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The previous line, the line of Christ, is related to how Christ has become everything to God and to us. This line, however, concerns the offices of Christ. The official service of the Lord Jesus is a great matter in the Bible.
The offices spoken of in the Bible can be divided into three categories: first, the office of the priests; second, the office of the prophets; and third, the office of the kings. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament all the offices of man before God are included in these three categories. From Genesis to Revelation those who are anointed and used by God always serve within the sphere of these three categories. Some are priests, some are kings, and some are prophets.
Each of these three offices has particular functions. On the one hand, the service of the priests is to bring man to God, and on the other hand, it is to bring God to man. Bringing man to God is the more important aspect of this twofold ministry. The priesthood brings man into fellowship with God to touch His presence and to worship Him. When this aspect is fulfilled, the aspect of bringing God to man is fulfilled spontaneously.
Kingship emphasizes reigning for God, bringing God’s authority to man so that man may submit to God’s authority. The priesthood is a matter of worship and fellowship; the kingship is a matter of authority and submission. Without priests, man cannot approach God, fellowship with God, or worship God. In the same way, without kings, man cannot submit to the authority of God and be ruled by God.
The main function of the prophets is to make God’s desire known to men. Prophets come from God to men to make known God’s desire. The service of the priests is mainly to bring man to God, and the service of the prophets is mainly to bring God to man. Priests cause man to touch God’s presence, and prophets cause man to touch God’s desire.
In these three offices the priesthood is a matter of God’s presence, the kingship is a matter of God’s rule, and the prophethood is a matter of God’s desire. Without priests, man cannot be brought before God to touch God; without kings, man cannot submit to God’s authority; and without prophets, man cannot know God’s desire. These three offices include everyone who has ever been used by God.
In both the Old Testament and New Testament these three offices typify the work carried out by the Lord Jesus between God and man. The entire Bible points to the threefold office of the Lord Jesus through many who held these offices. From Genesis to Samuel is the age of the priesthood, with the first priest being Melchizedek. From Melchizedek to Aaron and his sons, priests were the spiritual leaders who had authority among the children of Israel. Later, Samuel brought in David and initiated the age of the kingship. This period continued until the beginning of the prophethood, when the Israelites were carried away to Babylon. During this period of time the leaders among God’s people were not priests but kings. For example, when David and Solomon were reigning on the throne, they were the leaders, and the priests were in subordination to them. When the kingship failed, prophets rose up from among God’s people. Although governmental authority was still in the hands of the kings at this time, the prophets were the spiritual leaders, and the kings were instructed, taught, and governed by the prophets. Therefore, the first part of the Old Testament is the story of the priesthood, the second part is the story of the kingship, and the third part is the story of the prophethood. These three groups of people typify the offices of Christ.
All the priests in the Old Testament typify the priesthood of Christ. There are two representative figures—Melchizedek and Aaron. Melchizedek typifies the Lord Jesus being a Priest in His divinity, that is, the Son of God with the nature of God. According to the type, Hebrews 7:3 speaks of Melchizedek as being “without father, without mother, without genealogy; having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but likened to the Son of God, abides a priest perpetually.” This shows that the order of Christ’s priesthood is eternal, being neither established nor chosen by men but by God.
Aaron typifies the Lord Jesus being a Priest in His humanity. He is a Priest taken from among men, knowing the things of man, knowing their weaknesses and their sufferings; therefore, He is able to sympathize with those whom He represents and to exercise compassion toward those whom He bears. This is what Hebrews 5 through 7 show.
The Lord Jesus is a Priest with two natures, having humanity to know the things of man and having the divinity of the eternal God. His priesthood includes both the aspect of humanity and the aspect of divinity.
All the kings in the Old Testament typify the kingship of Christ. In this respect there are also two representative characters—David and Solomon. David typifies the Lord Jesus as a man, experiencing the sufferings of human life and dying in the end. Solomon typifies the Lord Jesus in resurrection, ascension, glorification, and reigning.
Some say that David typifies the Lord Jesus in His first coming, while Solomon typifies the Lord Jesus in His second coming. This is not very accurate. When the Lord Jesus came to the earth the first time, He said that He was more than Solomon (Matt. 12:42). Therefore, the Lord Jesus is Solomon not just in His second coming. He is the greater Solomon even during His first coming.
As King, the Lord Jesus is both David and Solomon. On the one hand, He greatly seeks God, cares for God’s desire, and suffers for God’s will; He is David. On the other hand, He has great wisdom and glory; He is Solomon. David and Solomon show how the Lord Jesus came and suffered for man, cared for God’s heart, and died on the cross, and how He resurrected from the dead, ascended, was glorified, and now reigns for God.
There are also two representative figures in the books of prophecy, typifying the prophethood of the Lord Jesus. Some people like to speak of Elijah and Elisha, saying that they typify the Lord Jesus. However, the Bible clearly says that Elijah typifies John the Baptist. Elisha somewhat typifies the Lord Jesus because he was preceded by Elijah, just as the Lord Jesus was preceded by John the Baptist. However, according to the Scriptures, Elisha is not ranked with the prophets who wrote the books of the Bible. There are two representative figures from among the prophets who wrote books, Jonah and Isaiah. First, the Lord Jesus said, “Just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights” (Matt. 12:40). Moreover, He referred to Himself as One who is “more than Jonah” (v. 41). Second, Hebrews 2:13 quotes the Lord’s word, saying, “Behold, I and the children whom God has given to Me,” yet this word was spoken by Isaiah. Therefore, Isaiah also typifies the Lord Jesus coming to be a Prophet.
Jonah was a prophet to the Gentiles, and Isaiah was a prophet to the Jews. As a prophet, Jonah spoke of God’s judgment, and as a prophet, Isaiah spoke of God’s salvation. The combination of the two corresponds precisely to the gospel that comes out of God’s desire. On the one hand, the gospel is for judgment; on the other hand, the gospel is for salvation. Judgment requires man’s repentance, whereas, salvation requires man’s believing. The gospel is for man to escape God’s judgment by repenting and to receive God’s salvation by believing. According to God’s desire, the gospel is to be preached to the whole inhabited earth, not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles, so that all men would repent to God and receive His Son as their salvation instead of His righteous judgment. This is represented by the ministry of the two prophets Jonah and Isaiah.
The principle is the same with the Lord Jesus as the Prophet of God. He showed man the judgment of God and also showed man the salvation of God. He told man to repent so that he might escape God’s judgment, and He also told man to believe so that he might receive God’s salvation. The prophecies that the Lord Jesus spoke of as a Prophet concerning God’s will involved repenting, believing, escaping God’s judgment, and receiving God’s eternal salvation. According to the sequence of the books in the Bible, Isaiah is before Jonah; but according to chronology, Jonah is before Isaiah.
Two priests, Melchizedek and Aaron, typify the priesthood of Christ. Two kings, David and Solomon, typify the kingship of Christ. Two prophets, Jonah and Isaiah, typify the prophethood of Christ. If we want to understand the threefold office of the Lord Jesus, as portrayed by these six representative characters, we need to read the entire Old Testament. Only when we have read through the entire Old Testament will we understand all that is portrayed by these six representative characters.
It is obvious that when the Lord Jesus was incarnated, dwelt among men, and lived as a man on the earth, He was a Prophet preaching the gospel of God. He told people, “The kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). He also said, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!...It will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you” (Matt. 11:21-24). This is Jonah’s tone. He was a great Jonah preaching repentance for the deliverance from judgment. Furthermore, He was truly an Isaiah; His name was called Jesus, which means “Jehovah coming to be our Savior.” This is very close to the meaning of the name Isaiah, which means “Jehovah is our salvation.” The first name denotes Savior, and the second name denotes salvation.
When the Lord was on the earth, He preached God’s judgment in a complete way and spoke God’s salvation in a full way. He brought people to repentance like Jonah, and He caused people to believe like Isaiah.
The Lord Jesus preached the words of Jonah on the earth on the negative side and the words of Isaiah on the positive side. On the negative side, He told men to repent and escape God’s judgment; thus, He was a great Jonah. On the positive side, He preached God’s salvation; thus, He was an Isaiah.
From the birth of the Lord Jesus to His death on the cross He ministered as a Prophet. When He went to the cross to die, He began His priestly ministry. As the Priest of God, He brought the sacrifice that God delights in the most to the cross and offered it to God. The book of Hebrews tells us that after He passed through death and resurrection and ascended to God, He sat down on the right hand of God as our High Priest in order to continually intercede for us (8:1). As a Prophet, He brings God’s desire to man; as a Priest, He brings man’s needs to God.
From the second coming of the Lord Jesus to eternity He will be the King. When the earth becomes the kingdom of our Lord Christ (Rev. 11:15), He will bring God’s authority to man. Not only will He reign with the overcomers for a thousand years in the coming kingdom age, He will also be the King for eternity in the new heaven and new earth.
The above three points show that the offices of the Lord Jesus in the New Testament are also the priesthood, the kingship, and the prophethood. However, He first serves as a Prophet, then a Priest, and then a King. Before God’s intention is fully accomplished, He will hold the office of the prophet. His prophethood will come to an end when eternity future begins after the kingdom age. Then there will be only two offices, the priesthood and the kingship. In eternity future He will be the Priest before God and the King among men. He will bring God’s authority to man and bring man’s needs to God forever. These are the offices of the Lord Jesus as seen in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
