Leviticus

This week's sabbath reading portion begins what we refer to as the Book of Leviticus. "Leviticus" is a Latin word meaning "of the Levites". It is about the law pertaining to the priests (hakohen/kahan - priest, prince, mediator of religious services to God/a prophet, predict, undertake anyone's cause, riches, abundance, opulence, glory, as a bridegroom makes himself splendid), who were from the Israelite tribe of Levi. The Hebrew phrase used for the Book that we call "Leviticus" is Va-yikra, meaning "And He (the LORD) called", and it is also the title of this sabbath's reading portion, which covers Leviticus chapters 2 through 5. The priesthood played a vital role in God's provision for covering the sins of His people, and forgiving them. The LORD accomplished this with a system of sacrifices and offerings. This sacrificial system and priesthood would be a prophetic image of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ that would cover our sins and destroy the power of death forever. We also have been called to be a priesthood before God, based upon our acceptance of the Chief Cornerstone of life, Jesus (1 Pet. 2:5, 9-10, Rev. 1:6, Rev. 1:5-6, Rev. 5:10). There are many specifics in the law regarding the priesthood, and the offerings to be brought before God, but one main idea repeated in this week's reading is: "So the priest shall make atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them." (Lev. 4:20, 26, 5:13, 16, 18). The idea of ministering atonement, or kapar in Hebrew, is very powerful. The individual Hebrew letters of the word for atonement, kaph, phe, reysh, carry the meaning "to be covered by the palm of the hand or wings in order to gain entrance to the Most High". The meaning of kapar, or atonement is "to overspread, to cover, to purge, make atonement, make reconciliation, to expiate, cleanse, forgive, be merciful, receive pardon, make expiation for an offender". Our priesthood before God, based upon these meanings, is an awesome responsibility. The apostle Paul wrote: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation (katallage/katallasse - adjustment of a difference, restoration to favor, atonement/to reconcile those at variance, to change mutually), 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. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor. 5:17-21). Not only is man reconciled to God through this priestly ministry received from and through Christ, but in so doing, man is also being reconciled to "all things" which are of God, including "a new creation". A new creation is not found only in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament, or Tanakh, as well, by the prophet Isaiah when writing of priests and Levites (Isa. 66:21-24). The apostle Peter also looked at our "priestly" role in reconciling the old and new creations. As Peter wrote of the current heavens passing away, and earth being melted away by the fervent heat of the day of the Lord, he also said that we: "...in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God...according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells...looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless." (2 Pet. 3:10-14). Three times Peter wrote that we were to be looking towards with expectation, thereby hastening, the new heavens and the new earth. Again we are placed in the middle, in reconciliation, between the passing away of the old, and the manifestation of the new. There are some other unusual reconciliations to which the priesthood is connected. The Jewish rabbis have written of the "four levels of existence", and although the idea may seem unfamiliar to us on its surface, I think we can learn from it. Because I don't rely upon men's interpretations and doctrines, we will also be reading several scriptures that confirm this principle of which the rabbis wrote. The rabbis have also connected the four levels of existence to the priesthood, as we will see, which is also pertinent to our priesthood in Christ, as we will see. The first level of existence is Atzilut, meaning "near". This first level contains the presence of God. Some of the prophets also had a direct encounter with this first level of Atzilut, and so are included in it. Moses, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and in the New Testament, Paul, who was caught up to Paradise, and John the Revelator saw into, or were called up into, this first level. Regarding the priesthood, the High Priest is also included in this first level as he alone was allowed to come into the presence of God one day a year, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, to apply the blood of the sacrifice to the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle/temple. Our High Priest, Jesus, also inhabits this highest level with His Father (Jn. 10:30, Acts 2:32-35, Eph. 1:20-23). He has also joined us with Himself in this Atzilut level (Jn. 17:19-26). The second level of existence is Beriah, or "Creation", which existed before the Garden of Eden, and is associated with the archangels. The priests of God are connected to this level according to the rabbis. The third level of existence is Yetzirah, or "Formation", which would include the lower creation of the Garden of Eden, the souls of men, the realm of angels (both good and bad). It is called the "mixed realm". The Levites of the priesthood are associated with this level. Lastly is Asiyyah, or "Making", which is solely the physical realm of creation. The rabbis associated this level with the general congregation of Israelites. All four levels of existence were represented therefore in the tabernacle of Moses, as we can see. If we follow this idea of the rabbis, we can see that the priesthood is the connection that runs from the lowest level of creation, the physical realm of earth, to the highest, which is the presence of God. The rabbis also wrote that the four colors associated with the priestly garments, gold, blue, purple ("mixed" level), and red ("For God so loved the world, that He gave [the red blood of] His only begotten Son..."), represent the four levels mentioned above. We can see this same connection in the New Testament. Jesus taught His disciples to pray "The Lord's Prayer" (Mt. 6:9-13). This is very much a priestly prayer, as we can now understand: "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." We can see the priestly connection, or reconciliation, to the first level as taught by the rabbis, above, when Jesus said: "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus also said the following to His disciples, which has priestly overtones: "If you forgive/remit (aphiemi/apo - to send away, forgive, keep no longer/separate) the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain (krateo/kratos - be master of, rule over, continue to hold/strength, dominion, power) the sins of any, they are retained." (Jn. 20:23, see also Lev. 4:40, etc). In another part of scripture, Jesus brought this priesthood to mind when He said: "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth, concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Mt. 18:18-20, 16:18-19). We see here again the joining of the earthly, or physical, creation with the first level in heaven through the believer-priest, and the presence and name of Jesus. One more example before we move on. Paul wrote of the reconciliation achieved across the different levels: "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 8:39, Eph. 3:9-11, 17-19). Paul's affirmation sliced through all of the levels and joined us directly with the highest level of the Father through Jesus. It is the name of Jesus, in whom we have received our priesthood, that reconciles the levels of the creation with the highest level, that of the glory of God the Father, through His total humility and obedience, of which we should also be of the same mind (see. Phil. 2:5-11). This necessary humility and obedience of Christ, which should also be of our mind, is also revealed in this week's sabbath reading portion, as was pointed out to me by a student of the original Hebrew scriptures. The title of this third Book of the Bible, "and He called" in English, has a special hidden element that only becomes revealed in the actual reading of the Tanakh, the Hebrew "Old Testament". The word "called" written in Hebrew (va-yyikra) has an unexplained smaller sized aleph letter at the end of the Hebrew word. This unusual miniaturized version of the ending aleph letter does not change the spelling or meaning of the word itself, so why is it there, and in miniature size? The rabbis have this explanation: the small aleph is there to remind us that when God calls someone, he/she must decrease and become smaller, so that God may become larger in his/her life. Interestingly, John the Baptist said something similar in what appears to be a comment on the levels of existence, and their connection to his purpose. John was of the priestly order, his father being Zacharias the priest (Lk. 1:5, 8-9), as well as being a prophet. John said this: "He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony." (Jn. 3:30-32). This is the small aleph at work in John's life. As he decreased, Jesus, the heavenly level from above increased. This is very important to our walk as priests as well, if we are to be effective in reconciling all of creation to the glory and presence of God in the name of Jesus. Finally, in these first chapters in Leviticus, or Va-yikra, there is a repeated reference to the "sweet savor/aroma" to the LORD from the offerings which the priests oversaw (see Lev. 1:9, 17, 2:2, 9,12, 3:5, 16, 4:31). The Hebrew words used for the expression "sweet savor/aroma" mean "a restful, delightful, pleasing, soothing, sweet scent that breathes and touches with acceptance". We have this same idea from the New Testament: "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance/savor of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance/sweet savor of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." (2 Cor. 15-17). That sweet aroma, produced by the priests overseeing offerings in the tabernacle, that pleased, soothed and delighted God, and caused the breath of acceptance to come from Him, is the fragrance of Christ and His triumph and knowledge, the same fragrance that is diffused by us, His priests. As we continue in the Book of Leviticus (Va-yikra), we will be learning more about the priesthood, and how it applies to our walk of faith and spiritual purpose. If you would like to learn more about the priesthood of the tabernacle, and our priesthood, you can join me in my prayer: "Father of Glory, You have made us priests of Christ before You. Lead us by Your Holy Spirit as we learn more about that priesthood so that we can fulfill it as you have called us to do. Help us to be ministers of reconciliation through Christ, joining all creation to Your presence and glory, as we have been joined to You in Christ. All creation groans for this manifestation of the sons of God, diffusing the fragrance of Christ to those who are both living and perishing. Let the knowledge and victory of Jesus, fill the whole earth through us, as we become less, and Christ in us becomes more. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Glory&Beauty

Sometimes in the day to day routines and problems of life, I forget the kind of majesty that God has made available to us. In reading this week's sabbath portion titled T'tzavveh, meaning "You shall command", I was reminded of the system of glory and beauty that God has ordained for us in the heavenly realms now, in this life, and the exodus, or "way or road out of", that has been provided in this system of glory and beauty. This week's sabbath reading, starting in Exodus chapters 27 through 29, deals with the establishment of the priesthood which would serve God in the tabernacle of the wilderness. The brother of Moses, Aaron, and his four sons were set apart for the priesthood: "And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans (hakam + leb - exceedingly wise in heart and understanding), whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest...So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me as priest." The LORD commanded that the work on portions of Aaron's garments be "artistically worked", and "intricately woven". Although God has gifted these artisans with a Spirit of Wisdom, I wonder if they mastered their craft under their slavery to Pharaoh. Where else would they learn the application of the finest workmanship? Slaves would have no need to make themselves intricately created garments. On these intricately made garments, Aaron the priest was to wear two sets of stones. One set of two onyx stones were to be worn on each shoulder, and twelve, representing the tribes of Israel were to be on a breastplate "over his heart", which was to be attached to the priest's ephod. These stones on the breastplate of judgment (vaw-aleph-tav attached to "judgment") would contain the "Light and Perfection" of the LORD, the Urim (aleph-tav attached) and the Thummim (aleph-tav attached). (Ex. 28:9-12, 20-30). The attachment of an aleph tav, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, inserts the presence of Jesus, the Messiah, who called Himself the Alpha and the Omega translated into the Greek, or the Aleph-Tav. Urim is a word that means "lights, revelation, shine, glorious". Thummim means "perfection, upright, completeness, innocence, end, finished, done, accomplish, consumed, spent". As Jesus, the Light of the world (Jn. 8:12), hung attached to the front of the cross, as if He were the breastplate attached on the front of Aaron's body over the heart region, He said, "It is finished." (Jn. 19:30). He served as the Urim and Thummim, the Light and the Perfection, the confirmation of God's plan of salvation. In another portion from this week's sabbath reading, David's life was saved by consulting the Urim and the Thummim of the priest's ephod (see 1 Sam. 23:1-13). Upon the stones that were attached to Aaron's shoulders and on the breastplate, the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were engraved: "With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet...And the stones shall have the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each one with its own name..." (v. 11,21). These engravers gifted by God, were to engrave the stones as one would engrave a signet ring, the symbol of royal authority. Slaves don't wear signet rings, so the Hebrews would have had to perfect their Spiritual gifts from God by serving Pharaoh and his court in their slavery. This is a good reminder to us that although we may be gifted by God, those gifts are perfected into artisan quality by the trials and difficulties we may face (1 Pet. 4:12-14). Regarding the engraving of the stones worn on the shoulders and on the ephod of the priest, and continuing in the imagery of the Cross, Jesus was also engraved. He was engraved, both front and back according to the Shroud of Turin, with the many marks of a whip. Isaiah and Peter both wrote that these engravings into His skin were and are for our healing (Hebrew:rapa/Greek: iaomai - heal, physician, cure, repaired, restore favor, make whole, to mend, to pardon/heal, cure, make whole: to free from errors and sin, to bring about one's salvation). Scripture refers to the Book of Life, and the Lamb's Book of Life (Phil. 4:3, Rev. 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12,15, 21:7, 22:19). Could that Book have been written by the whip marks that engraved our names into Jesus flesh, as names were to be engraved like a signet upon the stones of the priest's garment? A Living Book, as well as a Book of Life? We are called living epistles (meaning "to send a message"): "...clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart." (2 Cor. 3:3). Would Jesus be less than a living epistle? As Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father on our behalf, does each mark upon Him bring our name before the Father as a memorial? If it seems distasteful to imagine our names engraved upon Jesus in this painful manner, we can also consider the verse: "Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See (hen - Behold!), I have inscribed/graven (haqaq - to cut out, engrave, cut upon, mark out, decree) you on the palms of My hands (root word kapap - bore out, dig out, bend oneself, to submit oneself); your walls are continually before Me." (Isa. 49:15-16). The LORD tells us here to see, to look upon the engraving upon His body. He wants us to see them. The words and images contained in the description of the priestly garments and regalia bring to my eyes the image of Christ, our High Priest (see Heb. 4:14-16, 8:1), positioned on the cross. God also told Moses to follow the pattern shown to him on the mountain concerning everything related to the tabernacle (Ex. 25:40). This command must also include the garments of the priests. The Book of Hebrews tells us that the pattern followed by Moses on earth was after the heavenly things (Heb. 8:5). In scripture, the engraving works both ways. In Rev. 2:17, each of those who overcome with Christ are given a white stone with a new name that only they will know, written upon it. Revelation 22:4 says: "They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads." This is what I see in the pattern concerning the garments of the priest, Aaron (meaning "light bringer"). If this is the image of Christ's priesthood, then it is also the image of our priesthood of glory and beauty, because we also are called to be kings and priests (Rev. 1:6, 5:10). In another part of the description of the priest's robe, scripture says: "And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around...And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound (qol - voice, thunder, proclamation, send out, call aloud, the voice of God thundering) will be heard (sama - hear, obey) when he goes into the holy place before the LORD and when he comes out, that he may not die." (Ex. 28:33-35). There are various thoughts and traditions regarding the bells (pa-amon/pa'am - stroke, beat, being struck, like the strike needed to sound a bell, beat persistently, hit, impel) and pomegranates (rimmon/ramam- upright, lifted up, exalted, high, lofty, rise up) on the hem of Aaron's robe. However, the Hebrew meanings of the words as shown above, used in these verses, give us another very clear image. The LORD is listening for a certain sound to be produced, a thunderous proclamation, and this sound will keep Aaron from dying when he enters into the presence of the LORD in the Holy of Holies. Considering the meaning of the words, perhaps the sound that pacifies God toward men is the sound associated with the beating and lifting up of His Son, Jesus. Every strike upon Jesus had a sound and a meaning before the Father's eyes and ears. The prophet Isaiah brought the Word of the LORD regarding this: "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise (daka/dak - break, beat to pieces, humble, trample, afflict, chastise, reprove) Him; He has put Him to grief, when You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed (zera - seed, child, fruitful, harvest, yielding seed, produce seed, scatter seed), He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge, My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities." (Isa. 53:10-11). In Isaiah's verse, there is a beating of His Servant, or chastising, and this pleases the LORD because of the seed that is produced. The Son/Servant is beaten to produce seed, to produe a harvest, therefore it is pleasing. Pomegranates are all seed! There is very little pulp in this fruit and it is inedible, but the fruit is filled with edible and delicious seeds. Once you open the fruit, you have to "beat it" with a wooden spoon to get the edible seeds to fall out. God's Son wasn't beaten against His will, but He willingly submitted to the abuse and execution, knowing it would please His Father as the Son's soul became an offering for sin. Jesus told His disciples before His arrest: "Put your sword in its place...Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?" (Mt. 26:52-54). The Father was listening. Jesus never prayed for those legions of angels, which the Father would have sent. Jesus submitted to all that followed so that the scriptures would be fulfilled. Some of those scriptures pertain to the garments that consecrated Aaron as priest, and were for glory and beauty. Isaiah says that the Father was pleased with His Son's choice. This sabbath is a special sabbath called Zachor, which means "Remember". It is the sabbath before Purim. In the remembrance of Purim, we see another example of the sacrificial priesthood of Christ. Queen Esther, clothed in her royal attire of glory and beauty, voluntarily risked her life in order to come before her husband, the King, saying "If I perish, I perish!" (see Esther 4:11-17). Because she came sacrificially, she was accepted into the presence of the King, and "she did not die." She made intercession before the King on behalf of the Jewish people, herself included, and exposed Haman's plot of genocide. Many view Esther as a prophetic type of the Church, the Bride of Christ, and so she was, as she followed "the exodus - sacrificial way, the road out of" of the prophesied Christ, our Priest of intercession. If you would like to know more about Jesus Christ as our Priest before the Father on our behalf, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, You have given Your Son as my High Priest covered in glory and beauty. He is ever making intercession before You on my behalf. He is engraved with my name, written in His living book. The thundering sound proclaimed by His sacrifice is pleasing to Your ears, because it has produced abundant seed and harvest of souls, including mine. By Your Holy Spirit, help me to continue to learn the revealing of Christ in the imagery of the garments of Your priesthood, so I may learn how to be a priest before You in the image of Jesus, Your Son. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN." **There is a free ebook now available that was written by a well-respected author and expert on the subject of the fascinating Shroud of Turin titled: "The Shroud of Turin- A Perfect Summary". You can get this free ebook by going to www.TheShroudofTurin.org/freebook.**

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