5 "You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ ...
2:6
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in
Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on
him shall not be confounded.
2:7 Unto
you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be
disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is
made the head of the corner,
2:8 And
a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which
stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were
appointed.
2:9
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of
Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."
(2nd Peter
2:5-9)
I
had a dear sister ask me what will we be (the saints borne of God)
during the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ ? She understood that we
will be given duties by our Lord and Savior, but her question was
“will we rule over the people still living after the tribulation?
Besides what will we be and will there be mortals able to sin during
this time?” Good set of questions and those that I feel need
further exploration by looking at scripture to get an idea of
just what we will be and our task during this 1000 year reign after
the rebellion during the great tribulation is put down by our King of
Kings, and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ. Let’s start in Romans on
our journey to identify what and who we will be and our
responsibilities that our Lord will impart to all that are found in
Him at His coming. Paul speaking by the power of the Holy Spirit
reveals what we will be:
8:17
"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also
glorified together.
8:18 For
I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to
be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
8:19 For
the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation
of the sons
of God." (Romans 8:17-19)
Can
you fathom what these verses means? It is almost too glorious to
ponder and beyond our immediate comprehension of its full
implications.. It is a infinite promise of future glory of those
found in Christ. Verse 17 says we will be “joint heirs” of our
Savior Jesus Christ. Heirs of what? Simple answer is that all that He
is in spiritual nature, in His glory, in the ability of our mind to
comprehend as we will have the mind of Christ (1st Corinthians
2:16), and in the inheritance that He, our Savior has, we will be
given the same inheritance. For a lack of a better illustration, we
will be adopted into the family of YAHWEH, Jehovah, God Almighty, God
the Father. Jesus will be our “Big Brother” if we can even call
Him that. He is our King, but He is our elder brother in a family
type relationship. We will be adopted because Jesus will bring us
into the family at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, when we are
joined to Him, our bethrothed, our Groom spiritually, as a groom
takes his wife and they become one.
I can't EVEN imagine it...my mind cannot wrap around such glory. Our God and our Savior will be the source of all of our glory and power upon this earth during a time when the earth is restored to its former glory as during the Garden of Eden. It will be a perfect environment with no war, no inclement weather, no disease, and no tempter of the nations. Satan will be given his Sabbath rest of 1000 years from being the source of all temptation and lies. But note, even though we will be on this earth during the Millennium, this planet is NOT our home, till God creates a New Heaven and new earth . Jesus told us where our home is and it's in 3rd heaven with our God and Father..
2 “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:2-3)
As we will see, we will come and go from the heavens, which is our home, to the earth in an instant of time, according to the desires of our Father in Heaven.
Even though this earth will become a near perfect world, sin will still be around. We, His Saints, will be sinless, immortal and of the same new body that our Lord was resurrected with when He came out of the tomb and appeared to the living. He was able to walk through walls, but be handled and able to eat, but disappear at will. He had a new glorious body, and we will have the same body as He does. Jesus explained this to Nicodemus when he came to Him in the night: John chapter 3,
3:3
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God."
This
totally confused Nicodemus as the following verses after this show
that he did not understand what Jesus meant. Jesus went on to explain
of being borne of the Spirit and of water (baptism that shows that a
man or woman understands that they are buried with Jesus Christ and
are dead to the world, but raised a new creature in Him, by
obediently following His footsteps in our life) a man cannot inherit
the Kingdom of God or enter therein unless he is born again. He then
said something that many overlook what we will be when He changes us
into His likeness:
3:7
"Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born
again.
3:8 The
wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof,
but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is
every one that is born of the Spirit." (John 3:7-8)
Did
you catch that? We will be as the wind. On earth, we now see the
effects of the wind through the trees, but we cannot see the wind,,
but its effects on the material world. Spiritual bodies will come and
go much as the wind, but appear at will to whomever we decide to let
see us. It’s the ultimate description (to illustrate something we
can comprehend) of our bodies when Captain Kirk on Star Trek says
“beam me up, Scotty.” Our bodies will move at lightning speed
without aid of some transporter as on some popular outer space
program. It is how we will come and go from the heavens and our
heavely mansions to earth, in an instant.
HOW
CAN THIS BE?
When
Jesus comes for His saints, there will be an awards banquet in
heaven. The Bible calls it the Marriage Supper of the Lamb with the
Bema Judgment seat of Christ. Here Jesus will impart to each of His
saints a measure of ruler-ship by the deeds they have done for Him in
this life. Paul speaks of the revealing of what we have done in the
body in this life, and what we have done for Jesus Christ and
its eternal rewards:
3:9
"For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry,
ye are God's building.
3:10 According
to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder,
I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let
every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
3:11 For
other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus
Christ.
3:12 Now
if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, stubble;
3:13 Every
man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it,
because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every
man's work of what sort it is.
3:14 If
any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he
shall receive a reward.
3:15 If
any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself
shall be saved; yet so as by fire." (1st Corinthians
3:9-15)
What
we have done in this life for Jesus Christ will stand and for that we
will receive a reward, much like the following parable given by
Jesus.
Note the parable of the talents:
25:14
"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far
country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his
goods"
Jesus
is this man, who has gone to heaven and is sitting beside God
the Father in Heaven and delivered unto us the servants, His
goods. What goods? Let’s read on.
25:15
"And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to
another one; to every man according to his several ability; and
straightway took his journey." (Matthew 25:14-15)
In
ancient times, a talent was a measure of gold. It was the most
precious of all possessions. I ask you, what is the most precious
possession our God has given us? I tell you plainly, it’s HIS WORD!
God doesn't need our gold, He already owns it all. He is giving us
something much more valuable and He wants a return on imparting us
with the responsibility of spreading His Word by personal witness.
God's Word is His instructions for living, for His reaching us by His
Holy Spirit unto repentance and using that same Word to reach others.
That Word is our handbook for living this life, your Bible:
25:16
"Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with
the same, and made them other five talents.
25:17 And
likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two."
(Matthew chp. 25)
Each of these servants added to what he was given, by sharing that Word with the world around him. And receive an increase by winning the lost to Christ. How much of an impact does that Word have on the world? We may never know fully till it be revealed to us at this Bema Judgement Seat of Jesus Christ, but we are commanded to share it with all who will listen.
25:18
But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid
his lord's money.
25:19 After
a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with
them.
25:20 And
so he that had received five talents came and brought other five
talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold,
I have gained beside them five talents more.
25:21 His
lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou
hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler
over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
25:22 He
also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou
deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other
talents beside them.
25:23 His
lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast
been faithful over a few things, I
will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
25:24 Then
he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee
that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and
gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25:25 And
I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there
thou hast that is thine.
25:26 His
lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant,
thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have
not strawed:
25:27 Thou
oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then
at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
25:28 Take
therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten
talents.”
This unfaithful and unprofitable servant hid His Masters goods, His Word, away and shared it not with those around him. Woe to those who fail to follow the command of our Lord Jesus.
25:29 “For
unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance:
but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he
hath.
25:30 And
cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew chp. 25)
Did
this man believe or just mouthed the words? Only God knows, but to
hide away what we have been given determines our reward or our lack
thereof. Each of these faithful servants were given a reward. They
were made rulers over many things! Listen to what Jesus reveals to
John the Beloved in Revelation:
» Revelation
2:7,
26; 3:21: "To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree
of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. . . . I will
give power over the nations. . . . I will grant to sit with Me on My
throne."
» Revelation
5:9-10:
. . . "You . . . have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of
every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings
and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the
earth."
» Revelation
21:7:
"He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his
God and he shall be My son."
Note
that verse 9 of Revelation chapter 5 says we will be kings and priest
before God on this earth. We have established that we will rule on
this earth in the coming Kingdom of God according to our deeds done
in this life for our Lord and Savior, but what about priest? What
will be our duties as priest? Jesus Christ embodies all that is royal
for a King, but is also our High Priest. He calls us kings and
priests. If priest, then who will be minister to?
In ancient
Israel, the priest were the ministers of God. They provided direction
to the people and point them to God. They did the sacrifices given by
the people for the atonement of their sins daily. Although the nation
of Israel became blinded by the ceremonies of sacrifices in the
Temple being a forerunner of the Supreme Sacrifice in the body of our
Lord and Savior, they were the keepers of the oracles of God and were
to be a priestly nation to shine before the Gentile world and lead
them to God. We know that they failed miserably in their departure
from following after God in spirit and in truth. They knew scripture
inside and out, but failed to glean the central message when their
Messiah was standing right before them.
PRIEST
BEFORE GOD
There
are four things that we can learn here about a priest, and actually
three of them are spin-offs of the first one, which is this:
A priest has access to the God of Israel that other people did not have. Now because he had access to God, we therefore understand that the priest served God personally. Think of this in relation the life that’s coming, but do not detach it from today. Remember, you are a royal priesthood.
The priest ministers to others.
The priest was actually ministering to the average Israelite who came to him whenever he represented him before God. in the Old Testament and we will minister to the mortals who still need a Savior.
He therefore had to have something to give. He had to have something to give to the Israelite, and he also had to have something to give to God. So it will be in the Millennium. You ask, "are mortals in the Millennium"? That was one of the questions needing to be answered.
During
this time of blessed peace and security that comes upon the earth,
men will enter into the Millennium as mortal men and women. The Bible
speaks of them in Isaiah,
65:20
"There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man
that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred
years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be
accursed.
65:21 And
they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant
vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
65:22 They
shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and
another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and
mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
65:23 They
shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are
the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with
them.
65:24 And
it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and
while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
65:25 The
wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw
like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They
shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD."
(Isaiah chp. 65)
Verse
20 speaks of the sinner? Yes, men will still have a mortal sin
nature, but not to the extent as in our world now, as the tempter has
been locked away for a 1000 years. We will be the teachers of
the ways of God as spoken in Isaiah:
Isaiah 30:21
"And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is
the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye
turn to the left. "
We,
as priest, will teach them the Way of the Lord and point them to the
cross.
Understand, Jesus will be known to all, as the sea covers
the earth.
8:11
"And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man
his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the
least to the greatest." (Hebrews 8:11)
All
people on earth will be subject to the righteous rule of Jesus Christ
as He sits on the Throne of David and all the earth will know
Him…..in their mind they will know, but in their heart they still
possess a sin nature. That’s where we come into our responsibility.
As kings of the King of kings, our job, our commission is to be
rulers, yes….priests to the people to point them to the Savior,
most definitely. We are being instructed in righteousness right now,
on this earth, in this time we have left.
9 “Know
ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be
not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”( 1st Corinthians 6:9-11)
We
were saved before the foundation of the world, in God's
foreknowledge, He knew who would be in His Kingdom, but are not the
elite of this world....not at all.
25
“Because
the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is
stronger than men.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”(I Corinthians 1:25-31)
God
has chosen the humble, not the proud. He has chosen the poor, not the
rich. He has chosen the weak, not the noble or strong. He has chosen
a select group of people of this earth that you would not consider
leaders in this life, but by the Holy Spirit, as 1st Corinthians
6:11 states,
11 “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1st Corinthians 6:11)
We are being changed into His likeness, one day at a time. We are being sanctified, as He also justified us by His blood.
8:29
"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn
among many brethren.
8:30 Moreover
whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called,
them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also
glorified." (Romans 8:29-30)
JESUS
WILL SHOUT, “COME UP HERE”.
We
have an appointment with the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, very
soon. One of these days in the near future, Jesus will break out of
eternity into our time and say “come up here.” And we will be
changed in an instant in the twinkling of an eye.
15:49
"And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also
bear the image of the heavenly.
15:50 Now
this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom
of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
15:51 Behold,
I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed,
15:52 In
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
15:53 For
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put
on immortality.
15:54 So
when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal
shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the
saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."
(1st Corinthians 15:49-54)
If
you're like me, before I became a follower of Jesus Christ, I
wondered, “how can I become someone that Jesus trust so much that
He gives me rulership of anything in His Kingdom. It is beyond my
imagination. Yes, it will be glorious, and we can't grasp it right
now, but to start your road on building a house, that is YOU, that is
made without hands, becomes something anyone who says “yes, Lord,
and believes on Him by faith. It’s
so simple, that a child can do it. Want to know the secret to
obtaining such a high honor of a king and a priest in God’s
Kingdom? It's not really a secret, but it escapes many on this
earth.
6:28
"Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work
the works of God?
6:29 Jesus
answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye
believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6:28-29)
That’s
it in a nutshell. Believe with your heart and ask Jesus to come into
your heart and life, and by example, live as He lived, as
humanly possible.
Paul gave us a simple formula that it guarantees us to enter into the service of a Holy God,
8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” (Romans 10:8-11)
We
are being made a spiritual house, made without hands, and will begin
our eternal destination of being kings and priest before our God, to
lead other men who enter the Millennium to the saving knowledge of
Jesus Christ. We will rule righteously and give the message of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ unto the living mortals who still have their
free moral will to accept or reject the message. And we will serve
God for all eternity in works we have no ability to
comprehend.
“But
as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which
God hath prepared for them that love him.”
(1st Corinthians
2:9)
We will not coerce anyone to believe and accept, but as Jesus does by His Holy Spirit now, we will point them to the same cross that we came to know, and the same perfect sacrifice that we accepted upon our own lives for the remission of sins by our God in Heaven. So come Lord Jesus, yes, Amen. Come my Lord. We await our glorification of being kings and priest before You. That is our glorious future of all who believe on His name, by faith and obedience to His call.
AND THE ETERNAL QUESTION
Will
you be counted as being changed into the likeness of Almighty God and
our Lord Jesus our Messiah? Or will your future be different, because
you have rejected His call, rejected His payment for your sins in His
own blood. Today, not tomorrow, is the time to make your future sure
and set in stone. In comes down to the object of the whole writing of
Holy Writ, your bible, in this one verse:
"For God so
loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting
(eternal) life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And
this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."
(John 3:16-19).
This is Pastor Mike Taylor praying
for your salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord. If there be any
need for prayer, counseling, or just a listening ear, email me
at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com,
God bless you all
