Christianity, Cults and Culture

COGR – Who Is A King and Priest?

January 22, 2024

Good day! I am writing a series of short reviews of abbreviated COGR video clips. I am looking for input and comments. If it makes it easier, I will be glad to supply a Word document so comments can be put in the document, and we can communicate directly. My email address is lattema@icloud.com. I hope you find these reviews helpful.

Transcript:

“Now we have always taken verse number six in a very general sense. I won’t just part with you, but I want you to give me your attention and let me talk to you for just a little bit.

I think it’s more properly put and more in context of these scriptures to know that John was making reference more to himself than he was to those he was writing to. He’ll get to the message. He’ll get to the message that he wants to give to them. But he’s talking about himself more and saying, “God has made me a king and me a priest.”” (Ray Tinsman)

Biblical Text:

⁴ John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶ and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

Commentary:

Ray is using Revelation 1:6 to elevate the status of the “Gentile apostles.” It is strategically necessary for their followers to view the apostles not only as end-time apostles but as kings and priests. Today, years after this formative series, I have just heard Ray telling a congregation in Mexico how the apostles were holy priests, and it was necessary for them to give their all to God, and the way of doing that is to physically give everything to the holy priests (the apostles). So, this effort to elevate the apostles has successfully continued over time, allowing the apostles to control the congregants.

Ray’s claim that John was speaking of himself is flawed. If John had meant to say God made “me” a king and priest, he could have simply said that. He didn’t. Instead, he said, “Us.” Looking at verse five, he uses “us” twice because it identifies who God loves and who God has freed from their sins, and it is not just John; it is every person he is addressing. Using “me” would not work. Therefore, it is quite unlikely that he would have meant “me.” One of Ray’s goals appears to be to separate the apostles from the congregation, with the apostles being kings and priests and the congregants being followers. However, four verses (2 Timothy 2:12, 1 Peter 2: 9, Revelation 2:26-27, and Revelation 5:10) speak about all believers being part of a royal priesthood and reigning with Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:12 (NIV):

“if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us.”

1 Peter 2:9 (NIV):

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Revelation 2:26-27 (NIV):

“To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery.’”

Revelation 5:10 (NIV):

“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

Additionally, if we ask about the audience, we learn from John 1:1 that John’s message was to his servants, and in 1:4, we learn the seven churches in Asia are his target audience. Therefore, it makes much more sense that when John said “us” he had all the saints collectively on his mind. This is not a new issue. The question of whether he was speaking of himself, of the apostles, or of everyone has arisen, and multiple commentaries have weighed in on the matter. The consensus is that “us” in the collective sense is correct.

This is just one of many attempts to elevate the Apostles. It isn’t correct, and it certainly doesn’t suggest that the apostles are kings and priests. Scripture never directly refers to the apostles as kings or priests.