Who is Melchizedek?

Question:        Who is Melchizedek?

 

Answer:          This name has two different spellings.  It’s spelled Melchizedek in the Old Testament and Melchisedec in the New Testament. Melchisedec is thought to be God simply because, he did not have a traditional birth; Heb. 7:3, “without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life…..”
The phrase “without father” is a Greek phrase that means “unrecorded paternity”. The phrase “without mother,” means “of unknown maternity.” The phrase “without descent” means “unregistered as to birth”. These phrases do not mean that Melchisedec did not have a beginning of life nor an end of life. It simply means that there was no verifiable recorded record of his birth; therefore his lifespan was an undetermined amount of time. Yes, he had a mother and a father, but there existed no tangible written documentation of his birth. Perhaps the documentation had been misplaced or destroyed. Considering the time frame, Melchisedec was probably a descendant of Noah and their birth records was lost in the flood.
It is commonly thought that this passage is referencing God because God has no beginning and no end. No, this phrase is referencing Melchisedec, who is a man; (Heb.7:4.) Although Melchisedec is a man, this is not his name. Melchisedec is a title or designation; much like President, King, Queen, Governor, Pope, Priest, etc, Melchisedec was a man that had several designations; Heb. 7:1-2, “…..Priest of the Most High God…..King of Righteousness….. King of Salem….. King of Peace…..” He’s called a king; being a supreme ruler, and he’s called a priest; being a spiritual leader. As a king; concerning a kingdom; he’s the King of Salem and King of Peace. As a priest; he’s called King of Righteousness and the Priest of the Most High God.
Melchisedec was actually a king of Jerusalem and he promoted righteousness and peace. His lifestyle is comparable to the life of Jesus, because he lived as a priest his entire life. The only difference between Melchisedec and Jesus is that Melchisedec had a human mother and a human father, whereas Jesus had a human mother, but Jesus’ father was God.