Evolved as Priests.
Did you see the movie Avatar? I highly recommend it. There is cast a new race of beings-very clever.
Did you know that God's idea of the Priesthood is that his family would evolve into a new race of Priests. A Priesthood Race of People.
Recently I received this:
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"…let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Garden of God." Revelation 2:7
A Nation of Priests The Kingdom Series - Part Three
by haRold Smith
from Jerusalem, Israel
"Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel." Exodus 19:5-6
"So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation - indeed you have tasted that YHVH is good. As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of YHVH chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to YHVH through Yahshua haMaschiach (the Messiah).
For it stands in Scripture: 'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.' (Isaiah 28:16, click on highlighted verse to see scripture) "So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.' (Isaiah 8:14) They stumble because they disobey the WORD (YHVH), as they were set in place to do.
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous Light. Once you were not a people, but now you are YHVH’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 1Peter 2:1-10 From the Beginning, the Plan and Purpose of YaHoVeH has been to have a Kingdom of Priests, wholly set apart and dedicated to serving Him alone. These Priests were to be a Holy Nation, a Holy Family bearing the image of His Name manifested in the attributes of that Name to the other nations of the world. This was to be a Family of Priests where each member, in his own right through the keeping of YHVH's Covenant, enjoyed this relationship of echad (the Hebrew word for One) with the Father of Life that, in and through them, might be shown forth the Light of His Life into the darkness that enslaved the rest of the world - a Light to the Nations. This Book (which we call the Bible) is the story, the chronology of YHVH's involvement with a peculiar people, a chosen race, born through the lineage created in the first Son, Adam, and culminating in the second Son, Yahshua, to accomplish that singular Purpose. The Kingdom of Elohiem (God), as depicted in the first installment of this series, is the restoration of the opportunity to enter into the relationship initially experienced in Gan Edan (Hebrew for the Garden of Eden) between the first son of YHVH, Adam, and the Source of Life. This relationship was to be the inheritance enjoyed by subsequent Sons birthed out of this union of echad - being One with the Father. The relationship manifested in the Garden was accomplished through a covenant agreement which resulted in being One with the Holy One of Israel. Therefore, the Kingdom of Elohiem should be considered to be any containment comprised of the Family of YHVH - the House of Israel (house, from the Greek word oikos meaning any fixed residence or abode, i.e., any building, palace or tabernacle holding the inhabitants of a family, a fold). Peter's remarks above were merely a restating of the initial Plan and Purpose of YHVH to those embracing the manifestation of His Attributes in their lives now restored through the Resurrected Life of His Second Son, Yahshua haMaschiach (the Messiah - notice that salvation in this passage is something we "grow up into" by coming into the Presence of YHVH, not something to be acquired or taken). There are three criteria for interpreting scripture and they all have to do with context - the actual contextual meaning contained in the individual words used, the context of the passage those words are encased in, and, finally, the context of the audience those words are spoken to. Most Christians read the passage from 1Peter above and believe it was written yesterday and is directed only to them when, in fact, the opening salutation of Peter's letter makes it clear who he is writing to: "To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia…" - the same people James addresses in the opening lines of his letter: "To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion…" They are both writing to the twelve Hebrew tribes of Israel who have embraced Yahshua as their Messiah and who have been scattered across the globe due to the horrific persecution of all Jews by the Roman Empire. There were no "Christians" around when these letters were penned. From the Resurrection through the next two hundred years or so, these believers in Yahshua as the Hebrew Messiah were considered a sect of Judaism known as haDerek Notzarim (Hebrew for the Way of the Nazarene referred to by the apostle Paul in Acts 24:14).
We must constantly be reminded that every letter in the Book was written by Hebrews from a Hebrew mindset out of a Hebrew culture to a Hebrew audience. Therefore, in scripture there are only two classifications of people - the Hebrew family of YHVH, know as the House of Israel and "other". These "others" are known as goyim (Hebrew for Gentiles) - the other nations. The term "Gentile believer" is an oxymoron (a concept that is made up of contradictory words) because to be a "Gentile" (from a Hebrew context) is to be a worshipper of pagan gods. A person is either a believer in the One True God of Israel OR they are a Gentile, an "other" - there is no middle ground. So, the context of Peter's letter was addressed to the "chosen race" of Hebrews - Jews who embraced Yahshua as the long-awaited Messiah of YaHoVeH. They were the "treasured possession" of the God of Creation to be a Kingdom of Priests. At the same time, any foreigner could be adopted into YHVH's family by embracing the standards of the family - obeying His Voice and keeping His Covenant. In that adoption, however, he was no longer considered a foreigner but a member of the family of Israel (as illustrated by the life of Caleb who was not born a Hebrew). Thus, the Holy Temple that held the Presence of YHVH and located in Jerusalem is described in Isaiah 56:7 as a "house of prayer for all nations", substantiating YHVH's Plan and Purpose. The definition of prayer has been described as "communication between two people who love each other" – an intimate relationship. Another way the Hebrew word for prayer, tephillah, is used is for the Psalms of David as a hymn or sacred song coming from the depth of the relationship David enjoyed with YHVH. The protocol for coming into the Presence of the Almighty in the Holy Temple is established in Psalm 100, requiring first that coming through the entry gates be accompanied with the sacrifice of thanksgiving on our lips - the acknowledgment of His Good in and for our lives. Then, we enter into His courts with the sacrifice of praise in our spirit - the affirmation of the fullness of His Provision actively at work in our lives. Only then do we find ourselves in His Presence as the singing of His Praises reverberates from the depth of our being into His welcoming ears. The outer courtyards of the Temple were open and welcoming to any and all throughout the nations who came to worship the One True God of Israel. However, with them came the culture, the customs and the traditions of those nations that often conflicted with the Holy Name - the Name set apart because of the distinguished character of His Nature. For many, this simple acknowledgment of the sovereignty of the Almighty while still clinging to the things of the world is as close as they ever came to the Present Presence. In order to come closer into the inner courtyard required becoming part of His Family - the image bearers of His Name. The inner courtyards of the Holy Temple were open only to the Family of Israel. Whether born naturally into that family or adopted, they were the ones who kept the covenant, the Commandments. Within the inner courtyards sat the Sanctuary (Hebrew, the Kodesh – meaning "holy"), open only to the Kohanim (Priests), those born from the lineage of the family of Levites. Within the Kodesh, was contained the Holy of Holies, into which only the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) entered once a year. While the Holy of Holies is the place of intimacy with YaHoVeH that has been restored for all to be able to access, the protocol by which His Presence is accessed has not changed. Christians have been taught that everything west of the book of Matthew has been done away with and replaced by a new order, but in Hebrews 7:12 the Greek word metatithemi used for "change" is the same word used a little further on for "translated". This passage is not saying that YHVH "replaced" Enoch; rather, it is stating that he was "changed" into a better Enoch - but still possessing the same character and attributes that made him pleasing to the Father to begin with. So it is with the Priesthood and with the Temple. In keeping with the transformative Nature of the Holy One of Israel, the Temple and the Priesthood have not been "replaced", but elevated into something better while still possessing the attributes exemplified with the former that made it acceptable to the Father. As we have seen, however, simply being a believer in the One True God does not automatically translate into priesthood and, thus, entrance into the Kodesh. Until Yahshua, entrance into the Priesthood was attained only by right of birth. The Priesthood spoken of in 1Peter above, however, is not that of the Levitical priesthood, as many assume; but is the priesthood embodied by Yahshua after the order, the manner of Malkiy-Tsedeq (Hebrew for Melchizedek) which means "King of Righteousness". We are not told much about Melchizedek except that he has no genealogy and that his introduction into scripture is as a servant, offering bread and wine. Likewise, the prayers of sacrifice offered by the priests within the Kodesh were not for themselves. Their prayers were offerings of sacrifice as servants to the Most High on behalf of the rest of the Family of YHVH. With Yahshua's Sacrifice as the kinsman redeemer to restore the Kingdom of Elohiem where each member of the Family is called to be a Priest in his own right, YaHoVeH translated the Priesthood out of the order of the Levites into the order of Melchizedek. He did not replace it - He made it better. YHVH's Resurrection of Yahshua caused Him to become the High Priest who now permanently resides in the Holy of Holies, seated at the right hand of the Father - not born of the lineage of Levi, but from the family of Judah (meaning Praise). Yahshua restored the relationship enjoyed in Gan Edan, opening the Way for all who are birthed of this same Spirit of Melchizedek. To those who embrace, who follow after the order of, i.e., those who practice the righteousness exemplified in Yahshua's Life of a servant of the One True God - these are the ones that are called into the Priesthood of Ruach haKodesh (Hebrew for the Holy Spirit) after the order, the fashion of that same Priesthood. The Priesthood embodied by Yahshua has then become the example, the chief cornerstone around which the rest of the abode of the family is to be constructed. With the translation of the Priesthood came the necessity for the translation of the Sanctuary within the Temple, the Kodesh. As with the Priesthood, however, it was not done away with - it was made better. By the baptism of (immersion into Ruach haKodesh (the Holy Spirit) the Temple has now been translated from a containment of stone into a containment of human vessels. Our bodies have become the Holy Temple and the inner chamber of our spirit is now the residence, the abode of the Holy One of Israel. What we, as Priests, are called to place a guard over, as it was in the beginning with Adam in Gan Edan, is the sanctity of His Name. It is in the Temple where the Father says to worship Him and it is from the inner chambers of the Sanctuary, the Kodesh, that worship is then personified by our behavior. The place of abode has been changed, translated and restored into something better but the manner of guardianship has remained the same.
"He stationed the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of YHVH so that no one should enter who was in any way unclean." 2Chronicles 23:19 The function of a Priest was to guard the Kodesh ("the Holy"), the habitation of YaHoVeH, from becoming contaminated by anything that was impure - to keep the vibrancy of His Name pure among the Family. This purpose can be seen from the beginning with the creation of Adam - to be, as described in Ezekiel 28:12-15, an anointed keruvb (Hebrew for cherub), the guardian of YHVH's purposes for righteousness. We tend to think of cherubs as angels with wings, but Ezekiel tells us that Adam was anointed as a cherub to guard (cover) the Garden, the embodiment of YHVH’s Name. He was to be the first of a family of keruvbim (anointed cherubs). But Adam chose to listen to the voice of another god than to the Voice of the Father, thus causing a separation from the intimacy of that relationship and necessitating the placement of a flaming sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life. That sword is the Word of YHVH contained in the Ten Commandments - a stumbling block to all who would not obey them. This has become the same stumbling block around which the now translated abode of YHVH is constructed.
"So the Torah (instruction in righteousness) is holy, and the Commandment is holy and righteous and good." the apostle Paul in Romans 7:12 The doorways, the gates to the inner courts of this translated Temple are the eyes, the ears and the thoughts of the mind. These gates are what connect the happenings and conduct of the outer courts of our bodies to the inner areas of our spirit. As Priests, as Gatekeepers, we have been given the Keys to the Kingdom by which we guard the entryways into the Holy of Holies. These doors are the key places in the Kingdom the Priests are called to guard. In the same way what food we consume through our mouths becomes a part of our body, the stuff we watch, listen to and think about affects the state of our spirit. This is why we are instructed, as Gatekeepers, as Priests, to keep them well - uncompromising and uncorrupted whatever the cost. How we choose to resist determines our worship - and our station within the courts of the Kingdom. Just how, then, do we resist? How do we guard the sanctity of His Name? The Hebrew word for "hear" is shama`. In Isaiah 1:19, however, this Hebrew word is also translated as "obedient". In Hebrew to hear IS to obey, to obey IS to hear. James 4:7. also speaks of this duality of action. In the same way hearing and obeying are the same action, it is IN the submission to the Commandments of YHVH that resistance to the devil occurs. Most become intimidated by the devil because we do not fully comprehend the Power YHVH has made available to us. The enemy does not attack the strongest, most fortified position in the fence, but the weakest - beginning in the same manner as he did with Eve, "…did God say?" Did God say to "obey My Voice and keep My Commandments?" in order to come into His Kingdom of Priesthood? Rather than fearing the attack, we should thank the Father for using the enemy to expose our weaknesses that we may work on strengthening them. Notice this verse from James does not say to submit to Yahshua, but to YHVH. We submit to the Father by obeying His Voice and keeping His Commandments - the same way Yahshua, as our example, did. This is how we keep the testimony of Yahshua The Authority we have been given is contained in the definition of the Greek word, ecksousia - the "power of choice". The power we have been afforded is to choose in any given moment what thoughts we allow to be pre-eminent in our mind. (Revelation 19:10, John 10:27-30, John 14:21-24, John 15:10).
"For although we do live in the world, we do not wage war in a worldly way; because the weapons we use to wage war are not worldly. On the contrary, they have God's power for demolishing strongholds. We demolish arguments, reasonings and every arrogant thought that raises itself up against the true knowledge of God; we take every thought and purpose captive to bring it into the obedience of the Way of the Messiah. And when you have become completely obedient, then we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience." 2Corinthians 10:3-6 This passage explains that the the battlefield we wage war upon is not in the world but in the mind - our thoughts. Thus, we find the necessity to put on the helmet of salvation and to take up the shield of faith to quench the fiery thoughts thrown at us on the battlefield of our mind. To have a thought is not a sin. Where sin enters in is when we choose to be enticed and are drawn away of our own natural desires. We resist by exercising the power to choose to take our thoughts captive and bring them into the obedience of the example of the Master, "keeping the testimony of Yahshua" - by obeying the Voice of the Father and keeping the Commandments. What thoughts do we take captive? Any thought that would exalt itself over the true knowledge of YHVH. Galatians 5:19-21 tells us explicitly what thoughts to guard against that results in behavior by which no one will enter the Kingdom. The demons of darkness that surround us have not, will not, nor will they ever overcome Light (John 1:5). Those demons only have as much power over us as we allow them to have by our choices of behavior. As we begin to embrace the Light of the Spirit of YaHoVeH and resist the influences of darkness, that darkness has no choice but to dissipate - not flee. The same way there is no struggle for light to become pre-eminent when a switch is thrown in a darkened room at night, the darkness in our soul dissipates when His Light is loosed within us. But, one must believe that the Father loves us and is faithful in this regard - regardless of what we see, of what we hear, of what we feel, or of what we think; to just believe YHVH is Good and wants to see us delivered more than we do. The Hebrew duality of action shows up again in the definition of "salvation" (to deliver) and "deliverance" (to save). To be delivered from darkness IS our salvation. As we submit to the Father by obeying His Voice and keeping His Commandments, we become His Temple of Light, we become the fence - first in our own lives and, subsequently for the sheep who have not yet learned how to erect their own fence. Are you afraid of darkness? The Father wants those who possess the Kingdom, who are the vessels bearing the Essence of His Name to BE the fence, the guardians of separation between Light and darkness - standing immovable and uncompromising in the face of darkness. When we choose to take part in any form of sexual fornication, sensuality of pornography, idols of covetousness or divisions over doctrines; we allow the carnality of our old nature to taint the Holy dwelling place within our spirit by compromising with the fleeting pleasures of the flesh. What Sha'ul (the apostle Paul) speaks of in this passage of Galatians 5 is merely an amplification of what is contained in the Ten Commandments. We deceive ourselves when we lay down our guard to allow these things to plunder the Sanctuary of His Temple and think we are immune to the consequences. It is by Yeshua's example of hearing/obeying the Commandments of the Father that keeps us in His Hand - His Fold. Anyone who would try to convince you otherwise is a plunderer. Over a period of time (and that space is determined by our resolve to live in the Light of His Presence), even our thoughts He is not going to do it for us, however - it does not just happen. Nowhere is scripture is it recorded that Yahshua healed or delivered any of the disciples. Rather, He empowered His disciples to heal and deliver others as He showed them how to cultivate Virtue in their lives as He did in His own Life. We have to own this revelation that we are a child of the King and possess the Kingdom. We have to want this Life He offers more than life itself. As we become Light, we will see that Life manifested, first in us and, subsequently, toward others, The Plan and Purpose of YHVH to have a Nation, a Family of Priests bearing His Image has never changed - it has never left the heart of the Father. Consequently, the necessity of the second son to be born was created by the disobedience of the first son in order to restore the Plan and fulfill the Purpose originally envisioned for the Family of YHVH. To believe in the One True God of Israel means to recognize the sovereignty of YHVH over all other gods by embracing the standards established within His Family AND to believe Yahshua haMaschiach (the Messiah) was sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel (lost because their birthright had been sold away through the disobedience of the first Son) as the only kinsman redeemer who was equipped with the ability to pay the ransom legally required to redeem, to buy back that lost inheritance (called a birthright). To believe He was sent to restore the access to Gan Edan - the Garden of Light, and to resume the Plan and Purpose initiated by the Father in the beginning - to extend the offering of His Light to the rest of the nations through and by way of, His Family with Yahshua being the first-born among many brethren. To Yahshua's Hebrew audience, this was the good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom of Elohiem. There is to be one sheepfold and one shepherd. Once we have come into obedience, then we are ready to join with others to bring that power of choice to bear as gatekeepers of the Kingdom. The gatekeeper is at once an individual and Israel, both representing the whole community which carries to its supreme point the purpose of the nation. By calling each person to enter individually into that purpose, it becomes the purpose of the nation and not merely the individual.
The Kingdom SeriesPart One: the Gospel Part Two: Gatekeepers Part Three: A Nation of Priests
"…until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom." Daniel 7:22
On A Personal Note Thank you for your interest in revisiting the recent interview I was invited to participate in and broadcast by satellite on God's Learning Channel. You may see the entire interview by clicking on the picture to the upper left
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: They shall prosper that love you." (Psalm 122:6)(prosper - from the Hebrew, "shalav", meaning "to be at rest") Please visit the website http://hethathasanear.com for other articles and videosor for information if you feel led to contribute to this ministry. Click here to watch the short movie Maranatha!.
Shalom Alechem B'Shem Yeshua HaMashiach. (Peace be unto you in the Name of Jesus the Messiah) haRold Smith Jerusalem • Israel http://hethathasanear.com harold@hethathasanear.com
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postscript:
Part of this is incorrect: of course it is recorded in scripture that Jesus healed -himself, not just empowering disciples to do it-many times. Mary Magdalene was a disciple and close follower and he cast seven demons out of her. So I have to say if a 'prophet' got that major thing wrong he has to be a false prophet-but some of the insights are worth considering, especially scriptural references. Jesus-cured a blind beggar, healed a man at the waters of bethesda, cast out demons from a demoniac (numerous times) raised Lazarus from death, cast demons from Mary Magdalene, etc....many many references to Jesus curing people. And of course he raised himself from the dead. Jesus did not need to 'cultivate' virtue in his own life in himself (as though he were a bad teenager at some point), he was virtue personified incarnate.
I know this is a long chewy passage but you have a four day holiday. Think about it.
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