Is Melchizedek Still Alive According To Hebrews 7:8?

Hebrews 4:14-15 states, 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to the confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin.

If one would say that Melchizedek is still living according to their interpretation of Hebrews 7:8 then why did Jesus take the helm of High Priest (the only one who is authorized to atone for sins)? The keyword when reading a passage is essential to understanding the intent of the author’s message. The keyword in Hebrews 7 is “resembling.”

Now, let’s take a look at Hebrews 7:3 which says, without father, mother, or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God—remains a priest forever.

Righ off the bat so to speak, we know immediately that the Eternal One or the I Am is God alone in the person of Jesus Christ so to understand the passage we look for keywords like “resembling” found in the passage above. The verse is referring to that the Messiah cannot be traced or said to be purely human in nature. His earthly body can be traced through His mother but not through His earthly father because He has no beginning. The author of the Book of Hebrews used Melchizedek as a type because his lineage was unknown but that does not mean that he still lives or is eternal. All Scripture must be harmonized.

The title: “Alpha and Omega” alone belongs to Jesus which simply means having no beginning or end. Melchizedek cannot still be living as it contradicts what solely belongs to God, the Eternal One. In light of other passages and the meaning of I Am, only God still lives, everyone else dies, even Enoch and Elijah, if they would not have been raptured they would have met the same fate as everyone else, death.

Hebrews 7:23-24

23 Now many have become Levitical priests, since they are prevented by death from remaining in office. 24 But because He remains forever, He holds His priesthood permanently.

If Melchizedek was still alive then why would Jesus take his place as high priest? The answer is that he is not eternal but human, just like all of us and a sinner who sought God for salvation (by The Holy Spirit’s conviction).

To go back to Hebrews 7:8 which says, In the one case, men who will die receive tenths, but in the other case, Scripture testifies that he lives.

Verse 8 points back to verse 3 which nothing is really known about Melchizedek’s genealogy so he is used by the author of Hebrews to show that even though no priest was mentioned in prophecy as coming from the line of Judah, God is the one who appoints any individual He wants as high priest just like He did with Melchizedek.

The only person who died and resurrected and never died again was Jesus Christ. And the Bible makes it clear that ALL have sinned which includes Melchizedek. Only Jesus Christ never sinned.

The logic would be that if Melchizedek is still alive then that would make him a pre-incarnate Jesus but in Hebrews 7:3 –but resembling the Son of God- completely takes that option out of the table. Melchizedek was just simply used as an illustration of who the Messiah would be in regards to priestly office and genealogy.