Adam When?

    With the coming of Christ, the Aaronic priesthood ceased physically. It was a change of such consequence that in a real sense the Aaronic priesthood ended with Christ’s coming, even though in another sense it does continue everlastingly through Christ. Because the priesthood of Christ was a better priesthood than that of Aaron, and in fact, fulfilled all of the purposes and functions of the Levitical priesthood, it guaranteed the continuance of the priesthood until the end of the age and on into eternity. It is very helpful to note that in the account of the perfect temple given in the last eight chapters of Ezekiel, the Levitical priest named is not Aaron but Zadock. The meaning of Zadock is the same as that of Zadek or Melchizedek. It means righteous. This priest of Ezekiel can, therefore, be none other than Christ, who is portrayed as the head of the Levitical priesthood in the new heaven and earth. Therefore, God shows that while Christ was physically a descendant of Judah, He says in Hebrews 7:14:

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

    While His priesthood is an eternal one after the order of Melchiedek, it does satisfy the prophesy of the Levitical priesthood continuing eternally. In the Old Testament it was prophesied that the Israelites would be a kingdom of priests if they obeyed God. We read in Exodus 19:5-6:

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

    The Israelites were condemned by the law as the Book of Romans clearly teaches, thus precluding a priesthood by virtue of physical descent from Aaron. It was Christ who became the high priest ruling

over a kingdom of priests who brought the fulfillment of this promise as He provided atonement for our sins and made us righteous before God.

    I Peter 2:9:

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

    Revelation 1:5-6:

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

    The promise that the Levitical priesthood would be an everlasting priesthood as well as the promise that those who obeyed would be priests, therefore, both find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. This is true of all the Old Testament laws that deal with the sacrifices which were to continue everlastingly (Levitical 16:34, Levitical 24:3) and which do so in Jesus Christ.

    It is interesting to note that Elizabeth, the cousin of Jesus’s mother, Mary, was of the daughters of Aaron (Luke 1:5). One could easily surmise then that while Joseph was a direct descendant of David, as was Mary on her father’s side, on her mother’s side she was a descendant of Levi, as was her cousin Elizabeth. Thus, in this manner Christ could have been a direct descendant of Levi, though this is not the force of the argument in Hebrews 7.

    In any case, the obvious teaching of the Bible is that the generation of the Aaronic priesthood continued by physical descent until Christ came. Christ legitimately, by virtue of his priesthood, was the representative of the next patriarchal period in which we live.