Kings and Priests

“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation: And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”  Revelation 5:9-10

In John’s vision of heaven, it was determined that Jesus, the Lamb of God, was the only One worthy to open the book of the end times and break the seals which would usher in the final days of earth.  The four beasts, a lion which represents royalty, a young ox which represents service to others, man which represents all humanity, and an eagle which represents power and majesty, had the task of leading continual worship of the Lord God.  It is not known who the 24 elders are but has been speculated to represent the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles.  The beasts and the elders began to worship and sang a new song, one that had never been sung before.  No one other than Christ had made the supreme sacrifice of giving His life for all people of all kindreds, tongues, and nations.

Paul wrote in Romans 5:6-8 that Christ died for the ungodly.  It might just barely be possible that someone would die for a righteous person, and perhaps someone would even dare to die for a good person.  However, as Paul wrote, God loved His creation in such a way that He would send His only Son, Jesus Christ, who came forth voluntarily, to die for us sinners.  This unselfish act of love made Jesus, and Jesus only, worthy to take the book, break the seals, and begin the process of bringing judgment upon a world of those who hate Him.  Who better to judge those whose sins carried Christ to the cross and who refuse His forgiveness than the One who died unjustly to save them?

In our legal system we do not allow the victim of a crime to decide and carry out the punishment of the one who is found to be guilty of the crime.  That decision is left up to either a jury of the victim’s peers or a judge.  The punishment is based on a set of pre-determined options which suit the crime.  The perpetrator is aware more or less of subsequent punishment that will befall him should he be caught and tried, but that doesn’t always deter him from committing the crime.  God is the judge who has predetermined the punishment for sinners and has given His Son, Jesus Christ, the right to begin the proceedings for the final judgment.  People, by and large, know that judgment is coming, yet many continue on the path to eternal destruction.  Man has been warned for thousands of years of the eternal doom that awaits the sinner, yet man in his pride loves his sin too much to turn from it and receive forgiveness through Christ, who shed His precious blood so that anyone from any walk of life, any language or race, any nation, or any socio-economic level could know the forgiveness that awaits when one turns from their sin and follows Christ.

Jesus gives a grand promise to all those who know Him in the full pardon of sin.  Right now, as the earth is filled with violence and rage and “men’s hearts are failing them for fear” (Luke 21:26), Christians are in the minority.  In the Middle East, Christians are being either forced to flee their homes or are slaughtered if they refuse to renounce Christ.  We Christians in the U.S. have no real understanding of the depths and miseries of persecution, but should a few more years stand before Christ returns, American Christians will more than likely be subject to severe persecution because of our faith. (I originally wrote these notes eight years ago, and I have definitely seen an increase of anti-Christian rhetoric and attacks in our nation since that time).

Never fear, though, for there is good news.  Jesus promises that those who follow Him will one day be in the majority and will reign as kings and priests over the earth.  Think about that man or woman who has been faithful to the Lord but has been mostly ignored or ridiculed by the world, or maybe never had very much, materially speaking, one day having a place of prominence as a king or queen.  Can you imagine a world where righteousness reigns?  Can you imagine a Sunday morning where everyone in your neighborhood gets up and gladly goes to worship service rather than just you and maybe a couple of other neighbors as is most likely the case now?  Imagine lying down at night without having to lock your doors or being able to take a walk at night in a major downtown area with no fear of being robbed and/or attacked.  It almost sounds too good to be true, but Jesus promised it, and it will happen.  It is certainly a time of which to look forward.