The
American
Wisdom Series
Presents
Pamphlet #2607
Hebrews
chapter 7
You will even find in Bible commentaries
that many supposed learned men refer to Melchisedec as a "mysterious"
one.
Let's study this marvelous seventh
chapter of Hebrews, a chapter misunderstood by many who even use it to
claim that Jesus Christ had no lineage connected to the tribe of Levi.
However, such is not the case at all, as we shall document.
Again,
remember and understand that the reason for such shallow understanding
has already been addressed by Paul in that "babes" are unable to discern
the depth of what he is "uttering" from the law and the prophets, and specifically
to what he is trying to relate to our minds concerning that which is written
of Melchisedec.
You
will even find in Bible commentaries that many supposed learned men refer
to Melchisedec as a "mysterious" one.
Of course you never hear Paul, a
truly wise and learned man, refer to him as such, for the King of the Just
is no mystery to the "just",
those of God's elect who have eyes
to see and ears to hear, those who love Him enough to work and labor in
the field to come to truly know Him!
However, before we get started in
our study of this remarkable and revealing chapter seven, perhaps it would
benefit some if we first jumped ahead to the first few verses of chapter
eight where Paul gives a summary of what he has taught so far and what
he is going to teach us in this seventh chapter.
That way we can keep locked in our
minds the conclusion of the many details Paul gives to us in this chapter
leading up to and confirming our spiritual understanding.
Here's the first part of the summary:
Hebrews
8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum:
We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne
of the Majesty in the heavens;
Up to this point Paul has made
it clear to us concerning the depth of the mercy and compassion our high
priest and advocate,
who sits at the right hand of the
throne in heaven, has for us because He came to this earth to dwell in
the flesh and experience the trials and temptations common to us all.
To
that end, it is so important that we understand that our
Father did not ask us to do anything
He
was not willing to do Himself.
(Consider
that throughout this study.)
You see, it is not so much a matter
that we can never say nor claim that He does not know and understand what
we are going through,
which thing we can never do because
of what He has done, but rather to confirm in the hearts
of
those who love and serve Him that He in fact does know
and understand.
By this alone we know how great
and loving a Father we have.
But the point Paul is going to make here in chapter seven
is that our High Priest is eternal, after the order or rank of Melchisedec,
whose very name means King of the Just.
And
"the order", "the rank", of Melchisedec doesn't get any higher than that,
as we shall see, because neither his kingship nor his
priesthood was of man!
The
conclusion of the matter is, that neither was Christ's
kingship
nor
priesthood of man, because as it was promised
and written (Ps. 110:4), and declared by the oath of God that He
would be a priest "after the order of Melchisedec"!
Open your eyes and ears and learn
from your Father's Word.
[2]
A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle,
which
the Lord pitched, and not man.
Again,
though Christ would come to this earth and be born of woman, descending
in the flesh from both the kingship line (Judah) and the priesthood
line (Levi),
His
priesthood would not be of man but after the order of Melchisedec, whose
priesthood was likewise not of man.
Actually, if you truly understand
what Paul is explaining to us in this chapter, it should give you a more
in-depth understanding of the name "Emmanuel", which means God with us...
God tabernacling with men.
Paul
now explains the priesthood of Melchisedec and once again ... if you open
your eyes and ears...
there
is no mystery here and you will be able to "discern" just how great this
person is who is called the King of the Just and the King of Peace.
Are
you one who believes that Christ was a "Jew", meaning He was only of the
tribe of Judah,
when
infact He was also half of the tribe of Levi.
This
is only "evident" to those who have been enriched by the meat of His Word.
Paul now explains the priesthood
of Melchisedec and once again... if you open your eyes and ears...there
is no mystery here and you will be able to "discern" just how great this
person is who is called the King of the Just and the King of Peace.
Hebrews
7:1 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;
First of all, understand that the king
was also the priest, united in one, and then go to Gen. 14:18-20
and read where Melchisedec, king of Salem, blessed Abraham,
the one who received the promise.
The question is: "How is
it and by whose authority did this Melchisedec have the power to
bless him who has already been blessed by God?"
Hopefully you already know the answer.
Nevertheless it shall be made quite
obvious in the rest of this chapter.
Paul is now going to repeat and
emphasize that Melchisedec was the King of the Just and the King of Peace,
even the King of kings* and Lord of lords.
And you know what?
Even those who are fed only "milk"
from His Word know that there is only one who is righteous and there is
only one King of Peace, and even that there shall be no true peace on earth
until He returns.
*Question: Do you know who the kings
and priests shall be when Christ returns?
Rev. 5:10 will give you the answer!
Revelation 5:6 And
I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts,
and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain,
having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God
sent forth into all the earth.
7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
8
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and
twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them
harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the
book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and
people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about
the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was
ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and
under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them,
heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
14
And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders
fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
We are going to take a short side trip to talk about Kings and Priests:
Let's jump into the future, after
our Lord's Return,
and see what it's
going to be like!
Let's imagine for a minute or so that the 6th
trump has already sounded. Satan
has been here; claimed he was God. Many
proclaiming Christians believed he was and worshiped him. Then at the
7th trump the
real Christ returned and found them out. But,
there were a number of us
who were not fooled by Satan and waited for the real Christ's return.
We are now "Kings
& Priests" The Millennium has
started; But, What
will it be like? Many have heard and
read that it will
be a time of teaching,
especially that of discipline. But some say, "I just don't quite get it. I
know what discipline in the Word is. It is to faithfully study the Bible
and absorb
it into my being, but
if people will be in their spiritual bodies during the
Millennium and will have perfect recall, meaning they will be able to
quote the
Bible from beginning to end and therefore they will know the Word of
God, then
what will God's elect be teaching? (The
elect, now being us "The Kings and Priests" who are to help
our Lord
teach and discipline those who did not endure until the end; therefore,
worshipped the beast, Satan, the spurious messiah.)
This somehow presumes that
intellect and knowledge are equivalent to good behavior and wisdom!
So, we must ask ourselves, do
kids have less knowledge than adults? Of course they do! Well
than, do children fight and bicker? Of course they do!
Do adults, even those with
college
degrees, fight and bicker?
Yes they
do. They call it marriage! (Just kidding.)
I
guess superior knowledge doesn't necessarily overcome the spirit of
bickering and fighting then, does it?
Nor
does it automatically give one wisdom. One
need look no further than our Congress to find very knowledgeable,
intelligent people who possess no wisdom. Nevertheless,
we will learn a
great deal about the answer to the question of teaching and discipline
during
the Millennium in this "Kings
and Priests" study, for it has little to do with the
knowledge of
God's Word and a lot to do with discerning it and doing it, i.e. following it...
all of it.
See Live
Link
to-Kings and Priests
Sorry for the long Kings and Priests side trip. Now, back to are study in Hebrews chapter 7:
Hebrews
7:2
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;
It is vitally important to understand that Abraham
gave his tithe to the King of the Just who was also the King of peace!
So what is it that we "see" here?
What is it on a deeper level that Paul is trying to "utter"
to the minds of those who have eaten of the meat of God's Word?
For one thing, we are to see both
the King of kings and Lords of lords dwelling in one, even Christ.
In other words, the eternal kingship and the priesthood
are
united in Jesus Christ
and not separated by lineage.
We therefore have but one King and
High Priest to whom all the kings of the earth are made subject and to
whom all the priests are likewise made subject... and He is eternal, Alpha
and Omega, the first and the last, without beginning and without
end of days!
[3]
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.
To abide a priest "continually"
means to remain a priest "forever"!
You see, we just read that Melchisedec
had no father and no mother, which means he had no genealogy, i.e. he was
without descent!
He had no beginning of days which
means he was never a baby... a logical statement indeed seeing that he
had no earthly parents.
Nor did he grow old and die but
abides a priest forever, because he was like unto the Son
of God!
Do not make this difficult.
He was like unto the Son of God
because he in fact was the Son of God!
He was the LORD who walked in the
cool of the day in the garden of Eden and He was the one who appeared with
the three children Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedneggo when they were cast
into the fiery furnace by the king of Babylon.
You see, He has never been far removed
from His people and in knowing that we can take much comfort!
Daniel
3:2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and
spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into
the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
[25] He answered
and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and
they have no hurt; and the form of the
fourth is
like the Son of God.
The fourth one seen walking
in the midst of the fire was the Son of God.
And it was this same one, the great
"I
AM that I AM", which means "I will be
whomever I will be",
who appeared unto our father Abraham,
as evidenced by Christ's own words.
John
8:56-58 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and
was glad.
[57] Then said
the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen
Abraham?
[58] Jesus said
unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before
Abraham was, I am.
That is correct. Christ was
there... with our father Abraham.
Hebrews
7:4 Now consider how great this man was, unto
whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
Now consider ("discern")
how great this one was that Abraham, whose name means the "father of many
nations", would bring the tenth of the riches of the kings whom he had
smitten and spoiled.
Understand that the law had not yet been given which would
require that the tithe be given unto the priests of Levi, so there was
no Levitical priesthood at this time.
In fact, both the kingship line
(which would come through Judah) and the priesthood line (which would come
through Levi) were still in the loins of Abraham.
This is an important point to our
understanding (discerning)
the greatness of Melchisedec which Paul explains in the next few verses
hence.
[5]
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:
Paul is putting this in perspective
to show "how great" Melchisedec was, to whom Abraham tithed, in comparison
to the Levitical priesthood of mere mortal men-priests who would come out
of the loins of Abraham.
Again, Melchisedec was present before
Aaron and the sons of Levi were ever born, but even so, the Levites
were subordinate to Abraham who was subordinate to Melchisedec, the King
of the Zadok and the King of Peace.
Remember
again that Melchisedec had no father or mother and was therefore not descended
from man.
In other words, he was neither descended
from the kingship line nor the priesthood line, although Jesus Christ when
He came to dwell in the flesh did, to continue the priesthood after the order
of Melchisedec, would be descended from BOTH!
How truly marvelous and wondrous is the plan of God!
[6]
But he whose descent is not counted from them
received tithes
of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.
Again, if you have understanding
you will "see" that Melchisedec's priesthood was continued
in Jesus Christ, not a priesthood after the manner of men
or the Levitical priesthood, but an eternal priesthood.
You "see", that is exactly what the
promise and the prophecy of Psalm 110:4 was, which is why
Paul has and continues to quote it so often!
Psalm 110:4
"The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art
a priest for ever after the
order of Melchizedek."
In other words, Melchisedec was already King of the Just
and High Priest which is why he was able to both receive tithes
from and bless father Abraham.
[7]
And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.
There is no argument that when it comes to divine
authority that the lesser is blessed of the greater.
To wit, all true gifts and blessings come from God (Ja.
1:17), the Creator of all things.
In that same respect that is why God sware to Himself,
because there was no greater to sware by!
Hebrews 6:16 "For men verily swear
by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife."
So here in the person of Melchisedec we have the "greater"
blessing Abraham, the heir of the promised seed, and in so doing he blessed
the Levitical Priesthood that would come through Abraham's loins until
the fulfillment of Ps. 110:4... which Paul is documenting
has come
to pass!
[8]
And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom
it
is witnessed that he liveth.
Paul is making this so plain and simple that one
would think even "babes" would begin to understand.
He just said that men who receive tithes are mortal and
they DIE, as in they "kick the bucket", but this one Melchisedec, the greater
one who blessed Abraham, lives on for he was not mortal...he was immortal.
"It is witnessed" to, Paul said. In other words, "It is
written" and you just read the witness that he lives on! Is there still
any doubt in your mind that Melchisedec was the Son of God?
Here's one more thought for the day:
[9]
And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.
[10]
For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.
Paul cannot help but add a little meat to the simplicity
of what he is teaching us, though to some it may still be mystery.
You see, the entire Levitical priesthood,
a blessed but temporal priesthood of mortal men to come through the loins
of Abraham, the heir of the unbreakable promise (of the seed) and blessings
of God, was also subject to the King of the Zadok and King of Peace, Melchisedec.
Got it?
Therefore, as Paul expounded concerning
Levi who received tithes according to the law, in fact the whole family
of Levi payed tithes to Melchisedec through the greater, their father Abraham!
That should surely help you "discern"
how great Melchisedec was!
Next we will complete chapter seven
in which Paul will discuss the actual (flesh and blood) genealogy of Christ, when He came to earth as a human being to dwell for a time with us, only part of
which, the fact that He was descended from the tribe of Judah, is "evident"
to those who are still only "milk fed".
The other half of His genealogy,
the fact that He was also half of the tribe of Levi, is only "evident"
to those who have been enriched by the meat of His Word.
So if you are one who believes
that Christ was a "Jew", meaning He was only of the tribe of Judah, then
do not miss the remainder of chapter 7 for we will give concrete evidence
from the Word of God as to the perfection of Christ's lineage, showing
us that even in the flesh the kingship
and the priesthood was united in Jesus Christ!
Christianity is not contained in
religion nor in the following after traditions... it is the reality of
knowing
Him.
Paul is giving us quite a Bible lesson in this 7th chapter
of Hebrews concerning the divine authority and power
of our Lord and High Priest, Jesus Christ, who alone is able to "save
them to the uttermost
that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever
liveth to make intercession for them (Heb. 7:25)".
The point Paul is so thoroughly making and documenting
is that the priesthood of Christ, promised by God and backed
by His solemnly
sworn oath to the highest power in the universe
(Himself) was "to be after the order of Melchisedec
(Ps. 110:4)", the one who "abideth
[remains] a priest continually [forever] (Heb.
7:3)".
Let us continue to enjoy this rich
full-course meal Paul has prepared for us to consume and digest. Keep
in mind that were those who were still trying to observe the law of ordinances
which Christ "blotted out" and completely "took away" when He died on the
cross (see Col. 2:10-17 below.)
Of course there is nothing new under
the sun and there are still those today who follow church systems based
on religious ceremonies with commandments of do's and don'ts, such as keep
this day or that day or perform this ritual or that ritual.
Hebrews
7:11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under
it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another
priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after
the order of Aaron?
The law, i.e. of religious
ordinances of blood sacrifices to atone for sins, etc., including the keeping
of certain days and performing ceremonies and/or rituals of cleansing,
etc., cannot give anyone life!
That is because "life" can only
come from "life", meaning that eternal life can only come from eternal
life itself, for that which is temporal cannot supercede itself!
That is why it was necessary and promised by Almighty
God that Jesus Christ would be a priest after the succession of Melchisedec
(Ps. 110:4), who we learned was "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
(Heb. 7:3)."
To that end, Paul just explained to us in verse 11 that
if perfection (meaning "salvation") could
have been obtained through the Levitical priesthood under the Old Covenant,
then there simply would have been no need for another
priest to be raised up after the order of Melchisedec.
The logic is that there would be
no need to have a New Covenant if the Old Covenant of laws and sacrifices
administered by the priests of Aaron were sufficient unto salvation, right?
Hebrews
7:12 For the priesthood
being changed, there is made of necessity
a change also of the law.
This
is a profound statement!
You see, the law required that the priesthood be after
the order of Aaron, i.e. of the tribe of Levi... period!
So if Christ were to become the
high priest through any other tribe or order (such
as the tribe of Judah or after the order of Melchisedec),
that law would have to be changed,
would it not?
Well,
it was!
In
fact, all the laws contained
in ordinances were
completely done away with when Christ died on the cross and rent the "veil"
to the Holy of Holies from top to bottom, entering in as our High Priest
once and for all time!
Never again would
there ever be a need for another high priest for He is our priest forever,
eternally, i.e. after the order of Melchisedec!
If
you do not believe and understand what Paul is saying here, you may waste
much of your life following after the traditions of men and their church
systems who say you must do some religious thing or keep this religious
day or say that religious thing, etc., etc.
Christianity
is not contained in religion nor in the following after traditions... it
is the reality of
knowing Him.
Col.
2:10 And ye are complete in Him,
which is the head of all principality and power:
[11] In whom
also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting
off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Romans 2:29 "But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly;
and
circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit,
and
not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of
God."
[12]
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through
the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
[13] And you,
being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he
quickened
together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
To be "quickened" is to be
"made alive"... together with Him... as in you abiding in Him and He in
you (Jn. 15:5).
[14]
Blotting
out the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us, which was contrary to us, and
took it out of
the way, nailing it to his cross;
There
is a vast difference between the laws of God such as the Ten Commandments,
and
laws which are "statutes"
and laws which are contained in "ordinances"
pertaining to religious ceremonies and sacrifices, etc.
It
is only the latter of these
that Christ nailed to the cross and NOT the laws of God as is so commonly
taught in our churches among "milk" drinkers.
To wit... It is still against the law of God
to commit murder!
[15]
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly,
triumphing over them in it.
[16] Let no man
therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday,
or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Don't ever let some preacher
type place you in the bondage of religious things by claiming you must
do this or that (including religiously going to church every Sunday to
show yourself approved**)
or you are not acceptable to God!
Tell the fool to go read Col. 2
and "bug off"!
**
Please understand that I am not condemning going to church, especially
where the Word of God is taught.
[17]
Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Again, we read in Col. 2:10
that we, meaning the many membered body of Christ, are
complete in Him, not in keeping all
those ordinances which were merely temporal shadows teaching us pictorially
and symbolically all about the One who would come and pay the price!
"Oh... but you don't understand
brother!
You must keep Saturday as a holyday,
or you must observe lent, or you must do this and that!"
I'm sorry,
I'm
really not into religion.
Jesus Christ in the flesh both
descended of the kingship line (through
Judah) and the
priesthood line (through Levi)
Let us now continue listening to Paul give supporting
evidence and expound on Heb. 7:12 where he stated that because the priesthood
was changed that the law requiring the priests to be after the order of
Aaron (i.e. of the tribe of Levi) must also of necessity be changed.
Hebrews
7:13 For He of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe,
of which no man gave attendance at the altar.
The prophecies foretold that Jesus Christ would come
through the tribe of Judah who had nothing to do with the priesthood.
[14]
For
it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which
tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.
Paul's point is that because
Christ was of Judah, and was not a "full blooded Levite" this makes it
obvious (evident) that the law must necessarily be changed!
So using Christ's own lineage Paul
make his case concerning the law rather easily because it is also evident
to
everyone, including all the "babes who drink only milk", that
Jesus Christ was of the tribe of Judah, which is the kingship line
and not the priesthood line.
However,
in as much as Melchisedec was both King of the Just and High
Priest, so was Jesus Christ in the
flesh both descended of the kingship line (through Judah) and
the priesthood line (through Levi), the latter
of which is not evident
to babes but is nevertheless easy to
document!
Here is how:
You will find that there
are two genealogies of Joseph given in the New Testament, one in
Matthew (Note that the NT opens with this most important information) and
one in the third chapter of Luke. Many people
struggle with these two genealogies because if you read them carefully
you will find they are not the same, i.e. they have not all the same fathers.
Some even use this to discredit God's Word claiming the two genealogies
"conflict" with one another. However, such
is not the case at all... and never is. It
is just man's ignorance derived from his "slothfulness" in studying and
rightly dividing the Word of God that accounts for all the so-called discrepancies.
So why are we given Joseph's genealogy
anyway, for he had nothing to do with Christ's descent.
Well, in Matthew we are given Joseph's genealogy documenting
that he was a "pure blooded" Judahite, the lineage of the
kingship,
remember? Again, why is this so important? Because
it is a matter of the "law"! You see, Christ had no earthy father and so
Joseph was Christ's stepfather. So by law, through adoption,
Christ became Joseph's son and inherited the rights and lineage of his
father Joseph! Therefore, those wicked scripture
lawyers of the sons of Cain, i.e. the kenites, could
never claim
that Jesus Christ had no legal right to be king of Israel.
Ironically, it is by this same witness that anyone of any
race or language or creed, even the kenites, can through adoption
become a child of God and an heir of the promises! And THAT,
my friend, qualifies it to open the New Testament!
We move now to the genealogy of
Joseph in the Book of Luke and lo and behold,
we discover that this is actually not Joseph's genealogy at all!
Notice what Luke 3:23 says, "And Jesus himself began to be about thirty
years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph,
which was the son of Heli." The
phrase "as was supposed" means "by law"!
In other words, Christ was Joseph's son by law, i.e. his stepson.
Now what about Joseph? Whose son was he? Well,
we read in Matthew that he was "begotten" (sired) by Jacob. Matthew
1:16 "And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary,
of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." However,
in Luke we read that Joseph was the son of Heli, but not by "begettal"!
He was Heli's son also "as was supposed", i.e. his son by law! You
see, Joseph was the husband of Mary and therefore Heli's "son-in-law"! So
the genealogy in Luke is actually Mary's genealogy through her father Heli,
Joseph's
father-in-law, documenting that Mary's father was also a "pure blooded"
Judahite! Why is this important for us
to know? Because it tells us that
the paternal half of Mary's bloodline was of pure
Judah, the kingship
line. That
leaves open the question of her mother's side. Do we know what bloodline
she was from? Yes we do!
Read
Luke 1:5-6: "There was in the days
of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the
course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elisabeth. [6] And they were both righteous
before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the
Lord blameless."
We
are actually told twice (for emphasis) in
the above two verses that Elizabeth, the mother of John of Baptist, was
a "pure blooded" Levite. In
verse five we are told flat out that she was of the daughters of Aaron.
However, to eliminate any doubt and to document that she was a "pure blooded"
daughter of Levi, we are told that she and
her husband walked "blameless" in all the commandments and ordinances! You
see, it was lawful for a Levitical priest to marry ONLY a full blooded
Levite woman so as to keep the priesthood line pure (Lev.
22)! For Zacharias to have done otherwise would make void Luke 1:6.
Now let's read Luke 1:36 concerning Mary's relationship to Elizabeth and
tie this all together:
"And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived
a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called
barren."
First of all, it is evident that
since Mary and Elizabeth were cousins that Christ was of necessity a blood
relative of John the Baptist, who was a pure blooded Levite with
pure blooded Levite parents. That
tells you right away that Christ had Levite blood running through His veins
but it was more than just a trace! If you
think carefully about what has been said you will see that Mary's mother
(because
her father was of Judah only) would have been
the sister of Elizabeth's mother, who also had to be a pure blooded Levite
for Elizabeth's sake. Therefore...
Mary's mother was a "pure blooded" Levite and her father was a "pure
blooded" Judahite!
Do you see
the perfection of the Word of God how that Jesus Christ descended
in the flesh from both the kingship
line and the priesthood line, uniting them
into One, even the King of kings and the Lord
of lords.
Now let us return to Hebrews where Paul has just
made the point, knowing as a prerequisite what the law required concerning
Levi, that the tribe of Judah had no connection with tending the altar
under the law of Moses.
So the law pertaining to the priesthood must of necessity
be changed!
Hebrews
7:15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec
there ariseth another priest,
Paul then goes on to show that the argument for that
change in the law is made even more obvious when you consider that the
priesthood of Christ was promised and sworn to
by God Himself to be "after the order of Melchisedec"!
Selah: Are you getting all this?
Carnal commandments and religious
ordinances and priests of men can NEVER provide a way of forgiveness and
sanctification, i.e. salvation! Only Jesus
Christ, the power of the Living Word of God can grant such!
[16]
Who is made,
not after the law of a carnal commandment, but
after the power of an endless life.
Again,
eternal life can only be granted by He who possesses eternal life,
the great "I AM"!
[17]
For
He testifieth, Thou art a priest
for ever
after the order of Melchisedec.
Paul for the umpteenth time
quotes Ps. 110:4... for this is the PROMISE of our
hope by
which Almighty God gave an OATH... the promise of Messiah our eternal High
Priest and Savior, by whom and through whom we may obtain salvation.
There
is no other way!
[18]
For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for
the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
Those
carnal commandments and ordinances of blood sacrifices, etc., are all done
away with.
As it is written, those things of
the law were but shadows of Him who was to come.
However, as Paul has already admonished
us, starting "To Day", we had better get off the "milk bottle" and "go
to school" in His Word
and begin to know and understand
those things of the law for they teach us all about Jesus Christ that we
may come to KNOW HIM and have faith in Him!
Galatians 3:24 "Wherefore the law was
our schoolmaster
to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
Again, there was simply nothing
in the law itself or administered through the Levitical priesthood that
could "make perfect", i.e. bring forgiveness and salvation to man.
Therefore,
not until the PROMISE of His coming was there HOPE of salvation!
And you know what else, it is because
of the "sonship" God has given us that Jesus Christ has the legal right
to stand in as our kinsman redeemer and to make intercession for our souls!
[19]
For
the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of
a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
We do not draw near to God
through religion or church systems of ceremonial worship and rituals,
etc., etc.
We draw near to God by dwelling
with Him, by seeking Him through His Word.
[20]
And inasmuch as not without an
oath
He was made priest:
The only high priest God ever
promised and swore by His oath would be able to bring us eternal salvation
was Jesus Christ, who was eternal, a priest for ever, after
the order of Melchisedec.
[21]
(For those priests were made without an oath; but this
with an oath
by Him that said unto Him, The Lord sware and will
not repent, Thou art a priest
for ever after the order of
Melchisedec:)
This is the umpteenth + 1 time Paul quotes Ps. 110:4.
Surely
by now you can see and understand that Melchisedec, the King of the Just
and the King of Peace was indeed Christ, Himself.
[22]
By so much was Jesus made a
surety
of a better testament.
A surety is a guarantee and
it is in Jesus Christ, the eternal High Priest promised by the sworn oath
of Almighty God, that the New Covenant and the hope of our salvation rests
assured.
Nothing and no one prior to or coming
after could have or will provide that salvation.
Our
Father's contract is therefore sure and binding which means the rest
is totally up to you, to love Him and exercise your faith by trusting
and relying on Him, laboring earnestly and patiently to enter into His
rest!
[23]
And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue
by reason of death:
Paul is just driving home the
point he has already made time and again concerning temporal things whether
they be carnal commandments or mortal men, hoping somewhere along the
line we "get it"!
Fact: No mortal priest can give
you life or offer sacrifice to atone for your sins, because he doesn't
have life to give you!
You see, he himself is subject to
death.
There is only One priest who can
atone for your sins and grant you salvation and that priest does have life,
eternal life, and that priest was the One promised by God and sworn
to by His oath who would come after the order of Melchisedec, who abideth
a priest forever!
[24]
But this man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable
priesthood.
The Word of God abideth forever,
for Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end,
the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Therefore you shall NEVER have need
to change priests.
You never need to put your trust
in men nor elevate them to a higher status because they are all sinners
just like you and they all die just like you.
But our High Priest is eternal, immortal,
and without sin, and He has ascended and now sits above the
heavens at the right hand of His Majesty on high!
It is Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ
alone, who can redeem and save your soul!
[25]
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.
The simplicity of all this
is that "Jesus Christ is the Living Word of God, the fulfilment
of the PROMISE guaranteed by the OATH of God, to be our High Priest FOREVER
after the order of Melchisedec."
[26]
For such an high priest became [He for] us, who is holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
We do not have to rely on men (for all have sinned
and come short) nor any of their traditions.
Remember, "You are COMPLETE in Him!"
[27]
Who needeth not daily, as those 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.
Jesus Christ was the perfect
and unblemished Lamb of God, who by His sacrifice became our Passover (1
Cor. 5:7) once and for all time!
[28]
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 [perfected] for evermore.
Those two immutable and unchangeable
things, the PROMISE and the OATH sworn by God, document and declare the
surety of our salvation in Jesus Christ, who became our High Priest...
not after the order of carnal commandments or temporal and fallible men,
but after the great order of Melchisedec, who abideth a priest forever!
How exciting and wondrous the
Word of God truly is!
To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits;
to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, you accomplish both.
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