Who is Melchizedek? Gen. 14:18 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
When Abram returned from his victory over the kings of the East, he met Melchizedek. He is a very interesting type of Christ in the Old Testament. But who is he?
Look at the comparisons between Melchizedek and Jesus Christ:
Similarity Melchizedek Jesus Christ
Bread and wine Genesis 14:18 Matthew 26: 26-29
Priest Genesis 14:18 Hebrews 7:26
Blessed Abram Genesis 14:19 Luke 24:50-51
King of righteousness Hebrews 7:2 1 Cor 1:30; Rom 10:1-4
King of peace Hebrews 7:2 Luke 19:38; Isaiah 9:6
No beginning, no end Hebrews 7:3 Revelation 1:8
I believe Melchizedek is a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. Other pre-incarnate appearances are found in Jos 5:13-15, Dan 3:25, Ezek 1:26, etc. He brought forth bread and wine, foreshadowing the Lord’s Supper, he was greater than Abram in that he blessed him (Jn 8:56-58), he had no “earthly” pedigree (1 Tim 3:16, Jesus is God, manifest in the flesh) and he is eternal (1 Jn 5:11).
The only difficulty with this is that he is said to be like unto the Son of God (Heb 7:3). But that’s not really a problem because before Jesus was born, he was not yet the Son of God (Ps 2:7), although it is evident that God would have a Son (Is 9:6, Dan 3:25, Prov 30:4). He is referred to as the Word of God (John 1:1). Furthermore, John said, when he saw Jesus in the Revelation, that he was “one like unto the Son of man,” (Rev 1:13).
The importance of this pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ as Melchizedek is that he established a priesthood that predates and is superior to the Levitical priesthood that began with Aaron (Heb 7:15-25; Ps 110:1-4). It is by Jesus Christ and not by the law that we come to God.
Conclusion: Thus, it appears that Melchizedek is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ.