The Bible is clear that the descendants of the tribe of Levi were the only priests in the tabernacles of old. The Lord told Moses this while on Mount Sinai. It is written, “and the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle. And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.” (Numbers 3:5-8) Therefore, Levitical priests performed all the sacrificial offerings and everything inside the tabernacle. God did not permit anyone else to perform these ordinances. However, with Jesus coming on the scene, He became our last High priest and the better tabernacle. We have no more need for temples made with hands and carry out His commission instead.
Mormons would say differently when it comes to priests in God’s tabernacle. They teach that not only the Levites became priests but also those in the tribe of Joseph. You can see this in their Book of Mormon. It is written, “and it came to pass that I, Nephi, did consecrate Jacob and Joseph, that they should be priests and teachers over the land of my people.” (2 Nephi 5:26) Speaking of the fictional characters in the Book of Mormon, it is said that they were from the tribe of Joseph. The LDS official site even says this. “A record of one group from the tribe of Ephraim that was led from Jerusalem to America about 600 B.C. This group’s record is called the stick of Ephraim or Joseph, or the Book of Mormon.” (Ephraim) The importance of priests is also seen in the Mormon churches today, where men that are supposedly part of the tribe of Joseph serve as priests and high priests respectively. Therefore, they go against God’s directives on which tribe has access to the priesthood, and that it was fulfilled with Jesus. Amen.
Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I pray for the Mormon people. The majority of them already think they have the truth so listening to a Christian is difficult for them. It is my desire to lead as many of these lost people to You, but I need Your help. God, raise up an army of Christians that are ready to go to battle against them. Not to fight with a sword but with the Word of God. By the Spirit of truth, many of them come will out of their cult and to You, Jesus. I don’t hate them, but know the destruction ahead of them, so warning them of the pitfalls ahead is the least I can do. Awaken these people with an urgency to know You and to do Your will, not the will of their church leaders. Then, will they read the Bible like a child, while allowing You to be their teacher and not the teachings of men. Lord, You warned us that many false prophets, apostles, and teachers would come into all the world, even to deceive the very elect. This has happened with this cult. May many of them be set free. I love You, Jesus. I believe in You, Lord. Amen.
How can all men in the Mormon Church be supposedly part of the tribe of Joseph. The 12 Tribes pertain to the Jews. Even if it’s true that it was Jews who came to America in 600 b.c, those folks are not the modern men (mostly Caucasian ) who are members of the LDS Church today. Believing that Joseph was a true prophet, does not make them his tribe. If that were the case, believers would be the Tribe of Jesus. Just something else that makes not sense in Mormonism.