Tag Archives: Jesus Christ

Jesus as God, Jesus Christ, Theology

Did Jesus Claim to be God? Part 4

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Post Author: Bill Pratt 

There are at least six ways that Jesus claimed to be God.  The third way is that Jesus Claimed to Be Messiah-God.  Again, I will draw heavily from Norman Geisler’s Volume 2 of his Systematic Theology series.

There are indications in the Old Testament that the prophesied Messiah would be divine.  When Jesus, therefore, confirmed that he was the Messiah, he was also equating himself to God.

Even the Qur’an recognizes that Jesus was the Messiah (Sura 5:17, 75). The Old Testament teaches that the coming Messiah would be God Himself, so when Jesus claimed to be that Messiah, He was also claiming to be God. For example, the prophet Isaiah (in 9:6) calls the Messiah “Mighty God.” The psalmist wrote of the Messiah, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever” (Ps. 45:6; cf. Heb. 1:8). Psalm 110:1 records a conversation between the Father and the Son: “The Lord says to my Lord [adonai]: ‘Sit at my right hand.’ ” Jesus applied this passage to Himself in Matthew 22:43–44.

But there is even further evidence of the connection between Jesus, Messiah, and God.

In the great messianic prophecy of Daniel 7, the Son of Man is called the “Ancient of Days” (7:22), a term used twice in the same passage of God the Father (Dan 7:9, Dan 13). Jesus also said He was the Messiah at His trial before the high priest. When asked, “ ‘Are you the Christ [christos, Greek for “Messiah”], the Son of the Blessed One?’ ” Jesus said, “ ‘I am … And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ The high priest tore his clothes. ‘Why do we need any more witnesses? … You have heard the blasphemy’ ” (Mark 14:61–64). There was no doubt that in claiming to be Messiah (see also Luke 24:27; Matt. 26:56), Jesus also claimed to be God.

There are three more ways that Jesus claimed to God:

  1. Jesus Claimed to Be God by Accepting Worship.
  2. Jesus Claimed to Have Equal Authority with God.
  3. Jesus Claimed to Be God by Requesting Prayer in His Name.

We will cover these in the next few posts.

Jesus as God, Jesus Christ, Theology

Did Jesus Claim to be God? Part 3

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Post Author: Bill Pratt 

There are at least six ways that Jesus claimed to be God.  The second way is that Jesus Claimed to Be Equal with God. Again, I will draw heavily from Norman Geisler’s Volume 2 of his Systematic Theology series.

Jesus claimed the prerogatives of God several times in the gospels.

He said to a paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5ff.). The scribes correctly responded, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” So to prove that His claim was not an empty boast, He healed the man, offering direct proof that what He had said about forgiving sins was true also.

Jesus also claimed the prerogative to raise the dead and to judge the dead, things that only God could do, according to the Old Testament.
“I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live … and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” (John 5:25, 29). He removed all doubt about His meaning when He added, “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it” (John 5:21). The Old Testament clearly teaches that only God is the Giver of life (1 Sam. 2:6; Deut. 32:39) and the one to raise the dead (Ps. 2:7) and the only Judge (Joel 3:12; Deut. 32:36). Jesus boldly assumed for Himself powers that only God has.
Jesus also claimed that he should be honored as God.
He said that all men should “honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him” (John 5:23). The Jews listening knew that no one should claim to be equal with God in this way, and again they wanted to kill Him (John 5:18).
We continue to build the case for the deity of Jesus.  We have four more lines of evidence to present, so please stick with us.
Jesus as God, Jesus Christ, Theology

Did Jesus Claim to be God? Part 2

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Post Author: Bill Pratt 

There are at least six ways that Jesus claimed to be God.  First, Jesus Claimed to Be Yahweh, or the God of the Old Testament.  I will draw heavily from Norman Geisler’s Volume 2 of his Systematic Theology series, so when you see quotes, that is where they are from.

So how did Jesus claim to be Yahweh?  First, let’s look at the background of the Old Testament usage of “Yahweh.”

Yahweh (YHWH) or Jehovah is the special name given by God for Himself in the Old Testament. It is the name revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14, when God said, “I am who I am.” While other titles for God may be used of men (adonai [Lord] in Genesis 18:12) or false gods (elohim[gods] in Deuteronomy 6:14), Yahweh is only used to refer to the one true God. No other person or thing was to be worshiped or served (Ex. 20:5), and His name and glory were not to be given to another. Isaiah wrote, “Thus saith Jehovah … I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God” (Isa. 44:6 ASV), and, “I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory I will not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images” (42:8 ASV).

So, the name of God in the Old Testament was exclusive to him.  He did not share it with anyone else.  How, then, did Jesus refer to himself?

Jesus prayed, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began” (John 17:5—this is an obvious claim for Christ’s deity, for Jehovah of the Old Testament said, “My glory will I not give to another” [Isa. 42:8 NKJV]).

Jesus also declared, “I am the First and the Last” (Rev. 1:17)—precisely the words used by Jehovah in Isaiah 44:6.

He said, “I am the good shepherd,” (John 10:11), and the Old Testament said, “Jehovah is my shepherd” (Ps. 23:1 ASV).

Further, Jesus claimed to be the judge of all men (John 5:27ff.; Matt. 25:31ff.), and Joel quotes Jehovah as saying, “There I will sit to judge all the nations on every side” (Joel 3:12).

Likewise, Jesus spoke of Himself as the “bridegroom” (Matt. 25:1f.) while the Old Testament identifies Jehovah in this way (Isa. 62:5; Hosea 2:16).

While the psalmist declares, “Jehovah is my light” (Ps. 27:1 asv), Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

Perhaps the strongest claim Jesus made to be Jehovah is in John 8:58, where He says, “Before Abraham was born, I am!” This statement claims not only existence before Abraham, but equality with the “I am” of Exodus 3:14. The Jews around Him clearly understood His meaning and picked up stones to kill Him for blaspheming (cf. John 10:31–33). The same claim is also made in Mark 14:62 and John 18:5–6.

Again and again and again, Jesus compared himself to Yahweh, the one and only God of Israel.  If we stopped here, this would be strong evidence that Jesus thought of himself as God, but we are only through the first of six sets of evidence.  Stay tuned for more!!

Cross, Mormonism

Why Do Mormons Hide the Cross? Part 1

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In LDS chapels you will typically find paintings commissioned of Mormon artists and in their Temples you will find different symbols, from sunstones to inverted stars.  However, one of the items you will never find displayed is a cross.  On the LDS Church website they provide the following explanation for the absence of the cross.

“As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we also remember with reverence the suffering of the Savior. But because the Savior lives, we do not use the symbol of His death as the symbol of our faith.”

While I respect this explanation, I find it in stark contrast to what The Bible has to say about the cross.  As Christians we rejoice in the cross of our Savior.  For upon it He paid the price for our sins, provided a path to God and made all things new.  Through it He became the mediator of a New Covenant.  The cross represents new life and is the tool by which Christ closed the gap between God and man.  Without His sacrifice upon the cross mankind would be doomed.  The New Testament speaks repeatedly about the wonder and redemptive power of the cross.  Here are few passages which speak of the cross.

 1 Cor 1:18  “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

Galations 6:14 “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

Ephesians 2:16  “…and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.”

Colossians 1:20  “…and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

Colossians 2:14  “…having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.”

Colossians 2:15  “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

Given the way The Bible speaks of the cross, one can see why Christians display it as a symbol of our faith.  We turn to it with awe and reverence realizing the magnificent sacrifice of our Lord, God and Savior.  I continually marvel at the love of Christ displayed upon the cross as expressed in Romans 5:8.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

I cannot understand why the LDS Church shys away from the cross yet readily displays pagan symbols upon their Temples… the sun, moon, beehive, hand grip, and inverted stars.  Most of these symbols were carried over into Mormonism from the masons and have occultic significance.  Many amateur Mormon apologists make the argument some of these symbols were adopted into occultic worship after they were placed on the temple.  That is a debatable point but has nothing to do with my argument.  I am simply asking why it is alright to place a symbol which is not even mentioned in scripture upon the temple but it is not okay to place the cross?  The cross is spoken of repeatedly in scripture with awe and reverence yet the pagan symbols are strangely absent from scripture.  There seems to be some disconnect here and their explanation is rather lacking.

Further to my point, some of the past LDS leaders have spoken rather disparagingly about the use of the cross as a symbol of Christianity.  Past LDS prophet Joseph Fielding Smith had this to say.

“We may be definitely sure that if our Lord had been killed with a dagger or with a sword, it would have been very strange indeed if religious people of this day would have graced such a weapon by wearing it and adoring it because it was by such a means that our Lord was put to death.”  Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol. 4, pp. 17-18.

The problem with Mr. Smith’s criticism…  the cross is spoken of repeatedly by the apostles of Jesus Christ with awe and reverence.  It is the means by which God Himself chose to redeem mankind.  Personally, I am fine with using it as a symbol of my faith and will choose to stay away from the sunstone, moon and inverted star.

In my next post I will talk about how the LDS Church takes the emphasis off of the cross and places it in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Darrell

Jesus as God, Jesus Christ, Theology

Did Jesus Claim to be God? Part 1

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Post Author: Bill Pratt 

A foundational issue for Christianity is the question of whether Jesus claimed to be God and whether his disciples understood him to be claiming he was God.  This series of posts will examine the first question and we will follow this series with the question of the disciples.

Here are the topics we will cover:

  1. Jesus Claimed to Be Yahweh.
  2. Jesus Claimed to Be Equal with God.
  3. Jesus Claimed to Be Messiah-God.
  4. Jesus Claimed to Be God by Accepting Worship.
  5. Jesus Claimed to Have Equal Authority with God.
  6. Jesus Claimed to Be God by Requesting Prayer in His Name.

We will cover passages that expound upon each of the above claims and try to build a solid basis for the deity of Jesus.

Why is this topic important?  Because it is a central teaching of Christianity, and if it is not true, then Christianity is false.  But worse than that, the deity of Christ is one of the key elements of our salvation.  If Jesus is not God, then we have no reconciliation with God.  If a mere man died on the cross and was resurrected, then our sins are not forgiven and we will perish.

The gospel that the early church taught, in its simplest form, was the deity, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Without the deity of Jesus, there is no gospel.

I hope you’ll follow this series and be astounded at all the ways the NT claims Jesus is God.  It should be eye-opening!

Salvation

Does the Bible Teach That There Are Many Ways to Eternal Life?

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I have written on this topic before, but it deserves more ink.  Sometimes another person says something so well, that I just need to get out of the way and direct our readers to them.  Greg Koukl, of Stand to Reason, does a fantastic job addressing several aspects of this question in a recent publication.  It’s a few pages long, but I plead with you to read it, as there is a lot of truth packed into it.

Bottom line:  The New Testament only teaches that Jesus is the path to salvation.  That alone should drive our evangelism.  There may be other ways to heaven, but the Bible doesn’t go there.  Instead of guessing what might be, let’s go with what we know.

If you care to, let me know what you think of what Koukl says.

Faith and Works

"For Not The Hearers Of The Law Are Just Before God…"

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Romans 2:13 says:

“For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” (KJV)

A few years back I was listening to an LDS General Authority talk about how we need to do more… a better job with our home teaching, visiting teaching, magnifying our callings, etc.   To support his point he quoted Paul… ” Brothers and Sisters we need to lengthen our stride and do more.  If we don’t are we really doing our duty as members of the church?  We must do more!  As Paul says ‘For not the hearers of the law are just before God but the doers of the law shall be justified.'”   In a recent comment on The Book of Mormon… Another Testament Tom linked to an article written by LDS General Authority Elder Christofferson here [link no longer works].  In his article Elder Christofferson used this quote from Paul in a similar manner in an effort to emphasize the necessity for good works to enter Heaven.

To be classed among the truly penitent, random acts of obedience will not be adequate. We must properly enter into the covenants and persist in keeping them to the point that our expectation of salvation is affirmed by the Holy Spirit of Promise (see D&C 132:7, 19). It is not simply the promise of obedience in our contracts with Deity that brings grace, but the performance of our promises: “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Rom. 2:13).

What I find most disturbing is the context in which these General Authorities used this passage.  The fact of the matter is they are quoting Paul completely out of context.  Looking at the first three chapters of Romans closely one can see that Paul was not using this passage to emphasize the need for good works.  Instead Paul was using this passage to point out how no one can do enough good works to enter Heaven because no one will ever be able to keep the whole law.

In chapters 1 – 3 Paul builds his case for the depravity of mankind – both Gentile and Jew.  In 1:29-32 he sums up the state of the Gentiles.

29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,  30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

In chapter 2 Paul talks about the state of the Jew.  In verse 12 he tells us:

12For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law

The Jews, who have been given the law, will be judged by the law.  What must they do to keep the law?  That is the question Paul answers in verse 13.

For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

They have to be doers of the law!  How much of the law?  Will they be OK if they keep 90% of it?  How about 99% of it?  James gives us a clear answer.

10For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Unless one keeps the whole law they are guilty of breaking it all.  Can anyone keep the whole law?  Can anyone stop sinning?  Paul tells us just a few verses later in Romans Chapter 3 that the answer is clearly no.

10As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.  13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:  14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:  15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. 19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

The next verse is one of my favorites because it tells us what the purpose of the law is.

20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

The purpose of the law is to convict us of how bad we really are.  No one can keep all the commandments.  No one is perfect.  The law acts a perfect mirror to tell us just how bad we are and in 3:9 Paul tells us the state that we are all in.

“we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin”.

So what are we to do?  Can we ever get out of this situation?  Fortunately in 3:23-28 Paul gives us the most glorious answer:

21But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;  22Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:  23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;  26To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.  27Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.  28Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. (Emphasis mine)

Romans 2:13 is not given to convict us that we need to do more or work harder.  Those who use it in this manner are lifting it out of context and are using it to support a false works based theology.   Rather the verse is there to tell us that we cannot work hard enough to be saved.  For no matter how hard we work we will always fall short.  We instead need to turn to Jesus Christ and trust in Him for our salvation.  It is a free gift  to all who believe!  By so doing we will be justified freely by His grace without the deeds of the law.  All praise be to Christ!

Darrell

Jesus Christ, Mormonism, YHWH

Who Is This Jesus?

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The more I research, study and compare Christianity with Mormonism the more convinced I become that the paramount difference between these two faiths surrounds their teaching on the nature of Jesus Christ.  Who is this Jesus?  Is He God Himself or is He the first born spirit son of God the Father?  Has Jesus always existed as God or is He a being formed from eternal matter who then grew to become a God? 

It is interesting to look at the New Testament to see what claims Jesus made about Himself.  Looking at these claims and then comparing them to what the Old Testament teaches about God helps us to see just who Jesus declared Himself to be.  Here are a few examples:

1.  In John 10:11 Jesus teaches that He is “the good shepherd”.  Yet, in Psalms 23:1 God teaches us that “the Lord is [our] shepherd”.  Jesus was telling us that He is “the Lord” or Yahweh.

2.  In Revelations 1:17 we are taught that Jesus is “the first and the last”.  Yet, in Isaiah 44:6 we are taught that the Lord Almighty is the first and the last and apart from Him there is no God.   Jesus was telling us that He is the Lord Almighty and apart from Him there is no God. 

3.  In Matthew 25:1 Jesus gives the parable of the brides and bridegroom.  He teaches that He is the bridegroom and we (His church) are His bride.  Yet in Isaiah 62:5 God tells us that He is our bridegroom.  Another claim by Christ to be God.

4.  In John 8:12 Jesus taught “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  Yet in Psalms 27:1 the Psalmist taught “The Lord is my light”.  Jesus  claims again to be  Yahweh/God.

5.    In John 8:56-59 Jesus declared Himself to be “I Am” when he said “before Abraham was born, I Am.”  When He declared this the Jews tried to stone Him because they knew exactly what He was saying.  In Exodus 3:12-14 God tells Moses His name… “I AM WHO I AM”.  In John Jesus was declaring Himself to be God and that is why the Jews tried to stone Him.

6.  In John 17:5 Jesus asks God the Father for the Glory that was His before the world began… God’s glory.  In addition, numerous times throughout the New Testament Jesus accepts worship from those around Him… thereby accepting the glory that is rightfully God’s.  Yet in Isaiah 42:8 God tells us that He “will not give [His] glory to another”.  How could Jesus receive glory that God Himself tells us He will not give to another unless Jesus Himself was God?

It is fairly obvious from these comparisons that Jesus was telling us exactly who He is.  He made specific references to the Old Testament claims about God and applied those claims directly to Himself.  This is, after all, why He was crucified.

At this point a Mormon may say “Well, that is fine with me because I believe Jesus was the God of the Old Testament.  That is what the LDS Church teaches after all.”  Unfortunately, this line of reasoning creates a problem for Mormons.  As I pointed out in the YHWH and Mormonism post God tells us on several occasions in the Old Testament that “He is God, there is no God before Him and there will be no God after Him.”  If Jesus is the God of the Old Testament and Jesus is the spirit born son of God the Father than there was a God prior to Jesus… Elohim/The Father.  This directly contradicts what God says about Himself.

All praise be to my God, Savior, High Priest and Lord Jesus Christ!

Darrell

Atheism, General Apologetics, Morality, Profanity

What Do Political Liberals and Atheists Have In Common?

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According to an August 2008 poll by Barna Group, they are both far more likely than conservatives and evangelical Christians to engage in behaviors such as unmarried sex, viewing pornography, lying, getting drunk, and gossipping.   These results, sadly, are not surprising to me, as previous poll data and personal experience have proven these facts true over and over.

With regard to liberals vs. conservatives, here are the statistics when respondents were asked what behaviors they engaged in during the previous week:

On average, adults who describe themselves as “mostly liberal” on sociopolitical issues were twice as likely as those who describe themselves as “mostly conservative” to participate in activities that conflict with traditional moral perspectives. In particular, liberals were five times more likely to participate in unmarried sex (20% vs. 4%), more than three times as likely to view pornography (30% vs. 8%), more than twice as likely to lie (21% vs. 8%) and to get drunk (17% vs. 7%), and twice as likely to engage in retaliation (13% vs. 6%) and gossip (17% vs. 9%).

Atheists and agnostics don’t fare much better when compared to evangelical Christians:

Examining people’s faith perspectives revealed that evangelicals were the group most likely to follow traditional morality while atheists and agnostics were the faith segment most likely to reject those ways.

Among evangelicals, profanity (16%) and pornography (12%) were the most common transgressions. Fewer than 5% of evangelicals had engaged in gossip (4%), inappropriate sex (3%), gambling (2%), lying (1%) or drunkenness (less than one-half of one percent).

In contrast, among skeptics (atheists and agnostics) participation in the eight behaviors ranged from a low of 11% (retaliating) up to a high of 60% (using profanity). While evangelicals averaged 6% participation in each of the eight behaviors mentioned, skeptics averaged five times that level (29%). Other common acts among skeptics included exposure to pornography (50%), gossip (34%) and drunkenness (33%).

What to make of these results?  Although it is possible for atheists to live moral lives, they often do not, when compared to strong Christians.  Again, there is no surprise here for those of us who have come from non-belief to belief, as adults.  We remember how we were before Christ changed us from the inside out.  If Christ does not live inside you, you face an impossible battle.  Rather than gloat, as believers, we should humbly thank God for what He’s done for us.  The atheist lives just like we would without God’s grace.

Melchizidek Priesthood, Mormonism

The Melchezidek Priesthood and Hebrews

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In my Sunday School class we are currently studying the book of Hebrews.  While I was involved in the LDS Church (especially while I was an investigator) the book of Hebrews was often referenced as support for the doctrine of The Melchezidek Priesthood and having earthly high priests serve in this priesthood. Over the past several years my view of what Hebrews is actually saying about The Melchezidek Priesthood and earthly high priests has dramatically changed.  It is as if the Lord has opened my eyes and I can really see what He is saying now… and it is nothing like what the LDS Church teaches.

Chapter 8 is full of so much information… verses 1 & 2 say:

“The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.”

This verse tells us 3 things:

1)  “The point of what we are saying is this…”  The writer of Hebrews is telling us here that EVERYTHING he has been saying up to this point leads to the ONE CRUCIAL POINT he is about to share.  In other words, we should really listen!!

2)  We have a High Priest now who has sat down at the right hand of The Father.  Why does He sit?  Because His work is done.  Unlike an earthly high priest who had to go into the Holy of Holies year after year to offer animal sacrifices, this high priest has finished His work and is able to sit down in a place of honor, having done a perfect work which is now complete.

3)  He serves in a PERFECT SANCTUARY/TRUE TABERNACLE and not in a man made temple.  The need for earthly temples is now gone!!  Wow… how profound is that??!!

So, who is this one High Priest he is referencing?  Verse 28 in the preceding chapter tells us:

“For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.”

Our High Priest is Jesus Christ!! 

What is interesting is according to the law there can be only one high priest at a time.  Hebrews says nothing to change this position.  In fact, it actually confirms this by telling us that the earthly high priest could not fulfill the law and that we now have a perfect High Priest in Jesus Christ who will remain our High Priest forever.  We no longer need earthly high priests!  We have Jesus Christ as our High Priest who serves us in the Perfect Sanctuary/Tabernacle in Heaven!!

All praise be to my God, Savior, Lord and High Priest Jesus Christ!

Darrell