"And hath made us kings and priests unto God" (Revelation 1:6). Or, more literally, "hath made us a kingdom of priests unto God."
A priest of the Old Testament had a two-fold ministry. First of all, he represented the people before God. While doing this, he wore a breastplate with twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel. His second function was to represent God to the people. He was the go-between for the people and God.
Jesus is our great high priest who has come down to the earth and represented God to us and has now entered into heaven for us. There He is representing us before the Father (Hebrews 4:14).
In the kingdom age we will be a kingdom of priests, going before Christ for the people and representing Christ to the people. "To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Revelation 1:6).
Jesus Christ will be coming back to the earth very soon to establish the Kingdom of God. The age of man is almost over. The world is being destroyed by man. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened (Matthew 24:22).
We're living in those days that are now being shortened. God is doing a quick work in these days. We're coming to the end of the age and Jesus will soon be returning.
When He returns we'll be returning with Him. "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints" (Jude 14). "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory" (Colossians 3:4).
He will be coming in clouds with great glory to establish the Kingdom of God, and we will be reigning with Him for one thousand years upon the earth. The Bible speaks of a yearly convocation when we shall gather in Jerusalem to bring the offerings and the glories of the nations unto Him (Zechariah 14:16). The Scripture doesn't specify the nature of our reign or what it will be like, but it's going to be great!
"Behold, he cometh with clouds" (Revelation 1:7). There are many places where the coming of Jesus Christ is mentioned as coming in clouds. "And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30). Daniel prophesied, "One like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days" (Daniel 7:13). When Jesus was with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, He ascended into heaven and a cloud received Him.
The angels (the two men in white apparel) said,
Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which
is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen
him go into heaven (Acts 1:1).
is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen
him go into heaven (Acts 1:1).
"Behold, he cometh with clouds." This could be the clouds of saints, the great cloud of witnesses, with which Jesus shall return. "And every eye shall see him" (Revelation 1:7).
When God comes again, it's not going to be a secret coming.
It won't be in some secret chamber and revealed only to a specified, elect few. The whole world is
going to know when He returns.
"And every eye shall see him." This surely refutes the theory that the coming of Jesus Christ was a secret event in 1848, 1878,1917,1918, or one of the many dates that people have given for His coming. When you confront them, quoting "Every eye shall see him," they say that Jesus came in a secret chamber, and only the real initiated knew that He came.
But Jesus said, "If they shall say unto you... Behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not" (Matthew 24:26). "Every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him," that is, the Jewish people (Revelation 1:7).
Zechariah also prophesied this coming again of Jesus Christ. He said the Jews will say unto Him, What are these wounds in your hands?" (Zechariah 13:6). Zechariah said, "And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him" (Zechariah 12:10).
The Jews will weep over the fact that they failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. They will actually bewail and mourn the spiritual blindness that had gripped their nation in the time of Christ and is gripping their nation even now.
"They also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him"
- (Revelation 1:7).
Zechariah describes the bewailing as a woman travailing for her only son who had died (Zechariah 12:10). The Jews will weep and cry over their national blindness.
