Kingdom of Priests

While Gentiles certainly benefit from the Millennial Kingdom, this time is prophetically about Israel fulfilling their original commission of being a kingdom of priests. From the beginning of Israel’s covenant with God at Mount Sinai, they were to be a kingdom of priests to the world. They did not fulfill that command the first time. Therefore, God is going to allow them the honor of fulfilling that command by leading the world in the worship of their King, their Savior. This will also include sacrifices. It is important to note that the purpose of sacrifices has always been about atonement, which is the act of cleansing. Of course, that meant the atonement, or cleansing, from sin, but also included the act of cleansing the implements that were a part of the ceremony.  This would still be true. Everything, including the altar itself, must be cleansed before it can be used in worship (Ek 43:13-27). All these things will, at least in the beginning, be a reminder to all of what Christ did for them.

While Israel will lead the world in the worship of God, there will still be many nations on earth. During this one-thousand-year reign, there will be many, many children born (Zc 8:4-5). They, too, will have to decide about putting their faith in Jesus Christ. It might seem obvious that in such a utopian society it would be a natural thing for people to do. However, even in the present world it is pride that leads to destruction (Pr 16:18); it will be no different in the Millennium. Although Satan will not be present, mankind’s nature is still present. Pride itself does not come from Satan, but he uses it to his advantage. Also, the children born during this time will not be aware of how bad and troubled the world was before Christ came and lifted the curse on both mankind and the earth. They will only know, according to them, that Christ has always been the ruler. While the teaching of their parents and other teachers will tell them of what Christ did and show that the sacrifices reveal the work that He did on the cross for everyone, these will not be experiences for them. These are things they will have to accept by faith just as their parents had done. Unfortunately, as time goes on, not everyone will put their faith in Jesus Christ, their king. This period of history will force mankind to admit that its biggest problem is mankind’s spirit itself. It is not Satan who creates the rebellion in one’s heart, but it is generated by one’s own pride.

The Bible also states that Jesus will reign with an iron scepter (Ps 2:9; Rv 12:5). That means all turmoil will be squelched immediately. After all, when the king knows one’s very thoughts, it is easy for Him to pass judgment quickly. Therefore, anyone who dies less than one-hundred years of age is considered cursed (Is 65:20). This is likely reflecting the seriousness of the acts by those who do rebel. Rebellion will not be tolerated. However, that does not mean internal, deep-seated animosity will not still occur. Some believe these scriptures teach that only those from the Gentile nations may reject Christ as their Savior while all the Jews will accept Him.

While the verse in Isaiah does not explicitly state death will not occur to anyone who does not rebel, it can be implied since the first resurrection has already occurred, and the second resurrection is only for the non-saved (Rv 20:4-6). The Bible does not speak of any further resurrection of the righteous. This suggests that those born during the Millennium and accept Christ as their Savior will never die.

As you can see, this will be quite an awesome kingdom. You, too, can be a part of it. Don’t miss it!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens