26. A Kingdom Of Royal Priests

Chapter 26 A Kingdom Of Royal Priests

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 says: “...do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? ....do you not know that we will judge angels?”

Apostle Paul’s statements in these verses may come as a surprise for some Christians. Is it possible that we Christians will be judging or ruling in God’s government during the Kingdom? It might be hard for you to believe, but it’s true, because God has said so in these verses and others as we shall see. Of course, the Lord Jesus will be the overall Judge and King (John 5:22), but he will designate believers to judge and rule over the earth along with him. This will bring great glory to the Lord Jesus who has planned this since the beginning of the earth. But it will also greatly humble Satan when he is imprisoned, and the humans that he tried to destroy will now be ruling over the earth that he once ruled. We’ll talk more about how this affects Satan later, but first let’s read about this new group of rulers who will judge and rule the earth with Christ. When Jesus was on the earth, he told the apostles that they would be helping him govern during the Millennium. He said that during the 1000-year Kingdom they would:

“....sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:30) This word “judging” is the same Greek word that we saw earlier in 1 Corinthians 6:2 above. So it doesn’t just mean judgments like those made in a courtroom, but it also means making decisions and governing and rulingas a king would—with authority. That is what Jesus was promising the disciples. And then later those disciples shared that promise with us as well. Let’s look at some more verses.

Believers Will Reign As Kings And Priests On The Earth

Revelation 5:9-10 says “…You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, andhave made us kings and priests to our God;Andwe shall reignon the earth.” (Revelation 1:6).(NKJV) In this verse, some translations say “kings and priests,” some say “kingdom and priests” or “kingdom of priests.” But no matter which way we interpret these verses, all of them say that “we shall reign on the earth,” which means to rule or reign as kings. But these are not normal kings. They are also priests. Royal priests. Kingly Priests. Okay, let’s talk about the kingship part first. It’s plain to see that this is a very high position of authority that Christ is giving us! Very high indeed! In fact, this position of authority is so unbelievable that Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, prayed specifically that God would help the Ephesians understand and grasp just how high this position “in Christ” was. It is a very high calling! And so it would be good for us to pray for understanding also.

Praying For Understanding Of Our Heavenly Position

We have read some of these verses before, but it’s good to read them again in relation to the Kingdom. Here’s what Paul prayed:

Ephesians 1:18 to Ephesians 2:6 says: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know thehope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritancein his holy people, and his incomparablygreat power for us who believe. That power is the sameas the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead andseated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every namethat is invoked, not only in the present age butalso in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feetand appointed him to behead over everythingFOR THE CHURCH...his body...

... you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ...deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ ...And Godraised us up with Christ and seated US with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus...”

Seated On A Heavenly Throne—Co-Heirs With Christ That is incredible, amazing grace! Even though we were lost sinners and spiritually “dead,” God’s grace made us spiritually alive when we believed in Christ. But he didn’t just erase our sin debt and stop there. No. He made us his own children, so we could share the blessings and privileges of his very own Son. Whatever belonged to Christ, he is sharing with us also, since we are IN CHRIST.

Romans 8:17 says: “Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ...”

We are co-heirs with Christ, so that means his inheritance becomes ours too. His Kingdom becomes our kingdom. The great power that raised up Jesus and seated him at the right hand of the Father has raised us up too—a power that is “above all rule and authority...” And the Bible says that he did it “for the church...his body...” He not only wanted to save us, but he also wanted us to share his throne, his power, and authority with us, so he did something very amazing. He “seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus!” That’s right! These verses in Ephesians show us that in God’s eyes we are already seated there with him on his throne at the right hand of the Father, because he sees us already “IN CHRIST!” WOW! Thank you Lord Jesus! In God’s eyes we are already seated with Christ in the heavenly realms, but he has also left us on this earth with some work to do for a short while, before Christ returns. And as long as we are in these earthly bodies, we still struggle along, waiting for the day when he returns for us and changes us completely. Our Bodies Need To Be Changed And Empowered In Order To Rule In The Kingdom

Romans 8:23 says that: “...we believers also groan...we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as His adopted children, including the new bodies He has promised us.”(NLT) At the rapture, believers will finally be united with Christ and given new bodies. Those who have died will be resurrected and we who are still alive will be completely changed (1 Corinthians 15:51-54; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). These brand-new resurrection bodies will be eternal and free of sin and the sin nature so that we will be able to govern in the Kingdom. In heaven, Christ will reward us for our ministry and prepare us for our new work in the kingdom. Then when the tribulation on earth is finished, Christ will bring us back to earth to live and rule for 1000 years with him. Christ will give authority and wisdom to the church and give us specific responsibilities of judging and ruling in the Kingdom. In Revelation 20:4-6 we see believers seated on thrones with Christ and helping him judge those still living on the earth. But here is something to consider: If rebellious unbelievers are judged and removed by Christ so they cannot enter the kingdom, then who will be left for the church to rule over? It looks like it will be those believers who live during the tribulation and are still alive when Christ returns (at the end of the tribulation). Those people will still be in their earthly bodies. Other believers who have died during the tribulation will be resurrected, and probably also the believers from the Old Testament will be resurrected at this time, and receive their rewards from God. Then all of us who have been resurrected and received new bodies will be like kings and priests under Christ during the 1000-year kingdom (Revelation 20:4-6) and we will be helping him with his government—the work of the kingdom. (Php 3:20-21; Revelation 20:4; Revelation 20:6; Daniel 7:9; Daniel 7:22; Daniel 7:27; 1 Corinthians 6:2; Luke 22:29-30; 2 Timothy 2:12)

Revelation 1:5-7 says: “…Jesus Christ, who is…therulerof the kings of the earth... To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, andhas made us to be a kingdom and prieststo serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him...” (also Revelation 19:6-16) Two Types Of Believers In The Kingdom The Bible teaches that only believers will be allowed to enter into the kingdom (Ephesians 5:5; 1 Corinthians 6:9). So it looks like there will be two types of believers in the kingdom under Christ—those with resurrected eternal bodies, and those with earthly bodies. Here’s a little graphic to illustrate this and show the type of government or kingdom authority that Christ will set up:

Who Are The Kings and Priests?

• Israelite believers from Old Testament times (they died and will rise again at Christ’s second coming.)

• Christians who are transformed or resurrected at the rapture.

• Tribulation believers who die and are then resurrected.

At the beginning of the kingdom, all these believers from Israel and the church and the tribulation who have received new resurrected bodies, will then help Jesus as kings and priests in his government. They will help govern over the other believers (from the tribulation) who have not received new resurrected bodies yet. Who Are The Believers From The Tribulation?

We know that many believers will die during the tribulation, but some will live through it. Those believers that don’t die during the tribulation will enter the kingdom with earthly bodies. Since they still have earthly bodies they will be able to marry and bear many children during the kingdom. God wants the earth to be filled with God-fearing people everywhere. So he will probably repeat the same blessing that he gave Adam and Eve and Noah long ago—He said:

“Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.” (Genesis 1:28; Genesis 9:1) Unbelievers Do Not Enter Kingdom

There will be two types of believers in the kingdom and Jesus will be the King over all. He will rule over every person in every country around the world (Is. 32:1-5; Revelation 19:15). And we believers will assist him with his kingdom government. But unbelievers from the tribulation period or those who have died before will not be allowed to enter the kingdom. They will not be resurrected until after the kingdom. They are reserved for the “second death” along with Satan.

Revelation 20:6 says: “Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.” A Kingdom Rule Was God’s Original Plan

Matthew 25:34 says: “Then the King will say ...’Come, ... take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for yousince the creation of the world.’ ” The Kingdom of Christ will be fulfilling God’s original plan for mankind—something that he intended since the creation of the world—that godly people would fill the earth and rule over it in submission to God’s will.

Matthew 6:10 says: “...yourkingdomcome,your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” This verse says that during the Kingdom, God’s will is going to be accomplished on earth just like it is being accomplished in heaven even now today and every day. Finally the earth will submit to the godly rule of the true King and his government of God-honoring Royal Priests. This is what God intended from the beginning of time, when he told Adam to “rule the earth” on his behalf.

------ A Kingdom Of Priests God Chose Israel To Be A Kingdom Of Priests

Long ago, after the time of Adam, the world continued to rebel against God’s rule, so God raised up Israel to become a nation of priests. As they prepared to inherit the land of Canaan, God gave them his law and entered into a covenant or agreement with them. He chose Israel to be his priests. Here’s what God said to them:

Exodus 19:5-6 says: “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, thenout of all nationsyou will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

Is. 61:6 says: “...you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God…”

God chose the nation of Israel to be his priests, and when they failed to obey God, then God assigned just the tribe of Levi to do the job (Exodus 32:29; Numbers 1:50-53). A priest is like a mediator, a “go-between” or a spokesman for God. Priests in those days were supposed to intercede on behalf of people and bring them close to God. Many people did not know how to read God’s word and did not have their own Bibles, so the priests taught them what God’s word said. They also made sin offerings on behalf of the people and prayed for those who wanted to come near to God. A New Family Of God’s Priests

God chose Israel and the Levites to be priests, but many of them were not good priests. They didn’t humble themselves under God and help the people. Instead they were proud and selfish and only thought about themselves. When Jesus was on earth, most of the priests refused to acknowledge him as their King and High Priest. They condemned him and he was nailed to a cross. They killed the very One that God had sent to help them. God allowed Israel to do this and used their stubbornness to open the door for the Gentiles to come into God’s family (Romans 11). And so the church began, and God has set the Israelites aside for a while. So now we Christians have become the new family of God’s priests.

1 Peter 2:9-10 says: “But you are a chosen people, aroyal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” The High Priest Has Also Changed The priesthood has also had another major change now because Christ has become our new mediator.

Hebrews 8:6 says: “But now Jesus, ourHigh Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for He is the One who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.” (NLT) 1 Timothy 2:5 says: “For there is one God andonemediatorbetween God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” The Bible tells us clearly that there is only onemediator now. That is Jesus. Jesus is our new mediator—our new High Priest. He did this by becoming the sin offering himself, and as the “Lamb of God,” he died for all of our sins. Jesus himself completely paid for our sin debt by offering his own blood as a sacrifice, so he removed the need for animal sacrifices that previous priests had offered. So Jesus became the perfect High Priest and mediator of all believers (Hebrews 9:15; Hebrews 12:24). He completely replaced the old priesthood (the Levites) and he is now our High Priest forever and always will be. His Spirit also now lives inside all of us believers, so we are all priests of Christ here on earth because Christ lives inside us and does his priestly work through us.

All Of Us Believers Are Priests Of Christ

Since Christ is in us, all believers are now priests in God’s eyes (1 Peter 2:9). So we ourselves can go close to God and pray to him. We don’t need another priest or mediator to speak on our behalf, because Christ lives right inside us (Hebrews 4:16; Hebrews 10:19-22)! And because of Christ’s death, there is no longer any need for the priests to make sacrifices. Jesus is our resident High Priest and he has also made us priests along with him.

Revelation 1:6 says: “...(Jesus) has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” But what about the temple—a house of worship for priests of the Lord Jesus?

1 Peter 2:5 says: “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” This verse reminds us that we are like living stones of God’s new temple. We don’t need to wait until the 1000-year Millennium to act as priests for Jesus. The Holy Spirit already dwells inside us now and has made us his temple, so even now we can function like priests and kings in his service. We need to thank God for this wonderful position he’s given us and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us so we can be good servants to help others come to Christ. We also need to pray and intercede for others, just like Christ, our High Priest, prays for us.

God Still Wants Israel To Be Priests Too

We have seen that we Christians are now priests and also will be in the kingdom. But what about Israel? Has God forgotten his chosen people? No, he wants to use them as priests too. But they are sinners, just like us, so they must repent and believe in Christ first, so that God can also save them and use them as priests. So in the end times when they finally do repent, those Israelites will become priests of God too. Let’s look at some prophecies about this in the Old Testament.

Satan Tries To Disqualify Israel As A Priest

There’s a story in the book of Zechariah that talks about Satan and the priesthood of Israel in the end times. Zechariah had a vision or dream and it might seem a bit hard to grasp the meaning of it at first. It’s about a man named Joshua (Jeshua), but not the same Joshua that worked with Moses. This Joshua was born later and he was the son of Jehozadak (Zechariah 6:11). He became a high priest in Israel, so he represents the whole priesthood of Israel. Verse 8 says that Joshua and the other priests were symbols of things to come, so it seems that at least some of this passage is talking about the priesthood of Israel during the last days. Here’s the prophecy that Zechariah wrote:

Zechariah 3:1-10 says: “Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. And the LORD said to Satan, "I, the LORD, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire." Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, "Take off his filthy clothes." And turning to Jeshua he said, "See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes." Then I said, "They should also place a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the LORD stood by. Then the angel of the LORD spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said, "...If you follow My ways and carefully serve Me, then you will be given authority over My Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk among these others standing here. "Listen to Me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests.You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring My servant, the Branch...and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day. "And on that day, says the LORD of heaven’s Armies, each of you will invite your neighbor to sit with you peacefully under your own grapevine and fig tree." (NLT) Explanation Of The Vision In this vision, Jeshua (Joshua) and the priests are symbolic of things to come, a time when everyone will “live peacefully under their own grapevine and fig tree” (Micah 4:3-4). Israel has not seen a time of peace like that yet, but they will finally live at peace during the time called the Millennium, the Kingdom, when Christ, "the Branch," will rule as king and bring peace. Christ also wants to use Israel as kings and priests during his kingdom. But in the passage in Zechariah, they are pictured as a priest with filthy garments. These filthy clothes signify that Israel is “unclean” and unfit to be a priest, because of their sin and because they have rejected their true King. And there is another problem in this story too—Satan. Satan is wanting to disqualify Joshua (or Israel) as priest.

Satan—The Accuser In this passage we see another side to Satan’s work. Satan is constantly accusing sinners before God, just like he does here with Jeshua. Satan might want to say something like this: “God, you can’t use this man as a priest! He is unfit as a priest. You’re a holy God, so you can’t possibly use a sinner like this! If you do, you won’t be holy anymore. There’s no way he can be your servant because he’s a sinner!”

Satan is constantly accusing people and he even accuses God. So that’s why the Bible calls him “the accuser.”

Revelation 12:10 says: “...the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night...” When We Function As A Priest We Are Dangerous To Satan

Satan is the accuser of the believers. He’s always trying to accuse us before God and bring up our sins so that God would reject us or not show his grace to us. Satan does not want God to use people as his priests and do his work, so he accuses us constantly before God. It’s amazing to realize that Satan sees us or anyone who functions as a priest to be dangerous to his own work. Satan does not want us to work as priests, so he opposes us directly.

Unworthy Israel Will Be Made Clean During Tribulation

It’s true. We all are sinners just like Israel—like Jeshua the priest with dirty clothes. We are unworthy to be priests. Could a holy God possibly use sinners as his priests? How could God use rebellious Israel to help him rule the Kingdom? This vision, along with other passages, show us that God’s purpose is to win back the hearts of Israel during the tribulation and then use them as priests. In Zechariah 3 God says this about Jeshua the priest:

“This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.” This burning stick that is snatched from the fire and extinguished is a good word picture of what God will do with Israel. He will first allow Israel to suffer greatly during the tribulation, like a stick placed in a fire, and then when they repent, he will rescue them (Jeremiah 30:7). When Israel repents and believes in Christ, then God will remove their sin and make them clean (righteous) in his eyes. This is symbolized by God commanding that Jeshua’s old filthy clothes be removed and then giving him new clean priestly clothes. Then those believing Israelites will become good priests for God during the Kingdom.

God Silences Satan The Accuser In Zechariah’s vision, again we see God’s power over Satan when he rebukes Satan and tells him to be quiet. God didn’t allow Satan to accuse Israel, because even before the tribulation happens, God knows that some of them will repent and their sin will be taken care of by the blood of Jesus, so Satan won’t be able to accuse Israel anymore for being unfit as priests. And also during the Kingdom, God will silence Satan by putting him in the Abyss. While he is imprisoned there, Satan won’t be able to tempt or accuse anyone. Imagine—Satan’s mouth will be shut for 1000 years (Revelation 20:1-3)!

God Will Appoint Israel As Priests Again Along With The Church

We saw in Romans 11 that during the church age, Israel has been set aside for a time while God focuses on the Gentiles. But in the last days, God will again renew his focus on Israel and fulfill his promises to them when they repent. If they believe and then die during the tribulation, God will resurrect them and they will be priests alongside of us Christians during the kingdom (Revelation 20:6). It looks as if God will appoint Christians and believing Jews together as priests. In Revelation it talks about 24 elders that will work alongside Christ during the Kingdom (Revelation 4:4; Revelation 5:8; Revelation 11:16; Revelation 19:4). Who do these 24 elders represent? In the Old Testament, God chose Moses’ brother Aaron and his family to be priests of Israel. It was the priest’s job to care for the tabernacle and to present daily sacrifices and offerings. Aaron’s descendants were divided into 24 family divisions of priests (1 Chronicles 24:18). So since the number 24 is the same as the number of priestly lines in the Old Testament, it looks as if the 24 elders in Revelation symbolize the priesthood.

Priests And Kings Combined In The End Times

Some scholars also believe since there are 12 tribes in Israel and 12 apostles from the church age, that could mean that these two groups (Israel and the Church) will combine (represented by 24 elders seated on thrones), and they will work together as priests and kings during the Kingdom to rule alongside Jesus. Jeshua (Christ) will be the King in Jerusalem over all the earth and his 12 apostles will rule over Israel as Jesus predicted (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30). And we Gentile believers will also help him rule over other areas, as priestly kings. Combining these two groups and also the two roles of priest and king under Christ was talked about in a word picture in Zechariah—referring to Jeshua (Joshua) the priest who was crowned like a king.

Zechariah 6:11-13 says: “…make a crown from the silver and gold. Then put the crown on the head of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Tell him… Here is the man called the Branch. He will branch out from where He is and build the Temple of the LORD. Yes, He will build the Temple of the LORD. Then He will receive royal honor and will rule as king from His throne. He will also serve aspriest from His throne,andthere will be perfect harmony between His two roles.”(NLT) This vision in Zechariah was prophesying that Christ, (the Branch) would become both King and High Priest and rule from his new Temple in Jerusalem during the Kingdom. And we (God’s children—both Jews and Gentiles) will rule with him as kings and priests, just like Jeshua the priest who was crowned like a king. And as we said earlier, we don’t need to wait until the 1000-year Millennium to act as priests for Jesus. The Holy Spirit already dwells inside us now and has made us his temple, so even now we can function like priests and kings in his service. The Priesthood Of Believers Is A Great Victory Over Satan So how does this priesthood of believers affect Satan? Well, actually this is a great victory over Satan. This priesthood will bring great glory to the Lord Jesus, because this kingdom of priests is what God had in mind for ruling this world from the very beginning.

Matthew 25:34 refers to it as: “…thekingdomprepared for yousince the creation of the world.”

Adam and Eve were given this earth as their kingdom. They were supposed to “be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” with young “image bearers” of God, and rule over them like God would, with grace, love, kindness and care for those under their protective care—like God’s kings and priests. But instead, man allowed Satan to steal the earthly kingdom from him and ever since then, Satan has always been trying to destroy the earth instead of caring for it. Satan is called a destroyer because he hates everything that God has made, so he rules with deceit—promising a better life—but instead he destroys the lives of those who follow him.

Satan’s Rulers Compared To God’s Kingdom Of Priests

Kings and Priests are supposed to be somewhat like fathers, on a much larger scale. One of their main jobs is to protect their people, much like a father protects his children. But Satan is the opposite—and he wants to use his power to harm people. And so, when Satan is king, he tries to raise up leaders who are also like him—leaders that are proud and selfish. They only care for themselves and not the well-being of their people (Jeremiah 23:1-2). Satan loves to raise up dictators, evil kings, and rulers who deceive and abuse and destroy people instead of helping them. As Satan rules over human leaders, then their governments become more and more corrupt, and people become more sinful. Hunger, theft, hatred, and violence become common and eventually people live in fear for their own lives. Satan’s kingdom is full of fear—darkness, death and hopelessness. That is what Satan’s kingdom is like. But during the 1000-year kingdom, God’s priestly kings will not rule like that.

Robes Of Righteousness Describe Godly Shepherds And Priests Of The Kingdom

God’s priestly kings will rule much differently than Satan. When God binds Satan during the 1000-year kingdom and uses the resurrected believers as a Royal Priesthood, there will be a wonderful peace on the earth that has not existed since Satan stole the kingdom from Adam. Resurrected believers will act as good kings and priests in God’s kingdom government. The Bible describes them as wearing: “Fine linen, bright and clean…” which stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people (Revelation 19:8). This shows us that these royal priests under Christ will be leaders of godly character. They will mediate between God and man like Jesus did with his disciples—with wisdom, strength, love, grace, and gentle care. They will not only lead as kings, but they will also be intercessors who care deeply for their people. They will be good shepherds of their people, like David, a man who had a shepherd’s heart for his people—a man after God’s own heart. God’s character will be seen in everything these priests do. Kindness, gentleness, loving care and patience will be the normal way people treat each other. Truth will always be expected, and people will trust their Kingly Priests, because they will reflect God’s image. People in the kingdom will live without fear—in peace, harmony, and security.

Training Parents And Children To Love Their King The kingly priests in resurrected bodies will serve others on the earth like good shepherd-priests should. As princes in Christ’s kingdom government, they will likely help organize and oversee communities as Christ directs. As “priests and shepherds” of God’s flock, they will probably act as counselors and teach people how to function well in families and train parents how to raise godly children that believe and submit to King Jesus. Many thousands of children will probably believe and trust in Jesus during the Millennium. And Satan will not be able to do anything about it for 1000 years while he is imprisoned in the Abyss.

Satan Will Be Humbled By Those Who Once Were His Children In this way God will be using the priesthood of the believers during that time to totally humble Satan in a very special way. God will be using believers who were at one time children of Satan and opposed God, but now they will glorify God and show his loving character by being mediators—priests who bring glory to God and lead other people to God. This will bring much glory and honor to God and his Son Jesus!

God Is Using The Church To Teach Satan And All The Angels A New Lesson In the beginning, God made Adam and Eve to be rulers of the earthly kingdom under God’s authority. But Satan was able to deceitfully take that kingdom away from him, so all of Adam’s descendants became servants or slaves under their new boss—Satan (a fallen angel). But later Jesus came to earth as a human. And he obeyed God—as a human. He therefore defeated Satan, sin and death, so he created a new family—the church. The church was unknown—a hidden mystery in the Old Testament. But now, and especially in the last days, God is using the church to teach Satan and even all the good angels a special lesson. He’s showing them how amazing is God’s wisdom and glory. God is using the church, made up of weak humans, to defeat powerful angels like Satan. And in the end times, while Satan is bound, Christ will use the church to finally rule the earthly kingdom as God originally planned!

Ephesians 3:10 says: “…His intent was that now,through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms…”

God is all-knowing and all-powerful. He can give authority to whomever he chooses and he can triumph over anyone like Satan who tries to overthrow his authority. He has defeated Satan and the demons and totally humbled them through the work of Jesus on the cross.

“...having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15)

During the Kingdom, God will be greatly glorified through his wisdom in using the church and all his believers as Kings and Priests to rule over the earth.

What a wonderful time it will be in the world during the kingdom, but when the 1000 years comes to an end, God will allow Satan to test the people of the earth one more time. That’s the subject of the last chapter.