Jesus Christ:
Priest upon His Throne
Does the Bible teach that Jesus is yet to come to establish an earthly kingdom and reign over it in
Jerusalem for a thousand years?
Zechariah, God’s inspired
spokesman, wrote about the work of the Messiah. In Zech. 6:12-13, through His prophet Zechariah God struck
a deathblow to the doctrine of premillennialism. This doctrine holds that Christ is yet to come to reign
over his kingdom on earth for the one thousand years. Zechariah wrote in Zech 6:12-13:
And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaks Jehovah
of hosts, saying, Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: and he shall grow up out of his place; and he shall build the
temple of Jehovah; even he shall build the temple of Jehovah; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his
throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
Premillennialists teach that Christ functions as a priest now, as Heb. 4:15 clearly shows, but that he is not reigning
as king now. They say that Christ will begin his reign as king when he returns. But
Zechariah said, “He shall be a priest upon his throne.” At the same time Christ serves
as high priest, he sits upon his throne. If Christ is high priest now, he is king now. If
he is king now, his kingdom exists now here upon the earth and now in heaven.
God told Zechariah to place two crowns on the head of Joshua, the high priest (Zech. 6:10-11). Joshua,
with the two crowns was a type of the Branch—the Christ. The two crowns represent the two positions
filled by the true Branch. The two-tiered crown represents the simultaneous kingship and high priesthood
of Christ.
The angel Gabriel spoke to Mary: “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord
God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom
there shall be no end (Luke 1:32-33).” Peter said God’s prophecy was fulfilled when Christ
was raised to sit on David’s throne: “. . . God had sworn with an oath to
him, that of the fruit of his loins He would set (one) upon his [David’s] throne . . . neither was he [Christ] left
unto Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus did God raise up (Acts 2:29-33).”
Christ now sits on his throne and reigns over his kingdom into which God translates we who are his (Col. 1:13).
