Alchemy,

Mrs. White and the Bible BOTH show Dedication to be biblically incorrect on this point. Consider the following from the 1911 edition of the book "Great Controversy" by Mrs. White where she uses a passage from the book of Joel chapter 2, a passage often used by WO supporters to indicate that women can minister, but a passage that shows incontrovertibly that it was the priests who were ministers. Consider that Mrs. White applies the passage clearly to our day.

There are several parts of this passage that apply to the discussion. In the interest of letting each reader see these things for himself or herself, I will not add any text formatting this time, and would encourage a careful, prayerful, reading of the entire portion. It's not really so long, and it applies clearly to the solemn times we live in now.



Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Blessings Green,

This conversation is split up in a few threads now, but, your post was a great blessing. The clarity of what Sister White says in calling for the "priests, the ministers of the Lord" is a very powerful statement.

I have copied this from a thread I started in "SDA Church Issues";

I will start with a Bible verse I have mentioned more than once;

1 Corinthians 9:13-14; Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.

I believe, the Apostle Paul declares that God has ordained a sacred connection between the Levitical Priesthood and the preachers of the Gospel today. I would say our Pastors of today. Even though many people can and do preach the gospel, this is especially expected and practiced among Pastors of God's Remnant Church.

Ellen White also makes a few statements relevant to this topic;

The time of Daniel’s work, as a chosen vessel of honor for God, was six hundred years before Christ. In this book we find many miracles, and marked, positive evidences that the Lord God of heaven ruled. The Jewish nation were in captivity, scattered as the Lord declared they would be if they did not as His peculiar people honor and glorify God. They departed from God; they did not fear and honor His holy name, and the temple in which they gloried was destroyed. Their sacred rites, their sacrifices and ceremonies, ceased. The sacred order of the Levitical priesthood was no longer maintained. Their form of religious service, which the Lord had given them as a blessing whereby they might have a pure and understanding faith, and, through the sacrificial offerings, see Christ as the one who would take away the sin of the world, became a ceremonious transaction. The outward ceremonies took the place of the inward work of the heart. The splendid dress of the priests covered hearts that were not renewed by the spirit of the Lord. The outward signs of their religious service were broken up, and the word of the Lord was fulfilled.—Manuscript 122, 1897, 1. (“Daniel,” March 10, 1897.) {7MR 333.3}

Paul asks, “Is Christ divided?” Have we not one spiritual Head? Christ has been the uniting stone, the chief corner-stone, in all ages. The patriarchs, the Levitical priesthood, and Christians of today, all have their center in him. He is all and in all. “The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” {RH January 3, 1899, par. 17}

Shepherds who fail at home will fail at church—He who is engaged in the work of the gospel ministry must be faithful in his family life. It is as essential that as a father he should improve the talents God has given him for the purpose of making the home a symbol of the heavenly family, as that in the work of the ministry, he should make use of his God-given powers to win souls for the church. As the priest in the home, and as the ambassador of Christ in the church, he should exemplify in his life the character of Christ. He must be faithful in watching for souls as one that must give an account. In his service there must be seen no carelessness and inattentive work. God will not serve with the sins of men who have not a clear sense of the sacred responsibility involved in accepting a position as pastor of a church. He who fails to be a faithful, discerning shepherd in the home, will surely fail of being a faithful shepherd of the flock of God in the church.—Manuscript Releases 6:49. {PaM 88.3}


Sister White clearly treats the Levitical Priesthood as sacred and even applies it the today leaders in the church.

I understand there are differences in practices between the Levitical Priesthood and the Pastors of today as I have mentioned before, but, there is still that sacredness that connects these two practices together.