When the Lord makes a covenant with is, he makes eternal covenants. For this reason, they are called an “everlasting covenant.” When God made a covenant with Noah that he wouldn’t flood the earth ever again, he made and everlasting covenant (Genesis 9:16). This means he will never break it.

The Covenant (Old Testament)

Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.” –Leviticus 24:8

When Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, they were born into the world. They did not go into the world alone. In the Garden, they received their Initiatories and the First Endowment (Book of Remembrance 10-14). These were the covenants of and to their ministry. With these, they went forth with the Spirit of God, teaching the Gospel to the world. Those listened and were moved by the Spirit to follow the Lord became the children of Adam and Eve. As they did so, they became the children of Adam and Eve, fulling the everlasting covenant God made with them that they would be the Father and Mother of all living. Later came Abram. God made an everlasting covenant with him, changing his name to Abraham (Genesis 17). Like Adam and Eve, all those that follow Christ become his seed (Galatians 3). God further made covenants with his seed; Issac, Jacob, and their seed: the children of Israel. Eventually this everlasting covenant became what many know today as the Law of Moses.

The re-Newed Covenant (New Testament)

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” –Hebrews 13:20-21

In the New Testament, God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for us. This was not a new covenant, replacing the Law of Moses. It was the renewed covenant that brought us back to the Torah. The Law of Moses had become distorted, people seeing a set of outward rules ordinances mostly ignoring how these signified inward commitments and change, personal growth. This inner correction became lost to God’s people. Jesus restored the Law by fulfilling it. He brought it inward once again. Rather than marking men with the sign of the covenant (circumcision) a few days after birth, Christ marked us from within, piercing our hearts once we were born again. Instead of seeking the sacrifice of animals in death, Jesus reminded us that God requires the life of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. From the perception of the people of Israel at that time, this changed everything. However, it was actually the Israelites that had changed. The Law of Moses had been a symbol, a symbol that was lost over time. The Law of Christ is the higher Law only in that it is the correct perception of the Torah. The “old” Law seen with “new” eyes. This is why Christ gives us grace. With his grace, he meets us where we are and through the Holy Spirit transforms us into what we need to be, or more accurately put: into who we truly are. This is key to understanding the ordnances in this book. They alone offer us no salvation. But, when we offer and accept them as moved by the Holy Spirit, we are doing God’s work as a sign that we are saved (Jacob 3:8 RAV, 4:7 OPV; James 2:17-26).

The Restored and Everlasting Covenant (Book of Mormon)

Behold, I say unto you that all old covenants have I caused to be done away in this thing; and this is a new and an everlasting covenant, even that which was from the beginning.” –Doctrines of the Saints 14a:3

With the restoration of all things started by Joseph Smith Jr., the Lord made an everlasting covenant with those that would follow and worship Him in these, the last days. About 1,800 years after Christ had ascended to heaven, He returned as the angels had promised to Joseph Smith Jr (Acts 1, Avahr 5). According to the introduction of the Doctrines of the Saints, found in Section 1, man had strayed from the Lord’s ordinances, and broken the everlasting covenant. There was a war, if you will, between Grace and Works. Some said man is saved by Grace, other by Works. Both were correct, but only when put together. Likewise, there is one priesthood, the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God. This isn’t anything new, this is how it has always been. Joseph Smith Jr. set up the kingdom today with the Offices of this Priesthood branching into two organizations: The Levitical and the Melchizedek. In the Church of Jesus Christ in Christian Fellowship we further divide them as such:

• The Brotherhood of Christ
• The Sisterhood of Christ

Together, these work in unison in the Order of the Ministry within the Church of Jesus Christ in Christian Fellowship. The Brotherhood and Sisterhood both divide the priesthood as instructed by God to Joseph Smith Jr. and David Ferriman.

The Covenant and the Kingdom

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, Doctrines of the Saints 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 (Book of Remembrance 12:15-17, Romans 16:25). That secret is simple: turn away from sin and to the path of teshuvah (repentance, or the return path back to God). 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). These eyes, or rather these understandings, 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 heal, cannot perform 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