The Transfer of the Levitical Priesthood of Aaron to the Priesthood of Melchizedek
(and other Mysteries of the Priesthood, the Blood of Jesus Christ, and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ)
BY DAVID LOWE - MARCH 2003
CHAPTERS
1. Introduction | 2. Previews of the Atonement | 3. Limiting Lucifer | 4. Redemption Plan Begins | 5. The Royal Blood Line | 6. Transfer of the Priesthood | 7. The Caiaphas Factor | 8. The Passover Lamb | 9. Mystery of the Graveclothes | 10. Purifying Heaven, Defeating Hell
[Throughout this document, words in bold type and words underlined mean they are stressed for their importance to the idea being discussed.]
The mystery of Melchizedek, the mystery of the priestly garments, and the mystery of the priesthood of the believer are topics that are rarely explored or discussed in the church today. When you tie these mysteries in with the more oft teached topics of the blood of Jesus Christ, his death and his resurrection from the dead, new dimensions of the Word of God are revealed that birth an illumination of God's ancient plan of redemption of you and I. Why aren't the topics of Melchizedek, the priesthood and the garments not taught more often? Because it requires a thorough understanding of our Hebrew roots, and while that area is improving in believers, it is still severely lacking for the most part.
Who Was Melchizedek?
Our study of these mysteries begins with an exploration into the life of a man named Melchizedek, about which the Bible has relatively little to say. An introductory passage from Hebrews will introduce this man and Jesus' relationship to him:
Heb 7:20 And inasmuch as not without an oath he [Jesus] was made priest:
Heb 7:21 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord swore and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek:)
Heb 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
Heb 7:23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:
Heb 7:24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Melchi - zedek: Melchi is Hebrew for king, and Zedek is Hebrew for righteousness, so this is a title "King of Righteouness".
Three beliefs as to who Melchizedek was:
Heb 7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
Lucifer's Fall
In heaven, there is a temple:
Psa 11:4 The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Rev 15:6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
Rev 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Angels worshipped God in the beginning, prior to Adam being created, in the mountain of the congregation. Lucifer led angels in worship of God in heaven, but he was the originator of sin in the universe, not Adam. The following passages from Ezekiel and Isaiah describe Lucifer prior to his fall:
Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Luk 10:18 And he [Jesus] said unto them,
I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.Lucifer took with him from heaven one third of the angels in the rebellion:
Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
The heavenly temple of God was defiled by sin BEFORE man fell and the world was defiled by sin. The heavenly temple, therefore, ALSO had to be purified:
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Blood was the secret weapon of God that would conquer sin and Satan, and he kept this hidden from Satan from the foundation of the world:
1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
So, the heavenly temple and the articles therein had to be purged of sin with blood. Articles such as: