Priesthood

Peter wrote about the profound meaning of the priesthood of the believer in Christ: "...you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold...but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot...having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever...Coming to Him as a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ...you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;" (1 Pet. 1, 2, excerpts). We entered into this priesthood by the blood of the Lamb without spot, Jesus. Thousands of years ago, by the blood of a lamb without spot, a people were "born again" out of the darkness of their bondage to the Egyptians, and into the marvelous light of bondservice to the God Who delivered them. This is remembered by command of the LORD as Passover, which is this weekend. Shortly after the Israelites' deliverance out of Egypt, the LORD commanded the assembly of the tabernacle. He then commanded Moses regarding the setting apart and consecration of the priesthood, who would serve Him in the tabernacle. This priesthood would have no earthly inheritance, but would receive an inheritance from a portion of the sacrificial offerings to God (which propheticlly pointed to the sacrifice of Christ). This week's Sabbath Torah reading, titled Tzav, or "Command!", is from Leviticus, a Book also known as Torat Kohanim or "The Teachings of the Priests". In Chapter 8, Moses himself, had to prepare Aaron and his sons for the priesthood according to the command of the LORD. He had to wash Aaron and his sons. Moses had to dress them in their priestly garments, which differentiated them, or set them apart, for their service in the tabernacle. These garments of several pieces included the breastplate containing the Urim and the Thummim, the Lights and Perfection. After Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the animals to be sacrificed for purification, Moses had to kill and burn the offerings that would sanctify the area in which Aaron and his sons would minister, the altar and the laver. Following the same practice again as God commanded, Moses had to sacrifice a second ram, the ram of consecration, and touch Aaron and sons with its blood, and with the anointing oil. At the end of the solemn process, Moses told Aaron and his sons the command of the LORD: "And you shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are ended. For seven days he (Moses) shall consecrate you...to make atonement for you. Therefore you shall stay at the door of the tabernacle of meeting day and night for seven days and keep the charge of the LORD, so that you may not die...so Aaron and his sons did all the things that the LORD had commanded by the hand of Moses." (Lev. 8:33-36). All of these preparations had to be completed before Aaron and his sons could perform their ministry which included the handling of the blood sacrifices and offerings. It is interesting that according to some Jewish commentaries, the period of seven days, or a week, as mentioned above, represents natural, physical time. By extension, the eighth day goes beyond physical time into the realm of eternity. So the consecration process that lasts for "seven days", really means for a lifetime. In this Sabbath's haftarah reading portion from the Book of Malachi, the LORD issues a prophetic warning for His priesthood: "...And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire...He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the LORD, as in the days of old, as in the former years." (Mal. 3:1-4). As the priesthood ("sons of Levi") no longer took their consecration seriously, the sacrificial offerings and tithes were also devalued in the eyes of the whole nation, according to Malachi 3. Because of the loss of consecration among the priests, the proud and the wicked seemed to prosper without suffering consequences. Then the priests and the people began to think that there was no benefit for them to serve God or to keep His ordinances. The LORD explained the blessings in every area that follows a people who fear the LORD and meditate upon His name: "They shall be Mine says the LORD of hosts, on the day when I make them My jewels (special treasure). And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. Then you shll again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him." (Mal. 3:17-18). The effect of the priesthood upon the people and the nation was so great, that the Messiah Himself would judge and purge the worldly condition of the priesthood with His coming. Notice that the priesthood in Malachi has an expectancy of the coming of this Messenger, the Lord, the Messiah, "whom you seek...in whom you delight", but they were not in the spiritual condition necessary to receive His looked-for coming, nor, consequently, to prepare the people for His coming. This coming Sabbath is a very special Sabbath. It is Shabbat haGadol, the Sabbath before Passover. It is the Sabbath that focuses on the selection and separation of the lamb without spot, whose blood was applied on the doorposts of the Israelites to protect them from the plague of death in Egypt. As the holy and royal priesthood, sanctified and set apart by the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus, as Peter wrote, we must take our consecration in that precious Blood solemnly and seriously. Our attitude regarding our sanctification as priests of Christ, and our priestly service to God cannot be allowed to be profaned or compromised by the world and its ways and thoughts, as was the case in Malachi. If our handling of the incorruptible Sacrifice that sanctified us, the Blood of the Lamb, becomes devalued in our own eyes and lives, it will become devalued in the eyes of other men, as happened in Malachi. If we fail to realize that the consecration of our royal priesthood is not just for certain days or seasons, but for a lifetime, then we fail to handle the Blood of the Lamb with consecrated hands. If we leave the tabernacle of meeting (with the LORD), leave His presence, and enter into the presence of the profane and corrupt, or perhaps try to keep one foot in the tabernacle, and one foot out, we lose our consecration to handle the precious Blood. The living tabernacle of God, which we are, containing the priesthood of salvation, which we are, is in the world, but not of the world (Jn. 17:14-18). We are to act upon the world, not the world upon us. As part of the work of salvation, Isaiah prophesies of rebuilding and repairing of ruins and desolations. He also prophesies concerning the priesthood of salvation: "But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, they shall call you the servants of our God...For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery for burnt offering; I will direct their work in truth, and will make with them an everlasting covenant." (Isa. 61:6,8). In the same manner of the robes of Aaron's priesthood, the priesthood of salvation is also distinctively arrayed according to Isaiah: "For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." (v. 10). The blessing of this salvation priesthood not only transforms the spiritual wasteplaces, but will affect future generations: "Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the people. All who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the posterity whom the LORD has blessed." (v. 9). This is a priesthood of transformation, because they have been born from the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, an incorruptible seed. The priesthood not only served in the tabernacle and the temple of the Old Testament, but, as an earthly shadow of the heavenly priesthood, they also had a prophetic significance. In the events leading up to the first coming of Christ, the priesthood played a foundational role. A certain priest experienced an angelic visitation while he was performing his service in the temple at the altar of incense before the veil in the Holy Place. The angel prophesied to this priest, Zacharias, that he and his wife, who was barren, would miraculously conceive a son who would prepare the way of the Lord. The angel struck this consecrated priest, who was anointed with the spiritual authority of his office, dumb to prevent him from speaking any word of doubt that would prevent the miraculous prophesied birth. His miracle son was indeed born, and as an only son of a priest, this son would also have been a kohan, a priest. This miraculous son, John the Baptist, fulfilled his priestly role in the coming of Jesus by using the Jordan River as a giant laver in which he washed the people in a baptism of repentance to prepare them to receive their Messiah. This same priest, John, would be the first to recognize and announce Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Lk. 1:5-25, 39-45, 57-80, 3:1-22, Jn. 1:19-35). Can we doubt that God will continue to follow the pattern that He established, and use us, the priesthood of salvation, in the events leading up to the second coming of Christ, as He did with the first? In the Book of Revelation, the royal priesthood spoken of by Peter, above, is seen. In the first chapter, it is identified: "To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." (Rev. 1:5-6). The salvation priesthood sings a new song as the end time events are unfurled in heaven by the Lamb: "And You have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth." (Rev. 5:9-10, excerpt). Let's read again the verses from 1 Peter that began this entry, and determine that on this Shabbat haGadol before Passover, may we be consecrated once again, re-enter the tabernacle of His presence, and offer the spiritual sacrifices worthy of God, in our holy and royal priesthood service to Him. Our Father "commands!" regarding His priesthood. If you would like to enter the royal priesthood to our Father through His Son, Jesus, you can pray: Heavenly Father, I come to You through Jesus, Your son, who makes the way for me by His Blood, as the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world. This Passover, I pray that this precious sacrifice that delivered me from slavery to sin and death, and cleanses me from all unrighteousness, would consecrate me fresh and new as a priest bringing my spiritual sacrifice to You. I believe Jesus died for me and rose again from the dead. I believe He is returning soon, as Malachi wrote. I believe that He baptizes me with the fire of the Holy Spirit, so that I may serve You in consecration all the days of my life. I pray and receive these things in Jesus' name. Amen."

Priest

 

One of the most mysterious positions in scripture is that of priest. We don't know much about this mystery, yet the Father has called us to manifest in these end times as priests and kings. Peter says that we are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Jesus is our "great High Priest", in Heb. 4:14, and we have been called to walk in His image and likeness, His ministry, in the earth. But, in short, we just don't get it. We don't realize what a wondrous work we are in the earth, in this time. Let us look into 1 Peter Chapter 1 for some understanding:
Peter calls us in v. 2, the "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:"
Peter addresses us as pilgrims, or sojourners, strangers, or temporary residents. We are a people who are temporarily in earth, but our home is elsewhere. He says we are the elect.To be "elect" means to be picked or chosen for oneself (in this case, for God the Father), to be chosen for an office, to be chosen one out of many, to call by name. We were chosen and called by name in the foreknowledge of God, known by God, but not yet manifested. We were conceived in the knowledge of God. The Holy Spirit, Himself, sanctified and consecrated us. His anointing separated us from profane things, even as the priests separated themselves from the profane. This sanctification makes us "a most holy thing, purified and dedicated to God", according to the definition of the word. This sanctification comes from a root word that means "to cherish with tender love, to warm, to keep warm". We have been brought close to our Father by the Holy Spirit in a loving and cherishing manner. The holiness connected with the Holy Spirit anointing is so powerful, that Aaron and his sons were warned not to go out into the profane people still covered in the anointing oil of their Tabernacle service. If the priests did so, they would die (Lev. 10:7). That anointing set them apart, and they had to wash it off before they left the Tabernacle.
Verse 2 also tells us that we were manifested and set aside in this manner as the elect, for the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus, even as the priests are consecrated by the sprinkling of the blood of the sacrifice. The whole God-head participated in our creation. There must be a special purpose for this creation.
In verse 5, Peter tells us that we are kept by the power of God. This word means that we are before the eyes of God, guarded and protected by military guard to prevent hostile invasion. Once we were manifested out of the knowledge of the Father, He made sure that we were preserved and protected from evil. We were kept to be "ready" for something in this verse, and that "to be revealed in the last time". We are a manifestation connected to the last times. If you are not sure if we are living in the last times, just look in the mirror. You and I are proof that we are in the last times. This creation, whom we are, brings praise, honor and glory at the revealing of Jesus Christ, both as He is revealed now, in us, and as He is revealed upon His return. The joy of this creation is supposed to be so great and glory-filled that it cannot even be expressed. Where is that joy? It is the definition of who we are. Where is it in us? Do others see it in us?
In verses 9-12, Peter tells us that this God-head creation and manifestation of us, the saints, was seen by the prophets, who wondered if it was for their time. They studied and meditated to discover the how and when of this wondrous thing. They found out it was not for their time, but for a later time. It was not for them and their people, but they were prophesying to us, for our benefit.
In verse 12, Peter tells us that this thing is so powerful, and so earth-shaking, that angels "desire to look into" it. We have a quaint picture on our minds of angels bowing down to peek into the wonders of human salvation, in order to try to understand it. But this is not the meaning of the words in Greek. First of all, the angels were the ones to announce this wonderful salvation to the shepherds when Jesus was born. They were rejoicing so greatly, the heavens opened, and they declared the fulness of salvation to all men. The angels therefore, seem to be fully acquainted with the glory of our salvation. But the word "desire" used in this verse has a darker meaning. It means to be so filled and overtaken with such an inflaming lust and covetousness for something that it drives you to the very edge of sanity. I would suggest that this may really mean that demons are enraged and tormented by this accomplishment of God in us, by this miraculous manifestation in the last times.
The sanctification that Peter talks to us about, is like the consecration, or setting apart, of the priesthood. If we are indeed to be royal priests, and priests in the likeness and image of Christ, we need to look more closely at the ministry of the priest. The Word of God has much to say about the priesthood. The holy priesthood of the Old Testament is described in one commentary as the ministry of reconciliation between Jehovah and His people by the sprinkling of atoning blood. We also have been called to the ministry of reconciliation:
"Now all things are of God, who has reconcoled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us, the word of reconciliation."
                                                                                  2 Cor. 5:18-19  
After washing himself, and donning the clothing of priesthood, the priest entered the Holy of Holies wearing the names of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD (Ex. 28:29-30). He carried with him coals and holy incense to create a cloud of incense over the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies. Over the mercy seat was where the glory of God appeared. Our prayers before God rise to Him as the incense of the priests (Rev. 5:8, 8:3-4).
In the Holy of Holies, the priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice over the mercy seat for the atonement of himself, the tabernacle, and the people, even as we have been sprinkled with the blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:2).
Part of our ministry of reconciliation is to present ourselves before the mercy seat of the Father, and apply the sprinkling of the blood of the Lamb on behalf of ourselves and the people we represent before Him. Hebrews instructs us:
"Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."
                                                                              Heb. 10:19-22
We are commanded to enter the Holiest place for a reason. That reason is not just for ourselves, but for the forgiveness of others, as well.
Though some may think that forgiveness of sins is a matter only for God, it is, in fact, a ministry that has been commissioned to us by Jesus, Himself. We have been entrusted with His precious blood of atonement, not only to cleanse ourselves, but to carry others over our hearts, into His presence, as a priestly duty.
"And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
                                                                               Jn, 20:22-23
Jesus told the people that the power and authority to forgive sins is very much tied into the power and authority to heal and deliver those who suffer (Lk. 5:21-25).
We have been commissioned with the ministry of the priest, which is also the ministry of reconciliation. As mankind, in these last days, falls deeper and deeper into the condition, darkness and bondage of sin, this priestly ministry, manifested into the earth specifically for this last time, can no longer be neglected.
The study of the priesthood is too large for a blog entry, but we need to find out more, and pray about walking in this vital ministry.

Our Father is a priest.

"Take Me in"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuziDS_4EBI

"Holy of Holies"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXCFrtXJQV4

"Holy"  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwXHnbt9prc