Made like (871) aphomoioo by Greek Word Studies

Made like (871) (aphomoioo from apo = intensifies meaning or also means away from + homoioo = to make like) means make like or similar or to produce a facsimile. In the passive sense it means to be like, to resemble or to portray (“to be or become like” or “make oneself out to be like.”) Guthrie adds that aphomoioo... is a suggestive word, used in the active of ‘a facsimile copy or model’ and in the passive of ‘being made similar to.’ TDNT writes... that Melchizedek “is like” the Son of God. The point may be that the Son of God is the prototype, or that the OT text is taken to be a messianic prophecy, i.e., a sign that points forward to Christ. Thayer writes that aphomoioo means... to cause a model to pass off (apo) into an image or shape like it -- to express itself in it. F B Meyer says that... It was as if the Father could not await the day of His Son’s priestly entrance within the veil; but must needs anticipate the marvels of His ministry, by embodying its leading features in miniature (The priesthood of Melchizedek). In summary form what the writer has also done is to present several characteristics of an ideal priesthood -- righteous, peaceable, personal and eternal. Compare Isaiah's description of the Messiah in which righeousness is emphasized... But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Isaiah also emphasizes the Messiah's association with peace in the well known passage in chapter 9... For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6,7) Note that Melchizedek's likeness is not to Messiah as Son of Man but to Him as Son of God. As Son of Man He was born and died. As Son of God, neither could be said of Him. Son of God - Arthur Pink comments that... The various appellations under which our Lord is referred to in this Epistle call for due attention. They are not used at haphazard, but with precision and design. In Hebrews 2:9 it is “Jesus” that faith beholds—the humiliated but now glorified Saviour. In Hebrews 3:6 it is “Christ”, the Anointed One, who is over God’s house. But in 7:3 it is “the Son of God”, as High Priest, unto whom Melchizedek was made a similitude. The Spirit here jealously guards the honour of Him whom it is His office and delight to glorify. He hereby intimates to the Hebrews that though Melchizedek were such an excellent person, yet he was infinitely beneath Him whom he represented. The typical person was but man; the antitype, Divine! Furthermore, one who was more than mortal was required in order to fulfil that which Melchizedek foreshadowed: he who should be capable of discharging an always-living, constant-abiding, uninterrupted priesthood, must be the Son of God! (Melchizedek Continued) Remains (3306) (meno) means to remain in the same place over a period of time and so to abide. Priest (2409)(hiereus from hieros = sacred, consecrated to deity) is one who is consecrated to the service of deity. Melchizedek truly unique for no other OT individual served as both a king and a priest. The next individual who exercises these two offices in one person will be our Lord Jesus Christ, Who at His second coming will reign and serve as King and Priest when He takes His seat on David’s throne to rule over the Messianic age and kingdom. Perpetually is the Greek phrase eis to dienekes. Eis is a preposition of motion into any place or thing. Figuratively eis marks the point toward which anything ends. Dienekes means carried through or stretched the whole length and thus protracted, continual or perpetual. Taken together this phrase means for all time or without interruption. In reference to a dynasty dienekes was used to mean that the royal family would never fail to have a male heir to rule. Webster's defines "perpetual" as the holding of something (such as an office) for life or for an unlimited time. Pentecost comments that... We know nothing of a time in his life before he became a priest, nor do we know anything of a retirement from the priesthood at the end of his life. In this respect—since he had neither beginning nor ending of days as far as is recorded—he stands as a timeless priest. (Ibid) Perpetually dramatically contrasts with the length of service of the Levitical priests who were eligible to serve only from age 25 until age 50, regardless of how faithfully they served. Perpetually also contrasts with the Levitical priesthood which was only ordained under the Old Covenant, which the writer later explains has become "obsolete...growing old (and) ready to disappear". William Lane writes that... Melchizedek’s sudden appearance and equally sudden disappearance from recorded history awakens within a sensitive reader the notion of eternity. (William L. Lane, William: Hebrews: A Call to Commitment. Hendrickson, 1988) The perpetuity of Melchizedek’s personal priesthood perfectly pictures the eternality of Christ's priesthood which the writer emphasizes later writing that Christ... on the other hand, because He abides forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (see notes Hebrews 7:24; 7:25) Gerald Hawthorne comments that... Melchizedek thus was the facsimile of which Christ is the reality. Christ, therefore, is king of righteousness and peace in the fullest sense, and priest ‘like’, ‘in the order of’ Melchizedek, that is, priest forever! (New International Bible Commentary) Hughes sums up this section emphasizing that... The big picture the writer wants us to see is that Jesus perfectly fulfills what was foreshadowed in the Genesis account of Melchizedek. Melchizedek’s character type regarding king, priest, righteousness and peace was fulfilled to perfection in Christ. Melchizedek’s qualifications, being without genealogy and without beginning or end, prefigured Jesus who had no priestly genealogy or priestly term of service but was appointed by God and ministers eternally. (Hughes, R. K. Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul. Volume 1. Crossway Books; Volume 2) John Walvoord addressing the question of when Christ became a priest writing that... One of the problems which are raised concerning the eternal priesthood of Christ is the question of the point in time when Christ assumed His priestly office. Probably the most common tendency has been to assume that His priestly work began with the cross and the glorification that followed His resurrection. As William Milligan points out: “Such writers as Tholuck, Riehm, Hofmann, Delitzsch, Davidson, and Westcott admit with more or less distinctness that the High-priesthood of our Lord began with His Glorification; but they cannot allow that the death upon the cross was not ‘an essential part of His High priest’s work, performed in the outer court, that is, in this world,’ and they are thus driven to the expedient of saying that, High priestly as that act was, the Priesthood of Christ only attained its completeness after His resurrection. This distinction, however, between incompleteness and completeness cannot be maintained; and the true solution appears to be suggested by our Lord’s own words. It began upon the cross, and the cross was the beginning of His glory.” It is clear from Scripture, however, that Christ long before His dying on the cross served as a priest in the sense of interceding for man and acting as mediator. On occasion He prayed all night, and specifically, according to Luke 22:32, Christ declared of Peter, “I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not.” Inasmuch as intercession is a priestly function, Christ was doing the work of a priest. Another suggestion which has been offered is that the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist was His induction into the priestly office, fulfilling that which was represented in the induction to the Aaronic priesthood of the Old Testament where the priest was given a bath. Still others point to the incarnation as the beginning of His priestly work in that the union of God and man was necessary for Christ to be the true mediator. While each of these points of view has some factors to commend it, the solution seems to be that Christ’s priesthood is eternal as to its office, and temporal in its fulfillment as far as ministry is concerned. It is true that the priesthood of Christ depended upon His incarnation, sacrifice, and glorification, all of which was prerequisite to His work as priest at the right hand of the Father. The office of Christ as priest, however, can be considered eternal in the same sense that Christ is the Savior eternally. In support of this point of view, Psalm 110:4-note is quoted in Hebrews 7:20–21: “Jehovah hath sworn, and will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” Here the argument is that Christ as a priest was so constituted, not by ordinary appointment in time, but was made a priest by the eternal oath of God. As Psalm 110 was written a thousand years before the birth of Christ, it would seem at that time that Christ was already regarded as a priest and hence, His priesthood did not begin at some later time, such as the time of His incarnation, baptism, or death on the cross. The priesthood of Christ, then, instead of resting on an earthly lineage, historic beginning, ordinances, or sacrifice, instead, originated in the eternal oath of God. (Bibliotheca Sacra, Volume 122, Issue 485, Page 11, 1965). Christ and Aaron Isaac Watts Jesus, in thee our eyes behold A thousand glories more, Than the rich gems and polished gold The sons of Aaron wore. They first their own burnt-offerings brought, To purge themselves from sin; Thy life was pure without a spot, And all thy nature clean. [Fresh blood as constant as the day Was on their altar spilt; But thy one offering takes away For ever all our guilt.] [Their priesthood ran through several hands, For mortal was their race; Thy never-changing office stands Eternal as thy days.] [Once in the circuit of a year, With blood, but not his own, Aaron within the veil appears Before the golden throne: But Christ, by his own powerful blood, Ascends above the skies, And in the presence of our God Shows his own sacrifice.] Jesus, the King of glory, reigns On Zion’s heav’nly hill; Looks like a lamb that has been slain, And wears his priesthood still. He ever lives to intercede Before his Father’s face: Give him, my soul, thy cause to plead, Nor doubt the Father’s grace. S Lewis Johnson (Hebrews 7:1-3 Melchizedek and Jesus Christ - Audio) writes that in Hebrews 7 we have come... to the major theme of this great book, the high priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Chapter 7 is of paramount importance because the relationship of Jesus Christ to Melchizedek is so significant to an understanding of this book. What our author has done is to take Psalm 110:4-note and construct this epistle around this text... The author of this epistle conceives of "spirituality" as access to God. This is very important because today in evangelicalism it is common to think of spirituality as "being saved". The author of Hebrews does not say that being saved is not important for that is where we begin. But the whole of the Bible especially the New Testament teaches that we are "saved" in order that we may embark on "the way to maturity." Maturity is the goal of Christian thought. Salvation is a step along the way. Paul makes that very plain in Colossians when he says that his goal is to bring men and women to maturity. That is why Paul labors so diligently. Of course he wants them to be saved, but Paul wants to bring them to maturity. Now this author thinks of maturity as "access to God", not just getting saved. Access to God means having new life and then worshipping God. This is possible by three things... (1) By covenant, that is by the divine promises for the covenants contain the promises. Of extreme importance is "the New Covenant" and we will see much more about it in Hebrews 8 and 9. (2) We also say that sacrifice or the divine redemption is important because there can be no fulfillment of the divine promises without a sacrifice by which sin is removed. (3) Finally and very important, that which makes "access to God" possible is priesthood or divine mediation. 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