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KINGDOM
BIBLE STUDIES studies
in end time revelation THE
ROYAL PRIESTHOOD Part
24 THE
MELCHIZEDEK CONNECTION One of the most intriguing descriptions of
the unique character of the High Priesthood of Jesus is found in Heb. 7:17
wherein it is stated, "Thou art a priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek." This one grand statement shows that Jesus is not like any of
the other priests who the people of Israel knew so much about. The entire
seventh chapter of Hebrews is about THE MELCHIZEDEK CONNECTION, that is, it is
about the way Jesus Christ, and thus, His body, the Royal Priesthood, is
related to a strange man named Melchizedek. And the connection between Jesus
Christ and Melchizedek is worth exploring. Let's take a look at the Melchizedek
Connection. The whole place Melchizedek occupies in
sacred history is one of the most remarkable proofs of the inspiration and the
unity of Scripture, as written under the direct supernatural guidance of the
Holy Spirit. In the Book of Genesis all we know of him is told in three short,
very simple verses. A thousand years later we find a Psalm with just one single
verse, in which God Himself is introduced, swearing to His Son that He is to be
a High Priest after the Order of Melchizedek. Another thousand years pass, and
that single verse becomes the seed of the wondrous exposition, in the Epistle
to the Hebrews, of the whole work of redemption in Christ Jesus. All its most
remarkable characteristics are found enveloped in this wondrous type. The more
we study it the more we exclaim: THIS IS THE LORD'S DOING; IT IS MARVELOUS IN
OUR EYES. In Genesis, chapter fourteen, we have one of
the most intriguing stories in the Bible, that of Abram's encounter with
Melchizedek, king of Salem, and "the priest of the Most High God." In
the Genesis story Melchizedek is a strange and mysterious figure. He flashes
across the scene like a meteor. There is no heralding of his appearance, nor
any mention of its results. He arrives out of the blue; there is no account of
his family; there is nothing about his birth, his descent, his life, his work,
or his death. He simply arrives. We learn only that he was king of Salem and
priest of the Most High God. During the time of Abraham there were no large
nations. Instead, there were small cities where families lived or around which
a tribe of nomadic people settled. The population of these cities was probably
not more than a few hundred - at most a few thousand. Each city was presided
over by a king. Often, these city-states were at war with one another.
Sometimes cities would form alliances with other cities and form large armies
that would then make war upon yet another city or alliance of cities. Such
became the case in the lower Jordan where Lot, Abram's nephew, and his family
settled. An alliance of Mesopotamian cities drove Lot out of the Canaanite city
of Sodom where he lived and took him captive. When Abram heard of Lot's capture, he rallied
his forces to pursue Lot's captors and was victorious. When Abram was returning
from his victory over Chedorlaomer and the kings that fought with him,
suddenly, out on the plains of battle comes one, a king all glorious, a priest
effulgent with the radiant light of the sun, and this Melchizedek met him with
bread and wine. The priest blessed the patriarch, and blessed the Most High
God, and received from Abram a tithe of all the spoils of battle. Then he
vanished from the stage of history with the same unexplained suddenness as
he arrived upon it. He was not forgotten, however, for this fascinating individual
is referred to nearly a thousand years later by king David (Ps. 110:4) and one
thousand years later than that by the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews,
where he is mentioned by name no less than nine times! That mysterious historic figure
Melchizedek - who was he? Some
things are certain. He was not a Hebrew. He was not an Israelite.
He was not a Levite. He was not a Jew. Certain questions suggest
themselves. How was it that a man like Melchizedek could become king of a city
in a land settled by idolatrous descendants of Canaan, and how could he come to
be recognized as the priest of the one true God? If Salem, his city, is
actually the same as Jerusalem, as most scholars are convinced, then both the
Bible and arch. Geology indicate it to have been inhabited at this time by the
Jebusites, one of the Canaanite tribes from whom it was eventually taken by
David (II Sam. 5:7). There is no reason to suppose the Jebusites were different
in their paganism from the other Canaanites; so it hardly seems likely that
Melchizedek could have been a Jebusite. Furthermore how did he come to be
recognized as the priest of the Most High God, especially by Abram, Abram had
been called to go to Canaan to establish a new nation that would serve the Lord
Abram recognized Melchizedek as his spiritual superior, giving a tithe to him;
so why was not Melchizedek himself chosen to establish such a nation? The
priesthood which he represented was later acclaimed as superior to the Aaronic
priesthood established in Abram. Melchizedek also recognized himself as
superior to Abram, because he gave him his blessing, though he recognized also
that God had already blessed Abram in giving him a miraculous victory. Such questions as these do not seem to be
answered by the usual interpretation that Melchizedek was simply a local
chieftain who was chosen, because of his dramatic appearance in the Genesis
narrative at this point, to be a type of Christ. Ah, but he is more than that!
The Levitical priests were "after the order of Aaron." Aaron was thus
not a mere type, he represented an ORDER OF PRIESTHOOD. The mystery is
intensified when we find the Holy Spirit, almost a millenium later, through
king David, speaking of "my Lord' (Hebrew ADONAI) as "a priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:1,4). Melchizedek was not
alone as a non-Levitical; there was an "order" of Melchizedek, and
this Order was an ages-enduring Order! There have been a few other interpretations,
which are even more unrealistic. One idea is that Melchizedek was an "unfallen
Adam" from some other planet, sent to this planet to observe the progress
of God's work of redemption for the fallen race of our Adam. Another is that
Melchizedek was actually an angel, or possibly a specially created being of
some kind. Comment upon such ideas hardly seems necessary, but there have
actually been serious advocates of each of these views. Others have assumed
that Melchizedek was actually the patriarch Shem, still alive during Abram's
day. Assuming there art no gaps in the genealogies of Genesis 11, Shem would
have lived until thirty-five years after Abram's death, so that this would be
possible. The prevalent hypothesis among the Jews has been that Melchizedek was
none other than Shem, the son of Noah. The Rabbinical writers allude to this on
numerous occasions. This view, widely accepted by both Evangelical and
Pentecostal authorities, and embraced by some "sonship" brethren as
well, does not have a shred of historical or biblical evidence to support it.
It is, without doubt, just another of the many religious traditions unspiritual
theologians accept and purport without any established foundation. Furthermore,
it appears to be of those "traditions of the elders" and "Jewish
fables" of which both Jesus and Paul warned us to beware! There are several reasons why I cannot accept
Shem as being Melchizedek. First of all, no sufficient reason can be given why
Moses, who had in the first thirteen chapters of Genesis spoken of Shem under
his own proper name, should here veil his identity under a different one.
Second, it is inconsistent with what we know of Shem that he should be said to
be by the apostle "without father, without mother, without descent, having
neither beginning of days, nor end of life," since his genealogy is clearly
given in the Scriptures, and the line of his progenitors can be traced right
back to Adam. The strangest thing of all that could be said about Shem would be
that he had "no end of days," when the Scripture states plainly that
he lived to be exactly six hundred years old! (Gen. 11: 10-11). Third, it is in
the highest degree improbable that he should be a reigning king in the land of
Canaan, which was in the possession of his brother's son; nor is it easy to
perceive how Abram could be said to "sojourn there as in a strange
land," if his distinguished ancestor Shem were at that time a prominent
and powerful figure there. Fourth, on this theory the priesthood of
Melchizedek, i.e. of Shem, would not be of a different order than Levi's;
directly contrary to the assertion of the apostle in Heb. 7:6, and to the whole
thrust of his argument. For if Melchizedek were Shem, Levi was at that time in
HIS loins as well as in the loins of Abram, from which it follows, that while
he paid tithes in the loins of one of his ancestors he received them in
another, that is, paid them to himself - which is absurd! And finally, as I
said before, there is not a shred of historical or biblical evidence to
indicate that Shem was Melchizedek, or a priest, for that matter, or even a
spiritual man! The fact is that Shem passed through the
flood and stepped into the new age riding on Noah's coat-tail! Nowhere does the
Scripture reveal Shem as a man of faith or righteousness. Read the great
"honor-roll" of faith in Hebrews 11 - Shem's name does not appear!
Ah, but his father Noah's name is there. "By faith NOAH, being warned of
God of things not seen as yet, prepared an ark TO THE SAVING OF HIS HOUSE by
the which HE condemned the world and became heir of the RIGHTEOUSNESS which is
by faith" (Heb. 11:7). Shem's faith had nothing whatever to do with the
building of the ark or with deliverance from the flood waters. Interesting,
too, that Melchizedek's name means "King of Righteousness" (Heb.
7:2), and the only two men in Shem's era who are spoken of as being
"righteous" were Noah and Abraham. Righteousness is nowhere
attributed to Shem, but Abraham was a righteous man and Melchizedek was the
"King of Righteousness". Shem fades quietly from the biblical record,
with no special works ascribed to him, nor is he used as a type of Christ or
any spiritual grace anywhere in the New Testament. THE
GREATNESS OF MELCHIZEDEK "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. And as I may so say, Levi also, who
received tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his
father, when Melchizedek met him" (Heb. 7:4-10). NOW CONSIDER HOW GREAT THIS MAN WAS. Have you
ever considered how great Melchizedek really was? Concerning no other man are
we told, CONSIDER HOW GREAT THIS MAN WAS! For it is not the custom of the Holy
Spirit to set forth the greatness of man - but the contrary. Man is less than
nothing, and vanity. Yet Melchizedek is pronounced "great"; Abram
recognized his greatness; we are told to "consider" it. Melchizedek
did not bless just anyone, but he blessed him that had the PROMISES. How great
were the promises given to Abraham! These included so many facets of life and
truth and glory, and Abraham believed what was spoken to him and walked
accordingly. It was promised that through his seed all the families of the
earth would be blessed. It was through his seed that the great family of sons
was to come that would arise as saviours upon Mount Zion. Many and varied are
the promises given this man of faith. Then comes Melchizedek with a special
blessing for the holder of the promises. Although he was blessed by God with
the promises Abraham acknowledged himself as being less than Melchizedek when
he bowed beneath Melchizedek's blessing. Abraham was right, for Abraham was not
the king-priest, Melchizedek was; Abraham was not the royal-priestly tribe of
Jesus, Melchizedek was. All the greatness of Abraham remains; by his very
greatness he shows just HOW GREAT Melchizedek really is! Three times the
Bible tells us that Abraham was "the friend of God." God had
special conversations with Abraham an* had destined him to be the
fountain-head of all His redemptive purposes. And here is someone who is in a
higher relationship with God than even "the friend of God" and the
holder of the promises! Of Shem we read nowhere of special dealings of God as
in the case of Abraham. The lesser was blessed by the greater and Abraham was
blessed by Melchizedek. NOW CONSIDER HOW GREAT THIS MAN WAS. If we
rightly apprehend the greatness of Melchizedek, it will help us to understand
the greatness of Christ, our High Priest, and the realm to which the sons of
God are called. The Hebrews gloried in Abraham, as the father of the chosen
people; in Aaron, who as High Priest was the representative of God and His
worship; and in the law as given from heaven, in token of God's covenant with
His people. In all these respects the superiority of Melchizedek is proved. He
is greater than Abraham (Heb. 7:4-10), greater than Aaron (Heb. 7:11-14), and
greater than the law (Heb. 7: 11-19). Melchizedek is greater than Abraham; of
this a double proof is given. Abraham gives tithes to Melchizedek; Melchizedek
blessed Abraham. According to the law the priests received tithes from their
brethren, but here a stranger receives them from the father of the whole
people! The Levitical priests received tithes from the people. But, so to
speak, Levi, from whom they were all descended, paid tithes to Melchizedek
while he was in the loins of his progenitor Abraham. In this way the Levitical
priesthood paid tribute to the priesthood of Melchizedek, and recognized its
superiority. All was so ordered of God as a hidden prophecy, to be unfolded in
due time, of the greatness of Christ our High Priest and the glory of the
heavenly calling unto which the sons of God are called. If you can comprehend
something of that ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK which lies beyond the veil, and the
majesty of the Christ who reigns from that realm, and the glory of the
manifested sons of God, then CONSIDER HOW GREAT THIS MAN WAS ! There is a second proof of his greatness;
Melchizedek blessed Abraham. BUT WITHOUT ANY DISPUTE THE LESS IS BLESSED OF THE
BETTER. Abraham had already been blessed of God Himself (Gen. 12:2). He here
accepts a blessing from Melchizedek, acknowledging his own inferiority,
unconsciously subordinating himself and the whole priesthood that was to come
from him, to this PRIEST OF THE MOST HIGH GOD. Thus, the Levitical priesthood
never would have come into existence, and it never would have been in
operation, it never would have amounted to anything, IF THE MELCHIZEDEK
PRIESTHOOD HAD NOT BEEN BROUGHT IN BEFORE. In other words, it was the ministry
of Melchizedek that BLESSED THE LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD in Abraham, bringing the
Levitical priesthood into operation. The only reason the Levitical priesthood
could minister and function, was because the Melchizedek priesthood was first
on a higher plane ministering the things of God, beginning with Abraham. The
Levitical priesthood, and the Tabernacle in which they served, were but the
"shadow of heavenly things," the earthly representation of that
higher MELCHIZEDEKIAN PRIESTHOOD THAT MINISTERS FROM THE JERUSALEM WHICH IS
A-B-O-V-E - from a HIGHER REALM! HE
LIVES! "For this Melchizedek, king of Salem,
priest of the Most High God...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.. and here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth
them, of whom it is witnessed that H-E L-I-V-E-T-H" (Heb. 7:1-3,8). There are eight distinct features about
Melchizedek recorded here. (1) King of righteousness (2) king of peace (3)
without father or mother (4) without descent (5) having neither beginning of
days nor end of life (6) made like unto the Son of God (7) abideth a priest
continually (8) he liveth. We shall consider all of these wonderful statements
in due time, but I would now draw your attention to the terms "without
father, without mother, without descent." The biblical account of
Melchizedek appears to leave him as a very mysterious person, yet there are
keys in the Scriptures that shed precious light upon him. One of these keys
is to be found in the phrase - WITHOUT DESCENT. A casual consideration
of this phrase could leave one under the impression that he had no descent, no
genealogy, no father, no mother, and no posterity - at least, no recorded one -
which is what many Bible teachers have proclaimed. The orthodox teaching has
been that the Holy Spirit simply "omitted" Melchizedek's genealogy
from the biblical record so that he would "appear" as being without father,
without mother, and without descent, indicating thereby a different type of
priesthood from the Levitical, in which genealogy was of prime importance - no
man might exercise priestly functions who was not of the lineage of Aaron. But
beyond all the theorizing of theologians and explanations of men there has to
be illumination of the Spirit to give us true understanding. If we are of this
Melchizedek Priesthood, then there has to be light that we might know our
calling and be able to enter into our position for this time leading into the
Kingdom. The words WITHOUT DESCENT are from the single
Greek word AGENEALOGETOS. In the Greek language the letter A or ALPHA placed
before a word negates that word or makes it a negative or just the opposite of
the original. The same Greek word minus the A or ALPHA (GENEALOGETOS) is used
in Heb. 7:6 referring to Melchizedek, "But he whose DESCENT is not counted
from them (Levi) received tithes from Abraham." There it infers that he
did have a DESCENT, but it was not reckoned from Levi. It should be clear to
all that have eyes to see that Melchizedek did, without doubt, have a DESCENT.
Thus the two quotations seem to be contradictory - seem to be, but really are
not. As I have pointed out the A or ALPHA in the original of the phrase WITHOUT
DESCENT makes the word DESCENT a negative - NO DESCENT. But there cannot be a
negation of a thing unless that thing exists to negate. For example, you cannot
use the negative term "uncircumcised" unless there is in the world
the fact of circumcision. It is only in having the reality of descent that it
could be prefixed by the ALPHA and made a negative. Thus it is with all those
elect saints who are apprehended to the Order of Melchizedek, their descent or
genealogy becomes prefixed with the ALPHA. He who IS the ALPHA and the Omega
prefixes, preempts, negates, abrogates, annuls, rescinds, revokes, neutralizes
and cancels out their natural genealogy! It does not do away with it, mind you,
but it does LIFT THEIR DESCENT INTO A HIGHER REALM... The Greek for WITHOUT FATHER is APATOR; PATOR
means FATHER, but here it is prefixed with the A or ALPHA. The Alpha before
father makes it un-fathered or father-less. Now this Melchizedek was
unfathered, unmothered, and undescended so far as THIS WORLD was concerned.
Search how we may, I think we must conclude that there is really only one man
who ever lived on earth who fits that description naturally, and he is the
FIRST MAN ADAM. But this Melchizedek was more than that - much, much more! Adam
sinned, but this Melchizedek was King of Righteousness and King of Peace, he
was made like unto the Son of God, and he abides a priest continually. Adam
died, but of Melchizedek it is witnessed that HE LIVETH. Check your Old Testament and you will see
that practically every Israelite ever mentioned, from the least to the
greatest, is given a genealogy. Every time someone's name is mentioned it is
stated that he was the son of so and so, the son of so and so, the son of so
and so, and soon you tire of reading it. But you see for Melchizedek, no
genealogy is presented for him. The apostle explains to us that purpose in the
New Testament. He shows that Melchizedek ORIGINATED FROM A REALM in which he
had neither earthly father, nor earthly mother, nor beginning of days, nor end
of life, but is made like unto the Son of God and abides a priest continually,
or perpetually. Now since Jesus Christ is a priest after the Order of
Melchizedek, and the Scriptures reveal that you and I are IN HIM, we need to
meditate upon and imbibe deeply of this truth. We're IN HIM! And He is the
priest after the Order of Melchizedek. Therefore, Jesus, as He now is in the
heavenlies, ascended into the glory of the Father, has no father or mother, for
He is ETERNAL, timeless, changeless, unborn, underived, without beginning of
days, without end of life, and He is a King-Priest over all. Now when He was
here on earth, He had an earthly mother. But now, praise God, He is exalted to
a realm where He is over Mary, and she is not over Him anymore. She is not the
mother of what He now is. Nothing of His present position, power, glory,
nature, ministry or being was birthed out of her. What Jesus is today as High
Priest after the order of Melchizedek never laid in Bethlehem's manger, never
walked the shores of Galilee, never hung on Calvary's cross. As He abides now
in the realm of resurrection and exaltation, He has neither father nor mother,
and He is eternal, neither does He have beginning nor end of days. He abideth a
priest from age to age after the Order of Melchizedek. Now let's bring this thing down to you and
me. We are in Him. He and Melchizedek are not the only ones that have neither
father nor mother, nor beginning nor end of days, because you and I don't have
an earthly father nor mother anymore. For we've had a supernatural birthing
from above. And we've been conceived by the Holy Ghost, not in the womb of an
earthly mother, but in the womb of the Jerusalem which is above, which is the
mother of us all (Gal. 4:26); and from that realm we have no beginning of days,
being chosen in Him from BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, and no end of
life, for death is now swallowed up into HIS VICTORY. Like Melchizedek and like
Jesus, we also have neither father nor mother. The Word says that He is
eternal, and the Bible says we are in Him, and the Scriptures declare that we
have received of His life and as He is, so are we in this world. Therefore, we
have neither beginning nor end of days either, but we abide as priests forever
after the Order of Melchizedek. It remains, however, that the fullness of this
Melchizedekian Priesthood is yet to be manifested in the Royal Priesthood. To those who can receive it the following
words of the apostle will give help and light, but let us not try to evade
their true meaning just to make them acceptable to our old theology. Let us
rather change our theology to suit the clear teaching of the Word of the Lord.
Introducing his explanation of the priesthood of Melchizedek, the apostle said,
"And here men that die receive tithes; but there he (Melchizedek)
receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that HE LIVETH" (Heb. 7:8). Before
beginning this article I checked this passage in all the Bible Commentaries I
have in my study, and almost without exception they contradicted this plain,
simple statement of truth. The Scripture testifies that Melchizedek is STILL
ALIVE. "...of whom it is witnessed that HE LIVETH." "Ah,"
the commentators said, "it doesn't mean that he is still living, it means
that he did live and there is no record of his death. Therefore Melchizedek is
presented to us simply in the power of life, and not in death, in order to be a
type of Christ." To which I say, "Babylonish rubbish!" The usual interpretation the carnal-minded
preachers put upon these amazing statements about Melchizedek is that they
cannot possible be literally true, that they refer to the fact that Melchizedek
appears suddenly on the scene, and then disappears again as suddenly. There is
no genealogy listed, no record of his parents or children, no record of birth
or death. The theologians are quite sure that he was a very natural man, but
that God merely hid his identity from us to make him a "type" of a
higher realm. This is no doubt the naturalistic interpretation. But one who
believes in verbal inspiration cannot help wondering why, in this cave,
the HQ1Y Spirit did not say that Melchizedek was "without a RECORD of
father or mother, or of genealogy, or of birth or death." Could He not
foresee that stating it in the way He did, leaving out the simple word
"record," or some equivalent, would easily and naturally lead readers
to a misunderstanding of Melchizedek's true nature? Instead of this, however,
He seemed to aggravate the misunderstanding by saying, literally, that
Melchizedek was "made like unto the Son of God" and that he
"REMAINS a priest continually" (Heb. 7:3). The Amplified Bible says it so well, "Furthermore,
here in the Levitical priesthood tithes are received by men who are subject to
death; while there in the case of Melchizedek, they are received by one of whom
it is testified that he LIVES PERPETUALLY." And with this all Bible
translations agree. The Greek is very condensed: ...being attested that HE
LIVETH. The word "liveth" is in the Greek an active verb in the
present tense, indicative mood. It can mean nothing else than that MELCHIZEDEK
LIVES. Under the Mosaic law , dying men, men who were not only liable to death,
mortal, but men who were actually seen to die from generation to generation,
enjoyed the rights of priests. For such an order there is not only the
contingency but the fact of succession. But Melchizedek is one to whom witness
is borne that HE LIVETH. How awesome, then, the words! "For this
Melchizedek...without father, without mother, without descent, having neither
beginning of days, nor end of life...ABIDETH A PRIEST CONTINUALLY." The
word ABIDETH is in the present tense. No matter how you look at it this shows
that Melchizedek continues as a priest. Melchizedek is still a priest and is
ministering with the kingly authority. Consider how great this man is! The
patriarch, a revered father, Abraham recognized the greatness of Melchizedek
and gave him the tenth of all his spoils - consider how great this man was! He
came from a different realm than the one Abraham was acquainted with. Abraham
lived in a natural realm, and through faith he experienced divine intervention
into his natural realm on several occasions. The most notable example of this
being the quickening of his body and the barrenness of Sarah's womb to conceive
and bring forth that child of promise, Isaac. Abraham immediately recognized
Melchizedek when returning from his great victory. Abraham was certainly
thanking and praising the Lord and he was in enough spiritual frame of mind to
recognize certain divine attributes and qualities about Melchizedek which he
knew from previous experiences with God. That is why Abraham received
Melchizedek's blessing, and why he in turn gave a tenth of all the spoils to
him. THE
POWER OF AN ENDLESS LIFE Many of those who read these lines have
pondered the events that transpired in the Garden of Eden in that dim and
distant past. Little by little fragments of truth have opened up, but the grand
sum and total of it is not yet unfolded before us. In that Garden which the
Lord God planted there were all manner of trees that were good for food, and
Adam and Eve were to freely partake thereof with one exception - the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil. Now we know that eating a piece of fruit in
itself was not the sin, but rather that tree represented something, and that
fruit represented a reality. At the beginning of man's existence on earth
we are shown Adam in a relationship with THREE KINDS OF TREES. To understand
God's plan, we must be completely clear about these three kinds of trees and
what they represent. The three types of trees are set forth in Gen.
2:8-9,16-17. "And the Lord God planted a Garden eastward in Eden; and
there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord
God to grow EVERY TREE that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; THE
TREE OF LIFE ALSO in the midst of the Garden, and THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF
GOOD AND EVIL." Here are the three classes of trees which could be
experienced by Adam and Eve: (1) all the trees of the Garden (2) the tree of
life (3) the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There is a clear distinction made between a
GROVE composed of "every tree that is good for food" on the one hand,
and the two trees which were in "the midst of the Garden" on the
other hand - the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Thus, ALL THE TREES OF THE GARDEN (the grove) are distinct from either the tree
of life or the tree of knowledge. The tree of life was not of the same nature
as "all the trees of the Garden" and the tree of knowledge, likewise,
was not the same as those trees. After God formed man He placed him before
these three kinds of trees, and man's whole life was pictured as a matter of
feasting upon one tree or the other. How man would live and walk depended
entirely upon his relationship with these three kinds of trees. God told man
plainly, "You may freely eat of ALL THE TREES OF THE GARDEN." He also
said, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not
eat of it." There is an enlightening passage of Scripture
in Ezekiel chapter thirty-one. This chapter is addressed to Pharoah and his host
but then continues on about the Assyrian. Listen to these words: "Behold,
the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing
shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs. All the
fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all
the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt
great nations. The CEDARS IN THE GARDEN OF GOD could not hide him: the fir
trees were not like his boughs, and the chestnut trees were not like his
branches; nor any TREE in THE GARDEN OF GOD was like unto him in his beauty. I
have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that ALL THE TREES OF
EDEN, that WERE IN THE GARDEN OF GOD, envied him...to whom art thou thus like
in glory and in greatness AMONG THE TREES OF EDEN?" I have quoted but a portion of this chapter,
but enough to show that in the symbolism of Scripture trees, even those in the
Garden of Eden, represent people. Under the figure of "all the trees of
the Garden" the Egyptian was there! The Assyrian was there! And in the
midst, the Tree of Life was there! The wonderful Tree of Life in Eden was, as
is said of Christ, "in the world" but "not of the world."
The life-giving fruit of this Tree was accessible to man but had absolutely
nothing to do with the realm of earthiness, for it was heaven's own divine life
brought into man's world and made available to him. In the Tree of Life God
invited man to find Him as the source and center of life, that in union with Him
God would be at once both the indwelling power of life and the environment in
which man would live, move, and have his being. By eating of the Tree of Life
man would be full of light, abounding in heavenly wisdom and knowledge, fearful
in power and dominion, ethereal as a spirit and shining in the image of God.
The fruit of this wonderful Tree would make men radiant with the resplendent
glory of God as was Jesus, the last Adam, at the transfiguration, whose face
shone as the sun and His raiment was as the light. The mighty power of this
Tree would raise man up beyond any possibility of sin, corruption and death
into the incorruptible divine life demonstrated by Jesus when He arose
from the dead in a body of glorification. In this Tree of Life the effulgent
perfumes of the heavenly realm would be fragrance and life to man's nostrils.
He would taste spiritualities and touch spiritual things. The wisdom and power
of God Himself would be wide open to him and he would walk in the presence and
glory of celestial realms. The gates of that realm would never be shut by day
or night. The heavens would be opened over his head and he would walk in the
power and majesty of God Almighty. This was the glory of the Tree of Life in
Eden! This Tree of Life has to represent a wonderful person, with ENDLESS LIFE,
DIVINE LIFE, CELESTIAL LIFE. It is written of Melchizedek that he had neither
beginning of days nor ending of life, but abides a priest continually (Heb.
7:3). It states that "he liveth" (Heb. 7:8). And again it says that
the Order of Melchizedek is "after the power of an endless life"
(Heb. 7:16). Other Scriptures confirm these mentioned, but I point these out to
emphasize the fact that LIFE is one of the chief signs of the Order of
Melchizedek. Therefore, it is my deep conviction that the TREE OF LIFE in the
Garden of Eden represented the MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD, and upon the
disobedience of Adam and Eve they were banished from the Garden and Cherubim
with a flaming sword which turned in every direction were stationed at Eden's
gate to guard the way of the Tree of Life. In their unclean end corrupted
condition they could not partake of that great Priesthood which ensured life
eternal. And, thus it has been through long milleniums, the Melchizedek
Priesthood has been guarded and kept secret and untouched until another Priest
after the Order of Melchizedek, even the Saviour, should arise and clear the
way for partaking of that glorious life. Of course, there are some
qualifications and requirements, even then, for partaking fully of the life of
that blessed realm. The Spirit saith, "To him that overcometh will I give
to eat of the TREE OF LIFE, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God"
(Rev. 2:7). Not everyone eats of it, only those who overcome and are prepared
to eat of it. The promise is unto the fullness of THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK. Hebrews 7:11-15 tells us that we cannot be
perfected by the Levitical priesthood. In the order of Aaron there was a
continual succession of priests, one dying and another taking his place. One by
one they grew old and died: the eye, often filmed with tears, was closed; the
heart stood still; the hands crossed meekly on the breast. Aaron died on Hor,
and all his successors in mystic procession followed him. The office remained,
but the occupants passed. That characterized the whole system; it bore the mark
of change and weakness and death. It could not effect anything that was really
abiding and permanent, much less anything that was eternal. The whole inner
life of the worshipper was what the system was, subject to change and decay.
Therefore another order of priesthood must arise. Jesus is the High Priest of
this new order. Therefore, since the priesthood is changed, there is also of
necessity a change of law. The Levitical priesthood was raised up for a time,
by a commandment. It was part of the ministration of the law, of the Old
Covenant. But the Melchizedek Order goes beyond just a commandment, it is by
the OATH of the ever-living God. "And inasmuch as not without an oath He
was made priest: for those priests (Levitical) 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 Melchizedek" (Heb.
7:19-20). The Melchizedek Order is of the New Testament, that full arrangement
of God's new order, and it is not the fulfilling of a law, but the OUTFLOW OF A
LIFE. The glorious statement is made that another
priest arises after the similitude of Melchizedek who is made "after the
power of an endless life." In the RSV translation it says He has become a
priest "not according to a legal requirement concerning bodily descent but
by the power of an indestructible life." The Phillips translation reads,
"From the power of indestructible life within." And the New English
Bible states, "The new priest who arises is one like Melchizedek, owing
His priesthood not to a system of earthbound rules but to the power of a life
that cannot be destroyed." And the Amplified Bible renders, "He has
been constituted a Priest, not on the basis of a bodily legal requirement - an
externally imposed command concerning His physical ancestry - but on the basis
of the power of an endless and indestructible Life." Praise God for life
that cannot be destroyed! This brings us to what is implied by the word
"endless". This is the Greek word AKATALUTOS which means
INDISSOLUBLE. As we have already seen, it was in the power of that INDISSOLUBLE
LIFE that Jesus was constituted a priest after the Order of Melchizedek. On
earth He was not a priest. On earth His life was dissoluble, or He could not
have died. Now His life has become "indissoluble"; and now He cannot
die. The mystery of the Melchizedekian Priesthood, which the Hebrews were not
able to receive (Heb. 5:10-14), is the mystery of the RESURRECTION LIFE. He
Himself is the Eternal One, who abideth Priest forever. His priesthood is
unchangeable; the life, in the power of which He ministers, is a life that
abides unchangeable too. His priesthood is an everlasting one, ever living, ever
active. What a contrast to all the Levitical priests, on whose graves this
epitaph may ever be inscribed, "Not suffered to continue by reason of
death." How different is our High Priest, after the Order of Melchizedek!
Death tried to master Him; but He could not be holden of it. "He
continueth ever." "He ever liveth." "He is a priest
forever." WHEREFORE HE ALSO IS ABLE TO SAVE COMPLETELY THEM THAT DRAW NEAR
UNTO GOD BY HIM. It is by virtue of HIS EVER LIVING that He is able to start
the work of redemption and also bring it to its completeness. Because He is of
an endless life, He can bring all that He ministers unto into this same endless
life. Praise God, the Melchizedek Priesthood BRINGS
PERFECTION. Jesus lives in the Spirit as High Priest in the power of an endless
life. And Christ dwells within us in the power of an endless life. Each work He
does within us He is able to do in the power of an endless life. He works it
within us AS A LIFE, as our own life, so that it is our very nature to radiate
the glory of God. His priesthood acts as an inner life within us, lifting us
up, not in thought, but in spirit and in truth, into a vital experiencing of
God. He breathes His own life into us. And He works it in the power of an
endless life, an indissoluble life, that must triumph over all the powers of
sin and death. What a glorious path is marked out for us! WE
ARE A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD. The High Priest has run on before and entered the veil
into the Holiest of All. And we are running also and are entering that veil.
Something marvelous, amazing and stupendous is about to happen, beloved, as we
press on into God. God shall surely and truly usher us into the fullness of the
Order of Melchizedek. Through His flesh we too shall enter the unseen and
eternal realm of God and learn of its mystery. Having entered this realm, we
shall deliver creation from the bondage of corruption. Therefore I say that the
great Melchizedekian Priesthood Ministry will be functioning to the full when
the priests have fully put on immortality and incorruption (I Cor. 15:53). This
will be the great manifestation of the sons of God that all creation
"groaneth and travaileth in pain" for (Rom. 8:18-25). The Lord seeks to bring His overcoming
remnant into THE POWER OF AN ENDLESS LIFE. It is greater than Pentecostal
power. Greater than power to speak in tongues, prophesy, heal the sick, cast
out devils, and do signs and wonders. It is greater than witnessing power, and
even greater than power to raise the dead. Soon, very soon, those powers will
no longer be needed because the manifested sons of God shall arise in the power
of the Melchizedekian Priesthood to deliver creation from the bondage of
corruption. A world is coming where there is no limited measure of the Spirit,
no "in part" manifestation of the "gift" realm. There will
be no need to heal the sick, cast out devils, multiply bread and fish, or raise
the dead - it is an eternal realm where everlasting life will flow fully and
freely to all creation. Death is not the grave or the coffin. DEATH IS THIS
WHOLE REALM IN WHICH WE HAVE EXISTED EVER SINCE THE TRANSGRESSION IN EDEN.
Mankind groans to be delivered, not merely from sin and sickness and trouble
and the grave, but out of death, out of the DEATH REALM altogether. We can only speculate what it will be like to
be in the full power and glory of eternal life. God is moving to bring His holy
remnant into the power of an indissoluble life, even now. There will be a full
and complete severing from the earth realm, from the carnal mind, from the death
realm and all its claims. God wants a free, heavenly, celestial people, a body
of sons totally detached from all that is earthly, limited, and temporal. It is
possible to move into a resurrection realm that places us beyond time, beyond
the thinking and power of the world, beyond the bondage of health, security,
and death itself. Is that not the greatest power God can give to mankind - to
make him an eternal SPIRITUAL BEING in the very glory of God? But note, precious friend of mine, I did not
say that God would make us SPIRITS -but SPIRITUAL BEINGS. In the vast
storehouse of truth embraced by the holy Scriptures no part nor phase thereof
is in any way more outstanding or clear than the truth that man was designed by
his Creator to possess a body. Man is not designed to have his spirit flit
about through eternity without a body. The apostle Paul echoes the sense of
revulsion found in the heart of every man at the thought of being found
"naked" or disembodied. Speaking of the earthly residence of the
tabernacle of flesh, he writes, "For we know that if our earthly house of
this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made
with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to
be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being
clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do
groan, not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality
might be swallowed up of life. Now He that bath wrought us FOR THIS SELFSAME
THING is God..." (II Cor. 5:1-5) In the passage quoted above Paul makes it
perfectly clear that he does not want to be unclothed, or put off this clay
body by reason of death, but rather he wants to BE CLOTHED UPON with that house
not made with hands, even the heavenly body, the house that is eternal in the
heavens. From whence does this body come? How is it that it is in the heavens
and yet belongs to us? It should not be difficult in the least for
us to understand the contrast between the two bodies spoken of in I Cor.
15:39-50. "All flesh is not the same flesh...there are also CELESTIAL
BODIES and BODIES TERRESTRIAL: but the glory of the celestial is one,
and the glory of the terrestrial is another...there is a NATURAL BODY, and there
is a SPIRITUAL BODY. And so it is written, the FIRST MAN ADAM was made a living
soul; the LAST ADAM was made a quickening spirit. The FIRST MAN is of the
earth, earthy: the SECOND MAN is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such
are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that
are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear
the image of the heavenly. Now this I say brethren, that FLESH AND BLOOD CANNOT
INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD; neither cloth corruption inherit
incorruption." The contrast between these two bodies - the
FIRST of flesh, the SECOND of spirit -is almost too much for our weak and
earthbound minds to comprehend. The natural mind and natural understanding
cannot grasp it. The Holy Spirit declares that "as we have borne the image
of the earthy, we shall ALSO bear the image of the heavenly." There are
some who do not believe that Jesus Christ in His glory at the right hand
of the Father now possesses a BODY. But let us pause and meditate briefly upon
the words of Paul in Phil. 3:20-21: "For our conversation is in heaven;
from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall
CHANGE OUR VILE BODY, that it may be fashioned like unto HIS GLORIOUS BODY,
according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto
Himself." The words "HIS GLORIOUS BODY" are more correctly
translated "THE BODY OF HIS GLORY." If HE is fashioning US to have a
BODY LIKE UNTO H-I-S B-O-D-Y OF GLORY, then HE MUST HAVE A B-O-D-Y, yes, a BODY
OF GLORY! Christ is not only the Spirit of glory, or a glorious Spirit, but He
has a BODY OF GLORY. And He is changing us and making us...not merely
spirits...but redeemed beings, new creation men in spirit, soul, and body. Hearken now to these meaningful words:
"There is a NATURAL BODY and there is a SPIRITUAL BODY." It is
plain to see that our present bodies are "natural bodies." The
"spiritual body" supersedes the "natural body" and is
called in the Greek a "spirit body," while the "natural body"
is called in Greek a "soul-body." By SPIRIT-BODY we are not to
understand some sort of ghost-like structure that has no substance. Every
"force" in the universe must have a "motor," that is a
machine adapted to its use. The motive force of the natural body is the SOUL,
and the motive force of the spirit body is the SPIRIT. The First Adam was made
a LIVING SOUL; the Last Adam was made a QUICKENING SPIRIT. From this we see
that the motive force of the soul-body IS THE SOUL arid the motive force I of the spirit-body IS THE SPIRIT. The
natural body and the spiritual body belong to two entirely different kingdoms.
The first is of Adam, the second is of the Lord from heaven. The first is from
earth, the second is from heaven. The first is terrestrial, the second is celestial.
The first is temporal, the second is eternal. The first is visible, the second
is invisible. The first is the body in which the dying Levitical priesthood
ministered, the second is the body in which the incorruptible MELCHIZEDEK
PRIESTHOOD ministers! Glory! There is another body, thank God! formed of
the incorruptible life of the resurrected and glorified Christ of God and this
marvelous body is from heaven even as my present body is of earth. I do not
hesitate to declare to you that as a man PUTS ON CHRIST he puts on not only the
spirit of Christ but also the RESURRECTION BODY of Christ, and this body IS OUR
HOUSE FROM HEAVEN. Even as our earth-body has come from the FIRST MAN ADAM, and
IS ADAM'S BODY, so our celestial-body comes from the SECOND MAN ADAM, and IS
THE BODY OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION. As the pure and holy life of the Son of God
is formed within us God shall also give us bodies worthy of such divine life,
bodies capable of expressing all the wisdom and nature and power of that
blessed realm beyond sin and death, yea, beyond time and space and matter! Now, if all our life is of this earthy realm
- soulish - we need a body to manifest on that level. But the more our life is
lifted up into the SPIRIT, and we have our manner of behavior directed and
controlled by the Spirit of God, the more it will necessitate that we begin to
be clothed upon with our house (body) which is from heaven, that we might
possess a body in harmony with our heavenly life. So, while it means the
denying and crucifixion of the flesh, there is a "knowing in yourselves
that we have in heaven a better and an enduring substance...an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven (the
Spirit-realm) for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (Heb. 10:34; I Pet.
1:4-5). Rather than clinging to this frail and vile body, this flesh man, the
more our life is taken from the earth, and lifted up into the heavenlies, the
more we find our satisfaction in CHRIST ALONE, and the things of earth become
strangely dim in the light of HIS SURPASSING GLORY. Glorious beyond description is the fact
that here and now, even as I pen
these words, in the inner realm of our spirit-being there is being constructed
an incorruptible life, a BUILDING OF GOD, an house not made with hands, a
greater and more perfect tabernacle, not of this creation, eternal in the
heavens. Not a mansion in the sky, not a cabin in the corner, not a white
nightgown and wings with which to flit about on golden streets, as the
churches so ignorantly portray, but a new life, a new nature, a new garment,
a new tabernacle, a new body, a body of life and light and glory and power,
a body of CELESTIAL FLESH, a body of incorruption, a body of immortality raised
up and constructed by the mighty working of THE INDWELLING POWER OF HIS
RESURRECTION! Ah - when this work has been fully completed
we will know the fullness of that glorious realm where abides and ministers the
PRIESTHOOD AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK. The Most High shall dwell in and
manifest the fullness of Himself through this Melchizedekian Order and
everlasting life will flow fully and freely to all creation until all has been
lifted into the sphere of HIS ENDLESS LIFE! To be continued. J. Preston Eby P O BOX 371240 El Paso Texas 79937 If you would like any of these messages
or would like to be on J Preston Eby's mail list you may write him at the above
address or e-mail me at Gary@Sigler.org and I will forward your request to Preston. He has
nothing to sell, all his writings are free to all. You may contribute to his
ministry to help spread this message to the world, but gifts are not tax deductible.
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