MELCHIZEDEK AND THE ALTER TO THE UNKNOWN GOD

MELCHIZEDEK AND THE ALTAR TO THE UNKNOWN GOD

The Areopagus

Background scripture for this article: Acts 17: 22-31

THE AMAZING STORY BEHIND THE ALTAR TO THE UNKNOWN GOD

“Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.” Acts: 17: 22-23

In my previous article about Melchizedek I mentioned the Altar to the Unknown God. Mechizedek was a non-Jewish priest whose office was greater then the Jewish priesthood. Melchizedek was priest of The Most High God, a title to show that God is not just the God of the Jews only but of the whole world. Romans 3:29 “Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:”

Under the Levitical Priesthood people did not have direct access to God and it was only for the Jews. Under the Melchizedek Priesthood we do have direct access to the Most High God and it is for the whole world. The problem today is that we attach ourselves to some teacher or denomination. This is a distraction and an impediment to our direct access. The story of the altar to the Unknown God illustrates this.

MORE ABOUT THE MOST HIGH GOD

The Most High God has revealed himself to the entire world both intuitively and by creation. This is the story of how the Most High God revealed Himself to the Greeks 100 years before Paul stood on the Areopagus at Mars Hill. The story behind the amazing encounter with the Most High God is memorialized in this altar.

What has this got to do with us today? A lot more than you know. Read the article and see the application for us at the end.

THE STORY

King Megacles of Athens had fought an uprising from the followers of Cylon. He promised them amnesty if they would surrender but when they did he had them all killed. Soon after this a horrible plague fell on Athens which they attributed to the King’s treachery.

Athens had hundreds of gods. They had so many that people would say: “there were more gods in Athens than men”. The people began to make sacrifices to their many gods hoping that the god King Megales had offended could be appeased, but the plague just grew worse.

Finally, in desperation, they sent an Athenian named Nicias to Epimenides a foreign “prophet” from Knossos, island of Crete. (Paul actually quotes a poem from this man in Titus) On his arrival Epimenides instructed them to take sheep who had not been feed for a day into a lush pasture and the Unknown God would accept as an atonement the sheep that lay down and did not eat. To the surprise of the Athenians a number of sheep lay down and did not eat even though they were very hungry; they were sacrificed and the plague ended.

In gratitude the Athenians wanted to dedicate an altar to the God Who stopped the plague. When they asked Epimenides what name they should put on the altar he said that they should not risk offending God more by putting on the wrong name so just put “To The Unknown God”. They maintained this altar in the hope that the Unknown God would one day reveal Himself and they could dispense with all the false gods. When Paul arrived their hope was realized.

Paul used the altar to tell them about the true God. He explained that God was not really far off but was actually all around them if they would just seek Him. God was closer to them than their own breath. They had the knowledge of God both inside and all around in the things created. The problem was they had corrupted what they knew about God when they supposed He was like their idols. They had changed God into what they wanted Him to look like. Paul urged them to turn from these useless ideas of God and return to the knowledge of the true God through Christ Whom God had appointed as Judge of all mankind and had raised Him from the dead as proof of this fact.

APPLICATION – WHAT THIS TEACHES US TODAY

When Paul looked over Mars Hill he saw hundreds of idols everywhere. All the different ideas about God brought confusion to the people of Athens. When I look at America today I see the same thing. There are hundreds of denominations each claiming to be the right way to God. There is confusion everywhere. Like the Athenians, all the denominations have corrupted the true knowledge of God and molded Him into what they want Him to be. People pick the denomination that fits the God they want to worship.

Once people are inside the denomination box they are pressured more and more to conform to the denomination or group. They must think the same things, say the same things, and some even insist that you pronounce the words and names the same way they do. What the group thinks becomes more important than God, although no one would admit this.

WHO IS THE REAL GOD?

You already know who the real God is. He is the God you have been aware of all your life. You were more aware of Him as a child before He was corrupted by all the floating religious ideas. Today you may have a head full of religion but God seems far away. Wouldn’t you like to return to this pure knowledge of the Creator God and feel the sweetness of that testimony deep inside you again?

All people know there is a God, even the savage in the remotest part of the deepest jungle knows that there is a God. This is why someone who claims to be an atheist cannot pass a lie detector test. A polygraph will indicate deception if they say they do not believe in God.

The real God is the God who is everywhere but has been obscured by all the different ways denominations and creeds try to force him into the mold of their particular denominational idol. Yes, you know, or did know, who God is and what He wants from you. We need to return to this pure knowledge of God and ask him to clear away all the smoke of the idols of religion.

Paul explained that the way to the one true God is through the resurrected Lord Jesus. Jesus is the way to the one true God and His resurrection is the proof of the true God.

SIMONE GREENLEAF

Simone Greenleaf was a Professor of Law at Harvard and wrote a book about how to examine evidence in a Court of Law. He knew what true evidence was and what was false. He could expose a false witness instantly. Greenleaf was one of the finest Jurists that America has ever produced.

Greenleaf rejected the New Testament and one day decided he would use his expertise to show it was false. He entered this task as an unbeliever but came out as a believer. He was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the evidence. He said that the evidence was so strong for the resurrection of Christ that if we could not believe He rose from the dead we could not believe any thing else in history – you could not believe there was a Caesar, an Alexander the Great, or anything else.

JOIN ME IN THE MOST EXCITING JOURNEY IN THE UNIVERSE

I would like to invite you to join me on a quest. Let’s begin together the most exciting journey in the universe as we seek the knowledge of the one true God and what His purpose is for us in this life.

Read through the New Testament without any notes and see what it says without any outside influence. Pray that God will allow you to find His truth.

Mike Clinton, Hiawassee, Ga. 5/11/2014