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# The Royal Priesthood: The High Calling of each Christian

> 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a Royal Priesthood for God's own possession.

> Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, Holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

## Now that we are Christians and in a relationship with God there is still the question of how do we as people approach and interacted with the Holy God?

## List of Topics

  Introduction
  The Priesthood
  The Offering
  The Altar
  The Fire & The Wood
  The Sacrifice
  Old Testament Levitical Priesthood Review
  New Testament Royal Priesthood Review

## Additional Topics

  The Royal Kingdom of Jesus
  The Royal Prophet Jesus

## Introduction

### In the Old Testament there are three groups of people who knowingly interact with God these three distinct groups are the Priests, the Prophets, and the Citizens of God's Kingly Rule and Authority.

- The office of Priest is interaction with God in the act of man offering to God.

- The office of Prophet is interaction with God in the act of man receiving from God.

- The office and position of Citizen or Subject of the King is interaction with God, the Eternal King, in the act of man having placed his life under the Authority and Rule of God the True King.

### Are these just Old Testament Practices or do these offices still have merit for us today in the New Testament Church?

And if so, how do they work?

List of Topics

## The Priesthood

> 1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a Spiritual House, a Holy Priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

The main difference between the Levitical Priesthood of the Old Testament and the Royal Priesthood of the New Testament is that the Levitical Priesthood is physical in nature while the Royal Priesthood is Spiritual in nature otherwise the two priesthoods are nearly identical in that the physical sacrifices the Levitical Priests offered up to God are actually models and types of the Spiritual sacrifices that we now offer up to God.

> Hebrews 8:4-6 For if He (Jesus) were on earth, He should not be a Priest, seeing that there are priests (Levitical) that offer gifts according to the Law: Who (Levitical Priests) serve unto the Example and Shadow of Heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the Tabernacle: for, See, saith He (God), that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount. But now hath He (Jesus) obtained [after the Resurrection] a more excellent (than the Levitical) Ministry, by how much also He is the Mediator of a Better (New) Covenant, which was established upon better (blood of Jesus and the Resurrection of Jesus) promises.

Jesus instructed that the entire teaching of the Old Testament Law and of the Prophets is not physical but is Spiritual to direct mankind into a relationship of loving God and of loving your fellow neighbor.

> Matthew 22:36-40 Master, which is the great commandment in the Law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt Love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

### This is now fulfilled in the Royal Law of the New Testament's Royal Priesthood.

> James 2:8 If ye fulfill the Royal Law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well:

> 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a Royal Priesthood for God's own possession.

Both Priesthoods require a High Priest and for the Royal Priesthood it is Jesus that is the High Priest as Jesus occupies All three offices of King, Priest and Prophet and therefore His Priesthood derives the name of "Royal" Kingly Priesthood.

> Hebrews 9:11,12 But Christ being come a High Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once [to stay] into the Holy Place, having obtained Eternal Redemption for us.

### Let's look at the significance of the Old Testament Priesthood to help determine our part in God's Royal Spiritual Priesthood.

List of Topics

## First is the Offering

Without the desire of man to give an offering to God there would be no need for the priesthood and without the desire of God to receive from man there would also be no need for the Priesthood. Therefore it becomes crucial that the Royal Priest does offer things up to God and like the Levitical Priest to offer up Only those things that are pleasing and acceptable to God. Only those things that God has designated as acceptable for Himself can be offered up to God.

> Genesis 4:3-5 And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

### The Bible gives several instructions into what is an acceptable offering to God here are a few.

> 1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

> Hebrews 16:15-16 By Him (Jesus) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But do good to communicate forget not : for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

> Romans 12:1 I urge you brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

> Mark 9:49-50 For everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good but if the salt have lost his saltines, wherewith will ye season it with? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

List of Topics

## Then there is the Altar, made of Stone, to place the offering on

An altar needs to be built upon which the sacrifices are to be offered. God would name the location that the stone altar was to be placed at. For the Levite, only an altar with a base of stones was acceptable to God. The stones had to be natural stones, man could not chisel or shape the stones into man's desires, in fact for man, any man, to modify what God has already done in shaping of each stone is to actually "profane it. Exodus 20:25 And if thou wilt make Me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn (carved) stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

The Church individual likewise builds each altar out of stone, our stones are not the physical stones of this world but our stones are the Spiritual rock of Jesus Christ. We build our stone altar one stone or experience with Jesus at a time.

For instance as we know and perceive Jesus each instance is a stone in our Priestly altar of worship to God.

Example:

- I do know that Jesus loves me, that knowledge or experience is the placing of a Spiritual stone into the altar of our sacrifice in this case a stone of love is placed into our altar.

- Likewise, I know that Jesus personally sacrificed His life for me on the cross, that I can live and be reunite to Him, there is another altar stone.

- I remember when Jesus took my hand and comforted me through some circumstances and tragedy, again more personal altar stones.

- I remember the sunset and praying to God and Jesus seemed so near that I felt His presence, altar stone.

- I remember reading the Bible and a verse that made almost no sense to me then God showed me His wisdom and the meaning became perfectly clear, altar stone.

- I remember witnessing to a person who so desperately needed Jesus and that person responded to Jesus, I know I had nothing to do with it and seeing the look of joy and relief on their face as they accepted Jesus reminded me of God's love and grace in my own life, altar stone.

### As we go through life we build an altar, made of stone, made from encounters with the living stone Himself Jesus, our altar is an Eternal memorial built of everlasting stone from the Eternal Rock Himself forever memorializing our interaction with the Holy Almighty God.

> Acts 10:2-4 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy Prayers and thine Alms are come up for a Memorial before God.

List of Topics

## Fire and the Wood placed in order upon the Altar

Next comes the fire, in Leviticus 1:7 the Levitical Priest is commanded that "the Priest shall put the fire upon the altar", only a fire that had been kindled (started) by God could be used on an altar for God. The fire is to be kept continually burning, the fire is not allowed to burn out.

### Wood is to be used as the fuel for the fire and the wood itself is to be placed "in order" upon the fire.

For the Church our fire also comes from God, as it is God that supplies the fire in the form of the "Baptism of fire" by Jesus. Matthew 3:11 He (Jesus) shall Baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with Fire: Where the Levite could only offer up a sacrifice on a fire that God had kindled in order for it to be an acceptable offering likewise the Spiritual priesthood can now only offer up a sacrifice on the fire that God has kindled Himself for us.

Nahab and Adab Levitical priests Leviticus 10:1-11 offered strange fire, their own circumstances, to burn God's incense with. In other words they supplied their own fire and this is an unacceptable form of worship to God and it cost Nahab & Adab their lives. We likewise can only worship God in His prescribed manner. A similar event occurs in the New Testament Acts 5:1-11 when two Christians, Ananias and Sapharia, each offer up strange fire upon their own alters to God when the incense that they each offered to the Holy Spirit is a lie and just like Nahab and Adab; Anais and Sapharia paid for their "Strange Fire" with their own lives.

The fire is the circumstances in our life, we do not create our own fire - trials. For example if we went into the desert and lived like hermits and we crawled into town on our knees half starved, whipping our backs until we bleed, some people might think wow what a sacrifice this devoted, religious person is giving to God. But God is saying it is all for noting and God does not recognize it, as it is Strange Fire, it came from man's intentions and not God's. But then that person who is hanging in there and sticking it out with the circumstances of their life where God has kindled the fire for example at their job they are loving those that persecute them and they are walking moment by moment and day by day with God, some people would say that they are not doing much for God yet God says that "He is well pleased with that offering" and service of sacrifice.

### The wood for the Church is also unique and very important.

The wood is arranged or put in order by the Priest for the very important reason that the fire is not to go out, the fire is to burn, to burn hot, and to consume the sacrifice. Let's look at the wood, many people may not know about this important part of the sacrifice to God. Wood often represents the abilities and works of man, man's accomplishments apart from God, man's failures. The classic example of this is that Jesus was crucified on a Wooden Cross the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus is a work of man and not a work of God as this is symbolized in the Wooden Cross. It seems strange that even our best efforts are unacceptable to God. The Bible Isaiah 64:6 says that the best man has to offer God, is "as filthy rags." Since man has nothing to offer to God, apart from God, it is important to learn how to approach and to offer to God in the way that is acceptable to God and part of that way is in the Royal Priesthood of God by building an altar and offering to God in a way that is pleasing to God.

Wood represents our abilities and our achievements apart from God. As we look back in our lives we can see a lot of dead wood, things that went wrong in our life. As we arrange the dead wood of our accomplishments on the altar of Jesus, we do it in a way that the fire does not burn out. This is part of our "on fire Christian walk" and the end result should make us even more on fire for Jesus as we have removed and freed ourselves from the deadwood baggage that is interfering with our lives. This part is the very important consuming fire of God, consuming our hurts pains, shame and failures, and this is not to be skipped and remember the wood is to be placed "In Order" it is the order that God is choosing to work in our lives and not the order that other people notice we need to improve on.

### People often tell us when we are hurting to "Just Give it to God" or to "lay it on the altar" this is the very important way of giving life's hurts and pains to God and the tribulation Fire of Baptism is what we use to burn and to consume the wooden issues of our life with and to reveal and prove the gold, silver and gems of our life.

Example:

- A person says to themselves "I have never had many friends, I'm always hurt by people and now I no longer trust people."

In a sense this person is saying that they no longer trust God with the circumstances in their life as God is the one who allows tribulation into our life. Their thought may be valid or at least seem valid, as everyone has been hurt numerous times. However here is the Christian difference as Christians we no longer need a life of validation from others. We do not need to be accepted by others who do not understand us to have our lives become validated. We now live a supernatural life, a free life, a life with God Himself and when God validates our life and our existence it becomes unnecessary for man to then validate it.

God takes us and with His Baptism of Fire He consumes the pain and frees us to walk above our circumstances. Perhaps in this case the fire is revealed in continuing interaction with other people, maybe unfriendly people, this is the Baptism of Fire, it is burning hot, the issue of dealing with people is present and foremost in the person's mind. Hopefully the dead wood of our past rejections is beginning to catch on fire and begins to burn up and to be consumed by God's consuming fire, as now we are interacting with people in the premise of God's love for us and not in the concepts that others have of us or that we have of ourselves.

We can assist and speed up this process with the Truth of the Bible, by receiving the oxygen of the Holy Spirit breathing on the fire that consumes the wood in God's cleansing purifying fire. It works like this, as we approach people we have read and hidden [memorized] God's word in our heart, and someone tells us "we are a mess," we don't fall apart, we pray to God ask Him for "help" we consider the scriptures and find comfort in them, we do this moment by moment and day by day as these big chunks of dead wood in our life are being consumed and turned into ashes and taken away by God's all consuming fire.

A word of caution, don't jump off of the altar and try to avoid God's fire stay in there and let those logs begin to burn down to ashes. As we do this and begin to remove the dead obstacles from our life we will begin to see ourselves as God sees us, He loves us! When we know that God is on our side we no longer care what people think about us, and then an interesting thing happens as the dead wood is burned up, we are freed up, free to be ourselves and free to get along better with other people, and then when we are freed up people usually are not so hard on us and if they are who cares, we have Jesus, and we can just let more of our cumbersome wood burn as we are being drawn into a closer, freeing and more intimate relationship with Jesus and with others.

### God is removing the dead wood in our life for the very important reason that it stands between Him and us in a relationship and between us and others in a relationship. Remember the Royal Law is to Love God and to love man. God is consuming these issues in our life to draw us even closer to Him, and that is wonderful!

It is important that the wood is arranged "in order" on the fire and that means to let God choose the order for each issue that He is going to burn up. For instance someone is struggling with drinking and can't quit drinking, it is obvious and apparent to everyone, so everyone prays for his drinking problem and everyone addresses it, that may not be the log that God is working on, maybe God is working on restoring that persons relationship with their parents or with their children. What God wants is the person to go visit the relative, then with this issue out of the way the drinking is more easily resolved. So yield to God, any inkling that comes from seeking God and that is in line with who God is according to the Bible, probably is from God, so start to act on it in small prayerful steps and let God lead.

List of Topics

## The Sacrifice

Continuing with the sacrifice, God chooses the place and the material of the altar and God has also prescribed the sacrifices. All of the sacrifices and offerings are things that Represent or have something in common with Jesus. The offerings of the Old Testament are an Oxen, cow, sheep, goat, dove or of grain - bread, and wine as each of these items represent Jesus. The oxen, cow, sheep etc. are each valuable items all of them are friendly types of animals and each is very helpful and is needed by man likewise the grain and wine sustain and fulfill man's appetite. Likewise an offering that does not depict Jesus would not be requested by God nor would it be accepted by God. For instance if a dangerous animal like a snake or a crocodile or even a boastful animal like a horse or an elephant were offered up to God it is not an acceptable sacrifice as these items do not accurately represent Jesus. In killing a dangerous snake it might be beneficial to man but it is not a sacrifice to God as the sacrifices of God are designed to bring us into a closer relationship with God through the instruction that the Ultimate Sacrifice that we are in need of is the sacrifice of God becoming a human and sacrificing Himself for us on the Cross so that we can live.

### Items are sacrificed representing both Heaven (birds) and the Earth (animals - grains) as God is the God of both the Heaven and of the Earth.

Interestingly with the bull or flesh offering only the legs and insides are cleaned this seams odd but remember this is an example for us in our own Christian walk so it is our legs/walk that God wants clean and God wants us clean on the inside not as an outside show of togetherness for the world. We are to be clean on the inside the "inside of the cup" as it is. The oxen is to be placed on the fire, placed with the body parts in order and next to, submitted to, the head.

For the Church, Jesus is our head. Service apart from the submission to Jesus is not a pleasing acceptable sacrifice to God. Our offer of service is to be submissive to Jesus and to be placed in the proper order of the body and functioning according to the gifting that has been given to us by the Holy Spirit.

Example:

- If we do not desire to join the choir then we shouldn't join it. If we do desire to offer up songs to please God and people then we should join. The quality of our voice really has nothing to do with our service as God is thrilled to hear us sing and praise Him regardless of how we sound to others. The choir isn't the only way to serve God, there are many, many, seen and unseen functions that go on at Church every day.

- In the letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Philippi he said that if he were to be offered upon the Sacrifice and Service of their faith that he would Rejoice for it and that they should Rejoice with him in his and their offering of sacrifice and service as it is given to God.

- Paul also wrote that we offer our money as an acceptable offering and sacrifice and that the very words we speak are an offering to God.

Included with the oxen that was to be sacrificed the fat is also to be burned and offered on the altar. Fat represents worry, and we are never to worry, we are to give our concerns and worries to God, He is able to take care of us. We are to give all of the fat to be burned. Oh how we love to chew the fat of worry, but the Bible says that fat covers our heart and makes us weak. How great it is to have a God that is so loving and caring that He takes our problems and worries for us. Just consider that at the end of our physical life here on earth we Continue into Spiritual life in the presence of Jesus. With that one fact in mind, we should realize that we really do spend too much time worrying about trivial issues here on earth.

List of Topics

## The resulting Ashes are taken away and Renewal is given in Return

After our offering has gone up to God and our wood has been consumed in God's fire, a wonderful thing happens.

God does a most remarkable thing, the prophet Isaiah tell us, that God then takes our ashes and returns beauty for ashes. What was pain and suffering in our life has now become the beauty of God in our life.

> Isaiah 61:3 .. to give unto them Beauty for Ashes, the Oil of Joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD that He might be Glorified.

### It is an amazing thing to come from the Fires and Trials of Life and it is an even more amazing thing to have Triumphed and Grown from them.

Remember only a Christian with the Born Again Spirit of Jesus is a Priest and only a Priest can offer up to God, prayers, praise, sacrifice, and or problems and requests and only a Christian can receive the renewed strength, freedom and life from God.

List of Topics

## Old Testament Levitical Priesthood Review

In the Old Testament all of the Priests were from one family the family of Levi. God had chosen the family or tribe of Levi to be His Priests. God had just delivered the entire nation of Israel from the slavery of Egypt the deliverance was a promise to Abraham from God. The Jews, Jacobs' family (Abraham's Grandson) got themselves into slavery when Joseph (Abraham's great grandson) was sold as a slave into Egypt and the rest of the family came down to Egypt to receive the life sustaining food.

God had previously told Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to remain in the promised land of Canaan but with Joseph missing God used the famine to reunite the family. The Egyptian ruler Pharaoh found the Jews to be knowledgeable and useful and did not want them to leave Egypt, and then a later Pharaoh made the Jews slaves and kept them as captives.

God knew that all of this was going to happen so 430 years earlier God told Abraham Genesis 15:13 And God said to Abram "know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed 400 years " But I (God) will also judge the nation whom they will serve; and afterward they will come out"

God Delivered the Hebrews from Egypt with miraculous powers of signs and wonders in the plagues and finally in the death of all the firstborn sons of Egypt and later in the parting of the Red Sea. Remember though that with all of the Miraculous Signs and Plagues, Pharaoh still would not free the slaves it took the death of the firstborn son's to give freedom to the slaves and likewise it is that way with us as neither Death, Sin nor Satan are willing to give us our freedom. It took the death of God's firstborn Son (Jesus) in order to free us from the bondage of this world.

### All of the people that God saves from death then become His people.

God saved the Jews from Egypt and they became His People (Egypt represents the world) God has also saved us from the world so we are also now his people.

Next God set aside the people that God had saved from the firstborn death to be His priests. In the Old Testament this happened to be all of the firstborn males from all the tribes of the Hebrews. Where all the firstborn males from the Egyptians died the firstborn Hebrews that kept the Passover and had the covering of blood lived. All of the firstborn surviving Hebrews were then designated to be priests to God. God then transferred or substituted this priestly duty from all of the firstborn of Israel to the tribe of Levi. The tribe of Levi had 22,000 men so God took them for priests while the remaining tribes had 22,700 firstborn males that death had passed over. The 700 extra firstborn were then redeemed (purchased back to their tribes) with 5 shekels of silver each.

It is then from this physical Tribe - Family of Levi that the Levitical Priesthood derives its priests and also its name. Levi is the third son born of the Jewish Patriarch Jacob and the name Levi means "to be joined to" as in joining into a committed, loving, and caring relationship.

List of Topics

## New Testament Royal Priesthood Review

For the New Testament believer with Jesus in us we have actually become a priesthood in ourselves, we are not the High Priest, there is only one High Priest and that is Jesus exclusively nor do we go to a human priest in order to gain access to God, instead each of us goes to Jesus who is God. Jesus is the Truth the Life and the Way, no one goes to the Father except through Jesus. Jesus has cleared the way for us to God, as symbolized Matthew 27:51 by the veil in the temple being torn from top to bottom exactly at the time of the death of Jesus on the cross. The veil in the temple was a separator to keep sinful man away from the Holy God. The tearing signified that the way to God, through Jesus on the cross, is now open and that God is now accessible to all mankind whoever chooses to enter into a relationship with God through the Cross of Jesus.

Jesus has made the way open for us, as death (separation from God) has now passed us over, just like the first Passover in Egypt and we are now each a priest, alive to interact with and to serve God. In the Bibles' Old Testament, God had a specific group of people that God had chosen and set apart to be priests to Him. A priest is a person who offers up to God sacrifices and gifts on behalf of man. The opposite of a priest is a prophet who receives from God; words, visions, dreams etc. and passes the information on to man.

In this very same way that death has passed each Christian over, by the blood of Jesus the firstborn of God. Now God has chosen each and every one of us to be a Priest to Him and in our case there is no substitution, like there was to form the Levitical Priesthood, so we are each our own priest officiating at our very own altar, from ourselves and unto God. Where the Levite or Levitical Priesthood offered up physical sacrifices and gifts our Priesthood is Spiritual. We are not the Levitical Priesthood we are the Royal Priesthood, offering Spiritual sacrifices and gifts while keeping the Royal law. The Levitical Priesthood encompassed the Old Testament physical offerings along with the Old Testament Law of the (613 commandments) and the 10 Commandments while these are now summed up and completed in Royal Priesthood and the New Royal Law to Love God and to Love our neighbor.

### Royalty and Priesthood, high words coming from the High Calling of God that each one of us has on our own Life. God has given us Life and an Opportunity to Live it. Live it well and Enjoy it!

> Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus.

We have a part in the Royal Priesthood, our High Priest Jesus is also The High King, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. Jesus as both a King and the High Priest is the Royal Priest and because He is inside of us we are His possession, His brethren and we are therefore both Royalty and a Priest, the "Royal Priesthood" spoken of by James in the New Testament Epistle of James.

List of Topics

## The Royal Kingdom of Jesus

> Psalms 74:12 For God is my King of old, working Salvation in the midst of the earth.

> 1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

There are many examples and Proverbs written throughout the Bible instructing us how to relate to and teaching us how to interact with the earthly kings of this world and the Bible's information regarding reverence for earthly kings does translate into knowledge about how to reverence and interact with God the Eternal King.

### Following are some Scriptures Establishing that Jesus is indeed the Immortal King of Glory.

> Psalms 24:10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD (Yahweh) of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

> Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

> Matthew 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

> John 18:36-36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto Him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

### The Old Testament Book of Ester is a great source of information regarding how to approach the King so let's look into Ester's knowledge for helping to establish a relationship with the King.

> Esther 4:11 All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden scepter, that he may live:

### There are a couple of very important lessons to be learned here.

1. Only those who enter into the King's presence by following the King's instructions are permitted to live and to retain their life. To enter into the presence of the King uninvited or not in accordance with the King's instructions is to enter in as an Enemy of the King and therefore as an enemy to be instantly commanded to depart the presence of the King and to be put to death.

> Matthew 7:23 And then will I (King Jesus) profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

> Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

2. Only those who are Called/Invited into the presence of the King may come to the King. To come into the presence of the King uninvited or unannounced is to invite your own death. Fortunately King Jesus has Invited/Called every person into His presence.

> Romans 1:6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

> 2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

> John 12:32 And I (Jesus), if I be lifted up from the earth (Cross & Resurrection), will draw (Call) all men unto me.

3. Perhaps most important of all in entering the presence of the King is to acknowledge His Stature and Position as the king and to be submitted to the King's authority, govern and rule. This position of respect and acknowledgment is accomplished by the visitor by touching the outstretched scepter of the King. Without a doubt the scepter of Jesus is the Cross of Jesus. Jesus holds out His scepter to us all and we can only approach King Jesus by touching His Cross in recognition that by the Victory of His Cross Jesus has regained the Kingdom and He therefore rightfully reigns and rules as King.

> Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

> Revelation 5:9-10 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain (Cross), and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Ester's life is in grave danger and she desperately needs a favor of the King yet she does not let the pending predicament get in the way of Fellowship with the King and it is through the Fellowship and the Relationship with the King that Easter the King's wife is delivered from her problems.

> Esther 5:1-9 Now it came to pass on the third day {A Type of the Resurrection Day}, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house. And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favor in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter {A Type of the Cross} that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the scepter. Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom. And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him. Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther hath said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine {A Type of the Holy Spirit}, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is; If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do tomorrow as the king hath said.

Throughout all of history getting to know a king or any ruler or even getting a glimpse of one is a rare event. Yet the King of all creation, the King of Glory, God Himself, has made Himself available for a personal, intimate, undivided relationship with any human. A relationship lasting throughout all eternity, a relationship and an opportunity that cannot be passed up!

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## The Royal Prophet Jesus

### Here are some Scriptures Establishing that Jesus is also the (that) Prophet. The promised one of God who would lead the people into the Eternal Promise Land of Heaven.

> Exodus 23:20 Behold, I (God) send an Angel (Messenger), {This is Jesus, prior to His physical virgin birth Jesus at times interacted with humans as a Messenger.} before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place (Promise Land) {A Type of Heaven} which I have prepared. Beware of Him, and obey His voice, provoke Him not; for He will not pardon your transgressions: for My name is in Him.

> Deuteronomy 13:4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and ye shall serve Him, and cleave unto Him.

> John 6:14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

### The Jewish leaders and indeed all of the nation of Israel were expecting, hoping and looking for the long Promised Prophet who was to come and to Instruct them and to lead them into the Eternal Promise Land of Heaven.

John the Baptist was questioned to determine if he was that prophet.

> John 1:21 And they (rulers of Israel) asked him (John the Baptist), What then? Art thou Elias (Elijah)? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

> John 1:25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

### As That prophet Jesus has much to say to us and it is up to us to Hear and to Obey the Life giving words of the Prophet Jesus.

> John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me:

> John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

> John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.

As that Prophet, Jesus, has made it clear to us that there is a Heaven and that He is the way into heaven. We as humans, apart from Jesus do not even specifically know how to get into heaven, we don't even exactly know where Heaven is, although it is very likely right in our midst even very close yet we cannot see it or touch it because heaven is in a different realm or dimension than what we physically live in. We really do need Jesus to take us into Heaven and fortunately Jesus does just that! Jesus is the Only way into Heaven but then you only need one way into Heaven and fortunately He is the well established and perfected way. Jesus has been guiding people from every generation since Adam and Eve into heaven and He is certainly capable of bringing each one of us safely into Heaven. Jesus is the sure way, the sure foundation, the Trusted corner stone. In Jesus our destination into heaven is assured, it is complete, and it is Guaranteed!

## See you in Heaven!

God Bless you,
David Anson Brown

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For More Information Contact:
DavidAnsonBrown@Hotmail.com
Or Visit www.BasicChristian.org

Excerpt from: Basic Christian: Maturity

By David Anson Brown

The Basic Christian Series:
Basic Christian: Theology - Available
Basic Christian: Maturity - Coming Soon
Basic Christian: End Times - Coming Soon

© Copyright 2001-2017 David Anson Brown, all rights reserved

#### Printed in the United States of America
ISBN - Pending
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: Pending

Source: www.BasicChristian.info

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