The Kingdom Age & the Melchizedek Priesthood

Throughout biblical literature we discover numerous examples of God’s intervention that changed the course of history and redirected mankind. Normally these “interventions” occurred during times of great spiritual darkness. So shall it be today! In the midst of “darkness covering the earth” and “deep darkness the people” God will release His glory upon a specific corporate body of people for a unique task.

It seems apparent to the spiritually discerning, that we are in that time of notable transition. When the Lord Himself came to the earth He was tasked with the responsibility and anointing to shift from the Law of Moses to the revelation of God’s Kingdom or Age of Grace. He often said, “to him who has ears to hear, let him hear.” That same admonition applies now.

This transition resulting from the Lord’s intervention will realign us from Church Age to Kingdom Age. The dynamics of the church as we have known them are fading and the administration of the Kingdom are coming to the forefront. This will ultimately result in the Lord’s return and the full manifestation of the Kingdom Age prophesied by the Lord Himself. The heart of the Kingdom’s message is to “him who overcomes” with an emphasis on “the Throne” with the Lord Himself taking His place as the Head of His body.

The “overcomers” of our generation will be the “witness” of who He is and His capabilities in this critical hour of awakening at the end of this age. We are promised to sit with Him on His throne as He overcame to sit with the Father. (Revelation 3:21). The writer of Hebrews further tells us we can “taste the good word of God and the powers of the age to come” as an affirmation of that witness. I believe the Lord is moving upon those to whom He intends to reveal this hope for a new day and become His mouthpiece. (See Jeremiah 15:19-21)

A common theme in the book of Revelation is “access”. Those utilized in this major spiritual shift will be given access to the unseen realm through a “door”. (Revelation 3:8; Revelation 3:20; Revelation 4:1). The Greek word used here is “thura.” It is defined as “a point of access, a door, a portal or something to give entrance.” A body of people given access to the Lord as “overcomers” will experience this intervention and change our current understanding of church and ministry.

These years of transition will be marked by wars, pestilences and other markers identified in the Scripture along with political upheaval, religious persecution and ultimately the Lord’s defeat of Satan’s army. This will then initiate the 1000 year Messianic/Kingdom Age. God’s government will then replace Satan’s government and its lawless attributes.

This Final Generation

The “Final Generation” (Omega) will experience this tumultuous transition (and promised glory) from this age, dominated by Satan (ruler of this age) to Jesus’ rule over the earth. This is the focus of most end-time prophecy. At Christ’s return, He will imprison Satan and his demons to a place where, for 1,000 years, they cannot influence humanity (Revelation 20:1-3). We call this time period the Millennium (meaning 1, years).

This will likewise produce an emphasis on the government of the Kingdom with the Lord Himself as the King. According to Revelation 5:8-10, the mysteries revealed under this administration of government will produce “priests and kings” who are destined to rule with Messiah.

Revelation 5:10–And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

Discussion on the “Kingdom” is often varied and sometimes misunderstood. When we address the “Kingdom Age” it is in reference to the Lord’s future Kingdom reign (age to come/ 7th day) on the earth with His overcoming remnant bride. (Rev 5:8-10) This will take place for literally 1000 years while Satan is bound and imprisoned. We long for that day. Paul said that is our “blessed hope” beginning with the appearing of the Lord. (Titus 2:13; Rev 20:6)

Revelation 20:6–Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

Kingdom in our Midst

Even so, the Scriptures also teach that the Kingdom is “in your midst” (Luke 17:20-21) When the Lord called His disciples He said, “the time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand.” The amazing message of the Kingdom is being offered to men as carriers of Kingdom virtue and power. (The Lord’s Presence) His intent is to lift us above this earthly realm (the world) and live spiritually in a higher place by manifesting through that position the virtues of the Lord’s Kingdom on the earth. Not to rule the governments of this world yet; that follows the Lord’s return and resurrection of the dead which includes the translation of living saints. (Luke 20:35-36; Daniel 2:44) But to manifest righteousness, peace and joy on the earth, even “tasting the good word of God and the powers of the age to come” in a firstfruits demonstration to make disciples of Christ.

The message of the Kingdom must first be embraced and exhibited by a company of people on the earth in order to prepare for the literal millennial Kingdom Age that will exist for 1000 years after the Lord’s return. That community of people are being prepared now to enter into a union experience with the Lord to display His power and glory in one final corporate display of resurrection life.

Paul’s Quest

Paul summed his life up in one primary goal. To be conformed to the Lord’s death and to be a part of the resurrection that is coming; to know experientially resurrection life. He clearly had a vivid understanding of this future event. He expressed it concisely in 1 Corinthians 15 and also his epistles to the Thessalonians. He saw the value and great future we have at the resurrection/translation of the living saints.

The Lord spoke of it in Luke 20:35-36. The end of this age and the beginning of the Kingdom Age marked by the resurrection. The Lord Jesus said at that point we are immortal. We cannot even die anymore. We are then “like” angels being sons of God and sons of the Resurrection. Paul also spoke of this further in Philippians 3.

We eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who (at His Coming) will transform us from this humble state into conformity with the body of His glory (a resurrected body with the Lord’s potentials) through the exertion of the power the Lord has to subject all things to Himself. Like Paul, we long to “attain” to that day and be found “worthy”.

In the meantime, we aspire to display “Resurrection Life”in a dark generation to call people “out of darkness into light” and to look forward to this “blessed hope” we have at the Lord’s coming.

Increased Capacity for the Remnant

Our Great Redeemer is going to touch His people and amplify desperation for Him and His Spirit. It will be a literal fulfillment of Isaiah 60:5 and a people seeing by prophetic vision an unveiling of the Lord that is so real that they become “radiant/illumined”. Then their hearts will tremble and be enlarged for greater capacity! We will be so filled with Kingdom there will simply be no room for anything else such as doubt, unbelief or the spirit of this world.

Then the end-of-the-age Bridal Company/Sons of the Kingdom will experience the enlarged heart and have increased capacity for God producing great champions. The eternal truth of 2 Chronicles 16:9 is directly applicable saying: “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”

In times past these interventions usually occurred with isolated individuals, but in this final generation it is prophesied through a corporate remnant of people that have experienced the virtue to overcome. (Revelation 2 and 3). This will now be “the sound of many waters.” (Revelation 1:15) A corporate body saying the same thing!

The Bride Made Ready

The phrase, “His Bride has made herself ready” (Rev 19:7) is of paramount importance at this present time. It would be difficult to overstate the importance of a people making themselves ready for the Lord’s return and the age to come. Clearly, social, political and spiritual conditions point to this reality. We are now experiencing profound fulfillment of biblical prophecy.

Scripture portrays the lives of men such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Job who “walked with God”. First of all, the incredible far-reaching implications of that statement should

change our lives in and of itself. God is willing to “walk” (intimate exchange and shared experiences) with human beings in an intricate and personal way. We discover this even more so in the New Testament after the resurrection of Messiah and His desire to live in and through us to express His “invisible attributes” and “divine nature”.

How much more when we discover His desire to enter into union with a bride that is mature, yielded and fully devoted to Him—who enjoys the privileges that go with that! The opportunity to relish spiritual experiences and profound privileges provided through redemption are the greatest now than ever before, in this final generation before His return. There is great emphasis on being made ready for the final consummation.

The Lord Jesus has made the way for us to be anointed as He was. He said, “the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me for He has anointed Me!” No matter what our gifting may be, it is the “anointing” that amplifies it and causes the gifting to flourish and become fruitful through spiritual impartation.

Therefore, our quest is for great/clear revelatory insights (into God’s Word and plan) with the Spirit’s anointing releasing fruitful impartation.

The Revelation/Unveiling of Our Promises

Our privileges and inheritance in Christ are too fantastic and numerous to even attempt to describe with mere human language. They must be understood through “revelation.” (The unveiling of Jesus Christ) One of those is the amazing privilege given to “the Bride of Christ” to enter into union with Messiah and rule/govern planet Earth with Him for 1000 years. That is extraordinary!

We know that even now a remnant of God’s people is being prepared for that amazing destiny. That is why there is a very clear clarion call to spiritual maturity, shared experiences with Messiah and purity of character. We must be like Him! Those are the characteristics that He is expecting within His bride. That’s attainable by impartation of the Spirit (great grace) and yielding our will to the will of the Father.

In my early years, the Lord often used past champions of the faith to influence and affirm the revelations that I received from the Spirit. The Lord would reveal the truth and I would see that truth in the Scriptures; then I would be led to someone that lived the reality of that revelation.

In the course of that exchange, I discovered powerful saints extremely conscious of the “manifest presence” who sought to go deeper the entirety of their lives. I came to understand the importance of “spiritual sensitivity” and “responsiveness” to the Lord’s presence and influence. It is one thing to be sensitive to the Spirit and altogether another to respond appropriately.

To the church of Laodicea, the Lord gave a word of counsel to buy of Him gold refined by fire, white garments to cover the shame of their nakedness and eye-salve that they may see. Our sensitivity AND responsiveness to these admonitions creates the virtue to overcome. This is a vitally important process taking place today. “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Rev 3:21)

As emphasized in Revelation 3:20, the Lord stands at the door and knocks and to him who hears and opens his/her heart, the Lord will dine with them. This is an individual commission and requires an individual response. On the other side of the “open door” we find Living Word revelation vital for this season and the Heavenly blueprint.

Building From the Unseen Realm

The fullness of the ministry model God has ordained to respond to the great needs and challenges of the 21st Century is not yet presently on the Earth. It is something that we must obtain from beyond the veil in the unseen realm. It is the hidden manna reserved and set apart for this generation that will equip the Bride of Christ without spot or wrinkle and empower God’s sons for the harvest.

Hebrew 8:4-6 tells us how Moses discovered the Heavenly pattern for his generation.

…just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “SEE,” He says, “THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.”

I believe most everyone recognizes the grace has expired on old church models that we have utilized in times past. They were productive in their seasons but the “new ministry model” is needed. That is why we must pull from the “age to come” to build a structure that will carry over into that Age.

Paul emphasized this in 1 Corinthians 2. A people who will prophesy things that eyes have not seen, ears have not heard and have not yet even entered into the heart of man. We do this by consolidating “spiritual thoughts” pulled from God’s heart with “spiritual words” in a final prophetic movement.

He pointed out that no man knows the heart of a man except the spirit within the man. Even so, no one knows the heart of God except the Spirit of God that reveals these strategic mysteries reserved for the final generation. Daniel also emphasized this saying that those things concealed would be revealed at the “time of the end. “

The Kingdom In You

Clearly there is coming a millennial (1000 years) reign of the Lord Jesus Christ in which He will display the virtues of His kingdom and govern this planet in righteousness, peace and joy. That has been validated in God‘s word for millennia. Those that are joined to Him as His body will likewise rule and reign at His side.

Revelation 20:6-Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

Even so, there is a working of the Kingdom within us in the “here and now”— making a people ready for that glorious day. It is the Kingdom “within” that is functioning first within the nature and character of the Lord’s overcoming remnant and then an outflowing of those virtues to this final generation in what will be known as the “harvest.” (The harvest is the end of the age-Mat 13:39) We are learning to submit ourselves to the Lord’s leadership and to His governing “authority.” A people who will “taste the good word of God and the powers of the age to come.

This requires submission to the Lord in a triune way – spirit, soul and body. ( Thessalonians 5:23.) This ministry of the Kingdom is delegated to “him who overcomes” and is granted the privilege to sit with the Lord on His throne as He overcame; and thus understand “throne room” protocols in the functioning of God’s government.

Seated With Him

I believe we are on the brink a great leap forward in our understanding of God’s divine nature and the mysterious relationship of the Godhead. Some are calling this the next great awakening. Perhaps that is part of it— to awaken people to the awareness of God but also to the true nature of God’s character and the amazing invitation we have to share in it with Him through the blood of Yeshua.