Melchizedek

He was not a sacrificing priest, but a blessing priest, empowered by his kingly office to give his priestly blessing.

Therefore Melchizedek is a type of the Logos, of Jesus, of Christ Jesus, of the Redeemer, of the Prophet, of the Priest and of the King.

Melchizedek was a type of God’s executive officer, hence he typified the Logos, Jesus, Christ Jesus, and the great Deliverer.

We may be sure that his' plan will be carried forward in his own good way. It is written concerning Jesus Christ, “Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110:4) The Scriptures speak of Melchizedek as being a priest of the most high God. He was further a type of him who is the executive officer of the divine plan.

By this is meant that he rules as king and as priest of the Most High God, of which Melchizedek was a type: he is the active officer of the divine plan.

This work he did as the great Priest of the Most High God, typified by Melchizedek. Then began the fulfilment of the prophecy, as stated: “The Lord shall send the rod [authority to act] of thy strength out of Zion [saying], Rule thou in the midst [presence] of thine enemies. . . . Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”

45 Briefly summing up, we see that everyone who is in Christ Jesus is a new creature; that to Christ, Head and body, has been committed the ministration of reconciliation; that it is God who offers this commission or grants this authority; that he selects the members of the body from amongst sinful men; that these, when justified, begotten and anointed in Christ, are caused to sit with him in a heavenly condition, performing the duties of ministers of the new creation while on earth; and that when their work is done here it shall continue in the Millennial Age; and that when it is done there it will not even stop then; the new creation will be for ever of the royal priesthood, pictured by Melchizedek, and will be the active agent of Jehovah in carrying out his purposes in the ages to come.

ANSWER: When our Lord was the Logos and before he came to earth, he was Priest of the Most High God. When he was anointed of the spirit of Jehovah at the Jordan he was from that time forward Priest of the Most High God. This Priest had been pictured and foreshadowed by Melchizedek. As Priest of the Most High God he was performing the duties of that office in harmony with Jehovah's will.

In what capacity did Christ Jesus go forth to do this work? In the capacity of the great Priest or Executive Officer of Jehovah God, which Priest was foreshadowed by Melchizedek. It was God doing the ousting, exercising his power against Satan by and through his beloved One, his great Priest. Since all things are from Jehovah and by the Lord Jesus Christ, his Executive Officer, it is proper to say that it was God's fight against the Devil, by and through Christ Jesus.

Christ is a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. (Psalm 110: 4) Priest, as here used, means God's Executive Officer who shall for ever carry out God's purposes. But Christ, the "anointed" of God, more particularly refers to him as King or Ruler of the world. To anoint means to clothe with authority. (Isaiah 61: 1, 2) David was anointed to be king over Israel.

Let the fact be kept in mind that Melchizedek was a priest upon his throne. As a priest he was a servant of the Most High, and therefore the Most High’s special officer; and as a prince he was a ruler or king acting by authority from the Most High. Melchizedek was a type of the great Ruler who shall rule the world by divine right and authority.

Melchizedek there pictured the great executive officer of Jehovah God appointed to carry out God’s purposes, including the blessings that God had promised to bestow upon mankind through the seed of Abraham.

God’s new creation complete will constitute the great royal priesthood of God, which priesthood was foreshadowed long ago by Melchizedek, who was both the king of ancient Salem and also “priest of the Most High God”, and who also blessed the patriarch Abraham after God had given him the victory over the enemies.

He is the royal priest, and in this office he was foreshadowed by the ancient king of Salem, Melchizedek, “a priest upon his throne.”

Only those who respond to God’s invitation to the kingdom are ever in line for the kingdom. At Ezekiel 44: 10 it is written: “And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity.” Many such were recovered. Jehovah declared his purpose to have a royal priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. Christ Jesus is Head thereof.

The early prototype of this true priest was a king named Melchizedek, being at one and the same time high priest of the Most High God and also king of the ancient city of Salem.

In the capacity of the great Priest or Executive Officer of Jehovah God, which Priest was foreshadowed by King Melchizedek, “priest of the Most High God.”

Jehovah’s “high priest after the order of Melchizedek” has come to reign, and not for any representing of his sin-offering.

Christ Jesus fulfills completely this part of the prophecy and is God’s High Priest and Chief Executive Officer for ever, and he gave that which will bring and sustain life.

In Psalm 110, quoted above, David prophesied about this, saying: “Jehovah hath sworn, and will not repent: thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” (Ps. 110:4, Am. Stan. Ver.) Jehovah’s oath is beyond withdrawal. By it Christ Jesus was made High Priest after the rank of the ancient priest-king Melchizedek. Jesus by his own human sacrifice on earth offered the one and only sacrifice that could count for man and that proved Jesus to be a true high priest.

Paul in writing to the Hebrews is very explicit that Christ as the high priest of God, ordained to offer greater sacrifices than those offered by the Aaronic priesthood, was pictured by Melchizedek.

Hence he was used in prophetic history to foreshadow the righteous King of the new world, Jehovah’s Son Jesus Christ.

MELCHIZEDEK was a royal priest, and the royal priesthood was made like him. The apostle Paul teaches: “Christ did not glorify himself by becoming a high priest, but was glorified by him who spoke with reference to him: ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’ Just as he says also in another place: ‘You are a priest forever after the likeness of Melchizedek.’ . . . he has been specifically called by God a high priest after the likeness of Melchizedek.” (Heb. 5:5, 6, 10, NW)

It is the establishment and functioning of this royal priesthood that give the hope to people of all nations that Jehovah is their God and that there is hope of reconciliation with him. The royal priesthood is made up of Christ Jesus, the great High Priest, and underpriests numbering 144,000. It is to be an everlasting priesthood “after the likeness of Melchizedek.”

In accord with his sworn oath Jehovah raised him up as a royal priest like Melchizedek but having the divine nature.

But this government of the priest-king Melchizedek is used in the Bible prophecy as a prophetic type or prefigurement of the perfect government that God will establish over all mankind in the hands of a perfect ruler, like Melchizedek.—Ps. 110:1-4; Heb. 5:10; 6:20; 7:1-17, 28.

The high priest of that new priesthood according to the manner of Melchizedek, rather than Aaron, is Christ Jesus, and as such he has underpriests on earth.—Heb. 7:11, 12.

So, too, Jesus' being God's High Priest does not result from any human connections; it is not because of his genealogy.

He presented him as the resurrected Jesus, whom God had exalted to his own right hand and made to be the King-Priest foreshadowed by the ancient Melchizedek king of Salem and priest of the Most High God.

He held Melchizedek forth as the model of the coming High Priest of God who will really do something for the people, something of eternal value.

This last one of course means that (4) Jesus also qualified to be a "king," like Melchizedek. To these we can add that (5) Jesus is appointed "mediator of a new covenant," and also (6) enjoys supreme exaltation to the "right hand of the throne of God." Lastly, (7) he was made head "as a Son over" God's house of sons.

The royal priestly turban is placed upon his head as a "high priest according to the manner of Melchizedek forever."

From the Christian Greek Scriptures we learn that Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the new covenant, that he is the king-priest according to the manner of Melchizedek and that his perfect human body constitutes the divinely acceptable atoning sacrifice.

This one became the antitype of the high priest Aaron and has also become a priest upon his heavenly throne, like Melchizedek.

So, down to our own day, the glorified Jesus Christ remains a royal High Priest, higher than the chief priests of ancient Israel with their material symbol of dedication.

The context shows that Paul originally had much to say to the Hebrew Christians concerning the "high priest according to the manner of Melchizedek," Jesus Christ.

The words of Psalm 110:4 apply to Jesus: "Jehovah has sworn (and he will feel no regret): 'You are a priest to time indefinite according to the manner of Melchizedek!'"—Hebrews 7:20, 21.

For example, he says that it was Jesus Christ who was "called by God a high priest according to the manner of Melchizedek."

King-Priest Melchizedek prophetically pictured One who would be the High Priest of the Most High God and also a mighty warrior backed up by the Supreme God.

However, Jesus Christ presides over the entire house. Christ is a high priest after the order of Melchizedek, having a position far superior to the Aaronic priesthood. Paul also pointed out that the Israelites were unable to enter into God's rest because of a lack of faith and obedience, but Christians enter into it because of their faithfulness and obedience.—Hebrews 3:1-4:11.

They turned to a long line of high priests and associate priests, who offered sacrifices for their own sins as well as for those of the people. In time, Jesus was anointed as a priest "according to the manner of Melchizedek." After being resurrected, Jesus appeared before Jehovah to present the value of his perfect human sacrifice. —Psalm 110:1. 4.

But Jesus "has become a high priest according to the manner of Melchizedek forever." (Hebrews 6:19, 20; 7:3) So the cessation of Jesus' office as a mediating High Priest toward mankind does not end his life. The good effects of his service as King and High Priest will remain with mankind forever, and humans will be eternally indebted to him for his having served in these capacities.

This meant that God would in due course recall his Son to heavenly life, where he would serve at his Father's right hand as King and High Priest "according to the manner of Melchizedek forever."—Hebrews 6:20; Psalm 110:1, 4.

He thus made a fitting prophetic type of Jesus, whose priesthood depended, not on any imperfect human ancestry, but on something far greater—Jehovah God's own oath.

The apostle Paul wrote: "Concerning him [Christ, as prefigured by King-Priest Melchizedek] we have much to say and hard to be explained, since you have become dull in your hearing. . . . Solid food belongs to mature people, to those who through use have their perceptive powers trained to distinguish both right and wrong." (Hebrews 5:11, 14)

Jehovah later promised that the Messiah would be both a king and a priest, as Melchizedek was.