Heart of the Matter Broadcast

Live from the Mecca of Mormonism – Salt Lake City, Utah – it's “Heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology.!” And I'm Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion., your host.

Heart in the Church

Last night we had a great Heart in the Church right here in Salt Lake City! Miracle Rock Church attended. Praise God for the mighty work He is doing in Utah!

Get A Mormon Answer (GAMA)

Last week, the question was asked of the LDS: “Do you know the LDS Church is true or do you believe it’s true.” Responses included:

Next week's question: “Do you believe the twelve apostles from the Church today have personally met Jesus face to face as special witnesses of Him?”

Discussion on Hell

Finally, in our discussion last week concerning hell, I made the comment that in the end, the Bible tells us that we will not remember those from our earth life who are in hell. Passages in Isaiah and Ecclesiastes too. Revelation 21:4: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God., neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Illustration on the Aaronic Priesthood

Suppose a young teenage girl has a dream one night. The next day she sees a picture of a baby in a fashion magazine with curly red hair. And though it doesn’t look anything like the baby of her dreams, she tears the ad out and pastes it in a journal as a memento, a reminder of her dream. The following day, she takes a picture of a basketball from Sports Illustrated and pastes it in the same journal. She wakes the next morning and sees an ad in a magazine with a picture of a stethoscope. So she cuts it out and pastes it in a journal.

We’re going to talk about the Aaronic Priesthood tonight – the function and purpose of it in the Bible and the way the LDS church has applied it in their religion today. The story I just told will help illustrate the futility, even the banality, of a reinstituted priesthood today relative to the living reality of Jesus in true believers. How?

The Bible is perfectly clear on why an Aaronic Priesthood was established – it was all a foreshadowing of something to come and to be fulfilled by Jesus Christ! Once again, the Levitical priesthood was established in anticipation, and as a type, of what Jesus would finally and ultimately do for each of us. Reestablishing the Aaronic priesthood is akin to a bakery making delicious pies but putting all the focus on the tins that were used instead of the pies themselves!

She dreams she is going to be a mother someday and that her baby will have curly red hair. Years pass, and the same girl has another dream where her child becomes a world-class basketball player. In her twenties, when the girl is engaged to be married, she has another dream that the son she will bear will become a medical doctor someday. Ultimately, the girl marries, and within a few years has her first child. It’s a boy with curly red hair. Where should the young woman’s attentions go now that she has a living child?

Well, suppose our young Mother, who has now been blessed with the actual fulfillment of her dreams – a living breathing curly red-headed baby – spends the majority of her time as a mother staring at the pictures she cut from the magazines instead of with her actual boy? Instead of a progressive living attachment to her son, she instead lights candles in a weekly processional to the images of him and ritualistically places flowers at the foot of the images which have merely foreshadowed the coming of her son. This would not only be a strange and weird practice, it would mock the very life of the living child, right? It would be a case where the idea, the image, and the foreshadowing of the object has a greater place in her heart than the living object itself!

I mean, the boy gets drafted into the MBA, is playing on television, and setting records all over the place but the mother believes the picture of the basketball is still needed, important, and significant! Does this make any sense? And perhaps most importantly, how would these ritualistic behaviors of the mother make the son feel about his mother’s relationship to him?

Living Son: A Personal Reflection on Biblical Priesthood

Rituals tied to pictures in her journal. Strange and mocks the life of a living child! Image more important than reality. How does the boy feel?

(8) Biblical Priesthood

Now I have to make an admission here that will go a long way in giving my LDS critics some ammunition against my ministry. When I was growing up in the Church, I NEVER, EVER resonated to the incessant promotion of what they pushed on us as “the priesthood.”

Phrases like: “You are a holder of the Aaronic or Holy Melchezidek priesthood” never had an effect on me. Even when I wanted them to. I never felt it an honor to “hold” the priesthood, nor did I find myself grateful, in awe of, or more “imbued with God’s power” because I was allowed to “have” it. This admission is going to get my critics to say, “See, see! He never had a testimony in the first place!”

But I mention my heart here because I am sure there are many more LDS men (and women) who have had the same response to the promotion of “priesthood” – and they aren’t sure why. It’s sort of like “the king’s new clothing” story. Everyone is like, “Yes, the priesthood, oh, yes, the priesthood,” but in the end, it’s a concept that stands there naked and quite transparent in the marketplace of faith.

To me, the “priesthood” is the religious equivalent of having been accepted into an all-men’s hunting lodge or belonging to a respectable fraternal organization. It’s an elite group of like-minded, like-acting, and like-dressing males, which operates under a collective of prescribed standards and rules. Yes, you are part of an elite “team.” And being admitted, you are expected to behave the way team members behave… but in the end, the “power,” “ability” and the “authority” to “act in God’s name” is markedly inferior to those men who simply walk, live, and operate by humble faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

When I came to understand what the “priesthood” was (biblically) I also came to see the honesty of never being impressed with “holding it” in the first place!

Contextual Understanding of Aaronic Priesthood

(9) Personal Perspective

So let’s look at a contextual understanding of the Aaronic “priesthood” in terms of the Old and New Testament.

When Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt, the ancient manner of “head of household priests” was still being observed by them. At Mount Sinai, a change in this ancient practice was made. Exodus 28 teaches us that God had a “hereditary priesthood” take over. And the “heritage” that the priesthood came through was from the tribe of Levi.

Exodus 32:26 says it was because of their “zeal for the glory of God.” Two important things to remember: First, there were priests and high priests. The Levitical lineage determined the two. Second, Levi had three sons whose names were Gershon, Merari, and Kohath. Kohath had a son named Amram, and Amram had sons named Aaron and Moses. ONLY those who came from the Levi/Kohath/Amram/ Aaron line could be high priests.

The rest of the lines of Levi – meaning the offspring of Gershon and Merari – acted as subordinates to Aaron’s line in their temple duties, but they could not be officiating priests. Let me blow your mind here – not even JESUS himself, being from the tribe of Judah, could officiate in the Levitical priesthood.

Hebrews 7:14: For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.

Duties of the Levitical Priests

And what did the Sons of Aaron and the Levitical priests do in the tabernacle once they were purified? First, they dressed themselves in a very specific and ritualistic fashion for each respective function in which they officiated. Then they attended to a plethora of duties which are meticulously described in (Exodus 27:20, 21; 29:38-44; Leviticus 6:12; 10:11; 24:8; Numbers 10:1-10; Deuteronomy 17:8-13; 33:10; and Malachi 2:7) and which ALL pointed to the finished work of Jesus!

Let me repeat this: Everything these priests did pointed to the finished work of Jesus. This leads us to perhaps the most important point relative to the misapplication of the Aaronic priesthood today by the LDS. The Aaronic priests represented the people before God and offered the various blood sacrifices in anticipation of the coming Messiah on their behalf!

Once a year, on the day of atonement, the high priest, who came from the Kohath line of Levi, who had to be between 30 and 50 years of age…

Aaronic Priesthood and Jesus' Sacrifice

Who had been purified ritualistically like no other . . . Who had to be dressed in severely restricted ways . . . Who performed rites and rituals exactly as God commanded him . . . would enter the Holy of Holies alone, and offer sacrifice up to God for the sins of the people. All of this was done as a type of the Messiah who was to come!

This was the purpose of the Aaronic priesthood. This was the reason it was on the earth! Once the ultimate sacrifice occurred by the only true, innocent, and acceptable offering, there was no need for an Aaronic priesthood any more for the Gentiles! Why? Because Jesus offered Himself once and for all as the perfect and final sacrifice and now permanently stands in the Holy of Holies of Heaven as a continual sacrifice for sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace.!

The Role of the Aaronic High Priest

Let me briefly describe what the Aaronic High Priest did and how it is fulfilled in Jesus. With Adam, man was his own priest and presented his own sacrifices to God. Recall the story of Cain and Abel. Afterwards the office of priest went to the male head of each family. We find that Noah, (Genesis 8:20) Abraham, (Genesis 12:7) Isaac, (Genesis 26:25) Jacob, (Genesis 31:54) and Job (Job 1:5) all offered sacrifice to God without intermediation of a priest.

The first time the word “priest” is used in the Bible is when it is applied to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18). And we’re going to talk about Melchizedek next week.

Now Joseph Smith claimed that while he and Oliver Cowdery were translating the Book of Mormon in May of 1829, that they retired to the woods and had John the Baptist appear and give them this very elite Aaronic priesthood! Numbers 3 says ONLY the Levites could hold this priesthood or the result would be death! But Joseph claims John the Baptist shows up and gives it to him! This is a complete misapplication and misappropriation of what the Aaronic Priesthood even means!

LDS Misapplication

And what do the LDS do with this Levitical priesthood today? They claim to give it to all male members between the ages of twelve and eighteen! It is pure misappropriation! But . . . Numbers 4:3 Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, according to their families, by their fathers' house, from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years, all that enter into the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

Now I want you to imagine something for a moment: Aaron and his sons are called by God to officiate in the Levitical Priesthood. And they so do with extreme dedication and devotion. This was so serious a call that when two of Aaron's sons mingled strange fire outside the temple, God torched them to death in front of all of the children of Israel! Now imagine for a minute that Aaron somehow visits the earth. And he visits an LDS ward, and discovers a dozen or two or three boys, between 12 and 18, chewing gum and doing God knows what the night before, all claiming to hold this priesthood which he and his family dedicated their everything to thousands of years before? Are you beginning to see where the error is in this Aaronic priesthood application? It is simply another evidence of Joseph Smith reaching out and applying biblical truths “selectively and inappropriately.”

Preparation for Aaronic Priesthood

Now, how were these priests prepped to do use this priesthood (that is supposedly given to twelve-year-old boys in Mormonism today!) They went through an arduous and cumbersome process of purification which you can read about in Leviticus chapter 8. This process included: A ceremonial washing. Prayer over the head of a bull. Slaying the bull. Sprinkling its blood and offering the sacrifice by burning. Offering bread. Sacrificing two rams. Then the descendent of Aaron would be separated from the people for seven days. And during those seven days, more animals would be sacrificed. And then the Aaronic priest would be reintroduced to the congregation.

How are LDS boys prepped for their duties in the Aaronic Priesthood? They turn 12 and are interviewed by their bishop.

Parts of the Tabernacle/Temple

The tabernacle/temple was composed of three parts (in one building)

• The outer court
• The inner court
• The Holy of Holies.

The outer court was for the gentiles. The inner court was for animal sacrifice, singing, and worship. And the Holy of Holies was separated from the rest of the building by a 5” thick veil.

The Holy of Holies and Its Significance

The Holy of Holies was an inner sanctuary in the tabernacle where God's presence dwelled. It could ONLY be parted once a year when the Aaronic high priest entered to offer a blood sacrifice on the Day of Atonement. Inside the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant, overshadowed by gold cherubs. Inside this Ark was a golden pot of manna, Aaron’s budding rod, the tables of the Law, and a golden censer.

Jesus and His Final Work

Before the high priest entered to offer the shed blood of an animal for the covering of sins for the people, he had bells attached to his robe and a rope tied about his waist so that in the event he died or passed out, he could be dragged out without defiling the sacred place of God. Now, what was the significance of all of this? It all pointed to Jesus and His final work. How? Let’s open up the phone lines and then I’ll give you the answers: (801) 973-tv20, 973-8820.

Read the Book of Hebrews in its entirety! But let me summarize: As the high priest was of the right lineage, Jesus was of the perfect lineage – He was God. As the high priest entered often to offer sacrifice for the people, Jesus entered once and for all. As the high priest entered into the place where God dwelled, Jesus now resides permanently in the Holy place, having offered the perfect sacrifice. As the veil once barred all men access to the throne of God, the veil was rent when Jesus died and now becomes Jesus' flesh.

Fulfillment in Jesus

From the table, the shewbread, the censur, the manna, and the Levitical priesthood; from the Mercy seat, the Ark of the Covenant, the tabernacle, the Holy of Holies, the veil, and the shed blood of every animal, ALL WAS FINISHED AND FULFILLED IN THE LIFE, DEATH, AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS. There is no need for a continuation of an Aaronic priesthood. There is no need for ritual and rites for salvation. All we need is faith in Jesus, our great and final high priest.

Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Heb 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

CONCLUSION

Alright, let’s go to the phones. Hey, we’d love to meet you face to face. Go to your pastor and suggest a Heart in your Church. Remember www.bornagainmormon.com. Next Week . . . The Melchizedek priesthood! See you here on . . . Heart of the Matter!