Revelation 1:4-6 “John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, (5) and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, (6) and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
There are two main roles that the saints will fulfil in the New Jerusalem, as we head into the new age. The first is the role of a king, and the second is the role of a priest. In the above passage of scripture, the Holy Spirit informs us through the apostle John, that our Lord Jesus has made us both kings and priests to God our Father. In this section we want to discuss our roles as priests in the age to come.
Revelation 3:12 “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.”
In the above passage of scripture, our Lord Jesus describes His saints as being pillars in the temple of God and that they shall go out no more. In other words, our Lord is saying that the saints will serve as priests before God for all eternity. For one of the roles that our Lord Jesus fulfils and will continue to fulfil for all eternity, is the role of High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:17). And so, in the same manner, every saint has become a priest after the same order of Melchizedek, and we too will fulfil that role before God for all eternity. So, what is our role that we will perform as priests before God? Scripture teaches us that the role of the High Priest, is to offer both gifts and sacrifices before God (Hebrews 8:3), and the role of the priest is to assist the High Priest in offering those gifts and sacrifices. And so, we see that for all eternity, that whenever our Lord Jesus offers both gifts and sacrifices before God the Father, that we as His priests will assist Him in the offering of those gifts and sacrifices. We see this truth clearly illustrated to us time and again in scripture, when the scriptures speak of our Lord Jesus standing in the midst of His brethren, and performing His vows to God (Hebrews 2:12 & Psalm 22:25). All of this will take place in the New Jerusalem in the age to come.
Michael E.B. Maher
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