So here goes.
In the Old Testament, specifically Exodus 40:15, the tribe of Levi is anointed, sanctified, and given the Aaronic, or Levitical Priesthood. This authority enabled the Levite priests to preside over burnt offerings and other temple rites. In Numbers 25:13, the Levitical Priesthood is described as "everlasting."
In the New Testament (John 15:16), Christ specifically mentions ordaining His disciples--ordination is how one receives the priesthood.
In ancient times, according to 1 Chronicles 23, Aaronic priests were in charge of offering burnt offerings, and were in charge of caring for the tabernacle, among other things.
Hebrews 7 is an incredible chapter of the New Testament, dealing entirely with the Aaronic Priesthood and the need for the Melchizedek Priesthood. If you are a practicing Christian and haven't read it, you should.
Paul explains in verse 11,
If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
In other words, if the Aaronic Priesthood were enough to save the people, why would they also need the Melchizedek Priesthood? The implication is that not even just one, but two priesthoods are necessary for salvation. I would quote the entire rest of the chapter, but you should really just read it yourself.
Paul goes on to explain how Jesus took the oath of the Melchizedek Priesthood:
And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:
21 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)
22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
In Psalms 110:4, it is written:
The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Jesus held the Melchizedek Priesthood, and additionally conferred it upon his apostles (as mentioned in John 15:16). This is the key Jesus gave to Peter in Matthew 16:19: "the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Peter had the power to bind and loose both on earth and in heaven by the power of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood.
So where is this Priesthood today?
Well, before we even answer that question, it's important to remember that Paul taught in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 that Christ would not return again except there be a falling away first. In other words, part of His everlasting gospel would be taken away from the earth, and then restored at a later date.
To get back to the main question: where is the priesthood today?
Only two Christian sects claim to have access to priesthood power on the earth today. The Catholics claim that Peter, as the holder of the keys of the kingdom of heaven after Jesus's leaving the earth, conferred that power on the next leader of Jesus's church. Catholicism holds that the priesthood power has been passed down through the Popes since that time, and they trace their priesthood lineage through Peter and thereby Jesus Christ.
The other Christian sect that claims to have priesthood power is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The believers of this religion claim that the priesthood of the Lord was lost, as a part of the "falling away" promised in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Latter-day Saints believe that the priesthood was restored to the earth on 15 May 1829, when John the Baptist conferred it on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on the banks of the Susquehanna River.
As far as I know, no other Christian denomination even claims to have the keys of the priesthood. This is important. The priesthood is necessary, at least according to Hebrews 7. It is a key doctrine of the gospel of Christ.
That is why if I weren't LDS, I'd have to be Catholic. I don't understand how any Christian could be satisfied with attending a church that didn't even claim to have the "keys of the kingdom," or the authority to act in God's name. Obviously, over a billion Christians in the world actually don't care about that, and that is fine for them, but I'm just saying that I personally don't understand that. I feel that the Holy Bible makes it clear that there is a priesthood power necessary for the proper running of Christ's church on the earth. After all, right before Christ confers the priesthood upon Peter in Matthew 16:19, in 16:18 He says that this is the rock upon which He shall build His church. If your church doesn't claim access to the priesthood, then it is clearly not built on the rock that Christ says His church is built on. And therefore, wouldn't it not be Christ's church? Again, just my logic here. Take it for what it's worth. Your logic is more important than mine.
Priesthood authority is necessary today for the same reason it was necessary in the time of Moses and the time of Christ. It is necessary because it is "everlasting," and because it is the foundation, or rock, upon which Christ's church is built. Proper authority is necessary for everything--even driving. If you don't have a driver's license, you don't have the authority to drive, even if you know how.
As an analogy, to me, seeing a church led by someone who doesn't claim priesthood authority is like seeing a regular guy pulling people over on the highway and giving them speeding tickets. Even if the people really are speeding, you have to have the proper authority to pull people over and give out tickets. If you're not a police officer, you don't have that authority.
The priesthood is important because it is the authority that God gives to man to act in all things. If your spiritual leader doesn't claim to have the priesthood, then he is not really qualified to be your leader, in my opinion. Emphasized because I know that my opinion doesn't matter as much as your opinion, and also because I know that lots of people are just fine and even happy with following spiritual leaders who don't claim to have any authority from God. And that's fine.
But to me, I couldn't take that. I believe in the Holy Bible, and I believe that the inconvenient matter of the priesthood is just as important now as it was when the Bible was originally written. I believe that the priesthood is, as is written in both the Old and New Testaments, "everlasting." And I know for a fact, and so do you, because I told you, that two Christian sects claim access to it: Catholicism and Mormonism.
To me, those are the two options. That's why if I weren't Mormon, I'd be Catholic.
I guess the third option is that Paul's "falling away" described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is still in force, and still no church has the fulness of Christ's truth and priesthood. So there are three options. But we are promised in James 1:5-6 that "if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."
You can decide for yourself which of the three options is correct. All you have to do is pray in faith and God will tell you the truth of it Himself. You will recognize it because God will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. If you believe in the Bible too, and realize the importance and eternal need for priesthood authority on the earth, all you have to do is pray and ask God with an honest heart where that authority can be found. God cannot lie.
I am so grateful for the power of the priesthood in my life. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a home where my father held both the Aaronic and the Melchizedek Priesthoods. Now my brother does and my husband does. Just this week we had the opportunity to use the priesthood in a blessing on my baby, who was struggling with teething. Even though Nathaniel was screaming and upset, when Carl told him that he was giving him a message from Heavenly Father, he quieted and listened. Priesthood blessings through the laying on of hands are not prayers; as one of Christ's living apostles has stated,
In a priesthood blessing a servant of the Lord exercises the priesthood, as moved upon by the Holy Ghost, to call upon the powers of heaven for the benefit of the person being blessed. Such blessings are conferred by holders of the Melchizedek Priesthood, which has the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the Church (see D&C 107:18, 67).
A prayer is a request. Anyone can pray. Not everyone can give a priesthood blessing. Only men who are called of God, having authority, can give a priesthood blessing. A priesthood blessing is not a request; it is the exercise of the priesthood, with God-given authority, calling on the powers of heaven to specifically benefit the person being blessed. The two are different, very different. One requires authority and the other does not. Both can be very effective--priesthood power does not diminish the power of prayer. Prayer is vital, prayer is essential, prayer is important. However, prayers and priesthood blessings are not the same. They are not even that similar, in my opinion. In prayer, you're petitioning God and don't need any authority. With the use of the priesthood, you must have been ordained by someone else who has authority, and it is not a request: it is a message. At least, that's how I've always viewed it. Priesthood blessings are messages to a person from God, through the mouth of the person giving the blessing.
I have a testimony of the priesthood. I have had priesthood blessings when I have been sick and injured; I've received blessings when I needed guidance in my life. Every year my father would give me a blessing for school. I have received a patriarchal blessing, as did the twelve sons of Israel in Genesis 49:28. I have witnessed the power of the priesthood too many times to count. I do believe that the Holy Priesthood mentioned so reverently in the Holy Bible has been restored to the earth; I believe it is accessible; I believe that it is everlasting, and necessary, and beautiful, and here.
If you have never thought about the need for the priesthood before, I challenge you to take some time to think about it. Pray about it. Fast over it. This is an important doctrinal issue and if the Bible is true, then the issue of the priesthood has eternal consequences for you. At the very least, the Bible has stated that Jesus holds the Melchizedek Priesthood, and will forever. That means He holds it now. Maybe as a follower of Jesus, it would be worth it to learn for yourself what that means, why it is significant enough for the Bible to mention it in both the Old and New Testaments, and how it relates to you and your relationship with Jesus.
Who knows? Maybe you'll discover that priesthood authority matters to you. Maybe you'll decide that it doesn't. Either way, my religion holds that men are that they might have joy. As far as I am concerned, everyone was put on this earth to be happy. So find a set of beliefs that makes you happy.
In the meantime, understanding the need for the priesthood makes me happy. And believing that I belong to a church that has that priesthood authority makes me happy. And that's one reason I'm a Mormon--and why if I weren't, I'd be a Catholic. :o)
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