When do the Anointed Serve, as Priests?

Email received:

I think your interpretation of the Abomination of Desolation, might not be correct.  To sum up my thoughts, 1. I think the scriptures indicate that the anointed/elect are not serving as priests at this time.  2. They must run the race to the finish to receive the crown.  One does not finish their race until death or until Jesus coming at the end (whichever comes first).  

For certainty, only one has conquered and it is Jesus.  He is the sole King and Priest to Christians today.  3. Those "anointed" are simply due for this inheritance, should they finish the race and receive their victory crown.  

My reply:

[Readers: For more information about the "abomination of desolation"/"Disgusting thing" (Matt.24:15; Mark 13:14); there are many posts at this link: 

[(https://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/search?q=abomination+of+desolation)]

also: (https://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/2021/09/should-jw-elders-replace-gods-anointed.html)

and (https://pearl-disgustingthing.blogspot.com)

and (https://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/2014/01/disgusting-thing.html)

I can give you some scriptures/prophecies, that point to what we should expect (if we believe them), regarding your thoughts.

You said; 

"1. I think the scriptures indicate that the anointed/elect are not serving as priests at this time."

Reply #1. Although you state your belief that the scriptures indicate that the anointed are not serving in the capacity of priest at this time, you do not provide the scriptures which indicate this. Despite that, I'll provide the verses that indicate the contrary.

First, we need to establish what it means to serve as priest... what exactly are the duties? If we clarify what the priestly service is, it will be much easier to decide, whether or not it is being performed.

What service do God's anointed priests perform, when they are serving?

1Pet. 2:5,9-10

  "5 you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may declare the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people"

Isa.43:21 

  "21 The people I formed for myself will declare my praise."

Heb.13:15 

  "15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, 

that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name."

John 15:8 

  "8 My Father is glorified (praised) by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples."

Matt.5:16 

  "16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory (praise) to your Father in heaven."

From these previous verses we learn, that the spiritual sacrifices of Christ's priests, are the symbolic fruit from their lips (Heb.13:15). That fruit of lips, is teaching and light, which causes God to be praised and glorified. As Luke 6:43,45 below reveals, Jesus also defined that teaching/speech/lip, to be symbolic fruit.....

Luke 6:43-45

 "43 “A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit; on the other hand, a bad tree doesn’t produce good fruit. 45 A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart."

According to Jesus, the teaching is sourced in the heart."

Please read and meditate on the connection between Luke 6:43-45 above, 

and Luke 8:15; Prov.4:23 and John 4:14.

(for those on a phone, here is a link: (Cited Verses)]

Therefore, 

the "fruit of lips", which is the spiritual sacrifice performed by the priests, 

is the teaching they do, which is sourced from what is stored up in their heart. That storehouse is either "good"/sourced in the Word of God (Luke 8:11,15; John 7:16-17)(Matt.10:20;  2Pet. 1:21) or is bad/from a different source (2Cor. 11:3-4,13-14; Gal.1:6-7; John 8:47).

So a priest can either be faithful to the teaching sourced in Christ/holy spirit,

or unfaithful to divine truth. Such is the also the difference, between true and false prophets (Jer.23:28,32,21).

(https://pearl-finetrees.blogspot.com)

[Scripture link for those on a phone: (ScriptureLINK)]

So the critical question is... Are any anointed priests, now teaching?.... sourced in the good (Bible truth) that they have stored up in their heart? (Matt.28:19-20) If they are, then their sacrifices of giving praise to God, are being performed.

It is quite evident to me that by my life's dedicated work, as well as other anointed priests working with me, that your assertion which states that the priests are not serving, is not accurate. 

That was the case, while we were being dominated by the Gentile elders (Dan.8:11-13; 9:27; 11:31; Luke 21:24; Rev.13:10; Col.2:8; Rev.11:2; 13:7), but that was our previous condition while in captive subjugation (Dan.7:21-22,11,13-14,18,25-27). That is no longer our state of being. 

[Phone readers: (Bible link)]

2. Next you said; "One does not finish their race until death... must run the race to the finish, to receive the crown."

Reply#2.  Jesus himself declares what is needed to receive the crown of life.

Rev.2:10 tells us that we need to be faithful to the point of death to receive the crown. Yet Rev.3:11 tells us that we need to prevent others from taking the crown that we have. Is this death, physical? Mark 8:35 tells us that our life is lost, due to our loyalty to Jesus and the gospel. 

John 16:2 connects this death (and those who kill), to being expelled from the congregation. That expulsion, is a sentence and designation, of spiritual death. [Phone readers: (Bible link)]

It is as Paul said...

2Cor. 4:10

  "10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."

Rom.6:5

  "5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his."

Rom.7:6

  "6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter."

There are many ways to be dead and to die, to be alive and to come to life (1John 3:14; Rom.8:9)...

only one way of which, is physical 

(1Tim. 5:6; Rev.3:1; Eph.2:1-2; John 5:24; James 1:12;  1John 3:14; Rom.5:17; 8:6,13,9; John 3:6; 1:12-13;  2Cor. 1:22;  1Pet. 1:23; Luke 8:11,15;  2Cor. 3:3; Luke 6:45). 

[Phone readers: (LINK)]

When you say the race must be ran to the end, does this end mean physical death?

Was Paul, physically dead, when he said the following?....

"7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2Tim. 4:7)

Winning the crown is only one symbol of victorious faithfulness, and only one of the rewards. 

There are other symbols for the reward of the faithful anointed.

The tree of life (Rev.2:7)

Not being harmed by the second death (Rev.2:11)

Hidden manna and a white stone (Rev.2:17)

Authority over the nations (Rev.2:26)

Dressed in white and name written in book of life, name declared before the Father and angels (Rev.3:5)

Installed permanently as a pillar of wisdom in God's heavenly temple, serving Jesus, the Father, and New Jerusalem, forever. (Rev.3:12)

Sit on the Father's throne, with Jesus (Rev.3:21; 12:5; 2:26-27)

--Many of these rewards are put to use, even while the priests are physically alive and actively serving.

[Phone readers: (LINK)]

These rewards are given to the faithful. 

How do we prove faithful?

By obeying Christ's instruction to his anointed...

to teach (Matt.28:19-20)

to emit light (Matt.5:14-16)

to bear the fruit of lips that gives glory to God (Heb.13:15)

--- These are some of the duties of God's anointed priests (1Pet. 2:5,9). 

Woe to them if they are not found faithfully doing so, before and upon the return of Christ.

1Cor. 9:16; Matt.24:46; Rev.12:17; 3:11; 2:25 [Phone readers: (LINK)]

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3. Next you said; "Those 'anointed' are simply due for this inheritance, should they finish the race (die) and receive their victory crown (life)."

REPLY #3: Jesus gave his anointed priests, "talents" to use in his absence...

Mark 13:34

  "34 It’s like a man going away: he leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch."

(https://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/2015/10/two-appointments.html)

We know that when that Master arrives, his slaves will have to give an account of how they handled their assignment (Matt.25:15,19). Did they fail to keep awake (Mark 13:36)? Did they hide the gold the master entrusted them with (Matt.25:25; John 15:6)? 

Or did their faith cause them to fearlessly preach/teach (Mal.2:7; *Rom.15:15-16; 12:1;  1Pet. 2:5), 

to the praise of the Father (Matt.25:25;  2Cor. 4:13; Heb.10:38)? 

[Phone readers: (LINK)]

How then, are they to wait until after Christ's return, before serving him as priest? 

How are they to be rewarded with the crown of life, if they failed to do their assignment as priest, even in the face of expulsion and death?

Our death, is precisely because we have produced, the fruit of lips **(Rev.6:9-11; Rev.12:11; Mark 8:35)**

(https://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/2016/01/symbolic-death-by-means-of-world.html)

You speak of needing to be victorious conquerors in the face of death, and yet waiting to serve.

How are both, simultaneously possible???

How can one surrender their life for truth, if they are silent?  

[Phone readers: (LINK)]

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You may also be interested in the links to follow,

"Who are the kings of the earth?"

"When do the anointed, become kings?"

"Reigning During the Thousand Years"

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