Lecture: 1 "Jesus in the Present Church Age, "
The Bible reveals to us that the minisrty of Jesus intelled that he operated in each of them from 3 distinct "intrinsic" positions of divine authority.The three positions or "offices" occupied by Christ are that of (1) Prophet, (2) Priest, and (3) King. Each office shows us in many ways the many aspects Jesus and gives us greater insight about God. It's because of Jesus that we can get a better glimps of God. The one complaint the "rebellious" group of the children of Israel (not the whole group) that God had to destroy in the time of Moses was : "We want a God that we can see!" Jesus said in John 14:9b-11 (KJV): "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father..... the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake"
Lets take a closer look at each of the 3 offices that Jesus holds based on Biblical perdiction (one he has vacated and one he currently occupies) Let us first draw a comparision between each of them and then, we will draw a contrast of His ministry in each of these offices. To do this it requires that we look at Jesus from history, the present and the future. the reason we will take this approach is he served in one of these offices already and has vacated it. He now serves in the second office and will soon vacate it. The third office is yet in the future and after he serves in it, this will culminate him handing over the Millenial kingdom to God the father that God will be all and in all.
A. Jesus: God's Great Prophet and Procurator
Prior to Jesus’ crucifixion, He was operated in the office of Prophet. The position of the prophetic office started from the beginning of creation and it extended “time-wise” up to His actual crucifixion on the cross at Golgotha. This means that even before Jesus was born in the flesh in the manger, He was already our "Divine Prophet". Jesus' reference to calling Himself as a prophet in John 12:49-50 rests upon this standard of faithfully repeating God's word to man. Every called prophet of God in the Old Testament spoke of him prophetically and through symbology. through Him and in some cases their lives were a “type” of the “Christ” that was to come in the flesh. In Deuteronomy 18:18-20. Moses said God told him: "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account".
In Matthew 21:11, when Jesus came to Jerusalem, the people saw him as a prophet. Listen to what they said: "This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." In Matthew 16:13-14, when Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, "Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets". So you can clearly see that many people who lived during the time of Jesus' earthly ministry saw him as "a prophet". Sadly, during the "Passion week", that time that began on "Palm Sunday" and culminated on "Crucifixion Friday" , by "Maudy Thursday", many of the same people did an about face in support when they cried out "Hosanna" and started crying out "crucify him"!
From the beginning, Jesus was more than "God's Great Prophet. Jesus was also our “creator” and the creator of everything. Not only that, but the Bible said in John 1:14 that Jesus was the “Word” that was made flesh and dwelled among us.
B. Jesus: Our Great High Priest
At this present time in life’s timeline, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is now operating in his office of "High Priest". He has been our High Priest ever since His crucifixion on Calvary, burial in Joseph of Arimethea's "new tomb", resurrection from the grave and ascension into heaven. The late deacon Stephen, one of the first 7 men chosen to this church office from the time of Acts 6, tells us the whereabouts of our high priest as he is about to be dragged both to death row and a quick execution. Stephen saw both the "Glory of God" and Jesus in Acts 7:55-56 "standing at the right hand of God the Father. You might ask Why is Jesus our Great High Priest? There are several reasons:
1. As our great High Priest, Jesus makes constant intercessions for us.
He mediates and advocates for all of his believers. In order to truly fulfill his role as our intercessor, he had to become like us in every way without sin. He became like us according to Hebrews 2:17: that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest. That is to sa that Jesus would be merciful toward us; that He would show love and compassion and interceed in our behalf. That he might know how to pity us in our infirmities and trials though "human identification", by having a nature like our own.
(2) Jesus became our great high priest that he might be "faithful;" that is, perform with fidelity all the functions pertaining to the office of high priest.
It was necessary that Jesus become a man; that he should experience infirmity as people do, to experience and go through trials of life. As a man, he would go through everything all men go through except man's sins, in order that he could feel in "real time" the necessity of having someone of true "fidelity" in the office of high priest. Because of the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the whole Human Race is a race of sinners and sufferers. The whole race was exposed to the wrath of God. Sin was and is in our very bloodline. All had sinned and come short of the Glory of God and everybodywas destined to everlasting judgment and punishment. As God's day of vengeance and final judgment hung over the whole race and drew nearer. "everything and I do mean everything depended on the actions and fidelity of the Great High Priest", the second office that Jesus undertook. If he were faithful to this office, all would be safe; if he were unfaithful, all would be lost. It was imperative that Jesus became a man to fully embrace the feelings, fears, anxieties and dangers of man that he should become one of the race and be identified with them, so that he might be qualified to perform with faithfulness the great trust committed to him.
The Lord Jesus became in the "Christian Dispensation what the Jewish high priest was in Old Testament times. Jesus far surpassed in character and in actions of every the Jewish high priest, and in every respects the office of the Jewish high priest was designed to typify the Redeemer. Jesus brought about reconciliation not by the shedding of blood from bullocks, rams, goats, or pigeons. He did it by offering himself in death as a sacrifice. Jesus thus became our t "propitiation" for our sins. Jesus, the Son of God became a man, that he might so fully enter into the feelings of the people as to be faithful, and that he might be qualified as a high priest to perform the great work of rendering God propitious in regard to sins.
C. Jesus:" King" of kings and "Lord" of lords
In the future, Jesus will “step” into His final role as the King He was prophesized to be. This will take place when the church is “raptured” from the face of the earth. He will remain in this final role until He surrenders the kingdom to God the Father in order that God not only may be “all”, but also “in all”. Now a couple of questions to ponder: What if the Jews and Gentiles living during the earthly life of Jesus had accepted him? What if when he came to his own, they had received him, how would that have altered modern and future history? Hmm.....Before you answer
Revelation 13:8 shows us Jesus, "the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world". In heaven, Calvary had already occurred long before in Genesis God said "Let there be light", long before there was a Garden of Eden and long before Genesis 1:27 when the "Triune" God council (Jehovah, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit) all said: "Let Us make man in our image and after our likeness!" God knew that his "chosen people" would reject Jesus the first time! John 1:10-11: "He was in the world, the world was made by him and the world knew him not. He came to his own and his own received him not".
Jesus in John 12:13 rides into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey and those who were anxious to see him and pay true reverence (so it seems) began to throw palm branches at his feet and lay their coats and cloaks along the road's path in front of Jesus and in jubulation cries loudly: Hosanna (salvation!) Hosanna (salvation!) Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord" Blessed in the "king of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord" Pay close attention to what the chosen and those who lined the street leading into Jerusalem did: Matthew Henry's Commentary points out the following facts:
[1.] They acknowledge our Lord Jesus to be the king of Israel, that comes" in the name of the Lord".
Even though he went into Jerusalem on aborrowed donkey and dressednow in poverty and disgrace, yet, contrary to the "description" their scribes had given them of how the Messiah would appear and look, the people own Jesus to be a king. which speaks to his dignity and honour, for which we must adore Him; to his dominion and power, to which we must humblysubmit to Him.
The people own him to be:
A. A rightful king, coming in the name of the Lord (Ps 2:6), sent of God, not only as a prophet, but as a king.
B. The "promised and long-expected" king, Messiah, the prince, for he is king of Israel.
According to the light they had, they proclaimed him king of Israel in the streets of Jerusalem; and, they themselves being Israelites, hereby they accepted Jesus for their king. They heartily wish well to his kingdom, which is the meaning of hosanna; let the king of Israel prosper, as when Solomon was crowned they cried, God save king Solomon, 1 Kings 1:39. In crying "Hosanna", they prayed for three things:
First, That his kingdom might come, in the light and knowledge of it, and in the power and efficacy of it. God speed the gospel plough.
Secondly, That it might conquer, and be victorious over all opposition, Rev 6:2.
Thirdly, That it might continue. Hosanna is, Let the king live for ever; though his kingdom may be disturbed, let it never be destroyed, Ps 72:17.
C. They rolled out the red carpet of welcome into Jerusalem:
"Jesus, we welcome you here; we are heartily glad to see you; come in you who are blessed of the Lord; let us honor you and shower you with our blessings him who meets us with his." This welcome is like that the Psalmist proclaimed in (Ps 24:7-9), "Lift up your heads, O ye gates and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle!"....
Now... they did all of that until they found out that the kingdom that Jesus spoke of was not of this world. It was a kingdom of conquence and of a pure heart toward God that the throne was not a "monarchy" but a "theocracy"! It would not be run by worldly standards, nor would be rule by secular protocols. By that Friday in the same passion week, the same people who were crying Hosanna in the streets of Jerusalem now were cring: Crucify Him in the same streets...Imagine that!
That was then.........But one day, Jesus will step aside the office of the Great High Priest. and put on His "Kingship robe and come back through the clouds to set up his kingdom here on earth for 1000 years.
According to Revelation 17:14:
"The armies of the earth led by the dragon, the antichrist and the false prophet will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings — and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers."
Conclusion: Jesus is coming back not as a prophet, not as a priest but as KING! The prophet John saw him on the Isle of Patmos in a vision. In Revelation 19:11-16, John makes the following Great announcement:
"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter."a He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS".
The KING of kings is coming! I appeal" to all who don't know Jesus as their Lord and Savior or are currently in a "backslidden" state :Reconcile with our Great Intercessor and High Priest Jesus Christ. Paul said this to his son in he4 ministry Timothy.
ess with contentment is great gain.
" We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs".
But you, people of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge youto keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,which God will bring about in his own time — God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever". In Jesus' Holy name.... Amen.
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Because of who Jesus is and all of the offices he graciously and rightfully hold in the total kingdom of Almighty God, every one of us should openly invite Jesus Christ into our hearts! This means that we must praise him, and be well pleased in him. We should be highly pleased with the being and attributes of God, and his relation to us. We should be with the person and offices of the Lord Jesus, and his meditation between us and God. Faith saith, Blessed is he that cometh.
The Bible reveals to us that the minisrty of Jesus intelled that he operated in each of them from 3 distinct "intrinsic" positions of divine authority.The three positions or "offices" occupied by Christ are that of (1) Prophet, (2) Priest, and (3) King. Each office shows us in many ways the many aspects Jesus and gives us greater insight about God. It's because of Jesus that we can get a better glimps of God. The one complaint the "rebellious" group of the children of Israel (not the whole group) that God had to destroy in the time of Moses was : "We want a God that we can see!" Jesus said in John 14:9b-11 (KJV): "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father..... the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake"
Lets take a closer look at each of the 3 offices that Jesus holds based on Biblical perdiction (one he has vacated and one he currently occupies) Let us first draw a comparision between each of them and then, we will draw a contrast of His ministry in each of these offices. To do this it requires that we look at Jesus from history, the present and the future. the reason we will take this approach is he served in one of these offices already and has vacated it. He now serves in the second office and will soon vacate it. The third office is yet in the future and after he serves in it, this will culminate him handing over the Millenial kingdom to God the father that God will be all and in all.
A. Jesus: God's Great Prophet and Procurator
Prior to Jesus’ crucifixion, He was operated in the office of Prophet. The position of the prophetic office started from the beginning of creation and it extended “time-wise” up to His actual crucifixion on the cross at Golgotha. This means that even before Jesus was born in the flesh in the manger, He was already our "Divine Prophet". Jesus' reference to calling Himself as a prophet in John 12:49-50 rests upon this standard of faithfully repeating God's word to man. Every called prophet of God in the Old Testament spoke of him prophetically and through symbology. through Him and in some cases their lives were a “type” of the “Christ” that was to come in the flesh. In Deuteronomy 18:18-20. Moses said God told him: "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account".
In Matthew 21:11, when Jesus came to Jerusalem, the people saw him as a prophet. Listen to what they said: "This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." In Matthew 16:13-14, when Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, "Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets". So you can clearly see that many people who lived during the time of Jesus' earthly ministry saw him as "a prophet". Sadly, during the "Passion week", that time that began on "Palm Sunday" and culminated on "Crucifixion Friday" , by "Maudy Thursday", many of the same people did an about face in support when they cried out "Hosanna" and started crying out "crucify him"!
From the beginning, Jesus was more than "God's Great Prophet. Jesus was also our “creator” and the creator of everything. Not only that, but the Bible said in John 1:14 that Jesus was the “Word” that was made flesh and dwelled among us.
B. Jesus: Our Great High Priest
At this present time in life’s timeline, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is now operating in his office of "High Priest". He has been our High Priest ever since His crucifixion on Calvary, burial in Joseph of Arimethea's "new tomb", resurrection from the grave and ascension into heaven. The late deacon Stephen, one of the first 7 men chosen to this church office from the time of Acts 6, tells us the whereabouts of our high priest as he is about to be dragged both to death row and a quick execution. Stephen saw both the "Glory of God" and Jesus in Acts 7:55-56 "standing at the right hand of God the Father. You might ask Why is Jesus our Great High Priest? There are several reasons:
1. As our great High Priest, Jesus makes constant intercessions for us.
He mediates and advocates for all of his believers. In order to truly fulfill his role as our intercessor, he had to become like us in every way without sin. He became like us according to Hebrews 2:17: that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest. That is to sa that Jesus would be merciful toward us; that He would show love and compassion and interceed in our behalf. That he might know how to pity us in our infirmities and trials though "human identification", by having a nature like our own.
(2) Jesus became our great high priest that he might be "faithful;" that is, perform with fidelity all the functions pertaining to the office of high priest.
It was necessary that Jesus become a man; that he should experience infirmity as people do, to experience and go through trials of life. As a man, he would go through everything all men go through except man's sins, in order that he could feel in "real time" the necessity of having someone of true "fidelity" in the office of high priest. Because of the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the whole Human Race is a race of sinners and sufferers. The whole race was exposed to the wrath of God. Sin was and is in our very bloodline. All had sinned and come short of the Glory of God and everybodywas destined to everlasting judgment and punishment. As God's day of vengeance and final judgment hung over the whole race and drew nearer. "everything and I do mean everything depended on the actions and fidelity of the Great High Priest", the second office that Jesus undertook. If he were faithful to this office, all would be safe; if he were unfaithful, all would be lost. It was imperative that Jesus became a man to fully embrace the feelings, fears, anxieties and dangers of man that he should become one of the race and be identified with them, so that he might be qualified to perform with faithfulness the great trust committed to him.
The Lord Jesus became in the "Christian Dispensation what the Jewish high priest was in Old Testament times. Jesus far surpassed in character and in actions of every the Jewish high priest, and in every respects the office of the Jewish high priest was designed to typify the Redeemer. Jesus brought about reconciliation not by the shedding of blood from bullocks, rams, goats, or pigeons. He did it by offering himself in death as a sacrifice. Jesus thus became our t "propitiation" for our sins. Jesus, the Son of God became a man, that he might so fully enter into the feelings of the people as to be faithful, and that he might be qualified as a high priest to perform the great work of rendering God propitious in regard to sins.
C. Jesus:" King" of kings and "Lord" of lords
In the future, Jesus will “step” into His final role as the King He was prophesized to be. This will take place when the church is “raptured” from the face of the earth. He will remain in this final role until He surrenders the kingdom to God the Father in order that God not only may be “all”, but also “in all”. Now a couple of questions to ponder: What if the Jews and Gentiles living during the earthly life of Jesus had accepted him? What if when he came to his own, they had received him, how would that have altered modern and future history? Hmm.....Before you answer
Revelation 13:8 shows us Jesus, "the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world". In heaven, Calvary had already occurred long before in Genesis God said "Let there be light", long before there was a Garden of Eden and long before Genesis 1:27 when the "Triune" God council (Jehovah, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit) all said: "Let Us make man in our image and after our likeness!" God knew that his "chosen people" would reject Jesus the first time! John 1:10-11: "He was in the world, the world was made by him and the world knew him not. He came to his own and his own received him not".
Jesus in John 12:13 rides into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey and those who were anxious to see him and pay true reverence (so it seems) began to throw palm branches at his feet and lay their coats and cloaks along the road's path in front of Jesus and in jubulation cries loudly: Hosanna (salvation!) Hosanna (salvation!) Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord" Blessed in the "king of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord" Pay close attention to what the chosen and those who lined the street leading into Jerusalem did: Matthew Henry's Commentary points out the following facts:
[1.] They acknowledge our Lord Jesus to be the king of Israel, that comes" in the name of the Lord".
Even though he went into Jerusalem on aborrowed donkey and dressednow in poverty and disgrace, yet, contrary to the "description" their scribes had given them of how the Messiah would appear and look, the people own Jesus to be a king. which speaks to his dignity and honour, for which we must adore Him; to his dominion and power, to which we must humblysubmit to Him.
The people own him to be:
A. A rightful king, coming in the name of the Lord (Ps 2:6), sent of God, not only as a prophet, but as a king.
B. The "promised and long-expected" king, Messiah, the prince, for he is king of Israel.
According to the light they had, they proclaimed him king of Israel in the streets of Jerusalem; and, they themselves being Israelites, hereby they accepted Jesus for their king. They heartily wish well to his kingdom, which is the meaning of hosanna; let the king of Israel prosper, as when Solomon was crowned they cried, God save king Solomon, 1 Kings 1:39. In crying "Hosanna", they prayed for three things:
First, That his kingdom might come, in the light and knowledge of it, and in the power and efficacy of it. God speed the gospel plough.
Secondly, That it might conquer, and be victorious over all opposition, Rev 6:2.
Thirdly, That it might continue. Hosanna is, Let the king live for ever; though his kingdom may be disturbed, let it never be destroyed, Ps 72:17.
C. They rolled out the red carpet of welcome into Jerusalem:
"Jesus, we welcome you here; we are heartily glad to see you; come in you who are blessed of the Lord; let us honor you and shower you with our blessings him who meets us with his." This welcome is like that the Psalmist proclaimed in (Ps 24:7-9), "Lift up your heads, O ye gates and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle!"....
Now... they did all of that until they found out that the kingdom that Jesus spoke of was not of this world. It was a kingdom of conquence and of a pure heart toward God that the throne was not a "monarchy" but a "theocracy"! It would not be run by worldly standards, nor would be rule by secular protocols. By that Friday in the same passion week, the same people who were crying Hosanna in the streets of Jerusalem now were cring: Crucify Him in the same streets...Imagine that!
That was then.........But one day, Jesus will step aside the office of the Great High Priest. and put on His "Kingship robe and come back through the clouds to set up his kingdom here on earth for 1000 years.
According to Revelation 17:14:
"The armies of the earth led by the dragon, the antichrist and the false prophet will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings — and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers."
Conclusion: Jesus is coming back not as a prophet, not as a priest but as KING! The prophet John saw him on the Isle of Patmos in a vision. In Revelation 19:11-16, John makes the following Great announcement:
"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter."a He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS".
The KING of kings is coming! I appeal" to all who don't know Jesus as their Lord and Savior or are currently in a "backslidden" state :Reconcile with our Great Intercessor and High Priest Jesus Christ. Paul said this to his son in he4 ministry Timothy.
ess with contentment is great gain.
" We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs".
But you, people of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge youto keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,which God will bring about in his own time — God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever". In Jesus' Holy name.... Amen.
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Because of who Jesus is and all of the offices he graciously and rightfully hold in the total kingdom of Almighty God, every one of us should openly invite Jesus Christ into our hearts! This means that we must praise him, and be well pleased in him. We should be highly pleased with the being and attributes of God, and his relation to us. We should be with the person and offices of the Lord Jesus, and his meditation between us and God. Faith saith, Blessed is he that cometh.
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