Common Sense Commentary: It is just common sense not to assume that what someone says about the Bible is totally true, but to study it for yourself. Check out the preacher. Before you read my comments below, read Hebrews 6:19-20 through Hebrews 7:8. Speaking of our eternal "hope" in Christ .... "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Where the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Heb.6:19-20.
For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth." Heb.7:1-8.
Abraham went to the rescue of his nephew, Lot, defeated their enemies, and returned Lot, his family, and their wealth back to their home. On his way back, he was met by Melchizedek, whose name means "King Of righteousness". Now what decent, honest man would allow himself to be known as "King Of Righteousness"?....Only the King Of Kings, Jesus Christ. Melchizedek was, at that time, and still is, I think, the King of a city named "Peace" (Heb. Salem). This is the first mention, in the entire Bible, of this word, and this city, which was later known as "Jerusalem" (Place Of Peace), the Holy City of God's people, His Temple, the Holy of Holies, His Levitical Priests, Prophets, Apostles and Mount Zion (Psm. 76:2). It is also the name of the Millennial, Holy, Golden City of 12 foundations which will descend out of heaven, to the same location, after the Tribulation, as The "New Jerusalem" (Rev.21:2).
Let's begin with Gen.13:18-20 when Abraham and Christ (Melchizedek) came face to face. Notice six things about this event. (1) Melchizedek was King of Righteousness.
(2) Melchizedek was King of Peace. (3) He met and celebrated Abraham's victory, not with a feast, but with the elements of Holy Communion. (4) Melchizedek was "THE
(A definite article, unique, singular, one of a kind) Priest of the most high God". (5) Melchizedek blessed Abraham. (The lesser is blessed by the greater... always and only). Who could be greater, on this earth, than Father Abraham, father of the Jews? Only Christ - Jn.8:58. (6) Abraham gave HIM tithes, as did the tithe collecting Levites, through Abraham (they were in his loins), to a greater Priest than they... Melchizedek, who was NOT of the priestly tribe of Levi.
This unusual event, in the Old Testament, was important enough that God repeated it and expounded upon it in the New Testament (Heb.6:20 through Heb.10, over 100 verses). Here, we will only look at the last 2 verse of Heb.6 and all of Heb.7. The person .... Melchizedek, appeared just once in the Old Testament; but this singular, non-Levitical priesthood, called "The order of Melchizedek", is later attributed to Christ seven times. In Psm.110:1-6, when "The LORD (YHVH=Jehovah God, the Father) said unto My Lord (Adoni, God the Son)...." This first verse is quoted six times in the New Testament attributed to God speaking to Jesus. Here, God says to Jesus, in v.4, "Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." Forever means forever .... eternal, never ending. This is a single person declared to be the one and only, eternal, Priest of Righteousness and Priest of Peace. Called Melchizedek, in the O.T. verses, and Christ in the New Testament, unlike the Levitical priests, who died, this greater, higher Priest lives forever. Hebrews 6 is speaking of the promises given Abraham and the hope we have in Christ, who as our eternal High Priest, entered the forbidden Holy Of Holies, through the veil, into the presence of Jehovah God, and sacrificed, not lambs or young bullocks, but Himself upon the altar of the cross, a Priestly sin offering for our sins. As says Heb.6:20, Jesus Christ ..."for us entered, even Jesus, made an High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." God would never ... ever have said Christ was "made after the order" of any other human being, angel or saint. He was God in the flesh as was Melchizedek. Both are said to be "The Son of God."
In Heb.7, the first 2 verses rehearse the meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek. Though Melchizedek was Christ in an earlier time, and in a somewhat different form, unlike Jesus, who had an earthly mother, of his fleshly body, but no earthly father, Melchizedek had absolutely no earthly father or mother of the body he inhabited. He obviously came directly from God the Father. So who could Melchizedek possibly be? He was, "without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life ...." WHAT !!! And remember Jn.3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that....." He only had one Only begotten Son... not two. So Melchizedek/Christ, as the second person of the Holy Trinity, and therefore, God, ... "abideth a priest continually." Continually means, "without interruption". There was no interruption between the High Priesthood of Melchizedek and that of Christ. They are one and the same. This single person, eternal Priesthood, existed in Melchizedek, before the Tribe of Levi and their temporal priesthood, and continued after the Levitical priesthood, in the person of Christ, "a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek" (Heb.7:3, 17, 21). Let me close with Heb.7:24-28, the last verses of Heb.7....
"But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those (Levitical) high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore."
If Melchizeded was not Christ, no one else ever born qualifies. Think about it. RB
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