The Sermon on the Mount was taught to the disciples, not to the multitudes. Jesus shared much revelation concerning the Kingdom of God in this sermon. This sermon revealed a revelation of The Law that had previously been hidden. The Jews had identified 613 commandments and statutes to live by. Further, they added their own interpretation of understanding. Jesus summed up the Law in two commandments: Love God and love your neighbor. However, he did not stop there. He expanded our understanding of the Kingdom by including a new group of people to love: our enemies.
Mat 5:43
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat 5:45
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
This revelation went against all that they historically understood. The children of Israel had been in many battles over the centuries. The Jews were expecting a "conquering" messiah, not a prince of peace. "Love your enemies" created a reality that required you to love everyone, independent of the situation. It placed love above all conflict on earth. It placed a focus on love that had not been emphasized in the past. Why did this shift occur? Jesus had arrived and he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people (Matt 4:23). The gospel was truly good news, especially for our enemies.
For the kingdom of God to arrive on earth, division has to cease. A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Once the revelation of love comes forth in earnest, wars will cease. Who will bring forth the revelation of love? It will be the sons of God. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus revealed who the peacemakers were:
Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
The peacemakers will have the revelation of love and will bless those that curse them, do good to those that hate them, and pray for those which despitefully use and persecute them. At some point the enemy will be converted to a neighbor. If you are to love your neighbor and enemy, who else is there?
The Kingdom of God is all about blessing, abundance, restoration and reconciliation. Babylon is about scarcity, control, manipulation, and division. As we proceed forward and gain revelation in love we will cease viewing others with envy or judgment. If there is truly plenty for all, why be envious of another’s station in life? Man looks at structure and judges there to be scarcity. God looks at infinity and observes there to be abundance. Judgment is behind most if not all of the conflict that arises. "You have what I want" or "I want what you have". "You don’t deserve what you have so I am going to take it away". "We need that oil for national security". The list goes on. The power of love will open up a new understanding of abundance. Love will cause judgment to evaporate and allow us to see our adversaries for who they really are. Can a man change?
One of the best examples of this transformation is Jacob. Jacob’s name means "supplanter", one who wrongfully or illegally seizes and holds the place of another, a usurper. In Scripture, names always represented the nature of the person. Jacob was not the first born and thus was not to receive the family blessing or birthright of the firstborn. Jacob’s mother Rebekah loved him. They both thought the God needed help in assuring Jacob of a blessing. Jacob supplanted Esau twice. Once Jacob received the birthright, they became enemies. After twenty-one years of serving Laban in order to receive his wife Rachel and finances, Jacob was to encounter his worst enemy- Esau. However after spending twenty-one years in servitude and encountering angels of The Lord, Jacob received the revelation of love. He wrestled with the Angel of God- Peniel (the face of God, Who is Love) AND LOST. Only then was his name changed to Israel. Once he finally submitted to God Jacob’s nature changed thus evoking the name change. When he encountered his brother Esau, he "beheld the face of God". He was finally able to love his enemies. Immediately Jacob proceeded to Succoth, a representation of the Tabernacles revelation. Could it be that we must receive the revelation of love to enter into Tabernacles?