to him: ‘You are my son; I, today, I have become your father.’ Just as he says also in another place: ‘You are a priest forever according to the manner of Melchizedek.’”—Heb. 5:5, 6.

So, having proved his faithfulness, Jesus, by his death and resurrection to the heavens, was shown to be worthy of both a priesthood and a kingship far superior and far grander in scope than those exercised by the Levitical priests and the Judean kings. These heavenly functions of Jesus are embodied in the covenant for a kingly priesthood.—Heb. 7:4-17.

With Christ in the heavens, the Scriptures show, there will be associated 144,000 associate rulers taken from among mankind. To his apostles, who were the first ones of that group to cherish such an upward calling, he said on the evening before his death: “I make a covenant with you, just as my Father has made a covenant with me, for a kingdom.” (Luke 22:29, 30) These 144,000 Kingdom heirs are not direct descendants of King David and so not natural heirs to his throne. They are not taken into the covenant made with David for a kingdom. However, as David ruled over the twelve tribes of natural Israel, they will share with Christ in ruling over those pictured by the “twelve tribes of Israel,” namely, all the world of mankind that will live on earth during their thousand-year reign.

These joint heirs with Christ become kings and priests, not by reason of natural inheritance, but because of God’s choosing and anointing of them. They become, as the apostle Peter said, “a royal priesthood.” (1 Pet. 2:9) With Christ they become ruling priests, such as are described in the covenant for the kingly priesthood. Of them it is written: “They will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule as kings with him for the thousand years.”—Rev. 20:6.

What, then, of the Davidic covenant for the earthly kingdom? Has it come to an end? Not at all! As foretold through the angel Gabriel, Christ rules “as king over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom.” But that kingship is exercised from the heavens and by one who is also designated by God as priestly ruler, by virtue of the provisions of the covenant for the kingly priesthood. And for how long? He is “a priest forever according to the manner of Melchizedek.” So the covenant for the Davidic kingdom and the covenant for the heavenly kingly priesthood work together to ensure a new system of things for the benefit of mankind that will far excel anything that man has yet experienced.

Questions From Readers

● Does the scripture at Isaiah 61:1, 2 constitute the ordination of the “other sheep”?—L. H., U.S.A.

Isaiah 61:1, 2 reads: “The spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me, for the reason that Jehovah has anointed me to tell good news to the meek ones. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to those taken captive and the wide opening of the eyes even to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of good will on the part of Jehovah and the day of vengeance on the part of our God; to comfort all the mourning ones.”

Note here that the prophet says that he has been anointed by Jehovah’s spirit. Jesus applied this prophecy to himself but only after he had been anointed by God’s holy spirit at the Jordan at the time of his baptism. (Luke 3:21, 22; 4:17-21) His body members are also anointed with Jehovah’s spirit at the time of their being begotten by Jehovah to be sons of God. They become members of the body of Christ, the Anointed One.—2 Cor. 1:21, 22.

The “great crowd” of “other sheep” mentioned and described at John 10:16 and Revelation 7:9 are not anointed by Jehovah’s spirit even though they do have a measure of his spirit, and hence Isaiah 61:1, 2 does not constitute their ordination to preach. However, they are ordained of Jehovah God to be his ministers and certainly they are not ordained to do something different now from what the spiritual remnant are anointed to do. So they could properly quote Isaiah 61:1, 2 as setting out the work in which they are commissioned to share as ordained ministers.

Jehovah God’s command to all those dedicating themselves to him to preach the “good news of the kingdom” constitutes the terms of the ordination of the “great crowd” of “other sheep.” (Matt. 24:14) The command of God regarding the responsibility to preach is in the Bible for anyone to read, but this commission does not constitute anyone’s ordination until after one has studied God’s Word, gained accurate knowledge, dedicated himself to God, for the doing of his divine will, and then symbolized that dedication by water baptism. Thus the “great crowd” of “other sheep” have their ordination from God by virtue of his command to dedicated Christians to preach the Kingdom good news, and Jehovah also backs them up with his holy spirit, just as his spirit was upon the pre-Christian prophets and witnesses.

● What apparently was the reason for the angel with whom Jacob wrestled to touch “the socket of Jacob’s thigh joint by the sinew of the thigh nerve” so that he limped upon his thigh?—J. K., U.S.A.

The angel’s touching Jacob’s thigh may have been for the reason that Jacob would not be overly exalted over having actually grappled successfully with an angel, wresting a blessing from him. So the angel touched Jacob’s thigh and his “thigh joint got out of place,” causing Jacob to limp ever afterward. (Gen. 32:24, 25, 32) That was something to keep him lowly, to show that this victory was not in his own strength and that the angel had superior power. It would be similar to the “thorn in the flesh” that God did not remove from afflicting Paul, the apostle of Jesus Christ, that he “might not be overly exalted” because of the supernatural visions and revelations and other spiritual blessings he received from the Lord.—2 Cor. 12:1-7.

Announcements

FIELD MINISTRY

Men of faith turn to God for guidance. Regularly they talk to God in prayer, and they walk with God by ordering their lives in harmony with his Word. During August, Jehovah’s witnesses will continue to help others to appreciate the wisdom of walking and talking with God by presenting to them the 704-page Bible-study aid “Babylon the Great Has Fallen!” God’s Kingdom Rules!, along with a booklet, on a contribution of 75c.

A BOOK OF BIBLE REFERENCES

Have you ever wished you could collect together the most pointed Bible texts on some particular subject? Well, “Make Sure of All Things” does just that on seventy selected main topics or themes and hundreds of different subtopics. This is not a Bible commentary. It is a compilation of direct quotations from the Bible on vital topics. It will provide you with many hours of enjoyable and profitable reading and serve continuously as a handy reference work. Send for your copy today. Sent postpaid for only 75c.

“WATCHTOWER” STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

August 30: Loyalty to Jehovah’s Organization. Page 464.

September 6: Proving Faithful in Small Matters. Page 470.