Beloved’s of the Lord, I believe many are beginning to gain understanding of what exactly it means to be a Royal Priesthood and a Holy Nation. Apart from the Kingdom of God understanding and reality the mystery of this priesthood can never be truly seen or experienced as God desires it to be.
Much of the present prayer movement has not even touched upon what this true priesthood really is and how it functions. Much of our prayer movement in our nation has taught us to stay in the realm of petition or supplication realm where we pray the “Word over situations” and "declare and decree" the Word of God to whatever we are praying for.
Much of this praying is done with the 2nd day church system mentality where "man's understanding" and praying "from man's spirit" by what they have seen verse what is truly needing to be revealed to them by God Himself.
The emphasis is on "declare and decreeing" because many have found a scripture that tells us to do that. There is some power in it if God inspired it to be spoken, if not they are empty words being seen as prayer.
Beloveds, there is a much higher level of prayer and that prayer is to be found as we are formed into a Royal Priesthood. Their is much need for a deeper understanding of what our true heavenly priesthood with the Lord is. We must begin to experience our true priestly ministry as it really exists under the order of Jesus our High Priest (Melchizedek) Priesthood spoken of in Hebrews chapter 7
11 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?
12 For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. 13 For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.
15 This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is witnessed of him,
“You are a priest forever,
after the order of Melchizedek.”
18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
One article alone could never touch on this heavenly place the Lord has given us to walk in. Revelation chapter 1: 5-6 and chapter 5:9-10 speaks of what the Lord desires to do in “making this priesthood.”
Forming a Kingdom of Priest:
Revelation 1:5-6
5 And from Jesus Christ the faithful and trustworthy Witness, the Firstborn of the dead [first to be brought back to life] and the Prince (Ruler) of the kings of the earth. To Him Who [g]ever loves us and has [h]once [for all] loosed and freed us from our sins by His own blood,
6 And formed us into a kingdom (a royal race), priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the power and the majesty and the dominion throughout the ages and forever and ever. Amen (so be it).
Revelation 5:9-10
And [now] they sing a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to break the seals that are on it, for You were slain (sacrificed), and with Your blood You purchased men unto God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 And You have made them a kingdom (royal race) and priests to our God, and they shall reign [as kings] over the earth!
What do these scriptures speak of concerning our royal priesthood. Many are teaching and assuming that we are “automatically” in that place by our “being seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. Yet the reality of that experience and results do not match the “declaration and decree.”
There is something very important for us to see about this priesthood of the Lord and the “royalty” He has given to it. We can’t make this royal priesthood or do it in human wisdom. This royal priesthood is not a work to do.It is a work we are to BECOME by the Hand of God Himself.
Just because people declare we are a royal priesthood now doesn’t mean we are in reality. This Royal Priesthood is the PRESENT WORKING OF GOD in those who are living behind the veil with the Lord. He is releasing this royal priesthood as He transforms us into full grown sons and daughters of the Lord!
One of the signs (evidence) of full grown sonship must be the ability to “function in reality in this priesthood." This priestly ministry when it functions properly has the authority to use the “keys of the kingdom fully” and “release on Earth that which is released on Earth and binds on Earth that which is bound in heaven. “
A Holy Nation:
This Royal Priesthood ministry that we are called to be is royalty. It is royal because it can only function in and through the GLORY OF GOD! This priesthood lives and gets it power from the Glory of God realm alone. The Glory of God reveals the true nature of God which is His Holiness. That is why we are called a Royal Priesthood and a Holy Nation. No unclean hands or hearts can touch or operate in this Royal Priesthood. Ezekiel 44 writes of this.
Holiness is the key part of this royal priesthood because God is Holy and His instruments of intercession must be Holy as He is Holy! In the Beauty of His Holiness, God release His Glory in us and through us. As that Glory is birthed in us and through us, true intercession comes forth from the burning flame of God in the Holy of Holies. That is why the “effectual fervent prayer of righteous man avails much.”
This Holy intercession is not human based, human instituted, or have any “flesh” or man made thoughts in it. This is an intercession that comes from the very throne of God Himself with Jesus as our High Priest ever living to make intercession for us.
This intercession comes forth from our “unity and oneness with him behind the veil.” It is His intercession prayed in us and through us to release on Earth as it is heaven through the beauty of His Holiness. It is His Glory to be seen upon the Earth.
Behind The Veil:
This Royal Priesthood takes us behind the veil where such a deep sensitivity to His sensitivity must be developed, because no flesh will glory in His sight. Human wisdom and efforts can not come into this royal priesthood ministry.
Most of our present prayer and even in the present prayer movement in the House of God is based on “what we see with their natural eyes happening in the world.” So as we see, we pray. As things happen to us personally we pray according to what we see and what we understand.
In this place we offer up supplication and prayers to God to change, fix or remove things. In this place we often lean upon our own understanding. Yet, God does still hear our prayer at this level when our hearts are right towards him in humility.
God does hear those prayers, but as you can see to often things don’t change much or very quickly? Why because we don’t understand there is a deeper realm of God’s Glory to pray from where our High Priest is truly living to make intercession for us to lead us into victory through His intercession through us. Romans 8:26-27 reads:
26 So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.
27 And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will.
The Travail of Heaven:
Brothers and Sisters, this is realm of prayer few truly understand. There is pleading that the Holy Spirit does through us in the Glory realm that we must have worked in us and through us that prays God’s perfect will on Earth as it Heaven. True intercessors understand what travailing prayer is. It is a groaning like giving birth that prays though you on behalf of someone in need.
The old time prayer warriors knew that realm very well and were so effective in prayer because they knew how to pray to win. Intercession is not guess work. It is deeper than petitions and supplications.
It is the Travail and Groaning in heaven filling an intercessor that seizes the Kingdom of God by force as Jacob did in His wrestling with God. The Old time prayer warriors knew how to “pray it through” until Holy Spirit prays through them“UNTIL IT IS WON AND DONE.”
The Royal Priesthood of the Lord is even deeper than this. This priesthood has a “seated place of overcoming victory” with the Lord that they can sit down with Jesus as he sits down in victory on His Father’s throne. This Royal Priesthood comes forth from the Glory of God alone. This Royal Priesthood is full cooperation with Jesus who leads the intercession as the Father’s will through Him from behind the veil of His Glory.
Jacob's ladder:
Jacob learned the secret of this priestly access by his dream of the ladder going up into heaven and the Angels ascending and descending on it. Jacob saw “the doorway or gateway to heaven.” Jacob was about to get the old testament picture of what the new testament was going to bring forth in reality as a Royal Priesthood. Jacob called that place of vision Beth EL, or the House of God, the gateway to heaven.
Interesting that when Jesus entered the Temple he took a whip and drove out the money changers and said, “MY HOUSE IS TO BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER, BUT YOU HAVE MADE IT A DEN OF THIEVES.” Beloved we are called the Temple of the Holy Spirit, Are we not to be made into a House of Prayer for the nations?
Jacob learned the reality of that dream when He stayed up all night to wrestle with God. He was going to have to face his brother that had one intention, KILL HIM! Jacob needed a victory over His Brother and the powers of darkness that wanted to kill him.
He needed to learn how to find the spiritual victory in heaven so that heaven could change Earth. So the Lord comes down to wrestle with him. The Lord said, “let me go.” Jacob replied, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” Why did Jacob do that? Jacob needed a miracle.
Jacob needed a breakthrough. Jacob needed God to change Earth to fulfill what God said about Jacob and his family on Earth. Esau was going to kill him. Esau represented the enemies hold in the natural realm.
If Jacob did not get an answer from God, and God did not change what was on Earth in his brother’s heart, Jacob would surly die. So the Lord comes to where Jacob is. He causes Jacob to wrestle with him. Why? To show us what is needed to be a Royal Priesthood in God.
Seated in Heavenly Places:
Beloved this is what it means to be “seated with Him in heavenly places in reality.” The Lord came down to Jacob in his dispensation in time to wrestle with him. Why not just answer his petition? The prayer answer and victory Jacob needed had to be won with God first in the Spirit before it could manifest on Earth.
In our better covenant with God with Jesus as our High Priest, God does not have to come down, but God calls us up where He is to that seated place with him. In this place, the Holy Spirit can pray through us to release on Earth that which is Heaven. Beloved’s God calls us ‘Upward” to come behind the veil where true intimacy is and where true intercession and our priesthood exists.
Jacob apprehends the Lord and so can we. Jacob is doing what Jesus told us to do, seize the Kingdom by force. Matthew 11:12,And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
The kingdom of God was suffering violence right where Jacob was, and Jacob was seizing it by force. God’s will would be released on Earth as it was in Heaven. Jacob was empowered by God to fight and He said to God (I will not let you go until you bless me.)
The Lord answers Jacob after a prolonged season of wrestling and blesses him with the answer. Jacob contended with God and he won. God wanted it so. God was teaching Him and us the realm of His Glory and how to prevail in Intercession. God changes his name from Jacob (surplanter) to Israel (One how contends with God and prevails.)
Jacob was demonstrating what is true and real intercession behind the veil. God initiated the wrestling match not Jacob. GOD MUST INITIATE TRUE INTERCESSION NOT US. Jesus our High Priest must fill us with the Holy Spirit to know what, how, where and when to pray and release God's will on Earth as it is in Heaven.
What the result in Jacob’s life? God throws his hip out of joint and he has to walk with a limp the rest of his life. What does that limp symbolize? It represent brokenness and true humility before God. God changed him. HE FORMED JACOB INTO A PRIEST! Did you read that with me? HE FORMED INTO A PRIEST! HE WALKED IN HIS ROYAL PLACE WITH GOD!
Formed Into A Kingdom of Priests:
Right now as the Spirit of God bring us into full grown sons and daughters, we are being changed from glory to glory. As we have come out of the 2nd day church age system life and it’s way of prayer, GOD’S DESIRE IS TO FORM US INTO A KINGDOM. A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS AND KINGS TO OUR GOD AND THAT RULE OVER THE EARTH!
How will this happen? Because OUR TRUE identity in Christ is coming forth. We are demonstrate and walk on Earth in our High Priestly Ministry that is joined together with our High Priest Jesus Christ. We will be empowered to truly release the will of God on Earth as it in Heaven.
Our Holy Priesthood will FORM US into a might army and weapon of God on the Earth. We will be A WHEEL WITHIN A WHEEL. Our prayers will be heaven breathed, heaven sent, heaven filled and they will manifest the will, power and Glory of God on Earth as it is Heaven.
There is so much to write about this royal priesthood and the keys of Jacob’s ladder that gives us true access with God in prayer. God is now revealing in us the reality of this priesthood that is needed to help transform the Kingdoms of this Earth to become the Kingdom of our God in Christ.
This is the 3rd or 7th day rest of God where Jesus is finishing his course and we are being lifted up to live and walk before Him. God must form us into a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD BEFORE we can walk as KINGS and rule on the Earth as He desires us to do.
The key for now is that we learn how to pray from His Glory realm? It starts by learning how to truly minister to His heart and what he desires for us to do in worship of Him and in prayer. In that process of learning and following His lead we gain access to His heart, and that is where and how He wants to FORM US INTO A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS UNTO OUR GOD.
Being Made A Weapon by the Hand of God:
Beloved, think about this for a moment. Every single WEAPON in the natural has to be formed or made by someone or something. A weapon can not make itself, it has to be formed and made by someone. It is in that mindset the Lord speaks to us and says HE IS FORMING US INTO A KINGDOM OF PRIEST AND KINGS UNTO GOD ,THAT WE MAY REIGN UPON THE EARTH WITH HIM.
Who is doing the forming? God is doing it? When is He doing it? On the Third day! Jesus said in Luke 13, “on the third day I will finish my course? What course? The course of forming us into a KINGDOM OF PRIEST or a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD.
Protocol Of Approach:
Ezekiel 44 speaks of who can touch God’s Holy things and who can not? There is a qualification that must be met in us to be allowed to minister to God and to His Holy things including the Glory realm where our High Priest Ministers to the Father on our behalf day and night.
Ezekiel 44: 9 Therefore thus says the Lord God: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh shall enter into My sanctuary [where no one but the priests might enter], of any foreigners who are among the children of Israel.
10 But the Levites who went far away from Me when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, they shall bear [the punishment for] their iniquity and guilt.
11 They shall minister in My sanctuary, having oversight as guards at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall attend the people to serve them.
12 Because [the priests] ministered to [the people] before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity and guilt to the house of Israel, therefore I have lifted up My hand and have sworn against them, says the Lord God, that they shall bear the punishment for their iniquity and guilt.
13 And they shall not come near to Me to do the office of a priest to Me, nor come near to any of My holy things that are most sacred; but they shall bear their shame and their punishment for the abominations which they have committed.
14 Yet I will appoint them as caretakers to have charge of the temple, for all the service of the temple and for all that will be done in it.
15 But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me, and they shall attend Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood, says the Lord God.
16 They shall enter into My sanctuary; and they shall come near to My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge.
Functioning from our seated place in Christ:
Beloved,A Royal Priesthood must be hand formed by God Himself, and those called to this Kingdom place must be over-comers and full grown sons and daughters of God. What we are choosing now is determining our ability to function with Him in this priesthood.
Full grown sons and daughters will be coming forth in the full reality of what it means to be “seated with him in heavenly places” to releasee on Earth that which is in Heaven.
In closing Beloved, I ask you this question? If we are to walk by faith and not by sight why would we pray by sight if we are not to walk by sight? Should we not allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in prayer and form us into a Kingdom of Priests to our God? Should we not want to know what is on God’s heart for your life, our family, our gatherings, our neighborhood, cities and nations?
A royal priesthood stands before the Father ready and “waits upon the Lord” to speak, show, explain, and reveal His desires and intentions in those He has called to intercede with Jesus. Joel 2 says, “the Lord utters His voice before His army.”
We are being formed into an army of priest and kings to bring forth His victory and governmental rule on the Earth. We are going to be his weapons and instruments to release what God desires done now on the Earth and in the age to come.
A New and Better Priesthood: A Royal Priesthood
We can’t do that with our present understanding of prayer or by a Levitical 2nd day church age priesthood prayer system. Jesus inaugurated a “New Priesthood after the order of Melchizadek” under a better covenant for better purposes.
Beloved, Why does God desire to FORM US INTO A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD? Because He is forming that priesthood to BECOME WEAPONS IN HIS HAND TO SUBDUE THE NATIONS AND EXECUTE THE JUDGMENTS THAT ARE WRITTEN.
A weapon has to be formed! Right now God is forming out of those who are willing to pay the price of following Him completely a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD ARMY AND WEAPON AS KINGS AND PRIEST IN HIS HAND! THEY WILL RULE AND REIGN OVER THE EARTH, EXECUTE THE JUDGMENTS WRITTEN and close out the church age and usher in the Kingdom age of Christ.
Will you and I be part of it? There is so much more about this Royal Priesthood that is going to be revealed. None of us have the whole picture on it. But we are about to truly understand what it is and how it is to function in it, NOW, as the cleansing judgments are released on the Earth.
For now, we must understand the way we have prayed and the present prayer movement of the 2nd day church system age must change into the High Priestly Ministry of Jesus our High Priest.
If we keep going on the horizontal realm of prayer as some plan to do with “church system life” we will miss the call to come up here and overcome. We will miss the power of Christ in us the Hope of Glory. We must come up vertically into the "higher realm" of Revelation 4:1 to understand this Priestly Place we have been given.
Do we want to continue to pray much and changing nothing or very little. Do we desire to see this nation change? Then only as the people of God change, repent, turn from their wicked ways, humble themselves and truly pray as God desires will God hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land.
May God’s Royal Priesthood arise and take it’s place for our nation in intercession now with Jesus our High Priest. Lord, let Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is Heaven.
Beloved, the best is yet to come. Let us press on to know the Lord and walk before Him.
__________________
Henry Falcone
henryjfalcone@gmail.com
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