This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:19-20.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Jesus was on the cross during the course of just one day, but that day saved you forever, He was on earth as one like you for just 33 years, but those years showed you who I am to you and all you need to know about life and godliness, but since the time I raised Him from the dead He is your High Priest forever according to the Oder of Melchizedek.
The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:23-25.
This is a perpetual office so you know it is of high importance to you and to Me. It is the completion of all the good work He began in you to bring you all to perfection in Him as My royal priesthood.
Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:5-6.
Whatever Jesus does, He shares with you. I have given Him to you so you may live your life through Him. You share His anointing as His body. Just as Aaron, the first anointed High Priest, did with his priest sons. But Aaron sinned and so did his sons. But Jesus is your perfect High Priest. He is holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens. He became one like you and was tempted in every way you are but never sinned.
Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. Hebrews 2:17-18.
He emptied Himself of His powers as God and descended to earth, being birthed in flesh in the virgin’s womb by the imperishable seed of My Word spoken and performed by the Spirit. And thus, My Word became flesh and dwelt among you. And He came to serve you and not to be served, to give His life to pay your judgment before Me and satisfy your just sentence of condemnation. He indeed is your faithful High Priest.
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:11-12.
And He has emptied Himself and poured it all into you.
He is worthy to offer sacrifice and prayers for you, for He has put His own eternal blood upon the mercy seat to gain you an eternal redemption. There is no condemnation now for you who are in Christ Jesus. For the sinless, unblemished Lamb became sin for you so that in Him you become righteous with My own righteousness, and there is no higher righteousness than Mine.
He bore your punishment because He received all your sins into His flesh but personally, He had no sin, and that is why He could be your scapegoat. And if you recall it was the High Priest each year that put all the sins of the people and the nation on the head of the scapegoat to die outside the camp.
He does not need daily, like the high priests of the Old Covenant, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself as the Lamb that takes away all the sins of the world for every person ever born. For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but by My word of the oath, which came after the Law, I appointed and anointed My Son, made perfect forever as your great High Priest to offer Himself for you and in turn give you a way to Me. Hebrews 7:26-28.
He went to the dust of death for you, the chastisement that gives you perfect wholeness in every area of your life, that is, SHALOM, fell on Him and crushed Him, so that His body became your bread and His blood your wine, but I raised Him up, and you with Him, on the third day.
Come, and let us return unto the LORD; for He hath torn Him, and He will heal us; He hath struck Him, and He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day, He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD; His going forth is prepared as the dawn; and He shall come unto us as the early and the latter rain unto the earth. Hosea 6:1-3.
The concept of priests is from Me and holds much meaning and symbolism of a relationship whereby you become My representatives and My intercessors. The priests were My portion and I was their portion and so it still is today.
I introduced the office of the High Priest that was of preeminence among his brethren with Aaron, the brother of Moses of the tribe of Levi, when I placed him in that office. And I will explain to you why it was him and what it reveals to you after that.
This was not the first time I introduced the concept to My people of being My royal priesthood, in fact, I asked them all to be My royal priesthood and know My voice and keep My Word but when they would not, but instead rejected Me and My Words to worship a golden calf that they had made, right after they had witnessed My glory, I chose only one tribe for My priests. And later another tribe for My kings. And I will discuss this with you in later Life Lessons. But now just look at an overview of what I entrusted to the High Priest.
The most significant and unique role of the High Priest was that he was the primary intermediary between Me and the people. He spoke to Me about the people and He spoke to the people about Me. I brought him into a place of nearness and oneness with Me where others could not go. The High Priest was the only one of the priests and the Levites, indeed of all the people, that could enter into My presence in the Holy of Holies to intercede and make atonement for the people and hear My messages for them. He obtained My favor upon the people despite their sins by making atonement for them by the blood of the sacrifices. He was the one who offered the morning and evening offerings of the unblemished lamb, the unleavened bread and the hin of wine as a drink offering. The shadows of the substance that was to come in Jesus were already in place. And one shadow that took substance in Jesus was the High Priest himself.
The High Priest officiated on the Day of Atonement. Once a year, on Yom Kippur, the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the sins of the people. And the High was responsible for offering daily and special sacrifices on behalf of the nation.
To show the ministry of the High Priest and to set Him apart and demonstrate this role, I designed very special garments for him to wear that were for glory and beauty, including the breastplate with twelve precious engraved stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel from whom all My people were descended, thus including the head of the tribe and their issue as represented upon his heart. This symbolized his role as mediator between Me and the people as he held the people constantly upon his heart before Me.
When I gave Moses the plan for the Tabernacle, whose floor plan and furnishings match the appointed times of the sacred feasts on the divine timeline of salvation and the plan of redemption to oneness with Me in Jesus, from the bronze altar to the Holy of Holies, as part of that plan I gave Moses the design and instructions for the garments of My High Priest:
You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me. Exodus 28:2-3.
These garments and the various gemstones and arrangement upon the breastplate and the stones on chains on the shoulders have very significant meanings that are fulfilled in Jesus. And they were gloriously radiant and beautiful. Being woven with red, blue, purple, and white linen with golden threads throughout. We will be looking at these in greater detail in the following lessons, even as seen the book of Revelation.
The High Priest also oversaw the Temple’s operations and the work of other priests. They were to serve him and help him with ministering to the people.
The High Priest later presided over the highest Jewish court, the Sanhedrin. This was the court that condemned Jesus and the High Priest of that day made the final verdict against Him as he stepped back into the shadows and the substance stepped forth in Jesus.
The High Priest consulted the Urim (lights) and Thummim (perfections) in reading My instructions and solutions from the breastplate to discern My will in important matters.
The High Priest had the authority to pronounce blessings upon the people and the nation with very particular words that I gave to Moses for Aaron.
The High Priest and his priest sons was required to adhere to strict rules of ceremonial cleanliness and holiness. He was set apart and consecrated as holy unto Me.
“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and shall engrave on it, like the engravings of a seal, ‘Holy to the LORD.’ You shall fasten it on a blue cord, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban. It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall take away the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate, with regard to all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. Exodus 28:36-38.
The High Priest lit the Menorah (the golden lampstand) that was to be always burning before Me, he burned incense to enter the Holy of Holies on the golden altar of incense, and saw to the changing of the bread of the presence in the Holy Place.
Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it [the golden altar of incense]; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. When Aaron trims the lamps at [j]twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. Exodus 30:7-8.
I love you. There are strangely wonderful things here, things that you also see in Heaven. And the golden altar of incense is there before Me with your prayers coming like incense before Me on that altar and the lifting of your hands in praise for the good things of your day and night like the evening sacrifice, a sweet smelling aroma before Me.