NOTE: All comments in brackets [ ] or in parentheses ( ) as well as highlighted text (bolded and/or in blue) are from the author of this study.
Bible quotations are in maroon.
In this study, we will examine in light of the Scriptures who will God use in the Millennium and in the Last Great Day to administer His government; over whom will His government be administered and how will it be administered.
These are all important and interesting questions that certainly bear examination.
The topic has been discussed in the days of God’s Church while administered by Mr. Armstrong and there have been much speculation and many theories advanced; let’s see if we can shed more light on this matter which has been of the greatest interest to so many.
Let’s start off by looking at a verse in the Book of Revelation that has always been a bit of a mystery to me and, I would think to probably many others in God’s Church, and that is Rev. 5:10.
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Who is the “us”mentioned in Revelation 5:10 that is going to reign on the earth?
Let’s start from Rev. 5:6 and work our way up to Rev. 5:10.
Rev 5:6 And I [John to whom this message is given in a vision] beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb [Christ is the perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind, the Lamb of God the Father] as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. [Christ is in the midst of all 7 church eras through His Spirit.]
Rev 5:7 And he [the Lamb of God, Christ] came and took the book out of the right hand of him [God the Father; He is the one that has the sealed message which needs to be revealed by Christ, the Lamb of God and also God’s spokesman] that sat upon the throne.
Rev 5:8 And when he [the Lamb of God] had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9 And they [the four beasts and the four and twenty elders] sung a new song, [the new song they are singing is that while before it was impossible for anyone to know the content of the book, now they know and realize that the Lamb of God is the one that can reveal its content and they worship the Lamb] saying, Thou [the Lamb of God, Christ] art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals [Christ is worthy to remove the seals locking up the secrets of the book and to reveal its message] thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us [who is the “us” here that have been redeemed? the four beasts and the four and twenty elders are spirit beings and Christ did not die to redeem spirit beings; Christ died to redeem human beings and this salvation process begins with those that are called to constitute God’s Church. The Lamb, Christ is said to be worthy to unseal the book because He was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind] to God [the Father] by thy [the Lamb’s blood or Christ’s blood] blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; [note who are these individuals who are redeemed here i.e., they went through a process of conversion (were redeemed) and became converted and they are from every kindred, tongue, people and nation]
Who are the non-spirit beings that are redeemed out of every kindred, tongue, people and nation by the blood or death of Christ? Would they be flesh-and-blood human beings under the penalty of death for sin; aren’t they the ones for which Christ was sacrificed? As we learn from Paul in Romans 3:23, all of mankind is guilty of sin and in need of a redeemer.
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Now, going back to Revelation.
Rev 5:10 And [Christ] hast made us [those redeemed unto God the Father by the death of Christ as the Lamb of God and which are from every kindred, tongue, people and nation] unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Those that are redeemed out of every kindred, tongue, people and nation are also made by the Lamb of God (Christ) kings and priests unto God.
Who is this group of people to be redeemed out of every kindred, tongue, people and nation to be commissioned to become kings and priests of God reigning on the earth and when is this to occur?
In the following pages of this study, we will try to come to a definite, fully Scripture-based answer to these questions.
For those of you who will patiently and carefully read through the information provided in this study, you will be rewarded with knowledge and understanding that God has left for those who are hungering and thirsting for righteousness; who have a continuing, strong desire to grow in knowledge and understanding; and who have taken the time and done the work required to master the foundational truth of God’s Church.
Old Covenant Ancient Israel
If we go back to the Old Testament, in the Book of Exodus chapter 12 we read the familiar story of the nation of Israel coming out of its captivity under the Egyptians where they had become slaves. After many years of hard labor, God heard their plea and He delivered them and placed Moses at the head of the newly-freed Israelites.
Why did God free Israel from its captivity under the Egyptians? Did He have a purpose for Israel? Let’s see what the Scriptures have to say about it.
Exo 19:1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. [in the 3rd month after having left Egypt, Israel came into the wilderness of Sinai]
Exo 19:2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. [Israel was encamped at the base of Mount Sinai.]
Exo 19:3 And Moses [God, the Logos, the Spokesman, the one who became Christ, ruled over ancient nation of Israel through a flesh-and-blood human, Moses] went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; [God calls Moses to give Him a message for Israel; Moses is the mediator of the Old Covenant.]
Then, in the following verses, we see God telling Moses what covenant He wishes to make with Israel. God promises to make Israel a peculiar treasure above all people or nations and they would also become unto God a kingdom of priests and a holy nation if they kept His covenant.
Exo 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: [if Israel obeys God, His voice and keep His covenant then they would be a special treasure unto God above all other nations AND,]
Exo 19:6 And ye [the nation of Israel] shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou [Moses, God’s mediator to the ancient nation of Israel] shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
These Scriptures make it clear beyond any possible doubt that Israel, if it would obey God and keep His covenant, it would be God’s kingdom of priests and His holy nation.
As we know from many other Scriptures, ancient Israel did not obey God and consequently never became a kingdom of priests unto God and a holy nation. The Old Covenant did not hold the promise of ancient Israel ever receiving God’s Holy Spirit which would have made it possible for Israel to correctly know the difference between good and evil as it would have been revealed to them by God’s Holy Spirit. Israel, not as a whole but on an individual basis, would then have been able to make the choice to commit themselves to obey God or not based on God’s truth. In other words, ancient Israel was not called nor could be called as the Holy Spirit was not then yet available. The following New Testament scripture makes this very clear.
Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Joh 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Ancient Israel was, as surprising and unbelievable as this will seem to many, a carnal-minded nation (Rom 8:7) that could not obey God.
The state of mind of the nation of Israel regarding God’s law is made plain to us by Moses in his final address to Israel before his death.
Deu 31:24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
Deu 31:25 That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,
Deu 31:26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
Deu 31:27 For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?
Deu 31:28 Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.
Deu 31:29 For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
Deu 31:30 And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.
Fault of the Old Covenant
In the days of ancient Israel, Christ had not yet qualified to replace Satan on the throne of the earth and He had not yet given His life in payment for the sins of mankind. God’s Holy Spirit was not then yet available to mankind as Christ had not yet been glorified as we have previously read in John 7:38-39 and which I again quote below.
Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Joh 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Christ came in New Testament times and died to redeem mankind and make possible the making of a new and better covenant with Israel. At the time when Christ came to Israel, only Judah, the southern kingdom (Benjamin, Levi, Judah known collectively as the Jews) remained visible in history; the northern kingdom, the so-called lost 10 tribes had gone off into captivity and had disappeared from history.
Christ came among Judah who had gone off in captivity under the Persian Empire. You will recall that some of the Jewish captives returned to Jerusalem following the proclamation made by Cyrus, King of Persia to allow whoever wanted to go back to Jerusalem to do so to rebuild the city and its walls, and the temple.
In Hebrews, we see Paul explaining to the Jews returned from captivity which are here a type of all Israel why there was a need for a new covenant.
Heb 8:6 But now hath he [Christ] obtained a more excellent ministry, [anciently the Logos or Spokesman who became Christ ministered to ancient Israel which could not be called but now since His death as the Lamb of God, the Holy Spirit can be made part of a New Covenant which has to be entered into on a personal and individual basis. Conversion is not of nations as a whole but of individuals.] by how much also he [Christ] is the mediator [the means whereby a better covenant can be made] of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. [Forgiveness of sin, receipt of Holy Spirit and the potential for eternal life in God’s kingdom upon being called, chosen and faithful.]
Heb 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, [Ancient Israel] he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
A new covenant is to be made with flesh-and-blood human beings who are the physical descendants (Heb. 8:9) of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah and also with an end-time Israel which are the descendants of Ephraim (Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the northwest democracies of Europe) and Manasseh (the United States). When this occurs, this New Covenant nation of Israel composed of every kindred, tongue, people and nation will be able to become part of God’s spiritual nation upon being called, chosen and faithful as this time, the Holy Spirit of God will be made available to them.
We know that in the end time before Christ’s 2nd Coming it will be as in the days of Noah.
Luk 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
Luk 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
What was going on before the coming of the great flood?
Gen 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
The races were intermarrying and the people were not staying in the geographical areas assigned them by God.
Gen 10:5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
After the great flood, the nations were divided “after their families, their tongues, in their lands after their nations.”
Gen 10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
In the end-time and at the time of Christ’s 2nd Coming, the nations constituting end-time Israel has become a nation made up of every kindred, tongue, people and nation through widespread racial intermarriages and the massive influx of immigrants from all over the world.
This latter day and yet-to-come nation of Israel — it will be the remnant of physical Israel returned from its end-time captivity — will undergo a conversion process.
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: [a process of conversion] and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Heb 8:11 And they [those with whom the New Covenant is made] shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. [speaking of those with whom the New Covenant will be made; they will then all know the Lord; the law will be in their minds (heart); they won’t have to teach their converted neighbors who will also know the law.]
Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, [to a nation of Israel that did not exist in the days when Paul wrote this epistle and which will not exist as God’s New Covenant nation until after Christ’s 2nd Coming; Heb 8:8 (previously quoted above) makes it clear that here Paul was not speaking of the Church of his days as being the Israel with whom God will make the New Covenant] and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. [those becoming part of God’s New Covenant nation will have God’s Holy Spirit; they will have repented and committed themselves to obeying God and their sins will have been forgiven. God will dwell in them and His holiness will be in them and they will thus be God’s holy nation.]
Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
The New Covenant is yet to be made and it will be made with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah i.e., with a nation of Israel which for the first time since its break up as a nation after the death of Solomon and, since the house of Israel and the house of Judah went into captivity, will be all back together in their homeland of Palestine as the one nation of Israel.
Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
This New Covenant will only be made once Israel and Judah again become the single nation of Israel. Presently, they are not that nation and the time when the New Covenant is to occur as we read on in the following Scriptures under the next sub-heading, is at a time when Israel and Judah are restored to their homeland following a period of captivity.
End-Time Israel’s Captivity Among the Gentile Nations?
In Ezekiel 5 we read of God’s judgment to come upon end-time Israel.
It is important to note that at the time when Ezekiel wrote this book, ancient Israel had ceased to exist as a nation and Ezekiel was in captivity with Israel by the river Chebar.
What is described in Ezekiel 5 is what will happen to the end-time nations constituting Israel; the calamities that are to come upon end-time Israel never happened to ancient Israel.
A major point of understanding and distinction needs to be kept in mind as we read Ezekiel 5.
Firstly, we have the ancient nation of Israel which God freed from Egyptian slavery and who are the descendants of Jacob (Israel).
Secondly, there is the end-time nation of Israel who are the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh who were the inheritors of the promises made to Israel; remember that the other sons of Israel did not inherit the promise of race (national prosperity); it was given to Ephraim and Manasseh; Judah was given the promise of grace i.e., the Messiah would be a descendant of the House of David.
If these things are not clear then you would need to refresh your mind by reading again Mr. Armstrong’s book “The Unites States and Britain in Prophecy” which you can get at the following Web sites: http://herbert-w-armstrong.com or at http://www.herbert-armstrong.org
The descendants of Ephraim (Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the northwestern democracies of Europe) and Manasseh (the single, greatest nation that has ever existed in the history of mankind, the United States) are the end-time nations constituting end-time Israel on which will fall the disasters described in Ezekiel 5.
Eze 5:1 And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.
Eze 5:2 Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.
Eze 5:3 Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts.
Eze 5:4 Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel.
Eze 5:5 Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her.
Eze 5:6 And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them.
Eze 5:7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you;
Eze 5:8 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations.
Eze 5:9 And I will do in thee [end-time Israel] that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, [in other words, there will be a time of tribulation such as never has been nor will ever be again] because of all thine [end-time Israel] abominations. [Sabbath breaking and idol worshiping as the following verses of Ezekiel 20 make clear.]
Eze 20:23 I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries;
Eze 20:24 Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols.
The following verses from Ezekiel 20 clearly show end-time Israel as being in captivity and God acting to bring them back to the Promised Land.
Eze 20:33 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:
Eze 20:34 And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.[not on Israel but on their captors]
Eze 20:35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
Eze 20:36 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, [this is talking about end-time Israel; their fathers was ancient Israel] so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 20:37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, [to become subject to the law] and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: [the New Covenant]
Eze 20:38 And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Something important to notice here in Eze 20:38 is that God will bring Israel back from its end-time captivity but He will purge the rebels and the lawbreakers from among them and they will not enter into the land of Israel. Those coming back from captivity to the land of Israel will be those who survived the time of their captivity among the Gentiles and who are not in rebellion against God or have an attitude of disobedience. God will start off a new nation of Israel only with those who are not rebels and hardened lawbreakers.
Restoration and Conversion of End-Time Israel
In Ezekiel, we also find the verses showing that end-time Israel will not remain in captivity, that it will be restored to its own land and that they will become God’s people following a process of conversion which will be further explained as we continue this study.
Eze 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Eze 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, [as mentioned in Ez 20:24] will I cleanse you.
Eze 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Eze 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.[End-time Israel to become a converted nation on its return from its end-time captivity.]
Eze 36:28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. [Will be God’s Holy Nation after its conversion and restored to the original Promised Land.]
How is this conversion process to occur?
In order to find this out we have to turn to the Book of Daniel where we read in Daniel 9 that Christ will confirm the covenant for a 3 ½ year period with end-time Israel returned from captivity.
Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Dan 9:27 And he [the Messiah, Christ] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Christ’s original ministry to Israel was to last 1 week or 7 days which in prophetic accomplishment is a year for a day.
Num_14:34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
After 3 ½ years Christ’s ministry with Israel was cut short by His dying as God’s perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind; it was to last 7 days or in prophetic accomplishment 7 years so there is still 3 1/2 years of Christ’s ministry that has yet to be fulfilled.
It is very important to realize, as clearly stated in this verse, that Christ will minister to Israel for another 3 1/2 years in fulfillment of the prophecy of Dan 9:27. Christ at His 2nd Coming to Israel (Christ did not come to the world the first time nor is He coming to the world the second time) will teach the physical remnant of end-time Israel returned from its captivity among the Gentile nations in the same way He taught His disciples for 3 1/2 years at the time of His First Coming to Israel. Please see the following study where this is fully explained: Administration of God’s Plan of Salvation During the Millennium
Christ at His First Coming came to found His church by training specially chosen men and teaching them truths that Paul calls the foundation. Christ would return to His Father but the Church He founded would continue on the earth. At His Second Coming Christ gathers end time Israel from the gentile nations where they are in captivity, resettles them in the original Promised Land and spends 3 1/2 years confirming the covenant with them. The purpose of His 2nd Coming to Israel (not the world) is to make a new covenant with them.
How will this conversion process be possible with end-time Israel when it wasn’t with ancient Israel?
A New Spirit
Again in Ezekiel, we are given the answer to our question.
Eze 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
Eze 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Israel as a whole will be called but not all of Israel will follow God’s calling in the same way that of all those called since the day of Pentecost, many have not followed their calling. God will place His Spirit in those of Israel who accept their calling. (Matt 20:16; 22:14)
What will be the result on Israel of receiving this new spirit?
Eze 11:20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. [will be God’s Holy nation]
Eze 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Eze 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Eze 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
What mission is Israel then to accomplish?
You will recall that ancient Israel had been called to accomplish a special mission.
Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
We have seen that ancient Israel was never able to fulfill the mission given it by God because the Holy Spirit was not then available as has already been explained.
When the modern-day nations constituting end-time Israel are gathered from among the pagan nations where they had gone off into captivity, God will bring them back to their own land, the original Promised Land and there, following its conversion, it will become a holy nation and a kingdom of priests as we will see as we continue our study.
Isa 14:1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
Israel to become a kingdom of priests
This end-time nation of Israel, made up of many of today’s great nations, in addition to becoming God’s holy nation after its return from captivity and conversion, will also become a kingdom of priests.
What is a kingdom? As Mr. Armstrong often explained, for a kingdom to exist it is necessary to have a king, people (subjects) over which the king rules, a territory under the authority of the king and a law that is administered by the king of the kingdom.
The remnant of end-time Israel on its return from its captivity and following its conversion is to become a nation which will occupy the land originally promised by God to ancient Israel; whose king will be God; where the law of the land will be God’s law and whose population or subjects will be made up of individuals whose principal occupation will be to be priests.
What is a Priest’s Role?
The role of the priest in ancient Israel as Malachi tells us was to teach and administer God’s law.
Mal 2:7 For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
Most of you will recall that God had instituted the Aaronic priesthood where Aaron and his son were the priests (Lev 1:7) with the whole tribe of Levi having been made responsible for providing physical assistance to the priests which were of Aaron’s family only. The priests were of the tribe of Levi but not all Levites were priests; an important distinction to keep in mind.
Lev 7:31 And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’.
Lev 7:32 And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.
Lev 7:33 He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part.
Lev 7:34 For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel.
Lev 7:35 This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priest’s office;
Lev 7:36 Which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their generations.
Lev 7:37 This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings;
The priests drew their sustenance from the tithes and offerings brought by the people to the tabernacle. The Levites were given God’s portion of the sacrifices and tithes. The Levites had not been allotted a part of the promised land as had all the other tribes.
Num 18:20 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.
Deu 10:9 Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD thy God promised him.
Deu 12:12 And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.
Deu 14:27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
The priesthood in God’s Church and the one in Ancient Israel drew their sustenance from the tithes and offerings of those they served. In a similar fashion, the remnant of the nations making up end-time Israel upon its return from captivity and following its conversion will live from the tithes and offerings of those individuals among the nations that will follow their calling and become converted as God pours out of His Holy Spirit upon all flesh during the Millennium and the Last Great Day.
Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
Upon becoming converted, the remnant of end-time Israel made up of flesh-and-blood human beings, becomes a nation in whom God’s Holy Spirit dwells, and since God’s Holy Spirit is in it, it becomes God’s Holy Nation.
All throughout the Millennium and the Last Great Day a conversion process will be ongoing with the nations of the world and those individuals being called by God who follow their calling (not all will; it has always been this way) will need to be taught the basic of God’s law before they commit themselves to obeying God. Upon making that commitment, they will need to be taught the truth that God placed in His Church through Christ’s teachings to the apostles who after the Day of Pentecost, taught it to new converts.
Please note that one must first be called before it becomes possible to teach them God’s spiritual truth; the unconverted are unteachable (Rom 8:7). God the Father not men, calls men and gives them sufficient knowledge of the truth for them to be able to make the decision to commit themselves to obeying Him or to return into the world. After having committed themselves to obeying God, the called out one becomes chosen and Christ then becomes responsible for teaching him and He does so through His Church when there is a ministry in existence. The ministry when there is one teaches the newcomer to the faith the truth personally given by Christ to the apostles and the understanding of this truth in its spiritual dimension is by God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in the new convert.
The apostles were personally taught by Christ and the remnant of end-time Israel returned from captivity and resettled in the Promised Land will also be taught by Christ for a 3 1/2 year period based on the prophecy of Christ’s ministry being a week long or 7 days which in fulfillment is 7 years (a day for a year principle; see Num 14:34).
Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Dan 9:27 And he[the Messiah] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Those who become converted at the end of Christ’s ministry, which in total will have lasted 7 years as had been prophesied that it would, will become God’s holy nation and kingdom of priests living in the Promised Land. Those of Israel returned from captivity who do not become spiritual Israel will constitute physical Israel and both will exist side-by-side in the Promised Land; more on this later on in this study.
The Second Exodus
What will be the status of God’s holy nation among the nations of the world after its restoration to the Promised Land.
Zech 2:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
Zeph 2:9 Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.
End-time Israel will have been in captivity but when God brings them back to the Promised Land, the remnant or residue of end-time Israel will spoil their captors and will possess them. Israel’s former captors will serve end-time Israel returned from captivity as we can see in Zeph. 2:10, Zech. 2:9 and Is. 14:1-2.
Zeph. 2:10 This [the nations that took Israel captive]shall they [Israel]have for their pride[Israel shall possess the nations that took them captive], because they [the nations that took Israel captive in the end-time] have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts.
In Zechariah 2:9 we read how the nations that took Israel captive will become Israel’s servants.
Zech. 2:9 For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them,[those nations who have taken Israel captive in the end-time] and they shall be a spoil to their servants: [the captors of Israel will become their captive and be their servants when they return from captivity to the Promised Land in the end-time after the 2nd Coming of Christ] and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me.
In Isa 14:1-2 we see the same situation described with different words.
Isa 14:1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave [cling] to the house of Jacob.
Isa 14:2 And the people [in whose country Israel was held in captivity] shall take them [their captives, Israel], and bring them to their place [their land, the Promised Land]: and the house of Israel shall possess them [those who held them captive] in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they [Israel] shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. [shall be kings; rule over them.]
God says He will intervene on Israel’s behalf which is being held captive by the end-time nations constituting the Beast power controlled by the Great Whore. Those who were using the Israelites as their servants will become the servants of the Israelites i.e., they (the nations where end-time Israel had been scattered, shall become the servants of Israel) shall be a spoil to those whom they had made their servants. They will rule over them.
Can we prove that the remnant of end-time Israel after its conversion will have the mission of being priests (teachers) unto those individuals among the nations who convert?
Mal 1:5 And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel. [That didn’t occur in the days of ancient Israel but it is to occur in an Israel that is to exist in a time yet greatly in the future from the time these words were written.]
Jer 3:17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.
I need to interrupt the flow of this study to explain Jer 3:17 more fully which says that “…..all nations will be gathered unto Jerusalem….” Does this mean the world will eagerly want to go to Jerusalem to be converted after Christ’s 2nd Coming? Let’s first go to Jer 3:14.
Jer 3:14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
The context and time from Jer 3:14 onward is God is talking about how He will bring end-time Israel to Zion. In the end time, Israel will have been scattered in captivity among the nations and at the time of Christ’s 2nd Coming God says He will take them (Israel in captivity) one of a city and two of a family (Jer 3:14) and bring them to Zion or Israel.
In Jer 3:15-16 God says that those returned from captivity will be given true pastors that will give them knowledge and understanding and that it will be a time when Israel will no more talk about the ark of the covenant nor visit it.
Jer 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Jer 3:16 And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.
Why will they say no more “…..the ark of the covenant of the Lord…..”? Because Jer 3:16 is talking about the time when Israel has returned from its end-time captivity and entered into the New Covenant. The ark of the covenant was lost when ancient Israel ceased to exist as a nation and in New Testament times, God’s people are His Church and their worship of God is in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). In God’s spiritual nation of Israel, His Church, there is no requirement for physical-material reminders. The converted individuals making up God’s converted nation of spiritual Israel after Christ’s 2nd Coming and the making of the New Covenant will also not have any of the Old Testament physical-material items and symbols used by the Levitical priesthood.
Jer 3:17 At that time they [the converted nation of Israel as they are the only one who have the spiritual knowledge to be able to call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord] shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, [all the nations will be called and the individuals from the nations who convert, regardless of their nation, become part of the spiritual nation of Israel or of God’s Zion. That is how all the nations shall be gathered unto Jerusalem i.e., not the physical city but the spiritual Zion] to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they [the converted in Jerusalem and the converted in the nations around the world] walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. [because they have been called and chosen and as converted individuals, they are now trying to obey God to the best of their abilities.]
Jer 3:17 is not talking about all the nations of the world after Christ’s 2nd Coming having an eager desire to travel to Jerusalem to be taught the truth of God and become converted; God will not gather all nations to Jerusalem in a physical sense. The gathering is a spiritual one where those who become converted as God pours out of His Holy Spirit upon all flesh become part of God’s spiritual Zion or Israel i.e., His Church. God’s nation though geographically dispersed will all be part of the spiritual nation of Israel or Zion and in that sense those among the nations that convert are gathered by God to Jerusalem not the physical one but the spiritual Zion. And, it is a physical impossibility for all nations to be gathered in one single geographical location on the earth.
Now on to Micah 4:1-2 where it is stated that in the last days people will flow to the mountain of the house of the LORD and the nations will go up to the mountain of the Lord to be taught His ways and walk in His paths.
Again, this seems to be saying that in the last days, there will be a massive conversion of the nations of the world. Let’s analyze these verses as we did for those of Jeremiah 3 and see what is the result.
Mic 4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
The time setting is when God’s nation will be the supreme nation of the world; it will be higher or mightier than all other ones. God will greatly prosper Israel on its return from captivity and it will be a superpower during the Millennium. In Isaiah 60, you will find a detailed description of the great prosperity and power of Israel that God will give it on its return to captivity and I greatly encourage you to read it. The following study provides detailed information on Israel following its return from captivity in the end time: When and Why will God Again Choose Israel?
The critical point to understand about Israel returned from its end-time captivity is that God’s nation will be both a physical nation of unconverted Israelites (not all of Israel will enter into the New Covenant) and a spiritual nation made up of those Israelites who entered into the New Covenant who will be God’s Church during the Millennium, His holy mountain or nation, His temple, His house. The simultaneous existence of a physical, unconverted Israel and of a spiritual converted Israel during the Millennium is explained at length in the following study: Administration of God’s Plan of Salvation During the Millennium
This is also the case today where God’s spiritual nation of Israel exists at the same time as an unconverted physical nation of Israel.
Spiritual Israel or Zion (God’s Church) will exist and live among unconverted physical Israelites in the very same way God’s Church has always lived among the unconverted of the world.
Going back to Mic 4:1, in it is stated that there will come a time when people shall flow unto the mountain of the house of the Lord. A mountain represents a nation and so this verse is talking about people flowing to the nation of the LORD. The nation of the Lord is His Church, spiritual Israel which is made up of all those flesh-and-blood human beings who have been called, chosen and who are remaining faithful no matter where they are located on the surface of the earth. People from all nations shall flow unto the mountain of the House of the Lord, God’s Church, at the time of their calling and all will be called during the Millennium. However, they will not do so physically. There will not be, nor could there be, a massive physical migration of the nations to Israel because this is a physical impossibility as the nations of the world cannot be made to fit into a small corner of the planet. The meaning is and can only be spiritual.
All nations will indeed flow to the mountain of the house of the LORD when God pours out His Holy Spirit upon all flesh during the Millennium but this will be spiritual. When we are called we are all flowing to God’s spiritual Jerusalem and Zion. When called we are starting on the road to Zion and if we persist in our calling we will eventually make it into God’s Kingdom and become part of God’s holy mountain and spiritual Jerusalem. All of mankind during the Millennium will be be drawn to God (called) and brought to the crossroads where they will have to choose to follow their calling and become part of God’s spiritual nation of Israel or Zion which is His church or remain in the world. In this sense the nations of the world will be made to flow to the house of the Lord which is His temple or Church; all will be called.
Mic 4:2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
We know that at the beginning of the Millennium following Christ’s 2nd Coming that those of the remnant of end-time Israel returned from captivity that enter into the New Covenant will be God’s nation or church located in Jerusalem. They are the mountain, the nation of the house of the LORD or, in other words, God’s Church and holy temple. God will pour out of His Holy Spirit upon all flesh during the Millennium and the Last Great Day i.e., everybody will be called.
The law shall go forth of Zion (God’s Church) and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem (spiritual Israel or God’s Church) as it has always done and it is the only place (God’s Church) from which this can occur. God founded His Church, among other things, to teach newcomers to the faith.
However, it does not follow that though all will be called, that all will follow their calling. In Christ’s own words we are told that many are called but few are chosen. Also, and this is of great importance, God’s church does not proselytize; it does not go out seeking to make converts or go on soul saving crusades. God’s Church is not being built by men but by God (Zec 4:6; 1Co 1:26) Christians are God’s workmanship (Eph 2:10), not men’s. God’s Church will be in Jerusalem at the beginning of the Millennium after Christ’s 2nd Coming as it was at Christ’s First Coming. The truth of God then went out of Jerusalem as it will during the Millennium but Jerusalem never became the world’s religious center. God does the calling and conversion is by His Holy Spirit not by the teachings of men and many are called but few are chosen.
Micah 4:2 is not speaking of Jerusalem becoming the religious center of the world and all nations eagerly flowing or actually traveling to Jerusalem to become converted.
Why?
Since the foundation of God’s New Testament Church on the day of Pentecost, God has been calling men to salvation but the calling process is personal and individual; it is not a group process even less something that is done on a nationwide basis. Each person is called in a different way and is brought to the crossroads where the individual has to make the decision to follow or not his calling. There has not been nor can there be a national level conversion of people. So, it is not the nations that will flow or go to Jerusalem but the individuals that convert within those nations that will become part of the nation of God, His Church. By becoming converted they go up to the mountain of the LORD and to the house of the God of Jacob, spiritually not physically.
So now, let’s go back to the initial point I was seeking to make and that is determining who are those who have been redeemed and made God’s kings and priests that shall rule on the earth?
Who will then occupy Jerusalem and from whose mouths shall the law go out of Zion and out of Jerusalem (Micah 4:2); who are those who during the Millennium will teach God’s ways to those individuals from the nations that follow their calling?
Mic 4:2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
It will be the remnant of end-time Israel returned from its captivity, restored to the Promised Land and of whom, those who have entered the New Covenant at the the end of Christ’s 3 1/2 year ministry, have become God’s holy nation performing the role of priest or teacher to individuals from the nations as they convert.
But let’s keep going so as to make this as clear as we possibly can.
Zec 8:3 Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain [nation] of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain. [only the converted can call Jerusalem the city of truth as God’s truth is spiritual and knowable only by revelation from God (Matt 11:25; 16:17; 1Co 2;10; Eph 3:5)]
Zec 8:22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. [Many are to be called during the Millennium and spiritually speaking they will go to Jerusalem, the spiritual one, God’s Church; God is not in one, specific physical location; His dwelling place; His holy temple, His nation, His holy mountain is His Church and wherever, we have a truly converted Christian we find God and Christ dwelling in them. (See John 14:23 quoted hereunder)]
Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
There is no need to go to a specific geographical location to pray to God as He dwells within all true Christians. Those seeking God are those who are being called (Joh 6:44) as no man can decide to go to God on his own. All those called, spiritually speaking, are going to Jerusalem (the spiritual one) and seeking the Lord of hosts there.
Zec 14:16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
The unconverted gentile nations every year will be made to go to Jerusalem to worship the King. They are not converted as is made clear in the next verse as God has to punish them to get their obedience.
Zec 14:17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families [nations] of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
All will be called during the Millennium but not all will become converted. Here we have a clear indication (the unconverted forced to attend the feast of tabernacles) that not everybody will become converted as was once thought. A converted person obeys God because this is what they have freely decided to do upon being called, not because they are being forced to do so as God will not force anyone to obey Him (Rom 8:14).
And, it is important to note that it is representatives of the unconverted nations that will be made to attend the feast of tabernacles, not whole nations. And most noteworthy is the fact that there is not any mention made anywhere in the Bible that God would force the unconverted nations to attend any of the other feasts. God’s purpose is not to force them to convert.
So why will God force their attendance?
The gentile nations will keep the feast of Tabernacles but not in its spiritual intent as God’s spiritual truth is unknowable to them. They will keep it like ancient Israel did i.e., by rejoicing in food and drink and by dwelling in tabernacles. Their sojourn in Jerusalem will have no spiritual meaning to them and if they weren’t forced to attend, they would not do so as God’s feast are meaningless and of no importance to them as they are today to the unconverted and will be to the unconverted during the Millennium..
The reason for God forcing them to do so is a physical one. It will be a yearly reminder of the fate of the nations that came up against Israel early on during the Millennium when Israel had again become a rich nation. Representatives from these gentile nations every years will see the mountain of the bones of Gog and Magog which came up against Jerusalem to conquer it. (Ez 39:11)
This will serve to keep these events alive in their minds and this is why there will be no nation rising up against Jerusalem during the Millennium nor will there be any wars among the unconverted nations who will fear sudden destruction as occurred to the armies of Gog and Magog.
It is very important for us to realize that the nations of the world will not become converted and live at peace with each other because they are converted. God will have to keep them under control by yearly reminding them of the fate of Gog and Magog. Individuals within the nations of the world will come to conversion and in this sense will become part of God’s holy mountain and be flowing to Israel but the many will not become converted as is the case today. The nations will continue to be administered by unconverted men and be made up to a large extent of unconverted individuals even though all will have been called. Being called is not the same thing as becoming converted.
God’s Church will exist among the nations as it does today and where there are congregations that form over time, the ministry will teach newcomers to the faith as it has always done. But it is not necessary to have ministers to have a church which is first and foremost a spiritual organism. For most of its existence God’s Church has not been organized and visible to the world and when it has been known to the world, it was persecuted and had to flee into the wilderness to save its life.
Let’s again go back to answering the question of who are the individuals that were redeemed and who are to become God’s holy nations and kingdom of priests mentioned in Rev 5:10.
The Scriptures that explain the role of a converted end-time Israel also make mention of other information which needs to be addressed and lead us on more or less lengthy but necessary tangents.
As we have seen in Malachi, teaching is the responsibility of the priesthood.
Mal 2:4 And ye [Israel] shall know [in a time yet future; ancient Israel had fully departed from God’s ways at the time this was written] that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.
In the future, God’s covenant will be with Levi; Levi was the priesthood in the days of ancient Israel; more specifically, Aaron and his sons.
Mal 2:5 My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. [God’s covenant was with Levi because he obeyed God AND the law of truth was in his mouth]
Mal 2:6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. [Levi taught the law of God correctly to the people; he did not lead them into error.]
Mal 2:7 For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
Priests Messengers of the Lord of Hosts
The priest’s lips had the knowledge God gave ancient Israel and the people of Israel were to seek the law at his mouth; the priests taught the law to the people. AND, why should they seek the law at his mouth? Because he, the priest, is the MESSENGER of the Lord of Hosts.
Please note the following very carefully and remember it for it is of the utmost importance to understanding who God will use to teach the nations during the Millennium and the Last Great Day.
God did not ever teach ancient Israel directly; He did it through Moses and the priesthood; flesh-and-blood human beings who acted as His MESSENGER.
Ancient Israel never was or could be a converted nation; it was never given access to God’s Holy Spirit and as such it is a type of, and represents the unconverted nations of the world that will continue to exist during the Millennium and the Last Great Day.
In order to understand how salvation will come to the nations, it is useful to consider what are the means being used by God since the foundation on the day of Pentecost of His New Testament Spirit-begotten Church on up to the present time to teach His Spirit-begotten Church and newcomers to the faith?
Administration of God’s Plan of Salvation in God’s Church
All throughout the Bible we see God calling men and using them to accomplish the different tasks necessary for furthering His plan of salvation for mankind. We read in several Scriptures that since the beginning God has worked out His master plan of salvation through men with Jesus Christ being the greatest human through which God the Father worked.
The Bible was written by men inspired by God; God did not write the Bible Himself; He used men to do so as demonstrated by the Scriptures cited under this paragraph. And, we can also see that in God’s Church, God has specifically appointed human beings to teach the Church; not angels, cherubs or archangels. We also know that God’s Church will exist during the Millennium and the Last Great Day; Christ said it would never die out (Mat 16:18); as long as there will be men on the earth, God will have His Church and there will be men on the earth until the end of the Last Great Day and some of them will be converted individuals constituting God’s Church.
Luk 11:49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, [human beings not spirit beings] and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, [human beings not spirit beings] Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets [human beings not spirit beings] by the Spirit;
The apostles were instructed by Christ who was fully man and fully God and the prophets were instructed in dreams and visions. The writings of the apostles and the prophets, all flesh-and-blood human beings inspired by God, constitute the foundation of God’s Church (Eph. 2:20).
Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, [please note that the saints are flesh-and-blood human beings; not glorified spirit beings; a key point to keep in mind]and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
God through the ages wrote the Bible through men which He called for the special purpose of laying the foundation for His Church which is knowledge they recorded in God’s Holy Bible for use by those whom God would call all throughout the 7,000 year period of fulfillment of His great, master plan of salvation.
The Old and the New Testament were written by God through men: the prophets and the apostles.
God did not write the Bible with His own hand nor was it written by angels or other types of spirit beings.
God has used men from the beginning in carrying out His great, master plan of salvation for mankind. This is what the pages of the Bible very clearly show.
No spirit being taking on a human form has ever had the mission of teaching God’s Church; no Scriptures can be found to prove that God ever taught His Church by angels or other spirit beings or that He ever intended it to be so but there is abundant proof that He has used flesh-and-blood human beings to teach His Church since its foundation as we can see in the following verses.
1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, [saints are flesh-and-blood human beings NOT glorified spirit beings] for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
This is a description of the offices of responsibility found in God’s Church which Christ said was to exist until the very end of mankind. (Matt 16:18) The pattern and model clearly established in Scripture is that God uses flesh-and-blood human beings to teach converts. These men have been set and are set in the church by God Himself for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ.
Notice that spirit beings such as angels, archangels, cherubs, the elders at God’s throne, etc. none of them are mentioned as ever having had or to ever be given the responsibility or mission of teaching God’s Church.
Saint and Holy — What is the Difference?
In the Bible whenever God speaks of His saints, he is talking about human beings; He is not talking about spirit beings.
A person can become holy when that person has God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in him; the holiness that the person then has is God’s holiness. It is impossible for humans to have any of God’s holiness which only God has and which only God can impart.
A saint is a human being which has been called out of the world by God to carry out a special mission preparatory to the establishment of God’s Kingdom.
A saint is also a holy person through the imputation of God’s holiness through the in-dwelling presence of His Holy Spirit.
Saints are human beings; not spirit beings.
For the sake of brevity, I am not using all the Bible quotes in which God speaks of His saints. I encourage the reader to do a Bible search on the term which will yield over 90 verses where the word “saint” or “saints” are used.
It is clear in over 90 verses where the word “saint or saints” appear, that but for a very few verses, the word “saints” is clearly referring to a human being and not a spirit being.
Psa 106:16 They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD.
Php 4:21 Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you.
And, if there are still any doubts that saints are flesh-and-blood human beings lesson 24 of the 32 lesson Ambassador Bible Correspondence course says the following regarding the meaning of the word “sanctify”:
“The word “sanctify” means to set apart for a holy use or purpose.
Becoming a glorified spirit being is the reward for having been a faithful saint while a flesh-and-blood human being.
God’s Word not Spoken in Vain
God called out ancient Israel and set them apart or sanctified them for the purpose of their becoming His holy nation and kingdom of priests. Israel never fulfilled its commission but God says that when He purposes something it will happen and when it does it will do very well; it shall even prosper.
Isa 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Christ says that the Scripture cannot be broken; if it is written in God’s Word, it will happen.
Joh 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken
Therefore if the Scriptures cannot broken then there is a time when Israel returned from its end-time captivity will become God’s holy nation and kingdom of priests.
Will glorified saints rule over the nations and teach them?
A passage of Scriptures with which many are very familiar is the following which says that the saints of the most High are to be given dominion or rulership over the nations. Let’s start reading in Daniel 7:20 and make our way on up to Daniel 7:27.
Dan 7:20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; [the horn, the great false church, could not have made war with the saints if saints are glorified spirit beings and it could not have prevailed against them.]
Dan 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, [the saints are flesh-and-blood human beings; not glorified spirit beings; if they were spirit beings, they could not become worn out] and think to change times and laws: and they [the saints of the most high] shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. [1260 years][If the saints were glorified spirit beings, they could not be given into the hand of the horn that made war with the saints.]
Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
The kingdom and dominion is to be given to the saints of the most High; the saints, converted flesh-and-blood human beings, will be given to rule over those individuals of the nations of the world (the kingdom under the whole heaven NOT in heaven] that become converted. Upon conversion they become part of God’s Church which is God’s Kingdom in embryo i.e., before the glorification of its members by a resurrection from the dead. The kingdom which is everlasting is the kingdom of the most High. When God’s plan of salvation has been completed; all those who are converted from all dominions or governments will serve and obey God. Only the converted can know and serve God. All throughout the Millennium and the Last Great Day will be the time when God will open salvation to all of mankind.
The saints that will rule over converted individuals from the nations or have dominion over the converted of the nations are not God’s glorified saints. God’s saints, those individuals converted from Adam to the end of God’s Laodicean Era Church become glorified spirit beings who will be Christ’s Bride at Christ’s 2nd Coming.
Those that will teach the individuals that convert from the nations during the Millennium and the Last Great Day are flesh-and-blood human beings whose conversion occur after Christ’s 2nd Coming at the making of the New Covenant with Israel returned from its end-time captivity. Once converted they become God’s saints [they are set apart for a holy purpose] and God’s Church. As God’s saints they will be used for a holy purpose having to do with the continuation of God’s plan of salvation for mankind during the Millennium and the Last Great Day and that is teaching those individuals from the nations that convert following their calling.
PLEASE NOTE, these are not the same group of saints that are glorified at Christ’s 2nd Coming and who become the Bride of Christ. They are a different group of flesh-and-blood human beings living on the earth after Christ’s 2nd Coming and that will become converted as God opens up salvation to all of mankind when He pours out His Spirit upon all flesh. They are the remnant of end-time physical Israel returned from captivity who have undergone a process of conversion and have become God’s saint and God’s Church that will exist during the Millennium and the Last Great Day and which God will use to teach individuals from the different nations of the world as they convert.
These saints will rule on the earth over individuals from the nations as they convert.
King of kings and Lord of lords
We read in the Bible that Christ is to be the King of kings and Lord of lords. Who are the kings and lords that will be ruled by Christ? And, where will they be located, in heaven or on earth?
The applicable verse is quoted here under.
1Ti 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
Will these kings and lords that Christ is to rule over be the kings and lords of the Gentile or unconverted nations?
The rulers of the nations of the world are unconverted which means that it is impossible for them to obey God (Rom 8:7). Also, as we know, God will not force anyone to obey Him (Rom 8:14). Those that obey Him have to freely choose to be ruled by God. And, though the many will be called during the Millennium, it will continue to be the few that follow and remain with their calling (Matt 22:14; Matt 7:13).
Then, Christ can’t possibly be the King and Lord of the rulers of the unconverted nations of the world.
So who are the kings and lords over which Christ will rule?
Is there a nation that was called to become God’s holy nation and a kingdom of priests?
Exo 19:6 And ye [Israel] shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
But, He can and will be the King of the kings and, the Lord of the lords over those of the remnant of end-time Israel after its return from captivity who enter into the New Covenant (not all of them will), become converted and part of God’s kingdom of priests and His holy nation. A kingdom has a supreme ruler and lower ranking rulers or offices of responsibilities; it has a king and lords and over the years as men die, one king is replaced by another. During the Millennium there will have been many kings and lords in God’s Kingdom of priests and holy nation and Christ will rule over them. This is how Christ will and can be King of kings and Lord of lords; not those in the unconverted world but those in God’s Kingdom and holy nation.
Where will the converted nations constituting end-time Israel be, in heaven or on the earth?
Eze 36:24 For I will take you [the end-time nations making up Israel] from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Eze 36:28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
The remnant of the nations constituting end-time Israel on its return from captivity and following its conversion will be God’s holy nation and God’s kingdom of priests resettled in the Promised Land. It will also be a nation composed of God’s saints i.e., of all those set apart by God for a special purpose related to the accomplishment of His great master plan of salvation and they will all be on the earth.
Rewards of God’s Saints
When we read the Bible we need to be careful that we understand that not all of God’s saints are to get the same reward.
What do I mean?
The saints from Adam to the end of the Laodicean Era Church are to become the Bride of Christ; they will be in heaven with Christ after Christ’s Second Coming and their resurrection/transformation into glorified spirit beings. Those who convert during the Millennium and the Last Great Day will also be saints but they are to become the children of God’s Kingdom. Their conversion will be the result of the work of Christ and His Bride.
Depending on the time of their calling and conversion, the saints of God will become either the Bride of Christ or the children of God’s Kingdom. Not all saved Christians are to be the Bride of Christ or the children of the Kingdom.
Christ and His Bride will rule over those individual from the nations that convert during the Millennium and during the Last Great Day in the same way God the Father and Christ today rule over their spiritual nation, His Church. At that time, as is the case today, those who convert following their calling become part of God’s Church. God then and now will not rule over the unconverted nations but only over His Church. God is not in the business of ruling by force or of forcing men to convert.
God does not now rule His Church by having a headquarters on earth made up of spirit beings taking on non-scary physical-material forms to teach those who convert at God the Father’s calling. It is also not how God now teaches His Spirit-begotten Church who along with the apostles and the prophets are to become part of Christ’s Bride at Christ’s 2nd Coming.
God founded His Church to be His human instruments in teaching those coming to conversion following their calling (Eph 4:11-12) and it is to never die out (Matt 16:18) as long as mankind would exist and it will exist until the coming of the Lake of Fire at the end of the Last Great Day following the Great White Throne Judgment.
God in the Old Testament and in the New Testament has always worked through humans who are called, converted, faithful and of which some are given the task of teaching new converts as God places them in His Church. There is no indication in the Bible that God would use spirit beings (First Resurrection saints) to teach those coming to conversion or that they would take over the governments of this world during the Millennium and administer God’s law over flesh-and-blood human beings.
Let’s now go back and read again some of the verses in the Book of Revelation that we had reviewed at the beginning of this study keeping in mind all the explanations covered so far in this study and let’s see what develops if anything.
And Hast Made us unto our God Kings and Priests
Let’s start reading in Revelation 1.
Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants [His Church] things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
John is being given a message in a vision by Jesus-Christ which Christ received from God the Father for His Church and which was to be recorded in a book, the Holy Bible for the benefit of God’s Church.
Rev 1:2 [To His servant, John] Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear [understands] the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Rev 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: [represent the 7 eras of God’s church] Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits [one in each of God’s era Church] which are before his throne;
Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten [born again it should read by a resurrection from the dead] of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. [God the Father is the King, Christ is the prince and He rules over the kings of the earth i.e., the members of God’s Church during the Millennium and the Last Great Day which has become a kingdom of priests] Unto him that loved us, and washed us [His servants, God’s elect, His Church of that time and, throughout the centuries and, us today] from our sins in his own blood,
Christ is the prince of the kings of the earth. Which kings are those? Not the kings of the unconverted nations; those over which Christ will reign must self-willingly place themselves under Christ’s rulership and this occurs only following a process of education and conversion. God nor Christ will rule by force over the unconverted nations of the world which are unable to obey God or submit to His law (Rom 8:7). God’s work of conversion with the nations starts with the remnant of the nations constituting end-time Israel on their return from their captivity. End-time Israel returned from captivity will be the first nation with whom God will work at the beginning of the Millennium. They will undergo a 3 1/2 year process of conversion and all those who convert (not all of them will; it has always been this way) at the end of the 3 1/2 year of being taught God’s truth become a part of God’s holy nation and kingdom of priest.
Are these the kings of which Christ will be the prince?
I would think there are nor can be no other ones. Christ cannot rule over carnal-minded people nor will He force Himself on them; God has decreed He would not force humans to obey Him (Absolute, free moral agency given to all of mankind; Deu 30:19).
Rev 1:6 And [Christ] hath made us [God’s Church during the Millennium and the Last Great Day which is made up of converted physical flesh-and-blood, mortal human beings.] kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
And hath made us. Who is the “us” here. God through John here is talking about those who are members of God’s Church being made kings and priests.
Are those the kings over which Christ is to rule; over which He will be the King of kings? Can it be anyone else.?
And when is that to occur?
Is it now, before God’s opens up salvation to mankind?
But, the church today has no role to play in the world; it is to remain in the world but not be a part of it. God’s New Testament Spirit-begotten Church has no civic responsibilities; it is to remain apart from the world. And, at Christ’s 2nd Coming, those in the Church become glorified spirit beings and will be part of Christ’s Bride.
Who will then be God’s church on earth after Christ’s 2ndComing and who are to be kings and priest unto Christ and His Father?
Would it be the end time nations constituting Israel after their return from captivity and following their conversion?
Could it be anybody else?
Those constituting God’s Church from Adam until the end of the Laodicean Era of God’s Church become glorified spirit beings at the blowing of the 7th Trump of the 7th seal of the Book of Revelation and in God’s plan will constitute the Bride of Christ and will no longer be on the earth but in the 3rd heaven with Christ.
Let’s continue by reading Revelation 5 which is where this study started.
Rev 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne [God the Father] a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
Rev 5:2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
Rev 5:3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, [Jesus Christ] hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
Rev 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb [Christ] as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. [Christ is in the midst of all 7 eras of His Church]
Rev 5:7 And he [Christ] came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. [God the Father]
Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9 And they [the four beasts and the 24 elders] sung a new song , saying,
“Singing a new song” is an expression which can obscure the meaning that is being conveyed. Singing is simply sentences put to music; whether something is said with a musical accompaniment or simply with words, the meaning of the words and sentences used remains the same.
Thou [the Lamb of God, Christ, the Word] art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us [Who is “us” here? The elders and the 4 beasts and the myriads of angels around God’s throne were not redeemed by the death of Christ; they are the ones who did not sin in the day when God tested the angels and are presently part of God’s kingdom; their spiritual creation was complete when they chose to obey God and not rebel like Lucifer and his angels did; the spirit beings currently part of God’s Kingdom have an attitude of obedience that is unchangeable as spirit once fully created cannot change; those that have been saved and those that are to be saved and inherit salvation are flesh-and-blood human beings not spirit beings. The “us” being spoken of in this verse are those who are to become kings and priests and who are to rule on the earth as we read in the next verse; Christ has redeemed them, not spirit beings.] to God by thy blood [Christ’s death as God’s perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind; Christ didn’t die to redeem angels and other spirit beings created by God] out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; [this is talking about the salvation of human beings coming from all nations and which, are to be kings and priests as they become part of God’s holy nation and kingdom of priests; or in other words, God’s Church during the Millennium and the Last Great Day.]
Rev 5:10 And hast made us [God’s Church after the 2nd Coming of Christ; converted flesh-and-blood mortal human beings that will be on the earth. God’s Church from Pentecost up to the end of the Laodicean Era will then have become Christ’s Bride; they will be glorified spirit beings no longer inhabiting the earth] unto our God kings and priests: and we [the remnant of end-time Israel returned from its end time captivity and after its conversion will be God’s Church during the Millennium and during the Last Great Day; the saints of God’s Church from Adam to the end of the Laodicean Era will have been glorified and be the Bride of Christ] shall reign on the earth. [God’s Church will then be end-time Israel returned from captivity after it becomes a converted nation. They will then become God’s holy nation and kingdom of priests that will rule over individuals from the nations as they convert and they will teach and administer God’s law over them.]
Who are those who have been made kings and priests unto God and whose reign will be on the earth? This responsibility or commission is not given to just anyone; God called out a particular nation for the specific purpose of their becoming His holy nation of kings and priests.
Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
Summary
I believe the Scriptures are clear that the nations constituting end-time Israel which are to go into captivity among the pagan nations and which are to return in a 2nd exodus to their original homeland which is the Promised Land (Palestine) are to be used by God after its conversion as His holy nation and kingdom of priests. They will be His human level instrumentality that He will use in teaching and ruling over individuals among the different nations as they convert through His Holy Spirit opening up their minds to, for the first time, understand God’s spiritual truth.
God called out ancient Israel for the specific purpose of it becoming His holy nation and kingdom of priests. The Old Covenant God made with them did not include the promise of the Holy Spirit being made available to them; ancient Israel remained a carnal nation which never had the ability to fulfill the mission God gave it.
Had ancient Israel been able to obey God they would then have become God’s holy nation and kingdom of priests.
God’s intention was to use a nation of flesh-and-blood human beings as His instrument in teaching mankind His truth; not spirit beings taking on non-scary human forms, dwelling with human beings and administering God’s government over them during the Millennium.
Ancient Israel could not and did not become God’s holy nation and kingdom of priests as intended by God; God’s Holy Spirit was not then available which would have made it possible for ancient Israel to be called and for those being chosen to become part of God’s holy nation and kingdom of priests (His Church).
In the end-time, God will make a New Covenant with the remnant of those modern-day nations constituting the end-time nation of Israel at a time yet ahead of us.
End-time Israel will go into captivity and God will free them and bring them back to the Promised Land and there He will make a New Covenant with them. The New Covenant will make God’s Holy Spirit available to those of Israel that follow their calling and are chosen.
The New Covenant will be made after a 3 1/2 year conversion process where Israel will be taught God’s truth and given the opportunity to accept it and commit themselves to obeying God for the rest of their natural lives to the best of their abilities.
Those accepting their calling will constitute God’s holy nation and kingdom of priests or in other words, God’s Church that God will use to teach individuals from the different nations as they convert through the action of His Holy Spirit.
An end-time New Testament Spirit-begotten nation of Israel will then be able to carry out the commission given their forefathers of being the human level instrumentality or the means God will use in teaching those individuals from among the nations that come to conversion during the Millennium and during the Last Great Day.
End-time Israel after its conversion will be God’s holy nation and His kingdom of priests whose role will be to teach God’s law to new converts as God pours out His Holy Spirit upon all flesh.
Mankind, for the first time since the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, will be given access to salvation however, it does not mean that all will choose to follow their calling and of those who do, it is not all that will remain converted. Being called and being saved are not the same thing but this should already be very clear in your mind if you have been reading through the studies on this site; one has to personally commit to obey God in all things to the best of their ability and remain faithful until the end of their lives.
God’s Church During the Millennium
We now have a flesh-and-blood nation specially called by God to become His holy nation and a kingdom of priests. This nation has God’s Holy Spirit and the commission to be a kingdom of priests or teachers.
The end-time nation of Israel with God’s Holy Spirit in it and with the commission to teach is, in other words, God’s Spirit-begotten Church made up of flesh-and-blood human beings whose role will be to teach those whose minds will be opened by God to understand spiritual truth through He giving them of His Holy Spirit.
The conversion process begins with God the Father opening men’s minds to the truth and teaching them to the point where they have to make a decision; will they change their lives to follow God or will they go back to their former lives? Once they commit to obeying God they are chosen and become the responsibility of Christ who is the holy spirit being in the God family that will teach them all things. Please see the following studies for more detailed information on who and what is the holy spirit: What is the Holy Spirit? Cliff Notes Version and; Who or What is the Holy Spirit? You will be glad you did; the explanations given are fully supported with clear Scriptures requiring no interpretation.
Now continuing with the closing points I have been making, as previously explained, Christ or any other spirit beings for that matter, will not teach newcomers to the faith; new converts will be taught by flesh-and-blood humans who have already been converted and who have been given the commission to teach.
Who are they going to teach?
They are God’s kingdom of priests and the knowledge that they have for mankind as God’s messenger is God’s truth which they have received in a previous conversion process (occurred with the 3 1/2 year confirmation of the covenant by Christ with Israel; the making of the New Covenant). God as we have seen has chosen the nation of end-time Israel after its return from captivity, conversion and resettlement in the Promised Land, to be teachers.
The end-time nation of Israel following its conversion becomes God’s Church with the commission to teach new converts from the nations as they believe and repent under the action of God’s Holy Spirit.
A conversion process will be ongoing with the nations all throughout the Millennium and during the Last Great Day. Those individuals from the different nations converting under the influence of God’s Holy Spirit will need to be taught in the same way as converts have had to be taught since the day of Pentecost. The early Church was taught by other men in whom God had placed His Holy Spirit. At first it was by the apostles then through the men they appointed to various offices of responsibilities in God’s Church and this process has continued and will continue until the time of the 3rd resurrection.
God uses converted men to teach newcomers to the faith not glorified spirit beings.
God will have His Church in existence all through the Millennium and the Last Great Day and then as now, it will be responsible for teaching new converts and for being helpers of their faith as has always been the role given the ordained ministry by God since the institution of God’s Church.
God has His Church; His Church has His truth and His Church being the only one that has God’s truth, is the only one that can teach it to new converts during the Millennium and the Last Great Day.
Final Thoughts
It should be clear to all reading this study that God’s plan of salvation during the Millennium and the Last Great Day will be administered the same way it has been since the days of Pentecost. He will then as He has in the last few thousand years use converted men to teach newcomers to the faith. God’s first resurrection saints who have become glorified spirit beings will be in heaven with Christ as His Bride. They will not teach the nations as God has never used spirit beings of any kind to teach those called to conversion; He has been doing so by His Church founded on the Day of Pentecost. Even the Word Himself became a man born of woman in order to come and teach those that would constitute the foundation of God’s Church and in the end-time He is coming a second time to teach those that will become God’s Church during the Millennium and the Last Great Day.
Please see the following study which explains what Christ will do at His Second Coming: Administration of God’s Plan of Salvation During the Millennium
We know that He will do so as the flesh-and-blood Jesus of Nazareth that taught the original apostles as spirit cannot be seen, felt, heard, smelled or tasted i.e., it is totally invisible and unknowable by flesh-and-blood humans whose fives senses limit them to the physical and the material.
Now we can understand the meaning and the time of the fulfillment of Rev 5:10 which up to now had always proved mysterious to me but whose meaning is now clear. God will have His Church during the Millennium and the Last Great Day and they will be the physical descendants of ancient Israel and those of the nations making up modern day end-time Israel (Ephraim and Manasseh).
Hopefully, it is also now clear for you and a cause for much rejoicing that we have been given to know and understand this verse.
God's Spiritual Nation 