Shepard, Falk, and Lewis:
Many understand the words of Jesus
in 3 Nephi 9:19 as being proof that there will not be any more sacrifices and
that they were fulfilled in Him. It should be understood that the third chapter
of Malachi prophesies future sacrifices. Paul took a vow and shaved his head
(Acts 18:18,) and purified himself and sacrificed in the Temple at Jerusalem
(Acts 21:26.) If all sacrifices were fulfilled in Jesus, Paul could not
have legally sacrificed and there would be no future sacrifices prophesied.
Latter Day Saints should also
understand that there would have been sacrifices offered at the Temple at
Independence if the Saints had not rebelled and, in turn, the Temple was not built:
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—(Doctrine and Covenants 84:31) (James J. Strang: Teaching
of a Mormon Prophet, ed. William Shepard, Donna Falk, and Thelma Lewis [Burlington,
Wis.: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite), 1977], 167)
James J. Strang:
CHAPTER
VIII.
Sacrifice.
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy might and with all thy strength.
1. THOU shalt offer upon the altar
of the Lord thy God, and before his Priests, sacrifices for sinofferings, and
for trespassofferings, and for memorials, and for peaceofferings, and for
thankofferings.
2. Thy offerings shall be of the
firstlings of thy flocks, and of the choice of thy fields, and of the chief of
all holy things.
3. Of thy flock shalt thou offer
the firstling of male or female, without deformity or blemish, of such as
divide the hoof and chew the cud; and of fowls, shalt thou offer all singing
birds; and of fishes, all that have scales and fins; and of shell fish, such as
have two shells, and move about from place to place: these shall be holy unto
the Lord thy God, and shall be offered upon the altar.
4. Of the choice of thy fields,
that which is good for food without change or addition, and whatsoever is used
for bread for man, that is holy unto the Lord thy God, and shall be offered unto him as an offering, and
lifted up to the Priest; but it shall not be offered on the altar.
5. And whatsoever other thing ye
offer, it shall be accompanied with one of these, and thus thy gift shall be
sanctified. But if it be not accompanied
with one of these, thou shalt redeem it at the Priest’s valuation, and it and
the price thereof shall be the Lord’s.
1. Of the first institution of
sacrifices the Divine Oracles make no record.
But the date of them goes back to the first of men.
2. Cain and Abel, the sons of
Adam, offered sacrifices; Cain, of the fruits of the field, and Abel of the
firstlings of his flocks, (Gen. iv, 3-5,) and God had respect to the offering
of Abel, and not to that of Cain.
3. Why God had respect to the
offering of Abel, and not to that of Cain, is not stated in Genesis; but the
most common inference has been that it was merely because Abel offered of the
flocks, and Cain of the fields.
4. This reason alone seems quite
insufficient; for other offerings than those of slaughter are often acceptable,
and required by the Law.
5. The Book of Jasher (The name
Jasher is not that of a man, the author of a book; but of the book itself; and signifies the
upright or just: the Book of the Upright, or the True or Upright Record.) gives
as the reason, that Cain “had brought of the inferiour fruit of the ground
before the Lord;” (Jasher i, 16;) whereas, an offering, to be acceptable,
should always be of the best.
6. Sacrifices continued in all
ages, from Adam till Christ; but there has been a wide field of argument as to
the propriety of their continuance subsequently.
7. The general, though not quite
universal, sentiment among Protestants is, that no form of sacrifice should be
offered since the offering of Christ for the redemption of mankind.
8. Romanists hold that the
Eucharist, as often as it is repeated, is an offering anew of Christ a
sacrifice for the sins of men; and in supporting their theory, offer some
testimonies, clearly enough showing that, in all the ages, the chosen of God will offer unto him acceptable offerings;
(Mal. i, 11. Rev. viii, 3;) but fail to show that that in particular is the
offering spoken of.
9. Both Protestants and Romanists
are in the dark in this matter; not only for want of a proper understanding of
the true nature of a sacrifice, but also of the prerogatives of the Priesthood,
in all its divisions.
10. It is the prerogative of the
Melchisedek Priesthood to offer certain sacrifices, and to administer certain
ordinances and sacraments. Wherever that
Priesthood is found, there those sacrifices, ordinances and sacraments may be
looked for.
11. The Melchisedek Priesthood
existed in the times of the Patriarchs, and offered sacrifices. The same Priesthood, during the continuation
of the Jewish nation, existed in the persons of several Prophets, who erected
and sacrificed on altars at other places, than the sanctuary in the keeping of
the Aaronick Priesthood, (1st Kings xviii, 30-38. 2d Sam. xxiv, 25. Jud. vi,
25, 28. xiii, 16-20,) which the Aaronick Priesthood were forbidden to do.
(Deut. xii, 10-14)
12. Jesus, as well as most of
these Prophets, came of other tribes than that which held the Aaronick
Priesthood, and it is witnessed of him that he is a Priest after the order of
Melchisedek. (Ps. cx, 4. Heb. v, 6, 10. vii, 17, 21.)
13. His Apostles were made
partakers of the same calling, (Heb. iii, 1. Matt. xvi, 18, 19. xxviii, 18, 19.
Eph. ii, 20,) and inducted into the same Priesthood; for they were of tribes to
which the Aaronick Priesthood did not pertain, and administered sacraments and
ordinances over which it had no power.
14. The Apostles, therefore, are
Priests after the order of Melchisedek.
Being inducted into that Priesthood, they have power to administer the
sacraments, and offer the sacrifices which pertain to it.
15. And it is particularly worthy
of remark, that the only offering made by Melchisedek, of which the Bible makes
any mention, is that of the bread and wine, (Gen. xiv, 18,) which is everywhere recognized as a sacrament, if
not a sacrifice.
16. It is, therefore, clear from
the testimonies in the Bible, without reference to any other revelation or law,
that the rites peculiar to the Melchisedek Priesthood continue.
17. Christ himself is the one
sacrifice, great above all others, offered once in fact; offered ever in
symbol; who was offered, not upon an altar, nor by a Priest, after the manner
of all instituted sacrifices, but a natural sacrifice; yielding himself, who
had done no sin, to the wrath of sinners; that by his sufferings he might bring
them life.
18. This is the true and proper
idea of a sacrifice. It is a something valuable given, or yielded up to be
destroyed, as the sole or necessary means of saving something else. From this natural, originated all sacerdotal
sacrifices.
19. And as the Eucharistick
Sacrifice is a symbol of the natural sacrifice of Jesus, so sacerdotal
sacrifices are all voluntary offerings, in lieu of natural sacrifices. Instead of being burdensome to those who
offer them, the design and effect of the institution of sacerdotal sacrifices,
is to diminish the necessity for the natural. (James J. Strang, The Book of
the Law of the Lord, Being a Translation from the Egyptian of the Law Given to
Moses in Sinai, with Numerous and Valuable Notes [Burlington, Wis.: Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1991], 106-9)
