One of the more profound predictions the book of Revelation makes is that the blood of Jesus has restored humanity so that human beings can serve as priests on the earth. The subject of believers as priests tends to be one of the most neglected subjects in the church in comparison to how central it is in Scripture.
When we think of the book of Revelation we often think of many things, but the book declares itself first of all to be the “Revelation of Jesus.” Priestly ministry is first and foremost a response to that beauty.
Revelation 4 provides the first glimpse at “must take place.” The first step to understanding what must take place is understanding the heavenly pattern that God wants on the earth and how that partner show affect the way we build the church.
In the same way the elders and living creatures in heaven stand before God and use their authority to make God’s beauty known in the heavens, so also man must stand before God and use his authority on the earth to make God’s beauty known on the earth. This is key to the plan of redemption.
The gospel does not replace the priesthood; it enables the priesthood God always wanted. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus God’s eternal purpose of a nation of priests can go forward. Humans are uniquely created to encounter the beauty of God and declare that beauty in the earth.
The key transition between Revelation 4 and 5 is the revelation of the Lamb. The revelation of Jesus is what brings man into his eternal calling and what will fill the earth with the declaration of God’s beauty.
The end of the Bible predicts heaven coming to earth as the heavenly city descends to earth. This means earth will ultimately reflect what heaven now is in many ways. Ephesians 1 tells us how this is going to happen – Jesus is going to unite things in heaven and earth.
There is a sense in which Revelation 4:1 is written over the doorpost of every church. In the same way that John was taken up to show him the things that must soon take place, the church is meant to be a place on the earth where people can enter and encounter the things to come.