If we could look back through history and ask, “God, what were You thinking about before all of this happened that we are experiencing today? What was in Your heart? What was in Your mind?” God would answer, “I wanted a priesthood, a people who would stand before Me and worship.” Israel never became the priesthood which God desired. Therefore, it remains for us to become this kingdom of priests who worship in the presence of God.
In Exodus 19:2–6, 8 we see how God began His search for a kingdom of priests. When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain. And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.
“ ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice …’ ” It always comes back to this obedience, doesn’t it? If you have a Word, do it. A Word from God is not something to be put on a plaque and hung on a wall. It is to be walked in. Do it! “ ‘… and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.” And all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.
In the New Testament, Jesus expressed the desire in the Father’s heart in a way very similar to this Scripture in Exodus when He said, “The Father has been looking for worshipers to worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). It is the same priestly service that He seeks. What is a worshiper but a priest unto God? No doubt we will rediscover the book of Hebrews all over again in these days, and we will understand the priesthood of Melchizedek, that special ministry of worship to the Lord that God created to come forth (Hebrews 6:19–7:28).
God said, “I want a kingdom of priests,” but He did not get what He wanted. All He got was the Levites, and some of them were not very much. Aaron was of the tribe of Levi, and you remember what he did. He made a golden calf and led all the children of Israel to corrupt themselves and worship it (Exodus 32:1–8, 17–19). To make it even worse, that same Aaron of the tribe of Levi excused his actions by lying to Moses, “The people gave me all their jewelry. I threw it in the fire, and out came this calf! What a miracle! Then they all started worshiping it” (verse 24). It did not just happen that way as a coincidence; Aaron planned it.
God wanted all of Israel to be a kingdom of priests to Him, but He eventually settled for the tribe of Levi. They never did become that true priesthood to the Lord. On the Isle of Patmos, the Lord talked to John about the people whom He would raise up to be a kingdom and priests to Himself. Three times the Lord spoke of them (Revelation 1:6; 5:10; 20:6). The book of Revelation tells about this great priesthood that will stand and function before God. This is what God wanted all the time, and He is still looking for that priesthood.
Let us read Exodus 20:18–21 and see what happened to God’s first plan. And all the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.” So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.
You may not see anything significant about this incident until you read Hebrews 12:18–21, 25–28, which says, “We have not come to this mount that cannot be touched. So fearful was it that the people said, ‘We cannot endure the Words of the Lord.’ Therefore, listen to the Lord, because when He speaks now, He will shake the heavens and the earth and everything that can be shaken; and you will receive ‘a Kingdom which cannot be shaken.’ So worship the Lord with ‘reverence and godly fear.’ ” All of that has one meaning: God wanted a priesthood, and the people whom He had chosen said, “Just count us out. Get Yourself somebody else.” Then God chose the tribe of Levi (Numbers 3:12). Nevertheless, God was still seeking a nation of worshipers. I Peter 2:9 says, “You are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession,” going right back to Exodus 19:6.
What is God seeking today? He is still searching for that priesthood, those who will worship Him. I have never seen such a stirring in all my life as the dealings of God upon people so that they will become those worshipers who will stand before His presence.
When we talk about the Kingdom and the restoration, we often speak of both the Zerubbabel and the Joshua ministries. Zerubbabel was the governor and Joshua was the high priest in the time of Haggai, the prophet. Sometimes we get the idea that the whole emphasis should be on Zerubbabel, on the ministries who govern and exercise authority. But the main emphasis is on the Joshua ministry of the high priest who stands before the Lord. We read in Zechariah 3:1–5 that as Joshua stood before the angel of the Lord, those who stood by were commanded, “Take off all his filthy garments. Clothe him with the festal robes of a priest, and put a fair mitre on his head.” The Word of the Lord to Zerubbabel was, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit” (Zechariah 4:6).
The ministry of this end-time remnant must be two-fold: They are kings and priests of the Lord. That is why we will not have the authority unless we have the priesthood. We must become worshipers of the Lord. If you are not a worshiper of the Lord, you will not move into His authority. Believe that, because authority will not work any other way. The way we submit ourselves to the Lord and humble ourselves before Him will determine how much authority we shall move in. It is those who have chosen to be humble before God who will sit and reign with Him. The meek will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). Do we really see that picture in our mind and heart? There is no ego trip when it comes to the Kingdom of God. You must get down as Jesus did and wash feet (John 13:5). Come right into the humility, or you will not come into the authority. If you love to stand and worship the Lord, then you will sit on the throne with Him (Revelation 3:21). There is no Zerubbabel ministry without the Joshua ministry.
God is saying to us, “You will be to Me a kingdom of priests.” This was what God wanted, and it never happened. But do not think that God forgets what He is after. God is not forgetful; He remembers. What is in His heart is exactly what He will have: a kingdom of priests, a people who will open their hearts to Him.
What is the difference between a priest and a prophet? The kingdom and priests of our God function in this manner: In the Kingdom, there is no greater authority than that of one who rises and proclaims prophetically, “Thus saith the Lord.” Jeremiah, how long are you going to prophesy? “Until everything comes down, until there are no more people in the land, until the thing is done” (Jeremiah 9:11). What are prophetic proclamations? As prophets of the Lord, we will speak the Word of the Lord until God brings down everything—everything that stands against the Lord.
It does not make any difference who wins a political election anymore; everyone has lost. What defense do we have today against a bureaucratic government? Prophesy! Intercede! But stop calling it intercession and prophecy, and call it prophetic proclamation. It is not intercession or prayer according to our understanding of those terms. We are speaking the Word of the Lord! We are speaking it into every situation, everywhere. We are speaking the Word of the Lord!
Why is our prophesying not more effective? Because the priesthood is being perfected. Malachi 3:2–4 is a Scripture which tells about that. “But who can endure the day of His coming?” (It is upon us now.) “And who can stand when He appears?” (That is the Parousia, His presence.) “For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.” Have you ever taken a bath with old-fashioned homemade soap? There is almost enough lye in it to take your hide off!
“And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in the days of old and as in former years.” Again we read about this priesthood of Levi, these people who were chosen to be priests of God. Who are the sons of Levi in this day? They are the spiritual priesthood that is coming forth. Way back in Old Testament times, those Levites offered their offerings; they praised the Lord and worshiped Him. But a day is coming, God said, when He will have that priesthood again, and they will offer to Him sacrifices in righteousness. They will stand and give worship to the Lord out of a pure vessel.
God will refine the sons of Levi as silver and gold are refined. If you do not know what that means, here is how you can find out: Say, “Lord, I worship You!” Right into the fire you will go! What about all of your impurities? Do not worry about them; they will be skimmed off. You will be a pure offering, because you will be part of a pure priesthood. Paul wrote, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable mode of worship” (Romans 12:1). This is what you will give to God.
You may think that you have already fried in God’s refining fire, but you do not know how much refining is yet to be done. You will wind up pure before God. The greatest favor God ever bestowed on you was calling you to be one of His sons, and then chastening you to that end. He scourges every son whom He receives (Hebrews 12:6). This is the greatest indication that you were really chosen of God. When you started to worship Him, He put the fire to you so that you could offer to Him a worship in purity. He sits there and refines the whole person. Everyone experiencing this should know exactly what God is doing in his life.
Ezra 6:16–22 talks about the great Passover that was kept after the Temple had been restored. The first thing they did before celebrating the Passover was to appoint a purified priesthood. Recently, the Lord spoke to my heart, “There is a purified priesthood coming up in these days.” We shall walk before the Lord. We shall come as Levites before the face of God and worship Him.
We know that intercession is important; but the most important thing right now is for us to realize that intercession and everything else will be taken care of by worship. Worship the Lord. He is still looking for those Levites. When He gets them, do you think that He will stop doing anything that is necessary to bring them forth into perfection? No, He will not; this I know of the Lord. That priesthood will come forth! God has been working on it too long. He has been looking for those worshipers. The Father’s search is culminating in the spiritual priesthood that is coming forth in this generation, and He will have those worshipers. As a people they will stand and worship Him. Of course, it is up to each one of us to say irrevocably, “Yes, Lord, I will be one of them.”
There could be an arrogance in you as you say, “Look, Lord, I am what You are looking for. I am one of those worshipers.” Or there could be a humility in your heart to say, “I approach Thee, O Father. Let me be one of those that You are looking for. Let me worship You in spirit and in truth, because I know You have been searching for such to worship You” (John 4:23–24).
The intercession has reached such a dedication, such an intensity, that we can and will break loose on a plateau of worship as we have never had before. We are ready to hit that great plane of worship which the Lord prophesied would come. Did you think that all of our intercession was merely something to change our whole format of procedures in God? No, it is a means to an end, just as dynamiting a mountain breaks it open. We will not get where we are going in God unless we blast the impasses out of the way. But that is not an end in itself; it is a means to the end—that we become worshipers on a new level, on a higher level than we have ever known before. If we keep our eye on the goal, the intensity of the intercession will not be an issue. The breakthrough to His presence will be the issue.