Seeking Out Seekers
of Truth
Who is the mysterious Biblical person?
Never born and never dies?
Every person out there
should have heard of the name Melchizedek.
A most mysterious person of the Christian Bible, the Jewish Torah, and Islamic
Qur’an, Melchizedek is clearly one of the closest people to the Creator, the
protector of the Mission of Jesus, the Overseer of all of Creation, and the
best friend the Human race will ever find.
If you were to look up
Melchizedek in various religious resources this is what you would find.
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Priest of "God
Most High" who appeared in patriarchal times, but whose significance was
remembered throughout Old Testament times and eventually explained in the Book
of Hebrews.
Melchizedek and
Abraham. Melchizedek of Salem came out
to pronounce a blessing on Abraham who was on his way back to Hebron after
rescuing Lot from Kedorlaomer, king of the East ( Gen 14:18-24 ).
Melchizedek provided food and wine for a sacral meal. As they ate, Melchizedek
pronounced a blessing on Abraham in the name of God Most High.
The willingness with
which Abraham acceded to Melchizedek as a priest of God Most High is a most
interesting aspect of this narrative. This name apparently connoted the same
meaningful theology to Abraham as the name "God Almighty" ( Exod 6:3 ). Abraham also equated God with
"Creator of heaven and earth" ( Gen 14:22 ; cf. v. 19 ) in his
ascription-confessional to the king of Sodom
A Priest Forever.
Psalm 110:4 reads: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: You
are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'" This is a royal
psalm. Two significant points are made about the One who is to sit at God's
right hand. First, the order of Melchizedek is declared to be an eternal order.
Second, this announcement is sealed with God's oath. Neither of these
affirmations applied to the Aaronic order of priesthood.
Jesus Christ as the
Great High Priest after the Order of Melchizedek. The Book of Hebrews presents
Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior, as a priest after the order of Melchizedek
(4:14-7:28, esp. 5:5-11 ; 6:13-7:28). The author draws
directly from Psalm 110:4 several crucial points to explain that the high
priesthood of Christ has superseded and is superior to the priesthood of Aaron.
First, the priesthood
of Melchizedek is an "order forever" ( 5:10 ). In contrast, the priesthood of
Aaron had a history of disruptions and termination.
Second, the references
to being "without father or mother" ( 7:3 ) and to being an "order
forever" ( Hebrews 7:3 Hebrews 7:16 Hebrews 7:17 Hebrews 7:24 ) are to be understood as
referring to the kind of priestly order rather than to the longevity of a
particular priest of Abraham's time. Jesus even carries the longevity of his
priesthood back to the Godhead (Hebrews 7:15 Hebrews 7:26 ; cf. 1 Peter 1:20 ).
Third, the divine
guarantee for the priesthood of Melchizedek rests on God's oath.
For the writer of
Hebrews to look at these Old Testament passages about Melchizedek along
christological lines is in keeping with the practice of other New Testament
writers. Early Christians were convinced that it was they upon whom the end of
the ages had come and hence felt that the Old Testament was written in some
divinely intended way to point to them.
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King of righteousness,
the king of Salem
The question as to who
this mysterious personage was has given rise to a great deal of modern
speculation. It is an old tradition among the Jews that he was Shem, the son of
Noah, who may have survived to this time. Melchizedek was a Canaanitish prince,
a worshipper of the true God, and in his peculiar history and character an
instructive type of our Lord, the great High Priest ( Hebrews 5:6 Hebrews 5:7 ; 6:20 ). One of the Amarna tablets is from
Ebed-Tob, king of Jerusalem
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King of justice
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(King of righteousness
), king of Salem and priest of the most high God, who met Abram in the valley
of Shaveh, which is the kings valley, brought out bread and wine, blessed him,
and received tithes from him. ( Genesis 14:18-20 )
The other places in which Melchizedek is mentioned are ( Psalms 110:4 ) where Messiah is described
as a priest forever, "after the order of Melchizedek," and ( Hebrews 5:1 ; Hebrews 6:1 ; Hebrews 7:1 ) ... where these two passages
of the Old Testament are quoted, and the typical relation of Melchizedek to our
Lord is stated at great length. There is something surprising and mysterious in
the first appearance of Melchizedek, and in the subsequent reference to him. Bearing
a title which Jews in after ages would recognize as designating their own
sovereign, bearing gifts which recall to Christians the Lords Supper, this
Canaanite crosses for a moment the path of Abram, and is unhesitatingly
recognized as a person of higher spiritual rank than the friend of God.
Disappearing as suddenly as he came, he is lost to the sacred writings for a
thousand years. Jewish tradition pronounces Melchizedek to be a survivor of the
deluge, the patriarch Shem. The way in which he is mentioned in Genesis would
rather lead to the inference that Melchizedek was of one blood with the
children of Ham, among whom he lived, chief (like the king of Sodom) of a
settled Canaanitish tribe. The "order of Melchizedek," in ( Psalms 110:4 ) is explained to mean
"manner" = likeness in official dignity = a king and priest. The
relation between Melchizedek and Christ as type and antitype is made in the
Epistle to the Hebrews to consist in the following particulars: Each was a
priest, (1) not of the Levitical tribe; (2) superior to Abraham; (3) whose
beginning and end are unknown; (4) who is not only a priest, but also a king of
righteousness and peace. A fruitful source of discussion has been found in the
site of Salem
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Melchizedek
During Abram's sojourn
in Canaan this priest and king met and treated
him with hospitality (Genesis 14:18-20 ).
Much mystery appears to hang about this distinguished personage. Various
theories have been advanced concerning him. Some assert that he was God
Almighty. This is not a fact, for he was "the priest of the most high
God" ( Genesis 14:18 ).
Others assert that he was Jesus Christ. This is not a fact, for he was
"made like the Son of God" ( Hebrews 7:3 ). It is asserted in the
Scriptures that he was a man ( Hebrews 7:1-4 ). If you will reflect that
the Scriptures deal with him in his official capacity, the difficulties and
mysteries surrounding him will immediately vanish. Let us take a closer view.
The history of the world, from the Biblical standpoint, naturally divides
itself into three different periods, which for want of better terms I will
designate, the Patriarchal dispensation, the Jewish dispensation, and the
Christian dispensation.
Each dispensation is
characterized by a priesthood peculiarly its own. There was no regular priestly
line from the transgression to the giving of the law of Moses. In a general
way, it may be asserted that every man was his own priest ( Genesis 4:1-4 ; Genesis 12:7 Genesis 12:8 ; Genesis 15:8-18 ; Genesis 26:19-25 ; Genesis 31:43-55 Genesis 35:1-15 ; Genesis 46:1 ). During this age Melchizedek
appeared. He was king of Salem
We know that he did
not belong to any special priestly order. His priestly office was independent
of all other men. In the priestly office he was without father, and without
mother, and without descent. No record was kept of his installation as priest,
his official acts, or his death, hence, so far as the record is concerned, he
was without beginning of days or end of life. At the inauguration of the second
dispensation an entire family was set apart to the priestly office, and the
priestly office remained in that family, and was transmitted from father to son
and from generation to generation to the death of Christ ( Exodus 29:1 Exodus 29:29 ; Numbers 17:1-13 ; Numbers 18:1-7 Hebrews 7:11 Hebrews 7:23-28 ). David predicted that a
priest should arise after the order of Melchizedek ( Psalms 110:4 ).
This is repeatedly
affirmed by the author of Hebrews. The priesthood of the Christian dispensation
is after the order of Melchizedek, and not after the order of Aaron. Jesus
became a priest when he entered heaven by his own blood ( Hebrews 8:1-4 ; Hebrews 10:11-12 ).
His priesthood is independent. He had no predecessor, and he will have no
successor. He will remain in heaven and officiate as priest until the work of
redemption is done.
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Gib Kocherhans wrote an article titled "The Name “Melchizedek”: Some Thoughts
on Its Meaning and the Priesthood It Represents." He wrote this for the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-Day Saints, better known as Mormons.
There is a Priesthood of Melchizedek within the Mormon Church. In these article excerpts he says;
Why, then, does that
sacred priesthood, which was titled the Holy Priesthood after the Order of the
Son of God, bear Melchizedek’s name rather than that of some other prophet and
patriarch (see D and C 107:3). After
much study, I have concluded that the name Melchizedek is a name of deep
significance, and that we can know, at least in part, why the Lord selected
this particular name to identify his holy priesthood.
Too often a search to
understand such things ends before it begins. Old Testament matters, we often
conclude, are so peculiar and unusual that few can expect to understand them.
So we give no further thought to any relationship between the name and
ourselves.
But what of the name Melchizedek?
Here is a term even stranger to our experience than Aaron. Yet the name is so
significant that it is used to identify the order of priesthood by which the
Savior atoned for the sins of the world (see Heb. 5–8). Why is Melchizedek given the
singular honor of having the higher priesthood bear his name when we wish to
avoid too frequent use of the Lord’s name (see D and C 107:3–4).
“Melchizedek was a man
of faith, … And his people … obtained heaven” (JST, Gen. 14:26, 34). But this
criteria would suggest that the priesthood could just as well bear the name of
Enoch (see Moses 7:13, 21)—by
virtue of the compelling impact of his similar accomplishments.
In fact, this miracle
of both Melchizedek and Enoch preparing and then seeing translated an entire
city into the presence of God is indeed a feat so powerful upon the imagination
that none should misunderstand the allusion to either a Melchizedek or an
“Enochian” priesthood as being the priesthood powerful enough to take us to
heaven. Perhaps at last we have found the reason.
Yet, why is it that
only Melchizedek has his name used to designate the “Holy Priesthood after the
Order of the Son of God”?
We turn again to the
scriptures and see that they explain that it “is because Melchizedek was such a
great high priest” (D and C 107:2), and
that “there were many before him, and … many afterwards, but none were greater;
therefore, of him they have more particularly made mention” (Alma 13:19; italics
added).
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In truth, there are many
names and responsibilities related to the Creator given to Melchizedek and
there is no one else in the sacred texts garnering so much attention and evoking
so much mystery.
Clearly, this is a person of
high privilege to have direct access to the Creator and Jesus Christ among many
others in the world outside of time.
My intention is to let you
decide for yourself.
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In an article titled THE
GREEN MAN AND THE KING OF SALEM, published October 7, 2013 by Philip Jenkins, the following excerpts
reflect the Qur’an and Melchizedek.
One very popular
Qur’anic hero is al-Khidr, “The Green One,” who appears in
Sura 18, al-Kahf, verses 60-82. Seeking Wisdom, Moses travels to meet “One of
[God’s] servants”, whom commentators universally identify as al-Khidr (18.65).
Moses, in unexpectedly meek mode, begs to follow the Servant as a disciple,
despite al-Khidr’s constant warnings that Moses could not stand the pace.
Through Islamic
history, al-Khidr has fascinated scholars and ordinary believers alike. They
note that Moses treated him so respectfully, suggesting that he was very
important, and perhaps a prophet, or at least a saint, a wali, a friend of God.
In tradition, also, he never died, placing him in a select category limited to
Idris, Ilyas and Isa (Enoch, Elijah and Jesus). In some versions, he owes this
immortality to having found and drunk the Water of Life. Sufis rank him very
highly as one who attained the highest levels of mystical insight.
The most important
thing we know about al-Khidr is who he is not. He cannot be a Biblical figure
who is named elsewhere in the Qur’an, or he would have been identified
accordingly. That immediately rules out Moses (obviously), Enoch, Elijah,
Jesus, and many other obvious names. Subject to that limitation, he must be a figure
known in Jewish and Christian memory as a mysterious being of extreme
supernatural power, one of mysterious origins, without known circumstances of
birth or death.
Unless I am missing
something obvious, that really leaves only one candidate, and that is
Melchizedek, King of Salem
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If you have not had the
opportunity to meet and communicate with one having the mystical and spiritual
status of Melchizedek you should try, because his perspective is with The
Creator and Jesus and he has spent since the Beginning of Time trying to help
guide us to eternal salvation.
This and the other
articles I write under the Conversations with Melchizedek title are my attempt to share with you the
enormous wisdom and teachings of this immortal being who has been to Earth many
times in many forms working to keep us all on the Road to Kingdom Come.
However, it is up to you, as you travel the Road to Kingdom Come, to discover the remaining truths we must find. No one can tell you what to think. You and you alone, must seek out, find the
answers to our salvation, and then help lead all others to salvation and reunion
with the Creator.
.
1 comment:
Just because a person is referenced in Psalm 110 and Hebrews does not mean they are anything more than a person. Psalm 110 is David envisioning one who would be a prophet-king like Melchizedek and Hebrews uses Melchizedek to show Jesus' fulfillment of the priestly role in a way that surpassed the Levitical priesthood. Jesus was from the line of Judah. Melchizedek serves as an example of a time when there was a priest who was outside of the Levitical order. He was also a king and thus an example of one who did what King Saul attempted to do and was apparently greater than Abraham (since he tithed to him). The tithe does not need to be understood as worship but as showing that Melchizedek was of greater import. It is apocryphal to say that Melchizedek is anything more than a man. He is the king of righteousness and likely king of what we know as Jerusalem... but the absence of a lineage and presence of a tithe does not mean we must ascribe him deity. It means we take note and understand that Jesus is the one was the true "priest-king", the true King of Righteousness, a priest not found in any human order- truly the son of God who goes directly into the presence of God the Father to offer the sacrifice of his own blood.
We would not be blessed to get to know this ancient priest king, we would be blessed to know the one he points to- Jesus Christ.
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