Royal Priesthood

The Priesthood

The spirit by contrast gives life to believers. Man cannot live the law no matter how hard he tries. This is why we need to rely on
the blood of Christ and his grace. The veil that tore in the temple at the time of Christ death Mat. 27:51 did separate the holy of
holies from the rest of the temple EX.26:36-37, Heb.9:3. This veil was ripped from top to bottom. This signified that this new
and living way was now open for man to come to God. Heb.10:20 & Eph.2:11-12. This is another good example of the
Aaronic priesthood ending. Realizing that the purpose of the priesthood was through sacrifices in the temple to have a
mediator, a High Priest by which we could come to God. What need would there be to restore this?

Jesus said
I am the true vine
I am the vine you are the branches John 15:1-5
I am the way the truth and the life.......................John 14:6
I am the resurrection and the life.......................John 11:25
I am the good shepherd................................John 10:11-14
I am the bread of life......................................John 6:35-48
I am the light of the world...................................John 8:12
I am the door....................................................John 10:7-9
It seems to me that Jesus is the way to eternal life with God (John 3:16) not a church, priesthood, baptism or anything else.
Jesus said he "I am the way" he did not say some church is the way.

Col 2:8-10 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men,
according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in
bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority

Since I am complete in Christ why do I need anything else? There are two more things I mention. It is maintained that Joseph
Smith and Oliver Cowdery received the Aaronic priesthood from John the Baptist on May 15, 1829. The problem I see with this
is I do not see where John the Baptist ever had the priesthood in scripture. No where do you see him doing any temple duties
or any thing of a priest.

Also I want to point out that in Hebrews 7:24 the word "permanently" in the NAS and "unchangeable" in the KJV.

Heb 7:24 but He, on the other hand, because He abides forever, holds His priesthood permanently.

This word from the Greek carries a note of finality. Strong's definition of Greek words says the following: 531 aparabatos (ap-
ar-ab'-at-os); from 1 (as a negative particle) and a derivative of 3845; not passing away, i.e. untransferable (perpetual): KJV
unchangeable.

Thayer's definition of Greek words says the following: 531 aparabatos-
1) unviolated, not to be violated, inviolable
2) unchangeable and therefore not liable to pass to a successor

My question is if this Melchizedek priesthood is untransferable and not liable to pass to a successor, how could the L.D.S
church have it?

Lets not forget the only place you will find the word "priesthood" in the New Testament is Hebrews 7:5,11,12,14,24 &
1 Peter 2:5,9. I also want to point out that whenever you see the word "ordained" in the New Testament it does not say anybody
was ordained to the priesthood. They were ordained to preach or witness etc. In Hebrews 8:3 it mentions priesthood with it but
it is talking about the High Priest of the Old Testament. In Acts 14:23 it says they were ordained Elders but this is not
Priesthood it is a position of leadership in the church. No where in the New Testament do you see Elders, Bishops or Deacons
receiving the priesthood by the laying on of hands. This is a Mormon concept it does not come from the Bible.
In 1 Peter 2:5 & 9 we find a holy or a royal priesthood. Not a Aaronic or Melchizedek priesthood.

1 Pet 2:5 "you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

How are we living stones?

1 Pet 1:23 "for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and
abiding word of God."

Notice in the context here this is who is being talked to. These people who are born again are being built up as a spiritual
house for a holy priesthood. You will recall that after Peters confession Matt 16:16 "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God." Then Jesus said to him "you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church" The name Peter means Rock. Jesus
was saying to him in effect, you are going to be a little stone a pebble, but on this foundation stone (Christ 1Cor.3:11& 10:4) I
am going to build my church. Jesus Christ is the Corner stone of the foundation 1 Peter 2:6. I believe Peter understood Jesus
in this way because he (Peter) said "you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house" When you are born
again you become a child of God and you become part of this spiritual house. Born again believers are the church and are
called the body of Christ. Jesus told Nicodemus "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God." John 3:3 These people that Peter was talking to in 1 Peter where the holy and royal priesthood are mentioned are
born again. The only sense in which anyone will have a holy or royal priesthood is to be born again.

There are two verses in the Old Testament that may still confuse some.

Num 25:11-13 (KJV) Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of
Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. Wherefore say,
Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting
priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.

Exod 40:15 (KJV) And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's
office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.

The question is how could they have had "an everlasting priesthood" ,if in fact the priesthood came to an end?

Phinehas was Aaron's grandson and because the Lord was pleased with him the Levitical priesthood was channeled through
him. As you are already well aware the Levitical priesthood ends in the book of Hebrews. So this leaves the question how can
it be an everlasting priesthood and then come to an end?
The answer lies within the meaning and use of the Hebrew word used here in Ex.40:15 & Num. 25:13. More often than not the
word "everlasting" is used in the way that we would expect. That it is something that continues forever, but this is not always the
case. First let us look at 4 different sources as to the meaning of this Hebrew word.
Then we will look at some bible verses where this same Hebrew word is used. You can verify this by using your Strong's
Concordance.

(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)
EVER, EVERLASTING
`olam ^5769^, "eternity; remotest time; perpetuity." This word has cognates in Ugaritic, Moabite, Phoenician, Aramaic, Arabic,
and Akkadian. It appears about 440 times in biblical Hebrew and in all periods.
First, in a few passages the word means "eternity" in the sense of not being limited to the present. Thus, in <Eccl. 3:11> we
read that God had bound man to time and given him the capacity to live "above time" (i. e., to remember yesterday, plan for
tomorrow, and consider abstract principles); yet He has not given him divine knowledge: "He hath made every thing beautiful in
his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to
the end."……………..
……….the word is used hyperbolically meaning "for a long time": "I have long time holden my peace; I have been still,
and refrained myself...." This word may include all the time between the ancient beginning and the present:

Brown-Driver-Briggs'-Defenition
5769 `owlam or `olam-
long duration, antiquity, futurity, forever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world
a) ancient time, long time (used of the past)
b) (used of the future)
1) forever, always
2) continuous existence, perpetual
3) everlasting, indefinite or unending future, eternity

Strong's Definition
5769 `owlam (o-lawm');
or `olam (o-lawm'); from 5956; properly, concealed, i.e. the vanishing point; generally, time out of mind (past or future), i.e.
(practically) eternity; frequentatively, adverbial (especially with prepositional prefix) always:
KJV-- alway (-s), ancient (time), any more, continuance, eternal, (for, [n-]) ever (-lasting, -more, of old), lasting, long (time), (of)
old (time), perpetual, at any time, (beginning of the) world (+without end). Compare 5331, 5703.

(from International Standard Bible Encylopaedia, Electronic Database)
EVERLASTING
(ev-er-last'-ing) (olam, `adh; aidios, aionios): "Everlasting," in strictness, is that which endures forever; either that which has no
beginning and will have no end (in which sense it is applicable to God only), or that which, having a beginning, will have no end,
but henceforth will exist forever (thus of beings created for immortality; see IMMORTALITY). Figuratively also the term is
applied to objects of impressive stability and long duration, as mountains, hills (e.g. <Gen 49:26; Hab 3:6>).

Looking at these 4 sources of this Hebrew word we can see that the word "everlasting" can and often does mean literally
forever. However this is not always the case in every instance. So next look at the Bible to see where this same Hebrew word
is used in a way that is not literally forever. You can use you Strong's Concordance for verification that these instances are
indeed the same Hebrew word.

In the next 2 verses we read of the everlasting hills using the same Hebrew word.

Gen 49:26 (KJV) The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the
everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

Hab 3:6 (KJV) He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains
were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.

Are the hills going to literally last forever? According to Peter they will come to an end.

2 Pet 3:10 (KJV) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great
noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

So what we have here is the same Hebrew word in two instances being used to describe an "everlasting" priesthood. Then this
same Hebrew word is used to describe "everlasting" hills or mountains. The New Testament tells us the Priesthood came to an
end and it also tells us the mountains will come to an end. The Hebrew word by definition can be used for eternity or an
extended period of time. The priesthood and the mountains are examples where the Hebrew word describes an extended
period of time.

In Summary Phinehas was Aaron's grandson and because the Lord was pleased with him the Levitical priesthood was
channeled through him. In this case the word "everlasting" indicated a long period of time. This was actually a few thousand
years, but it did come to an end in the book of Hebrews when Jesus paid the ultimate and final sacrifice for our sins. After the
Levitical Priesthood ended all we have is the Melchizedek priesthood which only Jesus Christ holds and that which is referred
to as a holy priesthood or a royal priesthood which when you examine the context belongs to born again believers.