COPYRIGHT WARNING

The word Transcendent is defined as “incomparable, matchless, unrivaled, unparalleled, unequaled, unsurpassable, unique, perfect, rare, surpassing, magnificent.”

If God exists, He must be a Being if incalculable complexity. If He can be known at all, our knowledge of Him will depend upon our ability to receive Him as He presents Himself. We may have our ideas about what we imagine God would be like—we would be wrong. When Solomon was nearing the completion of the Temple, he realized that the God to whom He was dedicating this structure, was beyond his ability to comprehend.

1 Kings 8:27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!

An eternal and infinitely intelligent Being would choose a manner to make Himself know that is very likely—divergent from our suppositions of such a Being.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” —Isaiah 55:8-9

If God exists, there would be evidence of His Being. We could observe Him by the things that He has made. His character and nature could be perceived by His creation so that any thinking person could understand what He is like.

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…

The Being we are seeking is antecedent all other things. “In the beginning God” (Genesis 1). Matter did not exist first because matter cannot cause itself. The physical laws of the universe did not exist first, they are simply the course that all other things must follow. This course was planned by the One who came before all other things. He is the uncaused Cause of everything.

The mistake that many people make in regards to God—whether they will believe that He exists or is the creation of men—depends largely upon the mind that begins the search. By the time that a person reaches a certain age they have already determined the conclusions for many matters in life. If a person will know whether nor not God exists, or more importantly, know Him—they must begin with a mind that is open and sincerely seeking.

To follow the evidence where it may lead in any search for truth, is an essential prerequisite to discovering truth. It is impossible to know for certain whether anything is valid when we begin with a mindset that has already determined what the outcome will be.

In matters of God, it would be wise to forget everything that we have already heard from people and take a fresh journey for ourselves. The facts are: God has made Himself known, but people do not perceive Him. The reason: God does not come to us in ways that we would expect to find Him. If He were to simply poke His head through the clouds and announce that He is God—their would be no faith involved in our decision to believe in Him. God has chosen a less obvious manner to reveal Himself. A subtle approach to make Himself known that requires a certain amount of faith.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

It is clear that God places a special value on those who believe in Him and seek to know Him—apart from seeing Him.

John 20:29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

There are three primary ways in which God has reveled Himself to man:

1. Through Nature, by the things that He has made.
2. Through His Word, by the Bible—the revelation of Himself and His plan.
3. Through His Son, to whom He has revealed His entire purpose for mankind.

Because God is Transcendent, He has the ability to pierce the linear time in which we are all living our our lives—and reveal Himself in various ways. Throughout the Old Testament scriptures, we see many places where God has revealed Himself to certain individuals.

Is time travel possible?

Can a person move from one point in time to another? In the 7th Prophecy and 145th Prophecy of the Old Testament, we see this very phenomenon demonstrated.

There are many instances in the Old Testament where a person described as The Angel of the Lord appears before men. In each of these occurrences, it is widely accepted amongst scholars and those who comment on the scriptures that these appearances of the Angel of the Lord are the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. Jesus is appearing in the form of a man before He took the permanent body of a human being at Bethlehem.

The technical term for a physical appearance of God to a human being is called a Theophany.

A few of the better known places, in the Old Testament, where Jesus appears as The Angel of the Lord to certain people are as follows:

To Hagar in Genesis 16:7
To Abraham in Genesis 22:11
To Moses in Exodus 3:2

In each of these cases, it is the pre-incarnate Jesus who is speaking to Hagar, Abraham and Moses. In order for Jesus to be able to speak with each one of these people, He had to pierce the time continuum and appear before them as a man. In this we understand that Jesus was transcendent of time, space, and matter, before He came to earth permanently as a human being.

It seems to be the purpose of God that He shows us that He is not restrained, or limited by time. Because He is God, Jesus can enter the time-line of history at any point that He chooses. We see many examples of this in the Bible.

In the text of the Old Testament where we are introduced to the mysterious Melchizedek, we see that this person is exemplifying Jesus, long before He makes His appearance in the narrative of the New Testament. Many Scholars believe that Melchizedek was Jesus Himself.

Genesis 14:18-20 “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.’ And he gave him a tithe of all.”

When we arrive at the New Testament, we see that the intended purpose of Melchizedek in the Old Testament was as a prelude to typify the person of Jesus. We reach this conclusion because of Paul’s statements about Melchizedek in the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 6:20 “where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 7:1 “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him…”

Hebrews 7:2 “to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace…”

Hebrews 7:3 “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.”

Hebrews 7:4 “Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils.”

The language that Paul uses in each of the verses above, is a clear indication that he believes that the Old Testament appearances of Melchizedek were the pre-incarnate Jesus. Melchizedek’s appearances in the Old Testament and specifically at Genesis 14:18-20 were to show us prophetically that Jesus is like Melchizedek:

Jesus as a High Priest forever.
Jesus as a Priest of the Most High God.
Jesus receiving a tithe from Abraham.
Jesus called King of Righteousness and King of Peace.
Jesus having no beginning and no end because He is the eternal God.

All of these verses from the Book of Hebrews use language to describe attributes of Melchizedek that are also attributable to Jesus. The logical conclusion is that they are one and the same.

You have perhaps heard the old analogy: If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it is a duck. This is a relative example for explaining how Paul describes Melchizedek in terms of his similarities to Jesus.

The Old Testament scriptures reveal that the Messiah will be Like Melchizedek, as stated in Genesis 14:18-20. This reality is perfectly fulfilled by Jesus Christ in the New Testament book of Hebrews.

“Melchizedek…being translated ‘king of righteousness,’ and then also king of Salem, meaning ‘king of peace…’ without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God…”

We have this certainty confirmed by the ascriptions that Paul gives to Jesus in relation to Melchizedek. Jesus is the exact representation of everything that Melchizedek symbolized when he appeared to Abram. This is confirmed by Paul in the New Testament Book of Hebrews Chapters 6 and 7.

The priests of the Old Testament all came from the Tribe of Levi. They were men appointed to minister the things of God before the people.

Melchizedek, as we are told here in Hebrews, is very different:

Hebrews 7:1-3 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.

Melchizedek had different qualifications from those who were priests, according to the tribe of Levi.

• Melchizedek is the King of Salem (peace), which means He is The King of Peace.
• Melchizedek is The King of Righteousness.
• Abraham tithed to Melchizedek.
• Melchizedek did not have a father or a mother.
• He had no beginning and no end.
• He was made like The Son of God.

These descriptions give us a clear understanding for who Melchizedek really is, in relation to Jesus’ role as our Great High Priest, in the New Testament.

Who do we know from the Bible that can be called King of Peace and King of righteousness, with no beginning and no end? Only Jesus could bear these titles. Does this mean that Melchizedek, in the Old Testament, was Jesus? This appears to be exactly what Paul is saying in the Book of Hebrews. It is apparent from what Paul wrote that he believed Jesus and Melchizedek were one and the same person.

The Melchizedek Priesthood

Every Old Testament Priest had to come from the Tribe of Levi. Why now is Jesus coming from this new order of Melchizedek? Why did Jesus come from the Tribe of Judah and not Levi, if He is our High Priest forever?

After the Battle that Abraham fought against Chedorlaomer and three other Kings, he is met on the road by Melchizedek, who brings Abraham bread and wine.

Abraham so highly regarded Melchizedek, that He paid Him a tithe of all that he had taken from these four kings. We learned previously that the name Melchizedek means King of Peace and King of Righteousness. There is no record of when he was born or the day that he died.

Melchizedek is called A Priest Forever.

The Book of Hebrews describes Melchizedek as like the Son of God. In other words, both are described in terms of being uncreated, living forever, and being Kings of Righteousness and Peace.

The real question is not whether Melchizedek is Jesus, but the point here is that Melchizedek was a Priest like Jesus. The phrase in verse 4, Made Like the son of God, comes from the Greek word, Aphomoimenos. This word is not used any other place in the New Testament, except here in verse 4 of Hebrews Chapter 7. Aphomoimenos means a Facsimile, a Copy, or a Model.[1]

Melchizedek was a facsimile or a copy of who Jesus is. Jesus is not a copy of Melchizedek. Jesus is the original; Melchizedek is the Copy.

So, in answer to the question, “Who was Melchizedek?” He was a copy or model of Jesus. A place from the Old Testament to show us the Transcendence of God.

This brings us to the important question: “Who is Jesus?”

The primary method (item 3 above) by which God has chosen to reveal Himself today, is through His Son. Although we may see, through creation, the handiwork of God and the Bible is full of words which describe God—we are left without a physical reality of Him as a person. For this reason, God sent a physical facsimile of Himself in human form that we could see and understand.

The Old Testament scriptures contain some 400 vivid predictions of what God’s representative of Himself would be like. He would come to earth as a Savior, a Messiah, One who would have the power to redeem all human beings and bring them back to God.

Until Jesus came in fulfillment of the Hebrew prophecies, no one had ever seen God face to face. Moses had earnestly desired to see the face of God but was told by Him: No man can see My face and live.

Exodus 33:18-19 And Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory.” Then the Lord said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

Jesus came as God, veiled in human flesh, with the full intensity of God’s glory hidden within. If Jesus had removed the veil of His flesh to reveal to the world His full glory, the light of that glory would have consumed every person on the planet.

When Phillip asked Jesus to show him the Father, Jesus said: He who has seen me has seen the Father. In other words: “Phillip, if you have seen me, you have seen God” (John 14:8-10, above).

If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. If you want to hear the words of God, listen to Jesus. The fullness of God is revealed in Jesus Christ, not in a mystical way but literally dwelling within Jesus. The mystery of the ages is that God could dwell within the body of a man.

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

We might consider how it is possible that the eternal God could become a human being. Not that it is too hard for Him, but how unreasonable it is for Him. Why would He bother? He has no need of us. He is not lacking in anything. He has no requirement for human fellowship. What was His reason for becoming one of us and dying in such a horrendous manner?

It must be that He could do nothing else.

Everything that is good and right and perfect—is complete in God. He can only perform those things that are a part of His perfect nature. He created the universe for the specific purpose of making an environment whereby He could display to the creation of earth; His great power and all of His wonderful attributes.

We imagine that because the universe is so immense and contains so much space with such a great number of possibilities for life, that there must be life in places other than earth. We are thinking as a man thinks, not as God thinks. God was not interested in seeding the universe with life; He was inspired to display His Glory to one specific creation, on one single planet.

The Book of Romans describes the fact that God is known and understood by the things He has made.

“…His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…”

With this in mind, it is reasonable to conclude that the purpose of life on earth, with its existence dependent on many finely tuned absolutes, is for the express purpose of displaying the power, beauty, order, design, and love of God.

Jesus said: “If you want to know what God is like, look at Me, listen to Me, and watch what I do.”

Jesus came to declare what God is truly like.

People will thank the trees for their shade, the clouds for their rain, and praise “mother nature” while being completely unaware of the great God who made all these things.

The purpose of this publication is to make known the vast evidence for the true identity of the Transcendent One—whom the Bible calls “the Messiah.” By our discovery of Him, we find our true identity—for we all came from Him and in many ways—we are like Him. The search for meaning and purpose in our life is found when we find out why we are here and what the circumstances were which caused us to exist in the first place. The Transcendent One has made us for Himself. It is by coming into a personal relationship with Him that we find our own purpose. Every person who has taken this journey with a sincere goal of Knowing God, has found greater treasure than they could ever have imagined possible.

Although He is Transcendent of time, space, and matter, He has come to us as a real person who has lived with us, within the constraints and difficulties of life—here in linear time. This book is a journey of discovery which will open up a world of knowledge about who God is and what He is doing in the world—that will change everything for those who find Him.

I would imagine that one of the purposes for your reading this article, was curiosity. I certainly understand inquisitiveness, it was my own unanswered questions which compelled me to conduct a search for answers some 39 years ago. When I discovered the phenomenon of Bible Prophecy, immediately I wondered how someone could know what was going to happen in the future—with perfect accuracy. When I realized that only a being transcendent of time could possibly know these things, I was convinced that there must be an entity of infinite wisdom and power. The fact that He had left us proof for His existence by many evidence based facts, caused me to begin my own search for more information. It has been nearly four decades and everyday I am stunned again and again by a new revelation for the existence of this amazing being known as “God.”

The most subjective experience for the existence of God is understood by those who know Him by first hand knowledge. Unlike religion, knowing God through Jesus Christ allows us to experience Him up close and personal. Throughout my days I am constantly aware of His presence, His guidance, His counsel, and His protection. I hear Him speak to my mind—things that are outside of my ability to know, apart from a revelation from Him. Many of the principles that are written in this book, came to my mind by revelation from the Lord, as I was writing. I speak to Him, He answers me. I know that He exists because He is such a great and substantial part of my life and existence as a human being. In the same way that you know other people, I know God. He is as real to me—personally, just as any other person that I might come in contact with during the day. In many regards, God is more real than those who live in close proximity to us with physical bodies. For more than 40 years I have had a relationship with a Supernatural Being who has led me, guided me, provided for me, protected me and my family, healed me, delivered me from peril, and kept me alive when I should have died. He is the God who is revealed by the words of the Bible.

Because of what Jesus has accomplished for us at the cross, all of our sins are no more and we are able to enjoy perfect and unending fellowship with the Living God. He has made us His friends and there is no longer a wall of separation between us and Him. I have personally known Him and the reality of His existence since April 25, 1975.

I have discovered that the God of the Bible is the answer to every question that I have had about life, the universe, and the reason that I find myself here on this tiny planet.

It is practically impossible that an anthology of 66 books, authored by 40 different writers, over a period of more than 1,500 years, could all describe, with precision, one subject—the Messiah, without this knowledge being imparted to the minds of the writers of the Bible—supernaturally.

Someone who lives outside of time and has infinite knowledge of every event that will transpire on earth, has revealed these facts to the writers of the Bible, who then communicated these things to us.

The leaders of Israel had three and one half years to examine the testimony of Jesus of Nazareth and decide if He presented enough credible evidence to be the Messiah. Jesus met every requirement, and did not fail to fulfill the hundreds of predictions that were written to describe the coming Savior of the world. These men chose to reject Jesus for fear of what they would loose. I pray that you will not make the same grave error.

You may feel that should you surrender your life to Jesus, He will immediately take away all of the exciting things that you love. In reality, He is very gentle, and never forces anyone to believe in Him or trust Him. If you decide to give up something it will happen by your own will and desire for change, not through compulsion or guilt from the Lord.

You will discover over the course of several years, many things you once considered important, will no longer be important at all. These changes come through awareness and realization, not by oppression or condemnation. The burdens that Jesus places on us are not heavy, hard to bear, or difficult to accomplish. Using your own natural abilities that He has created within you, providing resources that are limitless, and wisdom that comes through seeking His heart and will, you will be lead on the most incredible adventure you could ever imagine.

Jesus makes us into new creatures from the moment we lay our lives before Him and are willing to turn from our former sins and selfishness. It is by the process of becoming a new creation that our thoughts, words, and actions begin to change through our own will and desire—progressively—for the rest of our lives.

I hope in some small way, this book will help you to discover how wonderful it is to have a real and personal relationship with the one true God who has revealed Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus is transcendent all other things. He has existed forever and all that has ever been, or ever will be—came into being by Him. Everything exists by His will and was made for Him, it is Jesus who holds all things together. If we will know the only Extraterrestrial, Unlimited Being in the universe, we must know Him on His terms. The One who created time, space and matter, and has engineered the physical laws which make life possible, must be discovered through Jesus Christ.

“All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” —Matthew 11:27

NOTES:
[1] NAS Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries

Categories: Empirical Evidence for God

Tags: Empirical Evidence For God, Jesus is God, The Existence of God