CONTENTS
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Christ, during this present age or dispensation, is a priest upon his Father's throne: but the time will come when He will sit upon his own throne--that to which He is heir, viz., David's throne. "I have sworn unto David, my servant, thy seed will I establish forever, and build up thy throne to all generations." - Ps 89:3,4. "Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me: it shall be established forever," etc.- Verses 35-37. But this throne has been "overturned" for more than two thousand years; yet God's oath secures its re-establishment to Him "whose right it is viz., David's Son, Jesus the Messiah. Eze 21:27. This throne is Jesus' own throne; and, when re-established, is perpetual and eternal. That throne is upon this earth, for David never had a throne in heaven, nor is what some people call "the new earth" -meaning a literal new earth, formed after this earth has been dissolved by fire. If such an earth ever exists, David's throne never did exist there, and never will, unless it is removed from the scene of David's rule. But be that as it may, David's throne is secured to an heir, which all admit is Jesus the Christ.
The question then arises, Will he exercise the office of his priesthood on his own throne? Let JEHOVAH himself answer: "Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and He shall be a priest upon his throne." etc. - Zec 6:12,13.
We do not care whether the temple here spoken of is the literal or spiritual temple. If it is the spiritual, then we must look beyond this age for its completion, when all the materials are collected by a resurrection from the dead; and His sitting and ruling upon His throne is when the temple is completed; "and He shall be a priest upon his throne:" hence his priesthood continues into the age following the present, or the --kingdom of God-- age. The next age is the kingdom of God, which is to follow the present "wild beast" governments. Then will David's throne be re-occupied by its rightful heir, and his priesthood continues; "for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it."
Then, and not till then, if ever, will a mediatorial kingdom be established. God offered to ancient Israel to make "a kingdom of priests" (see Ex 19:5,6), if they would obey His voice. But they did not: and that kingdom came not into their hands, but God visited the "Gentiles, to take out of them a people," ( Ac 15:14), which Peter characterizes as "a royal priesthood." These are being trained, in this dispensation, to be rulers in "the kingdom of God," or dispensation to follow the present: for saith Jesus, "to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father on his throne." - Re 3:21. So, if a mediatorial kingdom is ever to be established it will be when the "royal priesthood" sit down with Christ on his throne, where he will still exercise the office of High Priest, and his brethren, honored with a place on his throne, will exercise the office of subordinate priests.
This order of things, like all other good things, the papists have attempted to forestall, by their human arrangements, by calling their mode of operations the "Mediatorial Kingdom;" (and Protestants have borrowed their phraseology), thus "making the words of God of none effect by their traditions;" displacing God's arrangements of the ages, or dispensations, to exalt themselves in this mortal state.
We have not designed to give more than an outline of this subject in this chapter. We trust we have said enough to set candid inquirers after truth to thinking. By prayerful thinking we shall "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and LIFE-GIVER, Jesus, the Anointed." - 2Pe 3:18. Let no one suppose they have come to know all the truth; for at present, "we know in part," said the Apostle to the Gentiles. The ancient Jews stumbled and fell at the doctrine, brought out by the Apostles, "that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel," { Eph 3:6}; it was "the mystery, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto the holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit." - Eph 3:3,5. Let us see to it that we do not, like the Jews, stumble and fall at the doctrine of the great blessings to come to the Gentiles (who have never yet had the gospel) when the dispensation of the kingdom of God is opened; which is now nigh at hand, and is "the age to come," when "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." - Isa 11:9 Ps 72:19 Hab 2:14
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The question then arises, Will he exercise the office of his priesthood on his own throne? Let JEHOVAH himself answer: "Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and He shall be a priest upon his throne." etc. - Zec 6:12,13.
We do not care whether the temple here spoken of is the literal or spiritual temple. If it is the spiritual, then we must look beyond this age for its completion, when all the materials are collected by a resurrection from the dead; and His sitting and ruling upon His throne is when the temple is completed; "and He shall be a priest upon his throne:" hence his priesthood continues into the age following the present, or the --kingdom of God-- age. The next age is the kingdom of God, which is to follow the present "wild beast" governments. Then will David's throne be re-occupied by its rightful heir, and his priesthood continues; "for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it."
Then, and not till then, if ever, will a mediatorial kingdom be established. God offered to ancient Israel to make "a kingdom of priests" (see Ex 19:5,6), if they would obey His voice. But they did not: and that kingdom came not into their hands, but God visited the "Gentiles, to take out of them a people," ( Ac 15:14), which Peter characterizes as "a royal priesthood." These are being trained, in this dispensation, to be rulers in "the kingdom of God," or dispensation to follow the present: for saith Jesus, "to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father on his throne." - Re 3:21. So, if a mediatorial kingdom is ever to be established it will be when the "royal priesthood" sit down with Christ on his throne, where he will still exercise the office of High Priest, and his brethren, honored with a place on his throne, will exercise the office of subordinate priests.
This order of things, like all other good things, the papists have attempted to forestall, by their human arrangements, by calling their mode of operations the "Mediatorial Kingdom;" (and Protestants have borrowed their phraseology), thus "making the words of God of none effect by their traditions;" displacing God's arrangements of the ages, or dispensations, to exalt themselves in this mortal state.
We have not designed to give more than an outline of this subject in this chapter. We trust we have said enough to set candid inquirers after truth to thinking. By prayerful thinking we shall "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and LIFE-GIVER, Jesus, the Anointed." - 2Pe 3:18. Let no one suppose they have come to know all the truth; for at present, "we know in part," said the Apostle to the Gentiles. The ancient Jews stumbled and fell at the doctrine, brought out by the Apostles, "that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel," { Eph 3:6}; it was "the mystery, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto the holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit." - Eph 3:3,5. Let us see to it that we do not, like the Jews, stumble and fall at the doctrine of the great blessings to come to the Gentiles (who have never yet had the gospel) when the dispensation of the kingdom of God is opened; which is now nigh at hand, and is "the age to come," when "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." - Isa 11:9 Ps 72:19 Hab 2:14
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