Old
Testament Prophecy---
Melchizedek’s Legacy
1
The
Urantia Book has many of
the missing pieces to a grand puzzle about our world and our place
in it. So much that was previously covered up is now revealed in
the light of day. Consider Melchizedek and his entrance into
world history approximately 4,000 years ago. For those unfamiliar
with the Urantia Book, our world has undergone intense deprivation
and disarray as a result of the Lucifer rebellion and the failure
of Adam and Eve. The disastrous results of these events have only
been partially remediated by the activities of Melchizedek and
Jesus. The Urantia Book tells us that:
UB (Urantia
Book)
1014 …revealed truth was then threatened with
extinction…following the
miscarriage of the Adamic mission on
Urantia (Earth)… The concept
of God had grown dim and hazy in the minds
of men… Machiventa
Melchizedek, one of twelve planetary
receivers, volunteered to do
that which had been done only six times in
the history of all Nebadon;
to personalize on earth as a temporary man
of the realm, to bestow
himself as an emergency Son of world
ministry.
UB 1015
It was 1,973 years before the birth of Jesus that Machiventa
Melchizedek
was bestowed… Like Jesus, Melchizedek
attended strictly to the
fulfillment of the mission…. He came to
achieve two tasks: to keep
alive…the truth of one God and to prepare
the way for the subsequent
mortal bestowal of a Paradise Son of that
Universal Father.
(Jesus, the Son of Man).
UB 852
The supramaterial government of Urantia …continued, but
direct physical contact with the
evolutionary races had been
severed since the death of Adam.
UB
853 Physical representatives of the universe government
had been
stationed on the planet . . . over a
period of more than four
hundred and fifty thousand years and now
had this come to an end.
UB
853 Angelic helpers continued to struggle in conjunction
with the
thought adjusters, both working heroically
for the salvage of the
individual; but no comprehensive plan
for far reaching world
welfare was promulgated to the mortals
of the earth until the
arrival of Machiventa Melchizedek, in the
time of Abraham,
who, with the power, patience and
authority of a Son of God, did
lay the foundations for the future uplift
and spiritual rehabilitation
of unfortunate Urantia.
The quotes above describe the reasons
and purposes of Melchizedek’s incarnation on our world. Let’s
step back a little bit and review the information we have to date
about this mysterious and important figure of Melchizedek, who
interacts with Abraham during the dawn of the Judeo-Christian
experience. Also a note of explanation, Nebadon is our section of
the cosmos.
For those readers not familiar with Melchizedek,
The Bible
tells us:
1.
Melchizedek was King of Salem (Gen 14:18) which
later developed
into Jeru(salem).
2.
He was Priest of the Most High (God). (Gen 14:19)
3.
Is before and above
Abraham. Blesses Abraham
and receives
tithes from Abraham. (Gen 14:20)
4.
He is an immortal
being: a ‘priest forever’
(Ps. 110), ‘without
record of father and mother or ancestral line, neither with
beginning of days nor ending of life.’ (Hebrews 7:3)
5.
‘resembles the Son of God’ (Hebrews 7:3)
6.
Is on a similar divine status as Jesus. Jesus is ‘a High
Priest forever
after the order of
Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:20)
The Urantia Book tells us
that:
1.
Melchizedek is a
Son of God below the order that Jesus is from
(UB 335)
2.
After the failure of Adam and Eve he was sent here to begin
restoring the divine plans for our world. (UB 853)
3.
He was here on our world, beginning around 2000 B.C., for
approximately 100 years as an adult physical being of the
realm. (UB 1015)
4.
His main goal was
to prepare a people, Israel, that would
understand and recognize Jesus,
Son of God and Son of Man.
5. He first had to establish
monotheism, the concept of the One God,
so that the Son of the One God,
Jesus, could be understood. This
was accomplished mainly through the
Patriarchs and Prophets of
Israel, especially Elijah whose
successful campaign established the
One God over and above the multitude
of tribal gods (Baals)
previously in existence. (UB 1062)
6. He brings God’s covenant to
Abraham (UB); he is the‘messenger’
of God’s covenant with Abraham.
(Malachi 3:1)
7. He collaborated with the Prophets
to bring God’s plans and
perspectives to man (Israel). (UB
1024). In addition there is a multitude of
other information about Melchizedek
in The Urantia Book which fills
out our knowledge of this previously
mysterious figure.
The Dead Sea
Scrolls tells us:
1. Melchizedek is one and the same as
‘the Lord’ in the Old
Testament
(when not referring to God Himself.)
(DSC 11Q13) This
agrees with statements in The
Urantia Book.
2. Melchizedek is the Lord/Messiah who
comes in the last days
when
"all the nations" come against
modern Israel as prophesied by the
Old Testament Prophets (11Q13) This
agrees with The Urantia Book
statements to the effect that
Melchizedek is soon to be our Planetary
Prince, a World Messiah in
residence. (UB 1025 and 1251)
The
correlation of the information in the Dead Sea Scrolls, the
Prophets, and The Urantia Book is a very
important observation that suggests a connection to a common
source. That source can only be the source of all truth, the
divine kingdom of heaven, from which God Himself is directing the
revelation of truth to his evolving sons and daughters of the
material world.
Notice carefully that Melchizedek’s plans involve global
welfare, are "far reaching" into the future, and are
comprehensive. Comprehensive includes all three aspects of
reality: material, intellectual, and spiritual. A comprehensive
plan would then address the genetic-biologic level, the
concept-comprehension level, as well as the spiritual level which
was addressed by Michael’s (Christ’s) bestowal (incarnation). As
we look around the world today, can we really say that the need
for "uplift and spiritual rehabilitation" has been fully
satisfied? Did the bestowal of Michael (Christ) complete and end
Melchizedek’s "far reaching, comprehensive plan"? Or is there
more to come?
UB 1020
Melchizedek made a formal covenant with Abraham at Salem.
Said he to Abraham: ‘Look now up to
the heavens and number
the stars if you are able; so numerous
shall your seed (offspring)
be!’. And Abraham believed
Melchizedek, and ‘it was counted
to him for righteousness.’ And then
Melchizedek told Abraham
the story of the future occupation of
Canaan by his offspring after
their sojourn in Egypt.
Note
here that the Urantia Book documents that Melchizedek already knew
about Israel’s future occupation of Canaan and tells it directly
to Abraham 400 years
before it happens. What else did Melchizedek know? The
Urantia Book offers a clue.
UB 2082
Do not overlook the value of your spiritual heritage, the river
of truth running down through the ages . .
.
Could this
river of truth, at least in part, be the Judaic and Christian
scriptural heritage? Have we overlooked anything? Perhaps the
re-analysis of scripture, in the new light of Urantia Book
information, could reveal new scriptural meanings not fully
appreciated in times past. The Urantia Book tells us
that:
UB
1021 Melchizedek continued for some years to instruct
his students
and to train the Missionaries, who
penetrated to all
surrounding tribes, especially to Egypt,
Mesopotamia and Asia
Minor. … missionaries penetrated all of
Europe, even to
the British Isles. Also, the
Hebrews became loosely established
in Palestine. …They became idolatrous and
licentious and their
idea of Deity fell far below the Egyptian
and Mesopotamian
concepts of God that were maintained by
certain surviving
groups and which were recorded in the
Psalms. … The Psalms are
the work of over a score or more authors;
many were written by
Egyptian and Mesopotamian teachers. No
other single collection
covers such a great range of time…and
embraces the entire period
Amenehope to Isaiah.
And so we
have a definite pedigree that leads from Melchizedek through his
missionaries and to the psalms. Whatever the psalmists’
understandings were, they obtained directly from their long
contact with an authoritative source, Melchizedek. Is it possible
that information regarding Melchizedek’s future plans for
Urantia was revealed to the missionaries and may be gleaned from
the Psalms? Scholars of the Dead Sea Scrolls have been surprised
by the large emphasis placed on the use of the Psalms, as a
prophetic source by the Qumran community. In light of The
Urantia Book information, they no longer need be surprised.
UB
1043 It was the missionaries of the period following
the
rejection of their teaching who wrote
many of the Old
Testament Psalms (? 1800 B.C.),
inscribing them on stone,
where later-day Hebrew priests (580 B.C.)
found them
during captivity and subsequently
incorporated them among
collection of hymns ascribed to Jewish
authorship (i.e., of David).
UB
1061 And thus did the remnants of the missionaries in
Mesopotamia maintain the light of truth
during the period
of the disorganization of the Hebrew
peoples (probably from
Abraham to Moses, approximately four
hundred years) until
the appearance of that long line of
teachers of Israel
(Old Testament prophets) . . .(my
parentheses)
Next consider
that:
UB
491 When Machiventa Melchizedek ministered in
semi-material
form on Urantia, he paid respectful homage
to the Most High
Observer. …
The
Urantia Book author slips in the very important fact that
Melchizedek ministered on Urantia in semi-material form as
well as in his prior material form of 94 years. Semi-material
means partly visible to the human eye. Also:
UB 1024
This same Melchizedek continued to collaborate throughout
the succeeding nineteen centuries with the
many prophets and
seers, thus endeavoring to keep alive
the truth of until …
Michael’s (Christ’s) appearance on earth.
We know now that not only did
Melchizedek minister in semi-material form after his physical
ministry, but also that he "collaborated" with the prophets. This
semi-material collaboration with the Old Testament prophets
resulted in the prophetic Old Testament scripture we have today.
Melchizedek collaborated with Abraham, with Moses, with Jacob,
with Elijah, with Isaiah, with Jeremiah, with Ezekiel, with
Daniel, with the twelve "minor prophets" Joel through Malachi,
with the Teacher of Righteousness of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and
with Enoch. Each of these prophets have yet much to reveal in
dawning light of our 21st century. Melchizedek calls to
us through 2,500 years of time and says:
Hosea
12:11 I spoke to the prophets;
It was I who multiplied
visions,
and through the prophets gave
parables.
The
Urantia Book also tells us that the later prophets (Isaiah through
Malachi) were more accurate than the earlier prophets such as
Samuel. We will therefore focus our study on the later prophets
listed above. The Urantia Book also explains that the prophets’
understanding of God’s motives and nature was conditioned by the
cultural beliefs of their respective times. The prophets therefore
confused, at times, God’s holiness and righteousness for anger,
God’s far-seeing wisdom for retribution, and His intense concern
for the welfare of His children for jealousy. With time, the
improved understanding of God’s loving and merciful nature
progressed to a climax in Second Isaiah (Chaps. 40-55), with
respect to whom:
UB
1069 No more beautiful proclamations about the heavenly
Father have
have ever been made.
As always,
then, we must work with truth and error side by side, and use the
generously bestowed wisdom and information made available to us
through The Urantia Book. Suffice it to say, for now, that the
foundation of prophetic Old Testament scripture rests squarely on
the shoulders of Melchizedek. He already knew the future of
Israel and he collaborated with the psalmists, prophets, and
servants of God to foretell, very accurately, the future history
of Israel. Also, we will come to understand the evolution of
meaning that scripture attaches to the word "Israel," which
ultimately means all those who desire to do the Father’s will.
This foretold history is a demonstration of the omniscience of God
and his complete mastery of the universe, which He has created.
In the upcoming chapters, we will use as our sources the
three major and twelve minor Prophets of the Old Testament, the
book of 1Enoch, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Daniel,
the Book of Revelation, as well as various and sundry other
writings that seem appropriate along the way. I will also
introduce to you an undiscovered major prophet. As Jesus tells
us, God:
UB
1731 did not cease to minister words of truth to the
world when
the prophets of old made an end of their
utterances. And, we
ourselves should "aspire to become the
living prophets of the
Most High and the spiritual heroes of the
coming kingdom."
UB
1390 And, "Jesus had an unerring ability for the
recognition of
truth, and truth he never hesitated to
embrace, no matter from
what source it emanated.
With
regard to 1Enoch, consider:
UB
1390 While in the synagogue library at Nazareth, among
the
apocalyptic books, which he had been
studying, the manuscript
called the "Book of Enoch" … proved very
intriguing to him
(Jesus), and he read and re-read it
many times. … No other
scripture was so near the truth as this
story (about the son of
man) in this only partially accredited
"Book of Enoch"
What other
great truths might we find in 1Enoch?
The Dead Sea Scrolls are important because they provide
crucial missing information to the overall prophetic picture of
the Old Testament. The leader of the Qumran community, the
Teacher of Righteousness (100-200 B.C.), is an inspired and master
interpreter of scripture. He has much to teach us, and like the
other Old Testament Prophets, the Teacher of Righteousness hints
at a revelatory experience that very likely represents further
"collaboration" with Melchizedek.
The Revelation to John will be used in bits and
pieces. The Urantia Book tells us that:
UB
1555 When in temporary exile on Patmos, John wrote the
Book
of Revelation which you now have
in greatly abridged and
distorted form. This Book of
Revelation contains the surviving
fragments of a great revelation, large
portions of which were
lost, other portions removed,
subsequent to John’s writing.
It is
preserved only in fragmentary and distorted form. Because
of this information I have used Revelation sparingly and
only when it builds upon a line of prophecy already established
previously in scripture. The "collaborator" in Revelation is
no longer Melchizedek, but instead Jesus/Michael for the first
time, as the "age of the gentile Christians" begins.
I have also included the work of several poets because
prophets are usually poets and poets are frequently prophets.
Many times poetry foresees that which is later understood through
science and philosophy. This is so because:
UB
1199 Supreme and self-acting adjusters are often able to
contribute
factors of spiritual import to the human
mind when it flows
freely in the liberated but controlled
channels of creative
imagination.
Of course,
God Himself is the ultimate source of all true prophecy. He
tells us:
Isaiah
48:12 I am He—I am the First,
And I am the Last as well.
My own hand founded the earth,
My right hand spread out the skies.
Isaiah
48:16 From the beginning, I did not speak in secret; . .
.
Isaiah
48:3 Long ago, I foretold things that happened,
From My mouth they issued, and I
announced them;
Suddenly I acted, and they came to
pass . . .
Isaiah
46:10 I foretell the end from the beginning,
And from the start, things that had
not occurred.
I say: My plan shall be fulfilled;
I will do all I purposed . . .
Isaiah
48:6 As of now, I announce to you new things,
Well guarded secrets you did not
know.
Only now are they created, and not
of old . . .
Isaiah 46:13 I am bringing my victory close;
It shall not be far,
And my triumph shall not be delayed.
In conclusion, God is the source and
Melchizedek is the mediator of all Old Testament prophecy. (Bible
quotes are from the Hebrew translation, Tanakh, unless otherwise
stated.)
What secrets of the line could be buried
there?
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