Melchizedek as a Past Life of Jesus
Christ
 |
Another incarnation
of Jesus is the Old Testament figure known
as
Melchizedek,
the High Priest and King of Salem. It is
clear from the Book of Hebrews that Melchizedek
was not an ordinary man, assuming he even
was a man. A careful examination of the
evidence concerning the existence of Melchizedek
reveals him to be a previous reincarnation
of Jesus. There are strong parallels between
Melchizedek and Jesus: both are the Son
of God, priest of the Order of Melchizedek,
King of Righteous, King of Peace, the Messiah,
appointed by God, eternal priesthood, and
preexistent. Besides the Biblical evidence,
there exists evidence from the discoveries
of early Christian texts in 1945 and the
Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. There is also
extra-Biblical revelations that support
this Melchizedek-Jesus connection.
|
 |
|
Return to Top
|
1.
Identical Characteristics of Melchizedek and Jesus |
|
a.
Identical Sonship: Son of God |
In the Bible, the only individuals who have the title
of the "Son of God" are Jesus, Adam and Melchizedek:
|
ADAM:
"...the son of Seth, the son of
Adam, the son of
God." (Luke 3:38)
MELCHIZEDEK: "Without
father or mother, without genealogy, without
beginning of days or end of life,
like the Son of God
he remains a priest forever." (Hebrews 7:3)
JESUS: "The beginning
of the gospel about
Jesus Christ, the
Son of God." (Mark 1:1)
|
|
The Bible also states that Melchizedek was made in the
image or likeness of the Son of God. This could be taken
as the image of the son of God (the second in the trinity)
or as the image of the begotten son of God, when the
Lord took on a fleshly body. But they are one and the
same:
|
JESUS:
"...the glory of
Christ, who is the image of God." (2
Corinthians 4:4)
JESUS:
"You are a priest
forever, in the order
of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 5:6)
Note:
The word "order" is translated into
Greek as "aphomoioo" which
means: (a) a facsimile, (b) an exact
copy or exact reproduction, (c)
a duplicate.
|
JESUS: "And what we have
said is even more clear if
another priest like
Melchizedek appears." (Hebrews 7:15)
Note:
The phrase "another priest like"
is translated into Greek as "kata
ten homoioteta" which means:
(a) in every respect, (b) after
the similitude of, (c) according
to the likeness of, (d) a thing
so like another as to be indistinguishable
from it.
|
|
|
Melchizedek and Jesus have identical priesthoods.
|
MELCHIZEDEK:
"He was priest of God Most High." (Genesis
14:18)
MESSIAH:
"You are a priest forever according to the
order of Melchizedek." (Psalm 110:4)
JESUS:
"You are a priest forever, in the order
[facsimile] of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 5:6)
Note:
The word "facsimile" translated
into Greek means: (a) an exact
copy or exact reproduction,
(b) duplicate.
|
|
|
Notice how Paul described a deep mystery concerning
Jesus and Melchizedek but is reluctant to tell the
uninitiated who are not ready for it:
|
MELCHIZEDEK
and JESUS: "[Jesus]
was designated
by God to be high priest in the order of
Melchizedek. We have much to say
about this, but
it is hard to explain because you
are slow to learn. In fact, though by this
time you ought to be teachers,
you need someone
to teach you the elementary truths of God's
word all over again. You need milk,
not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk,
being still an infant, is not acquainted
with the teaching about righteousness. But
solid food is for the mature, who by constant
use have trained themselves to distinguish
good from evil." (Hebrews 5:10-14)
|
|
Paul indicates the Priest(s) of Order of Melchizedek
were to last forever and that the system of priests
through the tribe of Levi would eventually come
to an end. These men were chosen by God for the
office. They would give sacrifices to God which
symbolically atoned, or paid for the people's sins.
We see this principle at work very early in the
story of Job:
|
MELCHIZEDEK:
"After
the Lord
had said these things to Job, he
said to Eliphaz
the Temanite, 'I am angry with
you and your two friends, because you
have not spoken of me what is right,
as my servant Job has. So now take seven
bulls and seven rams and go to my servant
Job and sacrifice
a burnt offering for yourselves.
My servant Job will pray for you, and
I will accept his prayer and not deal
with you according to your folly. You
have not spoken of me what is right,
as my servant Job has.' So Eliphaz the
Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar
the Naamathite did what the Lord told
them; and the Lord accepted Job's prayer."
(Job 42:7-9)
|
|
Melchizedek as the King of Righteousness:
|
MELCHIZEDEK: "To whom Abraham
gave a tenth part of all, first being by
interpretation
King of Righteousness
and after that also King of Salem, which
is King of Peace. (Hebrews 7:2)
|
|
The Messiah as the King of Righteousness:
|
MESSIAH: "The days
are coming," declares the Lord, "when I
will raise up to David
a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely and
do what is just and right in the land."
(Jeremiah 23:5)
|
|
Melchizedek, as the King of Righteousness, fulfilled
this scepter promise:
|
MELCHIZEDEK: "The
scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until he comes
to whom it belongs and the obedience of
the nations is his." (Genesis 49:10)
|
|
Jesus, as the King of Righteousness, fulfilled this
scepter promise:
|
JESUS: "But
about the
Son he says, "Your throne, O
God, will last for ever and ever, and
righteousness
will be the scepter of your kingdom."
(Hebrews 1:8)
|
|
Jesus and Melchizedek's priesthoods are similar
because they did not depend upon genealogy as the
Aaronic priesthood did. The human lineage of Jesus
was from Judah - a tribe that Moses did not associate
with the priesthood.
|
JESUS: "For it
is clear that
our Lord
descended from Judah, and in
regard to that tribe Moses said nothing
about priests." (Hebrews 7:14)
|
|
Jesus Christ is a priest after the order of Melchizedek,
not because he came from the right line, but because
he comes as one who has indestructible life - the
only one who can be an eternal priest! The priesthood
of both is a royal priesthood. The priesthood of
both is based on personality, not legality. Both
are universal priesthoods for Gentile and Jew because
the priesthood of Melchizedek was before the Law
was given. Melchizedek illustrates an eternal priesthood
of which the Jesus is the reality.
|
Melchizedek and Jesus are the Kings of Peace.
|
MELCHIZEDEK:
"First, his name means "King of Righteousness";
then also, "King of Salem" means "King
of Peace." (Hebrews 7:2)
JESUS: "And he
will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of
Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)
|
|
Melchizedek is the "King of Peace" and
Jesus is the "Prince of Peace." Who could
be King of Peace over Jesus?
|
Melchizedek and Jesus are eternal priests.
|
MELCHIZEDEK
and JESUS: "...like
the Son of God
he remains a
priest forever." (Hebrews 7:3)
MELCHIZEDEK
and JESUS: "You [Jesus] are
a priest forever,
in the order of
Melchizedek."
(Hebrews 5:6) |
|
Melchizedek and Jesus are priests forever with an
unchangeable priesthood. This indicates they are
the same priest - just different times.
|
Melchizedek and Jesus are priests of God:
|
MELCHIZEDEK:
"He was
priest of God
Most High." (Genesis 14:18)
JESUS: "And it is
yet far more evident if,
in the likeness
of Melchizedek, there
arises another
priest who has come." (Hebrews 7:15-16)
Note: The translation
of the word "likeness"
into Greek is "homoios" which
means: (a) after the similitude
of. Therefore, Hebrews
7:15-16 does not mean Jesus
is "similar to Melchizedek."
In context, it means Jesus
IS
Melchizedek. The proof of this
can be found in another Bible
verse where the word "equality"
in Greek used for "likeness":
"Who, being in very
nature God, did
not consider
equality
with God something
to be grasped, but
made himself nothing,
taking the very
nature of a servant,
being made in human
likeness."
(Philippians 2:6-7)
|
Point
#1:
Jesus was a
human being:
|
"The
Word
became
flesh."
(John
1:14)
|
|
Point
#2:
Jesus had a
human nature:
|
"The
gospel
he promised
beforehand
through
his
prophets
in the
Holy
Scriptures
regarding
his
Son,
who
as to
his
human
nature
was
a descendant
of David."
(Romans
1:2-4)
|
|
Conclusion:
|
Jesus
was
more
than
just
the
likeness
of Melchizedek.
|
Jesus
was
Melchizedek. |
|
|
|
|
Why would Jesus be compared to Melchizedek if his
status was not equal to or greater than Jesus? He
certainly would not be compared to anyone lesser
than himself. This suggests that both Melchizedek
and Jesus were of the same nature and of similar
purpose and, therefore, the same person.
|
Melchizedek, the Messiah and Jesus are described
as pre-existent (i.e. they existed before birth):
|
MELCHIZEDEK:
"Without father or mother, without
genealogy, without
beginning of days or end of life,
like the Son of God he remains a priest
forever." (Hebrews 7:3)
MESSIAH: "But you,
Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small
among the clans of Judah, out of you will
come for me one
who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins
are from of old, from ancient times."
(Micah 5:2)
MESSIAH: "The Lord
brought me forth as the first of his works,
before his deeds of old;
I was appointed
from eternity, from the beginning, before
the world began. When there were
no oceans, I was given birth, when there
were no springs abounding with water ...
Then I was the craftsman at his side. I
was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing
always in his presence, rejoicing in his
whole world and delighting in mankind."
(Proverbs. 8:22-31)
JESUS: "'Your father
Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing
my day; he saw it and was glad.' 'You are
not yet fifty years old,' the Jews said
to him, 'and you have seen Abraham?' 'I
tell you the truth,' Jesus answered, 'before
Abraham was born, I am!'" (John 8:56-59)
JESUS: "In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was with God
in the beginning." (John 1:1-2)
"He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood,
and his name
is the Word of God." (Revelation
19:13)
|
|
Both Melchizedek and Jesus were both associated
with Abraham:
|
MELCHIZEDEK:
"Then Melchizedek
king of Salem brought out bread and
wine. He was priest of God Most High, and
he blessed Abraham,
saying, 'Blessed be Abraham by God Most
High, Creator of heaven and Earth.' (Genesis
14:18-19)
JESUS:
"'Your father
Abraham rejoiced at the thought of
seeing my day;
he saw it
and was glad.' 'You are not yet fifty years
old,' the Jews said to him, 'and you have
seen Abraham?' 'I tell you the truth,' Jesus
answered, 'before
Abraham was born, I am!'" (John 8:56-59)
|
|
Melchizedek and Jesus are one spirit who incarnated
many times and who transcended death. They could
enter and leave the world at will without having
to go through birth and death.
|
JESUS:
"Now there have been many of those priests,
since death prevented them from continuing
in office; but because
Jesus lives forever,
he has a permanent
priesthood." (Hebrews 7:23)
|
|
Return to Top
|
j. Identical Use of
Ritualistic Symbols: Bread and Wine |
Melchizedek's offering of bread and wine to Abraham
is the first incidence where bread and wine appear
in the Scripture. Melchizedek provided a priesthood
which gave the symbols of bread and wine. Jesus
also provided a priesthood which gave the symbols
of bread and wine:
|
MELCHIZEDEK: "And
Melchizedek
King of Salem
brought forth bread and wine..."
(Genesis 14:18)
JESUS: "While they
were eating,
Jesus took bread, gave thanks and
broke it, and gave it to his disciples,
saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
Then he took
the cup, gave thanks and offered
it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all
of you. This is my blood of the covenant,
which is poured out for many for the forgiveness
of sins. I tell you, I
will not drink of this fruit of the vine
from now on until that day when I drink
it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."
(Matthew 26:26-29)
JESUS: "I
am the bread of life. Your forefathers
ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.
But here is the bread that comes down from
heaven, which a man may eat and not die.
I am the living
bread that came down from heaven.
If anyone eats of this bread, he will live
forever. This bread is my flesh, which I
will give for the life of the world.' 'Then
the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves,
'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'
'Jesus said to them, "I tell you the
truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son
of Man and drink
his blood, you have no life in you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life, and I will raise him up
at the last day. For my flesh is real food
and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats
my flesh and drinks my blood remains in
me, and I in him. Just as the living Father
sent me and I live because of the Father,
so the one who feeds on me will live because
of me. This is the bread that came down
from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna
and died, but he who feeds on this bread
will live forever." (John 6:48-59)
|
|
The Messiah is the "anointed one":
|
MESSIAH and JESUS:
"Your throne, O God, will last for ever
and ever; a scepter of justice will be the
scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness
and hate wickedness; therefore God, your
God, has set you above your companions by
anointing you
with the oil of joy." (Psalm 45:6-7;
Hebrews 1:8-9)
|
|
The Messiah and Melchizedek, by extension, are "anointed
ones" priests of the Most High:
|
MESSIAH and MELCHIZEDEK:
"The Lord has sworn and will not change
his mind: 'You [the
Messiah] are a priest forever, in
the order of
Melchizedek.'" (Psalm 110:4)
|
|
Jesus is the "anointed one:"
|
JESUS:
"Why do
the nations rage and the peoples plot in
vain? The kings of the Earth take their
stand and the rulers gather together against
the Lord and against his
anointed one."
(Acts 4:25-26)
Note: The word "anointed"
is translated into Greek as "chrio"
which means: to contact between
the one being anointed and the one
doing the anointing. The Greek word
"Christos" which is translated as
"Christ" is derived from the Greek
word "chrio".
|
|
|
Return to Top
|
2.
Christian Gnosticism Affirms Jesus to be Melchizedek
Reincarnated |
|
On December, 1945, in Upper Egypt,
ancient texts revealing that the early Christians and Jews
believed that Melchizedek was a previous reincarnation of
Jesus the Messiah.
These long lost
texts were discovered by an Arab peasant was digging in
the ground in search of fertilizer when he discovered large
jars containing books which have been buried since around
390 A.D. These books where hidden by monks from a nearby
monastery to escape destruction under the order of the emerging
orthodox Church in its violent expunging of all heresy.
These texts were one of the greatest archeological discovery
ever discovered. It was only eclipsed by the Dead Sea Scroll
discovery in Israel two years later in 1947. It is a strange
coincidence that these ancient discoveries containing valuable
information of early Jewish and Christian theology and history
should appear around the same time.
This immensely important
discovery in Egypt includes a large number of Christian
Gnostic scriptures -- texts once thought to have been entirely
destroyed. Some of the scriptures discovered were the Gospel
of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, and the Gospel of Truth.
One of the Christian Gnostic texts discovered is entitled
"Melchizedek".
The following quote is from this text. [...] indicates missing
fragments or illegible wording.
"And
you crucified me
from the third hour of the Sabbath - eve until the
ninth hour. And after these things
I arose from the dead.
My body came out of the tomb to me. [...] They did
not find anyone greeted me [...] They said to me,
Be strong, Melchizedek,
great High Priest of God Most High" (Melchizedek)
|
There is little doubt that this quote attributed
to Melchizedek refers to him being crucified and resurrected.
Commenting on the above text, noted authority Birger A.
Pearson states:
"Furthermore, the tractate's
apparent identification of Melchizedek with Jesus
Christ ... is also documented elsewhere in early
Christianity, particularly in Egypt. We are drawn
to the conclusion that, in the revelation which
the priest Melchizedek has received, he has seen
that he himself will have a redemptive role to play
as the suffering, dying, resurrected and triumphant
Savior, Jesus Christ! ... From what we read ...
it seems that the victory of Jesus Christ is the
victory of Melchizedek and that, in fact, they are
one and the same."
"I did and do understand the
text of the first tractate to imply that Melchizedek
was prophesied to return again, as Jesus."
|
Return to Top
|
3.
Dead Sea Scrolls Revealed the Messiah to be a Reincarnation
of Melchizedek |
|
In 1947, scrolls from the Jewish
Essenes were discovered which affirmed that they believed
Melchizedek would reincarnate as the Messiah.
These ancient scrolls
of profound importance were discovered by young Bedouin
shepherds, searching for a stray goat around the Dead Sea
in Israel entered an undiscovered cave and found jars filled
with ancient scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls were scrolls
from a monastic group known as the Essenes, dated to be
about two thousand years old. The Essenes were an apocalyptic
Jewish sect who withdrew from society and established a
monastery on the shores of the Dead Sea. It is believed
that sometime during the Roman-Jewish war of 66-70 A.D.
the Essenes hid their sacred writings.
The Essenes believed
in the doctrine of pre-existence and reincarnation and appeared
to have been influenced by Gnosticism. The Dead Sea Scrolls
prove that the Jewish mystical tradition of divine union
went back to the first, perhaps even the third, century
B.C.
Biblical scholars
were not disturbed by what they found in the Dead Sea Scrolls
because they had known all along that the origin of Christianity
was not what was commonly supposed to have been.
The first-century
Jewish historian Flavius Josephus stated that the Pharisees
were believers in reincarnation. Josephus has several long
passages dealing with the reincarnation beliefs of both
the Essenes and the Pharisees. Josephus writes that the
Jews in their secret or esoteric doctrines called the Kabbalah
taught reincarnation openly.
The caves where
the Dead Sea Scrolls were found yielded a series of thirteen
fragments on Melchizedek which identifies Melchizedek as
the one who will carry out the vengeance of God's judgments
and the one who delivers the people from the hand of Belial
and the spirits of his lot.
The belief that Melchizedek was
the Messiah was a strongly held conviction among the Qumran
community, as well as among some other Jewish and Gnostic
sects in the first century A.D. This becomes apparent in
the text entitled
"The Last Jubilee"
(Dead Sea Scroll: 11Q13, Column 2) about the coming of Melchizedek
as the Messiah.
"The Last Jubilee"
is a sermon within the "Melchizedek Texts" (also known as
"I IQ Melchizedek Text" or " I I Q Melchizedek"). The following
is a summary of this sermon:
The Last
Jubilee text refers in messianic terms to a future
King of Righteousness. In the text, this King of
Righteousness is described as passing judgment on
Belial [Satan] and his followers. After the judgment
in heaven comes the destruction of those who have
followed Belial rather than God. The text states
that "the one designed, by God's favor, for the
King of Righteousness (which is what, by his very
name, Melchizedek prefigures) will come into his
dominion." The time of his coming "into his dominion"
is identified as the period which Isaiah termed
the year of favor or "acceptable year of the Lord"
("The
Last Jubilee")
|
The Biblical reference for
this can be found in Isaiah 61:1-2:
|
"The Spirit
of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has
anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted,
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captive, and the opening
of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim
the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance
of our God; to comfort all that mourn ..." (Isaiah
61:1-2)
|
Jesus made his first
appearance in Nazareth and spoke at the synagogue there,
and the book of Isaiah was handed to him. Luke 4:17-19 records
that he then found and read the two verses quoted above
but stopped after the phrase "acceptable year of the Lord."
Bible scholars concluded that by suspending reading without
referring to God's day of vengeance, Jesus was distinguishing
between his present ministry of grace and the second advent
when he would carry out God's judgments. On the other hand,
his stopping after that phrase may have been for the purpose
of emphasis, for it truly was the "year of the Lord."
After Jesus had
concluded his reading, verse 21 adds:
"And he began to say unto
them, 'Today this scripture has been fulfilled in
your hearing.'" (Luke 4:21)
|
Thus in Luke 4:21,
Jesus seems to identify himself as the one promised by Isaiah
"to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" when he said,
"Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
And the Melchizedek Texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls identify
Melchizedek as the person who will fulfill that prophecy.
In the text "Commentary
on the Book of Habakkuk,"
the "Teacher of Righteousness" is referred to
as one "to whom God has made known all the mysteries of
His servants the prophets." This Teacher of Righteousness
was expected to return and usher in the Messianic Age and
according to Jewish tradition to be Elijah or Phinehas or
Melchizedek.
At least one respected
Dead Sea Scroll authority stated that Jesus in these documents
"appears in many respects as an astonishing reincarnation
of the Teacher of Righteousness."
The Qumran "Melchizedek
Texts" contain several comments which seem clearly to
identify the so-called "King of Righteousness," a title
referring to Melchizedek, as the promised Messiah. They
discuss the role of this future King in overthrowing Belial
and executing God's avenging judgment and clearly state
that this King will be "Melchizedek redivivus" (reincarnated).
One scholar has summarized the document thusly:
"In
this fragment, written in Hebrew, Melchizedek
appears as an eschatological savior who has
a heritage. His mission is to bring back at
the end of days the exiles to announce to them
their liberation ... and the expiation of their
sins." (Melchizedek)
|
Return to Top
|
4.
NDEs of Edgar Cayce Reveals Jesus to be Melchizedek
Reincarnated |
|
Edgar Cayce
received volumes of information from his near-death experiences
from a heavenly so-called "Hall
of Records." Much of the revelations he received
concerned Jesus and his many incarnations including Adam
and Melchizedek. Cayce received these revelations years
before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian
Gnostic find. These discoveries agree with the Cayce revelations
concerning Adam, Melchizedek and Jesus.
This parallel between
Melchizedek and other incarnations from the ancient Christian
Gnostic texts also supports the Cayce revelations that Enoch
and Melchizedek were the same spirit. Cayce also provided
the interesting revelation that the Dead Sea Essenes grew
out of the teachings of Melchizedek as propagated by prophets,
such as Elijah, Elisha, and Samuel. Cayce also identified
Melchizedek as a previous incarnation of Jesus.
According to Cayce,
it was necessary that the very advanced spirit of Melchizedek
reincarnate in order to reach Christhood as Jesus. The Cayce
revelations show us why the Master spirit again incarnated
after the experience as Melchizedek:
"The Christ
spirit incarnated as Adam, Enoch, Melchizedek, then
took on flesh to teach and lead. After several more
incarnations such as Joseph (prince of Egypt), the
Christ spirit realized it was necessary to set a
pattern for humanity and to show the way back to
God. Thus, the Master spirit assumed the mission
of through his final incarnation as Jesus. By resurrecting
his body, he made the Jesus-Melchizedek priesthood
eternal." (Edgar
Cayce)
|
This priesthood,
according to the Encyclopedia Judaica's interpretation of
Hebrews, "is excellent, superior to that of Abraham's descent,
and transcends all human, imperfect orders."
In view of such
evidence found in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, the
Christian Gnostic texts, the Dead Sea Scrolls and extra-Biblical
sources such as Cayce, the early Christian veneration of
Melchizedek and the rich Messianic tradition about him,
Christians should in no way find it demeaning to link the
soul of Melchizedek with that of Jesus. Certainly both individuals
were important instruments of God, and each life marks an
historic step in the spiritual evolution of humanity.
|
|