The Priesthood: Part Two

The Priesthood

Hebrews 3, “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to Him that appointed Him (the Father).” That is, He was faithful to the Father. “As also Moses was faithful in all his house, his family, his household. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses…” That is, Jesus Christ had a greater glory than Moses. “…Inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honor than the house.”

So, he is saying here that Jesus Christ was the builder of the house of Moses. That is, Jesus Christ was the God that Moses met at the burning bush and the God that Moses knew throughout the period in the wilderness. Moses knew Jesus Christ. As it is written in another place, This rock led them through the wilderness and that rock was Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ, HE is the one, the God, the Creator; who became the husband of Israel through a covenant which was mediated by Moses: He was the God that built that relationship, built the house of Israel as a theocratic nation. He built the house and Moses was only the mediator; and Israel was the house.

And this house was the theocratic nation of Israel and was the house that this God; Jesus Christ, had built.

For verse 4, “For every the house is builded by some man; but He that built all things is God. And Moses truly was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over His own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm until the end.”

We become the house of God through repentance and the indwelling of the spirit of God; and the house of God is the place where God dwells. He dwells in His house, His temple. And we become the temple of God if we persevere and overcome and turn to God with a whole heart and if He then comes through the power of His spirit to dwell within us. For we must hold fast the confidence with rejoicing for our hope, firm unto the very end; that is until our death.

“Wherefore as the Holy Spirit saith, Today; if you will hear His voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their hearts; and they have not known my ways.”

These people who covenanted with God at Sinai, in what is called the Mosaic covenant; named after the mediator Moses: did not know the ways of God. “They have not known my ways.”

Verse 11, “So, I swear in my wrath; They shall not enter into my rest. Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; While it is said, today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So, we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

And we also see that this unbelief had; as its fruit sin, or rebellion against God. God said, "Go into the land." They said, "No, we will not go in." They rebelled against God because they feared; they did not believe His promises.

Chapter 4, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.”

So, the gospel was also preached to Israel by Moses and what was that gospel? It was, Obey God. Keep His Commandments.

The book of Deuteronomy is a farewell message from Moses; and in that book, Moses is saying over and over, "Keep the commandments of God. Keep your covenant with Him. And your covenant with Him is; that you will obey Him and do all that He says. You will keep His commandments."

And if you want to enter into God's rest, that is, to receive His blessings, including the blessing of prosperity and peace, you must keep the covenant. You must keep the commandments.

“For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day,” the Sabbath on this wise, “And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remains that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief.”

Now, we know that the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week and it was the seventh day from the beginning of creation. God created all things in six days and rested on the seventh day. And Paul is alluding to the Hebrews here, that the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest for God's people.

In verse 7, “Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying to David, Today, after so long of time; as it is said: Today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest…”

He is talking about Jesus giving the people of Israel rest in the wilderness, about giving them a Sabbath rest or peace. And this also demonstrates that Jesus Christ was the God of Israel in the wilderness.

Once again, Paul is telling us that Israel entered into a covenant, a relationship with Jesus Christ, the very Creator of humanity. Yes, Jesus Christ was God before His birth in the flesh.

Verse 9 of Hebrews 4, “There remains therefore a rest” or as the [margin] says a keeping of a Sabbath for the people of God. “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, From his labors, as God ceased from his labors. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of body and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

Paul is saying here that Jesus Christ knows us. He knows our minds and He knows the intents of our hearts. He knows whether we are faithful to him or not. And He knows whether we are faithful to the Father or not. He knows whether we are faithful to the new covenant or not, the new covenant to which we are called. And He is judging us and testing us in this life.

And if we persevere and endure to the end and overcome; then we will enter into a Sabbath of rest, at the resurrection. We will enter into God's rest.

Now, in verse 14, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, which is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.”

So, at this point, Paul reveals that Jesus Christ is our high priest and that He has passed up into the heavens. Therefore, let us hold fast our profession, our faith, our religion.

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet remain without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Yes, we have a high priest who was made flesh and who was tempted in the flesh and experienced the weaknesses of the flesh and suffered in the flesh. Therefore, He has empathy for us and He understands the things we have to endure and the things we go through and the problems we have.

He is not going to justify our rebellion and our sins and our faults if we do not repent of them. But if we are repentant and sincerely trying to keep God's commandments, we can then go to the Father through our high priest and ask for help, ask for power to overcome, and He will give us that power through His Holy Spirit.

We can endure. We can overcome. We can beat sin and we can beat Satan through the power of God and through the power of God's spirit and the spirit of Jesus Christ dwelling in us. But we have to ask for that spirit. We have to diligently seek it and we have to allow it to dwell within us. We have to follow where it leads and we have to do what it guides us to do. And how does it guide us? It inspires us with an understanding of the Holy Scriptures of God.

Paul writes in another place that the law is holy and just and good. And we know that God's spirit is holy, therefore it will do nothing against the Scripture, it will do nothing against the commandments of God. It will empower you to keep God's commandments. And any spirit who says, "Oh, don't keep this commandment or that commandment," is not the spirit of God.

It is a spirit of antichrist and of Satan. God's spirit will always point you to God because it is God's spirit. It is a spirit of God. And it will point you to God and it will never ever turn you away from God. It will always point you to God and always point you toward and empower you to keep God's commandments.

Chapter 5, “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.”

That is the job of a high priest; to offer sacrifices for sins, to atone for sins, to intercede with God, to bring us into harmony with God by atoning of our sins.

“Who can have compassion,that is a high priest should have compassion on the ignorant, and on those that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmities. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. And no man takes this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.”

A high priest is called of God. He does not appoint himself. He's appointed by God and he's appointed by God to make offerings for our sins. And because the high priest, taken from among men is himself subject to sin, he must also offer atonement for his own sins.

“So, also Christ glorified not himself to be made a high priest; but He that said unto Him, Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee. So, He says also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with a strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared God.”

Yes He feared, He respected, He trusted, He obeyed God, He kept His Father's commandments as He said.

Verse 8, “Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered. He obeyed his Father.

And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him; Called of God, a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing you are dull of hearing. For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, in the faith, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

People who are full of God's spirit, who are mature in the faith and in the things of God, should be able to discern between good and evil, right and wrong. That is the purpose of God's spirit. It is to lead us to God and to show us what is right and what is wrong. And what is right and wrong is defined by the Word of God. It is defined by the commandments of God. What we think is right or wrong is meaningless because we lack wisdom. It is what God says is right, that is truly right; and it is what God says is wrong, that is truly wrong.

God has the experience and the wisdom to know the difference. And we, by using that spirit should begin to acquire a certain degree of that same wisdom. For the spirit of God is the spirit of truth. It shall lead you into all truth. As Jesus said to the disciples and it was recorded by John on Passover, “The spirit will guide you into all truth and therefore it will lead you into the wisdom of God.”

Now, of course we are very young and God has had billions and trillions of years perhaps to acquire His wisdom, so we're not going to get it all in a day or in a human lifetime. But we can get a start on it. And the very basic foundation is quite simple if we do what we think is right, that is self-righteousness.

Self-righteousness means being righteous in our own eyes. It means doing what we think is right. True, godly righteousness is doing what God says is right. It is the keeping all of the commandments of God.

Chapter 6 of Hebrews, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ…” He's saying, we've covered the subject. “Let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift,” that is, of God's spirit and forgiveness, “and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they are crucifying to themselves the Son of God afresh, and putting him to an open shame.”

He is saying, if we go to God and repent and seek His ways and commit ourselves to Him and then we turn around and continue in sin, continue in commandment breaking. And we feel we have a license to do so and that we're justified to do so; then when we go back to God for forgiveness, He's going to say, "No. You have not stopped breaking the commandments. You have no intention of stopping so I'm not going to work with you. I'm not going to forgive you. I have no time for you until you wake up and stop breaking My commandments, until you wake up and turn from your wickedness and embrace My ways."

And the fact is, that those who have truly been enlightened and have willfully and deliberately turned their backs on God's ways cannot be renewed to repentance. That is, they cannot be forgiven until they have learned their lesson. This is not referring to someone who's foot slips every rare once in a while and who's truly sorry. This is referring to deliberate and willful rejection of God.

“For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and brings forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, and receives blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.”

And we can go back to John 15:6, “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”

And this is talking about the lake of fire. That if anyone does not abide in Christ, does not do what Christ commanded which was to keep the Father's commandments; they will be cut off and thrown into the fire. It's a simple and basic as that.

You either keep God's commandments, which are there to protect all of His children from being abused by one another and to give them the foundation which will lead to peace, harmony, happiness, and prosperity. Either go that way or you're like a burr under the saddle and you're going to be taken and cast out into the fire.

Hebrews 6:9, “But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which you have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: Therefore be not slothful.” Don't be lazy. But be “followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Be followers of the apostles and prophets.

“For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no other, He sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Paul is here showing that God swore to Abraham and to the patriarchs and to the prophets about the coming of Messiah, the coming of Christ, to die for the sins of the world and become our High Priest. He was presenting to the Hebrews and demonstrating to them from the Scriptures that it was prophesied and it was meant to be that the priesthood, the high priesthood of the Mosaic covenant would pass away and a better high priesthood with better sacrifices would take its place.

We have a high priest who can enter into the most holy place, hidden behind the veil, the holy throne of God with a perfect sacrifice and lays that sacrifice before the Father and says, "I have atoned for this man's sins. He has repented. He is sorry. He has stopped doing these things and I have paid the price which he has earned. The price is paid. Now, he can be reconciled to you. He can be brought into a close harmonious relationship with the Almighty Father." And we can then enter into the most holy place because we have repented of our sins. And our sins have been atoned for and we have stopped breaking the commandments.

This gives us access to the King of the universe and we may come before Him and seek Him boldly through the mediation of Jesus Christ. It is Christ’s sacrifice coupled with our repentance and our turning away from sin which provides us the opportunity for access to God and we can boldly go to God and ask Him for His spirit. We can ask Him to empower us to overcome sin, to go and sin no more.

And sin is the breaking of the commandments, as it is written, for sin is the transgression of the law, 1 Joh 3:4. And God will empower us and strengthen us with His spirit so that we can stop breaking the commandments.

He who overcomes to the end shall be saved. Many are called, few are chosen. Those who are chosen will be those who overcome throughout their lives to the very end, who endure to the end and overcome. And what is overcoming? It means overcoming sin. It means overcoming the breaking of commandments. It means stopping the breaking of the commandments. It means embracing and keeping the commandments.

We overcome sin. We overcome our failure to keep God's commandments by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, together with our own repentance and our diligent commitment to stop sinning. If these things take place, we can then boldly go in before the Father and ask for His spirit and ask for His power to help us to overcome and stop sinning.

This is not a hopeless task. Quite the contrary, it is a task full of hope because Jesus Christ overcame all. He said, "I have overcome the world." And we can with the help of His spirit and the spirit of God and of the Father; we can also overcome the world.

For someone to say that the flesh is weak and in this life we cannot overcome, that is wrong. It is just an excuse to continue sinning. It is making excuses for sin instead of making the effort to overcome. Yes, the flesh is weak. It's very weak but God is very strong. And we have access to God and we have access to His strength.

We need only fully commit ourselves to obey Him and keep His commandments. We need only ask for the application of Christ’s sacrifice and then we need only go to the Father and seek Him diligently, seek His spirit, seek His wisdom, ask for understanding, ask for the strength and power of a sound mind to control our actions. And when we do these things, we can overcome; maybe not instantly. It may take years, but eventually, we will overcome the world. Not by our own self nor by our own strength and not by the power of our flesh; but by the power of the spirit of God dwelling in us.

As it says in verse 20, “Whither the forerunner for us entered, even Jesus, made a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Jesus Christ is our High Priest, not Aaron. We have a high priesthood of the Creator God, our Maker and not a man who was made by that Creator. The priesthood of Aaron ended with the ending of the Mosaic covenant. Why then does it say in Isaiah 66 that God will yet take the descendants of Aaron for Levites and priests? And why is it said that a temple will built in the kingdom, as written by Ezekiel and why does he say that there will be priests and Levites serving in that temple?

Yes, there will. Yes, there will be Levites and there will be priests serving in the temple, in their capacities. But they will be no longer priests of the Mosaic covenant. They will be called to become priests of the Melchizedek covenant. They will become converted. God's spirit will be poured out on them. They will become part of the spiritual covenant, the new covenant. Yes there will be Levites serving the temple and Levites serving as priests but they will be called into the new covenant and will not have a part in the Mosaic covenant, which has ended.

But then what of the saints who were called to be kings and priests? They will be changed to spirit and they will be overseeing the physical activities of these physical men. It's really fairly basic. Those who are changed to spirit will be spirit, and will rule; overseeing the physical. Nevertheless, there will be physical functions which will need to be performed and they will be performed by the descendants of Aaron, and the descendants of Levi.

There will be priests also and Levites serving the temple, but they will have God's spirit and they will be serving in a capacity as part of the new covenant of Melchizedek. They will no longer be there as a part of the covenant of Moses.

Hebrews chapter 7, “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem.” The word Melchizedek means ruler or king or high priest by divine right. He has an absolute authority and an absolute right to that office. And notice in the previous verse and earlier in the book of Hebrews, Melchizedek was referred to as high priest.

Now, in chapter 7, he is being referred to as king. And king of Salem, the word Salem means peace and this quite likely refers also to the city of Jerusalem at the time of Abraham. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God.

So, he's a priest and a king, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed Abraham; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace.

Melchizedek was King of Righteousness and King of Peace. And both of those titles fit and apply to Jesus Christ.

Verse 3, “Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abides a priest continually. Now, consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And truly they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, during the time of the Mosaic covenant, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: But he whose descent is not counted from them…” That is, he was not a descendant of Levi. He existed before Levi. “Received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.”

So, this Melchizedek lives forever. For Paul says, “He lives and he receives tithes of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.’

Okay, going back, “Without contradiction the less is blessed of the better.” And here men that die receive tithes. That is, the Priests who are subject to death received tithes. But there he received tithes of whom it is witnessed that he lives. “And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, paid tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchizedek met him.” That is, Levi had not been born yet when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek.

“If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need would there be that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah; of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchizedek there arises another priest, Who is made, not after the law of a carnal or physical commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

“For He testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order or like Melchizedek. For there is truly a disannulling of the commandment going before; for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect…” That is, the law of the Mosaic covenant. “But the bringing in of a better hope and a better sacrifice; by the which we draw near unto God.”

That was profitable. For the law made nothing perfect. “But the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw near unto God. And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: (For those priests were made without an oath…)” That is Levites. (“But this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek:) By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. And they truly were many priests…” That is, the priest and Levites, the descendants of Aaron and the descendants of Levi. “Because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this [Jesus Christ], because He continueth forever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.” A permanent priesthood. “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he lives forever to make intercession for them.”

Our High Priest, Jesus Christ will now live forever and will be able to make continual intercession for us, for eternity.

“For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needs not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this He did once, when He offered up himself.”

And His sacrifice being perfect, no longer has to be made. He doesn't have to be killed day after day, year after year. No. However, every time someone repents, that perfect sacrifice needs to be reapplied to the repentant sinner.

The difference is in the actual dying and the actual applying of the sacrifice. They are two different things. Christ died, regardless of whether any man ever repents or not. He was dead and He was resurrected. That has nothing to do with whether men repent, or turn from sin or not. However, when men do repent, the sacrifice is now there and available to be applied to them.

Verse 28, “For the law makes men high priests which have infirmity or weakness; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.” To be a high priest.

The priesthood of Aaron has been superseded by the high priesthood of Jesus Christ, who has become High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. That is, He is King of Peace and High Priest and He lives forever. He is our high priest for eternity. And He has superseded the priesthood of Aaron. And in doing this, He has fulfilled the promises that God made to the patriarchs and the prophets of old days. Jeremiah 31:31-37.

Our priesthood is the high priesthood of Jesus Christ and we are training to become priests under Him to support Him, to assist Him, to become laborers, to help bring in the harvest of humanity. The high priesthood today is not a high priesthood of Aaron.

It is a high priesthood after the order of, or in the likeness of the priesthood of Melchizedek. That is, Jesus Christ has the absolute right to be high priest. He has the absolute right to be king, to rule and He has the right to take tithes of the people.

Now if the High Priesthood of Melchisedec has an absolute right to take tithes of the people, than the priesthood of that High Priest [those priests under him and assisting him] also have an absolute right to take tithes of the people.

Now, there are some persons, unlearned in the Scripture, who go around saying that the ministry of today are some sort of spiritual Levites. No, a minister of Jesus Christ is not a spiritual Levite. In fact, there is no such thing as spiritual Levite. No. The Aaronic priesthood and the Levitical order were established by the Mosaic covenant. That covenant has ended, therefore the Aaronic priesthood and the Levitical order has also ended.

In any case, these were not spiritual things. The Mosaic covenant was a covenant regarding physical blessings, for physical obedience and there was no spiritual thing intended or involved. And God's spirit was not given to those people. They lacked God's spirit, which was the failing of that covenant; because without God's spirit, they could not keep His commandments.

A minister of Jesus Christ would be of the same order as Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is of the order of Melchizedek. He is a high priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek. Therefore, a minister of Jesus Christ is a priest, not a high priest, but a priest after the order of Melchizedek. To be a minister of Jesus Christ, you must be of the same order, or the same priesthood as Jesus Christ. And His priesthood is not the priesthood of Aaron, or of the order of Levi. His priesthood is of the order of Melchizedek. Therefore, Jesus Christ is a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

And the ministry and indeed the members; because we are all, every one of us; called to be a part of the priesthood of Melchizedek. And if we overcome and endure to the end of our lives, we shall be changed into spirits and shall become priests forever after the order of Melchizedek. In the same manner that Jesus Christ has become a high priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.

No: Ministers of Jesus Christ have nothing to do with the priesthood of Aaron or the order of Levi. They were priests after the fleshly and the physical; Priests of Melchisedec are priests after the spiritual, having the Spirit of God; having been called to become priests forever; after the same order that Jesus Christ was called into: which is the order of Melchizedec.