The Royal Priesthood, continued...

Back to Sermons WOR

The Book of Isaiah has a lot to say about the Royal Priesthood. The Royal Priesthood is the Body of Christ. All of the elect are members, all whom God has chosen to be part of the great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The term "Israel" is employed. "Israel" refers to the Seed of Abraham. All who are descended from Abraham are not the "Israel" who compose the Royal Priesthood, as it is written: "Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated." Both Jacob and Esau were in the bloodline of Abraham, being descended from Isaac. But true Israel, the Royal Priesthood, the elect of God, the Body of Christ, is only by God's calling of the individual.

Is God going to turn once more to the physical nation of Israel? Yes, He is. He is going to save many according to the Scripture. "All Israel shall be saved." But again, not "all Israel" are of "Israel," the Royal Priesthood. Only those whom God calls to be in Christ. He is the one Seed of Abraham. He is the one true Olive Tree.

So when we are referring to the Kingdom prophecies found in Isaiah, we are not speaking of all who are born Jews. We are speaking of the one new Man, Christ, and those who are of His Body, God's elect, the one true Church. Some of these are Jewish by natural birth; some, Gentile.

It appears to me that in the last days, when the full number of Gentiles who have been called to be part of the Royal Priesthood are "in Christ," God will pour out His Spirit on the physical Israel. Then a multitude of Jews will be made part of Christ, just as Joseph, after having married the Gentile, Asenath, revealed himself to his family.

(9/12/2010). For so many centuries the Christian people have viewed eternal residence in Heaven as their destiny, as the goal of salvation. One wonders how long it will be before they discover their destiny in the Book of Isaiah as members of the Royal Priesthood. Perhaps this understanding will come suddenly during the chaotic years of the closing days of the Church Era.

The forty-second chapter of the Book of Isaiah announces the Servant of the Lord. The Servant of the Lord is Christ, Head and Body. The chapters in Isaiah following Chapter 42 point out various aspects of the Kingdom that John and Jesus announced. The Kingdom of God is God in Christ in the saints, in the members of the Royal Priesthood, in true Israel. This kingdom is destined to govern for eternity the new world of righteousness.

One of the destructive results of the unscriptural model of Bible interpretation termed "Dispensationalism" is to cut off the very prophecies that tell us of God's plan for His Church. By referring to a "Jewish Church" and a "Gentile Church," total confusion as to our role and destiny is hidden from the believers.

It is time now that we abandon this man-made scheme of interpretation and adopt the "one new Man" of whom Paul spoke. The "one new Man" is Christ, the one Seed of Abraham, and all who are part of Christ, whether they are Jew or Gentile by natural birth.

The term "Christ" ("Messiah") comes from the following passage:

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, (Isaiah 61:1)

"Christ" ("Messiah") is the One whom God has anointed to bring the Kingdom of God to the earth. We Christians are members of the Body of the Anointed One, and this is why we have been given the Spirit of God—it is so we can bring the Kingdom of God to the earth. This is our eternal role.

Notice our responsibility: "to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,"

Because we are saints, holy ones, members of the royal priesthood, we are being trained throughout our lifetime on the earth that we might be competent to minister to those people of the nations whom God has chosen to save to the new world of righteousness.

Therefore do not be surprised when the Lord chastens you. He is making you a partaker of His holiness so you may serve Him effectively.

Compare this destiny with sitting in your mansion and doing nothing for eternity. For myself, I think it is a better future. How about you?

Christ may use some of us in the present hour to help people in the manner set forth in Isaiah. But it is obvious that the fulfillment of our ministry will be throughout the ages to come. The important task right now is to follow Christ as He prepares us through the Spirit for our ministry that will begin when He returns to the earth. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (Isaiah 60:3) Continuing in Isaiah, Chapter 61:

To proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, (Isaiah 61:2)

When the Lord Jesus, in His home synagogue in Nazareth, read Isaiah 61:2 from the scroll, He stopped short of "the day of vengeance of our God." He did not read this phrase because the day of vengeance had not arrived as yet. It has arrived now!

Now the Spirit of God is bringing judgment on the sin in His Kingdom. It has begun with His disciples, with those living close to Him. Yet it is not a judgment on them as such, but upon the sin that is dwelling in them.

If we will be faithful to confess the sins we are committing, Christ will be faithful to forgive these sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. We must confess them specifically; denounce them as evil; renounce them, turning away from them as Christ helps us. Our actions in doing this constitute an eternal judgment on these spirits. They will not be mentioned to us when we appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

God is beginning to put the enemies of Christ under His feet, as He has promised. The judgment has begun with us. And provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:3)

We notice, in the verse above, that one of the ministries of Christ and His Body is to Zion, that is, to His Church. This is telling us that there will be a firstfruits of the Church who will minister to the remainder of the Church. The strong will assist the weak, which is pleasing to God.

The firstfruits will be given their new bodies when the Lord returns. The remaining members of God's elect will be given their new bodies at the end of the thousand-year Kingdom Age, as I understand it, so that the entire Church, the new Jerusalem, may descend from Heaven through the new sky and be established forever on the new earth as the ruling Kingdom of God.

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. Revelation 20:4-6)

The firstfruits, those who participate in the first resurrection, will rule with Christ over the nations of the earth, during the thousand-year Kingdom Age, and also will have access to the Zion in Heaven so they may contribute to the growth of God's elect in preparation for their role as the new Jerusalem.

We have a young sister, and her breasts are not yet grown. What shall we do for our sister for the day she is spoken for? If she is a wall, we will build towers of silver on her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar. (Song of Solomon 8:8,9)

There are many today who "grieve in Zion." The stronger members of the elect with provide them with a crown of beauty and a garment of praise, until they are "oaks of righteousness." They were saved by means of imputed righteousness. Now they are in the image of Christ, sturdy in righteous behavior that God may be glorified. They are the result of the ministry of the stronger saints.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. (Isaiah 61:4)

When Christ returns and sets up His Kingdom on the earth, He first will conquer Antichrist and his armies. Then will take place the cleansing of the earth of the institutions of man-directed civilization. It is my point of view that this cleansing is described in the second chapter of the Book of Joel.

Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste—nothing escapes them. (Joel 2:3)

Now it will be the task of Christ and His firstfruits, during the thousand-year Kingdom Age, to rebuild the earth in a manner pleasing to God. There will be nations of people on the earth at this time who were not destroyed when the Lord appears and destroyed Antichrist and his armies. These nations will give of their wealth to Christ and His saints.

Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3)

For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined. (Isaiah 60:12)

I think I will leave off at this point and perhaps continue next week. What is written above is so different from what often is preached that perhaps folks will need a bit of time to digest it.

If it is not continued next week, it is my hope that what I have written will serve as a key that you can use in order to understand the passages in Isaiah that have to do with the Israel, the Servant of the Lord, the coming Kingdom of God.

When you stop and think about it, preparing ourselves to be a part of Christ's firstfruits so we may receive our new body and work with Him as He establishes the Kingdom of God on the earth, is much more desirable than sitting in a mansion in Heaven. It may not be desirable to you, but it sure is to me.

Anyway, I think a search of the Scriptures will confirm what I have written here.

These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. (Revelation 14:4)

You can hear the morning sermon at morning. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

You can hear the evening sermon at evening. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

Back to Sermons WOR