Joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. Colossians 1:11-12.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
I have qualified you for your inheritance.
To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:5-6.
What inheritance did He qualify you for? He released you from your sins by His blood and made you to be a kingdom, priests unto Me. Why? Look to the shadows of the Old Testament which are realized for you and given substance in Jesus, but with a whole new dimension.
But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. Hebrews 8:6.
What was the inheritance of the priests in the Old Covenant, that is, the Mosaic Covenant?
The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the LORD’s offerings by fire and His portion. They shall have no inheritance among their countrymen; the LORD is their inheritance, as He promised them. Deuteronomy 18:1-2.
I MYSELF was their inheritance. And I have everything. I gave them the tithes, choice parts of the offerings, pasture lands, and beautiful cities, agricultural and pastoral land allotted to them out of each tribe’s inheritance. And they were cities of refuge for those who killed someone unintentionally. The priests touched My holy and sacred things that no one else was permitted to touch. They were entrusted with the silver trumpets and the ram’s horn to play them for Me and call Me down to fight for My people.
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps . . . The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations. When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God, and you will be saved from your enemies. Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God.” Numbers 10:1-2,8-10.
But there is even more.
All authority in the heavens and on the earth I have given to your great High Priest Jesus. And I have made you joint heirs with Him for He has made you My children but by His blood He has made you His bloodline as a King and a Priest.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10.
And they are singing a new song about this in Heaven before My throne.
And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10.
At the time Peter wrote and John wrote about your royal priesthood, the only priesthood they knew and were referring to was that which I had established under the Old Covenant under which they had grown up and which were the only Scriptures at that time. So, we must look back to the Old Covenant to see why I wanted to make us all My priests in Christ and what the service of the priest was unto Me. For the Old Covenant is a shadow of the good things to come, the substance is Christ. Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 10:1. Luke 24:27.
Even before I gave the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, when I had just redeemed My people out of Egypt to be My own, I revealed the desire of My heart that all My people be priests unto Me.
“Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own special treasure among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Exodus 19:5.
Because of the people’s sin of turning away from My voice and worshipping an idol (the golden calf) in the desert when I brought them out of Egypt and spoke to them from Mt. Sinai, I chose only one tribe of the twelve tribes of Israel that was loyal to Me in that incident to be My priests to minister unto Me for themselves and the people. And that tribe was the descendants of Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah.
And the name “Levi” in Hebrew means “attached.” They were attached to Me as My priests and Levites. Aaron and Moses were both members of that tribe.
In Christ, the desire of My heart has come to pass, for by His Blood, My Son has released you from your sins and made you a people set apart, priests unto Me, your Father, My own special treasure. Revelation 1:5-6. By redeeming you, sanctifying you, and making you righteous, Christ has fulfilled My dream.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation. Psalm 33:11.
And what is your work as priests unto Me? In the Old Covenant you will find the physical representation of what you are to do in the spiritual, for your duties as priests are the spiritual fulfillment of the physical, for the physical comes first and then the spiritual.
However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. 1 Corinthians 15:46-49.
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18.
The Levitical priesthood had two main categories of service unto Me. They were to minister unto the people and the nation by offering sacrifices to atone by the blood of lambs, goats and bulls for the people’s and the nation’s sins so that they would be forgiven of their sins and saved from My judgment and just wrath and to heal and cleanse them (Book of Leviticus; Ezra 6:20), by interceding for them before Me, by blessing them so they could not be cursed (Numbers 6:24-26; Numbers 23:8; Numbers 23:20), by consulting Me and learning My plans for the nation so they could direct the governing officials accordingly (Numbers 27:21; Deuteronomy 33:8; Ezra 2:63), and by instructing all in My Word (2 Chronicles 22:9, Deuteronomy 33:8-10).
They also had the ministry of praise and worship that kept the people and nation in perfect protection. They ministered unto Me by playing musical instruments and singing before Me in My house, making melody at all times before Me (1 Chronicles 25) and to take care of the things of My house (incense, keep the lamps of the golden lampstand burning, showbread, utensils, upkeep, vestments) (Numbers 4:16, Deuteronomy 33:8-10;1 Samuel 2:28).
“The Levites attend to their work. Every morning and evening they burn to the LORD burnt offerings and fragrant incense, and the showbread is set on the clean table, and the golden lampstand with its lamps is ready to light every evening.” 2 Chronicles 13:10-11.
The priests were a consecrated, holy people living apart (Joshua 21:41) and belonging to Me and I was their portion, I provided for all their needs and more (Deuteronomy 10:9; Numbers 18). And where they lived were cities of refuge, of asylum, where one who committed an unintentional murder could find refuge from the avenger of blood. Numbers 35:6-32.
So what are you to do as a royal priesthood? The same plan as of Old taken to a new dimension in the Spirit—offer the Lamb in prayer and sprinkle His blood on the people and the altar in the Spirit.
You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5.
Bless the people and yourself.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Romans 12:14.
Make melody unto Me.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16.
Light the lamp and trim its wicks to increase the light. And teach the people the Word, which is a light to your path and a lamp to your feet.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16.
Pray without ceasing.
Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the holy ones on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the holy ones, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. Revelation 8: 3-4.
Seek the Kingdom first and His righteousness and all will be added.
And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19.
You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to Me through Jesus Christ. You are to intercede before Me for souls. I myself provided the Lamb.
Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the Lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together. Genesis 22:8.
The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29.
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” Revelation 5:12.
And they overcame him (that great dragon, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, Revelation 12:9) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony. Revelation 12:11.
There is only one way to fight evil and win every time: the Blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony. You are not fighting your loved ones, your enemies and your neighbors, you are fighting the one who has blinded their eyes and ensnared them. Know the real enemy and how to fight and then you can win every time.
Are you performing your vocation as a kingdom of priests? And if you recall besides offering the sacrifices for themselves, the people and the nation, they were the ones who played the trumpets, cymbals, tambourines, timbrels, lyres, harps and stringed instruments before the LORD in songs of praise and thanksgiving. 1 Chronicles 25. As you come to offer the Blood and the spiritual sacrifices, sing your prayers and songs of praise and enthrone Me in your heart. Make melody in your heart with spiritual songs—songs of the Spirit, new songs that well up in your heart as you pray.
I love you. You are a holy nation, a royal priesthood, a people set apart that I have called out of darkness into My own marvelous light. Beautiful indeed is your inheritance, for I am your inheritance and everything is Mine. I made you My heirs in Jesus, joint heirs with Him. And when He died, you died with Him, and when I raised Him, I raised you and sat you with Me on My throne in Heaven. I love holding you close and sharing all I am with you. Draw near with no fear and sing under the shelter of My wings. I am the LORD of Hosts. I always have you covered. And that is your inheritance, everything covered from redemption to healing to prosperity to glory and all paid for and taken care of in advance.