and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

To Him who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (6) and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen.

(7) Behold, He is coming with clouds and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him.  And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.  Even so, Amen.

(8) “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

The Book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John, probably in A.D. 95, 96 and at the time John was a prisoner on the island of Patmos because of religious persecution.  There is considerable disagreement on how the Book of Revelation should be interpreted.   It is a book of prophecy involving warning and consolation using symbols and visions which were understood by first century Christians but are obscure to today’s readers.  In times of crisis and religious persecution it was not unusual to use symbolism and imagery when writing to the afflicted. Also, John was very dependent on the Old Testament and the first century audience – the seven churches of  Roman Asia (now modern Turkey)  – would have been familiar with the Old Testament, especially the books of Daniel and Ezekiel, both books of prophesy.

The subject matter of the book of Revelation required imagery and symbolism with it’s glimpses into unseen realities.  The Book of Revelation describes the climatic event in the history of the world as having already happened – the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ – the slain Lamb of God – as victory over evil.   John expresses that there will be the final unambiguous victory of God at the end of history.

And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.  (12) But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, (13) from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.  (14) For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.   (18) Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. 

The Levitical priesthood stands – literally stands as there were no chairs in the place of sacrifice.  This peculiarity and the continued ministry of the priests is symbolic of their work never being finished.  The problem with the sacrifice of the priests was not so much with the sacrifices but with the giver of the sacrifice.   Their repeated sacrifices could NOT finally remove sin.  The old priesthood is contrasted to our new High Priest, Jesus Christ, who offered Himself, a voluntary blood sacrifice, once and for all.  This perfect offering completely removes the guilt of sin.  After this perfect offering, Christ sat down at the right hand of power. The sitting of Christ indicates that His work of offering sacrifice is done – it was/is perfectly complete.  God honors His Son with the seat at His right hand to show His satisfaction with the debt paid for sin.  All who accept His offer of salvation receive complete forgiveness and eternal life.

The author of Hebrews wrote his letter as a subtle – or not so subtle – warning to his audience that if they abandoned their Christian faith and went back to Judaism they would be enemies of Jesus.  We are all enemies of God – we toward God in rebellion and He toward us in wrath.  Man is the enemy of God, not the reverse.  The hostility must be removed from man for reconciliation.  God took initiative in this by sending His Son to die for us and this reconciliation is put as strongly as possible.  The divine acceptance of that sacrifice – Christ being seated at the right hand of the power – shows the rightness of Christ as the perfect High Priest.  God now remembers the sin no more, forever.  A sinner can once for all believe and be saved.   Everything essential to the salvation of the individual is included in the gift for salvation which the sinner receives by faith in the Messiah’s sacrifice.

Verse 14 is the conclusion of the doctrine of the Epistle to the Hebrews.  By one offering Christ has perfected forever those who are sanctified – cleansed from sin.  He has perfected them – finished and completed for the sanctified all they need.  This perfection is forever.  This verse speaks of the believer’s sanctification as an accomplished fact – those are saints, holy in Christ.  Just by faith we can enter into Christ’s fullness.   What more can we need??????   There is no more need for symbolic work- the real atoning work and forgiveness is perfect.

Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing.  (24) But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.  (25) Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.  (26) For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; (27)  who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.  (28) For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

The unknown author of Hebrews has written this letter to the Jewish Christians to exhort them not to abandon their newly professed faith in Jesus Christ as saviour  in the face of persecution.  In Chapter 7 of this letter, the writer speaks of Jesus as our High Priest and mediator for us with God forever.  He argues the uniqueness of Christ and develops the theme of Jesus as a priest in the line of Melchizedek as being other and also superior to the priests in the line of Aaron (brother of Moses and designated by God as High Priest) and develops this theme for the Jews of his day who knew no other priesthood than the Aaronic.

Melchizedek is mentioned briefly in Genesis.  Abraham, the patriarch of the Jews, was met by the “king of Salem”, Melchizedek,  on his return from defeating the five kings.  Melchizedek was also a priest of God, unrelated to Abraham and who lived hundreds of years before Aaron.    Abraham gave Melchizedek a “tenth of everything” – the spoils of battle – and Melchizedek blessed Abraham.  The situation with the tithing and the giving of a blessing imply that Melchizedek is considered as having superior status to that of Abraham.  This payment of a tithe was also seen as the descendants of Abraham paying it – in the way of speaking in the Bible, the ancestor includes the descendants.

in Psalm 110, God spoke through David about the Melchizedekian priesthood during the time the Aaronic priesthood was established, showing that the priests of the line of Aaron could not accomplish what the priesthood was meant to do.    Priesthood and the law went together so a change in priesthood also meant a change in the law and Jesus did not come from the priestly tribe of Levi but rather the royal line of Judah.  (Both Levi and Judah were sons of Jacob who was known as Israel.)   This Psalm is a prophecy which identifies the Messiah as “a Priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”.    So the Levitical priests are presented in contrast to Christ.    Christ however is different and superior and remains forever.  Christ has the capacity of bringing a complete salvation to all who approach God through Him.