… 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. (Exodus 19:6)

Moreover, they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and teach them to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. In a dispute they shall take their stand to judge; they shall judge it according to My ordinances. They shall also keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts, and sanctify My Sabbaths. (Ezekiel 44:23-24)

And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— and He made us into a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:5-6)

When God built the Israel nation, it was a shadow of the reality. The Israel nation was not the kingdom God had planned before creation. The last chapters of Ezekiel illustrate the new kingdom and the fulfillment of the promise given to the Israel nation in Exodus 19:6.

Although it was given to the Israel nation, not all received this promise. As Paul explains in Romans 9, those who have received God’s mercy and have faith in God are the true Israelites.

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel. (Romans 9:6)

The saints are the priests of the kingdom of God. And that is the very purpose of creation.

But you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9)

Revelation 19-22 tell us the end of creation. Those chapters explain why God created all things. Once the kingdom is established, there is no need for the old system.

During the Reformation, the reformers did not understand why Revelation was written. Calvin wrote commentaries for most book of the Bible but not for Revelation. Luther also did not want to discuss much about the book. We must understand that God planned everything before creation. Therefore, the end explains what has happened in Genesis. God did not and does not change like men do. God’s will is the kingdom, the group of trained people who are united with Him through His Son and the Holy Spirit. The saints rule with God and serve Him wholeheartedly. We become the adopted sons of God through Christ and the Holy Spirit. As written in Ezekiel 44:23-24, the roles of the priests are to teach and to judge people. This means they have the knowledge of God and are given the authority to judge. They are united with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit.

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:15-17)

When we read Genesis, we understand why we are chosen to become the kingdom. Adam was a shadow of Christ. And Eve was created for him as a helper. I consider that the purpose of all creation is the church, the bride of Christ. And God made her for His only begotten Son.

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18)

False Christians think the whole world exists for them. They consider Christ as a tool to get saved. They say they love Christ. But they love only themselves. They always praise men and their works. On the other hand, the saints know exactly why we are created. We are created for God. More precisely, we are created for Christ as a helper suitable for Him.

When I was in a Reformed church, I heard people saying that they are privileged. It appears that most of them are proud to have been born in a Christian family and raised in the Reformed faith. I consider that the privilege that the saints have on the earth is the right to pray to God. And our prayers are heard by God because He chose us before the time began and gave us the Holy Spirit. However, the public prayers that I heard in the Reformed church were not different from those I had heard in other churches who do not hold the Reformed faith. The elders and the ministers in a Reformed church elaborates all the things that they want God to do in their prayers as if He does not know what is happening in the world.

When God gave specific instructions concerning the Tabernacle, He gave them the ingredients of the incense in Exodus 30. Incense is the prayers of the saints (Revelation 5:8). And Christ taught His disciples how to pray (Matthew 6:9-13). The Reformers like Calvin emphasized the importance of the Lord’s prayer. But I heard the Lord’s prayer very rarely in the Reformed church. Instead, they recited the Apostle’s Creed and the Confessions frequently. I think this tradition is strong in all Reformed churches. Ministers are proud that they follow the Reformed faith and yet, they boast about and praise what men did. They study the Confessions diligently but never encourage people to read the Bible. How are they different from the Pharisees? Their crooked minds are often revealed by their actions. These people do not like singing in God’s words during public worships. They are false Christians who pretend to hold the Reformed faith and yet, entice others. They like praying in public but despise the Lord’s prayer.

The true priests of the Lord know how to pray because the Bible teaches us how to pray. We do not pray to please people. Christians often say, “I will pray for you” as if they do others some kind of favor. I rarely say that because God has plans for everything and everyone. We do not pray to change God’s plans by praying for the same thing repeatedly and persistently. True Christians do not pray to receive praises from others.

But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him. (Habakkuk 2:20)