Your reasoning is self-contradictory. Scripture says that the Levitical priesthood would endure forever, but it ceased to exist in 70 AD. So trying to make something of its restoration is really meaningless because for any prophecies about the Levitical priesthood to be true, this would also have to be true. So obviously GOD was referring to the handing off of the Levitical priesthood to the Melchizedek priesthood, which endures forever, thus fulfilling prophecy. This change of priesthood happened at Jesus' baptism.
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: And he shall have it, and his seed after him, [even] the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel. Numbers 25:11-13
Hello HeRoseFromTheDead,
You have not taken the prophets I quoted for their word.
Instead, you have ignored their clear and plain GUARANTEE that Levitical Torah will be restored.
Here's your unjustified assumption (let's call it A1):
A1: If the Levitical priesthood is everlasting, then it will never be interspersed with periods of time during which it does not function.
Now, A1 appears to be your assumption.
We have good reason to reject A1.
Why? Because A1 is not even consistent with the Torah of Moses itself!
Look again at Dt. 30:1-8...where Moses GUARANTEES that Israel will banished throughout the earth...but will again return to obey 100% of all Torah!
Moses CLEARLY knew that even though the Levitical priesthood would not FUNCTION during diaspora, that the Levitical priesthood would again, nevertheless, be restored AFTER diaspora ends.
So, your interpretation of "everlasting" is not even consistent with the Torah itself.
If you maintain A1, then you maintain that the Torah is inconsistent, in error, and thus not even inspired as Scripture.
Yikes!
Better to simply acknowledge what Moses ALREADY TOLD US!
What did Moses tell us? That even though the priesthood outlined in Mosaic Torah is "everlasting", that the actual functioning of this priesthood would be interrupted by diaspora.
And this acknowledgement allows us to not IGNORE what the prophets guarantee: RESTORATION of Levitical Torah!
Remember:
Moses GUARANTEES restoration of ALL Torah (which includes Levitical Torah)...see Dt. 30:1-8
Ezekiel GUARANTEES restoration of Levitical ceremonial/sacrificial activity (Eze. 40-47).
Jeremiah GUARANTEES restoration of Levitical Torah in conjunction with the forthcoming fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant (Jer. 33:17-21).
Isaiah GUARANTEES restoration of Levitical Torah (Is. 66:21-23).
Zechariah GUARANTEES restoration of Levitical Torah (Zec. 14:16-21).
The Messiah comes to RESTORE Levitical sacrifices so as to be pleasing to YHVH as it was in former years (Mal. 3:1-4).
Why do you oppose the very thing the Messiah comes to RESTORE?
Be careful!
You just made an assumption that is not even consistent with the Torah itself.
blessings...
BibleGuy