A Kingdom of Priests

Rev 5:10 ““You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.””

A few fallacies we need to look at

Kingdom Now theology

Kingdom Now theology is a theological belief within the Charismatic movement of Protestant Christianity, mainly in the United States. Kingdom Now proponents believe that God lost control over the world to Satan when Adam and Eve sinned. Since then, the theology goes, God has been trying to reestablish control over the world by seeking a special group of believers—known variously as "covenant people," "overcomers," or "Joel’s army"—and that through these people, social institutions (including governments and laws) would be brought under God’s authority. The belief is that, since believers are indwelt by the same Holy Spirit that indwelt Jesus, we have all authority in heaven and on the earth; we have the power to believe for and speak into existence things that are not, and thus we can bring about the Kingdom Age. Among the most controversial tenets of the theology is the belief that secular or non-Christian society will never succeed. Hence, Kingdom Now opposes a separation of church and state. Other beliefs include the idea that, as the Body of Christ, we are Christ. In other words, we have His divine nature. Proponents of Kingdom Now teaching also don’t believe in the rapture, which is explained away as a feeling of rapture or excitement when the Lord returns to receive the kingdom from our hands. In other words, everyone will be "caught up" emotionally when He returns. Also among the unbiblical beliefs is the idea that all prophecies regarding future Israel—both in the Old and New Testaments—actually apply to the church. Kingdom Now theology sees the second coming of Jesus in two stages: first through the flesh of the believers (and in particular the flesh of today’s apostles and prophets), and then in person to take over the kingdom handed to Him by those who have been victorious (the "overcomers"). Prior to the second coming, overcomers must purge the earth of all evil influences. Kingdom Now claims that Jesus cannot return until all His enemies have been put under the feet of the church (including death, presumably). Although there are people who only partially hold to Kingdom Now teachings, they still share the beliefs outlined above, all of which are outside of mainstream Christianity and all of which deny Scripture. First, the idea that God has “lost control” of anything is ludicrous, especially coupled with the idea that He needs human beings to help Him regain that control. He is the sovereign Lord of the universe, complete and holy, perfect in all His attributes. He has complete control over all things—past, present and future—and nothing happens outside His command. Everything is proceeding according to His divine plan and purpose, and not one molecule is moving on its own accord. “For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” (Isaiah 14:27). As for men having “the power to believe for and speak into existence things that are not,” that power belongs to God alone, who doesn’t take kindly to those who would attempt to usurp it from Him. “Remember this, and be a man; return it on your heart, O sinners. Remember former things from forever; for I am God, and no other is God, even none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from the past things which were not done, saying, ‘My purpose shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure’; calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my purpose from a far country. Yes, I have spoken, I will also cause it to come; I have formed; yes, I will do it” (Isaiah 46:8–11). Kingdom Now’s denial of the rapture of the church is also unbiblical. The explanation that the rapture is nothing more than the people of God being caught up in rapturous feelings ignores the fact that such an application of the term "caught up" is strictly an idiomatic expression peculiar to English, not Greek. "I was all 'caught up' in the movie (or other excitement)” is not the equivalent of harpazo, used to describe the catching up bodily into heaven in 1 Thessalonians 4:17; 2 Corinthians 12:2-4; and Revelation 12:5. The word is also used in Acts 8:39, where Phillip is bodily "caught away" by the Spirit to another location. As for our being Christ and having divine nature, we are not Christ, although we do partake of His divine nature at salvation with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:4). But Christ is the second Person of the Godhead, and no one becomes God. This is a lie from the father of lies, Satan, who first told it in the Garden of Eden when he tempted Eve with “you shall be as God” (Genesis 3:5). The idea that the church has replaced Israel and that the fulfillment of the prophecies to Israel pertain to the church is known as Replacement theology, and it is unbiblical. The promises to Israel will be fulfilled in Israel, not in the church. God’s blessings to Israel are eternal, and they are without recall. Finally, the second coming of Christ will be when He, not men, defeats His enemies and puts all things under His feet. The description of the second coming in Revelation 19 is the description of a mighty warrior who comes to put all things to right, not of one who comes to an earth already cleaned up and ready for Him to rule. Verse 15 is clear: “And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, so that with it He should strike the nations. And He will shepherd them with a rod of iron. And He treads the winepress of the wine of the anger and of the wrath of Almighty God.” If the earth has been “purged of all evil influences,” as the Kingdom Now-ers believe, why does Christ need a sharp sword to strike the nations, and why does the anger and wrath of God still exist against them? Kingdom Now theology is another in a long line false, unbiblical, and misleading philosophies of men whose vain imaginations seek to humanize God and deify man. It is to be avoided

The seven mountain

The seven mountain (7-M) mandate or the seven mountain prophecy is a strategy for evangelizing the modern world and enlarging Christ’s kingdom. It has especially gained a following in Charismatic and Pentecostal churches. Those who follow the seven mountain mandate believe that the best way for the church to be effective is to bring change in the seven major spheres of influence in society. Here are the seven “mountains” to be transformed, according to the seven mountain mandate:

1) Education 2) Religion 3) Family 4) Business 5) Government/Military 6) Arts/Entertainment 7) Media

These seven sectors of society are thought to mold the way everyone thinks and behaves. So, to tackle societal change, these seven “mountains” must be transformed. The mountains are also referred to as “pillars,” “shapers,” “molders,” and “spheres.” Those who follow the seven mountain mandate speak of “occupying” the mountains, “invading” the culture, and “transforming” or “taking back” society. Some teachers of the seven mountain mandate use Isaiah 2:2, which mentions mountains, to support their view: “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.” Others try to find a correspondence between the seven mountains and the seven kingdoms Israel was to drive out of Canaan (Deuteronomy 7:1). Lance Wallnau coined the term seven mountain mandate and is one of its prominent teachers. Wallnau adapts the missionary mandate of Jesus to His disciples to “go and make disciples” of all the nations into a mandate to effect social transformation. He reasons that, since churches already have a presence in every nation in the world, we need to now concentrate on influencing the systems (the “mountains”) within these nations. The problem, according to Wallnau, is that Christians are not currently influencing society outside the church. Christians have left the mountains susceptible to the “gates of hell,” which are spiritual portals over the “kings” (influence-shapers) of those mountains. Wallnau’s teaching is loosely based on the Abrahamic Covenant, which promised Abraham a seed and a lasting inheritance. Also, Israel was promised in Deuteronomy 28:12–14 to be the “head and not the tail” among the nations. Proponents of the seven mountain mandate infer that the church, not Israel, is the entity to claim that promise. It is now up to believers to move in proximity to the “gates of hell” and position themselves to exert the greatest amount of influence. Each individual Christian is to find the particular “mountain” to which he is called and be a leader in that realm. Christians are called to be light and salt in the world (Matthew 5:13–14). It’s true that the church should seek to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with all people in every area of society and in that way influence culture. When lives are transformed by the gospel, society will be impacted. When Paul and Silas brought the gospel to Thessalonica, there was an uproar. Evil men, resistant to God’s message, claimed the missionaries had “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6, ESV). The overturning of wicked systems and the advancement of God’s truth should be something every believer prays for and works toward. Christians should be involved in the arts, business, government, media, etc. We need more believers in those areas, not fewer. The message of the gospel must permeate everywhere, and the seven mountain mandate is a strategy that makes sense on one level. The people wielding the most influence today—the people at the top of mountains—are, for the most part, ungodly people who do not follow God’s Word. Influence the influencers, and you can change the world. Become an influencer yourself, and you can bring change that much more quickly. One caveat to the seven mountain mandate is that the Lord may do His work any way that He sees fit. We have no direct command in Scripture to seek positions of influence in society, only that we make disciples and be Jesus’ witnesses in all the world (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8). God may use anyone, regardless of how high on the “mountain” he or she is. In fact, God has specifically chosen the lowly: “Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Corinthians 1:26–29, emphasis added). Another caution is that the seven mountain mandate traces its origins to “visions” certain men had, and the strategy is heavily promoted by “apostles” in the New Apostolic Reformation, including Bill Johnson, C. Peter Wagner, and Che' Ahn. Further, the seven mountain mandate sometimes drifts into the realm of dominion theology, the belief that God desires Christians to rise to power and govern the nation according to biblical precepts. The world desperately needs Jesus, and we are to take the message of Jesus into all the world. We need Christian professors, lawyers, CEOs, drill sergeants, newscasters, coaches, painters, chefs, gardeners, actors, handymen—the list goes on. The church should not shy away from engagement with the world, and all professions need a gospel witness. Wherever we are and whatever we do, we should “work at it with all [our] heart, as working for the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). And we trust that Jesus will continue to build His church (Matthew 16:18)

Dominion theology

Dominion theology refers to a line of theological interpretation and thought with regard to the role of the church in contemporary society. Dominion theology is also known as Christian reconstructionism and theonomy. Dominion theology states that biblical Christianity will rule all areas of society, personal and corporate. Christian reconstructionism reasons that society will be reconstructed by the Law of God as preached in the gospel and the Great Commission. Theonomy is a post-millennial view believing that all of the moral laws contained in the Old Testament are yet binding today. Although these might sound somewhat disparate, they have all been closely linked together to the point that people often use the terms interchangeably. Those who hold these views believe that it is the duty of Christians to create a worldwide kingdom patterned after the Mosaic Law. They believe that Christ will not return to earth until such a kingdom has been established. The principal goal, then, of dominion theology and Christian reconstructionism is political and religious domination of the world through the implementation of the moral laws, and subsequent punishments, of the Old Testament (the sacrificial and ceremonial laws having been fulfilled in the New Testament). This is not a government system ruled by the church, but rather a government conformed to the Law of God. Dominion theology / Christian reconstructionism is largely based upon a post-millennial view of covenantalism. Post-millennialism is the belief that Christ will return to earth after the thousand-year reign of God’s kingdom, and covenantalism refers to the belief that biblical history is divided into three major covenants supposedly described in Scripture—of redemption, of works, and of grace. Adherents believe that we currently exist under the covenant of grace, that the church and Israel are the same, and we are now in the millennial Kingdom of God. Man, under the covenant of grace, is responsible to rule the world, to hold dominion over it in obedience to the laws of God. We believe that the Bible teaches a premillennial view of the Kingdom of God (Zechariah 14:4–9; Matthew 25:31–34) and that Israel and the Church are distinct throughout biblical history and prophecy. We don’t see that God ever commanded the Church to take charge of and revamp society. Instead, we see the command for believers to preach the gospel as in Matthew 28:19–20. God intends to implement worldwide social reform Himself (Revelation 19:11 — 20:4). Once at home solely within Reformed circles, dominion theology and Christian reconstructionism are making an impact on the beliefs of many Charismatic churches in the form of Kingdom Now theology.

Rev 5:11 “Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands,”

kings and priests

As priests, believers are ministers of the new covenant—not of the letter, but of the Spirit (2Cor. 3:6). They offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God (1Pe. 2:5) while proclaiming His praises (1Pe. 2:9). They minister to God as priests and share His reign as kings (Dan. 7:27; Rev. 2:26-27+; Rev. 3:21+; Rev. 20:6+). “Though believers are currently viewed as a royal priesthood (1Pe. 2:5, 9; cf. Ex. 19:6), this is only preliminary to the fullness of the way they will function alongside Christ in the Millennial Kingdom

we shall reign on the earth

This is the same promise made earlier to the overcomer in Thyatira and Laodicea. The saints will be given power over the nations and will co-rule with Christ (Rev. 2:26-27+). They will sit with Him on His throne (Rev. 3:21+). They shall reign (future tense) on the earth in fulfillment of the familiar petition within the “Lord’s Prayer”: Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Mat. 6:10). The rule will be upon His throne, not upon the throne of the Father where He currently is seated. This occurs at the Millennial Kingdom following His appearing (2Ti. 4:1; Rev. 20:4-6+). The psalm writer said, “those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth” [emphasis added] (Ps. 37:9b). Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” [emphasis added] (Mat. 5:5). There is real, physical land involved in the redemption which pours forth from this book. The taking back of man’s dominion over the earth which was lost by Adam (Gen. 1:26, 28), and the restoration of Israel to the Promised Land (Amos 9:13-15)

Matthew Poole’s Commentary on the Holy Bible, Volumes 1–3 Chapter 5

10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

The four living creatures and four and twenty elders (by which are represented the ministers and members of the church of Christ) go on in showing why they had reason to proclaim Christ worthy to be the Prophet to his church, to open the counsels of God to them, viz. because of the great love he had showed to them, not only in redeeming them with his blood from the guilt and power of sin, but in making them kings and priests; giving them the same privileges that the Jewish church had, who were called a royal priesthood, Exod. 19:6; giving them a power (as priests) to offer up (not such bloody fleshly sacrifices as they offered, but) spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through the Beloved, 1 Pet. 2:5: and also (as kings) to rule over their lusts and sensitive appetite; and to reign hereafter on the earth, judging the world (1 Cor. 6:3) at the great day, with the great Judge of the quick and the dead.

Rev 5:11 “Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands,”