The Prophetic Telegraph - No.55
Millennial Kings
and Priests
We have just reached the
20th chapter of Revelation in our Bible Study series. After reading of all the
miseries and wretchedness of the Beast system, and the cunning craftiness of
Satan, it was like a breath of fresh air to read that the earth had been rid of
them for a thousand years, and that God's elect were being prepared for kingly
rule. And so we investigated the theme in some detail, and came up with some
very interesting information, which we should now like to share.
First of all, we were
confronted by an assertion expressed by an amillennialist, (i.e. one who does
not believe in a literal millennium) put in this way. "If you have
endeavoured to show that Revelation is mostly figurative language, how can you
be sure that the 1000 years is not also figurative?" It was a good point,
and one that needed to be addressed before going any further. Two things came
to mind. First of all the whole pattern of the Revelation is based upon a
series of sevens, which are divided into SIX plus ONE. And it is impossible not
to connect this with the first chapter of Genesis, the six days of work and one
of rest. When this is coupled with the knowledge that earth-history is now
almost 6000 years old, it does provoke the thought that a thousand-year
"day of Sabbath rest" is just round the corner. Also, the past
millennia have been divided into FOUR plus TWO. Our Lord's appearance on earth
occurred around the 4000-year mark, "when the fullness of time
was come". So also the visions in Revelation are divided
thus. The first four seals, and the first four trumpets form groups, and the
bowls of wrath are linked with the trumpets. It is hard to get away from this
pattern. In fact one almost wants to say that Genesis One is the key to
understanding the Book of Revelation. If this be so, then the Millennium in
Rev.20 is to be the Lord's Day of Rest, even as the Weekly Sabbath has been
Man's Day of Rest. And we are encouraged to "enter into His rest."
The second point more
particularly concerned the use of figurative language in Revelation. We saw
that although most of the sequences were indeed figurative, yet many things
were quite literal. The person of Christ, as the Lamb, the Archangel Michael,
Satan, the Overcomers, the Great Multitude who wash their robes in the blood of
the Lamb, the Prayers of the Saints, just to mention a few. And from this point
of view there is no reason why the 1000 years should not also be literal. In
fact the literal items in the Book are usually those which are stated factually
in passing, rather than being woven into visionary material.
We then tackled the subject
of "Kings and Priests" in the Millennial Rest, and found that it was
the culmination of a plan set out from the days of Abraham onwards, but
particularly through Moses at Sinai. Who were said to reign with Christ? John
saw the souls of those beheaded for the witness of Jesus. "And
they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." And
then, "Blessed and holy is he who has a part in the First
Resurrection. - - - They shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign
with Him a thousand years." Although the beheaded ones had a
special mention (no doubt a type based upon John the Baptist), we see that the
"net of the elect" is spread wider to include all those worthy of
having part in the First Resurrection. And from our previous studies in
Revelation, we were also aware of the other two occasions when "reigning
with Christ" was mentioned. In 1:6 - "He has
washed us from our sins in His blood, and made us kings and priests (or a
kingdom of priests) to God and His Father." And in
Those who are worthy of
sharing in the First Resurrection will be KINGS and PRIESTS. And it doesn't
take much logic to realise that Kings need subjects to rule over, and Priests
have no work without "parishioners". So who are these people, and
where do they live? They are UPON THE EARTH. And that is where God's elect will
be working. They will be servant-kings, taking the character of their Master,
Who laid down His life for the sins of the world. And they will be priests
after the order of Melchisedek, under the High-Priesthood of their Messiah and
Lord. And "when Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants
of the world will learn righteousness." And because Satan is
bound, and deceit non-existent, "Many will say, come and let us
go up to the Mountain of the Lord, and there learn of His ways." Neither
of these verses from Isaiah has yet come to pass. But they will in the
Millennium, and the Overcomers will be the Teaching Priests, and the Governors
in the Kingdom. Far from heaven being a sort of Paradise-Retirement-Home for
Tired-Saints, the Lord has been looking for, and training, His elect for a most
exacting work to last for a thousand years.
So let us go back and see
how the Lord has expressed His desire from the very earliest days. When Abraham
was willing to offer up Isaac, his only son, the Lord highly commended him, and
said, "Because you have not withheld your only son, I will
greatly bless you, and multiply your seed as the stars of heaven - - and in
your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have
obeyed my voice." There are three important factors here.
First of all God's blessing was based upon obedience of the most rigorous kind.
Second, Abraham was to be a
And second. They are
therefore God's Chosen ones, His Elect, His Little Flock, His Peculiar People,
His Jewels, to name but a few of the epithets the Lord has used for them. They
will have many privileges above others. They will be like the Firstborn Son in
And third. This
"firstborn" privilege will not be a selection FOR THEIR OWN SAKE, but
like the Firstborn Son in Israel, his double blessing was to enable him to
fulfil a most important role, that of "Patriarchal Priest" to the
rest of his brethren. Should any of them get into trouble, it was his duty to
help them, to bail them out, to watch over their welfare. This needed funds,
and so the "double blessing" gave him adequate potential to fulfil
the role. If a brother died without offspring, it was his duty to "Raise
up seed to his dead brother" via the man's widow. If a
brother, by vitue of hard times, was sold into slavery, then it was his duty to
buy him back, and thereby give him another chance of making good. He was not to
question the REASONS why sad times had come to his brethren. He was not to act
as JUDGE AND JURY and condemn a brother who had wasted his substance on riotous
living. He was his brother's REDEEMER, the one who would buy him back from the
pawnbroker's shop, so to speak, and say, "Neither do I condemn
you, go and sin no more." And it will be like that in God's
Sabbath Rest. The Kings and Priests will be presenting the Lord's Great
Character to the rest of the world. Where they see ignorance, they will be
teachers and instructors. Where they see misery, they will bring comfort. Where
they see wrong attitudes, they will encourage people to think positively, to
show love and care for others, instead of demanding their rights. And as the
Kingdom grows, so "the earth shall be full of the glory of the
Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Privilege is therefore
coupled with responsibility. These will be "The Church of the
Firstborn enrolled in heaven." They will be
"a Kind of Firstfuits of His People."
After the days of Abraham,
came the Nation of Israel, and the Lord spoke to Moses on
The Lord therefore made the
tribe of Levi the Priestly Tribe over the rest of the tribes, instead of the
whole nation being a Priestly Nation over other nations. Disobedience had
brought its penalty, whereas Abraham's obedience had brought blessing. In
Deuteronomy 17 the Lord gives instruction concerning the duties of priests.
They were to be arbiters and judges in all matters of controversy. Their final
ruling was to be accepted without argument. Also they were to be the teachers
of the law. And in the eventuality of a king ruling over the nation in later
times, "he shall write out a copy of this law in a book out of
that which is before the priests the Levites, - - and he shall read therein all
the days of his life - - that his heart be not lifted up above his
brethren." Isn't the instruction clear? How can it be missed?
There is absolutely no room for privilege to be considered equivalent to
personal worthiness above other people. All men are sinners. All have been
placed under a covenant of redemption. We are required to be obedient. How can
we look upon that obedience as a mark of OUR worthiness? God demands obedience
from His people. He has a right to call for it. If some offer willing obedience
now, He uses them to help others later, NOT because the obedient ones are selected
and the rest lost for ever.
The point comes out very
clearly in Numbers 14, the passage that deals with the rebellion that arose
when the spies returned from the Promised Land. The Lord's anger waxed hot
against the whole nation. He threatened to destroy them, and keep Moses alive.
But Moses pleaded with God for the nation, and the Lord heard that prayer. This
is what the Lord said. "I have pardoned according to your word.
But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.
Because all those men who have seen My glory, and My miracles, which I did in
Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted Me now these ten times, and have
not hearkened to My voice, surely they shall not see the Land which I sware to
their fathers." Once again we have the three basic factors,
but this time they are based upon disobedience, rather than obedience. First
the disobedience. Second the privilege is withdrawn. But third, the Lord will
not be thwarted concerning His purpose. In effect He said, "Whatever the
present outcome, I want you to know this. The whole earth WILL eventually be
filled with My glory."
And to show that there will
be a continuance, Caleb and Joshua are chosen to go through into the promised
land, because of their faithful stand. Why, they were in danger of being stoned
to death by an angry mob, until the Lord intervened. We noticed another clear
message here. All the rest of the nation who were not allowed to see the
Promised Land, were nevertheless "pardoned according to (Moses')
word." And so, many of God's people will be excluded from
Kingdom Rule in the Millennium, but nevertheless they will still be a redeemed
people. God's mercy is never ending. His purpose is not to destroy, but to
create all things new. The history of the Nation of Israel in the Old Testament
is a history of disobedience, and non-achievement. But whenever the nation lost
its entitlement to blessing, God showed that He always had "Seven
thousand who bowed not the knee to Baal." It has crossed our
minds that this figure of 7000 may represent the seven thousand years of
earth-history, and speak of all those who are part of God's elect. As John was
told in Revelation 5, they come from "every tribe, people, tongue and
nation" rather than just from the house of
Isaiah saw this message. In
61:6 the Lord spoke of the faithful remnant in this wise. "You
shall be named the Priests of the Lord; men shall call you the Ministers of our
God; you shall eat the riches of the nations and in their glory shall you boast
yourselves. Instead of shame you shall have a double portion - - ." All
the final chapters of Isaiah's prophecies abound in this glorious theme.
Furthermore, this coming Kingdom of the Lord will not be one to pass away, in
the manner of all other earthly kingdoms. We are told in Hebrews 12:28 that it
will be "a Kingdom which cannot be moved."
And this was the subject of the vision that Nebuchadnezzar saw, and which
Daniel interpreted. The great image with the head of gold would finally be
broken up and destroyed. By what? A stone cut from the mountains without
(human) hands. That stone was thrown at the image's feet. And then we are told
in
Later in Daniel (chapter 7)
we read, "I saw One like the Son of Man come with the clouds of
heaven - - and there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all
people, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom is that which shall not be
destroyed. - - And the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and
possess the kingdom, even to the ages of the ages. - - - And the kingdom and
dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be
given to the people of the saints of the Most High, Whose kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him."
The thrill of all this language about the
Servant kings, and servant
priests, they will act out their government with equity, righteousness,
comfort, compassion, conciliation, and good humour. It will be a time of holy
laughter, where tears are wiped away, illness a thing of the past, curses
removed, environments restored, truth predominating, and worship "in
spirit and in truth." Our last reference must be from Peter's first
letter, chapter 2. The Lord is called the "Chief Corner
Stone", and His people, His faithful ones are called "living
stones, built up into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. - - - You are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that you
should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into
His marvellous light." Peter draws forth the message that God
gave to Moses on Sinai, and which was initially addressed to the nation of
But at the same time, we
were constantly aware that none of us can claim to have that privileged place
of kingship with Christ. It is not a foregone conclusion that all those who
name the name of Christ will govern in the Age to come. The subject of
government is quite distinct from that of redemption. Remember what we read in
Numbers 14. God said that His nation would be excluded from the Promised Land,
but nevertheless they were "a pardoned people."
And so today we realise it's possible to state categorically that we have been
saved by the precious blood of Christ, because that is the Saviour's finished
work, and it depends on His worthiness alone, and none of ours.
"We are saved by grace and not by works." But when it
comes to rulership, the parables of the kingdom apply. And only those who have
allowed the image of God's Son to be printed indelibly in their natures will be
chosen by the Lord to share in His reign. It is futile for us to assess our
brother's worthiness. Likewise it is futile for us to assume that "we have
made it." Resting upon the immovable foundation stone of salvation by
faith, we need to press on daily towards that goal, by much prayer, diligence,
and obedience, so that the victor's crown may be won.
At the end of Paul's life
he was told by the Lord that he had won that crown. I suppose few have ever
heard such comforting words when their time is fulfilled on earth. Let's hear
again exactly what Paul said. "I have fought a good fight, I
have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for
me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me
that day, and not to me only, but to ALL THOSE WHO LOVE HIS APPEARING."
Have I fought a good fight
against the insistent desires and cravings of my own flesh? And against the
pressures of the world around me, that invade my senses continually? And
against the insidious, cunning, and deceptive works of Satan?
Have I finished the work
that God has given me to do, not resting, not wasting my days, but pressing on
towards that earthly goal which Jesus spoke to me about, perhaps years ago?
Have I kept faith with God
in all that He has graciously taught me?
Have I shown others, helped
others, been ready to teach others the ways of God - even in my own family, my
fellowship, amongst my friends, by example of life as well as by speech?
Have I secretly held on to
that blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus
Christ?
Have I, as Paul put it,
"loved His appearing"? Or am I still rather fearful of that Day?
O Lord, search me and see
if there be any wicked way in me.
Reprove me, directly, or through
my brothers and sisters, whenever ungodly, and unloving attitudes manifest
themselves.
Purge me and purify me
through the salt and the fires until I have white robes, clean and bright.
Leave me not to my own ways
Lord. I cannot make my own way through.
Only as I walk hand in hand
with you am I likely to make the sort of progress you are looking for.
Because Lord, I really have
seen something of the glories of your Kingdom, and your Millennial Rest, and my
heart yearns to be part of it, and I dare not take it for granted that I have
reached that position.
And Lord, I am not looking
for personal glories in the future. I want to be part of your "team",
so that I can be of assistance to others, to be a servant of mankind.
I don't want my own name
blazoned anywhere. I want people to see YOU Lord, not me.
Let the vision You have
given me encompass me wholly, and be the vehicle to transport me there.