you see this continuation in 1 Peter 2 which references Exodus 19:6 Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’
The universal priesthood still had the ministerial priesthood
The word is pastors, not priests.
We are all priests, in that we deal directly with the Lord, not with an intercessionist. This is exactly what Christ denounced WRT “nicolaitans.” The Pharisees were the model for the nicolaitans, with their false oral traditions which the nicolaitans have carried foreward to this day.
If it is oral, it is of Satan.
Of course this priesthood thing is a perpetual bone of contention between Catholics and protestants. I myself am firmly in the camp of the “priesthood of all believers.” Any Christian has direct access through prayer, even silent prayer, to God and Jesus, our living high priest, through the Holy Spirit within us. There is no need for an earthly, human intercessor, let alone anyone to continue making offerings to God. The one, true sacrifice was made by Christ himself.
I think the prevailing view is that the Israelites abdicated their role as a “nation of priests” with their little foray into gold-calf making. It was after that, in his anger and disappointment, that God ordained the Aaronic priesthood, which continued until the destruction of the last temple in 70 AD and the end of ritual sacrifice. Nowhere does Jesus or any of the apostles talk of an intercessory priesthood for Christians after his death. Teachers, preachers, evangelists, yes, but not priests making sacrifices or standing in between God and his saints, absolving sin or prescribing penance.
To be a bit more cynical about it, I’m highly suspicious and generally disdainful of the Religious Professionals (RPs, I call them) who make a comfortable living feeding off the Lord’s flock. Ezekiel 34 ought to give pause to any self-anointed shepherds who go into the ministry (Catholic or Protestant) to enjoy a cushy lifestyle with no heavy lifting. The way the whole sacramental thing has evolved strikes me as something akin to trade unionism, designed to ensure full employment for the RP class. Fortunately, according to the Anglican 39 Articles, the moral corruption of clergy does not invalidate the administration of sacraments.