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 Endtime Ministries...
Australian Bible College Course

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PORTIONS OF HEBREWS CHAPTERS 5  & 7.
HIGHLIGHTS ON:

OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST –
AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEC.

To really grasp the book of Hebrews the student has to understand the MAJOR FIGURE in the book, Who is the GREAT HIGH PRIEST, the Lord Jesus Christ. A mysterious and thrilling high priest is shown in Hebrews along with Christ. Christ is even aligned with this priest in an amazing way:
“Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec” chapter 5 verse 6 tells us.

Well, this is an intriguing statement! Have you heard strange teachings on this name, “Melchisedec”?       I certainly have, some comments quite mystical even Gnostic in adaption. We need, then, to examine carefully and soundly what the Melchisedec inclusion in Hebrews is all about. And we will also delve a little into the rise of Gnosticism in Christian churches today, looking at this O.T. person in that regard.
SEE Appendix 3. “Strange Fire”, pages 19-24.

Here is an Outline to begin with
[I am indebted to Ruth Hoppin, a modern day author, for insight here]:
 

1. Comparing the words of Stephen in Acts 7:2, 9, 30-31, 36 and 38:
This shows that God’s revelation of Himself and His plans are NOT limited to national boundaries.
 Hebrews 2:5-18 shows:
Jesus is the UNIVERSAL Saviour who came that by the grace of God He might taste death for EVERY ONE.

2. Acts 7:17,22,23,29 show that God’s revelation of Himself and His plans is independent of culture.
Hebrews 7:4, 10 show Melchisedec, who was NOT a Jew, was a blessing to Abraham and his descendants

3. Acts 7:44,50 show God’s revelation is NOT bound to the Jewish Temple or the Tabernacle.
Hebrews 11: 10,14,16,23,31; 13: 12,14 show that FAITH is independent of the city of Jerusalem.

4. Acts 7:25,26, 35, 36, 51, 53 show that God’s revelation is NOT confined to the Jewish people, for they rejected His prophets.
Hebrews 3:17,19, chapter 11 show Israel persecuting the prophets and rejecting God’s message.
 

The Images thing about Melchisedec was that he was a Gentile! He was NOT a Jew. So Jesus Christ’s whole priesthood is not based on Judaism at all. He is greater than Aaron, the priest of Judaism. Christ is a Priest Who is NOT bound to Israel, he is not bound to that nation, He is independent entirely of the Jewish culture and religion, His very priesthood is declared by Almighty God to be after the order of a Gentile, a non-Jew.
God made a major statement about this priesthood in Hebrews, where the whole purpose of God is outlined, and in no other part of Scripture is this revealed.
Hebrews 7:16,17 quotes Psalm 110:4 in order to make its premise:

“For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec. For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.” (Hebrews 7:14-18).

NOTE: Judaism is called “law of carnal commandment” and  of “weakness and unprofitable.”
What have got here? Christ Jesus is NOT a Jewish priest, He was born out of the Tribe of Judah, He was not after the Aaronic priesthood line. The Levitical priesthood made nothing perfect, according to Hebrews 7:11.  He is a priest after an ETERNAL order. He is High Priest, Sacrifice and Atonement – all together. He has entered into the TRUE SANCTUARY which is Heaven itself (Heb. 9:24). He offered HIMSELF in sacrifice, not the mere blood of bulls and goats. He does not have to offer up sacrifices over and over again, He was crucified once for all, He need never repeat His own self offered up, ever again. (Heb. 7:27).

THE MESSIAH OF THE JEWS.
Jesus Christ came as the Messiah of the Jews, yet He began a religious system that was cut off entirely from the Jewish religious system! The apostasy of our day is that many who call themselves “Messianic Jews” have claimed that Jesus Christ is a JEWISH priest in every way, and they now seek to draw the Christians back under “Yeshua” as the Jewish priest Who should be worshipped in a Jewish manner, they contend. This is why ordinary people in churches today, many of them, Pentecostals, Charismatics, Fundamentals, Evangelicals – even Catholics – are doing things like calling the Lord Jesus “Yeshua”, wearing Jewish prayer shawls, dancing Jewish religious dances, keeping O.T.feasts, growing Jewish beards, even burning incense on an altar and holding a form of communion there! These non-biblical people are seeing a Jewish Messiah and priest in Christ, not a universally presented CHRIST-Priest.
(Access Hebrew Roots magazine and notes)....not possible online, but use links to our  Hebrew Roots Info Online

Christ has a Messiah-Priest status, but after the order of Melchisedec, a Gentile status. Very interesting indeed.  The central concept of Christ as High Priest of the order of Melchisedec is found in Hebrews, uniquely. Compare this one exception, which is just a hint from Paul:
Romans 8:34b with Hebrews 6:20.

What does the name Melchisedec mean? “King of righteousness, king of Salem.”

AN IMPORTANT QUESTION TO ASK:
 

•  Was Melchisedec a Christophany, a pre-incarnation appearance of Christ Jesus Himself?
•  After all, the Bible says a strange thing about him in Hebrews 7:3?

It would not appear to be the case, definitely not a Christophany proper, in my humble opinion. This was a real man, just a flesh and blood man. Christ did not make pre-incarnation appearances “enfleshed” as in the case of Melchisedec, not as God enfleshed. As Christ Jesus GOD WAS BORN as a baby, this was the first and last incarnation appearance. Why does the Bible say Melchisedec had no ancestry, no mother and father, no birth and death mentioned? Let’s have a look at the Old Testament on this man.
We see him in Genesis 14:18. Here no record of him is given in regard to geneology etc; he just appears as a living figure abiding alone. No beginning of days or ending of life is recorded of him. No priestly successor is recorded of him. It is the SILENCE on these matters that makes him a type of Christ Jesus; not that he did not have a human birth or death.  Jesus is a unique priest after this order in that the Levitical priesthood line was of no account. Christ as priest abides forever. His family line, of the Jews, has no significance in His priesthood.

MELCHISEDEC is a GREAT PRIEST.
We are told in these days to return to Abraham, who is supposed to be the Jewish forefather, the patriarch, who brings Christians into the deeper “roots” of their faith! But, we see the greater than Abraham (who wasn’t a Jew anyway) Melchisedec actually blessing the patriarch Abraham in Genesis 14:18-24. This shows that Abraham was the lesser, and Christ is the antitype of this O.T. distinctive priest.

Although the Order of Melchisedec shows the endlessness of Christ’s priesthood, certainly the Aaronic priesthood can typify His priesthood. Fine studies have been done on this typology.

GENESIS 14:18-24.

This passage shows some remarkable things, not only about Melchisedec,
but also about Jesus Christ our High Priest:
1. A Gentile priest and king knew the Lord Jehovah as “El Elyon” “the most high God.” See Gen 14:20.
2. This King of Salem blesses Abram in the name of El Elyon, which leads Abram to an astonishing reaction. He gives the King “tithes of all” the spoils of battle.
3. Jesus Christ, too, blesses Abraham as He is the Greater, and Abraham yields to Him and gives offerings to HIM, as the High Priest of an endless priesthood – in a spiritual sense that is.
 

Glimpse some of the advantages Christ has as a priest over the Aaronic priesthood:
 

1. He was given a ROYAL priesthood. Just like Melchisedec Christ is Priest and King, not just a priest like Aaron was. Genesis 14:18.

2. In Hebrews 7:4-10 we see that Levi (who was the founder of the Levitical priesthood) was in the loins of Abraham, so Levi in reality tithed to Melchisedec through Abraham. Meaning Christ Jesus also is greater than the Levitical priesthood.

3. Melchisedec was ordained by an oath from God, not by the tribe of Levi. Neither Melchisedec or Christ came from the tribe of Aaron, but no one could serve in Judaism as a priest unless they did! (Ezra 2:61,62). (Heb. 7:14, 22-24). Christ is NOT a Jewish priest.
 

4. Christ was given a perfecting priesthood, and a holy priesthood, far greater than the priesthood under Aaron. See Hebrews 7:25,26. These verses have to do with the preservation and perfecting of the saved, not with the salvation of the lost. CHRIST our High Priest, after the order of Melchisedec, now LIVES in glory to KEEP US SAVED and PRESERVED FOREVER.

Romans 8:34 and Revelation 1: 18.
 
 

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