There is great confusion about the person, Melchizedek in
the Bible. Melchizedek first appeared in biblical canon when Abraham and
his seed were about to perish by the combined forces of the kings of and around
Sodom and Gomorrah. At an interlude in the war, Abraham faced his adversaries, for
a moment of tranquility, everything ceased, and then this happened:
18 And
Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest
of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, “Blessed be
Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 And
blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.”
And he gave him tithes of all. (Gen 14:18-20)
What had happened right there in the Garden of the Lord?
(Gen 13:10). In a previous commentary, I demonstrated that Sodom and Gomorrah were
not as the Garden but was the actual “Garden of the Lord” — the
southern portion that began at the Nile River and extended to the Euphrates in
a bow that is now called “The Fertile Crescent.”
The Cross would become the “needle” in the midst of that
Garden, and marked the center of the Garden of God. The Cross on Calvary marked
the spot for many things; it marked the place where Adam was created, the “Tree
in the midst of the Garden,” and where Jesus would regenerate all God’s creatures.
I concluded that by finding the Garden in text of the Bible and was not even
surprised when it was revealed to Enoch the same way.
Why the communion, a time of peace, in the middle of a war? “After
these things the Word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Fear
not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward’” (Gen 15:1).
Melchizedek first blessed Abraham by giving him the “Body”
and “Blood” of the Messiah. If Melchizedek was pre-incarnate Jesus, then Melchizedek
served to Abram His own Body and Blood. That is imperative because the Body and
Blood of Jesus, if that is true, would serve Abraham the chromosomes of Himself.
Abraham would have taken the genes of the Savior! That was his blessing, but
what good would it do if, unlike Noah, Abraham could not reproduce?
The Word (Jesus; John 3:1-14) blessed Abraham, “And, behold,
The Word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This (Eliezer) shall not be thine
heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir”
(Gen 15:4). With that said, Isaac was born to barren Sarah. That would not be
the first time that mankind had been so blessed! Not only was Isaac a peculiarity,
but so was Isaac, and so was Jesus. As such, just as Abraham was chosen and
made peculiar, so are Christians to this day (Deut 14:2; 1 Pet 2:9).
The “reward” of which Melchizedek blessed Abraham came from
the genes from that Bread and Wine when Abraham was engendered from above through
his mediation with Melchizedek: “For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself,
and Israel for his peculiar treasure” (Psalm 135:4). Hence, not only was
Abraham made “peculiar,” but his “son” Isaac was as well and so was his
progeny, Jacob, who would soon be renamed “Israel” as he received the mark of
God on his thigh (Gen 32:25).
Jacob was made “Israel” when Jesus, “The Angel of God,”
wrestled with him, allowing Jacob to win by grace.
Jacob received the
mark of God and was made in the image of Jesus, to wit: “He (Jesus) hath on his
vesture and on his thigh a name written, ‘King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords’” (Rev
19:16).
John noticed that in his Revelation from God, but on
the Cross, for the most, it went unnoticed. What did Pilate, Dismas, and Longinus
(the thief and centurion, respectively) see that the others had not? “King of
the Jews” was written on the sign, that was noticed and discussed, but some who
were close enough saw “King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords,” written on the thigh
of the Savior. Pilate must have noticed that because Jesus claimed Himself to
be God, and Pilate found no fault in Him (Luke 23:14).
What made Abraham and his progeny so peculiar? The remedy
was in the Bread and Wine that Melchizedek, “The Peculiar Priest, served him!
So, what made Melchizedek so “peculiar”? Eliezer, the servant
of Abram, would have been the heir of Abraham, and as such a priest like his
namesake, and merited it for finding Rebeccah as a bride for Isaac.
Thus, the genes of God are not based on works, or merit, but who have been
blessed by engendering from God above. Melchizedek was “King of Salem” or “Prince
of Peace” but not the city of Jeru-salem. That city was ruled by Jebusites.
Melchizedek was King Of Kings in what would be New Jerusalem in heaven — the
new “foundation of peace,” as the name means.
With original sin, Cain was born with evil in his heart. He
was of the Wicked One (1 John 3:12). Melchizedek fixed that same genetic
condition that had been in Abraham because of his wicked father, Terah. As
such, Jesus is not of the genealogy of Terah but He is the Progeny of Abraham.
Therefore, the genealogy of Jesus, the man, was only back to Abraham, the regenned
son of God (Mat 1:1). There was no need for Matthew to go back any further
because Abraham was the Son of Melchizedek by adoption. “Jesus” in Melchizedek,
if He is the Messiah, fixed the genes of Abram that he had inherited from his
progenitor, Terah. No wonder Abram was so “peculiar”! He had become a child of
God and was in Christ, the Messiah! His genes were of God just as Adam’s.
Melchizedek has glorified Abram and renamed him “Abraham.”
Now consider the origin of Melchizedek — the story behind
the story — which comes from the Second Book of Enoch, which is canon in
Orthodoxy. (Please take the time to read this condensed version and ponder it,
based on the commentary thus far):
(2 Enoch) 68: Methusalam and his
brothers and all the sons of Enoch hurried, and they constructed an altar at
the place called Akhuzan, whence and where Enoch had been taken up to heaven… And
they made a great festival, rejoicing and making merriment for three days,
|praising God who had given them such a sign through Enoch, his own favored
servant, even so that they might hand it on to their own sons, form generation
to generation, from age to age. AMEN.
69: And on the third day, in the
time of the evening, the elders of the people spoke to Methusalam, saying,
“Stand in front of the face of the LORD and in front of the face of all the
people and in front of the face of the altar of the LORD, and you will be
glorified in your people.”And Methusalam answered his people: “Wait, O men,
until the LORD, the God of my father Enoch, shall himself raise up for himself a
priest over his own people.”
…Methusalam fell asleep, and the LORD
appeared to him in a night vision and said to him, “Listen, Methusalam! I am
the LORD, the God of your father Enoch. Give heed to the voice of these people
and stand in front of my altar, and I shall glorify you in front of the face of
all the people, and you will be glorified all the days of your life, and I
shall bless you.” And Methusalam got up from his sleep and blessed the LORD who
had appeared to him… And Methusalam came up to the LORD’s altar, and his face
was radiant, like the sun at midday rising up, with all the people in
procession behind him. And Methusalam stood in front of the altar of the LORD,
with all the people standing around the place of sacrifice…
And it happened, when Methusalam had
prayed, that the altar was shaken, and the knife rose up from the altar, and
leaped into Methusalam’s hand in front of the face of all the people. And the
people trembled and glorified God.
70: the LORD appeared to him in a
night vision and said to him, “Listen, Methusalam! I am the LORD, the God of
your father Enoch. I want you to know that the days of your life have come to
an end, and the day of your rest has come close. Call Nir, the second son of
your son Lamekh, born after Noe, and invest him in the garments of your
consecration. And make him stand at my altar. And tell him everything that will
happen in his days, for the time of the destruction of all the earth, and of
every human being and of everything that lives on the earth, is drawing near.
For in his days there will be a very great
breakdown on the earth, for each one has begun to envy his neighbor, and people
against people have destroyed boundaries, and the nation wages war. And all the
earth is filled with vileness and blood and every kind of evil. And even
more than that, they have abandoned their LORD, and they will do obeisance to
unreal gods, and to the vault above the sky, and to what moves above the earth,
and to the waves of the sea. And the adversary will make himself great and will
be delighted with his deeds, to my great provocation… “(said the LORD) Then I
will preserve the son of your son Lamekh, his first son, Noe. And from his seed
I will raise up another world, and his seed will exist forever, until the
second destruction when once again mankind will have committed sin in front of
my face.”
And Methusalam summoned Nir, the son of
Lamekh, Noe’s younger brother, and he invested him with the vestments of
priesthood in front of the face of all the people, and made him stand at the
head of the altar of the LORD. And he taught him everything that he would have
to do among the people. And Methusalam spoke to the people: “Here is Nir. He will be in front of your face from the present
day as a prince and a leader.”
…And when Methusalam had spoken to the
people in front of the altar, his spirit was convulsed, and, having knelt on
his knees, he stretched out his hands to heaven, and prayed to the LORD. And,
as he was praying to him, his spirit went out in accordance with the will of
the LORD. And Nir and all the people hurried and constructed a sepulcher for
Methusalam in the place Akhuzan, very thoughtfully adorned with all holy
things, with lamps. And Nir came with many praises, and the people lifted up
Methusalam’s body, glorifying 〈God〉; they performed the service for
him at the sepulcher which they had made for him and they covered him over…
And from that day there was peace and
order over all the earth in the days of Nir – 202 years. And then the people
turned away from the LORD, and they began to be envious one against another,
and people went to war against people, and race rose up against race and
struggled and insulted one another. Even if the lips were the same,
nevertheless the hearts chose different things. For the devil became ruler for
the third time. The first was before paradise, the second time was in paradise;
the third time was after paradise, 〈and〉 continuing right up to the Flood.
71: Behold, the wife of Nir, whose
name was Sopanim, being sterile and never having at any time given birth to a
child by Nir –
And Sopanim was in the time of her old
age, and in the day of her death. She conceived in her womb, but Nir the priest
had not slept with her, nor had he touched her, from the day that the LORD had
appointed him to conduct the liturgy in front of the face of the people.
And when Sopanim saw her pregnancy, she
was ashamed and embarrassed, and she hid herself during all the days until she
gave birth. And not one of the people knew about it. And when 282 days had been
completed, and the day of birth had begun to approach, and Nir remembered his
wife, and he called her to himself in his house, so that he might converse with
her.
And Sopanim came to Nir, her husband; and,
behold, she was pregnant, and the day appointed for giving birth was drawing
near.
And Nir saw her, and he became very
ashamed. And he said to her, “What is this that you have done, O wife? And why
have you disgraced me in front of the face of these people? And now, depart
from me, and go where you began the disgrace of your womb, so that I might not
defile my hand on account of you, and sin in front of the face of the LORD.”
And Sopanim spoke to Nir, her husband,
saying, “O my lord! Behold, it is the time of my old age, and the day of my
death has arrived. I do not understand how my menopause and the barrenness of
my womb have been reversed.”
And Nir did not believe his wife, and for
the second time he said to her, “Depart from me, or else I might assault you,
and commit a sin in front of the face of the LORD.”
And it came to pass, when Nir had spoken
to his wife, Sopanim, that Sopanim fell down at Nir’s feet and died…
Noe hurried. He came with Nir his brother;
he came into Nir’s house, because of the death of Sopanim, and they discussed
between themselves how her womb was at the time of giving birth. And Noe said
to Nir, “Don’t let yourself be sorrowful, Nir, my brother! For the LORD today
has covered up our scandal, in that nobody from the people knows this. Now, let
us go quickly and let us bury her secretly, and the LORD will cover up the
scandal of our shame.”
And they placed Sopanim on the bed, and
they wrapped her around with black garments, and shut her in the house,
prepared for burial. They dug a grave in secret.
And a child came out from the dead
Sopanim. And he sat on the bed at her side. And Noe and Nir came in to bury
Sopanim, and they saw the child sitting beside the dead Sopanim, and wiping his
clothing. And Noe and Nir were very terrified with a great fear, because the
child was fully developed physically, like a three-year-old. And he spoke with his
lips, and he blessed the LORD. And Noe and Nir looked at him, and behold, the
badge of priesthood was on his chest, and it was glorious in appearance. And
Noe and Nir said, “Behold, God is renewing the priesthood from blood related to
us, just as he pleases.” And Noe and Nir hurried, and they washed the child,
and they dressed him in the garments of priesthood, and they gave him the holy
bread and he ate it. And they called his name Melkisedek.
And Noe and Nir lifted up the body of
Sopanim, and divested her of the black garments, and they washed her, and they
clothed her in exceptionally bright garments, and they built a shrine for her.
Noe and Nir and Melkisedek came, and they
buried her publicly. And Noe said to his brother Nir, “Look after this child in
secret until the time, because people will become treacherous in all the earth,
and they will begin to turn away from God, and having become totally ignorant,
they will put him to death.”
…And Nir began to worry excessively,
especially about the child, saying,“How miserable it is for me, eternal LORD,
that in my days all lawlessness has begun to become abundant over the earth.
And I realize how much nearer out end is, and over all the earth, on account of
the lawlessness of the people.
And now, LORD, what is the vision about
this child, and what is his destiny, and what will I do for him? Is it possible
that he too will be joined with us in the destruction?” And the LORD heeded
Nir, and appeared to him in a night vision. He said to him, “Nir, the great
lawlessness which has come about on the earth among the multitude {which} I
shall not tolerate.
And behold, I desire now to send out a
great destruction onto the earth, and everything that stands on the earth shall
perish.
But, concerning the child, don’t be
anxious, Nir; because in a short while I shall send my archistratig, Michael.
And he will take the child, and put him in the paradise of Edem, in the
Paradise where Adam was formerly for 7 years, having heaven open all the time
up until when he sinned.
And this child will not perish along with
those who are perishing in this generation, as I have revealed it, so that
Melkisedek will be the priest to all holy priests, and I will establish him so
that he will be the head of the priests of the future.”
And behold, Melkisedek will be the head of
the 13 priests who existed before. And afterward, in the last generation, there
will be another Melkisedek, the first of 12 priests. And the last will be the
head of all, a great archpriest, the Word and Power of God, who will perform miracles,
greater and more glorious than all the previous ones. He, Melkisedek, will be
priest and king in the place Akhuzan, that is to say, in the center of the
earth, where Adam was created, and there will be his final grave. And in
connection with that archpriest it is written how he also will be buried there,
where the center of the earth is, just as Adam also buried his own son there –
Abel, whom his brother Cain murdered; for he lay for 3 years unburied, until he
saw a bird called Jackdaw, how it buried his own young.
I know that great confusion has come and
in confusion this generation will come to an end; and everyone will perish,
except that Noe, my brother, will be preserved. And afterward there will be a
planting from his tribe, and there will be other people, and there will be
another Melkisedek, the head of priests reigning over the people, and
performing the liturgy for the LORD.”
72: And when the child had been 40
days in Nir’s tent, the LORD said to Michael, “Go down onto the earth to Nir
the priest, and take my child Melkisedek, who is with him, and place him in the
paradise of Edem for preservation. For the time is approaching, and I will pour
out all the water onto the earth, and everything that is on the earth will
perish.”
…“Don’t be frightened, Nir! I am the
LORD’s archistratig. The LORD has sent me, and behold, I shall take your child
today. I will go with him and I will place him in the paradise of Edem, and
there he will be forever.
…And when the twelfth generation shall
come into being, and there will be one thousand and seventy years, and there
will be born in that generation a righteous man. And the LORD will tell him
that he should to out to that mountain where stands the ark of Noe, your
brother. And he will find there another Melkisedek, who has been living there
for 7 years, hiding himself from the people who sacrifice to idols, so that
they might not kill him. He will bring him out, and he will be the first priest
and king in the city Salim in the style of this Melkisedek, the originator of
the priests. The years will be completed up to that time – 3 thousand and 4
hundred and 32 – from the beginning and the creation of Adam. And from that
Melkisedek the priests will be 12 in number until the great Igumen, that is to
say, Leader, will bring out everything visible and invisible.” And Nir
understood the first dream and believed it.
…And Michael took the child on the same
night on which he had come down; and he took him on his wings, and he placed
him in the paradise of Edom. And Nir got up in the morning. He went into his
tent and he did not find the child. And there was instead of joy very great
grief, because he had no other son except this one. Thus Nir ended his life.
And after him there was no priest among the people. And from that time great
confusion arose on the earth.
73: And the LORD called Noe onto
the mount Ararat, between Assyria and Armenia, in the land of Arabia, beside
the ocean. And he said to him, “Make there an ark…”
(To be continued)
(picture credit: Dreamstime.com; "Abraham and Melchizedek")
