Jesus Christ Revealed

In ancient Israel, only priests were to enter and care for the sacred house and its furnishings. In Revelation, we find angels acting as priests. Seven of the priestly angels were responsible for seven Christian churches. But, certainly those angels have not retired; they are still on the job, supervising the building of God's spiritual house by Christian workers throughout the world. And they have to deal with the same problems that existed in those first- and second-century churches. Those seven angels are among the 25 priestly angels singled out for special mention in Revelation. These 25 angels correspond to the priesthood of ancient Israel, which was composed of 24 divisions...and one high priest. The priestly angels are mentioned in Revelation in three groups of seven, and one series of three. Michael is seen as the prince of all the angels, even as the high priest of Israel had authority over all the priests and Levites (Rev. 1:20; 8:2; 15:1; 14:6-10; 12:7). As we move through the Book of Revelation, we'll see some of the work which is accomplished by these priestly angels--.

In his message to the angel of the church in Pergamum, Jesus gives an exhortation and a promise:

Jesus is very much concerned that Christians should listen to what The Spirit says to the churches. It is Jesus Christ Himself who is the head of the Church, not any emperor or other political leader, or even any religious leader. If what they say is contrary to the Holy Scriptures and the leading of the Holy Spirit, it is not to be followed by Christians. Jesus expects us to fellowship with a local congregation and to accept the authority of that church insofar as it is Scripturally sound. But He also expects each Christian to pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance. Often the Holy Spirit speaks through the church; sometimes He speaks directly to the individual as he is reading God's Word.

Jesus said that to those who conquer, or overcome the temptation to quit the Faith, He would give to eat of the hidden manna. Now, what did he mean by that?

When the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness, they were fed by a miraculous bread from heaven; this was called manna. A sample was placed in a golden vessel and put inside the Ark of the Covenant where the tablets of the Ten Commandments were concealed (Exodus 16:1-36).

The manna from heaven continued to feed the Israelites until thy crossed Jordan into the Promised Land. Then the manna ceased to appear (Joshua 5:1, 10-12). But the manna which was in the golden jar remained among the Israelites, though hidden from their eyes within the Ark. However, when the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the Holy of Holies in the temple which Solomon built, the jar of Manna was no longer there. Only the tablets of the Ten Commandments were still in the Ark (2 Chron. 5:1-10). What do these things signify?

In John 5:31-59, Jesus referred to himself as the manna that came down from heaven. And he promised that those eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood would receive eternal life, in the resurrection of the last day. When Jesus died, his body was placed in a tomb, but it did not remain there to decay. His flesh did not see corruption because God resurrected him on the third day (Acts 2:31, 32). The body of Jesus became incorruptible; it was clothed with immortality. From then on Jesus could be visible, touchable flesh, or invisible, intangible spirit, changing form at will (1 Cor. 15; 2 Cor. 5:1-5; Luke 24:36-43).

Since his ascension to the heavenly tabernacle forty days after his resurrection, the incorruptible body of Jesus has remained hidden from his disciples. This corresponds to the perfectly preserved manna in the Ark of the Covenant. That Ark represented the Throne of God. Jesus is now at the right hand of God in heaven. And He will remain there until the time of restoration of all things (Acts 2:33-35; 3:19-21). Then, just as the golden jar of manna was removed from the Ark of the Covenant before that Ark was placed in the newly completed sanctuary, so also will Jesus remove from the throne of God in heaven before the completed spiritual sanctuary is raised up to surround that Throne of Glory. In order for us to become a permanent part of that heavenly sanctuary, we first need to partake of that Hidden Manna-- Jesus has promised to give of that Hidden Manna to the Christians who conquer or overcome. Notice His own words as recorded by John:

So the True Manna is the Provision of immortal life contained in Jesus, the Golden Vessel. He will bring it with him when he comes to resurrect his faithful followers in the last day. Our eating of that Hidden Manna will mean receiving the life force of Christ's glorified body, and becoming like Him. This will occur during the sounding of the Last Trumpet (1 Thess. 4:15-17; Rev. 11:15).