Priest and Priest-to-be Upgrading I.
Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 2:12-17 is about the church in Pergamos.
The church in Pergamos faces the throne of Satan. They face suffering and oppression but they do not deny their faith. However, God blames them because there are some of them who hold the doctrine of Balaam and Nicolaitans, and thus the faith fails.
Revelation 2:17
2:17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”’
The last sanctification to the church in Pergamos is they must leave the false teachings, that is the doctrine of Balaam and Nicolaitans. Thus, they will receive God’s promise as follows.
ad. 1. Receiving the hidden manna.
Exodus 16:14-15
16:14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, asfine as frost on the ground.
16:15 So when the children of Israel saw it,they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This isthe bread which the Lord has given you to eat.
Manna is the bread which the Lord has given as the spiritual food.
The hidden manna means the Word of God whose secret is revealed through a verse explains the other verses in the Bible. It is the Word that is revealed by God, so it contains His power.
Psalm 78:23-25
78:23 Yet He had commanded the clouds above, And opened the doors of heaven,
78:24 Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given them of the bread of heaven.
78:25 Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full.
Manna equals to the angel’s bread. The bread is the Word, the angel refers to a pastor.
Thus, manna is the shepherding Word, that is the Word which is trusted by God to a pastor to be preached to the congregation faithfully, continually, and repetitively.
Unfortunately, when manna is rained down, the Israelites ask, “What is it?” When the shepherding Word is preached, the congregation often harden their heart and do not understand the Word. If one asks frequently, sometime he will get bored and reject the Word.
John 10:1-3
10:1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
10:2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
10:3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
The shepherding Word works as follows.
Leviticus 21:12
21:12 nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God isupon him: I amthe Lord.
A priest must stay within the Holy Place or the shepherding pen. It is so that we can serve God with holiness and anointing of Holy Spirit. Thus, our ministry will not dry but we can attract the presence of God as the High Priest and Great Shepherd in the midst of us. The congregation will experience the ministry of reconciliation from Him. All sins are reconciled and there is miraculous help from God.
There are four types of God’s power in the shepherding Word as follows.
God blesses us.
Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 2:12-17 is about the church in Pergamos.
The church in Pergamos faces the throne of Satan. They face suffering and oppression but they do not deny their faith. However, God blames them because there are some of them who hold the doctrine of Balaam and Nicolaitans, and thus the faith fails.
Revelation 2:17
2:17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”’
The last sanctification to the church in Pergamos is they must leave the false teachings, that is the doctrine of Balaam and Nicolaitans. Thus, they will receive God’s promise as follows.
- Receiving the hidden manna.
- Receiving a white stone on which a new name is written.
ad. 1. Receiving the hidden manna.
Exodus 16:14-15
16:14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, asfine as frost on the ground.
16:15 So when the children of Israel saw it,they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This isthe bread which the Lord has given you to eat.
Manna is the bread which the Lord has given as the spiritual food.
The hidden manna means the Word of God whose secret is revealed through a verse explains the other verses in the Bible. It is the Word that is revealed by God, so it contains His power.
Psalm 78:23-25
78:23 Yet He had commanded the clouds above, And opened the doors of heaven,
78:24 Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given them of the bread of heaven.
78:25 Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full.
Manna equals to the angel’s bread. The bread is the Word, the angel refers to a pastor.
Thus, manna is the shepherding Word, that is the Word which is trusted by God to a pastor to be preached to the congregation faithfully, continually, and repetitively.
Unfortunately, when manna is rained down, the Israelites ask, “What is it?” When the shepherding Word is preached, the congregation often harden their heart and do not understand the Word. If one asks frequently, sometime he will get bored and reject the Word.
John 10:1-3
10:1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
10:2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
10:3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
The shepherding Word works as follows.
- It leads us to enter the shepherding pen or the Holy Place. There are three types of equipment within it that refer to the perseverance in three main services as follows.
- Golden Candlestick refers to perseverance in General Service. The sheep drinks.
- Table of Showbread refers to perseverance in Bible Study Service with Holy Communion. The sheep eats.
- Golden Altar of Incense refers to perseverance in Prayer Service. The sheep breathes.
- Golden Candlestick refers to perseverance in General Service. The sheep drinks.
- It also leads us to go outside the fold.
John 10:16
10:16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock andone shepherd.
It refers to fellowship service. We enter the revival of building the perfect body of Christ. We become one flock with one Shepherd, one body with one Head.
Leviticus 21:12
21:12 nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God isupon him: I amthe Lord.
A priest must stay within the Holy Place or the shepherding pen. It is so that we can serve God with holiness and anointing of Holy Spirit. Thus, our ministry will not dry but we can attract the presence of God as the High Priest and Great Shepherd in the midst of us. The congregation will experience the ministry of reconciliation from Him. All sins are reconciled and there is miraculous help from God.
There are four types of God’s power in the shepherding Word as follows.
- The sanctification power.
Exodus 16:31
16:31 And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it waslike white coriander seed, and the taste of it waslike wafers madewith honey.
Manna is white, and it refers to righteousness.
John 17:17
17:17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
Righteousness is the Word of God that sanctifies. The shepherding Word contains sanctification power.
Psalm 119:9
119:9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
John 15:3
15:3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
What must be sanctified?- Sanctification from the sin of Judas Iscariot.
John 13:10-11
13:10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash hisfeet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”
13:11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
Judas is an apostle and servant of God, but he must be sanctified.
The sin of Judas is evil sin, that is being a thief of God’s belonging (the tithe and special offering), a liar, an accuser who judges the others, a betrayer, and a hypocrite. The consequence is having dirty feet, meaning the way of life is dirty.
But if we are willing to be sanctified, our feet will be beautiful, meaning our way of life is beautiful to bring the Good News and Bride Tidings. - Sanctification from the sin of youth.
Psalm 119:9
119:9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
It is the sanctification from unclean sin or the sin of Babylon, that is sin concerning eating-drinking (smoking, getting drunk, consuming drugs) and marrying-being given in marriage (sexuality sin with all its variety).
Exodus 29:1
29:1 “And this is what you shall do to them to hallow them for ministering to Me as priests: Take one young bull and two rams without blemish,
The requirement to minister God is holiness.
Exodus 28:1,3,4,41; 29:1,44
28:1 “Now take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as priest, Aaron andAaron’s sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
28:3 So you shall speak to all who aregifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest.
28:4 And these arethe garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me as priest.
28:41 So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall anoint them, consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests.
29:1 “And this is what you shall do to them to hallow them for ministering to Me as priests: Take one young bull and two rams without blemish,
29:44 So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. I will also consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister to Me as priests.
It is written six times that we must be sanctified first so we may minister God as priests.
Figure six refers to the flesh. One of the characters of a flesh man is being negligent, lax, and unfaithful.
Jeremiah 48:10
48:10 Cursed ishe who does the work of the Lord deceitfully, And cursed ishe who keeps back his sword from blood.
If one ministers negligently and without holiness, he will be cursed.
Let us minister God with holiness, faithfulness, and fervency in spirit.
Hebrews 1:7
1:7 And of the angels He says:“Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.”
Revelation 1:14
1:14 His head and hair werewhite like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;
A servant of God who is holy, faithful, and fervent in spirit becomes the apple of God’s eye who is cared and protected by Him.
But if one is not holy, faithful, and fervent in spirit, he ministers himself, men, and Satan.
- Sanctification from the sin of Judas Iscariot.
- The eternity power.
Exodus 16:31
16:31 And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it waslike white coriander seed, and the taste of it waslike wafers madewith honey.
The form of manna is like coriander. It is round and has no either beginning or end.
1 Peter 1:24-25
1:24 because“All flesh isas grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away,
1:25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
If we only eat grass (rice, wheat, et cetera), our life will be as the grass, which soon will wither, dry, and die. Therefore, besides eating grass, we must eat the spiritual food that is the Word of God, so our life will also be eternal.
John 8:51
8:51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.” - The protection power.
Exodus 16:14
16:14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, asfine as frost on the ground.
Manna is as shell. It refers to the protection power.
Ephesians 6:16
6:16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
The Word of God protects us from the fiery darts of the wicked one, meaning as follows.- Unclean sins.
- The fiery darts of trial. If there is the Word of God, we will be protected so we are not disappointed or desperate.
- The fiery darts of false teaching. Through the protection of the Word, our faith will not fail.
- Unclean sins.
- The resurrection power.
Exodus 16:31
16:31 And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it waslike white coriander seed, and the taste of it waslike wafers madewith honey.
Revelation 10:10
10:10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.
The resurrection power in the repeated shepherding Word is able to move us from the death to eternal life. It is able to renew us from the flesh man to the spiritual one as Jesus.
Genesis 39:6
39:6 Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
A bride must be handsome in form and appearance.
Handsome in form means renewal of the inner or character.
1 Peter 3:4-5
3:4 rather let it bethe hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beautyof a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
3:5 For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands,
Renewal of the character is as follows.- Being gentle, that is the ability to receive the Word no matter how hard or sharp it is.
- Being quiet or serene, meaning correcting ourselves more. If we find sin, we must ask for forgiveness from God and the others.
- Being submissive and obedient.
Ephesians 4:24-25
4:24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
4:25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Leteach one of youspeak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.
If the attitude is sweet, the words will be sweet.
Handsome in appearance means outer life renewal, that is renewal of behavior and deed, so it is nice to be seen and becomes an example.
Romans 12:17-19
12:17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
12:18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
12:19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rathergive place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance isMine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
We only do good and right deed. We do not harm the others. We do not repay evil with evil, but with goodness. We like to reconcile, confess one another, and forgive one another. We do not stumble and judge the others.
Joseph, who is handsome in form and appearance, becomes the target of two persons as follows.- Potiphar’s wife who represents the woman of Babylon. She works through gentle persuasion and force.
Genesis 39:7-10,12
39:7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”
39:8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what iswith me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.
39:9 There isno one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you arehis wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
39:10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her orto be with her.
39:12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. - God’s attention.
1 Peter 3:10-12
3:10 For“He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.
3:11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.
3:12 For the eyes of the Lord areon the righteous, And His ears are opento their prayers; But the face of the Lord isagainst those who do evil.”
If we become the servant of God with handsome form and appearance, He will spiritually cast longing eyes on us. He as the High Priest will look at us with His merciful sight. Thus, we will experience His resurrection power. We become a house of prayer. The resurrection power of God works as follows.- It is able to raise the dead.
- It is able to give us beautiful and successful future.
- It is able to use us in the revival of building the body of Christ.
- It is able to renew us until we are perfect as Him. We will meet Him face to face on His second coming on the glorious clouds.
- It is able to raise the dead.
- Being gentle, that is the ability to receive the Word no matter how hard or sharp it is.
God blesses us.