Our great and knowledgeable friend, Leslie Rees has shared here a very inciteful article. I was speaking with her a few months ago and I mentioned that I thought literal blood sacrifices will probably have to be restored as I understood it. After sharing the following information, I have been educated and I am thankful for great friends and scholars like Leslie.
Rian- it is my belief that some of the Jews in Israel who claim the Aaronic Priesthood through Levi may indeed make blood sacrifices, believing they are fulfilling scripture.
But it seems clear to me that those Priesthood bearers, whom the Lord has claimed are now Sons of Moses and Aaron- and thus sons of Levi, will not offer a blood sacrifice-but broken hearts and contrite spirits–and their sacrifice will be the work done in the temples for the dead. I attached a short paper I wrote to a man who was convinced our Priesthood would offer blood sacrifice. It seems to me we are taught in several places-including the temple if we pay close attention- that this is so. Leslie Rees
SONS OF LEVI – AND THEIR SACRIFICES (emphasis added)
The basic part of the Law of Moses- the Ten Commandments- have never been “done away.” It is many of those practices, that were meant to help the people remember the basic, eternal laws, that were no longer to be practiced. Those practices were patterns for living; and the sacrifices pointed to the coming atoning sacrifice of the Savior. Blood sacrifice was to come to an end with the Savior’s sacrifice.
“Ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away.… And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost” (3 Nephi 9:19-20).
This was consistent with the much earlier testimony of Amulek:
“Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away.” (emphasis added)
“And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal” (Alma 34:13-14).
If we pay attention in the temple, we are also taught the Savior was the last blood sacrifice.
D&C 13 tells us the Sons of Levi will again, in the last days, offer sacrifice to the Lord. And the Sons of Levi- who are they? Who is being spoken of in OUR day?
D&C 13 is one verse long, and recounts the ordination of the Prophet Joseph and Oliver Cowdery to the Aaronic Priesthood. Note footnote “g.” Footnote “g” links, among other citations, to the account of this occurrence found in JSH 1:69. You will note there is a long end note printed at the end of the JSH-1; this is unusual in our canon of scriptures. It gives Oliver’s description of the occasion related in D&C 13, and shows, in the next to last paragraph, that he recorded the words as “that the Sons of Levi may yet offer an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.” I believe this is a clearer meaning (though both accounts can be interpreted in the same way) of what was actually being conveyed.
So again- who are the Sons of Levi? Surely this includes those who are his descendants. However, the Lord seems to give a broader meaning to that title.
“For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.
“They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.” (D&C 84:33-34)
So- ALL men who are faithful in the reception and exercising of these two Priesthoods become sons of Moses and Aaron- and thus also sons of Levi, ancestor of Moses and Aaron.
And what does the Lord say about these men?
“Therefore, as I said concerning the sons of Moses—for the sons of Moses and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed— And the sons of Moses and of Aaron shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, upon Mount Zion in the Lord’s house, whose sons are ye; and also many whom I have called and sent forth to build up my church.” (D&C 84:31-32)
So then what is this offering these sons will offer, if blood offerings have been “done away”?
“Therefore, verily I say unto you, that your anointing’s, and your washings, and your baptisms for the dead, and your solemn assemblies, and your memorials for your sacrifices by the sons of Levi, and for your oracles in your most holy places wherein you receive conversations, and your statutes and judgments, for the beginning of the revelations and foundation of Zion, and for the glory, honor, and endowment of all her municipals, are ordained by the ordinance of my holy house, which my people are always commanded to build unto my holy name.(D&C 124:39)
What are these “memorials” to be offered as a sign of sacrifice by the sons of Levi in the House of the Lord?
“Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and _he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.” (D&C 128:24) (emphasis added)
Did Joseph Smith teach there would be BLOOD sacrifice again? No. He said this:
“These sacrifices, as well as every ordinance belonging to the Priesthood, will, when the Temple of the Lord shall be built, and the sons of Levi be purified, be fully restored and attended to in all their powers, ramifications, and blessings. This ever did and ever will exist when the powers of the Melchizedek Priesthood are sufficiently manifest; else how can the restitution of all things spoken of by the Holy Prophets be brought to pass? It is not to be understood that the law of Moses will be established again with all its rites and variety of ceremonies; this has never been spoken of by the prophets; but those things which existed prior to Moses’ day, namely, sacrifice, will be continued.” (TPJS Section Four 1839–42, p.173)
L.P. Rees
