Hi all,
Below is the first chapter of my book called "God's Two Governments". As you may be aware, the book is on pre-order for two more days before it goes live on Amazon. If you are captivated or your interest is sparked by the chapter below, then take advantage of the pre-order price in these last two days. The book goes live on Monday at the full sale price. If you happen to purchase the book, and have read it, please return to the Amazon site and leave a review. It will help to keep the book visible on the site and allow more people to find it. My deepest thanks and appreciation for your support.
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Chapter 1: The Departure
The Setting
The morning air in Haran hangs heavy with the scent of ancient dust and the lingering smoke of cooking fires. Abram’s journey began in Ur, the city of his birth, where his story first took root. For some years, Haran had offered a new boundary of comfort after the migration of his father Terah, but now, at the age of seventy-five, the horizon looks different. He stands at the edge of his encampment, his eyes scanning the distance where the Euphrates snakes through the fertile crescent, wondering about the voice that has disrupted his peace. Though memories of his father linger in his heart, a deeper, more pressing weight stirs within his chest—a call that did not come from the idols of Ur or the traditions of his kin. It was a call that demanded a total severing of ties, a departure from the familiar shadows of his father’s house toward a destination hidden entirely in the mind of the Almighty.
His servants move with hushed efficiency, sensing the shift in their master’s spirit as they pack the heavy woollen tents and secure the livestock. Sarai watches him from the tent entrance, her face a mask of silent questions and unspoken fears about the wilderness ahead. There are no maps to consult, no established trade routes that can guarantee the safety of such a massive undertaking into the unknown. To leave Haran is to leave protection; to leave kindred is to leave identity and the safety of the clan. Yet, the atmosphere feels charged, as if the very stars that guided them from the south are now waiting for a new decree from the heavens. Abram breathes in the dry, morning air, and in the profound stillness of the Mesopotamian dawn, the heavens open with a promise that will alter the course of human history and set the foundation for an earthly kingdom.
"Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Gen.12:1-3)
The Unpacking
Abram stands motionless, the echo of the words vibrating in his very soul like a thunderclap in a clear sky. "Get thee out" was the command, requiring a physical movement that mirrored a deep spiritual separation from everything he once held dear. He looks back at the sturdy walls of the dwellings and the familiar faces of his extended family, yet he knows he is already a stranger among them. The command to go "unto a land that I will shew thee" is not a request for a simple journey, but a demand for total, unwavering reliance on the unseen God. He does not have a name for the destination, only the assurance of the One who speaks into the silence.
As he ponders the magnitude of the directive, the promise begins to unfold like a royal banner across the landscape. The Almighty speaks of a "great nation," a concept that must have felt like a piercing irony to a man whose wife remained barren and whose youth was fading. How does one become a nation without a single heir to carry the name? Yet, the Hebrew word used here for nation is goy, often implying a political and territorial body—a distinct ethnic group with a specific destiny on the earth. This is not a promise of a vague spiritual influence, but of a literal, tangible nation that will occupy space and time. Abram isn’t being called to a new religion but to a covenant; he is being called to be the father of a new nation anchored in a specific geography.
The voice continues, layering blessing upon blessing with a rhythm that suggests the pouring of oil. "I will bless thee, and make thy name great," the LORD declares, contrasting Abram’s future with the men of Babel who sought to make a name for themselves through their own works (Gen.11:4). Abram’s greatness will be a gift of sovereign grace, a covenantal marking that ensures his reputation will outlive the empires of the east. This blessing is not for Abram’s hoarding; rather, he is told, "thou shalt be a blessing". He is to be the conduit through which the grace of God flows to a parched and fallen world, a vessel of divine favour.
The covenant then expands to include the rest of humanity, creating a divine barometer for how the world treats Abram’s future seed. "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee," the LORD warns. This establishes a protective hedge around the nation that is yet to be born, making Israel the centre of God’s earthly dealings. Finally, the promise reaches its crescendo: "in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed". Through his lineage, and after him, through the law, the prophets, and ultimately the Messiah, the door of restoration will be swung wide for every tribe and tongue (Gal.3:8-16). Abram bows his head, the weight of the Mesopotamian sun eclipsed by the glory of an eternal covenant.
Time to Ponder
- The call of Abram marks a pivotal shift from God dealing with the nations as a whole to dealing with one specific man to create a chosen nation. This "nationhood" is the bedrock of the Prophetic Programme, establishing that God’s primary vehicle for earthly blessing would be the literal seed of Abraham (Deut.7:6-8).
- The Hebrew word for "bless" is barak, which carries the idea of kneeling or granting power for prosperity. When God promises to "bless" those who bless Abram, He is essentially aligning the prosperity of all other nations with their treatment of His covenant people.
- It is vital to notice that this covenant is unconditional in its primary elements. While Abram had to "get out" to experience the land, the promise that God "will" make him a great nation depends entirely on the faithfulness of the LORD, not the perfection of the man.
The Discovery
As we walk with Abram out of Haran, we must be careful not to pack his bags with our own modern Church identity. To understand the Bible, we must acknowledge that here, in Genesis 12, God is laying the tracks for an earthly kingdom. This is the beginning of the Prophetic Programme. Everything promised to Abram involves the earth: a physical "land," a literal "nation," and a reputation among the "families of the earth". When we read these verses, we are seeing the birth of Israel’s exclusive status as God’s "kingdom of priests" (Ex.19:5-6).
If we try to claim these specific promises as the primary charter for the Church today, we run into a collision of truth. For instance, Abram was told his blessing was tied to a physical land and a physical seed. In contrast, the Apostle Paul tells the Body of Christ that we are blessed with "all spiritual blessings in heavenly places" (Eph.1:3). Abram was looking for a city on earth; we are already seated in heavenly places (Eph.2:6). If the Church is simply a continuation of Abram’s earthly nation, then why does Paul say that in the Body of Christ there is "neither Jew nor Greek" (Gal.3:28)?
Rightly dividing the word of truth means letting Abram be the father of the circumcision and the earthly nation of Israel, while recognising that our current "Mystery" programme was a secret hidden in God until it was revealed to Paul. Abram’s covenant requires a distinction between nations—some are blessed, some are cursed based on their treatment of his seed. However, in the current Dispensation of Grace, God is not dealing with nations, but with individuals, offering the same "gift of righteousness" to all who believe, without national distinction (Rom.3:22-24).
The confusion of the modern reader often stems from "spiritualising" the land of Canaan into "heaven" or the "great nation" into the "Church". But God is a literal promise-keeper. If He promised Abram a literal land, He must deliver a literal land to Israel (Rom.11:26-29). By keeping Israel’s earthly promises separate from our heavenly ones, the Bible suddenly makes sense. We can celebrate Israel's future restoration without feeling the need to "replace" them to get our own blessings.
Myth vs. Mystery
The Myth: The Church has become the "New Israel," inheriting all the promises made to Abram because the physical nation of Israel failed God. This view suggests that "land" is now a metaphor for heaven.
The Mystery: The Body of Christ is a "New Man," a distinct heavenly people whose identity is found in Christ alone, separate from the national and territorial promises given to Israel. Our inheritance is spiritual and heavenly, not earthly and national.
The Horizon
Traveller’s Key
The call of Abram is the divine starting point for a specialised earthly programme that requires a specific land and a specific people. Understanding that God’s promises to Abram are literal and territorial prevents us from misapplying Israel’s national identity to the Church. When we leave the "land" to Israel, we are free to enjoy the "heavenly places" that belong to us in Christ.
Traveller’s Questions
- Why was it necessary for Abram to physically leave his country and kindred for the promise of a "great nation" to begin?
- How does the promise of a literal "land" in Gen.12:1-3 differ from the "spiritual blessings" described in Eph.1:3?
- If God’s promises to Abram were based on his seed being a "great nation," how does right division help us understand why the Church today is not defined by national boundaries?
The Map Check
Now that the foundation of the nation and the promise of land have been laid, we must see where the boundaries of this inheritance truly lie. In the next chapter, we will travel deeper into the desert to see the specific borders of the covenant in Gen.15:18.
Chapter 2: The Land Boundaries
The Setting
The deep, heavy silence of a star-strewn night hangs over the encampment of Abram, years after his initial departure from Haran and his separation from Lot. While the memory of standing on the heights of Bethel—where the LORD had first told him to look toward the four corners of the earth—remained vivid, a new and more profound weight now rests upon his spirit (Gen.13:14-17). He has walked the length and breadth of the land as a stranger, yet he still possesses no heir and no legal title to the soil beneath his feet. In the quiet hours of a divine vision, the word of the LORD comes to him, piercing through his fears of barrenness and the passage of time. The Almighty leads him forth from the confines of his tent, directing his gaze upward to the glittering canopy of the heavens, promising that his seed shall be as numerous as the celestial lights (Gen.15:1-5).
...and the journey continues through these 24 Landmark Verses (below).
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Below is a map of the scriptures we have traversed. This reference serves to help you maintain the "Rightly Divided" boundaries of the Word in your future study.
The Prophetic Programme: God’s Earthly Government
- Ch.1: The Departure — Gen.12:1-3 (The foundation of the nation)
- Ch.2: The Land Boundaries — Gen.15:18 (The literal deed of gift)
- Ch.3: The Code of the Kingdom — Ex.19:5-6 (The conditional performance code)
- Ch.4: The Throne Established — 2Sam.7:12-13 (The physical Davidic line)
- Ch.5: The Watchman’s Vantage — Isa.46:9-10 (The decree of the end from the start)
- Ch.6: The Voice in the Wilderness — Isa.40:3 (The herald of the King)
- Ch.7: The Reader and the Reckoning — Isa.61:1-2 (The acceptable year of the Lord)
- Ch.8: The Children’s Bread — Matt.15:24 (The King’s exclusive earthly commission)
- Ch.9: The Cup of the New Testament — Luke.22:20 (The covenant of the kingdom)
- Ch.10: The King and the Curse — Luke.23:33-34 (The intercession at the cross)
The Transitional Bridge: The Great Divide & Right Division
- Ch.11: The Forty-Day Window — Acts.1:3, 6 (The final offer of the earthly kingdom)
- Ch.12: The Cutting of the Word — 2Tim.2:15 (The introduction of the Workman's Rule)
- Ch.13: The Standing King — Acts.7:55 (The official rejection and fall of the nation)
The Mystery Programme: God’s Heavenly Government
- Ch.14: The Prisoner of the Secret — Eph.3:1-3 (The start of a new administration)
- Ch.15: The Blueprint of the Heavens — Eph.3:8-9 (The unsearchable riches)
- Ch.16: The Secret Kept — Rom.16:25 (The mystery hidden since the world began)
- Ch.17: The New Creature — 2Cor.5:17 (The birth of a new identity)
- Ch.18: Seated in the Heavens — Eph.2:6 (Our present-tense celestial location)
- Ch.19: The Ambassador’s Commission — 2Cor.5:20 (Our role as exiles on the earth)
- Ch.20: The Finished Work — Rom.4:5 (Righteousness apart from religious work)
- Ch.21: The Joint-Heirs — Eph.3:6 (The equality of the Body)
- Ch.22: The Blessed Hope — 1Thess.4:17 (The secret, heavenly departure)
- Ch.23: The Restoration Audit — 2Cor.5:10 (The evaluation of the ambassador)
- Ch.24: The Unveiled Plan — Eph.1:10 (The gathering of all things in Christ)
God bless.
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