3068—Kings and Priests
By W.
If the saints are to be kings and priests, and reign with Christ one thousand years as kings, over whom will they reign, and as priests for whom shall their ministrations be offered? W. Pre-eminently, God's children will reign over the greatest tyrant that the universe ever knew—sin, and over the awfullest consequences that the universe ever knew—death. That will be true of them all. In this world they have been servants to sin, slaves to death, under this awful bondage during all the time that sin has reigned. There they will be free, sons and daughters of the Most High, and He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Therefore His children will be kings, because they are His children. As regards priests, we get an entirely wrong idea of the fulness of the word "priest." We connect with it, always, that of sacrifice. This is the Roman Catholic idea, that a priest must always offer a sacrifice; but that is not the essential meaning of the word, in any way. Our Lord was the great Melchizedek Priest of the universe before sin ever entered; and the head of every unfallen world is a priest to that world. Our Lord has an everlasting priesthood that will continue beyond the reign of sin, throughout eternity. And so all His children will be priests under Him, ministering in whatever way the wisdom of God may direct. A part of that ministry may be the examination of the judgment records in heaven during the thousand years. They are serving God, and in that service to God they are priests of His, it matters not what the service may be. During that very time they may be ministers to the visitors from other realms in God's universe. We do not know how extensive that may be. We can accept the statement which the Lord makes in His Word. What is said of the thousand years is said of eternity as well, and of this life too; because we read in Rev. 1:6, as in the Revised Version, "And He made us to be a kingdom, to be priests unto His God and Father; to whom be the glory and the dominion forever and ever." See also 1 Peter 2:9, where God's children are called a "royal priesthood." Rev. 5:10 also declares that God has made them to be "a kingdom and priests," and they are to reign upon the earth looking forward to the time when sin shall be utterly banished. Therefore are they kings; first, because they are children of the King of Kings; and secondly, because they reign over sin and death. And therefore are they priests; because they are children of the great High Priest of the universe, Christ Jesus our Lord; and secondly, because they minister for and with Him. And ministry means service.