Light is given to teach truth unto mankind; the power of the Lower and High Priesthoods is the foundation of the glory of Elohim.” -Book of Remembrance 15:3
We have been told there is one priesthood, and that it has been divided into two parts: the Lower or Levitical, and the High Priesthood (Hebrews 7:11, DoS 5b:1-9). Why this division? It is truly divided? And if it is, can we bridge these priesthoods back together?
The Secret Word
“This secret word, for it is as yet unknown to the world, is as milk and honey upon the tongues of the righteous.” -Book of Remembrance 15:4
The beginning of our journey to God is learning the secret of the Lord. This secret is revealed by Raphael to Adam and Eve (BoR 12:15-17, Romans 16:25) . That secret is simple: turn away from sin and to the path of teshuvah. Why is it secret? Because our perception must change to understand this principle (Romans 1:16-17, 19, 1 Corinthians 2:9-11). If we don’t know there’s a God we don’t understand there is sin. We can know right from wrong, but that’s not the same as understanding the reality of sin.
Sin is that which isn’t real. It’s denial of God and the creation. It’s not merely rejecting God, it’s the rejection of reality itself. After all, if God created everything and the creation created sin then sin is the rejection of that which was created, which is everything.
Because of this, only those awake in Christ, born again, see things with “new” eyes (Psalms 9:7-8, 119:18). Of course these eyes aren’t really new, as we’re actually retuning to the path we were on before we fell and were cast out of the garden. With these new eyes we can walk the path of teshuvah because we can see it. To everyone else, it is a wonder, a mystery (Mark 4:11-12).
The Low and the High
Once on the path we gain access to Grace: Mercy and Judgment. With the Grace we can stand the judgment. This is because we have humbled ourselves and are seeking correction (Proverbs 3:11-12) . The proud must always be right, but the humble seek constantly for true Wisdom and Knowledge. And that’s the secret.
Just as we’ve been divided from the world, the priesthood too has been divided. The Lower for the works of mankind and the Higher for the works of God. Does this make the Lower or Levitical worthless? No, because in the Lower God grants us authority to do his ritual works. These works represent us, the creation. We are baptized, buried with Christ, coming out of the water resurrected. We partake of the Communion in representation of the flesh and blood of Christ. We lay on hands to ordain our brothers and sisters to the priesthood. The Lower or Levitical priesthood represents the Earth.
The High Priesthood does the works of God (Hebrews 7:11-12). It is the High Priesthood that organizes the Creation, that which God has made. The High Priesthood blesses and heals, sets apart that which is created to do the works of the Lord, and preforms the miracles. This priesthood represents the Heavens.
Does this mean the Levitical Priesthood cannot preform miracles? No. It means that when one holding no priesthood keys or Levitical Priesthood keys preforms a miracle in God’s name, they are using the High Priesthood. They are, after all, one Priesthood, one power of God given unto mankind.
Remember, we are ordained by men and women to use priesthood keys in human organizations. But the True Church of Jesus Christ belongs to no man or woman. God may ordain and give power to anyone as He sees fit (1 Corinthians 12:11).
The Three Secrets Corresponding to the Law
“Be wise by opening the heart to this secret; for there are but three types of secrets: the secret of the journey, the secret of origins, and the secret of the laws of God.” -Book of Remembrance 15:18-19
To understand the priesthood we must understand the secrets of God. Raphael taught Adam and Eve the three secrets of the reverence of God. The first is the journey. We must see God in our path. God doesn’t come to us, He’s always there. We must understand this and come to God. That is to say, we must look for God’s hand in everything around us. Once we see and accept this fact we may begin our journey in teshuvah.
The second secret is the origin. How can we return to God, to the Creator, if we do not know that we came from God? This is why in Mormon Kabbalah we use the term “teshuvah” rather than “repentance.” We’re it turning away from sin, we’re waking up to reality. We’re not starting a new journey, we’re returning to our true and original path. God didn’t create us evil, we chose to become evil. And now we’re choosing to embrace our true selves in Christ.
The third secret is the Laws of God. In truth, there is but one Law: love God, love your neighbors (Book of Remembrance 15:27-30). Who is our neighbor? Everyone. Every part of the creation. In reality there are only two things: the Creator and the created. Just as the Creator is One, we—the created—must be one. In doing so we bring Heaven to the Earth, merging the two worlds, because in truth there is only one world. There is only the Creator.
One Priesthood
In mortality we see things as skewed, our perception is warped by our finite nature. When we read the story of Adam and Eve we read two people: Adam and Eve. In reality it is the story of two beings: ourselves and the Creator. That is to say, we have both male and female in us: the desire to bestow (male) and the will to receive (female). We are Adam and Eve. And, because we are the children of God, the Creator may dwell in us as well. This takes us beyond the children of God, making us the Children of Christ, or Christians.
Likewise, the two priesthood’s are united by the cause and effect, our desire to bless other (love thy neighbors, the desire to bestow) and their desire to accept God’s blessings (love God, the will to receive). One may divide the priesthood into a square in four quadrants: Levitical, High, male, and female. But in truth it’s is one priesthood: low and high, male and female, creating a circle rather than a square. In this regard the two priesthoods are one in purpose though dual in nature. The Low Priesthood isn’t low because it’s lesser but because it’s purpose is to prepare the Earth for the power of Heaven. The High Priesthood isn’t higher as in better, but the power of heaven brought to the earth, uniting the heavens and the earth as one: the sealing power. Once we understand this, we may begin to unite with God in the priesthood, using this power with both authority and grace.
“Write love in thy hearts, for reverence of the God of the heavens is in thy heart at all times… from love, understanding was created by the love and reverence; and a thousand generations come after from that love.” –Book of Remembrance 15:35, 42
