davidbowerkingwood

And What’s More we have a Royal High Priest Eternally Ordained by God!

 It sets my head to spinning when I think long and hard about all that God has done and will do for His children; we have been uniquely blessed by the gift of His Holy Spirit taking up residence in us for all of time and eternity.

While the First Advent was the occasion for the incarnation of the Son, the incarnation of the Holy Spirit began at Pentecost and continues to this day as new believers are born again and added to the true church, the body of Christ.

Previously I discussed our role as ambassadors and in addition we have been given the position of royal priests and a High Priest in the Lord Jesus Christ who is a royal high priest forever. If that doesn’t start your head spinning then you’re not concentrating!

I once asked a Bible class how many of those there had met a royal priest in person and no one said they had. I then pointed out the significance of 1 Peter 2:9 where it is written:

“⁹ But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”

I then asked the question again and everyone there indicated they not only were royal priests but had indeed met and knew other members of the royal priesthood. All too often we fail to think in terms of spiritual reality and that is dangerous. It is also pointed out we have a ministry to show others the goodness of God; another hat to wear as we live out our mortal lives as servants of the Most High.

The Bible does not specifically explain how our roles as ambassadors and royal priests may carry over into eternity; I can only speculate they will somehow carry over into the new universe.

Only God knows how all this plays out in eternity; I am confident of one thing; we shall be busy and have plenty to do. As Christians we are being conformed to the image of Christ and enjoy the perfection that has been imputed to us by God’s grace.

As members of the royal family we will likely have administrative duties and also priestly duties as we minister to those whose care will have been entrusted to us. I, for one, would love to have more details on life in eternity but can easily imagine the difficulty involved in trying to explain this to mortal human beings; it could very well be like trying to explain life in New York City to a native who has known only mud huts and jungle; there is absolutely no frame of reference, the words would have no meaning.

Life in the New Universe

Although much is shrouded in mystery we are told the heaven and earth that now exists will be destroyed and replaced by a new heaven and a new earth; that alone is an enormous thought that can overwhelm the imagination. Our roles as royal priests in the new universe are not revealed but I suspect they’ll be demanding.

Certain facts are mentioned in the Bible but very few by comparison with the questions that could easily come as we think on the coming changes.

We know there is a final judgment called the Great White Throne judgment that will rid the new universe of all elements of sin and death; in Revelation 20:11-15 it is written:

“¹¹ And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. ¹² I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. ¹⁴ Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵ And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

The Bible never gives a location for the lake of fire so we have idea where it may be in the new universe; we just know it will be a place where no one would want to spend there eternity.

Who You Really Are!

The new creation, finally cleansed of all sin and corruption will rejoice in the freedom for which it had waited with eager hope. In Romans 8:19-25 we read:

¹⁹ For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. ²⁰ Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, ²¹ the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. ²² For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. ²⁴ We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. ²⁵ But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

Next time, to whom shall we minister as royal priests: the Mystery of the Nations.