How the Twofold Office Develops

The kingdom of the Messiah, like the kingdom of the world, is controlled by two special offices: namely, those which represent religion and politics. The office of Moses represented both of these controlling powers, which together constituted the administration. The spiritual office of the administration was filled by the priesthood finally. Outside of the camp of Israel, Moses was not considered as a religious being who was connected with the authority of heaven. But in the degree that he met with the god-power of the heathens, he made his enemies respect him as a man of God because of his superiority in the demonstration of the power of God.

Among his own people, Moses was looked up to as the prophet of Jehovah, who spake through him to the congregation. He also represented the political or kingly office because he introduced the King of heaven to his people and because in the capacity of ruler, he acted as the visible representative of the political power. God gave that people the laws and regulations, and obedience to them was enforced by Moses.

2. Christ as the Prophet.

The prophetic office of the material dispensation, in a certain sense, was superior to the kingly, because the kings of Israel depended upon the prophets of the Lord in the execution of their most important duties. The prophet was a mouthpiece of God. For instance, when the nation was threatened by war, the kings generally consulted the prophets whether or not they should meet the enemy. As long as Jehovah was the king of Israel, the prophet acted as his representative, It was also through a prophet that Jehovah announced his withdrawal as King of Israel, after the people had asked for a visible king. Thus we see that the prophetic office precedes the kingly, and in the development of the Messianic power, this becomes an important point, especially in regard to the second coming of Christ.

The prophetic office of Christ was established at his first advent, and it was then linked to the Jewish nation. What he then prophesied covers the entire intervening time between his two comings, as well as the week of the covenant; for instance, what he, by the power of his prophetic office, declares concerning Jerusalem:

"If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes," etc. Luk 19:42

These prophetic words, spoken by the Prophet of the spiritual dispensation, concern not only the old material Jerusalem and the people connected with it, but also, and much more so, the time of Christ's second advent and the people connected with it, because his kingly power will be manifested at that time. Christians then will realize the full meaning of that prophecy.