Take your Bibles as we begin and turn to the 7th chapter of Hebrews for our study tonight. We'll begin this chapter, and we'll be discussing "Melchizedek: A Type of Christ." Melchizedek, a type of Christ. And to begin with, we'll consider Hebrews 7, verses 1 through 10. And I'm sure your heart will be enriched as we really continue all through chapter 7 and 8, and even into chapter 9, and deal with the priesthood of Christ. Particularly foundational are these first ten verses that we understand carefully the character of Melchizedek.
We read in the Old Testament about lambs being slain, and then we hear the words of John the Baptist, "Behold the Lamb of God" in reference to Jesus Christ. There are many pictures in the Old Testament of Christ. We call these types, and Christ is the antitype or the fulfillment of that type. Now, we've shared this many times in reference to much of our Bible instruction, and that's just brief word of review.
But as we come to Hebrews chapter 7, we meet another Old Testament type. Now, keep in mind that types are always frail illustrations at best. A lamb rates no comparison with the Lamb of God realistically. Nor does a serpent of brass rate a relationship to Jesus Christ realistically. They are merely humble pictures meant to give us insight from an illustrative point of view. And we say at the same time that Melchizedek in no way deserves an equality with Jesus Christ. But he does serve as a very interesting picture of Christ, and we're going to see that tonight. And I feel that this has to be one of the most graphic types of Christ if for no other reason than the fact that it is given so much space in the New Testament. All of this area of Hebrews chapter 7.
Now, chapter 7 is really the main chapter in the epistle to the Hebrews, because it tackles the key question which concerned the Jews, and that was the question of priesthood. This was the basic question. Now, when we talk about a priest today, many people think about a lot of different things. You think of a little man who's got a funny little robe, and he goes around blessing people or passing out certain little elements or going through certain rituals, or maybe you think of a Jewish priest historically who wore all kinds of paraphernalia and had a funny hat on and so forth and so on, or maybe you know some other kind of organization that has priests, and they look a certain way. And we think of priests as kind of offbeat, little outside people with backwards collars, and they really have a rather strange relationship to our society and exist in a kind of a religious world all their own.
But to the Jew, the priesthood was very exalted, and the priesthood was very intrinsic to Judaism. The priests really were the ones who connected men with God. And the Latin word for priest is pontifex, taken apart and it means bridge builder. The priest was the one who built the bridge from man to God. And to the Jew, the priesthood was really very, very important. To them, you see, religion was access to God. And since they couldn't go directly to God, they had to go through a mediator, and the priests were designed to be mediators.
For example, on the Day of Atonement, they couldn't go into the Holy of Holies and put the blood on the mercy seat; the high priest had to do that. In other words, he mediated between God and men. He built the bridge. This was how God designed it, that certain men would be called out, set apart, sons of Aaron and Levi, to minister as priests. And they would build bridges between men and God according to God's specifications.
Later on in Hebrews, in chapter 9, it says, "Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission for sins." Now, the priests couldn't have direct access to God except through a sacrifice, because God had designed that sin would be paid for by a blood sacrifice. And so, the priest made the sacrifice, carried it all out and therefore was the link between men and God. He was the one who actually did all of the technicalities of the sacrifice and offered the blood as an atonement for sin.
God had made a perfect law, only men had broken it. Thus, men's fellowship with God was broken. They needed to be rejoined again, and when a man repented and made an offering and the priest went through the ritual, then the genuineness of the man's repentance was shown in his obedience to the sacrifice.
Let me clear that up so you'll understand it. I believe God. How do I know I believe God? By what I do. That's the book of James. In the Old Testament, when a man repented of his sin, he proved the validity of his repentance by offering a sacrifice. And the priest administered the sacrifice and thus was the bridge between God and man.
But human priests were frail, and human priests were sinful, and before they could ever offer sacrifices for anybody else, they had to offer sacrifices for themselves because of their frailties.
And so, in the book of Hebrews, the writer wants to prove to us that there's a greater high priest than any Jewish one, that there's a greater priest than any Hebrew priest, one who doesn't need to make atonement for His own sins. And the problem with the Jewish priesthood was that it was so inadequate; that what they did today wasn't worth anything tomorrow. They had to do it over and over and over again, constantly, constantly, constantly. There was never any final satisfaction. Every time a man sinned, he had to go all the way over there, do it all over again. Then he'd sin again and go over there and do it all over again. It was a constant going on. The priest never ceased. They were bathed in blood, incessantly offering sacrifices.
So, the Holy Spirit, in the book of Hebrews, shows that what we need is a new and better priesthood, a new and better sacrifice, and points out that both of those are realized in Jesus Christ who Himself is a better sacrifice and a better priest.
Now, we have already seen in our introductory thoughts about Hebrews that the book of Hebrews is a presentation of the preeminence of Christ. That it presents Jesus Christ as the exalted one. And it talks about the fact that he is the mediator of a better covenant, with a better hope. He's the bringer of a better promise and a better sacrifice, better substance, a better country, a better resurrection, a covenant not earthly but heavenly. A heavenly Christ, a heavenly calling, a heavenly gift, a heavenly country, a heavenly Jerusalem, and on and on you find these phrases in Hebrews.
In chapter 8, verse 1, we have a summary. "Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum: we have such an High Priest, who is seated on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a Minister of the sanctuary of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man." In other words, we have a High Priest in the heavenlies, not like any earthly high priest.
Men needed a high priest because they needed somebody to build a bridge to God. But those men were inadequate because of their own sin. And what they did, they had to do over and over and over again. And finally, a great, glorious priest has come along.
So, the Holy Spirit writes all of this about the priesthood of Jesus Christ, because this is the very heart of Judaism. He has talked about the fact that Jesus is superior to prophets, superior to angels, superior to Moses, superior to Joshua in order to show them the importance of turning to Christ and the new covenant. He shows how Jesus is superior to everything in the old covenant. But the heartbeat of Judaism is the priesthood. And if Jesus is really who He claims to be, then He must supersede Aaron. He must be better than Aaron, and He must be better than every other priest.
Now, here the Holy Spirit introduces the priesthood of Christ and says, "We have such a Great High Priest. We have a Great High Priest. You don't need the priests of Judaism anymore. You don't need the old system. There is a Great High Priest. There is a bridge builder whose bridge stays, whose bridge remains. And once you cross that bridge, you'll remain eternally in the fellowship of God. There is such a bridge builder, and it is Jesus Christ.
And so, in chapter 4, verses 14 to 16, He introduced Jesus as a priest. In chapter 5, verses 1 to 10, He showed that Jesus was better than Aaron. He pointed out that Jesus was better than Aaron, and that was an amazing thing.
They must understand that Jesus is a priest of a higher order than Aaron. That Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. That's 5:10. He just introduces that statement, and He says, "Oh" – verse 11 – "I'd like to say some things, but you're spiritually stupid." And then He urges them to leave Judaism to come all the way to Christ. They're right on the verge. In order that in the maturity that comes with salvation, their minds and hearts might be open to understand how Jesus relates to Melchizedek.
And so, He warns them all the way through chapter 6 to come to Christ, and then in verse 20 He gets right back to His point, "Jesus, made an High Priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek." And then immediately, in chapter 7, verse 1, He launches into this comparison.
And so, He introduces Melchizedek, and He says, "Jesus is a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Now, there's all kinds of conjecture about who Melchizedek is. Some insist that he is an angel. And this is a common thought. However, in chapter 5, verse 1, I think that is done away with, because it says, "Every high priest is taken from among men." Therefore, he couldn't be an angel. Others suggest that he is Jesus Christ. And the reason they say that is because there is so much mystery around him. However, it says in verse 3, "He was made like unto the Son of God." It does not say He was the Son of God. A rose is not "like" a rose; a rose "is" a rose, is a rose, is a rose. You know?
There's a difference between being like something and being that thing. And I think, clearly, that in my own heart and mind, Melchizedek is neither angel or Christ, but He is a type of Christ, a man whom God designs to use as a picture of Jesus Christ.
But that's not for us to play with that anyway. The secret things belong to the Lord; so, we don't want to spend a lot of time on that. All we know about Melchizedek comes out of three verses in the Old Testament, and we'll look at those in a minute. But the whole place that Melchizedek occupies in sacred history is one of the most remarkable proofs of inspiration and the unity of the Scripture as written by the divine Spirit. The whole concept of Melchizedek is an amazing insight into the fact that God wrote the Bible.
For example, in the book of Genesis, we have these three little verses about Melchizedek. A thousand years later, we find a Psalm with just a single verse about him. And in that, God Himself swears to His Son that he will be a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. That's Psalm 110:4.
Another thousand years passes by, and another verse becomes the seed of this wonderful exposition about Melchizedek. And you know you can see nothing less than the divine order of the mind of the Spirit, guiding Melchizedek and guiding Abraham with a view through all of these thousands of years to coming up to a perfect picture of Jesus Christ.
Melchizedek and Abraham had no idea what was going to happen 2,000 years at least after them. And that's – so that's easily 2,000 years. The psalmist had no conception, and yet God knew exactly what He was doing with the person of Melchizedek. You know what that tells me? That tells me the same God that wrote the book of Hebrews also wrote the book of Genesis. That's what inspiration is all about.
Now in verses 1 to 10, He tells us about Melchizedek. Now, I realize that's a whole lot of introduction, but I had to give it to you. All right, let's look at two things. The superiorities of Melchizedek presented and the superiorities of Melchizedek proven.
First of all, they're presented in verses 1 to 3, and he Spirit unfolds this fascinating character for us. Look at verse 1, "For this Melchizedek" just coming right off of verse 20, "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" – we'll stop right there.
Now, here we meet this guy, Melchizedek, and we learn a few things: king of Salem, priest of the Most High God. He met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed Abraham. Now, this comes directly from Genesis 14:17. You might look at it for just a moment.
In Genesis 14, verse 17, we read this, "And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer" – now this is Abraham coming back after he slaughtered Chedorlaomer and his three cohort kings. "And the king of Sodom goes out to meet Abraham on his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the Most High God. And he blessed him" – that is Abraham – "and said, "Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the Most High God, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all." Abraham tithed to Melchizedek. That's the beginning and the end of all you'll ever hear about Melchizedek.
It does very much. Now, listen to what happened in the record. In Genesis chapter 14, we get all the detail leading up to this. Chedorlaomer – incidentally, in that time, there were little pockets of land which were ruled by tribal chieftains many times who were really kings. There was the king of Sodom, and there was the king of the Elamites, and there was the king of this little group and that little group. And they all had their own little establishment.
And Abraham was a very important man who ruled over his own people and the tribe that was his. And all of these individuals had their little dominions all in that area of Jordan. Now, Chedorlaomer was an Elamite king, and he got together with three allied kings and raided this area. He came over to Jordan, and he raided Transjordan, and he raided the Negev. And he defeated all these little city states as they were around Jordan, including Sodom. He defeated that area and carried off a large number of captives as well as Lot, Abraham's nephew. You remember that Lot had gone to live in Sodom. Well, Lot got carried away.
Now, news of this reached Abraham at Mamre; Abraham lived up further north near Hebron. And Abraham decided to get some forces together and chase Chedorlaomer and these other kings. So, he did, and he overtook them at Damascus, launched a surprise attack, and they fled leaving all the captives and all the spoil. And you can't really get a better deal than that.
So, Abraham gathered up all the captives and all the spoil and he took off for home. Well, on the way, he ran into the king of Sodom, who was rejoicing over what had happened. And he said to Abraham, in effect, you ought to keep all the spoil for what you've done. And Abraham said no, because Abraham had promised the Lord that he wouldn't do such a thing. And so, he didn't.
Now, immediately before Abraham ran into the king of Sodom, he met this man, Melchizedek, who was the king of another little area called Salem. We'll say more about that in a minute. And this guy was not only the king, but he was the priest of the Most High God. And when he met Abram, he blessed him. And then Abraham took of the spoils and paid it to Melchizedek. And then he fades away, and that's all we ever hear.
Well, that's what we're going to see. Now, I wanted to illustrate this to you, if I might. On the left hand of the screen is Aaron's priesthood. On the right hand is Melchizedek's priesthood.
Now, Aaron's priesthood was national to begin with. In other words, it was strictly Judaistic. The particulars that were under Aaron were priests of Israel. Secondly, the priests were subject to the kings in a measure. They were not kings themselves; they were subjects in a kingdom. Thirdly, Aaron's priesthood offered no permanent righteousness and peace, only that continual, continual, continual sacrificing. Nothing ever permanent. It never established a permanent righteousness for a man nor permanent peace with God. That peace and that righteous was shattered every time they sinned. Constant repetition.
Fourthly, Aaron's priesthood was hereditary. It didn't matter how good of a guy you were, if you were born in the right family, you were automatically a priest no matter what you were. Now, that poses some problems, obviously. Fifthly, it was a timed priesthood. They only existed in it from the year – from the age of about 25 to 50 and it was over. It was limited by time.
So, Aaron's priesthood was a national one, subject to kings, no permanent righteousness and peace, hereditary, and limited by time. Now, this is very important for us to understand because Melchizedek's priesthood supersedes Aaron's at every single point. Therefore, says the Holy Spirit, Christ is a better priest than Aaron.
So, to the Jew that means a lot, because if Christ is a greater priest than Aaron, then they need to turn to Christ. Then the new covenant is better than the old covenant, and that's the whole point. God is trying to reach Israel, trying to get Israel to turn from Judaism to Christ and Christianity. So, it's important they understand that Christianity is superior in its priesthood.
Now, we'll take these one by one. These five areas are given to us right here in verses 1 to 3. And we see the comparison with Melchizedek. The first one is this: Melchizedek's priesthood was universal. It was not national; it was universal. Notice verse 1, "For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God." Now, this is a rich concept, and we could easily pass it by, but let me give it to you. Stay with me. In relation to Israel, God took the name of Jehovah. If I had a little pencil here, I'd diagram it for you. God's name is I Am. Right? YHWH in the Hebrew. But no Jew would say the name of God. And so, since the Jews didn't want to say the name Jehovah, they took the consonants of Jehovah and the vowels out of Adonai, which means Lord, and stuck them together and got Yehowah which is Jehovah. So, Jehovah's not really the name of God; it's only that name which Israel came up with in an effort not to say YHWH and yet express who they wanted to express. So, it's a combination word, Jehovah, and it deals strictly with Israel. And watch this, Aaron's priests were priests of Jehovah. You remember that all the line of Aaron, the Levite line of Aaron, were – and incidentally, within the line of the Levites, you still had to be a son of Aaron. But all of those who came from Aaron were priests only of Jehovah. That is they were related to God only in connection with Israel. They couldn't run over here and minister of there and here and everywhere else. They were tied to Israel's economy.
But watch this. It does not say that Melchizedek was the priest of Jehovah; it says he was the priest of – what? – the Most High God. Now, that is a universal name for God, El Elyon, and it reaches everywhere and everything in heaven and earth. It is the universal name of God that includes Jew and Gentile. Far broader than the Jewish term Jehovah.
So, whereas Aaron's priesthood related just to Israel, Melchizedek's was broader than that and related to all men. Now, when the Holy Spirit says Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek, do you see the significance? The significance is this: Jesus is not just the Messiah of Israel but of the world. So, it is very important to establish Melchizedek's priesthood as universal if you're going to say Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Now, you see the Jew – in the Jewish mind there had to be a historical reason for everything or a historical foundation. And so, God chooses Melchizedek as His perfect foundation to teach this truth. There have been priests who've been broader than Israel before; there's no reason to believe there can't be some more. And there is one, Jesus Christ. So, it transcends Israel.
Now, Abraham understood this concept, because in Genesis 14:22, he said, in response to Melchizedek, "I have lifted up my hand unto Jehovah" – and then he said – comma – "God Most High." So, he understood Jehovah in the covenant relationship; he also understand Jehovah in the sense that He was God of everything.
In Deuteronomy 32:8 and 9, we read this, "When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of men, He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. For Jehovah's portion is His people." You see? The Most High God deals with the nations, but Jehovah's portion is Israel. You see? Jehovah is a covenant name for God dealing with Israel. And Aaron's priesthood dealt in the covenant with Israel. Melchizedek's was broader than that, for Israel had not yet been spawned from the loins of Abraham. And so, his priesthood was broad.
In Daniel, for example, where the first great king of the Gentiles, Nebuchadnezzar is brought through seven years of humbling until he finally acknowledges the facts of God, he says this. He knew that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men. Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "The Most High doeth according to His will in heaven and in earth." And here was a Gentile acknowledging the Most High. That's a term that has reference to Gentiles. That's a broad term for God.
And you'll remember that even the demons, when our Lord cast them out, cried, "What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of the Most High God?" And they again used the universal term for God.
In fact, Jesus says for those of us who come into His relationship, He promised that we shall be called the sons of the Most High. And so, the term "the Most High" is then a universal name for God in the sense of His universal rule and character as it involves all men. And this means that Melchizedek's priesthood is not limited to a nation. He is not just priest of Jehovah; he is priest of the Most High God, El Elyon, Possessor of heaven and earth, above all national and above all dispensational distinction.
Now, you see, this is very important, my friends, because Judaism was a closed system, and they didn't really seek converts. Remember Jonah? The most horrible thing that ever happened to him, after his short right on a long fish, was the fact that Nineveh repented. And after Nineveh repented, he went out and said, "God, I'd rather be dead than have Gentiles horning in on my God." It was a very closed system and had no room for Gentiles. Today there are 14 million Jews in the world, and I heard one rabbi say, "We don't want any more, either. We're not interested in proselyting anybody." They're locked in to their system – not by the design of God, but by their own failure to be the witness God intended them to be.
And so, their own Messiah is not even their own, but a priest after the order of Melchizedek. And this, I think, is illustrated in – what? – 1 John 2:2, "He's the propitiation for our sins: and nor for ours only, but" – what – "for the sins of the whole world." Certainly we understand that. "He's the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world," John 1:29. I'm thinking of John 4:42 – isn't it? – that said similar things – yes – "And we know that this is indeed the Christ" – these are the Samaritans talking – "the Savior of the world." And so, we see that Jesus Christ is not just limited to Israel, but He is the Redeemer of all men whoever call upon Him.
So, all of Israel's priests, then, ministered in a national sense, but Jesus is superior to them because He ministers in a universal sense to all men, and the pattern is Melchizedek. You see how graphically Melchizedek illustrates?
Secondly, Aaron's priesthood was subject to royalty; Melchizedek's was royalty. Notice verse 1, "For this Melchizedek" – what's the next word? – "king of Salem." Four times it says he was king. In verse 2, it says King of righteousness, King of Salem, which is, "King of peace." Four times in two verses, it tells us this man was a king, royal priesthood. Melchizedek's was royal. This is something totally foreign to the Aaronic priests. This is totally foreign to the Levitical priests in Israel. There was never that combination. Israel's priests were never king and priest. That was unknown in Israel. No priest was royal. But oh, my, what a perfect blend it is. What an absolutely perfect blend that the true Priest, the Great Priest, the glorious Priest Jesus Christ should be that blend of priest and king so that He not only takes men to God, but He rules men for God.
Listen to Zechariah 6:13, "Even He shall build the temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne" – there He is as a King – "and He shall be a priest upon His throne." Now, that is an unheard of concept. And yet it is prophesied in Zechariah so clearly. Jesus was to be a priest, but a priest on a throne, a royal priesthood.
In fact, if you look at chapter 7 verse 26, when He gets into talking about Jesus later in the chapter, He says, "For such an High Priest, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" – and here's His royalty – "made higher than the heavens." Supreme royalty, King of Kings, Lord of Lords.
Now, you'll notice that it says he's king of Salem.
Well, likely that's an ancient name for Jerusalem. Jerusalem also had the name Jebus – J-E-B-U-S. The Jebusites occupied Jerusalem initially. But it may have also, at the time of Melchizedek, had the name of Salem. And so, Melchizedek could well have been an ancient king of Jerusalem. And I think that has the best evidence. The city that was the hometown of God. There's a most wonderful statement about that in Psalm 132. I'll take a minute to read you two verses there, Psalm 132:13, "For the Lord hath chosen Zion" – that's Jerusalem – "He hath desired it for His habitation. This is My rest forever; here will I dwell, for I have desired it." You didn't know God had a hometown, did you. His hometown is Jerusalem.
Now watch this – beautiful, beautiful argument by the Spirit. "Look," He says. "There was another priest, and there was another covenant before you existed. Why can't there be one after?" You see? The whole world didn't begin with Judaism. There was something going on before God worked that way; there can be something going on after He's finished or temporarily finished working that one. Oh, this is so important. It leaves room for the new covenant. For if God dealt differently before, why can't He deal differently again? He didn't need to work through the nation Israel before Abraham. Why can't He work another way if He wants to in this economy? That's the point.
If He had a royal priest one time, why can't He have another one? And He does. And who is He? Jesus Christ. Something no Jewish priest ever conceived.
There's a third thing. There was no permanent righteousness, and there was no permanent peace in Aaron's priesthood. Ah, but Melchizedek's priesthood was a priesthood of righteousness and peace. Notice verse 2, "First" – and we'll skip the first phrase, come back to it later, "First being by interpretation King of righteousness" – and that's a translation of Melchizedek; that's what his name means: King of righteousness – "and after that also King of Salem, which is King of peace" – Salem, from Shalom, which means peace. His name is righteousness; his city is peace. He is a perfect combination of righteousness and peace.
Now, don't you know that that's exactly what all priests attempt to accomplish? What is righteousness? Righteousness is holiness. And righteousness is demanded before you can ever be at peace with God. Right? God hates sin. Therefore, if you're a sinner, you and God are not at peace. Right? God fights against His enemies. Did you know that? God fights against His enemies. And if a man is not righteous, then he's not at peace with God. But if a man is righteous in the eyes of God, then he's not at war with God; he's at peace with God. Right?
Now, Romans chapter 3, the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ gave us His righteousness, and therefore, it says in chapter 5, we have peace with God.
When the righteousness of Christ is given to you by faith in Him. Christ's righteousness becomes yours; you're immediately at peace with God. He sees you covered by the blood of Christ. Every priest wanted to make a man righteous that he might be at peace with God, but they couldn't do it. The blood of bulls and goats didn't do it; they had to do it over and over, and it only lasted as long as a man didn't sin. But here He says Melchizedek's very name was righteousness, and his city was peace, emphasizing that his was a kingdom and his was a priesthood of righteousness and peace. Is that typical of Jesus Christ? Does Jesus Christ provide a permanent righteousness? Absolutely.
What happens to a sinner after he comes to Jesus Christ, invites Him into his life and then sins? What happens? Does he have to go back and ask Jesus to come in again? No. His righteousness covers him forever. What happens once you you've made peace with God? All of a sudden do you turn into God's enemy again, and He's going to destroy you? No. No. Jesus Christ secures righteousness and peace on a permanent basis.
The historical Melchizedek was probably a very righteous man and a very peaceful king. But the Holy Spirit is not here dealing with the personal characteristics of Melchizedek; He's only dealing with Melchizedek as a type of Christ. And He says that He was first righteousness and then peace. And may I say they always come in that order; there's no peace with God unless there's righteousness. The Bible says the Lord is our righteousness. Righteousness comes first, then peace.
I love that Psalm 85 which says, "Righteousness and peace have kissed each other in the Messiah." That was the promise. The two things that men wanted was a sense of righteousness before God and being at peace with God, and they kissed each other and became a reality in Messiah.
Christ came to give us His righteousness that we might be at peace with God. And the priests of Israel couldn't cut it; they couldn't do it. Look at verse 27 of chapter 7. Here He's talking about Christ, "Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people: for this He did" – what's the next word? – "once" – that's the difference between the old and the new economy. One time.
Later on in Hebrews, "By one offering He sanctified forever – He perfected forever them that are sanctified." And so, first comes righteousness and then comes peace with God. Read it in Isaiah 32:17; it's right there. Christ came to give us His righteousness that we might be at peace with God. And it's in Him that righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
And so, what do we see in Melchizedek's priesthood is a picture of Christ: a universal priesthood, a royal priesthood, and a righteousness and peace priesthood.
Now, fourthly, Aaron's priesthood was hereditary; Christ's was personal. Oh, this is so important. And what a graphic thing we're going to learn here. Since the beginning of God's dealing with Israel, the establishment of the Aaronic priesthood, heredity and genealogy was the key to the whole thing. God designed that of all of the various tribes, those in the tribe of Levi would be the priests. And more specifically, those who could trace their direct lineage to Aaron.
So, those men were called out to be priests. It had nothing to do with personal qualification. You could be a crumb, and if you were in the right line, you were in. It had nothing to do with personal quality; it had only to do with heredity. And with great care, oh, did they ever preserve their pedigrees. Back in Ezra, I think it's chapter 2 where you have that illustration. Chapter 2, verse 61, "And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Hakkoz, the children of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name. These sought their registration among those who were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.
In other words, if you couldn't verify the genealogy of yourself and your wife, you got shoved out of the priesthood. It had nothing to do with qualifications; it only had to do with heredity. But the priesthood of Melchizedek had nothing to do with heredity, but with personal qualifications, and thus it's superior. Because in the Aaronic priesthood, you got some bummers from time to time, obviously.
Now, when you come to Melchizedek, look at verse 3. It says, "Without father, without mother, without descent" – does that mean the guy came from nowhere? Just God made him up in heaven and plopped him in the middle of the earth? No. It means in the record of Genesis, there is no indication of his genealogy. That is totally foreign to any Judaistic king, totally foreign to any Judaistic priest who all base their rights on their genealogy.
Now, keep in mind, here's a little thought, this is not a comparison between Melchizedek and Christ – watch it – it is a comparison between the revelation about Melchizedek in Genesis 14 and Christ. We know that the guy had a mother and a father; we know that he had a descent, but it was unimportant because he was chosen by God on the basis of personal quality. That's the point.
And so, the revelation which presents him as a type leaves out that because that's unimportant. Melchizedek has no genealogy in Scripture; he is without father, and he's without mother. Scripture is silent on this, and he appears thus as a perfect type of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, in terms of His priesthood, didn't even belong to the tribe of Levi. What tribe did He belong to? Judah. And in terms of the Levitical priesthood, He had no right to be a priest. And so, He was a priest not after the order of Aaron, but who? Melchizedek who was chosen not because of his heredity, but because of his what? His quality.
And so, He is saying – the beginning and the end of all God's dealings isn't with Israel. He dealt differently before, and He'll deal differently again. Now, this is unusual for a priest and a king, not to have any genealogy, but that's how Christ is. And as I said, the text isn't saying that he wasn't born and didn't have any parents; it's saying in the revelation, this information is not given because it's unimportant. He is not connected with any line; he has no recorded beginning; he has no recorded ending in order that he might appear as a perfect illustration of Jesus Christ.
In fact, the word "without descent" is two words in the Greek a genealogētos, which means without a genealogy. He just has no descent. And that's a word, incidentally, that we never find in any other Greek writing I think either biblically or classically. Very unusual word. The Holy Spirit may have even invented it here, because to the Greeks and Jews, everybody had that. How could you say about anybody he was agenealogētos? I mean that just doesn't work. But this priest in the revelation of Scripture had none, and Christ is that kind.
No, what it means is in the revelation in Genesis 14, there's no beginning or ending. He just appears as alive, and as far as we know he's eternal. Right? The Scripture leaves out any other thing in order that he might appear that way.
Now, the Jewish priest would begin at the time of his – at the time when he was 25. And for five years, he would serve the other priests. Then, when he hit 30, he could operate on his own. He would minister till he was 50, according to Numbers 8:25, and then it was over. But no such restriction is placed on Melchizedek. There is no record of his death. And incidentally, in Numbers 20:22 and following, there's a very detailed record of Aaron's death. There is no record of Melchizedek's death. And so, Melchizedek appears as one who doesn't need to follow the patterns of the Aaronic priesthood. He stands apart and is chosen by God purely on the basis of his quality.
And I say to you the same thing is true of Jesus Christ, who was not chosen to be a priest because of genealogy, but because of quality. Look at verse 15 of chapter 7, which again, referring to Christ, brings this point out, "after the similitude" – in the middle of the verse – "of Melchizedek there ariseth another priest who is made not after the law of a carnal commandment. You see? Not after a fleshly design, but because of an endless life. In other words, based not only upon His eternity, but upon His personal quality. Not on any legalism; not on any set of laws. So, Jesus is like Melchizedek because His priesthood is personal.
Now, watch this. Lastly, Aaron's priesthood, as I mentioned was timed. Melchizedek's is eternal. Sorry you can't see that any better than that. Melchizedek's priesthood is eternal.
Now, in view of the fact that there is no record of the death of Melchizedek, he appears as always alive in the text, and therefore a picture of Jesus Christ. And in chapter 7, it tells that Jesus Christ is just such a High Priest. Verse 24, "He hath an unchangeable priesthood." Verse 25, "He ever liveth to make intercession." That's what a high priest does.
God always uses an inferior to serve as a type.
No, because if Melchizedek was really eternal, he wouldn't be the type; he would be the reality. He's the picture. The picture of the landscape is not the landscape; it's a poor substitute. So, the Holy Spirit, then, in desiring to show Christ a priest greater than Aaron, shows a priesthood greater than the Aaronic priesthood, that of Melchizedek, and says that Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek. Not a national priest, but universal; not subject to kings, but a king Himself; not unable to bring about righteousness and peace, but able to do it; not because of heredity, but because of personal quality; not timed or limited by time, but eternal. And thus does Jesus Christ stand as a priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Now, I want you to take note of just one thought, and we'll close this particular point. It says in verse 3 that Melchizedek – watch this – was "made like unto the Son of God." Now watch; it does not say that the Son of God was made like Melchizedek. Who came first? The Son of God. Melchizedek was made like the Son of God. He was not the Son of God; he was made like the Son of God. Jesus Christ was the original; Melchizedek was only the copy. And so, the superiorities are presented.
So, we're going to prove it. Point number one, Abraham gave tithe to Melchizedek.
Well, look at verse 4, "Now consider how great this man was" – think about it; this guy was something – why? – "whom – unto whom even the patriarch" – patriarch from two Greek words, archēs first, patēr father, the first father – "Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils." Now He says, "Consider how great this man is; Abraham, number one guy, our Father Abraham – nobody's better than Abraham – and Abraham gave his tithes to this guy." That's a pretty heavy point, a pretty strong argument to show the superiority of Melchizedek.
Now, back to verse 2, we saw that, didn't we? "To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all." Now, in this argument, the Holy Spirit shows that Melchizedek was greater than Abraham because He wants to show that he was greater than Aaron and Levi. Now, the point being that Abraham was better than Aaron and Levi. Therefore, if Melchizedek was better than Abraham, he was also better than Aaron and Levi. If he's better than Aaron and Levi, he's the mediator of a better covenant, and you ought to turn from Judaism and come to Christ. Do you see the argument?
Now, bear with me for a minute; I know this is heavy, and your computers are rattling, but it's God's Word, and I cannot fail to declare unto you the whole counsel of God. I give it to you and trust the Spirit of God. Now watch this. It says that Abraham gave this guy a tenth of the spoils – akrothiniōn. Interesting word "spoils." It comes from two words: akron, a word which means the highest point, and this which means a heap. The heap on the top. That's what the word means. Abraham gave him the heap on the top.
Abraham gave him the top of the heap. The Greeks, after a victory, had a custom. They'd bring all the spoils that they'd won in the battle, and they'd dump them in a big pile, and the best was taken out of it and given to the gods. And that's exactly what Abraham does. He doesn't just give him a little part of it; he gives him the top of the heap. The fact that Abraham gave to Melchizedek magnifies Melchizedek's greatness, for Abraham was the great father, the first father. Consider how great Melchizedek must have been.
Now, this would be a wonderful place to preach on tithing, except that I don't believe in tithing for the New Testament in terms of being locked into the system of tithing. If you want to be technical about tithing, the Jew gave 33 1/3 percent every year. If you want to tithe, you feel free to do that. I want you to feel free. But when you add together the tithe that the Jew gave, it was 10 percent of this, and 10 percent of that, and every 3rd year 10 percent of another, and therefore added up to 33-1/3 percent of all that he possessed.
But the principles are the same, beloved, and I share those with you. Do you understand the principles of giving to God? Do you understand what it means to give Him the top of the heap? I mean when the month comes, and the check is there, and you start to write your checks, what comes first? What comes top of the heap?
That's very bad. God does not want to be responsive only to your whimsical generosity. For all the centuries of Israel's life, God set the pattern. In grace, we're free from the law, but grace must require more than law. Because our High Priest is so great: not because we feel so generous. Did you get that? If Abraham gave the top of the heap to Melchizedek, what should we give to Jesus Christ? Some of us don't even give the tenth. Some of us don't even give the top of the heap. We give Him whatever's left of the lame and whatever else.
And we're not giving to God because of a desire in our heart to be generous; we're giving to God because of the glory of who He is and to our Messiah because He's great and He deserves all we have.
Verse 5, He goes on with this argument, "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" – the other Jews – "though they came out of the loins of Abraham." This is interesting; the point is – look at a couple of points here. It says, "Verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of priesthood" – not all the sons of Levi received it, only the ones who were lined up with Aaron. But they were allowed by law a commandment to take tithes. It was a commandment type of a deal. But in the case of Abraham, there wasn't even a commandment. I mean he just did it. It was a tribute to the greatness of Melchizedek. You see, if it had been a result of Melchizedek saying, "You'll give me the top of the heap," then we might say, "That guy's not great; he's selfish." He says nothing. Abraham simply acknowledges his greatness and gives him the top of the heap.
So, the Levites exacted from the people by law. This man, just by the personal quality of his life set a demand on Abraham. Not by saying anything, but by being who he was. And Abraham knew that he was a priest of the Most High God and gave him the respect he deserved as God's priest. So, Melchizedek's greatness is shown then because Abraham paid him tithes when he didn't have to, before there was any law about it.
Second principle. Melchizedek blessed Abraham. Now, that's something. A lot of people have been blessed by Abraham, but this is the only one I've ever read about that blessed Abraham. Look at verse 6, "But he whose descent is not counted" – that's Melchizedek – "from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises." This guy, who doesn't even fit into anything chronological or genealogical, he blessed Abraham.
Now look at verse 7, "And without any contradiction" – we can't reverse this – "the less is blessed of the better." Right? In other words, Melchizedek must have been greater than Abraham, because he blessed Abraham. No, this is a fantastic argument. The principle is simply this: God operated in Melchizedek's life on the basis of personal qualification. And he was higher than Abraham in those qualifications. Therefore, he was chosen to bless Abraham.
And don't you see what we're seeing here? If this man was greater than Abraham, then he was greater than anything that came from Abraham. And we'll see that in a moment. And this is a principle. Let me apply it today, and we'll be done in just a minute. Today God works on the basis of a man's personal qualifications. And in the church, He sets up teaching shepherds, Ephesians 4:11, and He sets up evangelists and ruling elders.
God set certain people in the church to rule. We don't want everybody to do that. That's the problem that Paul talked about when he says, "Those people are in trouble because they heap to themselves" – what? – "teachers." Too many teachers. Heaping it up, just teachers, and teachers, and more teachers. And some today have, you know, settled for an ecclesiastical socialism, where anybody and everybody who wants to can stand up and say what they want to say.
There was a young man that I heard about recently who started a church, and he felt that this was the way to go, and that there shouldn't be any preaching. In fact, there are a lot of churches like that today. And he began the church, and I think it lasted about six months and split into all kinds of pieces; everybody going their own direction. Not many teachers. We don't heap to ourselves teachers. We subject ourselves to those whom God has chosen, who according to the apostle Paul, in 1 Timothy 5:16 and 17, are worthy of double honor if they rule well, especially if they labor in the Word and doctrine.
So, God has set certain people, in this economy of grace, on the basis of special, personal qualifications. If you're faithful over a little – what? – He'll make you Lord over much. You see, when you meet the qualifications, God'll lift you to the ministry. And so, Melchizedek was like that. He was qualified to be what he was personally, not from heredity. He was superior, and therefore, he blessed Abraham.
And so He says, "Levi also, who receives tithes, paid them in the loins of Abraham." Now, this is an interesting argument, and you've got to understand the Jewish mind. The Jews viewed heredity in a realistic manner. Levi was in the loins of Abraham since he was to descend from Abraham. When Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, it was as if the entire Levitical priesthood had acknowledged his superiority. And so, that answers the last objection.
Melchizedek, then, is better than Aaron. Now this is a powerful point to the Jewish mind. And in a sense I apologize to you and to me even, because without a Jewish frame of reference, this is difficult for us to understand. But Melchizedek was of a better priesthood. Jesus came after the order of Melchizedek. Don't you see that He couldn't just invent a new priesthood without a historical precedent or they wouldn't have bought it?
And so, God had designed this encounter with Melchizedek so that at this point, when you witness to Israel, you can say, "Go back, and your own father paid tithes to a better priesthood. If God did it then, why can't He have one now?" And that one was only a picture of this one.
So, Christ is a priest of a better priesthood, universal, royal, bringing about righteousness and peace, personal and eternal. And because of that, I close with these words – let the Spirit penetrate your heart with them. You've heard them before, but listen, "Seeing then that we have a Great High Priest, let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Let's pray.
But, Father, as we have feasted on the meat of the Word, we pray that it might penetrate us. May we see just another beautiful, glorious picture of Jesus Christ. May we have gained some fuel to burn within us, to light a fire that might be a witness to Israel.
God, we in this church here, right in this location, live in the midst of a Jewish population all about us. Father, how strategic it is to learn the truths of the book of Hebrews, that we might open it up to teach them the truth about their Messiah. There is a better priest. There is a better sacrifice. There is a better covenant than Judaism, and it's all through Jesus Christ.
Thank You for teaching us, Lord. Thank You for being our Great High Priest, Lord Jesus, the one to whom we have come and found that mercy and that grace that was promised us. Thank You for bringing us together tonight to learn these truths. Continue to teach us. Give us a hunger to know Your Word. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.


Most of the times, people develop a website, optimize and tweak it a bit, perform certain activities, and start feeling contented with steady traffic flow. However, their contentment soon takes the form of anxiety when they don't receive an adequate number of conversions.
If you've been in the same boat, you might realize how it feels getting enough traffic but not being able to convert it into happy customers, isn't it? To tell you the truth, one of the most important factors that result in low conversion rate is the usability of the website.
Usability is the key that helps visitors roam around the website and determine the level of ease and comfort while navigating through every available element or page. For a modern user, factors like slow loading, ancient layouts, and more are major roadblocks that stop them from having an amazing experience. That's probably one of the significant reasons why they ditch the website and never come back.
Since your WordPress website should be capable of leaving a positive impression, it has to be strong enough when it comes to user experience. So, how can you enhance the usability of your site? Here are some of the best ways to help you out.
A majority of users concentrate mainly upon pretty designs rather than the functional ones. To tell you the fact, it's a myth prevalent all across the industry that the audience chooses appearance over the comfort of use. In reality, visitors prefer functionality over striking appearance.
Therefore, while pondering upon many factors, don't end up developing such a website that does nothing but confuse your visitors. Your website should not complicate navigational aspect for your users. While intriguing and unique designs may win you creative appreciation; on the other hand, if you are using predictable interface it may help you gain conversion.
What is the best part that you can notice in this picture? The combination of beautiful typography, full-width design, and bold colors look simple and clean, isn't it? Not just that, it even represents an amazing balance between functionality and formation.
Keeping this in mind, you can strive for a similar appeal and make the website usability a primary aspect to attract more and more visitors.
Broken links are the ones that redirect your visitors to such pages that don't exist. For instance, suppose that you published a valuable article on your blog and added an external link to a relevant blog published on an authoritative website.
After a few months, if the owner of the external website has deleted that specific blog, link mentioned on your website will be futile and dead. So, if somebody clicks on that link to obtain more information, he/she will find nothing. And, it can be a major turn-off for your readers. Hence, it's important to remove such links from the site as they can leave a bad impression on your visitors.
Of course, assessing every available link on the site manually becomes a hectic job. In such a scenario, you can seek help from adequate premium WordPress plugins and can keep a tab over your links from time-to-time.
Often, you'd have come across such websites that make use of mega menus. Of course, these massive menus attract a majority of website owners. However, even if you think of walking on the same path, what you must keep in mind is the correct implementation.
With mega menus, surely, you can organize a variety of pages, sub-pages, as well as featured content into small spaces. But, going overboard with them is also easier, which can have its own repercussions. With a variety of plugins, you may end up adding images, widgets, and a lot more into your mega menu, which can be distracting to your users.
If you're planning to implement mega menus, consider the primary purpose. You must make the content easy to find and the menu should be easy-to-read. Avoid overstuffing as it can impact the legibility altogether.
To enhance the subscribers' base and to engage the audience, popups and contact forms are widely being used across the globe. However, one thing that you must keep in mind is that the excessive use of these two elements can impact the usability of your website altogether.
Not just that, but if you're displaying a large number of forms and popups, you can come on Google's radar, which can result in low SERP. Thus, it would be better for you to be cautious and keep the modernized elements lively.
Moreover, to get the best results, try and concentrate more on using optimized WordPress themes, compatible enough with almost every popup and contact form plugin.
There is a variety of such features that the default search engine of WordPress lacks in, such as weighted relevance, custom fields, and more. Hence, to enhance usability, improving the capabilities of the search function is extremely important.
Fortunately, you can grab a myriad of WordPress plugins to extend the functionality. You can navigate through options available in the WordPress inventory or can also look out for them in external sources. In the end, regardless of the plugin you select, make sure that it's making your search bar user-friendly and intuitive.
One of the primary concerns that make people hesitant when it comes to spending time on your website or purchasing something is the security. To maintain the standard of WordPress website usability, you must look out for security loopholes and take the corrective measures as soon as possible.
Or else, your users will be in constant fear of losing over their digital assets, if your website gets attacked by hackers frequently or have serious downtime. In such a situation, your audience will also have a tough time trusting your brand altogether.
Therefore, make sure that you're cautious enough and taking security issues quite seriously. By doing so, establishing brands credibility becomes easier. And, improving usability seems an achievable task.
Regardless of the niche your business is working in; you must put adequate highlight over your CTA buttons so as to make them instantly visible by your website visitors. Before displaying these buttons, be clear in terms of where you wish to redirect your users, whether it's to a landing page or a specific product page.
The CTA mentioned in the above picture encompasses clear language and a precise message. The typography size is correct, and the tone is convincing as well. The information has been placed in such a way that it makes it easier for users to have an amazing visual experience.
If your CTAs aren't getting enough notice, figure out the basis of the problem. Discover what exactly is making your visitors stay away from your CTA buttons and fix that issue immediately.
Consistency is another principle, rudimental enough, so as to be respected well enough in the usability of a website. Whether you're developing the website for the first time or redesigning it altogether, you must stay consistent in terms of interactions, functions, performance, content, and task operations.
For example, have a look at The New York Times page.
For years, they have stayed consistent. Despite minor changes in their design, the users of the New York Times would still know where to find the information and where to click. So, keep introducing new things to your website design, but not at the cost of consistency.
An important thing to keep in mind is that accessibility and usability are two basic foundations of any website. As long as your site can be accessed by every person, it will be easier to gain conversions and higher revenue.
Thus, apart from these few things mentioned above, enhancing UX design and optimizing the usability is an ongoing process. With each trend getting introduced, you'd have to make sure that your website is appropriate enough to match the basic standards of the industry.
Also, while executing these tasks, make sure you are keeping end-users in mind. Create an objectified strategy and stick to the plan. Dig deeper into the research and keep implementing new ideas and techniques to enhance the usability of your website.
At the end, your efforts are surely going to yield better results. Don't forget to share with us your proven techniques in the comments section.


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Learning can be a difficult process for many, making tutoring an invaluable tool in the pursuit of educational goals. Most students do not require the services of a rocket scientist, but I am thrilled to share that if you are a Kirkland-area resident who might, I am the tutor for you. I am presently a student at the University of Washington, majoring in the study of Astrophysics, where I intend to earn my Bachelor's degree in the near future. This intensive area of study means I am well versed in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematical (STEM) field, and possess an expansive knowledge that comes in handy when working with students to succeed in their desired fields. Working with Varsity Tutors, the majority of my Kirkland students seek out my assistance with Grammar and Mechanics, precisely because my background in education is highly technical. Strong language skills and writing mechanics are not exclusively of value to the Humanities, but are essential instruments of communication, no matter what area of study a student wants to pursue. I am also available to help students who are interested in preparation and study sessions for standardized tests, especially the ACT and SAT. Outside of tutoring, I enjoy playing the guitar, writing poetry, composing music, and video gaming.
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San Francisco paying the price for Democrat rule!
By The Real Side -
Oracle, a major Silicon Valley tech company, will move its annual OpenWorld conference to Las Vegas next year due to San Francisco's expensive hotel rates and the city's "poor street conditions," according to reports.
The loss of OpenWorld, which has been held in San Francisco for about 20 years, is raising new concerns about whether the city's struggles with homelessness, open drug use and street violence may be scaring off tourism and other business, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
"For the industry, for the city, to have a major conference leave us impacts all of us," Kevin Carroll, chief executive of the Hotel Council of San Francisco, which represents hotel owners, told the newspaper.
"It's a huge deal," added Rick Swig, a hotel consultant at RSBA & Associates.
Oracle decided to pull out even though San Francisco recently invested $551 million in a renovation and expansion of the downtown Moscone Center, the convention facility where OpenWorld had been held for years, the Chronicle reported.
The loss of the conference is expected to cost the city an estimated $64 million in annual economic activity, the San Francisco Travel Association (SFTA) said in an email obtained by CNBC.
OpenWorld brought about 60,000 people to the conference each year, the Chronicle reported.
But many attendees had complained about the city's hotel rates and "poor street conditions," the SFTA email said, according to CNBC.
Oracle addressed the move in a statement to Fox News.
"Oracle is excited to offer a modern, state-of-the-art experience for attendees at Oracle OpenWorld and Code One 2020 in Las Vegas," the company's statement said. "The city and its vast amenities are tailor-made for hosting large-scale events, and we look forward to bringing the industry's most comprehensive technology and developer conferences to America's premier hospitality destination. Oracle continues to enjoy a strong relationship with the City of San Francisco and our partners such as the San Francisco Giants and the Golden State Warriors. We look forward to working with our longstanding counterparts in San Francisco on future events."
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Sanctuary Cities for the UNBORN! GREAT!
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Hillary's secret pardon!
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Carson says Homelessness fault of local governments!
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Judicial Watch Finds 2.5 Million 'Extra' Registrants on Voting Rolls!
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Friday (Dopamine Re-Edit) Riton x Nightcrawlers feat. Mufasa & Hypeman Download 'Friday (Dopamine Re-Edit)' on iTunes
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Love Island UK 2016 Cast: Where Are The Couples Of Series 2 Now?
Love Island UK 2016 featured a number of reality star legends such as Kady McDermott and Scott Thomas, as well as Alex Bowen and Olivia Buckland, but where are the cast of series 2 now?
Love Island series 2 was one of the most drama-filled seasons the UK show has ever seen after it first aired in 2016.
Most of you will remember the famous love triangle between Alex Bowen, Olivia Buckland and Zara Holland, as well as the romance between Kady McDermott and Scott Thomas.
But what are the former series 2 contestants up to now? And are any of the couples still together? Here's what we know.
Love Island UK 2016: Where are the cast of series 2 now & which couples are still together?
Kady McDermott and Scott Thomas
Pic: Instagram
Sadly, after a year of dating, Kady and Scott decided to go their separate ways and split in 2017, after making their relationship official on the show.
The couple originally took a break from one another, before attempting to patch things up and then eventually calling it quits for good.
Kady is now dating TOWIE star Myles Barnett and while Scott has been linked to a few names, he hasn't been tied down just yet!
Terry Walsh and Emma-Jane Woodhams
Another Love Island series 2 couple ended their relationship just months after moving in together.
Emma has since had her first child with a childhood sweetheart and Terry has decided to shun the showbiz lifestyle altogether and go back under the radar, even deleting his Instagram page.
Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen
Probably one of the cutest Love Island couples ever is Olivia and Alex.
Throughout their stay in the villa, they were the definition of #CoupleGoals, despite their love triangle in the beginning.
Since then, Alex and Olivia have bought their first dream home together, they've got a dog and even got married!
We absolutely love to see it!
Nathan Massey and Cara De La Hoyde
The Love Island 2016 winners, despite splitting for a brief period, have appeared on The Only Way Is Essex together, bought a home and have welcomed their first child, Freddie-George!
The lovebirds went on to get married in private, in June 2019, and have since announced they are expecting their second baby together!
In a gender reveal, in May this year, the pair shared the happy news that they're expecting a baby girl, and we couldn't be happier for them!
Katie Salmon and Adam Maxted
Whilst they were adorable during the final episode of the season, Katie and Adam were the first couple to leave the villa and split.
They went on to exchange some seriously fiesty tweets, with Adam comparing the brunette beauty to a late-night kebab, writing: "It's like when you're eating a kebab after a night out & the first few bites taste good but then u realise that it really isn't nice at all [sic]." Ouch.
Since then, Katie has focused on her social media presence while Adam has returned to wrestling.
Rachel Fenton and Rykard Jenkins
Despite a slight hurdle in the road in the form of Rykard getting intimate with Olivia in the villa, it appeared Rachel and Rykard were the perfect couple.
However, their romance came to an end in 2017, when they called it quits for good and went their separate ways after 18 months together.
Sophie Gradon and Tom Powell
It absolutely had not been an easy ride for Sophie and Tom but it seems they attempted to make a go of it after leaving the villa. Sophie left the house to be with Tom, after pairing up with Katie shortly after the Welsh star's departure.
Since then, they broke up for a second time, and Tom was shortly linked to fellow Islander Malin Andersson, who had initially been coupled up with Terry Walsh.
Tragically, Sophie passed away at the age of 32 on Thursday, 21 June 2018.
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What happens if I gain control of my opponent's Rekindling Phoenix until end of turn, and it dies?
If I gain control of Rekindling Phoenix and it dies, I know it goes to it's owners graveyard, which is my opponents graveyard, but does the token get created under my control which means my opponent won't get the phoenix back at his next upkeep?
NeillNeill
it is a good idea to wait a little bit before accepting an answer; to see if a better or different answer comes along. In this case, the answer as given has a mistake in it. – GendoIkari Aug 6 '18 at 13:15
My answer no longer contains the error. – Hackworth Aug 6 '18 at 14:38
You get the 0/1 token, but you don't sacrifice it unless you have another Rekindling Phoenix in your own graveyard.
The Phoenix's triggered ability triggers for the current controller of the Phoenix, which is you. Therefore, you put the 0/1 token on the battlefield under your control. The Phoenix, however, goes to its owner's graveyard, which is your opponent.
109.5. The words "you" and "your" on an object refer to the object's controller, its would-be controller (if a player is attempting to play, cast, or activate it), or its owner (if it has no controller). For a static ability, this is the current controller of the object it's on. For an activated ability, this is the player who activated the ability. For a triggered ability, this is the controller of the object when the ability triggered, unless it's a delayed triggered ability. To determine the controller of a delayed triggered ability, see rules 603.7d–f.
404.1. A player's graveyard is their discard pile. Any object that's countered, discarded, destroyed, or sacrificed is put on top of its owner's graveyard, as is any instant or sorcery spell that's finished resolving. Each player's graveyard starts out empty.
While the Phoenix lands in your opponent's graveyard, the ability triggers for you, because you were its last controller before it left the battlefield:
603.10a Some zone-change triggers look back in time. These are leaves-the-battlefield abilities, abilities that trigger when a card leaves a graveyard, and abilities that trigger when an object that all players can see is put into a hand or library.
You own and control the 0/1 token, because (in this case, not generally) you controlled the effect that created it:
110.5a The player who creates a token is its owner. The token enters the battlefield under that player's control.
Since the triggered ability of the token requires a Rekindling Phoenix card as a target in your graveyard, if you don't have one in your graveyard, the ability immediately leaves the stack without resolving. It will keep triggering that way on each of your upkeeps. It will not find the Phoenix that has landed in your opponent's graveyard, and the effect will not return the Phoenix.
Note that if you had a Rekindling Phoenix in your own graveyard, for example because you had to discard it, or the opponent destroyed your 0/1 token before you could sacrifice it, the token generated by the opponent's Phoenix would allow you to return your own Phoenix. That's because the token's ability is not directly connected to the Phoenix that created it, and allows you to find any Rekindling Phoenix in your graveyard, no matter how it got there.
The same goes for your opponent. If he took control of your 0/1 token and then later sacrificed it to its ability, he would get his Phoenix back to the battlefield, whether or not the token was generated by a Rekindling Phoenix he owns.
HackworthHackworth
If you do not have a Rekindling Phoenix in your graveyard you do not sacrifice the token, because the sacrificing ability needs a target. See the ruling: "If you don't have a card named Rekindling Phoenix in your graveyard, the Elemental token's ability is immediately removed from the stack after it triggers and you won't sacrifice the token. If that target becomes illegal after the ability has triggered but before it resolves, you also won't sacrifice the Elemental token. In either case, it will trigger again during your next upkeep." – Michał Politowski Aug 6 '18 at 11:39
In addition to Michał's comment, I think this answer is missing rule 603.10/603.10a, which explains how we know that you are considered the controller; even though the Phoenix is currently in your opponent's graveyard. – GendoIkari Aug 6 '18 at 13:19
@GendoIkari I think 603.10 is only required to explain why the Phoenix' ability works at all. 109.5 has already determined that OP controls the Phoenix, and for its ability it doesn't matter to whose graveyard it goes, only who controlled the Phoenix at the time. – Hackworth Aug 6 '18 at 14:05
@Hackworth 109.5 says that the controller of the triggered ability is the controller of the creature when it triggered, but because it didn't trigger until is was in the owner's graveyard, I don't think it's obvious that you would be considered the controller of the creature at that point. – GendoIkari Aug 6 '18 at 14:17
In other words, "who controlled the Phoenix at the time" is no one; the Phoenix is in a graveyard and thus not controlled by anyone. We need 601.10 to know that we actually care about who the controller was before "the time". – GendoIkari Aug 6 '18 at 14:18
What happens if the target of equipping dies?
What happens when a creature with Persist AND Undying dies? ('return to battlefield' issues…)
MTG—Multiple Card Stack Confusion
Leyline of the Void and exiling stolen permanents
What happens when a creature with "Whenever a creature dies" dies simultaneously with multiple other creatures?
Does Phytotitan return to the battlefield when it first died and then was exiled?
Gaining control of a creature while an Aura targeting it is on the stack
What does "until end of turn" mean?
When gaining control of an opponent's target creature, who do effects of that card that apply to?
What happens if I target Zada, Hedron Grinder with a spell and then donate it to an opponent?


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Woman Killed at Ex-Senator's New Jersey Estate, Suspect in Custody
Published December 11, 2020 • Updated on December 11, 2020 at 10:21 am
A suspect remains in custody in Pennsylvania after a woman was stabbed to death in a home on a New Jersey estate that belongs to former U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli.
According to court documents, Brandon Petersen, 31, and Michele Carkhuff, 38, on Sunday were preparing stew in one of the homes on the property when Petersen grabbed a knife and stabbed Carkhuff in the neck.
Friends drove Carkhuff to a hospital, where she died.
vaccine rollout 3 hours ago
Donald Trump 2 hours ago
Petersen stole a truck registered to Torricelli's lobbying firm, according to authorities. He was arrested on Monday in Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania, where he faces extradition.
It is not known whether Torricelli was home at the time of the incident.
Torricelli did not respond to a request to his office for comment from the Bridgewater Courier News.
The Democrat served in the Senate from 1997 to 2003. He withdrew from his 2002 reelection following an ethics complaint.
New Jerseyrobert torricelli


Please join ALBC as we celebrate a Passover meal (Seder) together on Friday April 19th at 7 pm at Providence. As we partake in the meal, we will be talking about how the Israelite's freedom from Egypt foreshadowed Jesus' saving grace on the cross, looking at both the Old and New Testament. This is a free event and you are welcome to bring guests.


"Was it really like that? I can't believe such large financial transactions are conducted like that," people keep asking me. They are referring to the daily savagery I write about in Chicago Pits (2018)?
The inefficiencies, corruption, and favoritism easily trump what Michael Lewis so ably depicted in Flash Boys.
Bill Walker is the author of the popular Skywalker hiking series (Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail, Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail).


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San Diego takes steps to boost accuracy of water bills after public outcry
City also aims to improve customer satisfaction, get 'smart' meter program back on track
By David Garrick
San Diego took several steps this week to boost the accuracy of water bills, improve customer satisfaction and speed up the installation of digital "smart" meters.
The changes come after public outcry in 2017 and 2018 over exorbitant water bills received by many customers which city officials blamed on faulty meters, employee errors and mismanagement in the Public Utilities Department.
The City Council adopted new policies Tuesday that require the city to notify customers when their water bill is not based on an actual meter reading but instead is based on an estimate of usage from past bills.
The new policies require the city to use actual meter readings whenever feasible and to use estimates as rarely as possible.
City officials also announced they will hire a private company to take over the troubled smart meter program, where delayed installations have left 94 percent of the city's 260,000 water customers without the modern devices, despite seven years of effort.
Slow deployment of the meters and antennas needed to relay their information has been blamed on mismanagement, staffing issues and an overly ambitious approach to the program.
City officials said they hope the changes will boost accuracy, customer satisfaction and water conservation by giving customers more accurate information about their usage and greater confidence that their efforts to conserve water will be appropriately rewarded.
Councilman Scott Sherman said that while the incompetence by city officials is regrettable, he's pleased to see the city taking decisive steps to make things better.
"You guys are saying 'we know it's broken, we know it needs to be fixed and here's the steps we're taking,'" Sherman said.
Councilwoman Dr. Jennifer Campbell offered similar sentiments about the changes.
"It was definitely necessary," she said.
The new billing policies were prompted by suggestions last year from Councilman Chris Cate, who contends customers have a right to know when their bill is based on an estimate instead of an actual meter reading.
"I think this is a step in the right direction," Cate said.
When an estimate has been used, the customer's next bill — including bills sent electronically — will indicate that the amount they owe is not based on an actual meter reading.
The new billing policies also require the city to hire a customer service consultant to provide training and resources for management and customer service representatives.
In conjunction with that, city officials said they plan to adopt a series of "key performance indicators" to gauge how much customer satisfaction has improved.
Those indicators will likely include how often a dispute is resolved after a customer's first effort to contact the department, the percentage of calls answered within a certain number of minutes, and overall satisfaction ratings from customers.
On smart meters, city officials said a series of substantial management mistakes has delayed implementation of the program.
Those include not coordinating the installation of meters with the installation of antennas on light poles throughout the city. The antennas are needed to relay meter readings back to the city.
More than 41 percent of customers, or about 116,000, have had a smart meter installed. But only about 6 percent of those meters are sending information back to the city because so few antennas have been installed.
In addition, Public Utilities managers overestimated how many employees would be available to make the installations and exaggerated how many smart meters each of those employees could install per day.
Managers initially estimated they would have 24 workers handling installations, and that each would install 15 meters per day. In practice the city had only about 15 workers, and they each installed an average of 10 meters per day.
City officials blamed that partly on workers routinely getting re-assigned to higher priority projects, high rates of staff turnover, and a large number of vacancies.
"We need to look at the assumptions more realistically going forward," Sherman said.
One factor in the vacancies and turnover was relatively low pay, they said. A 2015 salary study found that city workers in those positions were paid 30 percent less than the median salary for their counterparts in 15 comparable cities.
To solve the problem, city officials say they plan to issue a request for proposals in January for a private firm to take over the program and complete the installations within three years.
The goal is to hire a company with experience with such installations, they said.
Public Utilities managers said labor unions have indicated they won't object to the new approach, which could be characterized as an outsourcing of city jobs.
The first phase of the smart meter program, which took place from 2012 to 2015, went smoothly and included installation of the meters for all 11,000 of the city's commercial water customers and deployment of the antennas necessary to make them work.
City officials said the problems didn't arise until the second phase, which was scheduled to already be complete by now.
Installations for the program are projected to cost $68 million. City officials said only $14 million had been spent through last May.
A city audit last year found that during 2017 more than 2,750 water bills sent to San Diego residents were incorrect and had to be readjusted.
While the errors represent about one-fourth of 1 percent of the 1.3 million meter readings that year, they often amounted to hundreds of dollars.
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Bry, Gloria, Williamson, Riel also debate police misconduct at southeastern San Diego event
SDSU student will study how bullfrogs find the animals they're notorious for wiping out
Nathan Smith thinks the invasive animals use the mating calls of smaller frogs
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Mayor says he's helped write San Diego's 'comeback story' from scandals, mismanagement
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Since police launched the 'Barrio Logan Commercial Operation' in October, officers have issued more than 190 citations, officials said
35th annual YMCA breakfast celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy
Celebration draws 1,700 to honor MLK and 2020 Human Dignity awardee Dee Sanford
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The center is trying to secure its future, but negotiations with city have been ongoing for years without success
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Public events include traditional food, firecrackers and lion dancers
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Court ruling jeopardizes county approval of two North County housing projects
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From our community papers
Solana Beach board honors outgoing trustee Rich Leib
Fellow Solana Beach School District board members donned cowboy hats at the Jan. 16 board meeting as Rich Leib rode off into the sunset following his resignation.
Carmel Valley teacher wins Carlsbad Marathon in her first try
Carmel Valley's Sarah Raskin won the Tri-City Medical Center Carlsbad Marathon on Jan. 19 in her debut at the distance.
Solana Beach Schools reviewing five maps in districting process
Ramona Cares: Lora Morel, Gracious Giving
Lora Morel, 52, has been a Ramona resident since 2016.
Longtime community planning board chair resigns amid traffic signal controversy
Following the sudden resignation of its longtime chair, the Torrey Pines Community Planning Board will hold a reorganization meeting to appoint a new chair and secretary Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. in the Del Mar Hills Academy Performing Arts Center.
Del Mar residents file suit over land use
Del Mar residents Ken and Linda Olson filed a lawsuit against the city to overturn a directive by the planning director ordering the removal of trees on their property in the 400 block of Torrey Point Road.
Del Mar sues Bakersfield company over pipe rupture
The city of Del Mar filed a lawsuit against a Bakersfield-based company over an alleged pipe rupture three years ago that leaked 125,000 gallons of wastewater.
Community events: Jan. 23-Feb. 13, 2020
How to submit your event Send the details (who, what, where, when, cost and contact information) in an email to comcal@pomeradonews.com.


Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve which is part of the eye that carries the images we see from the eye to the brain. The optic nerve is made up of many nerve fibers (like an electric cable containing numerous wires). Glaucoma damages nerve fibers, which can cause blind spots in our vision and vision loss to develop.
Glaucoma has to do with the pressure inside the eye, or intraocular pressure (IOP). When the clear liquid called the aqueous humor - which normally flows in and out of the eye - cannot drain properly, pressure builds up in the eye. The resulting increase in IOP can damage the optic nerve.
In angle-closure glaucoma, the iris (the colored part of the eye) may drop and completely close off the drainage angle, abruptly blocking the flow of aqueous fluid and leading to increased IOP or optic nerve damage. In acute angle-closure glaucoma there is a sudden increase in IOP due to the buildup of aqueous fluid. This condition is considered an emergency because optic nerve damage and vision loss can occur within hours of the problem. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, seeing haloes around light, and eye pain.
Even people with "normal" IOP can experience vision loss from glaucoma, This condition is called normal tension glaucoma. In this type of glaucoma, the optic nerve is damaged even though the IOP is considered normal. Normal tension glaucoma is not well understood, but we do know that lowering IOP has been shown to slow progression of this form of glaucoma.
Your ophthalmologist may tell you that you are at risk for glaucoma if you have one or more risk factors, including elevated IOP, a family history of glaucoma, a particular ethnic background, advanced age, or certain optic nerve conditions. Regular examinations with your ophthalmologist are important if you are at risk for this condition.
How Glaucoma is treated: Glaucoma treatment is aimed at controlling the eye's fluid pressure, as a means of slowing the progression of the disease. Such treatment does not cure the disease. Most doctors use medications for newly diagnosed glaucoma; however, for some patients, laser surgery is a safe and effective alternative.
Most glaucoma patients (or patients that are suspected of having glaucoma) need to be followed closely to monitor any changes in their vision. Your ophthalmologist will recommend that you have your eyes dilated at least once a year and have your pressures checked 2 - 4 times a year. Visual field testing will assist the doctor in determining if there is any progression in the disease. Glaucoma typically progresses slowly, if left unchecked, and the patient isn't aware of the decreased vision until there is significant vision loss. Another method of testing is the Ocular Coherence Tomograhy (OCT) which captures images of the optic nerve.
Medications: Several medications, in the form of eye drops or pills, are available either to enhance fluid drainage or decrease the production of the aqueous humor in the eye.
Laser surgery: Glaucoma treatment using an argon laser has proved beneficial in some patients. In this form of treatment, a high-energy beam of light is directed onto the trabecular meshwork - part of the eye's drainage system - to allow for better fluid drainage.
Surgery: Several surgical procedures may be performed to improve drainage flow. Although these procedures have a fairly high success rate, they are generally reserved until medical therapy is no longer effective. A referral to a glaucoma specialist would be beneficial at this point in order to decide the best option for you.


text:
name 'apache2'
maintainer 'Sander van Zoest'
maintainer_email 'sander+cookbooks@vanzoest.com'
issues_url 'https://github.com/svanzoest-cookbooks/apache2/issues' if respond_to?(:issues_url)
source_url 'https://github.com/svanzoest-cookbooks/apache2/' if respond_to?(:source_url)
license 'Apache 2.0'
description 'Installs and configures all aspects of apache2 using Debian style symlinks with helper definitions'
long_description IO.read(File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'README.md'))
version '3.1.0'

supports 'debian'
supports 'ubuntu'
supports 'redhat'
supports 'centos'
supports 'fedora'
supports 'amazon'
supports 'scientific'
supports 'freebsd'
supports 'suse'
supports 'opensuse'
supports 'arch'

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub