The Gospel Preached to Abraham
A Scripture Trail to our Melchizedek, our Great High Priest, & His foundation
as High Priest for our Eternal Salvation.
Grace among the shadows.
There are many events & objects in the Old Testament that are sometimes called types. I don’t care for the word type in most of these occurrences. I prefer the word shadow. A “type” can be separated from the person or thing it represents. A shadow comes directly from the Person or object between the light source and the visible shadow. It is “organically” connected to it. My thinking is shaped by Hebrews 8:5 & 10:1 specifically. The entire Levitical priesthood served “unto the example & SHADOW of heavenly things.” Their service was a shadow that was cast by “heavenly things.” Primarily, it is a Heavenly Thing that casts the shadow. It is the Glory of the Heavenly Father’s Love for His Beloved Son, and that Love is the Glorious Spirit, God’s Spirit of Love, that ever “flows” toward His Son, casting the Son’s Shadow upon the whole Old Testament! Jesus is the Pattern of the Old Testament!(Exodus 25:8-9; Hebrews 8:5) In the New Testament, we come to the blaze of the Full Glory of the Father’s Love for His Son!!! (John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 4:5-6; Hebrews 1:1-3) His Love can’t get any brighter than in His Covenant of Redemption in His Son. And of course, this blazing Glory that is now in our midst eliminates the shadows.(I Corinthians 13:10, II Corinthians 3:7-17))
The Truth of our Melchizedek is not optional truth or some "higher life" understanding. I dare to say that it is the foundational Shadow of our Eternal Salvation. I wonder if the ignorance of Christ's Eternal High Priestly Office is the root cause of the less than Eternal focus of what passes for "gospel preaching" in our day!
I. The mysterious root from which this Revelation grows. Genesis 14:18-20 Upon this mysterious Revelation, our Eternal Salvation, our Eternal Blessed Hope depends.(Hebrews 7:24-26)
Melchizedek was the King of Salem: This mention of “Salem” is the “birth place” of the OT’s development of Jerusalem into Zion, the city of David. (2 Samuel 5:6-9, 6:12; 1 Kings 2:10; II Chronicles 5:2 )
Psalm 2:6 “Yet have I set my King upon My Holy Hill of Zion” The prophecy of the Divine King of Zion.
Psalm 76:1-3 "In Salem is His Tabernacle, & His Dwelling Place in Zion." (Hebrews 7:2 Salem means King of Peace)
Note Vs1: "In Judah God is known." Read Hebrews 7:14-19. The fact of our Melchizedek's genealogy stemming from Judah in itself annuls the law & it's priesthood, & assures the bringing in of a better, an Eternal Hope.
Psalm 132:13-14 Zion/Heavenly Jerusalem is God's Resting Place.
2 Chronicles 6:4-6 "That my name may be there." Consider Ephesians 2:19-22
Isaiah 12:5-6 "...Zion... great is the Holy One in your midst."
Isaiah 52:7-10 " the Lord has redeemed Jerusalem." The true context of the scripture song, "Our God Reigns".
Zephaniah 3:14-17 This is the Work of This King of Salem mysteriously introduced to us "out of the blue". He is our Peace because He is in our midst!
Revelation 21:1-3 This is the fulfillment of all these Jerusalem/Zion shadows, and in keeping with Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 2, this New Jerusalem is the Bridegroom’s wife, so One with Him that she is called His Body. And in this, we see the fulfillment of God’s Covenant with Abraham & his Seed, We see a people taken from all the nations of the earth, now One in Christ Jesus!!!
II. Psalm 110:4 The Divine Oath!
` #1. This Oath is unchangeable! This is God's predetermined Plan! (Hebrews 7:20-22)
#2. "You (are) a Priest", not were or will be! Totally in keeping with the Eternal Divine Nature of the Oath Giver & the Oath Keeper!!! Faith must first of all believe that He IS!!! Not just that He is pre-existing, but all that His Plans & Purposes are Eternal in Focus & Purpose. (Hebrews 11:6) God never plays catch up!!!
#3 “You are a Priest Forever.” Hebrews 5:1-10 This is the introduction of Melchizedek in Hebrews, the main point of the whole book!!!
a. 5:5 is from Psalm 2:7, the Father's introduction of His Beloved Son as King, His Sovereign King over the nations, a study for another time. But in quoting it here, the writer ( the Holy Spirit) is wedding Kingship to High Priesthood, a wholly new concept, except for Genesis 14:18-20. It's as though the Father planted the Seed of His Son Redeemer in this obscure encounter & it "gestated" until the Birth of His Son, Christ Jesus!!!
b. 5:6 This is the Oath of God upon which our Eternal Salvation depends. Taken directly from Psalm 110:4. This is the first of 4 quotations of it in introducing our Great High Priest.
c. 5:7-9a gives the reason for "days of His Flesh"--"having been perfected", that is the "justified/vindicated in the Spirit" of 1 Timothy 3:16!
d. 5:9b And here is the "main point" of Vs 1-9b, the introduction of our Melchizedek: "He became the Author of ETERNAL SALVATION to all who obey Him.". The Eternity of our salvation is the big deal! The Eternity of our Great High Priest is the bigger deal. To present "salvation" in mostly "here & now” terms & benefits negates the Gospel to Abraham as preached to him in this encounter & “fleshed out” in the Book of Hebrews!!!
e. Hebrews 7:14-19 Our Melchizedek has come “according to the Power of and Endless Life.” This is His Power, this is our Salvation. No endless life, a powerless high priest. No endless life, no salvation! 7:25!!!
Symptoms of Eternal ignorance:
1. Eternity has become a “post script” to the “gospel message”. It’s almost like, “oh, I almost forgot, and you get to go to heaven when you die.”
2. This has given rise to a salvation that is all (almost) about us! Christ in MY LIFE. The “felt needs” gospel.
3. All most people think about heaven is that they will get to see Uncle George and Aunt Betty!
4. “He’s in a better place”, which happens to be a place with no definition or description.
5. There are groups praying 24/7 about something, I’m not sure what. If we get enough people praying long enough and sincerely enough, we can get God to answer us (about something). This totally ignores the Superiority of our Great High Priest and the truth of His Intercessory Prayer in John 17 and Paul’s explanation in Romans 8:22-30.
6. There are men claiming to be “apostles” who haven’t the slightest clue as to the Gospel preached to Abraham and the Covenant given to Abraham’s Seed. Without Melchizedek they have no gospel message, as is evident in their using their so-called office to make merchandise of people and elevate their own names!
7. And most damaging of all, hosts of teachers are seeking to add shadows that have passed away to the Gospel of the Grace of God revealed in the Face of Jesus Christ.
“O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified.” Galatians 3:1
There is truly nothing new under the sun.
A Scripture Trail to our Melchizedek, our Great High Priest, & His foundation
as High Priest for our Eternal Salvation.
Grace among the shadows.
There are many events & objects in the Old Testament that are sometimes called types. I don’t care for the word type in most of these occurrences. I prefer the word shadow. A “type” can be separated from the person or thing it represents. A shadow comes directly from the Person or object between the light source and the visible shadow. It is “organically” connected to it. My thinking is shaped by Hebrews 8:5 & 10:1 specifically. The entire Levitical priesthood served “unto the example & SHADOW of heavenly things.” Their service was a shadow that was cast by “heavenly things.” Primarily, it is a Heavenly Thing that casts the shadow. It is the Glory of the Heavenly Father’s Love for His Beloved Son, and that Love is the Glorious Spirit, God’s Spirit of Love, that ever “flows” toward His Son, casting the Son’s Shadow upon the whole Old Testament! Jesus is the Pattern of the Old Testament!(Exodus 25:8-9; Hebrews 8:5) In the New Testament, we come to the blaze of the Full Glory of the Father’s Love for His Son!!! (John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 4:5-6; Hebrews 1:1-3) His Love can’t get any brighter than in His Covenant of Redemption in His Son. And of course, this blazing Glory that is now in our midst eliminates the shadows.(I Corinthians 13:10, II Corinthians 3:7-17))
The Truth of our Melchizedek is not optional truth or some "higher life" understanding. I dare to say that it is the foundational Shadow of our Eternal Salvation. I wonder if the ignorance of Christ's Eternal High Priestly Office is the root cause of the less than Eternal focus of what passes for "gospel preaching" in our day!
I. The mysterious root from which this Revelation grows. Genesis 14:18-20 Upon this mysterious Revelation, our Eternal Salvation, our Eternal Blessed Hope depends.(Hebrews 7:24-26)
Melchizedek was the King of Salem: This mention of “Salem” is the “birth place” of the OT’s development of Jerusalem into Zion, the city of David. (2 Samuel 5:6-9, 6:12; 1 Kings 2:10; II Chronicles 5:2 )
Psalm 2:6 “Yet have I set my King upon My Holy Hill of Zion” The prophecy of the Divine King of Zion.
Psalm 76:1-3 "In Salem is His Tabernacle, & His Dwelling Place in Zion." (Hebrews 7:2 Salem means King of Peace)
Note Vs1: "In Judah God is known." Read Hebrews 7:14-19. The fact of our Melchizedek's genealogy stemming from Judah in itself annuls the law & it's priesthood, & assures the bringing in of a better, an Eternal Hope.
Psalm 132:13-14 Zion/Heavenly Jerusalem is God's Resting Place.
2 Chronicles 6:4-6 "That my name may be there." Consider Ephesians 2:19-22
Isaiah 12:5-6 "...Zion... great is the Holy One in your midst."
Isaiah 52:7-10 " the Lord has redeemed Jerusalem." The true context of the scripture song, "Our God Reigns".
Zephaniah 3:14-17 This is the Work of This King of Salem mysteriously introduced to us "out of the blue". He is our Peace because He is in our midst!
Revelation 21:1-3 This is the fulfillment of all these Jerusalem/Zion shadows, and in keeping with Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 2, this New Jerusalem is the Bridegroom’s wife, so One with Him that she is called His Body. And in this, we see the fulfillment of God’s Covenant with Abraham & his Seed, We see a people taken from all the nations of the earth, now One in Christ Jesus!!!
II. Psalm 110:4 The Divine Oath!
` #1. This Oath is unchangeable! This is God's predetermined Plan! (Hebrews 7:20-22)
#2. "You (are) a Priest", not were or will be! Totally in keeping with the Eternal Divine Nature of the Oath Giver & the Oath Keeper!!! Faith must first of all believe that He IS!!! Not just that He is pre-existing, but all that His Plans & Purposes are Eternal in Focus & Purpose. (Hebrews 11:6) God never plays catch up!!!
#3 “You are a Priest Forever.” Hebrews 5:1-10 This is the introduction of Melchizedek in Hebrews, the main point of the whole book!!!
a. 5:5 is from Psalm 2:7, the Father's introduction of His Beloved Son as King, His Sovereign King over the nations, a study for another time. But in quoting it here, the writer ( the Holy Spirit) is wedding Kingship to High Priesthood, a wholly new concept, except for Genesis 14:18-20. It's as though the Father planted the Seed of His Son Redeemer in this obscure encounter & it "gestated" until the Birth of His Son, Christ Jesus!!!
b. 5:6 This is the Oath of God upon which our Eternal Salvation depends. Taken directly from Psalm 110:4. This is the first of 4 quotations of it in introducing our Great High Priest.
c. 5:7-9a gives the reason for "days of His Flesh"--"having been perfected", that is the "justified/vindicated in the Spirit" of 1 Timothy 3:16!
d. 5:9b And here is the "main point" of Vs 1-9b, the introduction of our Melchizedek: "He became the Author of ETERNAL SALVATION to all who obey Him.". The Eternity of our salvation is the big deal! The Eternity of our Great High Priest is the bigger deal. To present "salvation" in mostly "here & now” terms & benefits negates the Gospel to Abraham as preached to him in this encounter & “fleshed out” in the Book of Hebrews!!!
e. Hebrews 7:14-19 Our Melchizedek has come “according to the Power of and Endless Life.” This is His Power, this is our Salvation. No endless life, a powerless high priest. No endless life, no salvation! 7:25!!!
Symptoms of Eternal ignorance:
1. Eternity has become a “post script” to the “gospel message”. It’s almost like, “oh, I almost forgot, and you get to go to heaven when you die.”
2. This has given rise to a salvation that is all (almost) about us! Christ in MY LIFE. The “felt needs” gospel.
3. All most people think about heaven is that they will get to see Uncle George and Aunt Betty!
4. “He’s in a better place”, which happens to be a place with no definition or description.
5. There are groups praying 24/7 about something, I’m not sure what. If we get enough people praying long enough and sincerely enough, we can get God to answer us (about something). This totally ignores the Superiority of our Great High Priest and the truth of His Intercessory Prayer in John 17 and Paul’s explanation in Romans 8:22-30.
6. There are men claiming to be “apostles” who haven’t the slightest clue as to the Gospel preached to Abraham and the Covenant given to Abraham’s Seed. Without Melchizedek they have no gospel message, as is evident in their using their so-called office to make merchandise of people and elevate their own names!
7. And most damaging of all, hosts of teachers are seeking to add shadows that have passed away to the Gospel of the Grace of God revealed in the Face of Jesus Christ.
“O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified.” Galatians 3:1
There is truly nothing new under the sun.