The Necessary Continuation of the Priesthood During the Day of the Lord
From the days of Melchizidek in Genesis 14 who is the first priest unto God mentioned in Scripture who received tithes of the patriarch of the Jews, Abram, unto the the last Millennial priest of the Levitical priesthood which is recorded in Ezekiel 44, the Lord has and always will require human mediators as indicated throughout the Biblical record:
“And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he [Abram] gave him [Melchizedek] tithes of all.” (Genesis 14:18-20)
During the pre-Levitical priesthood days of Melchizedek, God utilized this Gentile king of Jerusalem to be His mediator. However, it appears that He also raised up certain priests among those who came out of Egypt during the early pre-Levitical priesthood days of the Exodus before He gave the Law to the Jews:
“And let the priests also, which come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them…but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Lord, lest He break forth upon them.” (Exodus 19:22, 24)
But, when the Lord Jesus Christ offered up Himself as God’s Sacrifice for the sin of mankind on the Cross, He became the One and only Great High Priest after the eternal order of the priest Melchizidek.(Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 4:14, 5:6, 10, 6:20, 7:11, 7:26-28)
The Lord Jesus Christ is presently “set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” (Hebrews 8:1) where he intercedes continually for His own:
“He ever lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
However, not only did He become this one and only Great High Priest unto God, but, He in fact has, through His great sacrifice for sins, raised up a holy nation and royal kingdom of priests (I Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 1:6, 5:10; 20:6) which is at the very heart of His redemptive purpose.
His work on the Cross has resulted in making every believer a priest unto God fulfilling the original desire of God the Father for each individual Israelite:
“And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou [Moses] shall speak unto the children of Israel.” (Exodus 19:6)
God the Father has sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to atone for the sin of mankind and in the process He, the Lord Jesus Christ, has raised up this holy nation and kingdom of priests in order to bring the pass the very purposes of God on earth as this great company of believers in direct communication with Him pray down His grace and mercy upon those whom God wills!
In order to continue this most necessary kingdom of priests after the saints are raptured God will seal 144 Thousand sons of Israel (Revelation 7:1-8) who will continue to be His “kingdom of priests” and “holy nation” during the Day of the Lord when He judges the earth and purifies those Israelites (Zechariah 13:8, 9) who will be saved at the end of the 70th Week of Daniel (Isaiah 59:20; Romans 11:25, 26).
Even though the 70th Week of Daniel will be the time when the Lord once again deals with Israel as a nation (Daniel 9:24) under the restored (Matthew 17:11) Old Covenant (Daniel 11:28-32), the Levitical priesthood will not be active during the Day of the Lord for the tribe of Levi is mentioned in the list of the twelve tribes that are sealed as part of the 144 Thousand which indicates they will not be performing the duties as priests but will instead be believer-priests along with the other tribes.
The Levites were not listed with the other tribes in the book of Numbers:
“But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them. For the Lord had spoken unto Moses, saying: Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel: But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.” (Numbers 1:47-50)
They were selected by the Lord instead of the firstborn of Israel:
“And thou shalt take the Levites for Me (I am the Lord) instead of all the first born among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel. (Numbers 3:41)
However, during this future period of time when the Lord again deals with Israel as a nation completing the last of the seventy weeks that He has determined (Daniel 9:24), the Levites will be numbered among the rest of the twelve tribes. (Revelation 7:3-8)
They, the 144 Thousand, are described in David’s Psalm 110 prophecy which focuses on the Lord Jesus Christ’s coming “day of [Thy] power” (Psalm 110:3a) also known as the Day of the Lord when the Lord returns “In power and great glory (Matthew 24:30):
“Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power, in the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, Thou hast the dew of Thy youth”. (Psalm 110:3)
During the Day of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ will have “with Him” (Revelation 14:1, 17:14) a group of obedient followers (Revelation 14:4) known as these same 144 Thousand sons of Israel. Psalm 110:3 describes them, providing some distinct qualities and duties of this group of God’s servants who “shall be willing in the day of Thy [Lord Jesus Christ] power”.
The word “people” (Psalm 110:3) appears in the Old Testament over 1800 times and is variously translated. On occasion, as recorded in I Samuel 11 where it is found six times, it has the emphasis of “troops” specifically in (v.11) when “Saul put the people [troops] in three companies” which is recorded in the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament p.676 Vol.2 “There are also a number of passages where the word [people] means ‘troops’.
In keeping with the dominating militant theme of this Psalm the NIV gives this interpretation of
(Psalm 110:3):
“Your troops shall be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth”’
The NASV translates this same verse:
“Thy people will volunteer freely in the day of Thy power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Thy youth are to Thee as the dew.”
This same willing obedience of the 144 Thousand is recorded in Revelation 14:4 where they “follow the Lamb wherever He goes” having already surrendered themselves to His Lordship long before when they originally decided to follow Jesus, giving themselves as literal bond-servants of the King! (Revelation 7:3)
Their personal holiness before God “In the beauties of holiness” (Psalm 110:3) also is confirmed in Revelation 14:4, 5:
“These are they which were not defiled with women...And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God”.
Their physical purity and spiritual holiness affords them the ability to continually “follow the Lamb” giving them unbroken access to the throne of God where they fulfill their ministry priority as priests unto God. The last phrase of Psalm 110:3:“Thou hast the dew of Thy youth” provides additional information concerning the 144 Thousand. The word “dew” indicates their great number, and, as the dew provides refreshment and blessing to the earth, they, too, will give these same benefits unto those to whom they minister.
“And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarries not for man, nor waits for the sons of men.” (Micah 5:7)
As priests unto God they will be a blessing direct from God not dependent on men. The word “youth” of Psalm 110:3 is only found in the Old Testament three times
“Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from they heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.”
This word in Psalm 110:3 indicates a designated group of young men, who will be active during the time of the end, willing to follow the Lord which accurately describes the 144 Thousand. This approximates their age and agrees with the tenor of Revelation 14:4 where their virginity is recorded requiring a decision which must be made by these young men early in manhood.
The age of twenty was specified in the book of Numbers when the first census was taken for those men who were able and old enough to go to war:
“Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names every male by their polls: From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel.” (Numbers 1:2,3)
This indicates the age that will determine the lower limit for these young soldiers of Christ, for they will in fact see spiritual and physical combat as war against the saints occurs during the end of the age which is clearly indicated in Scripture. (Daniel 7:21; Revelation 12:17, 13:7, 17:14, 19:19)
There will also be two major assaults against Israel prior to Armageddon with the first beginning at the mid-point of the 70th Week of Daniel which centers upon Judea and the city of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 38:8-16; Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:15-21).
The second battle will take place in the “valley of Jehosophat” (Joel 3:1-8; Zechariah 14:1, 2) with these young men taking part as “the remnant of Jacob” when:
“The Assyrian [Antichrist] shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces”. (Micah 5:5-8).
Therefore, this future army of the King of kings will be completely submissive to the will of God during the
Day of the Lord. These young soldiers of Christ will be involved in the intense spiritual and physical warfare as priests unto God and they will be arrayed in holiness doing the Lord’s service before the throne of God (Revelation 14:4).These “priests unto God” are involved in this future holy warfare when the battle is at it’s most heightened level, when Satan “knows that he has but a short time” (Revelation 12:12).
Scroggie, in his commentary on the Psalms, adds “Messiah’s soldiers are declared to be priests (Psalm 110:3) before His own priesthood is announced.” p.88. This major announcement by God the Father occurs right after the 144 Thousand are described:
“The Lord hath sworn and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
(Psalm 110:4)
This one verse is the focal point of Psalm 110 as the Father speaking to His Son installs Him at His own right hand as the Great High Priest of the heavenlies ministering to His Father by interceding for those whom He wills.
At the present time “He [the Lord Jesus Christ] ever liveth to make intercession for them who come unto God by Him” (Hebrews 7:25). In that future day He will have an army of 144 Thousand sons of Israel who will be “with Him” (Revelation 14:1, 4, 17:14) “withersoever He goeth”.
This impeccable group of young men, chosen from the twelve tribes of Israel as the necessary continuation of God’s priesthood, will play a key part in the unfolding of the time of the end as they are sealed
(Revelation 7:3-8) and safe (Revelation 9:4) from the horrendous Day of the Lord judgment/wrath of God in order that they might successfully execute their priesthood ministry to God and man.
