For the vast majority of Christians (roughly 2.7 billion people), the Gospel (Good News) is that their “Jesus” came into the world, died on the cross, and rose from the grave. However, the message that Yeshua proclaimed across Yisra’el was that the kingdom of Yahweh had arrived (Luke 17:21).
He said < . . . the kingdom of YAHWEH is in your midst>, because the King was in their midst.
We will explore the different aspects of the coming Kingdom of Yahweh in a series of articles.
The Kingdom of Yahweh is a universal government that will be established here on earth to govern the universe.
MELCHIZEDEK WAS A PRIEST OF THE MOST HIGH HOWEVER, HE WAS NOT THE MESSIAH INCARNATE
The first priest of the Most High to be mentioned in Scripture was Melchizedek:
Genesis 14:18-19 [Hebraic Roots Bible - HRB]
18 And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; and he was the priest of the most High El .
19 And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high El, possessor of Heaven and earth;
Melchizedek is the first to be mentioned as a priest of the Most High God (El Elyon) in Scripture. Melchizedek was also king of a pagan people in Shalem. Some Hebrews believe that the name Shalem comes from the name of a pagan deity called Shalim. It is speculation, but possible. However, they worshipped El Elyon (the Most High God) in that city, which is one of the titles of Yahweh. And therefore, he was the first priest mentioned in connection with that title. All of that was before Moses, Aron and all those people who were priests later.
Notice that Melchizedek offered Abraham bread and wine, the same symbols that are used now under the new priest of El Elyon, who is Yeshua the Messiah. These are the elements that stand out; they are not the only elements of the memorial meal. It was the messenger of Yahweh. The priest was Melchizedek, but he blessed Abraham in the name of Yahweh, and therefore he was the messenger of El Elyon, but he was a priest, a man, a king over a pagan people of Salem (later on Jerusalem).
Do not believe that theory going around that Melchizedek was the Messiah incarnate. What was the Messiah doing, incarnate for the first time, in a pagan city or town? It does not make any sense. Melchizedek was not the Messiah; however, he was a symbol, a shadow, a figure of what the Messiah would be, King and Priest at the same time. So, Melchizedek was the voice of Yahweh in the world, in the same manner that Yeshua the Messiah was the voice of Yahweh. Yahweh spoke through Yeshua.
YAHWEH’S INTENTION FOR HIS CHILDREN
THE CHILDREN OF YAHWEH (YISRA'EL)
WILL BECOME A NATION OF PRIESTS
IF THEY ARE FAITHFUL TO HIM.
The Eternal Yahweh will consecrate, set-apart His children Yisra’el
Exodus 19:5-6 [The Scriptures 2009 -TS 2009]
5 ‘And now, if you diligently obey My voice, and shall guard My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession above all the peoples – for all the earth is Mine –
6 ‘and you shall be to Me a reign (kingdom) of priests and a set-apart nation.’ Those are the words which you are to speak to the children of Yisra’el.”
(Words of the Eternal in blue)
This message was intended for Yisra’el. He tells them that they, the whole nation of Yisra’el is a kingdom of priests. So, that heavenly government that Yahweh established, first spiritually and then physically, will finally come in literally over the whole planet. The foundation of that government is the law of the Almighty. Obedience to His law would make them (Yisra’el) a prosperous nation among the nations.
The term Yisra’el is used regarding the people of the Eternal in ancient and modern times.
It is also a spiritual dimension and does not refer to the modern-day nation called Israel.
He would give them wisdom and would elevate them above other peoples, as a result of the obedience to His laws. These are just some of the promises He made to His children. Yahweh provided His people Yisra’el with all kinds of capabilities, let us say blessings, all kinds of benefits so that they would be the greatest nation on earth. And that purpose would have been literally fulfilled had they been faithful to the Torah, to the calling, and to the laws of the Almighty. But they were never completely faithful. That is why there were some changes, a corrective situation.
THE CONSECRATION OF THE FIRSTBORN AND THE LEVITES
When Yisra’el was still in Egypt, Yahweh chose a group among the people to dedicate themselves in a special way to Him.
Exodus 13:2 [TS 2009]
(The Eternal says to Moses) Set apart to Me all the first-born, the one opening the womb among the children of Yisra’el, among man and among beast, it is Mine.
<first-born> – the term first-born is fundamental, important.
THE FIRSTBORN IN YISRA'EL WAS A SYMBOL OF THE MESSIAH
YAHWEH PROMISED A FIRSTBORN FROM HEAVEN
HE WOULD BE THE REDEEMER AND YAHWEH'S REPRESENTATIVE ON EARTH
In Yisra’el, every firstborn male was consecrated, dedicated to Yahweh. That has implications that we will not go into at the moment. Every firstborn in Yisra’el was a symbol of the Messiah, in a prophetic and symbolic way.
Therefore, Yahweh promised, through the prophets, a firstborn from heaven as well. He would not only save sinners but would be the representative of the Eternal on earth, and he would be the redeemer of Yisra’el. That gift had to be recognized by every Hebrew family through the consecration of every firstborn son. These firstborn sons had a special work to do.
When Yisra’el was in the wilderness and the Tabernacle («mishkan»), the sanctuary was made, it was assumed that the firstborn of each family would be the leaders, the priests. This was changed later on. However, if the parents of the child wanted to keep that child in the family and not dedicate him to the Temple, they had to buy him. They had to pay an amount prescribed by the Torah to free that son from serving in the Temple as a priest or minister («cohen»). The ‘redemption of the firstborn’ was called «pidyon haben» in Hebrew. This practice is still common in Orthodox Judaism to this day. An example would be Samuel, the firstborn of his parents, was consecrated to the service of Yahweh in the Sanctuary from that time on and therefore, he was a representative of Yahweh. In addition to that, he was also a prophet. The firstborn of Yahweh was symbolized and predicted when Yisra’el was saved from destruction because they smeared the blood of the Passover lambs on the frames of their doors. The blood of the lambs symbolized the blood of Messiah. This was before the plague of the destruction of the firstborn came to Egypt. It was also a symbol of the blood of Messiah that saves the world. Those who believe in him and follow Yahweh’s way will be saved, but the corrupt, wicked and ungodly will not be saved. All of this is a summary of what the Kingdom of Yahweh is and what it represents.
THE SONS OF LEWI (THE LEVITES) VOLUNTEERED TO FORM THE PRIESTHOOD OF YAHWEH
When the people of Yisra’el fell into grave apostasy, which happened several times in the history of Yisra’el, there was a group who took a firm stand in favour of the Almighty Yahweh:
Exodus 32:26, 29 [TS 2009] 26 And Mosheh (Moses) stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Who is for יהוה? Come to me.” And all the sons of Lewi gathered themselves to him. . . . 29 And Mosheh said, “You are ordained for יהוה today – since each one has been against his son and his brother – so as to bring upon you a blessing today.
It was during a time of great and deep apostasy, when the whole nation was worshipping the ‘golden calf.
Verse 29: At that moment, there came the transition of the firstborn, who were those who had to be consecrated to Yahweh and to serve in the Sanctuary Temple (symbol of the Kingdom of the Almighty Yahweh in the universe) to the sons of Lewi (the Levites).
The Levites were not forced, they consecrated themselves, they were not chosen. From the sons of Levi came the priests and others who were not priests but were also Temple servants.
The Levites are mentioned in the book of Numbers:
Numbers 1:50 [TS 2009]
. . . you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furniture, and over all which is to it. They shall bear the tabernacle, and all its furniture. And they shall serve it, and shall encamp around the tabernacle.
This is the Kingdom of Priests that Yahweh initiated at that time.
Yeshua the Messiah will reign together with a kingdom of priests for a thousand years.
Numbers 3:10-12 [TS 2009] 10 “And appoint Aharon and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. And the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.” 11 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, 12 Now look, I Myself have taken the Lewites from among the children of Yisra’el instead of every first-born who opens the womb among the children of Yisra’el. And the Lewites shall be Mine,
Verse 10a: Among all the Levites, who were going to be priests, the sons of Aharon (Aaron) were extracted, chosen, and set-apart to be a special priesthood, superior to the rest of the Levites.
Verse 10b: No one could enter the sanctuary except the descendants of Aharon. The Levites worked in the tabernacle but could not enter the sanctuary or the Holy of Holies.
Verse 11: Yahweh’s original plan was that the firstborn would be His, in terms of service. Here he modified the plan and appointed the descendants of Levi, in general, as priests called the Levites. The descendants of Aharon were responsible for the Holy of Holies, among other duties.
Verse 12: Yahweh’s first plan was the firstborn of all Hebrew marriages would be His, in terms of service.
The coming government will not be democratic, rather it will be by divine appointment, by divine instruction. The tribe of Levi was set apart for the Sanctuary/Temple service.
The sons of Aharon were appointed to take care of the Sanctuary and the Levites, in general, were the ones who set up the Sanctuary every time they arrived in a new location. When the time came to move to a new location, the Levites were the ones in charge of dismantling the sanctuary. Nobody outside that tribe could handle those articles. The people were required to assist the priests in the services, but they could not offer sacrifices. Even in the kingdom of Yahweh there is order, there are positions; not everyone will be equal in terms of positions or value. Everyone is worth the same, but in terms of positions of command, of government, of order, there will be a special order in the kingdom of the Messiah, just as there was in Yisra’el in those ancient times.
Isaiah 61:6 [HRB]
But you shall be called, Priests of YAHWEH; it will be said of you, Ministers of our Elohim†. You shall eat the wealth of the nations, and you shall revel in their glory.
Here, the Eternal is speaking to the people of Yisra’el in general, through the prophet Isaiah. Notice how Yahweh’s thought and purpose are being rounded out, so to speak. When He says:
<you shall be called, Priests of YAHWEH>, He is referring to all the people of Yisra’el, ministers of our Mighty One. All the people of Yisra’el will eat the wealth of the nations and be exalted in His glory. That is, the people of Yisra’el in general, apart from the particularities we have already mentioned, are called priests of Yahweh.
THE PRIESTS OF YAHWEH
ARE THE PEOPLE OF YISRA'EL
That is how it will be in the Messiah’s kingdom. When the Messiah arrives, all of Yisra’el (the people of Yahweh) will be priests in that Messianic government, although there will always be different categories.
Exodus 25:22 [TS 2009] And I shall meet with you there (the Sanctuary), and from above the lid of atonement, from between the two kerubim which are on the ark of the Witness, I shall speak to you all that which I command you concerning the children of Yisra’el.
In other words, the propitiatory is not mysterious at all. What is translated in Scriptures as the ‘Mercy Seat’ was the lid of the ark of the covenant. On that cover were two images of cherubim looking at each other and in the space between them, there was a light that came down from the sky which was the ‘glory of Yahweh’; this was the ‘mercy seat’.
Malachi 2:7 [TS 2009] For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and they seek the Torah from his mouth, for he is the messenger of יהוה of hosts.
The priest was the one who maintained and guarded wisdom (knowledge). During the reign of the Messiah, he will be the priest of Yahweh and will guard wisdom. He will be the master of all nations. The people of Yisrael will be the ‘international teacher’ of the Torah to all nations when the Messiah reigns over all nations. Additionally, they will be messengers of Yahweh. Yehudah (Judah), according to the prophets, will be honoured as the place of power, the physical place of the government of the Messiah and the Yehudim (Jews).
The land of Yehudah (Judah), according to the prophets, will be honoured as the place of power, the physical place of the government of the Messiah.
The Yehudim will be exalted before all nations as priests and kings of Yahweh. Although modern state of Israel and Yehudim are in apostasy, we should appreciate and bless them.
The Messiah died for them and bought them with his blood.
THE CHILDREN OF THE ETERNAL WILL BE TEACHERS
Leviticus 10:11 [Version Israelita Nazarena VIN 2009 (AI translation)] (Speaking of the priests) and they must teach the Israelites all the laws that Yahweh has imparted to them through Moses.
The people of the Eternal will be teachers of the precepts of Yahweh that were imparted to Moshe. Just as there was a physical priesthood derived from Aharon to teach the children of the Eternal, so Yisra’el will also be teachers of all nations.
Deuteronomy 33:9-10 [HRB] 9 for they have kept Your Word, and observed Your covenant. 10 They shall teach Your judgments to Jacob, and Your Torah to Israel. They shall put incense at Your nostrils, and whole burnt offering on Your altar.
He is talking about the physical priests of that time. All this applies to the spiritual priests who are already in office to a certain extent, but who will reach their full function in the government of the Messiah when he comes a second time to this earth.
After the children of the Eternal settled in the land of Canaan, the precepts of the Torah had to be repeated daily in every home. We learn that from the history of Yisra’el recorded in the Scriptures. For example, they had to be clearly written on the door lintels, and on the door jambs and on the doors themselves. It was customary in those times to write part of the commandments on small tablets and stick them on the doors of houses as a reminder of the commandments. Today, some traditional Jews do that. However, they do it symbolically, by affixing what they call a «mezuzah» to the doorposts of their homes. The «mezuzah» is a small tube where they insert a small piece of parchment with certain verses from the Holy Scriptures, but that is not what the Torah commands.
Yahweh commanded Joshua son of Nun, the successor of Moses, the following: the Law:
Joshua 1:8 [TS 2009]
Do not let this Book of the Torah depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you guard to do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and act wisely
EXTENDED PRIESTHOOD
Apart from the literal physical Yisra’el, the Scriptures tell us that the followers of the Messiah are also priests
1 Peter 2:5 [TS 2009] you also, as living stones, are being built up, a spiritual house, a set-apart priesthood, to offer up spiritual slaughter offerings acceptable to Elohim through יהושע Messiah
Here, Kepha is speaking to believers in Messiah in the 1st century. However, it applies to all followers of the Messiah in all centuries. He is not only speaking to the Jews, as the Yehudim are now called, he is speaking to the disciples of the Messiah who were made up of Yehudim and Gentiles. In other words, now the Gentiles who believe in Yeshua, built into a spiritual house, into a priesthood consecrated to offer spiritual sacrifices. This means lambs and goats will no longer be offered as sacrifices, but spiritual sacrifices of the mouth, pleasing to Yahweh through Yeshua the Messiah.
1 Peter 2:9a– But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation . . .
Those who follow Yeshua the Messiah, make up a nation. A holy nation, but it is a spiritual nation. It is not a physical nation with a territory here on this earth, rather it is a spiritual nation. It exists within many of the physical nations of this world.
Verse 9b continues: Yahweh’s special possession
Now Kepha mentions the purpose of these people:
Verse 9c: that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
This is to be declared to all the nations of the world. That is the mission of the Assembly of Yahweh and of every follower of Messiah, although many have strayed from this purpose. These virtues are obedience to the Torah, to the Law of the Almighty, to the commandments of the Heavenly Father.
THE PURPOSE OF YAHWEH
The purpose of Yahweh for His assemblies or congregations can be seen in what the Eternal tried to accomplish in the physical nation of Yisra’el. He is accomplishing it now through the spiritual nation made up of Jews and Gentiles from all nations and races. He desires to impart His blessings to both Jews and Gentiles. All of this is through Yisra’el because everything starts with Yisra’el.
The nations have lost the knowledge of Yahweh. Who among the nations knows Yahweh? There are those who know Him, but not many. Because the modern nation of Israel has not fully accomplished that mission of making Yahweh’s name known to all the nations. That is why the Messiah is raising this new people, united with the people of the nation of Israel, who are His disciples, disciples of the Messiah, proclaiming the name of Yahweh, proclaiming the King of Yisra’el, who is the Messiah Yeshua and proclaiming the law of the Eternal. They will proclaim the coming people of the Messiah who will soon subjugate all the other kingdoms.
In His mercy, Yahweh did not want to eliminate Yisra’el when they sinned, when they apostatized, and when they became unfaithful. The theory that the Eternal rejected Israel and that now the Gentiles replaced them is false. He never rejected them, and we can cite several passages that clearly state that. His purpose was to give the world the opportunity to know Him through His assembly. First Jewish assembly and then the Messianic assembly (the followers of Yeshua).
THOSE WHO SERVE YAHWEH WILL HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO SERVE HIM ON EARTH
This is the heart of today’s topic.
Revelation 1:6 [HRB] and made us kings and priests to YAHWEH, even His Father.
You will find that those who said this are people from all nations.
Revelation 5:10 [HRB] and made them kings and priests to our Elohim; and they shall reign on the earth.
Therefore, the Kingdom of Yahweh and of the Messiah will be here on earth.
Revelation 20:6 [HRB] Blessed and holy is the one having part in the first resurrection. The second death has no authority over these, but they will be priests of YAHWEH and of His Messiah, and will reign with Him a thousand years.
This was revealed by the Messiah himself to the writer of Revelation.
From one end of the world to the other, the host of the redeemed will all look to the Messiah during the millennial kingdom. The Father will not be here physically during this time of a thousand years. The Messiah will be Yahweh’s representative in this world. The Father will come to earth after the millennium for the Eternal Kingdom of the Father. A crown (physical or symbolical) will be placed on those who will reign over the nations. The Scriptures say that the leading angels will lead the choirs that praise the King and Yahweh, his Father.
AFTER THE THOUSAND YEAR RULE OF THE MESSIAH
THE FATHER WILL COME TO RULE ON EARTH
When Messiah comes a second time, it will be the beginning of the destruction and elimination of all the ungodly, wicked and corrupt people of this world. Subsequently, this international government will be formed, and the heavenly government will be established on this earth. This will be through the Messiah, the son of the Almighty Yahweh, accompanied by his servants and disciples. These will be constituted as priests and kings to govern this world. This means that the nations of the earth will not be eliminated.
Deuteronomy 7:6-14 (Paraphrased) For you are a people consecrated to Yahweh, your Mighty One. He has chosen you to be a special people, above all the peoples on the face of the earth. Know then that Yahweh your Mighty One is the Almighty, a Faithful and Powerful One who keeps his covenant of love with those who love Him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations. And because you have listened to these decrees and kept and obeyed them, Yahweh your Mighty One will keep the covenant of love with you, that He swore to your ancestors. And He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. You will be blessed more than all the peoples of the earth.
Source:
Yosef Alvarez
Original title: Un Reino de Sacerdotes