Who was Melchizedek? | GotQuestions.org

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In today's video, I'll answer your question, Who was Melchizedek? Then afterward, as always,

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I'll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end. Melchizedek, whose name means

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King of Righteousness, was a king of Salem, or Jerusalem, and priest of the Most High God.

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Melchizedek's sudden appearance and disappearance in the book of Genesis is somewhat mysterious. Melchizedek and Abraham first met after Abraham's defeat of Keteliomor and his three allies.

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Melchizedek presented bread and wine to Abraham and his weary men, demonstrating friendship.

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He bestowed a blessing on Abraham in the name of El -Elyon, God Most High, and praised

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God for giving Abraham a victory in battle. Abraham presented Melchizedek with a tithe, or a tenth, of all the items he had gathered.

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By this act, Abraham indicated that he recognized Melchizedek as a priest who ranked higher spiritually than he.

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In Psalm 110, a messianic psalm written by David, Melchizedek is presented as a type of Christ.

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This theme is repeated in the book of Hebrews, where both Melchizedek and Christ are considered kings of righteousness and peace.

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By citing Melchizedek and his unique priesthood as a type, the writer shows that Christ's new priesthood is superior to the old

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Levitical order and the priesthood of Aaron. Some propose that Melchizedek was actually a pre -incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ, or a

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Christophany. This is a possible theory, especially given that Abraham received such a visit later in Genesis 17 -18, when

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Abraham saw and spoke with the Lord, Yahweh, in the form of a man. Hebrews 6, verse 20 says,

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Jesus has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. This term, order, would ordinarily indicate a succession of priests holding the office.

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None are ever mentioned, however, in the long interval from Melchizedek to Christ, an anomaly that can be solved by assuming that Melchizedek and Christ are really the same person.

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Thus, the order is eternally vested in Him and Him alone. Hebrews 7, verse 3 says that Melchizedek was without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life.

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Resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. The question is whether the author of Hebrews means this actually or figuratively.

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If the description in Hebrews is literal, then it is indeed difficult to see how it could be properly applied to anyone but the

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Lord Jesus Christ. No mere earthly king remains a priest forever, and no mere human is without father or mother.

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If Genesis chapter 14 describes a theophany, then God the Son came to give

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Abraham His blessing, appearing as the King of Righteousness, the King of Peace, and the mediator between God and man.

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If the description of Melchizedek is figurative, then the details of having no genealogy, no beginning or ending, and a ceaseless ministry are simply statements accentuating the mysterious nature of the person who met

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Abraham—in this case, the silence in the Genesis account. Concerning these details is purposeful and better serves to link

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Melchizedek with Christ. Are Melchizedek and Jesus the same person?

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A case can be made either way. At the very least, Melchizedek is a type of Christ, prefiguring the

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Lord's ministry. But it is also possible that Abraham, after his weary battle, met and gave honor to the

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Lord Jesus Himself. Want to learn more? Subscribe so you don't miss the next video! Visit GotQuestions .org

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for more great content. And check out the details section below this video, there you'll find one book I recommend, along with links to several related questions.

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If you'd like to learn about Bible Munch, or if you're interested in Bite -sized devotionals, subscribe to Bible Munch on YouTube, it's linked right here.