It is familiar to every reader that the apostle uses this as the type of Christ, according to the word of the oath, “Thou art a Priest forever after the order of Melchisedec” (Psa. 110:44The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. (Psalm 110:4)).
We would say a few words on this Melchisedec priesthood of Christ, its extent and blessing. And first, it is not that which Christ the Lord now exercises; not that He is not a priest after that order—we know fully that He is, by the Epistle to the Hebrews, as from the Psalm cited—and not of any other. But the exercise of it is according to the typical character of Aaron's priesthood on the day of atonement, as the same Epistle shows. The whole of this dispensation is as the day of atonement, and typified by it. The High Priest is gone within the veil, with the blood of the sacrifice, even of Himself, His own blood. So there, as yet, He is; Whom the heavens must receive till the time of the restitution of all things, which God hath promised by the mouth of all His holy prophets, since the world began. This then is the time during which the Lord, though a priest after the order of Melchisedec, after the power of an endless life, made with an oath forever εἰς τὸ διηνεκές, a continuous (not a successional) priesthood; yet exercises it practically for us according to the type of Aaron, though not according to the order as within the veil, on the great day of atonement.
Accordingly the apostle, after declaring the order of His priesthood, enters upon and dwells exclusively in detail upon the Aaronic priesthood, as characteristic of that which the Lord Christ now exercises. He shows Him to exercise it antitypically, within the veil, the priesthood being, in its exercise, now one entirely of a heavenly character. He is gone not within the typical veil, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. The blood is not of bulls and goats, with which the patterns of things in the heavens were purified, but His own blood; those better sacrifices by which the heavenly things themselves could be purified. The very glory with which Jesus is said to be crowned is spoken of in the words in which the consecration garments of Aaron and his sons after him, are described in Exodus (compare Heb. 2:77Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: (Hebrews 2:7) and Ex. 28:22And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. (Exodus 28:2) in the LXX) The whole of the eighth and ninth chapters show the present exercise of the Lord Christ's priesthood to be after the Aaronical pattern, though He be in no sort after the Aaronical order. It is the very subject and reasoning of the Epistle; and in the ninth chapter the analogy is entered into in detail, so as to enable us to apply the details of the priestly services of the Levitical order to our present condition; as, however imperfectly, is commonly known in the Christian church.
It is manifest, then, that the type of Melchisedec here presented to us, as indicative of the priesthood of Christ, in its exercise leads us to further results and wider exhibition than that in which He now so graciously, and blessedly for us, secures the life and blessing and salvation of His people in heavenly places; Himself far above all heavens, at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having by Himself purged our sins. The priesthood of Christ is clearly after the “order” of Melchisedec, and solely so; its exercise now is as clearly after the type of the order of Aaron solely; and that as exhibited on the great day of atonement within the veil. Not but that there is a great deal exhibited now not therein seen; for the veil is now rent behind Him, and we are enabled to follow Him within and see where He is sat down, to our comfort and everlasting joy. But there is a glory besides, not yet fulfilled; a glory of its own character, a glory properly Christ's, and taught us in this type of Melchisedec, the exercise of which we find yet to come. And all that develops Christ's glory is precious to the saints; it is the Lord's glory, the glory of the Son of the Father, His own glory as well as the Lord's glory. On this I would speak a little.
The priesthood of Melchisedec is then that royal dominion of priesthood in which, as representing the most high God, and speaking for man to Him, He blesses from Him (as now in His possession) heaven and the uttermost parts of the earth, through and in the seed of God. We find even in the case of Nebuchadnezzar, the first great type of earthly and Gentile dominion but opening out of its corruption. His greatness reached unto heaven, and his dominion to the end of the earth: and this is put in such strong light that the Adamic dominion is (Dan. 2:3838And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. (Daniel 2:38)) in a remarkable manner attributed to him. He may have been guilty, and the first exhibition of Gentile apostate dominion, still this characteristic of universal dominion is attached to it. He was the man (in whatever pride of character) set in power.
The mystery was to be brought out in him of his non-acknowledgment of God in it; and the seven times of a beast's heart in this selfish and proud dominion; the man of the earth, not the Lord from heaven acting as man in the power of righteousness; the king of Babylon, not the Son of David, the Lord from heaven, ruling in Jerusalem as witnessing the true God. But it was a dominion given, and typically exhibiting this dominion over the earth, though to illustrate its abuse in man's hand (hence the seed of God even brought into captivity, not blessed as in power and deliverance); αἰών in which administrative power was put into the hand of man, in the commission to kill whoever killed, which was given to Noah. The other characteristic of the evil and apostasy of it was the setting up a false god, an image: the result was that God was owned by the king “the Most High God.” God is acknowledged in this character, and the seven times punishment comes, till he knows that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will. Thus much for all short of dominion in heaven, though his greatness reaches to that earthly dominion.
But there is another portion corrupted and debased, the scene of power, however, and blessing. His greatness leaches to the heavens; but what do the revelations of God show us to be in the heavenlies? “The saints of the most high (that is of the heavenlies elyohnin) shall take the kingdom;” but we find that we are wrestling with principalities and powers, with spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies (Eph. 6:1212For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)), that is power apostate from God, holding the heavenlies; the earth is, and the heavenlies alike, possessed by evil in present power. We find the saints of the heavenlies (Dan. 7:1818But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. (Daniel 7:18)) taking the kingdom, and the people of the saints of the elyohnin given the kingdom, and greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven (ver. 27). In this it is that God as may be seen in Daniel, has His title, of Most High (the second word “most high” in ver. 25 being different in the original from the first given above), that Most High Whom Nebuchadnezzar was obliged and made willing to acknowledge; thus the earthlies and heavenlies, under the name of the Most High, will be set in blessing.
But we have more definite statements on the subject. In the day of the full glory of the Lamb, “there shall be one LORD, and His name one;” “the God of the whole earth shall He be called:” “in that day shall Jerusalem be called the throne of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it;” and the Son of man appearing in His glory, King of the Jews, even Jesus of Nazareth, shall be on the throne, and not on the cross; and not Hebrew only, but also Greek and Latin, yea every language of power which despised Him, all join in the inscription of the Lord of glory, even Jesus of Nazareth, This is the King of the Jews; when the earthly kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ is come. But this is not the limit of His glory, though it be much to have destroyed them that destroyed the earth, and fill it with blessing. The mountain of the LORD'S house is established in the top of the mountains, blessing especially to the seed of God, under His righteous reign; all power is given Him in heaven and in earth, and thus we find the blessing identified with the person of Jesus.
Accordingly we find in the promise the purpose of His will in the Ephesians, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times “He should gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are upon the earth.” Now the mystery which belongs to us is not merely that we should have the sure mercies of David by virtue of His resurrection; that will be made sure to the Jews in Acts 13:32, 33, 3432And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, 33God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. 34And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. (Acts 13:32‑34), in the day when He shall sit upon the throne of David His father, and reign over the house of Jacob forever; all nations serving Him, and the nation and kingdom which will not serve Jerusalem shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. But Jerusalem shall be called the city of the Lord: the Zion of the Holy One of Israel shall be an eternal excellency; its sun no more go down, but the Gentiles come to the brightness of its rising. This will be the portion of the despised ones, in all whose affliction He has been afflicted, over whose apostasy and rejection of Himself He could but weep. Those tears are not shed in vain, but mark a reaping in joy, when the joy shall be as the joy in harvest and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
But we, the members of His body, have a yet better portion, not blessings, great as they are, secured in His resurrection, but to be raised together with Him, and to sit with Him in heavenly places. “He hath blessed us in heavenly places;” and the very purpose of the Epistle to the Ephesians is to show that, made sons with Him, we are to be with Him in heavenly places, the body of Him, the Head to the church over all things. We have not merely the fruits, but the likeness of that exceeding great power, which was wrought in Him, “when God raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places” (see Eph. 1:1919And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, (Ephesians 1:19) to ii. 7). Thus when He gathers together in one all things in Christ, we find, as under the blessing of His throne, the Jews in the earthlies the center of blessing, and all nations blessed in them through Him (see Acts 3:2525Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. (Acts 3:25)), and the saints in the heavenlies, sitting there as raised with Christ, and having overcome through grace, sitting down in His throne, as He overcame and sat down in His Father's throne; and thus witnesses together of the universal dominion of Him to Whom all power is given and on earth, at once Son of God and Son of man; Lord over all, as well as God over all, blessed for evermore.
(To be continued.)