shachris:

Please can you show me a bible verse that justifies your claim that early CHRISTIANS, not people, paid tithe?

shachris:

Please remember that people tithing are doing so for selfish reason, so that God would bless THEM abundantly, and are never concerned with the propagation of the good news of Christ. The pastors merely prey on your Greediness to milk you dry, just like a good con artist. Bring 10% and receive heaven and earth. lol.

I would give according to my richness in glory and blessing, as Jacob of old, and not get tied to a Mosaic covenant that my Savior Jesus abolished many centuries ago.

shachris:

Please remember that people tithing are doing so for selfish reason, so that God would bless THEM abundantly, and are never concerned with the propagation of the good news of Christ.

shachris:


I would give according to my richness in glory and blessing, as Jacob of old, and not get tied to a Mosaic covenant that my Savior Jesus abolished many centuries ago.

SUN 84: Why is many so much conciouse of tithe,is dt a way to worship God,wt necessity does it ve in life of believe,

firefox4th: God told me in 2006 'old testament majors on physical things while new testament,spiritual things'.In far back 1996 He also told me 'physical money is meager amount of money ,give money to me' He did not tell me to give tithe !Tithe is part of the imperfections.It has been substituted with a Liberal Heart(life of giving).Tithe is limiting ,in sight of God, life of giving has no limits.Instead of emphasy on tithe , figure, / amount ,RECORDS ,dwell on life of giving most especially ,to the needy in a centrifugal form and needless to say that whatever you are giving must holy.

Mark Miwerds: Hebrews 7:8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

The above verse does say, "there he (Jesus) receiveth them".

What is the "them" that Jesus receives?
When was this written?

The book of Hebrews was written in 66 A.D.. Four years prior to Titus invading Jerusalem with his army and destroying the Temple, scattering the Levites who had been ministers of the Temple as the Mosaic/Levitic Law required.

At the time Hebrews was written, the tithes being paid were also according to the Mosaic/Levitic Law. That tithe was a tithe of crops, flocks and herds as the Mosaic/Levitic Law commanded it to be. The sons of Levi had a command to receive tithes of their brethren. (the remaining tribes of Israel) At the same time, the Lord Jesus Christ was receiving tithes.

What tithes was Jesus Christ receiving? Why, the tithes that were being given to the Levites... tithes of crops, flocks and herds. There was no tithe of silver or gold, no tithe of money in any shape or form.

History records that from the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., until 585 A.D., no tithes were collected of the people of God at all.

As pointed out, the tithes Jesus is said to have received in Hebrews 7:8 were agricultural in nature... not money. Agricultural tithes were still being received in 66 A.D..

Where is the verse that says we are to tithe money? Why is it so hard for Olaadegbu, Bidam, and others to produce Scripture that says we are to tithe money today?

Oh wait! I know the answer. It is because that "scripture" is only found in the dark recesses of man's vain imagination, and not at all in the Word of God.

Wow! I've been away for too long....This is a very interesting thread!

@Alwaystrue and other tithe supporters, God bless your effort. I've read every single page until now.

In another thread, these questions were asked:

a) the children of Israel were required to pay God's Holy tithe, not Gentiles (Leviticus 27)
b) God's Holy tithe was to be given to the Levites, not pastors living in other countries (Numbers 18)
c) the tithe was crops and livestock, not money (Leviticus 27)
d) there were two tithes a year (not 26, not 52) every 1st, 2nd, 4th & 5th year in a seven year cycle (Leviticus 27; Deuteronomy 14)
e) there were three tithes every 3rd & 6th year (Leviticus 27; Deuteronomy 14)
f) only the Levites could bring tithes to the Temple storehouse (Nehemiah 10)
g) The feast tithe was to be eaten by the tither, his family, and the Levites in the place God chose (Deuteronomy 14)
h) the poor tithe was kept on the tither's property to feed widows, orphans, Levites, and refugees (Deuteronomy 14)
i) those who received God's Holy tithe could not own land.
j) every seventh year in a seven year cycle, the land was to rest. this means no harvesting, nor planting. no land tithe was possible.
k) The poor were not required to tithe, but rather were to recieve tithes (Deuteronomy 12; 14)

shachris:

please brother, educate us more on the difference.

shachris:



Another blasphemy. First Jesus was a Pharisee, now he collected TITHES??

m.k.o2005:

I thank God that you have agreed from the above that Jesus is Melchizedek since you said the tithe he was said to have received in Hebrews 7:8 was of agricultural produce and not money !
Let us see from the very beginning especially the very first tithe Jesus collected ! This can be found in Genesis 14:10-20'' 18 ''And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine. Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High,who has defeated your enemies for you.”
Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.'' Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of ALL THE GOODS FROM THE SPOILS OF WAR !
What do you think spoils of war means ? Just to help you a little,it is not compulsorily or most definitely farm produce or live stocks but Any profits extracted as the result of winning a war i.e houses,ships,gold,silver,bronze,petroleum products,CASH ETC. See Scripture below to show you clearly from the bible what spoils could mean:
Joshua 6:18-19 “Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury.” So Miwerds, dnt think Abraham gave Melchizedek only toro-toro/kpe-kpe-ye or pig and grass cutter or yam,cassava and ewe ! It is possible he did but not limited to that since the bible stated clearly that he gave a tenth of ALL THE SPOILS !
Where was Melchizedek before he was tithed to ? and was it during the harvest of farm produce that HE was tithed to ? and was it Abraham's FARM produce that was tithed to Melchizedek ?
See Genesis 28:20-22 ''Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.” Jacob said he will present to God a tenth of everything HE gives to him ! And i ask you Midwerk,if God has has blessed Jacob or even me with pounds,dollars,dutch-mark and even naira CASH, landed property and other tangible goods, will it not still be a tenth of all these i will present to God ? So how then are you saying we should not give money as tithe to show appreciation to God if we so desire when HE has blessed us ! The two examples of the very first tithers gave a tithe of all as given to them by God !

God help us

swtchicgurl: Wow! I've been away for too long....This is a very interesting thread!

@Alwaystrue and other tithe supporters, God bless your effort. I've read every single page until now.

In another thread, these questions were asked:



[b]
I'll try to answer briefly:

a) ok. paying tithe as an unbeliever is a waste of time.

b) who are levites? full-time workers in the house of God, whether pastor or gateman! "their inheritance is of the Lord" if then you don't bring what belongs to God to Him (tithe), how will the levites survive?!

c) at that time, wealth was measured based based on livestock, landed properties and family size. this day, it's basically money! we are not farmers! and yes, you can still tithe anything, money or materials!

d) then, how many times a year do you harvest as a farmer? now, how many times in a year do you recieve salary? pay your tithe as much time! if you are still a farmer, feel free to pay once a year sef... it all depends on when you have an "income"!

e) same as 'd' above

f) when people bring their tithes to the temple, them levites (full time church workers) take them into the storeshouses becos they have the access and authority to do that.

g) 'eating' one's tithe is solely by God's permission! there's a difference between 'you bringing me the money you owe me and i say, don't worry, you can have it' and 'you not bringing it at all'.

h and k) who is a 'poor'? are you poor? the poor will never sieze from the church. if you are 'poor', go ahead and don't pay your tithe! relate with God on the level of your faith! that poor widow gave her all (not just 10percent)!

i) the Lord is their inheritance (levites), also, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. connect the dots.

j) when there's no income, how do you tithe. you can only tithe when there's income.

I pray God will open your eyes! PAY YOUR TITHE![/b]

swtchicgurl: Wow! I've been away for too long....This is a very interesting thread!

@Alwaystrue and other tithe supporters, God bless your effort. I've read every single page until now.

In another thread, these questions were asked:



[b]
I'll try to answer briefly:

a) ok. paying tithe as an unbeliever is a waste of time.

b) who are levites? full-time workers in the house of God, whether pastor or gateman! "their inheritance is of the Lord" if then you don't bring what belongs to God to Him (tithe), how will the levites survive?!

c) at that time, wealth was measured based based on livestock, landed properties and family size. this day, it's basically money! we are not farmers! and yes, you can still tithe anything, money or materials!

d) then, how many times a year do you harvest as a farmer? now, how many times in a year do you recieve salary? pay your tithe as much time! if you are still a farmer, feel free to pay once a year sef... it all depends on when you have an "income"!

e) same as 'd' above

f) when people bring their tithes to the temple, them levites (full time church workers) take them into the storeshouses becos they have the access and authority to do that.

g) 'eating' one's tithe is solely by God's permission! there's a difference between 'you bringing me the money you owe me and i say, don't worry, you can have it' and 'you not bringing it at all'.

h and k) who is a 'poor'? are you poor? the poor will never sieze from the church. if you are 'poor', go ahead and don't pay your tithe! relate with God on the level of your faith! that poor widow gave her all (not just 10percent)!

i) the Lord is their inheritance (levites), also, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. connect the dots.

j) when there's no income, how do you tithe. you can only tithe when there's income.

I pray God will open your eyes! PAY YOUR TITHE![/b]

m.k.o2005:

It's like you are new on this one ! Go and ask Christ embassy,candour,'pastor'kun,fr_evangel and Goshen 360 who searched all the scriptures to disprove a prove that Jesus collected tithe ! But i will take you also on this nevertheless and wait for them to join me on this one.All i will do is to bring to you my previous reply on this one so others can learn but not necessarily you !
SEE BELOW FOR UR DIGEST :

Have you heard of the word Theophany or Christophany ? If no,please see below meaning and scriptural backings :

''A Christophany is an appearance of the preincarnate Christ in the Old Testament, or after his ascension.-Web definition.
''A theophany is a manifestation of God in the Bible that is tangible to the human senses. In its most restrictive sense, it is a visible appearance of God in the Old Testament period, often, but not always, in human form.
Some of the theophanies are found in these passages:

1. Genesis 12:7-9 – The Lord appeared to Abraham on his arrival in the land God had promised to him and his descendants.

2. Genesis 18:1-33 – One day, Abraham had some visitors: two angels and God Himself. He invited them to come to his home, and he and Sarah entertained them. - a Christophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ.

3. Genesis 32:22-30 – Jacob wrestled with what appeared to be a man, but was actually God (vv. 28-30). This may also have been a Christophany.-Christ

4. Exodus 3:2 - 4:17 – God appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush, telling him exactly what He wanted him to do.-Theophany

5. Exodus 24:9-11 – God appeared to Moses with Aaron and his sons and the seventy elders.-Theophany

6. Deuteronomy 31:14-15 – God appeared to Moses and Joshua in the transfer of leadership to Joshua.

7. Job 38–42 – God answered Job out of the tempest and spoke at great length in answer to Job’s questions.-Theophany
8.Daniel 3:24-25 ''Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.''

Frequently, the term “glory of the Lord” reflects a theophany, as in Exodus 24:16-18; the “pillar of cloud” has a similar function in Exodus 33:9. A frequent introduction for theophanies may be seen in the words “the Lord came down,” as in Genesis 11:5; Exodus 34:5; Numbers 11:5; and 12:5.
Every theophany wherein God takes on human form foreshadows the incarnation, where God took the form of a man to live among us as Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

Having established the above facts,i think it is neccessary we proceed with Hebrews 7 that clearly shows how Christ received TITHE from Abraham and still doing so today !
But to discuss Hebrews,let us see Genesis 14:18-20
''And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High,brought Abram some bread and wine.Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,Creator of heaven and earth.And blessed be God Most High,who has defeated your enemies for you.”Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.''

Who is Mechizedek ? We will know who this 'being' is when we get to Hebrews the new testament but keep in mind the meaning of Christophany!
Genesis 28:20-22 '' Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing,and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God.And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”
From the above two scriptures,it has been established that Abraham who is the father of Christians also whom we MUST receive his blessings through Christ Jesus-tithed and his son Jacob tithed as well before the law ! The Law came after the exodus form Egypt and Abraham had already tithed to 'Melchizedek' before this time(640yrs before the law)And his son Jacob tithed 445yrs before the law and this brings us to the conclusion that tithing never started with the Law and what makes you think it ended with the Law !
Melchizedek,king of Salem and Salem later became Jerusalem,HE brought out wine and bread and blessed Abraham !-Genesis 14:18-22.
Who is the king of Salem(Jerusalem)that brought out bread and wine THE NIGHT BEFORE his DEATH ? Please don't conclude yet untill we get to Hebrew still keeping in mind what Christophany means !
The Law no doubt also commanded tithing but that does not mean that tithing started with the law-Leveticus 27:30-32''A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.Whoever would redeem any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value to it. Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord.'' Please note that we are not discussing tithing as unto the law but want to show you that the law also commanded it but only as a shadow of what is to come !Note that Law was never brought about so that we will be under it for eternity but to show us a picture of what will be in the new testament.See Hebrews 10:1a'' For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things,''Remember that the slaying or blood sacrifice was never a bad thing becos it is LAW after all a blood sacrifice also occurred in the new testament-Jesus shedding HIS blood for you and i.So the sacrifices of animals in the OT was indeed a shadow of how to do it better in the NT !

Now let us see what Christ HIMSELF is saying concerning tithing:
Mathew 23:23''“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.''. He supported tithing immediately by saying yes you should tithe but HE rebuked them for not doing other important things contained in the book !-justice, mercy, and faith !
We all know who Jesus is,if he was not in support of tithing,HE would had condemned it right from Mathew 23:23 as HE did with so many other laws like stoning of the adulterous,divorce,Sabbath,paying of taxes,washing of hands before meal and so many others !
The issue of tithing was not discussed extensively in the new testament and i believe that it was not an issue no wonder there were no cases or issues raised concerning it much,but Hebrews gave us insights of what the pre-Law tithing was and what tithing should be as supported by Christ HIMSELF who receives all tithes !

Tithing as absolutely and positively supported by the book of Hebrews in the New testament....

Reverting

God help us

Bidam:

Even after the death of Jesus the Apostles still visit the temple to PRAY(ACTS 3). In other words they still kept all the Jewish laws and customs. THEY paid their tithes because the temple was still in existence as at then. You people should understand that Jesus wasn't against the LAW AND THE PROPHETS. The problem He had with the Pharisees was that He was the MESSIAH
If you guys are using the flimsy nonsensical argument that no where in scripture was it written that Jesus paid tithe so you wouldn't pay tithe then be ready to do what Jesus did in scripture.

1.Jesus Kept the Feast of Tabernacles John 7:2-14

2.Jesus was a faithful Sabbath keeper (Luke 4:16), regularly going to synagogue for worship and teaching (Matthew 12:1-16, 13:53-54; Mark 1:21; John 6:59). Many of His miracles were performed on Sabbath (Matthew 12:9-13, John 5)

3.Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a Jewish feast JOHN 5:1

4.at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication: John 10:22

Mark Miwerds: I did not say Jesus was Melchizedek. Nor do I believe that He was Melchizedek.

Scripture is quite clear that He cannot be Melchizedek.

Hebrews 7:3 Without 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.

Melchizedek was made "like unto", or resembling the Son of God. Notice other verses that use such comparisons:

Matthew 11:16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,

Were the people of Jesus' generation children? Of course not!

Matthew 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

Is the kingdom of Heaven a merchant man? Again, the answer is NO!

Matthew 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

Were the scribes and Pharisees tombs? No!

Similitudes are used throughout the Scripture. Melchizedek's comparison to Christ is one such similitude. He was not Jesus Christ.

We who are Christ's have been brought into a new covenant. Scripture does not say we were brought into the old covenant with the Mosaic/Levitic Law. Nor does it say that we were brought into a covenant made with Melchizedek. (if indeed there was such a covenant) No, we aare in a "new covenant." One that did not exist previously. Had it existed previously, it would not be called "NEW".

Where, in the NEW COVENANT, are we instructed to tithe our money? Don't return to the Law for the answer. Don't return to Melchizedek for the answer. We are not in those covenants. We are in a New Covenant with Jesus Christ.

Where does He say "tithe money"?

swtchicgurl: The fact that you're 'doing well' at work, home etc, does not mean the consequences of NOT tithing won't play its way out (this is not a threat, it's a guarantee). But that's a discussion for another day.

The whole idea of TITHING simply expresses your faith and love for God. The fact that some 'people' have abused tithe in some churches does not mean that God's standards have changed.

Show me a man who does not tithe and I will show you a man who has put his sight on man's errors other than God's standards.

Many of us are looking God's hands instead of looking on His face. Many of us are listening to the rythm of bad news instead of listening to God's heartbeat.

m.k.o2005:

Good try though but it's answering as Law demands ! From ur assertions,it shows that Lawfully we can still tithe but i am saying Christ want's to receive our tithe according to the grace HE has made available unto us ! He want's us to cheerfully and willingly bring our tithes to HIM ! Who are we to demand or want to know even what he does with our tithes and offerings ? Ours is to give it,the leaders in the churches are to receive it on HIS (Christ)behalf and HE (Christ)is to present it to God the father and the disbursement will be directed by them (GOD ) ! If we present it and the leaders fail to give it to HIM,(Christ)how is it my concern then ! He can inquire of what is HIS from the receivers who did so on HIS behalf and my divine ATM must hav been credited immediately i made the offer ! Anyone who wan't to know what Jesus did and is still doing as a priest in the order of Melchizedek,let him/her see Genesis 14:18-20 to see what Melchizedek did first ! For every High priest has gifts and sacrifices to offer ! Jesus as a High priest receives our gifts and presents it to HIS father not like the Levetical or Aronical priests or order but in the Melchizedekal order !

God help us

swtchicgurl: The fact that you're 'doing well' at work, home etc, does not mean the consequences of NOT tithing won't play its way out (this is not a threat, it's a guarantee). But that's a discussion for another day.

The whole idea of TITHING simply expresses your faith and love for God. The fact that some 'people' have abused tithe in some churches does not mean that God's standards have changed.

Show me a man who does not tithe and I will show you a man who has put his sight on man's errors other than God's standards.

Many of us are looking God's hands instead of looking on His face. Many of us are listening to the rythm of bad news instead of listening to God's heartbeat.

swtchicgurl: The fact that you're 'doing well' at work, home etc, does not mean the consequences of NOT tithing won't play its way out (this is not a threat, it's a guarantee). But that's a discussion for another day.

The whole idea of TITHING simply expresses your faith and love for God. The fact that some 'people' have abused tithe in some churches does not mean that God's standards have changed.

Show me a man who does not tithe and I will show you a man who has put his sight on man's errors other than God's standards.

Many of us are looking God's hands instead of looking on His face. Many of us are listening to the rythm of bad news instead of listening to God's heartbeat.

swtchicgurl: The fact that you're 'doing well' at work, home etc, does not mean the consequences of NOT tithing won't play its way out (this is not a threat, it's a guarantee). But that's a discussion for another day.

Mark Miwerds: All [/b]who teach their members to tithe their money have "abused tithe". God said in His Holy Word that His tithe consisted of [b]crops, flocks, and herds.

Man teaches that God requires a monetary tithe with no Scripture whatsoever to support his claim.

Monetary tithe requirement teachers "abuse tithe" whether they buy fancy homes, cars and jets... or not!

shachris: Melchizedek Was Not the preincarnate Christ[size=14pt][/size]

No, Melchizedek was not the same person as Jesus, contrary to a rather popular notion that stems from a misunderstanding of certain passages in Hebrews 7.

Melchizedek is first mentioned in Genesis 14. Abram (later called Abraham), returning from the rescue of his nephew (Lot), encountered this ancient dignitary who was king of Salem (early Jerusalem; cf. Psa. 76:2).

In addition to being king, he was described as “priest of God Most High” (Gen. 14:18).

His stature is revealed in that he “blessed” Abraham (the greater always blesses the lesser), and to Melchizedek the patriarch paid tithes, i.e., gave to the king-priest a tenth of his spoils (the lesser tithes to the greater).

The writer of Hebrews uses this incident (together with a prophecy from Psalm 110), to demonstrate the superiority of the priesthood of Christ to that of the Levitical system (Heb. 7:4-10). Beyond that, there were some similarities between Melchizedek and Christ, so that it may be said that the former was a “type” (a picture or symbolic preview) of Jesus. That does not mean, however, that they were the same person. In fact, the sacred text indicates otherwise.
Christ was said to be a priest “after kata the order taxis of” Melchizedek (Heb. 5:6,10; 6:20; 7:11).

The Greek term taxis (order) suggests a similar “arrangement.” For example, just as Melchizedek was both a king and priest simultaneously, so Christ is as well (cf. Zech. 6:12-13; Heb. 1:3).

The preposition kata used with the accusative case suggests the sense of “in accordance with, corresponding to” (Daniel Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, p. 377). Hence a comparison is being drawn.
Melchizedek was “without father, without mother” (Heb. 7:3a).

The meaning is this: his divine role was not genealogically derived, not handed down from his parents. So, neither was Jesus’ priesthood determined by a physical lineage, as in the case of the Aaronic priests (Ex. 28:1; Num. 3:10).

Among the Tel el Armarna tablets (discovered in Egypt in 1887), there are several letters written to a Pharaoh from one Ebed-tob, who is called “king of Uru-Salim.” The Canaanite king tells the Egyptian ruler that he did not receive his reign from his father and mother, but it had been conferred upon him by “the Mighty King.” This helps to illustrate the phraseology in the book of Hebrews (see A.H. Sayce, “Melchizedek,” Dictionary of the Bible, James Hastings, Ed., Edinburgh: T.&T. Clark, 1908, III, p. 335).
Melchizedek’s administration was without “beginning of days” and “end of life” (Heb. 7:3b).

Again, the meaning is that his priesthood was not for a fixed term (as in the case of the Levitical priests). Under the Old Testament regime, priests began their service at the age of 30, and the Levites served from age 30 to 50 (cf. Num. 4:3ff; 8:24-25).

Apparently, however, there was no chronological limitation with reference to this “priest of Most High God” who reigned in Salem. Again, in this regard he foreshadowed Christ, who serves continually as our priest throughout the Christian age.
That Melchizedek was not the same person as Jesus is evident in that he is said to be “like unto” the Son of God (Heb. 7:3c).

The participle aphomoioo denotes a comparison (e.g., a “copy” or “facsimile” – J.H. Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon, Edinburgh: T.&T. Clark, 1958, pp. 89-90). The term becomes irrelevant if the two persons were the same in identity.

The point is made again in verse 15. Jesus is a priest after the “likeness” of Melchizedek. D.W. Burdick observes:

“The verb aphomoioo always assumes two distinct and separate identities, one of which is a copy of the other. Thus Melchizedek and the Son of God are represented as two separate persons, the first of which resembled the second” (“Melchizedek,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia – Revised, G.W. Bromiley, Ed., Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986, Vol. 3, p. 313).

A distinction between Christ and Melchizedek is vividly seen in Psalm 110.

In this text, Jehovah addresses David’s “Lord” (Jesus) in the second person, while the reference to Melchizedek is in the third person (v. 4). [Note: See Matthew 22:42-44 for Jesus’ application of this psalm to himself.]

Accordingly, one should not make the mistake of identifying the ancient king-priest of Salem as Jesus Christ.

chukwudi44:

So Adenuga,Dangote,Bill gates e.t.c pay tithes abi? How come pentecostal xtians who are more 'faithful' with tithes are not the most succesful people in the world? SMH for some people

Who told you pentecostal christians aren't successful?

After you all will start complaining that 'successful pentecostals' are not helping the needy in the society, that they prefer to use their money to meet their own needs!

How can one satisfy men?! You get money, them go talk, you no get money, them go ask question!

Take note, it's not all about money.

By God's grace and His mercy, I am a living testimony of a successful Tither!

Demain_man: @swtchicgurl, Can you answer the question that debosky asked please?
What are the consequences of not tithing?