Some of you may know the country music artist John Rich. Currently, he just released a song called “Revelation” and it is fast becoming a number-one hit. As described in his interview with Tucker Carlson, he was given this song through direct heavenly instruction. The song’s message is threefold: to proclaim the urgency of Messiah’s return, to wake up the “church body,” and to remind all of us, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood.” In my mind, I believe Mr. Rich is becoming a needed zealot in today’s world.
Here is an inside peek of the words for the first verse and chorus of “Revelation.”
“Dancing in the flames
The people cursed his name
Bowed at the altar of the Father of Lies
But there’s a number to their days
And all their evil ways
The Lord’s gonna turn away from all their cries”
“Oh, revelation, I can feel it coming. Like a dark train running. Oh, get ready,
’cause the King is coming. The King is coming back again.”
When asked why he would write such a song, John replied, “he had no choice.” He believes when the King of Glory tells you to do something, you should do it. As the son of a preacher man, Mr. Rich is zealous in fulfilling his bondservant role within The Kingdom of Yahweh.
Several Bible characters felt the call to act as well. When King David was just a shepherd boy, he cut off Goliath’s head. Moses condemned the Pharoah of Egypt in front of the royal court. Elijah killed the prophets of Baal with a mighty sword. And, Samson killed thousands in the Name of the Lord. These are just a few of the zealots mentioned in Scripture. One in particular was deemed zealous. His name was Phinehas.
“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel because he was zealous with My zeal among them so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.” Numbers 25:11
The term Zealot can be associated with two clearly defined pictures. One picture can paint a zealot as a fanatic or extremist. While another picture can be supporter, believer, and advocate. When we work for “The Kingdom of Yah” what type of Zealot would you say we are?
The question for us today is when and should we even be a zealot. What does it entail? For decades we have been told that Yeshua is love. In the Book of John, we are told that “God is love.” We know the phrase, “Love your neighbor as yourself” very well. But if love was the only side of the Kingdom, why did Yeshua drive money changers out of the temple with a whip? Why did Yahweh send plagues on Israel? Why did prophets destroy and kill in the Name of Yahweh? Why did Phinehas drive a stake through two people?
I believe the answers are found in the Scriptures. And to me, it starts with the understanding that Yahweh hates as well as loves. This is stated rather clearly:
“There are six things that the Lord hates, Seven that are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who declares lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers. Proverbs 6:16-19
There are certain actions Yah hates. This leads me to believe that we should hate these deeds as well.
We love to declare the 10 commands in Exodus 20, though isn’t it fascinating to read the chapter after, where we have direct instructions for being a bondservant? A bondservant does the will of the master. A bondservant pledges to follow the instructions of the master. This leads us to ask, “If Yah hates what we read in the above verse, shouldn’t a bond-servant hate these evil works as well?”
Yeshua said, “For I came down from heaven, not do my own will, but the will of the Father.” John 6:38
When we accept Yeshua into our lives, we call Him Lord and Savior. Naturally, we love the concept of Savior, for He saves us from our sins. He redeems us. But have we also considered the word Lord, which means Master? For an answer, I thought it important to consider these two terms.
Savior (Greek-Soter) means savior, deliverer, and preserver. The New Testament clarifies these terms in the following Biblical verses.
“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.” 1 John 4:14.
As Savior, Yeshua is the only One Who can save us!
“Him Yahweh has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:31.
As Savior, Yeshua is the only One Who can deliver us from sin!
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Yeshua Messiah.” (Philippians 3:20).
As Savior, Yeshua is the only One to preserve for us a home with Him!
When we look at the title of Lord (Greek-Kyrios) we see the meaning master or one to whom someone belongs. And once again, there are Biblical texts that can direct us.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Yeshua Messiah.” Romans 5:1
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of Yahweh is eternal life in Yeshua Messiah our Lord.” Romans 6:23.
“And that every tongue should confess that Yeshua Messiah is Lord, to the glory of Yah the Father.” Philippians 2:11.
Working as a bondservant for His kingdom means that we not only accept redemption and salvation, but it also means we accept Him as master over our lives. Phinehas was zealous in protecting the works and Name of Yahweh. Therefore, by being jealous for his Master, the plague that came from sexual worship was stopped. Can we do the same today?
I’m directed toward a text that many of us use to call others to prayer. But have we considered who is being called?
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14
In this verse, notice where healing begins. It starts with “his people” who are called by His name. It doesn’t start with the evil doers of this day. We are the ones who need to be humbled first and turn from our sins. In this way, I do believe we become a dedicated bond servant, willing to stand against the evil we have learned to overcome through the Messiah. In short, by becoming disgusted with our sin, we are ready to listen to the Master to do His bidding.
There is another great country hit that was sung a few years ago. It’s called, “Jesus Take the Wheel” sung by Carrie Underwood. In John Rich’s interview with Tucker, he shared an analogy of what it may look like if Yeshua would take the wheel in our lives.
Imagine Yeshua is trying to hitch a ride. His thumb is out and you decide to pull over and pick Him up. You ask, “Do you need a lift?”
He replies, “Yes, thank you, I do need a ride, but for me to ride with you, I need to drive. Do you mind sliding over so I can take the wheel?”
You decide to let Him drive. But instead of going in the direction you were set on going, He does a U-turn and starts taking you in a completely different direction. Are you ready for that? If you can say yes, then I believe you are ready to do the works of the Kingdom.
If you are listening to today’s events. If you can see the corruption that surrounds this world, would you be willing to be zealous for Yahweh? Are you willing to hate the things that Yah hates? Are you willing to make a stand and share the gospel message with those around you?
Yeshua fought the battle against satan and He won. He played the role of Phinehas and put a spear in the form of a nail through the depths of sin. He is now in need of followers that will do His bidding. We must repent and renounce evil in our own lives. It’s our calling to ask others to repent and renounce sin so that they can be saved as well. In doing so, Yahweh restores.
May you be blessed,
Rollyn