One thing you can say about Richard Ames is that he is soooooooooo encouraging. As the post-Feast blues set in Ames sends out this reminder that you had been "learning the FEAR OF GOD" at the Feast!
Living Church of God brethren observed the 2023 Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day at 89 sites in 49 countries. From Mr. Weston’s Opening Night message, reminding us that we are learning the fear of God, to his Last Great Day message proclaiming that the masses of deceived mankind will awaken to have their first real opportunity to learn God’s way of peace, we all rejoiced at God’s “master plan” of salvation for all of humanity. An inspiring Behind the Work video gave us the blessing of learning more about our brethren in South and Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.
ANGRY GOD is so important to Armstrongism. With Angry God constantly angry, members need to be constantly on watch that they do not do anything to make IT angry at them. Of course, the church eagerly provides copious lists of all the things you can do to make ANGRY GOD really, really angry. The constant threat of losing one's salvation is a great control mechanism for church authorities.
Tied into that constant threat of losing one's salvation is the fact that you will also never become a god like the rest of the LCG elite. Then, since you're not a god you will NOT be allowed to teach people in the millennium, nor will you be King or Priest! More importantly, you will NEVER be able to judge them! Oh, the tragedy!!!!
What an amazing calling God has given us to train to be kings, priests, and judges for His coming kingdom and to assist Him now by helping to fulfill His “great commission.” I was personally moved to see, at the two Feast sites my wife and I attended—Branson and Lake of the Ozarks in the United States state of Missouri—how brethren generously served and loved one another as sons and daughters of the ever-living God, preparing to become eternal members of God’s royal family.
LCG members are encouraged to keep their army of faithful marching forward, being the militaristic church that Armstrongism is. LCG is always at war about something. All powerful big meanie Satan, the gays, the Germans, the Chinese, the Muslims, militant feminists, other Church of God groups, etc.
So what is a poor depressed LCG member to do as they combat the dreaded post-Feast blues?
READ YOUR SERMON NOTES! Good LCG note-takers will accomplish this:
When you are a student in a classroom, you know that it is important to take notes so you can study the material again and again after the class is done. You want to internalize what you’ve been taught so it becomes a part of you and changes you for the better.
Your Feast notes should help to remind you that the time is soon coming when the desert will blossom like the rose (Isaiah 35:1). As Christians today, we are preparing to become the firstfruits who will play a part in fulfilling that prophecy. Reviewing your Feast notes can keep you motivated and inspired about your future.We are training to become kings and priests in tomorrow’s world. Priests in ancient Israel had many responsibilities, including that of teaching the people. We as the resurrected firstfruits will have that responsibility in the Kingdom of God. Almost certainly you heard someone during the Feast quote these important words from the prophet Isaiah: “And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:20–21).
These self-righteous Armstrongites think so highly of themselves that when they are glorified gods in the millennium the people they will be teaching will be taking copies amount of notes on what they teach them. I kid you not! You cannot trust a COG member to write correct information about the New Covenant in this day and age so how can you trust them in some magic millennium teaching proper doctrines?
That’s a reference to our role as teachers in the Millennium, after we have been resurrected and have become members of the Family of God. The resurrected Jesus, too, taught His followers when He appeared to them in physical form. He even ate the fish and honey they gave Him (Luke 24:42–43). We will be teaching people who literally see and hear us as we guide them. Will they take literal notes at times? Very possibly. We look forward to the time when God’s way of life will be restored all over the earth, “and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:20–21). We will be helping to restore the truth, the true way of life and government of God. At the Feast, God, through His ministers, has given us tremendous instruction to both inspire and prepare us for our coming roles.
And yet according to Armstrongite myths, there will be a great falling away at the end of the millennium when those who heard the teachings of the gods and goddesses that were Church of God members teaching them will rebel and will be destroyed. As usual, anything a COG touches ends up being a failure.
Ames continues by fondly looking back decades to when times were more innocent in COGland. Everything was always far more glorious back then, Truth ran freely from the fountain of truth that was fed by the streams of living waters utter by Herbert Armstrong. Jesus himself could never have surpassed the miraculous teachings coming out of HWA at that time.
Reviewing our notes helps us keep fresh the memory of what we learned in the past. But we must keep on learning—growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. To prepare to teach, we must never stop learning. In one of the first Bible Studies I ever heard Mr. Herbert Armstrong give, back in the Shakespeare Club building in Pasadena, he told us that we needed to learn the following scripture: “Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:4–5).
At the Feast, we learned much about how to walk on God’s paths, in His truth. And that learning should continue. “Wise people store up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction” (Proverbs 10:14). Are we continuing to store up knowledge? How well do we know our Bible?
Decades ago, first-graders at the Church’s Imperial Schools were taught to memorize more than a dozen short passages of Scripture, and to recite the Old Testament and New Testament books in order. They also had to learn the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and to recite the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–17). It may sound almost impossible to us today, but first-graders were taught to memorize Psalms 1, 23, and 100; Matthew 6:9–14; 2 Timothy 3:15; Proverbs 3:1–35 (broken into four parts for easier recall); Matthew 5:1–20 (broken into two parts); and 1 Corinthians 13:1–13 (broken into two parts).
So, what else can a faithful LCG member do to inhibit the post-Feast blues from getting them down?
Memorize the Psalms!
Don't memorize any verses in the New Covenant about grace, redemption, sanctification, justification, and how to be at rest in Christ. Instead memorize the Psalms where you will be going to war killing people, committing adultery, fornicating, smashing baby heads against the rocks, and other delightful delicacies. Armstrognites take great comfort in reading about the sins of David because they too will be able to use the David Defense to justify their sins. If Dave can do it and still be blessed by God so can I!
You may want to set a goal of learning one of the psalms before next year’s fall Festivals. We have our small and manageable goals, and they all should serve to help us attain our greatest goals. What is the greatest goal? The Feast of Tabernacles pictures the coming Kingdom of God, and our focus should be on preparing to serve in that Kingdom. How do we do that? “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
Oh, and let's bring those gays in. They are always useful fall guys. Never mind the fact that LCG hierarchy and some of the members are a cesspool of power-hungry men where alcoholism, adultery, and other sins run rampant. When your own leaders wallow in the world there is no room to condemn others.
We should reject goals that would draw us away from God, and set goals that draw us closer to Him. How do we seek God’s righteousness? All of God’s commandments are righteousness (Psalm 119:172). As Mr. Weston has reminded us on many occasions, our world is sliding further and further toward a modern Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet we must live in that world, without being of that world.
And, here are some more things to keep your Laodicean mind occupied:
You may want to set a goal of pursuing a career, or of learning how to manage a household. Some of our brethren earn technical certificates, or two- or four-year college degrees, or even advanced degrees in specialized fields. But be sure that you are seeking a godly goal; before you commit to engaging with the world’s ideas of truth, be sure you are deeply grounded in God’s truth. You may want to seek the advice of others with more experience before you set your educational goals.
Other goals, too, may be worthwhile, even if they seem difficult to achieve. You might want to make a plan to pay off a credit card debt in a year’s time. You might want to get a certification in first aid, or CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), or as a lifeguard. There are even babysitting certifications available for teenagers who want to increase their knowledge and skill in that helpful service.
Other goals can be more personal. Perhaps you have a habit or a weakness you are trying to overcome. Set a goal of overcoming that problem within a realistic but challenging period of time. Use all the tools available to help you overcome. Those tools may involve specific actions appropriate to your problem, but do not neglect the fundamental spiritual tools of prayer, Bible study, meditation, and fasting. Beseech God, call on Him for help, and resolve to accept the help that only He can provide. And do not hesitate to call on God’s ministers for their spiritual help. Resolve to overcome your problem, or at least make tangible progress, by next year’s Feast of Tabernacles.
Never once are they encouraged to study the words of Jesus or dig deeper into salvational insights. Nope, just keep looking backward at the law as they take CPR courses and pay off their credit cards.
While they are studying the Psalms they also need to be lights to the world, just like a lighthouse, shining forth.
Some of you may know that lighthouses have long been a special interest of mine. In my office I have a tapestry of a Thomas Kincade painting of a lighthouse, on which there is a scripture: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).Christ expects each of us, like lighthouses, to radiate His light to others. We read, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14–16).
How can LCG be a light on the hill when no one has heard of them? Here in Los Angeles, no one knows who they are. There is no presence in their local communities where members do good work and let their lights shine.
Ames even admits they do not go out of their way to do this! They however do practice God's way within their small church community, embarrassed to share it with the world.
It’s not that we go out of our way to show off to the world. We simply practice God’s way of life, which shows the world an example they just don’t see elsewhere. Every year, our Church Administration Department receives reports from hotels and convention facilities telling us that our brethren have been some of the kindest and most helpful, cooperative guests they’ve ever had—and we should keep up that example through the rest of the year. “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:9–10). We should not grow weary practicing God’s way, as God’s commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). So, between now and next year’s Passover, be sure to keep your light shining toward your brethren and all those around you.
At the Passover next year, we will in a formal way renew our commitment to our Savior. Notice that we don’t renew the covenant that we’ve already established, but we do—and must—renew our commitment, our desire, our energy to persevere, and our acceptance of His sacrifice to pay for our sins. True perseverance is an active process, not just passive tolerance of what befalls us. Paul urged the young evangelist Timothy, “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:6–7).
LCG members also need to be stirring up the Holy Spirit, but not to stir it up so bad that it decides to bring the end times more rapidly than the church desires. Gerry expects it to happen within here next 15 years or so. At least he is 15 years out instead of Rod's 5-year stints.
Are you stirring up the Holy Spirit that God gave to you when hands were laid on you at baptism? Are you living each day with a spirit of “Thy Kingdom come”? As Mr. Weston has reminded us, we don’t want to make the mistake of “setting dates” of when we believe Christ will return. I personally don’t believe we will have to wait any more than 15 years or so, but that’s just my belief.
The Work of God’s Church today is helping to prepare our world for that glorious time pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles. We know our mission, as Christ described it: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). Though they won’t be converted in large numbers in this age, the nations and their peoples will be put on notice, receiving a powerful witness. And we should seek to have the sense of purpose Jesus exemplified when He said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34).
LCG brethren need to start imulating Gerry Weston and all LCG leadership as they and they alone follow Christ the proper way. Not in the ways of Bob Thiel, Dave Pack, and Gerald Flurry, but in LCG leader's ways!
We are called to be future leaders. But, to be good leaders, we must first be good followers who both know God’s truth and willingly follow Jesus Christ. Paul told the brethren to follow, or imitate, him as he followed Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Christ is the Head of the body, and the Church is that body (1 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:4). The head knows the body, and the body knows the head. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). If we are following our Savior, we know that He knows us intimately, and we hear Him through the inspired words of Scripture, as well as through the leadership He has placed in His Church. Some in and around God’s Church have “itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3). But God’s people know their Shepherd, who told us:
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers (John 10:1–5).
Beware though LCG members, Satan and his crafty band of thieves and robbers are out to deceive and distract you. Rebuke Bob Thiel and the rest of Satan's minions who claim to imitate and follow Christ as the Good Shepherd. Salvation only rests within the confines of the Living Church of God! It is vitally important that all LCG members read Gerry's "Personal" and "Dear Brethren" messages. By doing so you acknowledge that God is actively inspiring Gerry to send you those messages.
There are thieves and robbers who seek to deceive and distract God’s people, but those who persevere in the truth will recognize them and stay faithful to their Shepherd, and they will imitate and follow His human servants as they follow that Shepherd. When Mr. Herbert Armstrong was the human leader of the Church, the first item I read in every Plain Truth issue was his Editorial. I hope that when you receive each Tomorrow’s World magazine and Living Church News you are reading not just Mr. Weston’s articles but also his “Personal” and “Dear Brethren” messages. As Christians, we are developing in ourselves the character and mind of God, and we should want to know the “mind of the Church” in what God is inspiring Mr. Weston to share with us.
Ames ends with this, never once mentioning finding peace with Christ in this present age. It is more important to look backward and at a day that is not required.
What will you remember most about the 2023 Feast of Tabernacles? What inspiring vision of the coming Kingdom will motivate you to grow spiritually in the next few months? This year was my sixty-third Feast of Tabernacles and was my wife Kathryn’s sixty-sixth—and every year we have found something new to appreciate about God’s ways and how He is working in our lives and the lives of our brethren. Whatever may be the standout lessons and memories of your Feast, I pray that you will remain mindful of the messages you heard at the Feast—that you retain the vision that was shared, heed the warnings that were given, and put into practice the teachings that were imparted.
We are preparing for a great day, not that far off, when, the kingdoms of this world will “become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). So, let’s look forward in faith as we move onward from the Feast!
20 comments:
..and then the end will come - Mat 24:14. It has, a long time ago. 1Cor 10:11.
That leap from "fear of God" to "angry God" is a bit of equivocation that isn't a fair reading of either the Biblical Hebrew or the LCG letter.
While I'm no fan of LCG, I don't like to see anyone's words twisted and misrepresented. I hope to see a high-quality critique of Armstrongism, not cheap and sloppy editorialising.
I find the angry God comment very accurate. This is how the church has portrayed Him for decades. Rod Meredith was really good at making that claim. This is the god I heard about for decades growing up in the church. Richard Ames has done the same thing.
Up until I was 10, I had been raised to believe that God and Jesus were our friends, and were always watching out for us.
Then, my parents were baptized on one of the summer baptizing tours of the 1950s. My Dad took it upon himself to read the US and BC in prophecy to myself and siblings shortly thereafter. Within the next few months, God was transformed by HWA and his lackeys into a fearsome God of "conditional love", a God who was just waiting to swoop down and punish at the least little infraction.
That anthropomorphic "god" who is in reality an extension of HWA's own personality is unacceptable, not Biblical, and not fit to be worshipped. Fortunately, that god is also totally bogus, a boogey man deliberately created to leverage those who are drawn in by the Armstrong scam! And LCG is still at it! Phuque them!
This post is practically dripping in sarcasm. Are you OK NO2HWA? Do you need help? I suppose constantly writing hate filled athiest articles has an effect in the long term on the real life you live. Beware you don't get a chill from that ice-cold heart inside.
Why don't you let it go?
I am not saying there is necessarily a direct connection, but the WCG "angry god" portrayal reminds me very much of the popular perception about 300-400 years ago in Protestantism.
Exactly 9:57 pm. The Bible refers numerous times to fear of God. People certainly take a leap when they immediately jump to “angry.” The Father is long suffering and loving, however, when it’s time for the culmination then they’ll see God’s and Messiah’s wrath if repentance hasn’t been reached.
A cited statement from the post conveys: "What an amazing calling God has given us to train to be kings, priests, and judges for His coming kingdom and to assist Him now by helping to fulfill His “great commission.”
The use of "kings" is a bother. That translation comes from the KJV which is based on the Textus Receptus (dating from around the Twelfth Century) and is very similar to the Majority Text. The Majority Text has "kings" at the place in the passage. Most Armstrongists would be scandalized to learn that the Majority Text translation is a democratic translation methodology. A kind of curious voting system is used to determine what the actual translation might be. Democracy and voting, as I recall, are not methodologies in favor in the Armstrongist denominations.
Most Bibles, other than the KJV and the NKJV, use the Eclectic Text. The Eclectic Text is based on a different methodology that takes into account many different factors and cannot be so easily gerrymandered either intentionally or accidentally. And the Eclectic text renders this passage "kingdom of priests". I hold with the Eclectic Text because it is constructed with more care and incorporates older manuscripts - manuscripts closer to the original.
What I am saying is that the Elect will not be Kings but will rather be Priests reigning with Christ. Christ is the Solus Rex. It is his Kingdom and we are a part of it. Some will argue that the Elect is depicted in scripture as having crowns. And since we have crowns we must be kings. But this term in Greek is "stephanos" an denotes a wreath or garland as a mark of honor. It does not refer to a golden bejeweled crown, as some might think, like the sign of kingship in the British Empire. Jesus wore a crown of thorns. The High Priest wore a "crown" or headdress or diadem (Exodus 28:36-37).
I believe that if this phrase ("kings and priest") is to be bandied about in such contexts as the Feast of Tabernacles, the Armstrongist ministry should be more careful in their exegesis. After all, this is the believer's ultimate destiny. But this questionable translation has been a mainstay for Armstrongism from its beginning. I believe there is enough reasonable doubt for Armstrongists to discontinue use of the idea of personal kingship for believers. Christ is the King and the Elect will be his priests. Is that so bad?
Scout
"Fear of God" in Armstrongism is as warped as most of its doctrines. Fear of God means a sense of awe of God, standing in submission to God at His awesome attributes. Armstrongism perverts that awe into actual fear. God is eternally angry at people's sins and wants to wipe the world clean. That anger is so intense that church members are taught to fear God because they can lose their salvation so easily. Don't pay tithes, zap! Eat some Honey-Baked ham or delicious shrimp, zap! Skip church on Saturday, zap! Question a church leader or minister, zap! The list of transgressions is endless in Armstrongism.
NO2HWA, I hope this article is the first in a series, otherwise I'm concerned about your judgment. Ames's babblings are probably the least offensive content in LCG's latest member newsletter. Why not complain about the article reminding people to leave their assets to LCG? Why not complain about an audit review that says practically nothing (LCG used to do much better at this)? If Ames's article triggers you but these others do not, that's very concerning.
Hey Scout, I appreciate the information you presented at 7:39.
If you have time to produce another article for this blog, I think this would be a great topic.
Thank you!
Historically, the Catholic Church used images of the "Last Judgement" to frighten their adherents the same way. You find it so often on old Romanseque-style entry arches because the sight was meant to convict the passerby and remind him to go in and pray (and donate).
The LCG and other splinters insist that the spiritual milk that they feed their members be viewed as spiritual milk. Another example of the church culture of faking reality. Reviewing bible notes is in fact a waste of time. Reading a good book is a better option.
And again the ridiculous over emphasis on requesting help. It's a ploy that all Christian denominations use. It's under the table narcissistic devaluation. God instructs to "be a man, be strong, brave courageous" But no, today's churches do the opposite by painting the picture of members being helpless children who constantly need "help." This ploy is cold blooded murder.
9:08 M. "NO2HWA, I hope this article is the first in a series, otherwise I'm concerned about your judgment. "
Well, I do have a life outside of the craziness of Armstrongism. Visiting an elderly widow in a care facility about 70 miles from here was the priority today.
3:46, Ithink you might be overstating this, but there’s a lot of truth there. Thanks
Like đź‘Ť
Trooisto 10:14
Thanks much. I'll mull it over.
Scout
Kings ‘sit’ and priests ‘stand’
Mt 19:28b in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Ephesians 2:6 is a prolepsis - "Anticipating what is going to be, and speaking of future things as present" (Companion Bible, Appendixes, "Figures of Speech", p.12).
"By virtue of their union with Christ .... [the saints] ... have shared in his resurrection, ascension and session. In the 'heavenly places', the unseen world of spiritual reality, in which the principalities and powers operate (3:10; 6:12) and in which Christ reigns supreme (1:20), there God has blessed his people in Christ (1:3), and there he has seated them with Christ (2:6). For if we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies, there can be no doubt what we are seated on: thrones!..." (John R. W. Stott, Ephesians, BST, p.81).
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities [arche], against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ro 13:3a For rulers [archon] are not a terror to good works
But the prince [archon, LXX] of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia" (Daniel 10:1, 12-13, NIV).
"... Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come... No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince" (Daniel 10:20-21, NIV).
Christ and the Saints are going to replace Satan and the Demons “in the heavenlies”; that is Christ and the Saints are going are going to rule the earth from there. Instead of there being demon princes of Persia and Greece there will be saint kings of these nations.
Rev 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple:
The Saints will fulfil their kingly role in the lower realm of heaven and will fulfill their priestly role in the higher realm of heaven.
Lk 4:5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
Lk 4:6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
The saints "wrestle" with the demons because the demons don't want the saints to take their place in the ‘heavenlies' and reign in their stead - the kingdom of light will replace the kingdom of darkness.
Before looking at "kings and priests" or "a kingdom, priests" in Revelation, Exodus 19:6 provides the background:
Ex 19:6 and you shall be to me a kingdom [mamlakah] of priests [kohen] and a holy nation
Ex 19:6 a kingdom [mamlakah] and priests [kohen]
"... "mmlkt khnym, "a kingdom of priests," is pointed as a construct noun" [in the MT]" (David E. Aune, Revelation 1-5, WBC, p.42).
"Hebrew expresses the "of" (possessive) relationship between two nouns by what is called the construct chain. This grammatical relationship is created by placing two or more nouns side by side" (hebrew.billmounce.com/BasicsBiblicalHebrew-10.pdf).
Part 2
"However, the unpointed Heb. text could be construed to mean "a kingdom, priests"... (David E. Aune, Revelation 1-5, WBC, p.42).
"There are four defensible Hebrew renderings... [the fourth being] ... an "and" must be read here: "kings (and) priests"..." (Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Exodus, EBC, Vol.2, p.417).
Exo 19:6a And ye shall be to me a royal [basileios] priesthood [hierateuma] (LXX).
1Pe 2:9a But ye are a chosen generation, a royal [basileios] priesthood [hierateuma], an holy nation
"The phrase is rendered idiomatically by the LXX version" (David E. Aune, Revelation 1-5, WBC, p.46.
The above is reflected in Revelation:
Rev 1:6 and made us a kingdom [basileia], priests [hiereus] to his God and Father
Rev 5:10 and you have made them a kingdom [basileia] AND [KAI] priests [hiereus] to our God.
"In declaring that Jesus made us a "kingdom and priests," John reminds his audience that salvation is not just what God saves us from (our sins, 1:5), but what he saves us for - for a destiny as his agents and worshipers (1:6)..." (Craig S. Keener, Revelation, NIVAC, pp.71-72).
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them:.. and they lived and REIGNED with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:6b but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall REIGN [basileuo] with him a thousand years.
HELPS Word-studies: Cognate: 936 basileuo (from 935 /basileus, "king") – to reign as king, i.e. exercise dominion (rule).
"John adapts the wording slightly: a kingdom and priests (1:6). Although a "kingdom" normally meant a ruler's right to reign (Ps 1435:11-14), it sometimes meant the people over whom he ruled (105:13), and in this case implies delegated authority, as when Adam and Eve ruled creation for God (Gen 1:26-27). This kingdom will "reign" with Jesus (Rev 5:10; 20:6)..." (Craig S. Keener, Revelation, NIVAC, pp.71-72).
"... John is thinking in terms of two privileges of the people of God rather than just one..." (David E. Aune, Revelation 1-5, WBC, p.47).
Ge 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
Melchizedek had the privilege of being both a king and priest. Christ and the Saints has/will also have the privilege of being kings and priests.
Oh yawn! A debate over whether we are going to be forced to be a king or a priest as our reward. Think I'll make myself a peanut butter and banana sandwich!
What if you're happy serving people, being a technician who fixes their things rather than some kind of ruler that lords it over them?
Your destiny, folks! As taught by the guy who ordained 22 year olds and sent them to the field ministry to teach adults with actual life experience "how to live"!
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