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alliances with other cities and form
large armies that would then make
war upon yet another city or alliance
of ci tics. Such became the case in the
lower Jordan where Lot and his fam–
ily sett led. An all iance of Mesopo–
tamian cities drove Abraham's neph–
ew, Lot, out of t he Canaanite city of
Sodom where he lived and took him
captive.
When Abraham heard of Lot's
capture, he rallied his forces to pur–
sue Lot's captors and was victo–
rious.
Upon his return to Canaan, a most
unusual event occurred. Melchize–
dek, king of Salem, brought bread
and wine and refreshed Abraham
and his pcople (Gen. 14: 18).
Who was Melchizedek?
Al the time of Abraham, he was
king of Salem. J osephus, the J ewish
historian of the late fi rst century
A.D., tells us, "That name signi fies
the
righteous king
and such he was
without dispute, in so much that, on
this account, he was made the Priest
of God: however, they afterward
called Salem,
Jerusalem" (Antiqui–
ties of the Jews,
l,
x,
2).
T his righteous king was also the
priest of the most high God (Gen.
14:18). Abraham knew he was the
priest of God and so gave Melchiz–
edek his tithes (Gen. 14:20).
The apostle Paul tells us further of
Me lc hi zedek: he was "wit hout
father, without mother, without
descent, having neither beginning of
days, nor end of life; but made like
unto the Son of God; abideth a priest
continually" (Heb. 7:3). This could
be said of no human being. Melchiz–
edek, therefore, must have been the
Logos
(J ohn 1:1) who was the sec–
ond member of the very Godhead
who later was to give up his divinity
( Phil. 2:7) to become God in the
flesh - Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
For a brief period of t ime in the
days of Abraham, a member of the
God kingdom appeared on earth as
king of the city of Salem (J erusa–
lem)- and a priest of God. Those
obedient to God's way could bring
tithes to Melchizedek.
Could it be God was showing
long in advance where he plan ned
to establish his headq uarters once
his government was reestablished
upon the earth?
A 5 00-Year Ga p
Strangely enough, we know little
about the cíty of Salem (to become
JerusaJem) for nearly 500 years.
We do know Canaanites lived in
the land.
During the years between Abra–
ham and the settling of the chíldren
of lsrael in the Promised Land, we
have only one other brief encounter
that directs our attention to the city
of J erusalcm.
One of the best known epísodes in
the Bible was God 's ínstruction for
Abraham to take his only son, Isaac,
to Mount Moriah and there to sacri–
fice him. Through this tremendous
example of faith, we once again havc
a hint of God's fu ture plans for J eru–
salem. Bible scholars have concluded
that Mount Moriah, where Abra–
ham carne to offer Isaac, may have
been thc very spot in Jerusalem upon
which the Temple of God was con–
structed.
The willingness of Abraham to
bring Isaac to Mount Moríah to be
sacrificed has a spiritual parallel.
God was to offer hís only Son for the
s íns of the world. When Jesus Christ
carne into the world and was cruci–
fied, that great event took place in
the environs of Jerusalem.
It
was a
spiritua l parallel that Abraham
brought his son to Jerusalem as a
type of what would happen later.
In the course of ti me, the descen–
dants of Abraham carne to live in
Lower Egypt. J acob and his 12 sons
and theír famíl ies found relief from a
great famine and were to remaín
there about 240 years. Duríng the
fi rs t 100 years in Egypt the l sraelites
made a s ignificant contribution to
the prosperity of the land .
A pharaoh from Upper Egypt
1180
B.C.
The
flrat mentton of
Jeruealem
In
the
8lble
le
durlng
the
time
of
AbfaNm. MelchiZedek
fa
Gocl'a
prteat and
kJIJg
ot
Salem-later
J«U881em.
mo.t
of
the
next
400
yeara.
takn
Jeruaalem. The temple ls
deatroyed, the
clty
bumed
and
the
people
are
taken
to Babylon In
Ceptlvlty.
187
a.c.
40
a.c.
4a.C.
Temple two generations earlier.
117 B.C. Antlochus Ephiphanes
aelzes Jerusalem in anger. The
clty once agaln is punished, the
temple cteoraded and thousands
of people killed.
14é0
I .C.
After ttae Exodua
from
Egypt
the
12
trtbea
of
Israel
diYide
U.
tand
of
oan.an.
8ut
J81'uaalem
,...,..a Jebullte clty
for
1000
a.c.
AHer David become8
klng,
he
captures
Jerusalem
and
utabtlahee
lt
as
the
capital
ot
Judah
and,later, alllarael. AHer
Oavld'a
death,
Sotomon
bullda
a
temple
In
J81'Uaalem.
toO
I .C. Klng Neb\lchadnezzar
of
Babylon, aHer
a aerln of
ralcle,
410
I .C.
Under Ezra and
Neherrllah,
the
Jews, prevlously
permltted to return to thelr home–
land, rebulleS Jerusalem.
zerubbabel bullt the
Seccmd
40
I.C.
The Romans appoinl Herod
klng. He seizes Jerusalem and in
19 B.C. rebuilds the Second Temple.