"And hast made us unto our God kings and priests..." -- BOTH!   Rev5:10, cp 1:6.  Tabernacle Colors: Exodus 28:4 These colors are recorded several times, and almost exclusively in the Book of Exodus. The Gold is sometimes left out, leaving just the blue, purple, and scarlet (or crimson). Gold Blue Purple Scarlet Special Clothing for Priests. Priests in the Old Testament wore distinctive clothing and they ministered daily in "the Holy Place" (also called the Tabernacle of the Congregation) sprinkling the precious anointing oil, and using censers containing hot coals to waft the smell of incense. The LORD told them that it would be a "Holy Anointing Oil" to them "throughout their generations". The point being, is that the CHILDREN's generations came to a conclusion when Jesus at Calvary said "It is finished", and mankind entered into the ADULT era. The Apostle Paul wrote: "Henceforth be ye NO MORE CHILDREN", Eph4:14. NO WINE! Specifically not for the priests in the tabernacle. Leviticus 10:8,9 "And the LORD spoke unto Aaron saying, DO NOT drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations." The New Testament puts it this way -- "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the spirit..." Eph5:18. We aren't under the Law anymore, and notice how scripture makes the contrast between alcohol and a spiritual intoxicant. Only the Levite's were allowed to be priests back in those days, and not even kings were permitted to usurp the duties of priests, as King Saul and King Uzziah learned to their shame. 1Sam13:12, 2Chr26:19. (By TWO it's established: Gen41:32). Unless you were BORN into the Tribe of Levi, you could not, NO WAY, be a priest! The mystery of what exactly King Saul did wrong wasn't explained in the immediate context, and this points up an important key to understanding Scripture: KEEP READING !!   If you're ever going to comprehend how Noah knew the difference between the clean and unclean animals, or why David picked up five stones but only used one, you musn't be fixated on the particular puzzling frustration.   Often the light will dawn later when you least expect it. And even then, if you had any blemishes or birth defects, it disqualified you from becoming a priest Lev21:21. Although scripture doesn't seem to address it specifically, I daresay that the pedophiles and child molesters of today would definitely have been rejected and probably stoned outright. Under the Covenant of Levi (the Hebrew Covenant: Malachi 2:8) the Kings were also advised against drinking wine or strong drink. Back then the duty of priests was separate from the duty of kings, but NEITHER of them were supposed to drink. Proverbs 31:4 -- "It is not for KINGS to drink wine...lest they drink and forget the Law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted". Too bad we don't recognize this Law in today's society--it might have prevented the current sex abuse scandal in the Catholic church. Guess who tells you it would be cute or smart or a good idea to get "fuzzy-headed" -- IT's NOT GOD ! The priests under the Old Covenant were FOOD HANDLERS! Cooks! They not only killed the animal sacrifices in a "kosher" manner (draining off the blood), but then they prepared that food for the benefit of themselves and all the people too. We shouldn't be surprised at finding wickedness among the ranks of the priests, because Eli the Priest, 1Sam2:34, had two evil sons who were priests, and we also know about the priests the sons of Aaron: Nadab and Abihu, who offered up "strange fire" to the Lord, Lev 10:1, and died as a result. Abraham20 - Isaac - Jacob - Levi These were the generations leading to the Priestly tribe of Israel. Levi was the 3rd son of Jacob&Leah, and he begat 3 sons: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. You had to be descended from one of these three sons in order to be a priest. Levi - Kohath - Amram - Aaron26 Aaron was the older brother of Moses and Mirium, and these were the generations leading to Aaron's designation as first Priest of Israel, Ex28:1, as well as his four sons : Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. The numbers here pertain to the generations from Adam. It was Caiaphas who was High Priest in Jesus' time, and we consider him wicked for accusing Jesus, but his prophecy in John 11:51 rings true, and without Jesus going to the Cross we'd still be in our sins. Now that we are in the New Covenant, the priestly line still requires a special birth--we must be BORN AGAIN! We still wear special clothing: the Garment of Praise, Robes of Righteousness, and the whole Armor of God. Don't leave home without 'em. Fancy clothing impresses mankind and religious spirits, but GOD looks on the heart! As "Ambassadors of Christ", 2Cor5:20, we try to look our best -- if you were designated ambassador to a foreign country, wouldn't you want those natives to have a good opinion of the U.S.? We still 'inspect' the Lamb (read the Word), for blemishes (a few stumbling blocks, perhaps), and Our Lamb (Jesus) is fully able to wash away all our sins. There is no better and no other sacrifice to present to the Almighty for our unrighteousness! In other words, it isn't the works or the character of the sinner which makes the difference: It depends upon the Lamb which they have chosen! You wouldn't choose a black-sheep, would you? Now it's our PRAYERS which are the incense to GOD, and it's the Word of God, the Living Water of the Bible, with which we "sprinkle" the flock. Or, hopefully, immerse them in. We ARE the temple of the Holy Ghost! 1Cor3:16. The New Testament explains what the Old Testament contains! STRANGE FIRE ? -- Well, the "new fire" is the fire of the tongue that came down at Pentecost (see also the Book of James 3:6), but it seems to me that whenever the Scripture is violated, it's like offering "strange fire" unto the Lord. Good thing that "his mercy endureth forever" and that we're now under the New Covenant which is established upon better promises. Heb8:6. YES, the New Testament priests are food handlers too! This is the Bread for the Head that we eat with our eyes and ears, and this is the Living Water for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. It comes from the Bible--it's the Spiritual Food for those who progress from the "milk of the Word" to the "meat of the Word", 1Cor3:2, and avail themselves of the "power to become the Sons of God"! John 1:12. YES! We are Kings as well as Priests in this New Covenant. "Unto Him (Jesus) that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and has made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever". Rev 1:5, also 4:10. King Saul and King Uzziah were punished for taking on the duties of a priest, but we are able, because Jesus DID! He's not only our High Priest--he's the King of Kings as well! Hear the Word of the LORD from Malachi chapter two: "And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of Hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already because ye do not lay it to heart. For the Priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the Law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused MANY to stumble at the Law; ye have corrupted the Covenant of Levi, Mal 2:8, saith the Lord of Hosts. A veil was between the Two Holy Places, and the High Priest went into the Most Holy Place once a year to make atonement for the sins of the people. Lev16. That high-priest of the Old Covenant used the blood of animals, but now Jesus used his own blood and the veil was opened, signifying that FINALLY we could all enter into the New Covenant! Jesus is a High "king-priest" of the order of Melchizedek (a major cut above the Levitical type!) and he wants us for brothers! Heb7:1. Were there two (2) veils? Hebrews 9:2,3 seems to read that way: "For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all.." There were two holy places, but the existence of a second veil is highly suspect. "The veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom". Mk15:38.   Which veil, I wonder, if there were two?   And Exodus 26:31 gives instruction for building the veil that was rent when Jesus paid the price, and initiated the New Covenant. Use of the article "the" veil implies just one; the one which separated the two holy places and was torn after Jesus yielded up the Ghost. Matt27:50. HUNGRY? Jeremiah 3:14 "Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I AM MARRIED TO YOU; and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: and I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall FEED YOU WITH KNOWLEDGE and understanding.     Not just with sprinkling and incense and fancy clothes. The New Covenant reveals what the Old Testament conceals! Melchizedek - The first "king-priest".   BOTH. Melchisedec The New Testament brings these two offices together--we can be Kings as well as Priests! Kings do just whatever they like--they can be architects or farmers or surgeons or even lawyers, just so long as they pay homage (honor and obey) to the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ, and walk in love as He commanded. As Kings, we can be the best in our fields (and the Lord will help us) -- we can be the head and not the tail! It probably won't happen immediately: scripture says "little by little" you'll be increased, Ex23:30, so you'll have to walk-the-walk of faith with patience. Hang in there--Jesus did! Truly a Mystery! He's spelled with a 'z' and a 'k' in the Hebrew Old Testament, but with an 's' and a 'c' in the Greek New Testament. He's found only in three places in the Bible: in Genesis 14:18 he appears suddenly, without benefit of any genealogy data, bringing the bread and wine, and described as both a priest and a king. Then in Psalms 110:4 David writes "thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek". Apparently not like the regular Levitical priesthood. It must be noted here that a thousand years (10 centuries) had elapsed since we had first glimpsed the meager info about Melchizedek in Gen14. Not only that, but then another thousand years goes by before the scripture speaks of him again, in the book of Hebrews, chapters 5,6, and 7. JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT! Some Bible scholars refer to these mysterious appearances in the Old Testament as "epiphanies" or "theophanies" or "Christophanies" (manifestations of Jesus) and compare Melchizedek with the man who wrestled with Jacob (Gen32:24), the man with the drawn sword who appeared to Joshua (Josh5:13), the fourth man in the fiery furnace (Dan3:25), and the three men who appeared to Abraham in Gen18. Clearly, the King-Priest Melchizedek in the Old Testament was a harbinger of the time (after Calvary) when believers could become both kings and priests unto the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, JESUS! The Old Testament is full of stories about kings: good ones, bad ones, sick ones, strong ones, and the New Testament tells us about the spiritual "kingdom". To be a king, you had to be "born" of a king, and so Jesus tells us "You must be born again" if you expect to enter into the spiritual kingdom. Hindsight shows us how Scripture was teaching the sacrament of bread and wine in that first cameo appearance of Melchizedek in Genesis. Now we celebrate communion and break the Bread of Life whenever we open and study God's Word; and when we ask and receive the fullness of the Living Water from the person of the Holy Spirit, Jesus will still do his first miracle of turning our water into wine! Be filled to the brim! It's the New Testament "cup", 1Cor11:25, which the King-Priest-Saints raise today -- we're now "redeemed from the curse of the Law, Galatians 3:13, and now we have all sixty-six (66) books from Genesis to Revelation. Jesus is the Author and the Finisher of our Faith! Heb 12:2. When the religious heirarchy came to the Garden of Gethsemane to apprehend Jesus, they apparently didn't know what he looked like--evidentally his appearance wasn't out of the ordinary because Judas had to identify Him by kissing him. For a reward of 30 pieces of silver, Judas Iscariot, the betrayer (Matthew 26:16, Mark 3:19), had told the Pharisee's and Sadducee's where they could locate Jesus. He told them "Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; hold him fast."   He wasn't wearing a flowing robe or special clothing -- so the traitor identified him with a kiss!     And so it is today when they kiss the ring or hand or foot and simultaneously ignore and defy the very Scriptures they claim to support. For shame! Got on your spiritual garments?   Your prayers a sweet smell to God? Is your body (vessel) a Holy tabernacle (temple), and you a teetotaler? Jesus paved the way for us to enter into the Most Holy Place!   Hallelujah! "Great peace have they which love thy Law, and nothing shall OFFEND them", Ps119:165. Now if you're one who likes to take a little nip now and then, it's OK by me. However, I'm not the one you're trying to please, or set a good example. After Jesus had criticized the religious leaders in Matthew 15, his disciples said unto him "Knowest thou that the Pharisees were OFFENDED at what you said?", and Jesus responded "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch". Mt15:14.

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Last modified 27 July 2009 by Bob Smith.