Who is the Bride of Christ?
CHAPTER 10
THE KEY OF DAVID
In this chapter, we will
answer the question, What is the key of David?
In Revelation 3:7, Jesus said to the church at Philadelphia
that He had the key of David. In Revelation 22:16, Jesus sent
his angel to testify to the church that He is the root and offspring of
David. In Acts 13:22, we find that David was a man after God's
own heart.
WHY
did God call David a man after His own heart? WHY
did Jesus testify to the church of Philadelphia that He has the
key of David? WHY did Jesus send His angel to
the churches to testify that He is the root and offspring of David?
WHY does God identify Himself with David and
WHY does Jesus identify Himself with David?
The answer is the Key of David !!! . The key of
David is found in Psalm 119. The reason why David was called a
man after God's own heart and the reason why Jesus has the key of David
is David LOVED God's Torah. The
Key of David is the Torah !! Let us examine
this truth.
JESUS HAS THE KEY OF DAVID
In Revelation chapters 2
and 3, letters are written to seven churches in Asia Minor. Of the seven
churches, the church with the highest praise from God is the church in
Philadelphia. The church of Philadelphia can be viewed as the model
church among the seven churches in the book of Revelation. Jesus tells
this church that He has the key of David. In
Revelation 3:7 it is written:
- "And to the angel of the church in
Philadelphia write: These things saith He that is holy, He that is
true, He that has the key of David, He that openeth and no man
shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth."
A key is critical in
opening and closing a door. If Jesus has a key to a door, it MUST be
important. In addition, there MUST also be an importance concerning WHAT
key that Jesus is holding. In Revelation 3:7, Jesus tells us
that the name of this key points to David. Therefore, we must begin to
question why Jesus is highlighting and emphasizing David.
JESUS IS THE ROOT AND OFFSPRING OF DAVID
Because the Bible is the
Word of God, the last book in the Bible must be important in revealing
the complete plan of God. Indeed it is! The book of Revelation is the
Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to show His servants of things
to come (Revelation 1:1). If the last book of the Bible is
important, then the last chapter in the Bible must be important also. If
the last chapter of the last book of the Bible is important then the
last few verses must be important. The last few verses of the book of
Revelation speak of the desire for the second coming of Jesus and the
desire that the Bride of Christ would be married unto Him. In
Revelation 22:16, Jesus speaks His final words to the churches as
it is written:
- "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify
unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the
offspring of David, and the bright and morning Star."
DAVID IS A TYPE OF GOD'S BRIDE
The churches are already
believers that Jesus is Messiah. So, Jesus couldn't be reminding the
churches through His angels that He is the Messiah. So, why did Jesus
send His angel to testify to the CHURCHES and
NOT to the unbelievers that HE is the root and offspring of DAVID? Once
again, Jesus wants His CHURCH to identify with David when they identify
with Jesus. Why?
David in Hebrew means,
"Beloved." It is the Strong's word 1732. Beloved is a term for
God's Bride. The Song of Solomon is a poetic song between God and His
Bride. In Song of Solomon 6:3 it is written:
- " I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine
... "
Therefore, David is a
type of God's Bride. Consequently, the Bride of Christ MUST identify
with David even as Jesus tells us that He has the key of David and is
the root and offspring of David.
The next verse in the
book of Revelation following the words of Jesus that He sent His angel
to testify to His churches that He is the root and offspring of David is
Revelation 22:17 as it is written:
- " And the Spirit and the bride say, Come
... "
Therefore, it seems that
the testifying to the CHURCHES that Jesus is the root and offspring of
David is associated with the marriage of God's Bride. Could this be so?
I believe that it is.
THE CHURCH IS DISCOVERING
HER HEBRAIC ROOTS
In most recent times, the
Spirit of God is awakening the church concerning her Hebraic roots and
the role of God's Torah in our lives. This is God's final testimony to
the church through the outpouring of His Holy Spirit to encourage all
believers in Jesus as Messiah to embrace and understand the role of the
Torah in God's prophetic plan before Jesus comes to get His Bride.
Because the Bride of
Christ will teach the Torah to all nations during the 1,000-year
Messianic Age, (Isaiah 2:2-3) the Holy Spirit must awaken the
church to the knowledge and understanding of the Torah so that God can
raise up an army of people who will love God with all their heart, mind,
soul and strength, be spiritually mature, and have the knowledge of the
Torah of God written upon their hearts. Therefore, this mighty move of
God's Holy Spirit is a preparation for the Bride of Christ to make
herself ready for her wedding to Jesus, the Bridegroom.
WILL ALL WHO EMBRACE
THE TORAH BE GOD'S BRIDE?
Does that mean that
everyone who embraces the Torah through the awakening of God's Spirit
will be the Bride of Christ? No! The reason is that the Bride of Christ
must be spiritually mature AND have the
knowledge of the Torah of God. Some believers who embrace the Torah are
spiritually immature. Only God can judge our hearts and only He can
determine among the Body of Christ who is spiritually mature and who is
not spiritually mature.
THE GREATEST IN HEAVEN WILL
KEEP GOD'S COMMANDMENTS
Keeping the Torah of God
has a role to play in reaching spiritual maturity. We know from the
words of Jesus that those who keep the commandments (Torah) of God and
teach others to do so will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven but those
who break the commandments (Torah) of God and teach others to do so will
be least in the Kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 5:19 it is
written:
- "Whosoever therefore shall break one of
these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called
the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach
them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
Therefore, Jesus is
testifying to the churches through His angel that He is the root and
offspring of David because God's Bride will be a people after God's own
heart and will love the Torah of God just like David. David in Hebrew
means "Beloved" and "Beloved" is a term for God's
Bride.
DAVID: A MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART
David was a man after
God's own heart. In Acts 13:22 it is written:
- "And when he had removed him, he raised up
unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony,
and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own
heart, which shall fulfill all my wiIl."
Why was David a man after
God's own heart? The answer is found in Psalm 119. The reason
that David was a man after God's own heart is because David LOVED God's
Torah! Let us examine Psalm 119 to understand this truth.
THE SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING OF PSALM 119
Psalm 119 was
written by David. Psalm 119 consists of 176 verses. There are
22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 119 is a poetic psalm
which goes through the entire Hebrew alphabet in units of eight verses
each. Twenty-Two times Eight =176.
The
Hebrew alphabet begins with the letter, Aleph
, and ends with the letter, Tav . In
Revelation 22:13, Jesus spoke these words as it is written:
- "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end, the first and the last."
The
Alpha and the Omega are the first and
last letters of the Greek alphabet . The way
that this would be said in Hebrew is "I am the
Aleph and the Tav."
In Genesis 1:1
it is written:
- "In the beginning God created the heaven
and the earth. "
If you examine this verse
in Hebrew, you will find that the fourth Hebrew word is
"Aleph, Tav."
Therefore, in Hebrew,
Genesis 1:1 reads:
- " In the beginning (Bereishit), God
(Elohim) created (bara), (Aleph, Tav) ..."
From this we can
understand that Jesus is indeed the Aleph and the Tav,
the beginning and the end.
In each verse in
Psalm 119, David praises God for His Torah. Since Jesus is the
Aleph and the Tav, the beginning and the end, then the entire
Psalm 119 is written about Jesus. From this we can understand that
Jesus is the Living Torah!!
There are three main
things highlighted in Psalm 119. They are as follows:
The Hebrew Language
The Torah of God
The Number Eight
In Psalm 119,
the Hebrew language is being highlighted because Psalm 119 goes
through the entire Hebrew alphabet letter by letter. The Torah of God is
being highlighted because in each verse in Psalm 119 David
praises God for His Torah. The number eight is highlighted because Psalm
119 goes through the entire Hebrew alphabet in units of eight verses
each.
PSALM 119: THE HEBREW LANGUAGE
Each verse in Psalm
119:1-8, begins with the first letter in the Hebrew language, the
Aleph . Each verse in Psalm 119:9-16,
begins with the second letter in the Hebrew language, the
Beth . Each verse in Psalm 119:17-24
begins with the third letter in the Hebrew language, the
Gimel . This pattern is repeated for the
entire Hebrew alphabet to the end of Psalm 119. Therefore,
Psalm 119 highlights the Hebrew language, the Torah and the number
eight.
THE BIBLICAL IMPORTANCE OF
THE NUMBER EIGHT
Why is the number eight
being highlighted in Psalm 119? Seven is God's number for
perfection and completion. The seven days of creation represent 7,000
years of time. In Psalm 90:4 it is written:
- "For a thousand years in thy sight are but
as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
"
In 2 Peter 3:8
is it written:
- "But, beloved, (a term for God's Bride) be
not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a
thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
Therefore, the seven days
of creation are a spiritual picture of seven thousand years of time. The
seventh day of creation, the Sabbath, is a spiritual picture of the
1,000-year Messianic Age.
In Leviticus 23,
God gave His people seven festivals. They are Passover, Unleavened
Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles.
Once again, seven is the Biblical number for perfection and completion.
These seven festivals are important because they reveal the prophetic
plan of God. The first four festivals give insight about the first
coming of Jesus. The last three festivals give insight about the second
coming of Jesus. All of these festivals teach about our personal
relationship with God. For more information about the Biblical
festivals, please read my book,
The Seven Festivals of the Messiah
. This book can be purchased by writing to
Hebraic Heritage Ministries International.
The seventh festival is
Tabernacles. The feast of Tabernacles is to be celebrated for seven
days. In Leviticus 23:33-34 it is written:
- "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this
seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto
the Lord."
The Feast of Tabernacles
is not only the seventh festival but it happens on the seven month and
it is to be celebrated for seven days. In this, God is highlighting the
Feast of Tabernacles and the number seven. The Feast of Tabernacles is
prophetic of the 1,000 year Messianic Age. The end of the l,000 year
Messianic Age ends the prophetic picture of the seven days of creation
and the seventh of the seven festivals. Therefore, at the conclusion of
the l,000 year Messianic Age, God's prophetic plan for mankind will be
completed and we will enter eternity.
The number eight in the
Bible is the number of new beginnings. At the conclusion of the
1,000-year Messianic Age, God will create a new heaven and a new earth.
This is mentioned in Revelation 21:1-3. Therefore, the number
eight represents new beginnings, the time beyond time or eternity.
God gave a prophetic
blueprint of eternity when He gave instruction concerning the
celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. In Leviticus 23:33-34, 36
it is written:
- "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this
seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto
the Lord. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto
the Lord: on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you;
and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a
solemn assembly .. "
The Feast of Tabernacles
is a seven-day festival unto God. It is celebrated on the Jewish
Calendar on Tishrei 15-21. The eighth day, Tishrei 22, is known in
Hebrew as "Shemini Atzeret " which
means, "The eighth conclusion". The
day following "Shemini Atzeret " is Tishrei 23 which is known
in Hebrew as "Simchat Torah " which
means, "The rejoicing in the Torah."
Therefore, after the
completion of time as represented by the Feast of Tabernacles, which is
the seventh festival, the seventh month and celebrated for seven days
and is a spiritual picture of the l,000 year Messianic Age, we have
"Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah "
which represents eternity.
Shemini Atzeret
and Simchat Torah are celebrated jointly with each other and is
seen by the Jewish people as one day even though it extends over two
physical calendar days. Therefore, the eighth day which God attached to
the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles was done by God to represent
the time following the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles or
eternity. Because Shemini Atzeret (the eighth conclusion) is
associated with Simchat Torah (the rejoicing in the Torah) and
this represents eternity, we can understand that during eternity, all
believers who will be in heaven will be rejoicing over the Torah of God.
Therefore, the number eight represents
the new heavens and the new earth (Revelation
21:1-3) and eternity.
Eternity is highlighted
in God's Biblical festivals by the eighth day following the seven days
of the Feast of Tabernacles, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat
Torah. Simchat Torah is known in Hebrew as the
"Rejoicing in the Torah."
Therefore, the number
eight in Psalm 119 is highlighting eternity. Eternity is
foreshadowed by all believers who will be in heaven and rejoicing in the
Torah of God even as David rejoiced and praised the Torah of God in each
verse of Psalm 119.
SUMMARY
In conclusion, what is
the key of David and why did God call David a man after God's own heart?
The Key of David is the Torah.
Because David loved God's Torah, God called David a man after His own
heart. David in Hebrew means, "Beloved." Beloved is a term for
God's Bride. Therefore, the Bride of Christ shall be the "beloved "
of God because she will be like David and love God's Torah.
In the book of
Revelation, Jesus testified to the churches
that He has the Key of David and
He is the root and offspring of David. By
doing so, Jesus wanted His Church to identify with David when they
identified with Jesus. When Jesus lived on the earth, He was a
Torah-Observant Jew. When Jesus associated Himself with David, He was
identifying Himself with the Torah and the role of the Bride to rule and
reign on the earth as kings and priests with Him during the Messianic
Age and then for all eternity.
In Psalm 119,
God highlights the Hebrew language, the Torah and the number eight.
Hebrew is the spiritual language given by God to His people. The number
eight in the Bible represents new beginnings as well as eternity. In
Psalm 119, the Torah is highlighted along with the number eight
because God wanted to communicate a spiritual message to His people
through the Holy Spirit that God's Torah is eternal. God's Torah will be
kept by His people for all eternity when God creates the new heavens and
the new earth. David was a man after God's own heart because David loved
God's Torah. The Key of David is
the Torah. The Key of David
is written on the heart of God's Bride.
Continue to Chapter
11
