In this action of Melchizedek, in administering the bread and wine, by virtue of his priestly office, is there not a representation of the body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as also indicated by the Messiah Himself when He partook of the passover with His disciples? For Melchizedek was a great High Priest, of the same order and like Priesthood as was held by the Son of God. So great, indeed, that "before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the order of the Son of God; but out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that Priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood."—Doc. and Cov., Sec. 107, Par. 3, 4, p. 383.
Paul, also, in reasoning on this subject in his epistle to the
Hebrews, chapter vii, writes:
"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 by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 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. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: but he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better."
To make the matter still plainer we transcribe the third verse from the inspired translation:
"For this Melchizedek was ordained a priest after the order of the Son of God, which order was without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of, days nor end of life. And all those who are ordained unto this priesthood are made like unto the Son of God, abiding a priest continually."
In Genesis, inspired translation, chapter xiv, it is also stated regarding Melchizedek:
"Thus, having been approved of God, he was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch, it being after the order of the Son of God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father, nor mother; neither by beginning of days, nor end of years; but of God. And it was delivered unto men by the calling of his own voice, according to his own will, unto as many as believed on his name. For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself, that every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course, to put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God, which was from before the foundation of the world. And men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were translated and taken up into heaven. And now, Melchizedek was a priest of this order; therefore he obtained peace in Salem, and was called the Prince of peace, and his people wrought righteousness, and obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken; separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter-days, or the end of the world, and hath said, and sworn with an oath, that the heavens and the earth should come together; and the sons of God should be tried so as by fire. And this Melchizedek, having thus established righteousness, was called the king of heaven by his people, or, in other words, the King of peace."
From the above it would seem that this people possessed the power of Translation, and that they "obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken," or which was before translated.
The principle of power also over the varied creations of God, above spoken of, pertaining to the Holy Priesthood after the order of the Son of God, has, by faith, been manifested to the world in the lives and actions of numbers of the servants of the Most High. The power of Enoch, wherein he caused the earth to tremble, whilst mountains fled at his command, and rivers were turned out of their course, has already been referred to. By this power, exercised in mighty faith, Melchizedek stopped the mouths of lions and quenched the violence of fire;[A] by it the waters of the Red Sea were divided by Moses, and the children of Israel passed through dry shod;[B] by it Elijah[C] and Elisha[D] smote the waters of the Jordan and crossed on dry land; by it Daniel escaped the ferocity of the lions,[E] and the three Hebrew children were delivered from the fiery furnace.[F]
[Footnote A: Inspired Trans. Gen., xiv, 26.]