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Who Are The Priests? – Part 1

Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

“We shall reign on the earth.” This is not a prophecy of only some distant future event. If this prophecy is not first realized while yet in this vessel of clay, then we will not be ruling in the future. Rather we will be ruled over in the future.

Exo 28:1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.

It is important that we notice that God’s priests come out from among God’s own people, the children of Israel. They do not come from among the strangers in the land. Just as Abraham and Isaac had insisted that their sons not take wives of the people of the land of Canaan, so the priests had to come out from among God’s own people. Babylon, the area from whence Abraham and Isaac and Jacob acquired their wives, is God’s own covenant people. How can that be?

Gen 9:8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
Gen 9:9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

But the priests were not just of Israel. God is progressively calling His elect out of His people. So the priests are also taken out of the one tribe with which God had a special covenant:

Num 3:12 And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;
Deu 10:8 At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.
Deu 10:9 Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD thy God promised him.

Christianity teaches ecumenism. “Unity in the essential and tolerance in the non- essentials” is their mantra. They, of course decide what is essential and what is non- essential. And you are an unloving cult if you believe in separating or being separated from Babylon. When we understand “blessed are the peacemakers” to mean that we should place unity above Truth, we have fallen for a lie which says peace, peace, when there is not peace. The “doctrine of Christ” is peace and it is the only way to peace. It is God’s faithful priests who retain that doctrine in the face of a deceived world which is united in a lie. It is better to be divided by the Truth than to be united in a lie.

Num 18:5 And ye [ the priesthood] shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.

God’s wrath is upon the people of Israel and the priests who follow the people instead of God.
It seems that it would be impossible to see and to acknowledge one day that we must “come out of Babylon” and then the next day be preaching that separating over doctrine is unloving and divisive. It would seem impossible to be praising God for bringing us out of Egypt one day and then the next day be building a golden calf and wanting to return to Egypt. But that is what all who are not faithful priests do. Doctrine is not important. Love is all that matters. And the congregation is all holy, every one of them. Why do you exalt yourself above the congregation?

Num 16:3 And they [ Korah and the leaders of the people of Israel] gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, [ Ye take] too much upon you, seeing all the congregation [ are] holy, every one of them, and the LORD [ is] among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

This is the accusation which God’s faithful will always hear. Anyone who puts God’s Word above all else will be accused of being a know- it- all elitist and will “be hated of all men for my name’s sake.” His ‘name’ is His doctrine.

2Jn 1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
2Jn 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
2Jn 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
2Jn 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
2Jn 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into [ your] house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

And what is that doctrine?

that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

Is the original doctrine a doctrine of love? Just exactly what is love? What is true love? Same verse:

2Jn 1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

And what are we supposed to do if we disagree as to what is that doctrine? Are we to simply agree to disagree? Are we to say “The Word … commands us NOT to judge one another, to be merciful, forgiving and reconciling ourselves one with the other.” Is ecumenism love? Is it love to say “Disputes over doctrine should NOT override the love we must have for one another?”
Does the Bible teach the we are not to judge one another? Or does it not really teach that we should get the beam out of our eye first so we can see clearly to judge evil when and where we see it:

Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Mat 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam [ is] in thine own eye?
Mat 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Does “Then shall you see clearly to cast out the mote of thy brother’s eye” sound like you are not to “see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother’s eye?” Are we not to judge a tree by its fruit? The answer to that question is right here in this same chapter:

Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Mat 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [ can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Does “Beware of false prophets… wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” sound like we are not to judge those that are within?” Does scripture teach that we are not to judge one another? Where is that scripture? Here is what the scripture really teaches:

1Co 5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
1Co 5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
1Co 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
1Co 5:12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
1Co 5:13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

“Put away from among yourselves that wicked person… beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing… wherefore you shall know them by their fruits… Do not ye judge them that are within?” That is what God’s faithful priests see and stand for in the word of God:

Num 18:5 And ye [ the priests] shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.

“Judge not that ye be not judged” has been used by the wolves in sheep’s clothing to introduce and nourish the cancer of tolerance into the church of God for the past two millennia. The result is a fractured church with over 30,000 conflicting denominations of men who want to claim to be of one mind and who teach unity in the essentials and tolerance in the non- essentials.

Deu 31:9 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.

Just how tolerant is God of those who do not “mark well” His words concerning His doctrine. A man had to die for our admonition. He died so we could know that God does not tolerate being ignored when He speaks:

2Sa 6:1 Again, David gathered together all [ the] chosen [ men] of Israel, thirty thousand.
2Sa 6:2 And David arose, and went with all the people that [ were] with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth [ between] the cherubims.
2Sa 6:3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that [ was] in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.
2Sa 6:4 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which [ was] at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.
2Sa 6:5 And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of [ instruments made of] fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.
2Sa 6:6 And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth [ his hand] to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook [ it].
2Sa 6:7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for [ his] error; and there he died by the ark of God.
2Sa 6:8 And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day.
2Sa 6:9 And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?

Here is how the ark of God comes to us all:

Deu 31:9 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.

The Tribe of Levi was to be to God “instead of all of the firstborn” of Israel. And the priests, the sons of Aaron, were all Levites “taken from among the children of Israel.”

Exo 28:2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.
Exo 28:3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
Exo 28:4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
Exo 28:5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.

What are these priestly garments of “fine linen?”

Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

This is not what Israel or even the Levites were to wear. Only the priests were to wear “fine linen.” Why linen?

Eze 44:5 And the LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.
Eze 44:6 And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,
Eze 44:7 In that ye have brought [ into my sanctuary] strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, [ even] my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.
Eze 44:8 And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.
Eze 44:9 Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that [ is] among the children of Israel.

And yet what has the priesthood itself done?

Mal 1:1 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
Mal 1:2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
Mal 1:3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
Mal 1:4 Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.
Mal 1:5 And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel.
Mal 1:6 A son honoureth [ his] father, and a servant his master: if then I [ be] a father, where [ is] mine honour? and if I [ be] a master, where [ is] my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
Mal 1:7 Ye offer polluted bread u pon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD [ is] contemptible.
Mal 1:8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, [ is it] not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, [ is it] not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.

And what is a “stranger?” What Is “polluted bread… the blind… the lame and sick?” They are all one and the same thing. They are all doctrinal “idols of the heart.”

Joh 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
Joh 10:2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
Joh 10:3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
Joh 10:4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
Joh 10:5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
Joh 10:6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

Eze 44:10 And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity.
Eze 44:11 Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.
Eze 44:12 Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up mine hand against them, saith the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their iniquity.

Neh 9:34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.
Neh 9:35 For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
Neh 9:36 Behold, we [ are] servants this day, and [ for] the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we [ are] servants in it:
Neh 9:37 And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we [ are] in great distress.
Neh 9:38 And because of all this we make a sure [ covenant], and write [ it]; and our princes, Levites, [ and] priests, seal [ unto it].

Jer 13:13 Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.

“They shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people… They ministered unto them before their idols and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity” means that these Levites taught ‘unity in the essentials and tolerance in the non- essentials.”

Eze 44:13 And they shall not come near unto me, to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.
Eze 44:14 But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.

The corrupted Levites and the unfaithful priests “I will make them keepers of the charge of the house… they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house.” And what will they do as such:

Mat 23:1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
Mat 23:2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:
Mat 23:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, [ that] observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
Mat 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay [ them] on men’s shoulders; but they [ themselves] will not move them with one of their fingers.
Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
Mat 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in [ yourselves], neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Eze 44:15 But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD:
Eze 44:16 They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.

God’s priests do not compromise when it comes to God’s sanctuary and God’s table. God’s faithful priests, unlike the unfaithful priests and Levites, “keep my charge:”

1Co 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom [ are] all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
1Co 8:7 Howbeit [ there is] not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat [ it] as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
1Co 8:8 But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.
1Co 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
1Co 8:10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;
1Co 8:11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1Co 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
1Co 10:15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.
1Co 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
1Co 10:17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
1Co 10:18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
1Co 10:19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?
1Co 10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
Deu 12:29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
Deu 12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Deu 12:31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
Deu 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
1Co 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.
1Co 10:22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
1Co 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
Eze 44:17 And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, while they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.
Eze 44:18 They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird [ themselves] with anything that causeth sweat.

And why are God’s priests to wear nothing that causes sweat?

Gen 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed [ is] the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat [ of] it all the days of thy life;
Gen 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [ art], and unto dust shalt thou return.

For His faithful priest’s He gives this promise:

Rev 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Rev 5:7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [ and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9 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;
Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Conclusion

“Put away from among yourselves that wicked person… beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing… wherefore you shall know them by their fruits… Do not ye judge them that are within?” That is what God’s faithful priests see and stand for in the word of God:

Num 18:5 And ye [ the priests] shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.

Next week we will see the part which the priests play in the fulfilling of the revelation of Jesus Christ in the sounding of the trumpets and in the pouring out of the vials and in the taking of coals from the altar, etc.