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“To Him who loves us, and has washed us from our sins in His blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father: to Him be the glory and the might to the ages of ages. Amen” (Revelation 1:5-6 JND).
The Apostle John was so overcome as He thought of the Lord Jesus—all He had suffered, and then His glory, that he broke into this song of praise. Through His shed blood the Lord Jesus has not only washed us from our sins, but He has also made us a kingdom. We are not kings yet, but the kingdom is reserved for us, for we will inherit the kingdom when the Lord Jesus comes in judgment, and takes His place as King over all things.
However, we are already “priests to His God and Father,” for we already have the liberty to come into God’s presence at any time, and to approach Him in prayer. In the Old Testament only a priest could go into the tabernacle or the temple, and only once a year could the high priest go into the “holy of holies.” But now we may approach God at any time, for every believer is a priest.
Do your heart and mine overflow with praise, as John’s heart did? If we realize how much the Lord Jesus has done for us, our hearts will be filled with praise too.
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