Home Topics Index Download
Transcript 325C
The Identity of Melchizedek [Heb 7:1]
HC: Good evening. Welcome to Open Forum.
CALLER: Yes. I'd like to ask about Melchizedek. Who was he? Also, if Jesus died on the cross, how is He God, too? I do believe in Jesus Christ, but I'm being confronted with Jehovah's Witnesses constantly, and I cannot answer the question about His death and being God at the same time. Thank you.
HC: The first question that's raised is concerning Melchizedek. Who was he? And the second question is: How can Jesus be God if He could die on the cross?
Let me answer the second question first. If Jesus was indeed God, as Christians claim that He is, how could He have died on the cross? I could phrase the question a little bit differently: If Jesus had not been God, how could He have been our Savior? If He had simply been some kind of a super man, a very good man at that, how could He have endured the wrath of God so that it effectively became the equivalent of an eternity in hell? Because you see, that is required to save us.
Now of course many people deny the eternal nature of hell. They teach that judgment is really, ultimately, nothing more than annihilation. But that is not taught in the Bible. The Bible indicates that the wrath of God is poured out forever and ever on those who are unsaved, and their torment goes on forever and ever, as we read in Revelation 14.
In order for Christ to redeem us, it was necessary that that grievous penalty be paid. If Christ were anybody but God, He could not have paid for our sins. Only God would be able to absorb the awfulness of God's wrath to such a degree that in the space of three days and three nights of suffering He endured the equivalent of an eternity in hell for us.
The fact is, if anyone believes that Jesus was not God, they do not have a Savior. They can call Jesus Savior all they want, but they have a savior of their own making, who is unable to save them, because anyone other than God could never have paid for our sins.
Now when we speak about Jesus dying on the cross, some have the idea that the Roman soldiers or the Jews actually killed Jesus. And in a sense they did. That was their purpose, to take His life. Certainly the two thieves on the cross were killed by the Roman soldiers, as punishment for their crimes. And Jesus was put on the cross as a common criminal, also to die there on the cross .
In another sense, however, they did not kill Jesus. Remember, Jesus said, "It is finished," when He hung on the cross. And then remember, He said, "Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit." After He had suffered all that was required while hanging on the cross, Christ gave Himself up to the Father. He left His body and went to be with the Father.
He did this of His own will. His life actually ultimately had not been taken from Him. The two thieves next to Him had their legs broken because it was the night before the Sabbath day, or the afternoon before the Sabbath evening, and it was necessary that they be taken from the cross before the sun went down. To hurry their death their legs were broken. When the soldiers came to Jesus, they did not break His legs, because He had already died. Did He simply die more quickly than the others? No. No. When He had suffered as He was required to suffer, to pay for our sins, He said, "It is finished." And then He declared, "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit." Christ gave up His life willingly altogether. He willingly went to the cross, He willingly suffered for us, and He willingly let His body be put into the grave.
The intent of the Jews, the Sanhedrin, Caiaphas the High Priest, the Roman soldiers, was to take His life. In actuality, Christ gave His life.
Now the other question has to do with Melchizedek. We read about him in Hebrews 7. And in connection with Melchizedek we understand from Hebrews 7 that he appeared to Abraham back in the Old Testament. In the language of Hebrews 7, however, we discover that Melchizedek was actually God Himself. The language will not permit any other understanding but that He was God Himself.
We read in verse 1 of Hebrews 7, "For this Melchizedek, King of Salem, Priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being by interpretation King of Righteousness [now the only King of Righteousness is God, the Lord Jesus Christ], and after that also King of Salem, that is, King of Peace."
Remember what the angel declared when Jesus was born? "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace." Remember what Isaiah said concerning the coming Messiah? That He would be the Prince of Peace. More than that, in verse 3 of Hebrews 7 He declares, "without father, without mother." Do you know anyone else who was without father or mother, except Adam and Eve? No. Nobody at all was without father or without mother. Only Adam and Eve.
But it also says, "having neither beginning of days nor end of life." Now Adam and Eve had beginning of days and had end of life. And therefore it cannot be referring to Adam and Eve. It can only refer to God. He has no beginning, He has no end, He is without father or mother. He is from everlasting to everlasting.
"but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually [or forever]." He was a figure of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a type of the eternal priesthood of Christ Himself. In order to establish typology in the Old Testament, God did set up a great number of types in the Old Testament. Abraham was a type of God, Moses was a type of Christ, David was a type of Christ, Elijah was a type of John the Baptist, and so forth.
In order to establish a perfect type of the character and nature of the priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ, there was no man who would be a perfect type, and so God Himself appeared in the form of a man. He did not take on a human nature, He did not become man as He did when Jesus Christ became man, but He did appear in the form of a man, in the person of Melchizedek, in order to set up a type, a perfect type of the eternal character of the priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ.