The Mystery of Melchizedek Who was this strange Priest/King that received tithes from Abraham? (…and administered bread and wine to him?)How is Melchizedek relevant to the Messiah of Israel?Did Melchizedek have a temple that predated Solomon’s?Is the Jewish Kingdom as portrayed in the Old Testament simply an intermediate parenthesis within a larger expanse?Why are the distinctives so divergent from the enforced separation of the kingship and priesthood under David?Were the bread and wine served by Melchizedek eschatological? Did they embrace the Cross? (They, too, echo across the pages of the OT)Was the Lord’s Communion anticipated in Gen. 14? Deriving from some very recent discoveries in Jerusalem (although some are yet to be confirmed) these studies may challenge many of the comfortable traditions that have shaped our classic Biblical perspectives. Join us as we explore some fascinating challenges to our previous understandings of things that shape our ultimate destiny…

How is God one? Is God a trinity? Who was Jesus of Nazareth? Was He a mere man, or much more? What was the significance of His death and resurrection? In this booklet you'll learn more about the nature of God and Jesus Christ and our future destiny with Them as revealed in the Bible. -- Inside this booklet: -- The Grandeur of Almighty God -- The Personal Nature of God -- A Family Relationship -- The Family of God -- How Is God One? -- 'The LORD Our God, the LORD Is One' -- Who Was Jesus? -- Jesus Was Sent by the Father -- A Mystery Solved: The Identity of Melchizedek -- The Plurality of God -- Jesus was a Jew -- Understanding God Through Christ -- What Does Christ's Resurrection Teach Us? -- Is God a Trinity? -- What About Matthew 28:19? -- The Holy Spirit is Not a Person -- Understanding 'the Image of God' -- Partaking of the Divine Nature -- Jesus Christ, Our Merciful High Priest -- God's Nature and Character

Originally published in 1926, this short book focused on the symbolism surrounding the ancient patriarch Melchizedek serves as a concise introduction to important imperceptible truths. “The elaborate rituals of the ancient Mysteries and the simpler ceremonials of modern religious institutions had a common purpose. Both were designed to preserve, by means of symbolic dramas and processionals, certain secret and holy processes, by the understanding of which man may more intelligently work out his salvation. The pages which follow will be devoted to an interpretation of some of these allegories according to the doctrine of the ancient seers and sages.”

The biblical figure Melchizedek appears just twice in the Hebrew Bible, and once more in the Christian New Testament. Cited as both the king of Shalem-understood by most scholars to be Jerusalem-and as an eternal priest without ancestry, Melchizedek's appearances become textual justification for tithing to the Levitical priests in Jerusalem and for the priesthood of Jesus Christ himself. But what if the text was manipulated? Robert R. Cargill explores the Hebrew and Greek texts concerning Melchizedek's encounter with Abraham in Genesis as a basis to unravel the biblical mystery of this character's origins. The textual evidence that Cargill presents shows that Melchizedek was originally known as the king of Sodom and that the later traditions about Sodom forced biblical scribes to invent a new location, Shalem, for Melchizedek's priesthood and reign. Cargill also identifies minor, strategic changes to the Hebrew Bible and the Samaritan Pentateuch that demonstrate an evolving, polemical, sectarian discourse between Jews and Samaritans competing for the superiority of their respective temples and holy mountains. The resulting literary evidence was used as the ideological motivation for identifying Shalem with Jerusalem in the Second Temple Jewish tradition. A brief study with far-reaching implications, Melchizedek, King of Sodom reopens discussion of not only this unusual character, but also the origins of both the priesthood of Christ and the role of early Israelite priest-kings.

(The latest in the PROPHETS, PRIESTS AND KINGS SERIES is here for serious Bible students. Misunderstandings and misinformation on the true priesthood of Christ are addressed by several hundred relevant Scripture passages. With God’s Word as the authority, the role of priests is defined before the search for the mysterious Christ-like figure, Melchizedek, can begin. The entire Bible is examined for clues to the man that Genesis 14:18 calls ‘Priest of God Most High.’ Following each lead, Scripture takes the investigation in a unique direction. Concluding Melchizedek had flesh-and-blood pays dividends when the pursuit leads to a “person-of-interest.” From there, a case is solidly built for one of the most dramatic Bible discoveries of any era. Until now, God has cloaked Melchizedek in mystery. Solving this mystery is the Lord’s gift to his last day’s saints, The Priests of God. Knowing who was hidden behind the veil will have tremendous implications for the priestly order of Melchizedek. Get ready to be challenged. Get set to objectively re-think and re-examine all you have learned about prophecy. Be prepared for a life-changing and mind-blowing experience. You must be open to the Spirit. Your destiny as God’s servant awaits.)

Dr Francis S. Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, is one of the world's leading scientists, working at the cutting edge of the study of DNA, the code of life. Yet he is also a man of unshakable faith in God. How does he reconcile the seemingly unreconcilable? In THE LANGUAGE OF GOD he explains his own journey from atheism to faith, and then takes the reader on a stunning tour of modern science to show that physics, chemistry and biology -- indeed, reason itself -- are not incompatible with belief. His book is essential reading for anyone who wonders about the deepest questions of all: why are we here? How did we get here? And what does life mean?

Why was Melchizedek a minor figure, selected to represent the priesthood of Christ in the Epistle to the Hebrews?