Did the high priest wear a rope into the Holy of Holies so he could be pulled out?

Question from Keri's Bible class:

Is it true that the high priests had to wear a rope around their waist when they entered the Holy of Holies in case they fainted or died while they were in there...so someone outside the curtain could pull them out?

Answer from Pastor Bob:

This is a late Jewish tradition, but I cannot find a specific reference to it in the Bible. Exodus 28:35 says he is to wear a bell that will be heard when he enters the Holy of Holies, "so that he does not die." God knows everything, and so the noise of the bell wasn't because God couldn't hear them coming it, but it was a way of showing reverence to greet God, so the priest would not enter the Holy of Holies flippantly. However, there is nothing in the Bible that says the priest wore a rope or cord to be pulled out. This is in some Jewish traditions, but not in the Bible.

Who was Melchizedek?

Question from Becca:

Hey Brother Bob. A friend and I were talking today about [Melchizedek] in Hebrews 7. I looked up a little about him and read the comments in my Bible but we're still a little confused. Is he supposed to symbolize Christ -- like a representation of what is to come? And why is he mentioned here? Just wondering if you could clear that up. Thanks so much!

Answer from Pastor Bob:

Yes, Melchizedek was a "type," or foreshadowing, of Christ.

It refers back to an event in the life of Abraham, recorded Genesis 14:18-19, when Abraham and his band of men rescued his nephew Lot when he was a prisoner of a small-scale war. Not only did Abraham rescue Lot, but he also rescued everything taken in the raid. So Melchizedek, king of Salem was a priest of the Most High God, who came out and blessed Abraham for it.

Who was this priest, Melchizedek? The writer of Hebrews in the New Testament dedicates an entire chapter to answering this question: Hebrews 7. He explains that Melchizedek blessed Abraham long before the time of Moses and Aaron and the Levite priests, thus Melchizedek is a greater priest. Then he points out that Jesus is a greater priest than the Levites, for Jesus is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 7:26-27 says, “Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners… He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”

Jesus is that perfect priest, the sacrifice for our sins. He is not like the Jewish Levitical priests who had to offer sacrifices for sin again and again. Jesus was like Melchizedek, a priest forever, because Jesus offered his sacrifice one time for all time on the cross.