I heard a preacher on the radio refer to Melchizedek as the "pre-incarnate Christ". That bothered me. I have heard that taught a few times in the past. It is simply not true.
The more I studied it, the more I was convinced that this teaching is wrong. Melchizedek was the king of Salem (modern day Jerusalem) and also a priest of God Most High, but not Christ.
In Psalm 110, King David writes about One who would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. The author of Hebrews elaborates on this in Hebrews 6 and 7.
Melchizedek was in an order of priests of God Most High because the twelve tribes of Isreal did not exist yet. Levi had not been born, the Levitical Priesthood had not yet been established. And only those of the tribe of Levi were qualified to be priests because Aaron, the brother of Moses, was the original High Priest for Isreal (Exodus 28), and Levi was descended from Aaron.
Christ Jesus is our High Priest, but He fulfilled the law, so He could not have qualified as a Levitical priest because He is of the tribe of Judah. So He had to be in the same priestly order to which Melchizedek belonged.
Our Savior is currently at the right hand of His Father, as High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
God is AWESOME!
