For the church has been appointed by Christ to be ‘a royal house of priests’ (i. 6; v. 10), to mediate his royal and priestly authority to the whole world. Through the church he is to exercise his sovereignty over the nations, smashing their resistance to his rule and releasing their subjects for a new and better loyalty (i. 5; ii. 26f.; xi. 15ff.; xii. 5; xv. 3–4; xvii. 14; xix. 11ff.). Through the church he is to mediate God’s forgiveness and lead the world to repentance (iii. 7–9; xi. 13; xiv. 6–7; xx. 1–6). And all this they may achieve only by following the Lamb wherever he goes (xiv.
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