Priest and Sacrifice

Jesus is the high priest of his people, and he summons us to participate in his ministry and reign as members of his priestly kingdom.

Jesus is our high priest, and as such, he oversees his congregations and mediates for them from the Divine Throne. He is also the sacrificial Lamb who purchased us for God with his death and transformed us into a kingdom of priests, shining his light to illuminate a dark world.

The primary designation of Jesus in the Book of Revelation is ‘Lamb’, for he is the Lamb that was slain to redeem humanity. Moreover, he has been exalted to rule the Cosmos from the throne of God, for he is the “King of kings and Lord of lords” – (Revelation 5:6-14, 17:14).

Jesus is the high priest who officiates in the Tabernacle, and he enters the Holy of Holies to atone for the sins of his people. His death has cleansed the saints of the stain of sin and reconciled them with their Creator.

The sacrificial act of Christ made his saints a kingdom of priests, and as priests, they serve God by carrying the testimony of Jesus before the world, enduring suffering and even death along the way.

[Photo by Daan Weijers on Unsplash]

Jesus is the “one like a son of man,” and he is presented as the high priest of his people in Revelation 1:9-20. This phrase is from the ancient Greek translation of Daniel 7:13-14 - (“I saw in the night-visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man…”).

Jesus is the mediator and representative of the saints of God. The day is coming, however, when he will gather his people and place them forevermore in the Holy City, New Jerusalem. This Son of Man is high priest of the people of God, but he is also the Lamb who sacrificed his life to redeem humanity and the Creation, “to reconcile all things” to God through Christ – (Colossians 1:20):

• “And from Jesus Christ, THE FAITHFUL WITNESS, THE FIRSTBORN OF THE DEAD, and THE RULER OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH. Unto him who loves us and CLEANSED US FROM OUR SINS by his blood; and he made us A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS for his God and Father” – (Revelation 1:5-6. Note the verbal allusions to Exodus 19:5-6, Leviticus 16:30, Psalm 89:27, 89:37, Daniel 7:27. Compare Colossians 1:18, 2 Peter 2:6-20).

Jesus gave faithful testimony in his death, and he became the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of kings when God raised him from the dead and exalted him to the Divine Throne – (Compare Psalm 110:1, Colossians 1:18. See Revelation 1:2, “John testified of the word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ”).

The phrase “cleansed us from sin” in Revelation 1:5 echoes the Day of Atonement described in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Leviticus, when the high priest of Israel “made atonement for you, to cleanse you from all your sins before the Lord”– (Compare Exodus 19:5-6, Leviticus 16:30, 1 Peter 2:5-10, Revelation 3:21).

In John’s first vision, the “one like a son of man” wears the linen robes and the golden belt of the high priest that he wore on the Day of Atonement as he entered the holy of holies and applied sacrificial blood to the mercy-seat, thereby atoning for the sins of the nation:

• “And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands; and among the lampstands ONE LIKE A SON OF MAN, CLOTHED WITH A GARMENT down to the foot, and GIRDED ABOUT THE BREAST with a golden belt. And HIS HEAD AND HIS HAIR WERE WHITE as wool, white as snow; and HIS EYES WERE AS A FLAME OF FIRE, and HIS FEET LIKE BURNISHED BRASS, as if it had been refined in a furnace, and HIS VOICE AS MANY WATERS. And he had in his right hand seven stars. And OUT OF HIS MOUTH PROCEEDED A SHARP TWO-EDGED SWORD. And his countenance was as the sun shining in his strength” - (Revelation 1:12-16. Note the several verbal allusions to Leviticus 8:7, 16:32, Isaiah 11:4, Ezekiel 43:2, Daniel 7:9, 7:13-14, 10:5-6. Compare Revelation 19:11-15).

And so, Jesus is the high priest who mediates on behalf of his people, cleanses them from sin, and delivers them from their enemies – (Compare Hebrews 2:17, 4:15, 7:25 [“Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing he lives forevermore to intercede for them”]).

The effectiveness of Christ’s sacrifice is emphasized in Revelation 1:18. Not even the realm of the dead is beyond his reach. For those redeemed by the Lamb, death will not have the final word. The victory of Jesus over his enemies was achieved through his death, and his exaltation to reign over the Cosmos is because of his resurrection from the dead:

• “Fear not! I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST. I am the Living one. And I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have THE KEYS of death and of Hades” - (Note the allusions to Isaiah 22:22, 48:12. Compare Revelation 2:8, 3:7, 22:13).

Jesus is seen walking among seven golden lampstands, which represent the seven churches of Asia. This points to the care and oversight of the high priest for his people, and it establishes the background from the ancient tabernacle of Israel that dominates the visions of the rest of the Book.

Christ performs his priestly duties in the sanctuary of the tabernacle, the holy place, the compartment of the ancient tent shrine that contained the altars of burnt offerings and incense. The churches are symbolized as lampstands, for they are light-bearers in the sanctuary of God – (Revelation 1:20, 2:1, 4:1-11, 11:1-2, 15:5-8. Concerning the lampstands, compare Exodus 25:31-38, 40:24-25, Zechariah 4:12).

THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB

Jesus is represented by the image of the sacrificial Lamb in Chapter 5. He is the messiah of Israel, but he fulfills that role by giving his life for humanity:

• “Behold, the LION FROM THE TRIBE OF JUDAH, the ROOT OF DAVID, has overcome to open the scroll and its seven seals. And I saw in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though slain” - (Revelation 5:6-10. Note the verbal allusions to Genesis 49:9-10, Isaiah 11:1, 11:10).

Because Jesus submitted to an unjust death in order to redeem mankind, God gave him dominion over the entire creation. Moreover, by his death, Christ transforms redeemed men and women into a kingdom of priests, and they carry his testimony to the ends of the Earth. This is how the priests of the Lamb participate in his present reign:

• “And they sing a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were sacrificed and purchased with your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation for your God, and you made them a KINGDOM AND PRIESTS. And they are reigning upon the earth”- (Revelation 5:9-11. Compare Exodus 19:5-6).

• “He who overcomes, I will give to him to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and sat with my Father on his throne” – (Revelation 3:21).

In Chapter 4, the Spirit summons John “to come up here” to the throne room of heaven. This is a graphic representation of the holy of holies. John now finds himself in the presence of God in the inner sanctum located at the very heart of the created order.

In the ancient tabernacle of Israel, the mercy-seat covered the ark of the covenant, which was located in the holy of holies. It represented the throne of God, the place where the Lord met and communed with his people, and the place where the high priest atoned for the sins of Israel on the Day of Atonement - (Exodus 25:21-22, Leviticus 16:13-15, Revelation 4:1, 11:19, 15:5).

The image of John being transported to heaven is not a literal description of his ascent into the sky, but a portrayal of his entry into the greater and heavenly holy of holies, not unlike the picture provided in Hebrews 8:1 - (“We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle”).

The high priest entered the holy of holies in the tabernacle once each year, and never without sacrificial blood. The priest applied the blood to the mercy-seat to atone for the sins of Israel. So, also, the slain Lamb appears in the heavenly sanctuary and immediately approaches the throne, where he applies his blood to atone for the sins of his people – (Compare Leviticus 16:2-20, Hebrews 9:7, 9:24-25).

In Chapter 7, John saw a multitude of men coming out of the great tribulation, a group so vast that no man could number them. This image represents men and women who have been redeemed by the Lamb and made members of his priestly kingdom, who now minister before the Lamb and the Throne in the true and greater tabernacle:

• “These are they that come out of THE GREAT TRIBULATION, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God; and they serve him day and night in his sanctuary. And he who sits on the throne WILL SPREAD HIS TABERNACLE OVER THEM. THEY WILL HUNGER NO MORE, NEITHER THIRST ANY LONGER; neither will THE SUN STRIKE UPON THEM, nor any heat. For the Lamb that is in the middle of the throne will be their shepherd and GUIDE THEM TO FOUNTAINS OF LIVING WATER, and God WILL WIPE AWAY EVERY TEAR FROM THEIR EYES” – (Revelation 7:14-17. Note the verbal allusion to Isaiah 4:4-6, 49:10, Daniel 12:1).

The members of this multitude have cleansed their robes with the blood of the Lamb. Their undefiled garments symbolize their status as priests of the Lord (“They were arrayed in white robes…” – Revelation 3:5, 3:18, 6:11, 7:9).

The members of this innumerable multitude now stand before the throne of God in the inner sanctum of his heavenly tabernacle (“They serve him day and night in his sanctuary. <…> He will spread his tabernacle over them”).

PRIESTS OF THE LORD

The Book of Revelation describes itself as “the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 1:2), and John found himself on the isle of Patmos for this very cause:

• “I, John, your brother and fellow participant with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patience in Jesus, I was on the isle called Patmos for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” – (Revelation 1:9).

As stated previously, the seven churches are symbolized by seven lampstands because they are light bearers. In Revelation, the functions of the priests include carrying his testimony and illuminating the world with the Word of God.

And so, the one who holds the seven lampstands in his right hand rebukes the assembly of Ephesus for losing its zeal to bear witness to Jesus. If they do not repent and “do the first works,” he will remove their lampstand – (Revelation 2:5).

The church of Pergamos is commended for not denying Christ’s faith even when his faithful witness, Antipas, was slain because of his witness. In the Greek text, the phrase translated as “faithful witness” is the same as the title given to Jesus in Revelation 1:5 – (See Revelation 2:13).

When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, John saw the souls of martyrs under the altar, saints who were slain because of “the word of God, and for the testimony which they held” – (Revelation 6:9-11).

The martyrs were given priestly garments and told to rest until the full complement of martyrs had been assembled. They are described as “underneath the altar” because, in the tabernacle, the remaining blood of the sacrificial victim was poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offerings. This points to the totality of their sacrifice made while bearing witness to the gospel:

• “And the priest will put of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tent of meeting. And he will pour out all the blood of the bullock out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tent of meeting” - (Leviticus 4:7).

When the seventh seal was opened, John saw the prayers of the saints ascending like incense to God from the altar of incense. The description of the altar of incense “before the throne” is an image based on the structure of the tabernacle, the altar of incense in the outer sanctuary in front of the holy of holies, where the mercy-seat was located, the “throne” of God:

• “And another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer. And there was given him much incense, that he should add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar, which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense ascended before God with the prayers of the saints out of the angel's hand” – (Revelation 8:3-4).

• “And he will take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil. And he will put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy-seat that is upon the testimony” – (Leviticus 16:12-13).

In Chapter 11, John was told to measure the sanctuary, the altar, and the men who were conducting priestly service in the tabernacle, but not the outer courtyard. The holy city and the outer courtyard would be trampled by the nations for a period of forty-two months - (Revelation 11:1-2).

The vision of Revelation 11:1-2 is interpreted in Revelation 11:3-14, the two witnesses who carry the testimony of Jesus. This is confirmed by the reference to the period of one thousand, two hundred and sixty days, which is the equivalent of the forty-two months in verse 2. During this period, the two witnesses give their testimony despite opposition. Their voice cannot be silenced until the end of their allotted time – (Revelation 11:1-7).

The two witnesses are called “lampstands,” which means they represent churches. They faithfully proclaim the gospel “until they have finished their testimony.” They are then killed by the Beast from the abyss. He ascended “to make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them.” Note the phrase borrowed from Daniel 7:21, “the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them.”

John is told in Chapter 12 that the saints overcome the Dragon “by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and because they loved not their life unto death.” This is arguably the thematic message of the Book of Revelation, and it summarizes the mission of the priests of the kingdom: To bear witness to the Lamb even when doing so means death – (Revelation 12:11).

The Dragon is expelled from heaven because of the enthronement of the messianic son, and he is then unleashed “for a short season” to deceive the inhabitants of the earth - (Revelation 12:12-17).

The ‘short season’ refers to the same period as the forty-two months of Revelation 11:2. Enraged by his expulsion, the Dragon departed “to make war on the seed of the woman, those men who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.”  Note once again the language from Daniel 7:21, which provides a verbal link to Revelation 11:7, the Beast’s war on the two witnesses.

The men who have the testimony of Jesus are identified in Chapter 13 as “those who tabernacle in heaven” and as “the saints” - (Revelation 13:5-7).

One of the seven heads of the Beast is authorized to slander God, his name, and his tabernacle for the period of “forty-two months,” another verbal link to Revelation 11:2 and 11:7 (In Chapter 11, the Beast ascends from the abyss, and from the sea in Chapter 13, but it is the same creature). The tabernacle is identified as “those who tabernacle in heaven.” The Greek noun and verb for ‘tabernacle’ are both used in the passage (“And his tabernacle, even those who tabernacle in the heaven” - Revelation 13:6).

This ‘slander’ is explained further as part of the Beast’s war against the church, once again using language from Daniel 7:21: “And it was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them” – (Revelation 13:7).

Only priests were authorized to minister in the ancient tabernacle of Israel. The close association of the saints with the tabernacle highlights their priestly status. References to ‘war’ and ‘slander’ point to the persecution of the church by the Beast.

The company of 144,000 men described in Chapter 7 is seen again in Chapter 14, where they are standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion and before the Divine Throne in the heavenly sanctuary. John heard them singing “the new song” that no one else could learn, which identifies this group with the innumerable multitude of men redeemed by the death of Jesus and transformed into his priestly kingdom. The 144,000 are described as males and undefiled because they are priests - (Revelation 5:9-11, 14:1-5).

The same company is seen again in Chapter 15, this time standing on the sea of glass and singing “the song of the Lamb and of Moses.” They have overcome the Beast and his name, which means they have given faithful testimony. After completing their song, the “sanctuary of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened,” releasing the seven last plagues. This last description is based on the holy of holies in the ancient tabernacle - (Revelation 5:9-11, 14:1-5).

In Chapter 20, the Dragon is released for “a short time,” and so he ascends from the abyss to gather the nations for his final war against the saints. Judgment is made for the saints, those who were executed “for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and who did not swear fealty to the beast” – (Revelation 20:4).

Thus, the martyrs of Jesus were killed because of their testimony and “the word of God,” and because they gave their allegiance to the Lamb rather than to the Dragon and the Empire. Therefore, “they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” The declaration that the priests of the kingdom reigned with Jesus was applied previously to the followers of Christ by the Book of Revelation - (See Revelation 1:5-6, 5:11).

The kingdom of priests is not an elite company within the larger church, nor is this a group of ministers set apart to rule the church. Every man and woman redeemed by the sacrificial death of the Lamb becomes a member of this priestly kingdom, and each of us is called to carry the testimony of Jesus before the world regardless of any opposition. This is what it means to follow the Lamb “wherever he goes.”

-----

[Citations of Old Testament passages in this article are based on the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint (see the links here and here). Text printed in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS represents quotations and verbal allusions from the Old Testament. The Septuagint is represented by the Roman numeral for ‘seventy’ or LXX based on the Latin name of the translation, ‘Interpretatio septuaginta virorum’]

[PDF Copy]

SEE ALSO:

• The Lamb is King - (Jesus is the Lamb, the King whose sovereignty is total, and the Messiah sent by God to redeem men from every nation)

• Son, Priest and Sacrifice - (Jesus is the glorious Son of Man, the High Priest of his people, and the Lamb who redeemed us by his blood – Revelation 1:9-20)

• Worthy is the Lamb! - (Jesus is the Lamb and the true Messiah of Israel. He was sent by God to redeem men from every nation by his sacrificial death)

• Prêtre et Sacrifice - (Jésus est le souverain sacrificateur de son peuple, et il nous appelle à participer à son ministère et à régner en tant que membres de son royaume sacerdotal)