Search
Scripture Reading: Exo. 28:2-25; Lev. 6:16, 18; 7:31-36
The Bible reveals that God needs to gain a group of people in this age who will be priests according to His intention. We need to consider this matter in the Word so that we can be clear concerning the place of the priesthood in God’s heart.
God’s desire in the universe is to work Himself into man, to mingle with man as one, and to express Himself through man. Hence, whether in creation or in redemption, God’s desire is that man would have His life and nature inwardly and express His image and likeness outwardly. Consequently, God, who is Spirit, created man with a spirit so that He could enter into man’s spirit to be mingled with man as one and be man’s life.
As the divine life in the believers, God is constantly moving and flowing. After He is mingled with us in our human spirit, God continues to mingle Himself with us so that the element of His life can spread into our mind, emotion, and will to the extent that we live out and express the glorious image of God. In the New Testament Paul speaks of Christ being our life (Col. 3:4), of Christ being formed in us (Gal. 4:19), and of Christ being magnified in us (Phil. 1:20). Thus, for us to live is Christ (v. 21), and this living is an expression of God’s glorious image, because Christ is the image of God (2 Cor. 4:4).
When the Bible first speaks of man, it speaks of the matter of image and dominion (Gen. 1:26). God created man in His own image, and He gave man dominion over all the creatures. God’s fundamental desire is to gain a group of people who will bear His image and exercise His authority. As long as we allow God to saturate us and be our life and let Him live out of us as the expression of His glorious image, we will receive a measure of God’s authority. As long as we contact God, are mingled with God, and express God, we will have the authority of God.
However, God has no desire that we would have His image and exercise His authority as individual persons. Instead, He wants those who have His image and authority to be blended together in the divine life as one Body in one Spirit (Eph. 4:4). The believers, though many in number, are one Body, one corporate entity (1 Cor. 12:12). We are one dwelling place, one Body, one new man, and one counterpart (15-16, Eph. 2:22; 5:23-32). All these terms imply a corporate entity, not many scattered independent individuals.
God’s intention is to work Himself into a corporate man so that this man would bear His image and exercise His authority; consequently, He wants those who have received Him as life to be blended into one corporate entity to be His dwelling place, His Body, the one new man that He created on the cross, and His beloved counterpart. At the end of the Bible the holy city, the New Jerusalem, manifests these characteristics. This city is full of God’s life, God’s nature, and God’s element. The outward expression of the city is God’s glory and God’s image. God’s authority also is fully expressed through this city. The holy city, New Jerusalem, is a corporate man, bearing God’s image and exercising God’s authority, expressing God and representing God in the universe. This is the plan that God is carrying out in the universe.
We need to be saturated with God’s life to the extent that He is our inward element and outward expression and so that we receive God’s authority to reign for God. In order for us to attain to this goal, we must contact God, fellowship with God, come forward to God, absorb God, and allow God to fill us. We must allow God to operate in us and flow through us so that our nature of clay will be changed by the flowing of life that produces gold, pearls, and precious stones. When our inner element is just God Himself with His life and His nature, our outward expression will be according to God’s glory and image. At such a point we will receive God’s authority and reign for God. The royal priesthood is a group of people who are not independent scattered individuals but rather a corporate entity blended into one in God’s life. In this priesthood the priests come forward to God, contact God, fellowship with God, and allow God to pass through, operate, saturate, and shine out from them to express His image and receive His authority. The highest grace that we can receive is to be priests. As priests, we can draw near to God, fellowship with God, live before God, and allow God to saturate us and flow out of us. Furthermore, we can receive the authority of God.
When God created man, He put man in a position to function as a priest. God created man in His image and according to His likeness and granted him to have dominion (Gen. 1:26). Then God put man in the garden of Eden, which contained the tree of life and a flowing river (2:9-10). These actions revealed His desire. It is as if God were saying, “Come and eat! Come and drink! I am before you in the form of food. I do not want you to merely worship and exalt Me. I want you to eat and drink Me. You need to contact Me, receive Me, and absorb Me, just as you eat food and drink water. I want to enter into you to be your life and nature. I want to be absorbed by you, to saturate you, and to flow out from you so that My life and nature are expressed outwardly with My image and glory. If you contact me in this way, you will represent Me and reign for Me.” This picture is a portrayal of the function of a priest. As soon as God created man, God revealed the matter of being a priest to him.
We often speak of drawing near to God and fellowshipping with God, but what does this mean intrinsically? Hebrews 10:19-20 speaks of drawing near to God and fellowshipping with God in relation to entering into the Holy of Holies. According to the type in the Old Testament, only priests could enter into the Holy of Holies (Exo. 28:1, 35; Num. 18:1, 7). A person who was not a priest could not enter into the Holy of Holies. This shows that those who draw near to God are those who enter into the Holy of Holies as priests.
When a person draws near to God, contacts God, absorbs God, and allows God to fill, saturate, and flow through him, he is a priest. From the day of Adam’s creation, God intended for him to be a priest, but Adam failed. When he fell, the whole Adamic race fell with him. The failure of Adam was the failure of the Adamic race. When the descendants of Adam failed in Adam and with Adam, the whole Adamic race lost its position to be priests of God.
Because of this failure and out of this fallen race, God chose Abraham. God wanted him to rise up and be a person living before Him. To Abraham, God said, “Walk before Me” (Gen. 17:1). Walking before God means to live before God, to contact God, to fellowship with God, and to allow God to flow through him. According to Genesis, on several occasions Abraham built an altar and offered sacrifices (12:7-8; 13:4, 18; 22:9). As a sacrifice-offering person, Abraham was a priest who lived before God, fellowshipped with God, and allowed God to flow through him. The history of Abraham shows that God gained a priest out of the Adamic race that had rejected God, a man who desired God, fellowshipped with God, and allowed God to flow through him. Abraham was a priest.
Jacob also was a priest. In his youth Jacob was crafty and well able to supplant, but in his latter years he was truly a priest; he was transformed into Israel, the prince of God (32:28; 35:10; 47:7). He bore the image of God, and he represented the authority of God. When Jacob’s descendants were coming out of Egypt, God said, “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests” (Exo. 19:6). The word priests denotes drawing near to God and allowing God to fill and saturate; kingdom refers to reigning for God and allowing Him to reign. God desired that the children of Israel would be a kingdom of priests, bearing His image to express Him and exercising His authority to represent Him. However, the children of Israel failed in this matter. Consequently, God chose the house of Aaron from the tribe of Levi to be priests (32:22-29). Regrettably, even the priests of the house of Aaron failed to the extent that they bore only the name of priests but not the reality of the priesthood.
This history tells us that generation after generation of people failed to attain to God’s goal. The created Adamic race failed, the chosen descendants of Abraham failed, and the tribe of Levi and the house of Aaron also failed. Among all these generations, God’s will did not have a free way, and His purpose remained unfulfilled.
In the New Testament age, however, the Spirit is leading the chosen descendants of Adam to believe in the Son, who has redeemed us through His blood and regenerated us with His life. Now, as redeemed and regenerated believers, we are in the new creation so that we can draw near to God and contact Him as a corporate priesthood, the church. Regrettably, even the church experienced failure and desolation. The desolation of the church ultimately reflects the fact that our fellowship with God can be cut off and that the flow of God’s life can be cut off, causing us to lose His presence.
God is merciful, however, and we have seen some light and have received some measure of grace. Nevertheless, we need to confess that we are still short in our living before God and in our fellowship with God. We need to allow God to saturate and flow through us more so that He can be expressed and His authority can be exercised. We have yet to fully live the life of the priest and fulfill the ministry of the priest. Even though more grace is available to us, at the end of this age our priestly service of drawing near to God, fellowshipping with God, and allowing God to flow through us are not adequate.
In this age God is shining the light to show us His heart’s desire. He is sounding out a call for people to respond to His desire. He desires to gain a group of people who will contact Him, fellowship with Him, and allow Him to saturate and flow through them, thereby reflecting His glory, expressing His image, and representing and reigning with His authority. God needs such a group of people in this age. He needs such Christians. He needs such workers. He needs such people to serve Him. Apart from this, God cannot gain the earth.
The church is not built up just by speaking messages. The church is built up in those who contact God, fellowship with God, and allow God to saturate and flow through them for His expression. Such ones live in the Holy of Holies, touch the throne of God, and allow the living water from the throne to flow through them and be expressed in order to bear God’s authority. Such a living spontaneously and practically builds up the church as a corporate entity in the life of God.
From the time God created man, He has been able to gain some who serve as priests in every age; that is, He has gained some who draw near to Him, allow Him to fill and saturate them, and express Him, bearing His image and representing His authority. These royal priests included Abel (Gen. 4:4), Enoch (5:22), and Noah (6:8-9). Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses also were such persons. Moses is a prime example of one who served as a priest. He fellowshipped with God on Mount Sinai for forty days (Exo. 24:15-18). He drew near to God, lived before God, and allowed God to saturate him; God’s glory shined through him. When he came out from the presence of God, his face reflected God’s glory (34:29, 35). At the same time, he was full of God’s authority and manifested the reality of the kingship.
Daniel was a prophet, but with him there was also a significant measure of the priesthood. He prayed and lived before God (Dan. 6:10). He thoroughly fellowshipped with God, and God was able to flow through him freely. Consequently, he was full of God’s authority. Even though he was thrown into a lions’ den, his authority shut the lions’ mouth (vv. 16-22). Daniel was a priest of God as well as a king of God.
As New Testament apostles, Peter, James, and John were also priests. They came forward to God to pray, saying, “We will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). They were priests before God. Although they were unlearned fishermen from Galilee, they also exercised kingly authority when they stood up and spoke (1:15; 2:14). They were priests expressing God, and they were kings representing God.
Even when Paul and Silas were put in prison, their prayer and singing made their prison like the Holy of Holies (16:19-25). Even in prison they fulfilled their function as priests. Furthermore, Paul truly had the standing of a king when he stood and made his defense before King Agrippa, who was only an earthly authority; those who were judging Paul were instead judged by him (26:1-29). It is amazing that a man being judged could judge the judges. This shows that he was full of God’s authority. He was a priest with kingly authority.
Throughout the ages, God is after people who can be priests to bear His image and kings to exercise His authority. God desires to gain priestly kings and kingly priests.
In Christianity today too much emphasis is placed on the function of the prophet, a preacher of the word. Stanza 4 of Hymns, #848 says, “Through the weakness of their spirits / Preaching doth predominate.” This describes today’s abnormal situation in which the function of preachers, as ministers of the word, is dominant among Christians. I am heavily burdened because God desires priests and kings for the fulfillment of His purpose. Prophets are supplementary in this regard. In the Old Testament, prophets were not needed when the condition of God’s people was normal. They were needed primarily when His people were weak, childish, foolish, and in darkness.
When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, Moses represented the kingship, and Aaron represented the priesthood. Among them there were no prominent prophets. Although Moses was also considered to be a prophet, his service in this capacity was far less significant than the authority that he bore for God. Moses’ sister, Miriam, also was a prophetess, but her function did not compare to the priesthood of Aaron and the kingship of Moses.
This does not mean that there is no place for prophets or ministers of the word in the church. It means that the prophethood is supplementary and remedial. In the Old Testament the prophets were needed when the children of Israel were in desolate situations. Elijah and Elisha were raised up to speak to the children of Israel when the temple was closed, the priestly service had ceased, and the kings were in disarray. When David lived properly before God, there was no need for prophets, but when David stumbled, there was a need for Nathan and Gad to serve as prophets (2 Sam. 12:7-15; 24:10-14). When David committed a sin, a prophet was needed. When he had a problem, the remedy came through a prophet.
Today all the churches are looking for ministers of the word. This situation is not normal. Some responsible ones in the local churches say, “We are good in every respect except for the lack of ministers of the word.” The fact that we are looking for ministers of the word proves that we are not as good as we think. When the standard of the kingship in the church is not adequate and the function of the priesthood is lacking, the need for ministers of the word is not a positive development. If there is a manifestation of kingly authority and priestly function among all the saints, there is much less of a need for ministers of the word. From beginning to end the Bible speaks of God’s desire that man would be a priestly king. Everyone in the church should be a priest. If every brother and sister in a local church is a priest who draws near to God, is saturated with God, and allows God to flow through them, there would be much less of a need for ministers of the word.
In a certain district meeting, there are many college-age brothers and sisters, and for a period of time their meetings were quite low. They all felt that they needed more leading in the word. However, in a meeting with these young people, I said, “You need to rise up to serve and function in the meetings.” The young saints received this word and responded in a very positive way. Their district meetings quickly changed in a positive manner because these young saints began to function in the meetings. In the meetings they pray one after another, and the elderly saints have to exercise to follow them. Since they have risen up to be priests, I do not believe that there has been much thought about the need for ministers of the word because there is no lack in their meetings.
Before speaking of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul says that the Gentiles serve dumb idols (v. 2). Idols are dumb, and the more a person worships idols, the less he speaks. Then, in contrast, Paul says that the God whom we serve is a speaking God; He is not dumb (v. 3). When God inspires us, we sing a song. When God inspires us more, we shout Hallelujah. When God inspires us even more, we declare, “Jesus is Lord!” Our worship of the Lord should not be in silence. We should speak, sing, pray, and even shout. Most of the gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 are related to the utterance of words, such as speaking in tongues and speaking words of wisdom, words of knowledge, and words of prophesying (vv. 8, 10). These are types of speaking.
If we truly fulfill our priesthood by praying, drawing near to God, fellowshipping with God, and allowing God to flow through us every day, it will not be possible for us to be silent and inactive when we come to a meeting. If we open our mouth in the meeting and pray in the meeting, the meeting will not need to rely on a few individuals who speak as prophets.
In Christianity today the ministry of the word is too prominent, and the authority of the kingship and the function of the priesthood are not very distinct. This is the situation among us as well. Sometimes in the meeting the saints will sit quietly without making any noise. Although it seems harsh to say, it is almost as if everyone were in a tomb. Some open their mouth at home but do not open their mouth in the meetings. In such a meeting the kingship and the priesthood are lacking, and only the ministry of the word has prominence.
Before we recently began to meet for the purpose of blending in spirit, the meetings would begin at seven-thirty, and some would rush to leave when it was only eight-thirty. Now the meetings can go to nine-thirty, and some saints still do not want to leave. This is because more saints are functioning as priests. Today most of God’s children have lost God’s original commission; they do not function as priests and instead rely on others as prophets to minister the word to them. In 1 Corinthians 13:8 Paul says, “Whether prophecies, they will be rendered useless,” but Revelation 22:3-5 tells us that the priesthood and kingship are eternal. When the Lord Jesus comes again, the need for prophets will pass away, but the overcoming saints will be priests and co-kings with Christ for eternity. In the New Jerusalem everyone will be a priest serving God and a king reigning with Him. When the people of God are childish, full of problems, and weak, there is a need for prophets to minister the word, but when the people are strong, bright, and mature, there is not much need for prophets.
The primary condition of a priest is one of sanctification (Exo. 29:1). A priest is a sanctified person, a person who has been set apart. If we want to be a priest of God, we must be sanctified.
A priest ate the offerings on the altar, which typify Christ. In other words, the food of a priest is Christ. A priest lives because of Christ and inwardly enjoys Christ. The more a person fulfills his function in the priesthood, the more he can eat of the offerings. Furthermore, the more he eats of the offerings, the more he can fulfill his function. The more we draw near to God as priests, the more we will enjoy Christ. The more we eat the Lord, drink the Lord, and enjoy the Lord, the more we will draw near to God as His priests. A priest who is outside the Holy Place is a hungry priest. A priest who does not participate in the priestly service does not have any food to eat. If we are hungry, it is because we have not drawn near to God as a priest. If we do not contact God, fellowship with God, or live in the presence of God, we will be unable to enjoy Christ as God’s offerings. Drawing near to God and enjoying Christ are inseparable.
The priestly garments also typify Christ. The crown of beauty that the priests put on was Christ as their glory; the robe that they wore was Christ as their righteousness. The priestly garments, in terms of their materials, are equivalent to the tabernacle, because the priestly garments were made with fine linen, gold, and blue, purple, and scarlet strands, just like the coverings of the tabernacle (28:8; 25:3-4). The fine linen typifies Christ as our righteousness. Gold signifies Christ as our life and nature. Blue signifies the heavenly condition of Christ manifested in us. Purple signifies the royal condition of Christ manifested in us. Scarlet signifies the efficacy of Christ’s redemption manifested in us.
The garment of the high priest also included precious stones. The first time that the Bible speaks of precious stones is in Genesis. The onyx stone in the river that flowed out of Eden was a precious stone (2:12), and there were two onyx stones engraved in settings of gold on the shoulder pieces of the high priest (Exo. 28:9). There were also twelve precious stones on the breastplate of judgment made of gold (v. 15). The New Jerusalem has these same features (vv. 16-20; Rev. 21:18-20). The foundations of the wall of the holy city, New Jerusalem, are twelve precious stones, and the base of the city is pure gold. This corresponds to the twelve precious stones set on the breastplate worn by the high priest. The gold and precious stones were connected in rows of stones (Exo. 28:17), depicting a picture of coordination and building. The names of the twelve tribes of Israel were inscribed on the precious stones (v. 21), denoting that the twelve tribes of Israel were built up together to be one corporate entity.
The picture of the living of the priests in the Old Testament shows that priests eat Christ, wear Christ, are filled with Christ inwardly, and express Christ outwardly. They are one with Christ in every aspect. Christ is upon them as the fine linen, gold, and precious stones, and they are coordinated and built up in Christ as one entity. Their living is in Christ as the tabernacle because they are one with the tabernacle. The tabernacle is upon them, they are one with the tabernacle, and the tabernacle is one with them. The tabernacle represents the building of God and the dwelling place of God. The building of God and the dwelling place of God depend upon the priesthood, and the people of God, as precious stones, are not scattered and detached; rather, they are built up as one in and through the priesthood.
Today there must be some who rise up to be priests, enjoying Christ inwardly and expressing Him outwardly. Only in this way can the children of God be coordinated and built up. Only in this way can there be the building of the church as the tabernacle of God, the dwelling place of God. In the New Testament age the built-up church is a priesthood. If we are not living before God as priests, there will be no priesthood and no building of the church.
We need to see that God is after a group of people who will be a corporate priesthood. Such a group of priests will live before Him and allow Him to saturate them, fill them, and flow through them. It is not enough for a person to individually draw near to God in prayer, because the priesthood is a corporate matter. In today’s Christianity, drawing near to God in prayer is regarded only as a personal and individual matter, but the Bible speaks of priests who are formed into a corporate priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5, 9). The more we live before God, enjoying Christ and expressing Christ, the more we will be blended into one with others and coordinated with others in the life of God, the Spirit of God, and the fellowship of God. As we are being transformed into gold, pearls, and precious stones, we will be built up with others because the gold and precious stones on the priestly garments are coordinated together. This coordination brings in the shining of the Urim and the completing of the Thummim. Only then will men understand God’s heart and know what God is doing among His people.
When the church fulfills the priesthood in this way and the saints are built up together in the spirit of the fellowship of the priesthood, the church will be full of God’s light and God’s presence, and God’s heart’s desire will be revealed step by step. I hope that every brother and every sister can see that God’s calling in this last age is for everyone to be a priest. May we answer God’s call, not just to pursue spirituality and to draw near to God in prayer as individuals but to be in the priesthood that fulfills God’s purpose.
