GRACE BIBLE CHURCH
08-21-2022
PASTOR ROBERT R. MCLAUGHLIN
PDF: GBC08172022NOTES
Christian Soldier 95, Doctrine Of The Rapture, 23.
We have now come to the end of our doctrine of the Rapture which is;
Y Point 15. The Rapture and the Big Genuflex and conclusion.
We pick it up where we left off in REV 1:11 which is the only verse in the Bible that is directed toward the seven churches concerning their part in the Rapture and the Big Genuflex.
In fact, REV 1:1 is the only verse in the Bible that is directed toward the seven churches when it says;
REV 1:11 saying, "Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea."
How do these churches fit into a prophetic book in Revelation?
John is writing to the ministers of those churches with instructions and one of those principles is the fact that:
Throughout the history of the church, there have been different types of churches and different type of believers.
All seven of those mentioned in this verse 11 speak of the type of churches that a believer fits into.
In other words,
All believers fit into one of seven different categories of churches mentioned with some combination or characteristics that are found in other churches that they don’t belong to.
But one thing is for sure;
Each of those seven types that existed in John's day, in typology in our day fit into one of the different churches that the Holy Spirit inspired the apostle John to mention.
Those seven different types described about each one of those Churches.
You say;
"Why did He select those seven when there were other churches in that world that he could have selected?"
Those seven churches exactly represent the seven different types of believers.
The same seven types exist today.
Although every individual in a church is different, churches still fall into categories that make them different from other churches.
You can go to one church that is totally different than another church.
It is the mixture of people who make them different, but they still seem to fit into one of those seven categories.
For example;
If a majority of the members running the church are Ephesian-type people, then the church will be an Ephesian-type church.
If most of the people are Laodicean-type people, then the church will be a Laodicean-type church.
Whoever rules the church will determine what type it will be.
John portrays the different types of churches in Revelation 2-3, and he begins with’
- (Y) The Church at Ephesus.
REV 2:1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:
Now, right away we have problems with the translation.
The word angel is angeloo and it means messenger, not angel, and therefore it refers to the pastor-teacher who is to communicate these things.
REV 2:2 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;
REV 2:3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary.
REV 2:4 'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
The church at Ephesus had fallen out of love with TLJC.
The warmth was gone.
The fire and flame had waned.
Here was a church that was doctrinally correct but became cold.
Are you?
Do you fit into being an Ephesus type of believer?
You can be right theologically, but if you have lost your first love for Jesus Christ, then your theology is nothing but cold academics.
It is the beautiful combination of sound doctrine and love for Christ that makes a church what it should be; 2Co 5:14.
The Ephesian church represents the church that is doctrinally pure, yet cold.
They have away from their love toward God which is very dangerous in that
1CO 16:22 If anyone does not personally love the Lord, let him be accursed. Maranatha.
Under a curse until the Lord comes back!
It had lost its first love because the people willingly walked away from it just like many have throughout the years walked away from us, they got tired of doctrine.
If they leave to go to another doctrinal church, I understand but we have seen that most of those who have left are going no absolutely nowhere at all.
And, by the way;
For those who are following a pastor who has gone home to be with the Lord, and you justify following a dead teacher, then why don’t you study from the apostle Paul, because he has gone home to be with the Lord as well.
You might as well just follow Jesus and no one else because He has died and He is in Heaven…..
so why don’t you join the millions who say, we don’t need a pastor, we just study from Jesus.
As you can see,
You need someone alive today to teach you what the Spirit is saying to the churches in these last days.
It’s always the message and not the man.
The next church is;
- (Y) The Church at Smyrna.
The church at Smyrna represents the suffering, persecuted church.
REV 2:8 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ¶ The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this:
REV 2:9 'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
REV 2:10 'Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
REV 2:11 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.'
You say, "I don't know of any suffering churches."
What about the church in China?
They are suffering.
No one knows how many tens of thousands of Christians have been martyred in Communist China or in different areas of Africa and India and Arab nations.
Even closer to home, missionaries suffer abuse in South America.
Some of the Christians who really love TLJC even suffer abuse in the United States.
The point is, “Do you fit into that category?”
The next category of churches believers will fit into is:
- (Y) The Church at Pergamum.
This is the church that married the world.
They lived like the Lord warned us not to in MAT 6:19-20.
MAT 6:19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
MAT 6:20 "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
MAT 6:21 for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Back in Rev 2:13 where our Lord says;
REV 2:13 'I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is;
Where is Satan's throne?
He is the prince of the world; Eph 2:2.
EPH 2:2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air.
The church that marries the world is characterized by a country club atmosphere with no standards.
It is socially oriented--doing anything for the sake of social preservation.
It is compromising--never taking a true stand.
It lowers its standards to cater to compromising with people.
It is more concerned with the fashions of the world than with the things of God.
Remember what the apostle Paul said about being in bondage to riches and overt appearances; 1Ti 2:9-10?
1TI 2:9 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments;
1TI 2:10 but rather by means of good works, as befits women making a claim to godliness.
Remember what the apostle Peter said about being in bondage to riches and overt appearances; 1Pe 3:3-4.
1PE 3:3 And let not your adornment be merely external‑‑ braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;
1PE 3:4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.
There are many of those kind of churches with believers existing today.
- (Y) The Church at Thyatira.
REV 2:18 "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ¶ The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:
REV 2:19 'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.
REV 2:20 'But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond servants astray, so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
That is the sinful church that teaches false doctrine.
Sin and false doctrine always appear together.
Whenever false doctrine enters into a church, sin follows.
For example,
The church at Corinth was subject to false teachers and as a result, sin became widespread throughout the church; 1CO 3:1-3.
The church at Thyatira represents the church characterized by sin and false doctrine.
Where there is a tolerance for false doctrine, theological liberalism begins to creep in and the gospel is watered down.
Everything becomes love and morality and eventually with no integrity, it turns into carnality and love for sin.
That is how Satan brings about sin.
Also, they teach what is known as the Social Gospel.
When the social gospel replaces the true gospel, sin becomes widespread because false doctrine removes the doctrine of Christ as taught in the Word of God.
It teaches different doctrines about the inspiration of Scripture, the deity of Jesus Christ, His blood atonement, and His Second Advent.
When the true gospel is watered down by false doctrine and the social gospel, sin is the natural result.
- (Y) The Church at Sardis.
REV 3:1 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars, says this: 'I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
REV 3:2 'Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.
REV 3:3 'Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. If therefore you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you.
REV 3:4 'But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white; for they are worthy.
REV 3:5 'He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.
REV 3:6 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
At a Sardian-type church, someone cuts the grass, paints the walls, prints the bulletin, and stands in the pulpit, but that church isn't alive; it's dead.
The church at Sardis is the dead church.
How would you fit into that type of church?
I remember a particular church that was experiencing much growth, and the pastor was excited about it.
The church had received the building and property for free and could have had a great impact and testimony but the pastor drove people away.
Today it still exists!
People walk in and out of it, but it's not alive; it's dead.
And a dead church is worthless to God.
Would any of you fit into that church, I don’t think so!
- (Y) The Church at Philadelphia.
This is a beautiful doctrinal church.
REV 3:7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ¶ He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:
REV 3:8 'I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
REV 3:9 'Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews, and are not, but lie behold, I will make them to come and bow down at your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
REV 3:10 'Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth.
REV 3:11 'I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, in order that no one take your crown.
REV 3:12 'He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.
REV 3:13 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
In REV 3:8, God has opened a door to the world in this church.
People can go through it to reach the world with the gospel.
This is also a church where TLJC is not denied and its strength is in God, who said, "My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2Co 12:9).
This is a faithful, Christ- honoring, zealous, missionary-minded church that is alive with the flame of evangelism and in love with Jesus Christ and His word.
This is the kind of church that brings glory to God.
You say, "Is it the perfect church?"
No.
According to verse 9, they had their problems, too but if ever there was a church that close to perfection, it was the church at Philadelphia.
It shunned evil, sin, false doctrine, and compromise, and it kept its love alive.
How would you fit into that type of Church?
Finally, the seventh Church mentioned in our main passage of Rev 1 is:
- (Y) The Church at Laodicea.
It’s very interesting to me that this last church that is mentioned was one of the worst churches in the ancient world and it is contrasted with the best type of church in the ancient world, the church at Philadelphia.
By the way, Philadelphia was around thousands of years before the city of Philadelphia which someone thought it referred to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Laodicea is the apostate church where Satan dwells and his demons control.
It is a church that has been “influenced” as a counterfeit.
REV 3:15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot.
REV 3:16 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
This is the church that sickens God.
It is on its way to the sin unto death or hell.
It is a liberal church run by a cult that denies the true gospel.
It is accursed and damned, but will thrive during the Tribulation.
With the exception of Smyrna and Philadelphia, all the other churches mentioned progressed from bad to worse.
So,
Not only are there seven types of churches but there are seven types of church members.
I know that there are some Ephesian-type members in this church.
However, let us remember this statement;
If the 2nd generation Christian church could grow cold, imagine what could happen to us since they were much closer to the enthusiasm of the first generation than we are.
I know there are Ephesian members whose love is cooling.
They used to burn with love for Christ, but not any more.
They have left their first love.
There are also Smyrna-type members in the church who pay for their boldness for Christ by suffering.
They give testimony to Jesus Christ and suffer abuse from people for doing that.
There are believers who know of people who are willing to open their mouth to share Jesus Christ no matter how people criticize them or what it might cost them.
I thank God for Smyrna-type members!
Then there is the Pergamum type of believer who is married to the world and the details of life.
There are members in the church today who are married to the world.
They are preoccupied with their money, car, job, fashion, and themselves.
They are concerned about how they relate to the world, but they are making compromises to Satan.
They are unwilling to pay the price of a true disciple, so they lower their standards to court the world and discredit the name of Jesus Christ.
They weaken the church and are useless to God.
The church at Thyatira was full of false doctrine and sin and I know there are church members of our church who are living in sin.
You say, "How do you know that?"
Because the Bible says that no church will be without it.
Wherever God sows good seed, Satan is going to sow bad seed.
The people who are living in sin usually justify it with false doctrine or distortion of doctrine like the doctrine of love and the doctrine of privacy, to defend themselves.
Some are courting secret sin--it's hidden from the church, but visible to God.
Some of you think like this statement;
(Y) "If I'm courting secret sin, and nobody knows it, then it doesn't hurt anyone."
But it does.
The Bible says, "A little leaven leavens the whole lump" (Gal 5:9) and it has an effect upon all believers.
Then there is the Sardis church again who are known to be spiritually dead.
They couldn't get excited about Jesus Christ no matter what happened.
They are in a spiritual stupor--nothing happens in their lives.
Thank God that there are Philadelphia-type members in the church!
The church at Philadelphia had an open door to the world--it was missionary-minded.
It kept sound doctrine and never denied Christ's name.
I believe there is a majority of fruitful and faithful members in our church who would be very comfortable in the church at Philadelphia.
They are in love with Christ and eager to share Him with others.
They are motivated to learn doctrine, the Gospel, being a missionary or supporting missionary work and are zealous to do so.
God forbid, but I imagine that there are Laodiceans in our church because they are found in every church.
In other words;
Even the church at Philadelphia had Laodicean individuals with them.
You can have the best type of churches and still have Laodicean believers and unbelievers
They don't even know Jesus Christ; yet they come to church.
They go through the motions spiritually.
But they are carnal believers or not believers at all.
In the end they will say, "Lord, Lord. It's us." but He is going to say, "I never knew you; depart from Me"
(MAT 7:23).
What kind of member are you?
You say, "Can I change what I am?"
Sure you can!
Would you like some motivation to change what you are?
You say,
"I'm an Ephesian-type church member because my love has grown cold." REV 2:7.
But the Lord says “to him that overcometh” or a believer who wants to a winner will I give them to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."
For the Smyrna type believer who says, "I'm suffering and I might not be able to handle the pressure anymore."
REV 2:11 says, "He that overcometh or if you repent and become a winner believer, you shall not be hurt by of the second death."
If you are in Christ, the second death has no power over you, you have eternal life, but that’s no reward, that’s from “faith alone in Christ alone.”
This guarantees you will not be hurt by the second death when people go to the Eternal Lake of Fire or Hell.
Not being hurt by the second death as a reward refers to the fact that no one that you love will ever go into eternal damnation.
That will be your motivation for repentance and attaining this reward.
To the Pergamum believer, REV 2:17 To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.'
This is your type of motivation, if you fit into that type of church.
For the Thyatiran type of believer, Rev 2:26 says, "And he that overcometh, (the winner) and keeps My doctrine and works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations."
For the Sardian type of believer, REV 3:5 says, "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels."
For the Philadelphian type of church, REV 3:12 says, "To the winner believer, I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem.
For the Laodicean type of believer even they have a chance; REV 3:21 "To him that overcometh (the winner) will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne."
Our Lord Jesus Christ says again and again;
(Y) "If you obey Me and my commands for each church or believer, I will reward you."
That is tremendous motivation!
The messages to the seven churches were prophetic because they describe seven types of churches and seven types of believers who make up those churches.
Those members determine what their church will be.
Therefore,
The messages are not merely historical; they are prophetic.
By that I mean;
They are living messages from the living Lord as He walks among the lampstands--trimming the lamps and ministering to the churches.
The point of all of that is;
Historical trends, as found in churches today, must be understood by pastors as well as by congregations.
No pastor can effectively communicate to his congregation unless he can understand historical trends.
No believer can effectively glorify the Lord before others unless he can understand historical trends.
These churches all have something in common.
At the moment, John is still their pastor.
Now, we need to note one more principle concerning REV 1:11.
REV 1:11 saying, "Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea."
The verb to see is blepo which refers to the unfolding of the book of Revelation, an historical textbook which tells us exactly what is going to happen from John’s time to the end of time.
This goes along with the seven churches mentioned in this verse.
John was the pastor of all seven of those churches until he went to Patmos.
By the way,
John’s congregations were mostly non face-to-face.
But,
There are going to be pastors of all seven of those churches in the future and he is to write REV 2 and 3 to future pastors.
The point is that historical trends must be understood by pastors as well as by congregations and no pastor can effectively communicate to his congregation unless he can understand historical trends.
Now, our next verse in REV 1:12.
REV 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands;
When REV 1:12 says And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me.
The voice that speaks now is going to be speaking for a long time and great portions of the book of Revelation are simply the spoken testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ written by John.
Persistent positive volition toward doctrine is the only road to spiritual blessing, maturity, and glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Then in REV 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands;
“And having turned” means that when John turned around he saw the panorama or the overview of human history which is found in the phrase “seven golden lampstands.
These lampstands were the only light in the Holy Place in the tabernacle and just as the Shekinah glory was the only light in the Holy of Holies, the only light in the holy place in the tabernacle.
The central branch of the lampstands always represent our Lord Jesus Christ who functioned in the PPOG and established a pattern in the game plan for the Christian way of life in this dispensation.
Since it is used here, not in connection with Israel, but with the Church, it refers to our Lord Jesus Christ in the PPOG for His life says REV 13:8.
For He was the lamb of God who had been slain before the foundation of the World according to REV 13:8.
REV 13:8 And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
The visible part of the lampstand is the light.
The wick is the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The oil, representing the Holy Spirit, is brought up through the wick and there is a light.
The wick represents the believer inside the PPOG and the light are the functional virtues which are obvious to mankind.
Finally, from our main passage on the Rapture and the Big Genuflex, we have the vision of the glorified Christ and why we will bow down in awe of Him; REV 1:13-20.
REV 1:13 and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle.
The vision is introduced by giving the title “Son of man.”
This is the shortened form for our Lord’s title for the first advent.
It began with the virgin birth because He was born as Adam was created, perfect, and He was the second Son of Man because Adam is said to be the first; 1Co 15:45-49.
1CO 15:45 So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul." The last Adam became a life giving spirit.
1CO 15:46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.
1CO 15:47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.
1CO 15:48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.
1CO 15:49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Adam was created without sin; the Lord Jesus Christ was born that way.
Human life was imputed to Him the same way it was imputed to Adam in GEN 2:7, when the Lord breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
GEN 2:7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
The word “Adam as a son of man” is contrasted with our Lord who is called “Son of Man or Mankind” pointing to His true humanity of the Hypostatic Union when He received the title “Son of Man.”
Principles behind REV 1:13 when it says and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle.
Principle # 1
- (All Y) Jesus Christ controls history and because of that all believers are personally related to the eternal God-Man who controls history.
It is our relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ that gives us the invisible yet the very important impact on history, either uptrend or downtrend depending upon our attitude toward Bible doctrine.
- Therefore, for the believer there are no tragedies in history — many disasters, a great deal of suffering, but there are no tragedies in history.
Tragedy belongs to drama; disaster belongs to history.
Since man is the product of his own decisions, individually and collectively, the result of wrong decisions is disaster; the result of right decisions is prosperity.
And so we can say with regard to history: there are periods of prosperity, there are periods of disaster, but since man is the product of his own decisions there are no tragedies.
- People individually and collectively are the products of their own decisions. That means that volition and decision produces environment, not environment decision.
- Historical disasters result from wrong decisions which destroy options for future decisions.
In heaven, a place of perfect environment, there will be those who have great decorations and those with less.
There will be great inequality.
A sign of freedom is inequality: you are free to fail; you are free to succeed.
Satan has invented a system called communism and socialism which seeks to set aside this concept.
So;
To exchange freedom for security is to sell your soul for a mess of pottage. Just ask Esau, or better yet I pray that you never see him again; HEB 12:16-17.
Socialism and the redistribution of wealth is very popular because it offers security instead of freedom = slave mentality.
Also, it gives those who have failed in life a chance to exercise the motivating evil of jealousy toward others.
Disaster results when the demand for power exceeds the need for power by going too far.
Disaster occurs when arrogant people never see their own consistencies, only the inconsistencies of others.
Notice next in verse 13 the robe which we see first is the robe of a high priest.
REV 1:13 and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe
A priest is a man who represents man to God.
In His humanity, our Lord Jesus Christ is our High Priest according to the entire book of Hebrews which the author thought it was a very important subject to mention.
For example, in Heb 2:17 we read;
HEB 2:17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
HEB 2:18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.
HEB 3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.
Then in the book of Hebrews, go forward to Heb 4:15.
HEB 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Because of that;
HEB 4:16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.
Then again, a terrible chapter break because the next verse should be called Heb 4:17, but there isn’t one.
Therefore, in the function of “High Priest”
HEB 5:1 says For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;
HEB 5:2 he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness;
HEB 5:3 and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself.
HEB 5:4 And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was.
HEB 5:5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, "Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee";
HEB 5:6 just as He says also in another passage, "Thou art a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek." = forever.
Look at HEB 5:9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,
HEB 5:10 being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
Next look at HEB 6:19, where I told you that;
The book of Hebrews which we don’t know who the writer or author was, is filled with the doctrine of our Lord as the High Priest to both man and God; 1TI 2:5; Job 9.
Look at HEB 6:19 This hope we have (in context the hope we have because he is our High Priest) as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
This hope we have is like an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil.
In HEB 6:20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Go forward to HEB 7:19 (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
HEB 7:20 And inasmuch as it was not without an oath
HEB 7:21 (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, "The Lord has sworn And will not change His mind, 'Thou art a priest forever'");
In HEB 7:25 Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
HEB 7:26 For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;
HEB 7:27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
HEB 7:28 For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.
HEB 8:1 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
So, the principle of REV 1:13 and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle.
His humanity resided inside the PPOG while He was a priest “representing us” to God but also a Priest “representing Himself” to God as our mediator.
He was our High Priest and we must see the significance of that.
You have to be true humanity to be a priest.
Furthermore,
If our Lord Jesus Christ is going to rule forever as per all of the prophecies with regard to the Millennium and the eternal state, He must be a man.
A king must be a man to represent man, 2Sa 7; Psalm 89, so it is the Lord Jesus Christ in His humanity that is depicted for us here.
REV 1:13 and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle.
The word “clothed” comes From the Greek word enduo which means to be clothe with power and it describes the dress uniform of a high priest.
On our Lord, it is His uniform of glory worn over His resurrection body.
Correct translation is “being attired.”
The word “garment” refers to the robe of a high priest.
It is a robe reaching down to the feet and again it refers to the dress uniform of the high priest as described first in Exo 28:4.
EXO 28:4 "And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of checkered work, a turban and a sash, and they shall make holy garments.
Our Lord’s priestly function inside the PPOG resulted in maximum function of all the correct motivating virtues directed toward the plan of God and the Father because of His incarnation.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the “King Priest”, the great High Priest who represents us to God the Father.
Every believer is in union with Christ and the Church is a kingdom of priests according to Rev 1:6, and the priesthood is the modus vivendi or the manner of living as the invisible function of the Christian way of life.
REV 1:6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.