the temple and their character. In the last couple of messages we look at how local households of faith and local churches that exalt themselves above the city church or the building of the Temple of God produce a spirit of locality and reap the sins of Jeroboam. Today we want to look at two particular nations that are types and shadows of systems within the Earth that prevent the building of the Temple of God.

Egypt

There was no temple in Egypt. Egypt represented a system that will kill the seed. Remember when the children of Israel were outnumbering the children of Egypt, Pharaoh sent a decree to kill the male seed or children? This system is one of intimidation and the only that that it will produce is a child of Hagar (Genesis 16:15). This child was born of a bondwoman or slave and had no freedom. The person who rules over these people are taskmasters just like the taskmasters over the children of Israel. Instead of whipping them with physical whips, they are beaten by the doctrines and traditions of men. They are made to conform to that doctrine that produces followers and members instead of the doctrine of Christ that produces sons. In this system there is strife and prevention from the migration of God’s people from one location to another. Remember in Egypt, Moses asked Pharaoh to let the people go and serve the Lord of the Hebrews and Pharaoh would not let them go and serve the Lord. The problem Pharaoh had was he proclaimed himself to be a god and supreme ruler in Egypt. There are men who have made themselves leaders in the House of God and they have made themselves to be man-gods where the people look and worship them. Now people will not admit to it openly but when the leader shows all the signs of being under a antichrist spirit and the people still stay under his leadership then what does the actions of the people say?

Babylon

Now this nation is in full affect right now and so is Egypt. This nation, to me is very obvious and let me show you. Babylon has no temple. This system represents the captivity of the people of God. This system has come to destroy the Temple of God. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple and God allowed it because of the sins of the fathers who provoked God (Ezra 5:12). Nebuchadnezzar also took all of the treasures of the temple and and cut them all into pieces (2 Kings 24:13). This is the most devastating thing done to the temple.

In the next message we will examine why the destroying of the treasures of the temple was so devastating and how it relays to today and how we are being invaded by this Babylonian System.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

The Spirit of Locality

The Temple of God

Today’s Focus: Local Church vs. City Church: The Spirit of Locality

Scripture: Judges 17:4-6; 2 Kings 16:17,18; 2 Chronicles 26:18-20

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

This concept of locality is not a new phenomena but rather a old one. Now in this set of scripture in Judges we see a young man named Micah. Micah goes and does some things that is not pleasing to the Lord but what I want to do is show you the reason for this sin and then show you the sin because the spirit of locality will always seek to separate us from unifying the Body of Christ and build the Temple, just as it separated Israel from coming together for the holy feasts.

Judges 17:6: In those days, there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Now just this scripture alone we can do an entire message. First, we know that the king is the head or leader of the nation. When you do not operate under authority there is bound to be chaos and confusion. This is clearly evident in this scripture because man’s imagination began to become out of control. So instead of keeping with God’s commandments the people began to do “WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS RIGHT IN THEIR EYES”. This can also be applied to leadership that is present but absent, let me explain. You can have a pastor, who allows the people to dictate everything. So whatever the people imagine in their hearts, the pastor will do to please the people. Hence in this example we have a leader, sitting in a place of a leader but not acting like a leader. Could this be no wonder why there is so much division and confusion to what Christianity really is? Because of a lack of sound leadership and doctrine, man’s doctrine and interpretation has become the dominating rule of many of our lives and when we are subject to their doctrine, then you cannot effectively follow the doctrine of Christ. Now let’s see what Micah does:

Judges 17:4,5: Yet he restored the money unto his mother, and his mother took two hundered shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image; and they were in the house of Micah. And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

This is loaded. Now you may wonder what was Micah doing. He was trying to duplicate the Ark of the Covenant:

1. Molten Image represented the Mercy Seat

2. Carved Image represented the Ark itself

3. Teraphim represented the Cherubim

4. Ephod represented the priestly garments

5. Micah consecrated one of his sons to be a priest.

Micah was building from his imagination trying to access the blessings of God by copying. This type of locality is a picture of a household of faith that has disconnected itself from building the Temple. Let me show you some other examples;

King Ahaz (2 Kings 16:17,18)

King Ahaz removed the king’s outer entrance which was a passage way from the king’s house to the temple. He isolated his house from the temple. This is a picture of the head disconnecting itself from the temple or body.

King Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:18-20)

Uzziah crossed boundaries within the temple by offering incense in the temple which was only ordained by God for the priest to do. Uzziah would be smitten with leprosy by God for his disobedience. The sin would isolate Uzziah from the temple.

Now in the next message we will look at two nations that are the types and shadows of nations that prevented the people of God from building the Temple and migrating in the things of God.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Prophecy Against the Local Church Exaltation

The Temple of God

Today’s Focus: Local Church vs. City Church: Prophecy Against the Local Church Exaltation

Scripture: 1 Kings 14

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

The reason we are really stick with this is because we must migrate in the seasons of God and begin to really focus on building his Temple and not our local synagogues and households of faith. Let’s get right to it because this is a lot. After Jeroboam did not turn from his evil ways after the young prophet came to him, his son, Abijah fell sick (1 Kings 14:1). Jeroboam instructs his wife to disguise herself and go to the prophet Ahijah who is located in Shiloh who told him that he would be king and return with an answer of what will happen to the child. So his wife goes and does this exact thing. The Lord prepares the prophet for the coming of Jeroboam’s wife who is in disguise and when she arrived, he called out to her by her name because he, Ahijah could not see. Now for the sake of time God explains to Jeroboam because you have not kept my commandments as David did and committed evil in my sight (1 Kings 14:7-9). This is the punishment:

1 Kings 14:10-11: Therefore behold I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone. Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: For the Lord has spoken it. Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die.

Do not take this condemnation lightly, this goes for every leader of a local church that exalts their church or household of faith over the Temple of God. The first thing that will happen is the death of the house or family of Jeroboam. Sons are meant to build the Temple. Let me explain. There is a difference between Solomon’s quarry and the temple. Solomon’s quarry represents the place where the rocks are hewn out and shaped so that they may fit in the temple. Hence the local church is the reality of the quarry. It is in the local church or household of faith where the lively stones that are to build the Temple of God are shaped and molded. 1 Peter 2:5: Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. But what has happened is that we have made the temple the quarry. Now in past times that would have been acceptable but now, in this season, it is not. The focus must be on building the temple or the male seed will die, just like in the case of Jeroboam. This death is not necessary a physical but a spiritual death. When the primary is the local church then we see the exaltation of the man and not God. The local church then points to you. However it will be the Temple will bear the name of the Lord. So the first thing that will happen is the death of the male seed.

The second thing that will happen according to the prophecy is your house or local church will be invaded by dogs. We know that dogs were the lowest of the low animals and they represent the religious spirits. Dogs carry rabies. With the disease of rabies come animosity and hatred for water and we know what water represents in the Spirit. Water is a picture of the Word of God. These people scorn the Word of God. Dogs like bones. This is representative of a people who have an affinity for the past, need pampering and love regurgitating food. Are these not all things that dogs do?

Finally, the house or local church will be over ran by birds. Birds are representative of demons. In other words, you have a local church full of demons and there is always a casting out of demons in the church. Do not get me wrong should there be casting out of demons? Yes! However, your church should not be overran with them.

In closing, the three consequences of exalting the local church or household of faith is death, invasion of religious spirits who scorn the word of God and infestation of demons within the church. It is time to examine our local churches and be honest with ourselves. Are we suffering the consequences of exalting the local church, just as Jeroboam did?

In the next message we will continue to look at the spirit of locality and how it prevents us from moving in the purposes of God in building the Temple.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Consequences of Exalting the Local Church

The Temple of God

Today’s Focus: Local Church vs. City Church: Consequences of Exalting the Local Church

Scripture: 1 Kings 13

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

When the local church or household of faith is exalted above the temple there are deep consequences. The major consequence is the delay in the building of the temple. Then we have distractions that come such as those from the major Christian networks such as TBN, The Word Network and Daystar that are pushing for the building of the physical temple in Israel. The Apostolic gifting is the gifting that brings order and foundational structure to the Body of Christ. As a part of that structure, the building of the temple in the city becomes the place where all the tribes can come together to drink of the graces of God within that city. When this happens there is empowerment within the city. Is it no wonder when issues arise in our city, state and federal governments it is hard to see the Body of Christ stand up as a complete unit and speak against the issues that our Lord tells us to speak out against? Now let me show you in scripture what happens when the local church comes the focal point. Let’s continue to look at Jeroboam.

1 Kings 13:1,2: And behold there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee.

Now before this scripture in 1 Kings 12 we see the story of how Jeroboam created a local synagogue and false idols and feasts to keep the people from going to Jerusalem and celebrating the God-ordained feasts. Now of course God is very unhappy and angry and so God sends His word through a young prophet from Judah to come against the sin of Jeroboam. The altar at Bethel was torn into two pieces and ashes poured out from the altar as a sign from the prophecy of the young prophet (1 Kings 13:1-5). Now Jeroboam asks to be restored and was and then he invited the young prophet to come to his house and he will give him a reward (1 Kings 13:7). The young prophet responds with the charge that the Lord gave Him:

1 Kings 13:9: For so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.

So the young prophet departed from Bethel another way so he would not return. Now there was an old prophet in Bethel that had sons and he had his sons prepare an ass for him to go get the young prophet and bring him back to Bethel (1 Kings 13:11-13). Now he finds the young prophet under the tree and invites him back to Bethel to his house. The young prophet declines and RESTATES the word of the Lord to not return (1 Kings 13:16,17). The old man makes a statement and please pay attention to this:

1 Kings 13:18: he said unto him, I AM A PROPHET ALSO AS THOU ART: AND AN ANGEL SPAKE UNTO ME BY THE WORD OF THE LORD, SAYING, BRING HIM BACK WITH THEE INTO THINE HOUSE, THAT HE MAY EAT BREAD AND DRINK WATER. BUT HE LIED UNTO HIM

Do we see this! When the Word of the Lord comes to pass judgment and gives clear directions to the messenger, as the messenger, do not deviate from anything that the Lord said. Now this to the young prophet presented a quandary of thoughts. Here I have God telling me not to go back but then a man comes to me and says he is a prophet also and the angel told him to go back. Who should he listen to? Well the young man goes back to Bethel and does the exact thing the Lord tells him not to do. Now watch this, the word of the Lord comes to the man that brought the prophet back to Bethel, weird isn’t it, to pass judgment on the young prophet (1 Kings 13:20-22). Unfortunately the young prophet as he left the old prophet’s house was killed by a lion. Now word of this gets back to Jeroboam that the young prophet was killed by a lion. What do you think Jeroboam was thinking to why the young man was killed by a lion. I believe that Jeroboam perceived that the young prophet was killed for coming against him and God. Now in Jeroboam’s world everything looked right even though it was all wrong. 1 Kings 13:33,34 states that Jeroboam did not turn away from his sin and because of this his family would now suffer. 1 Kings 14 speaks of his son dying as well as Jeroboam himself being killed.

Now I said all of this to show that when the local church is exalted (Jeroboam) when the Lord brings correction to that local mentality to bring order and structure back to the Body of Christ, when you do not yield to that correction, the end result is death. We are watching local ministries die and are currently dying because the leaders are walking in the ways of Jeroboam and prevent the Body of Christ from coming together within the city. The ways of Jeroboam represent false doctrines and a lack of sound doctrine and exaltation of idolatry. It does not have to be golden calves but the thing that people are exalting is men themselves.

In the next message we will look at the specific prophecy that the prophet Ahijah brings against Jeroboam because this is the prophecy against the exaltation of the local church.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Convenience and Locality

The Temple of God

Today’s Focus: Local Church vs. City Church: Convenience and Locality

Scripture: Acts 7:48;

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

What Jeroboam did by producing these high places and priests and feasts was establishing a local ministry apart from the central nation. Please listen because this can be taken out of context easily but I do not want you to miss the concept.

In Jeroboam committing those sins he succeeded in separating the people from the Temple. He created a local mentality where the local church or household of faith is exalted as a local idol. If we look at some of these mega ministries they are the current day situation of Jeroboam where they exalt their ministry and the thing that they are doing and in turn it separates the Body of Christ within a city. Another local church mentality that separates is denominations. When leaders exalt their denomination or say things like “we are the true church or our way is the correct way” then there is a local mentality that is created and also a separatist mentality that prevents all the tribes from coming together as the temple. When Jeroboam committed these sins the nation of Israel could not celebrate the feasts as ordained by the Lord the way that He ordained it.

The local church or household of faith is simply what it is, a group of believers under a spiritual father. The city church is the entire Body of Christ within the city. The local church is the picture of the synagogue and the city church is a picture of the Temple. Now please keep in mind that the Body of Christ is one corporate entity.

Now notice when Paul address His letters to the various churches, He does not address it to separate households or churches, but to the entire Body of Christ within the city. Let’s see:

1 Corinthians 1:2: UNTO THE CHURCH OF GOD WHICH IS AT CORINTH, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.

Galatians 1:1,2: Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead) and all the brethren which are with me, UNTO THE CHURCHES OF GALATIA.

Ephesians 1:1: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus

Philippians 1:1: Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons

So when Paul is writing a letter, he addresses the entire Body of Christ within the city, not just a local church. The Body of Christ is a global body built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets in which Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19,20). So when we talk about building the Temple of God was are speaking of building the Temple from city to city and within that city all five governmental gifts are in operation to bring the body to maturity. The problem we run into is when our denominational or man’s doctrine prevents us from following God’s order or from acknowledging the authority within the earth that the Lord has left to mature us. Carnal people want to build a physical temple in Israel but the Temple is the Global Body of Christ because God does not dwell in places made by the hands of man.

Acts 7:48,49: Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? Saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?

Since the Body of Christ within a city is the temple of God then it should be visible and the leaders that come together should represent all the saints of their congregations. This gathering must be a culture, not a church-based event. The Culture is the Culture of the Kingdom (Acts 2:42). We must shift from event-based church to culture-based church lead by the Kingdom of God.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

The Sin of Jeroboam

The Temple of God

Today’s Focus: Local Church vs. City Church: The Sin of Jeroboam

Scripture: 1 Kings 12:26-33

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Knowing that the children of Israel were to come to the temple and celebrate the appointed feasts of God, this would require the 10 tribes located in the Northern Kingdom of Israel to travel to the Southern Kingdom who is ruled by Rehoboam. This concerned Jeroboam:

1 Kings 12:27: If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of the people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.

So obviously this bothered Jeroboam and notice the scripture says in 1 Kings 12:26 that “He said in HIS HEART. The Lord ordained the seven feasts to be celebrated and ordained a holy convocation for each one of them and this was not optional but required by the Lord. But let’s see what Jeroboam does:

1 Kings 12:28-30: Whereupon the king took counsel, and MADE TWO CALVES OF GOLD AND SAID UNTO THEM, IT IS TOO MUCH FOR YOU TO GO UP TO JERUSALEM: BEHOLD THY GODS, O ISRAEL, WHICH BROUGHT THEE UP OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT. And he set the one in Bethel and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.

So the first abomination that Jeroboam does is create two golden calves and call them the “gods” that delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians. Now he did this with the crooked intention of keeping the people under his control for fear of them turning on him when they go celebrate the feasts in Jerusalem. This was not the only abominable thing he did. Let’s keep reading:

1 Kings 12:31: And he made an house of high places and made priests of the lowest of the people , WHICH WERE NOT OF THE SONS OF LEVI. And Jeroboam ORDAINED A FEAST IN THE EIGTH MONTH, ON THE FIFTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH, LIKE UNTO THE FEAST THAT IS IN JUDAH, AND HE OFFERED UPON THE ALTAR. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.

So not only does he create golden calves to be worshipped, he created high places and priest to care for these “places”. Now God strictly set the sons of Levi as the priesthood of Israel. However Jeroboam created priests of the lowest people of society who were not the sons of Levi. Jeroboam changed the God-appointed set time for the feast from the seventh month to the eight month. He also created an altar to sacrifice on. All of this was devices of Jeroboam’s heart to keep the people under his rule so by doing this he introduced the Spirit of Convenience and the Mental State of Locality.

In the next message we will start to get an understanding of what this spirit is and what the mental state of locality is.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Jeroboam and Rehoboam

The Temple of God

Today’s Focus: Local Church vs. City Church: Jeroboam and Rehoboam

Scripture: 1 Kings 12

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Let us continue. Jeroboam comes back to Israel and they are all gathered before Rehoboam who is the king of Israel. Jeroboam comes to Rehoboam and asks him if he will be lenient with them because his father Solomon put heavy burdens on the people (1 Kings 12:4). Rehoboam tells him and the people to leave and in three days come back and he will give his answer. Now Rehoboam consults two types of people about this issue of the burdens placed upon the people. Let me show you the two responses and who gave it.

1 Kings 12:6-11: And king Rehoboam consulted WITH THE OLD MEN, THAT STOOD BEFORE SOLOMON HIS FATHER while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people? And they spake unto him saying, if thou wilt be a servant unto his people this day, and will serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever. But HE FORSOOK THE COUNSEL OF THE OLD MEN, which they had given him, and consulted with the YOUNG MEN THAT HAD GROWN UP WITH HIM, and which stood before him: And he said unto them , What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me , saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter? And the young men that were grown up with him spkae unto him saying THUS SHALT THOU SPEAK UNTO THIS PEOPLE THAT SPAKE UNTO THEE, SAYING, THY FATHER MADE OUR YOKE HEAVY, BUT MAKE THOU IT LIGHTER UNTO US; THUS SHALT THOU SAY UNTO THEM, MY LITTLE FINGER SHALL BE THICKER THAN MY FATHER’S LOINS. And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

Now as you read this we see that Rehoboam consults the old men and the young men that grew up with him. One of the things the Lord showed me here was we need to be careful of who we listen to and yield ourselves to. The old men had the privilege to serve under Solomon and see the results of obedience to the Lord but when that answer did not satisfy him, he consulted people who did not understand how to rule and hence their vision of rule was by force and oppression. They did not see rule as being a servant first unto all. So Rehoboam dealt harshly with the people according to the instructions from the young men he grew up with. The children of Israel were not happy with this and when they hear that Jeroboam has come back, they called him and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only (1 Kings 12:20). So here we have the prophecy come to past that Jeroboam would rule over 10 tribes and Rehoboam would rule over one tribe. This division formed a Northern Kingdom of Israel ruled by Jeroboam and the Southern Kingdom of Israel formed ruled by Rehoboam. Now the temple was located in the Southern Kingdom of Israel. This would present a dilemma at the time of the feasts.

In the next message we will look specifically at the sin of Jeroboam and how it began to reveal the conflict between the local church versus the city church.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Prophecy to Jeroboam

The Temple of God

Today’s Focus: Local Church vs. City Church: Prophecy to Jeroboam

Scripture: 1 Kings 11:26-39

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Who is this Jeroboam and what is it that he did that caused a successive generational line of kings to sin against God? Let’s get to looking at Jeroboam because the answer is in the story.

1 Kings 11:26-28: And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king. And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father. And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.

Here we see that Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon, comes from a house of a widow (no father), rebelled against the king, mighty man of valor and industrious. Now we see some good things but also we see some spiritually devastating things such as the fatherlessness and the rebellion against the king. Funny, because of one (fatherlessness) the other is almost a natural consequence (rebellion). Now Jeroboam runs into the prophet of God and has a unique experience with him. Now this is a long set of scripture but vital in understanding the picture of who Jeroboam is and what he will come to do against God.

1 Kings 11:30-39: And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him and rent it in twelve pieces: And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus said the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to thee: (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel) Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statues and my judgments, as did David his father. Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant’s sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes: But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there. And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel and it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways and do that is right in my sight to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee and build thee a sure house, as I built for David and will give Israel unto thee. And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.

So what we have here is God prophesying through the prophet Ahijah saying that the kingdom of Israel will be split and ten tribes will be given to Jeroboam and the son of Solomon will have one tribe. Why split Israel? Because of the idolatry of Solomon. Even though Solomon was a wise king, he did have a woman and idolatry problem that God did not like and many time warned Solomon not to do. God gives his reason in 1 Kings 11:33. Now Solomon gets word of this and sought to kill Jeroboam and Jeroboam flees to Egypt (1 Kings 11:40) until the death of Solomon. The son of Solomon, Rehoboam, came into power and when Jeroboam had heard of this, the children of Israel called for him, he left Egypt and him and all the children of Israel met Rehoboam in Shechem.

We will continue this story in the subsequent message for the sake of time and information but please keep these particular set of messages together because we are still drawing a large picture and the picture will soon come into view but you must understand the story to see the picture.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.