Prophecies Concealed Now Revealed by Perry Stone

Author:Perry Stone [Stone, Perry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Voice of Evangelism
Published: 2016-03-26T23:00:00+00:00

THE MELCHIZEDEK CONNECTION

Why did God pattern the priestly ministry of Christ after the order of Melchizedek? Remember, God has a set order and once He establishes the precise pattern, that flow is systematic and unbreakable. He alone has set the boundaries of each pattern. Melchizedek’s identity is somewhat mysterious. Jewish rabbis tend to teach that he was Shem, the righteous son of Noah, who still would have been living in the time of Abraham. The name Melchizedek comes from two Hebrew words: melek, which is a chief magistrate, or a word later used for a king over 2,500 times in the Bible. The second word is sadeq, meaning to be just or righteous. The root denotes being conformed to a certain ethical and moral standard. Thus the name can mean, “king of righteousness.” In Melchizedek’s time, the city he was overseeing as a king and priest was called Salem, later called Jerusalem (Gen. 14:18). The English word Salem in Hebrew is Shalem, meaning peaceful. One can see this name Salem in the English spelling of Jerusalem.

Hebrews 7:1 indicates that Melchizedek was “king of Salem and priest of the Most High God.” When God established the priesthood for Israel and later permitted a monarchy, the position of priest and king were separated into two distinct offices, always led by two different men. Both positions were inherited—that is, passed from father to son. However, outside of Melchizedek, no priest could be a king and no king could be a priest. Perhaps the priestly duties, responsibilities, and rituals at the tabernacle and temple were too numerous, and the focus of a priest must be to minister to the Lord continually. Priests dealt with God, but kings dealt with the people. A minister cannot spend more time with people than in intimacy with God and expect dynamic spiritual results.

Christ’s priestly order was the pattern of Melchizedek. Thus, Christ is a Lamb and a Lion, or a priest (with the humility and submission of a lamb) and a king (with the dominion and authority of the lion). Three festivals are linked to a lamb: Passover (redemptive blood), Unleavened Bread (no leaven in the bread), and First Fruits (the first harvest from the field). Three fall festivals are linked to the blast of trumpets, the judgment where people choose life or death, and the Jews and Gentiles uniting in a future Kingdom in Israel.

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