[World Challenge Pulpit Series] The Zadok Remnant ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Plain Text File + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright ------------------------------------------------------------------------ By David Wilkerson undated __________ "Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, Thus says the Lord... Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel...? "Behold, the days are coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your fathers house so that there will not be an old man in your house. And you will see the distress of My dwelling, in spite of all that I do good for Israel; and an old man will not be in your house forever. Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar that your eyes may fail from weeping and your soul grieve, and all the increase of your house will die in the prime of life... But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always" (1 Samuel 2:27, 29, 31-33, 35). We find here a curse upon one priesthood - and the prophetic raising up of "an enduring" holy-remnant priesthood. Eli represents a cursed priesthood, a priesthood of at, self-centered servants of God. They are called priests, but lightly esteem the work of God. They do not like the ministry of correction. Their spiritual children become wicked because of their lazy life-styles and their refusal to cry out against sin. They "make themselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My (Gods) people" (verse 29). Eli saw iniquity in his sons who brought a curse on themselves, "and he did not rebuke them" (1 Samuel 3:13). For this God said, " I am about to judge his house forever." And his house was judged! The glory of the Lord departed from Shiloh, the ark was captured and he and his sons died. What was this everlasting judgment on the Eli priesthood? * First, it was to be a weak priesthood. "I will break your strength and the strength of your fathers house" (verse 31). * Secondly, it would continually fall short of Gods fullness. Even in times of spiritual outpourings, this priesthood was doomed to come short of Gods glory. "And you will see the distress of My dwelling, in spite of all that I do good for Israel" (verse 32). * Thirdly, all in this kind of priesthood will fall in the prime of life - in the prime of spiritual life and blessing - because of a flawed walk with God. "And all the increase of your house will die in the prime of life" (verse 33). * And fourthly, this weak, flawed, self-centered priesthood would continue on. It is still with us today! "Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar" (verse 33). ----------------------------------------------- A Holy Remnant Priesthood Prophesied ----------------------------------------------- The unknown prophet who came to Eli prophesied of a new kind of priesthood God would raise up. "But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always" (1 Samuel 2:35). This is amazing prophecy! Here is the first prophecy of a holy-remnant priesthood, enduring to the end, enduring until Christ returns. It is a remnant, which God says, "I will build!" During the reign of David, there was a dual priesthood. Zadok and Abiathar fulfill this prophecy to the letter. "Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there?" (11 Samuel 15:35). Zadok in Hebrew is 'tsadog', meaning "one proved righteous." Abiathar is 'ebyathar', meaning "at peace with the Lord who is God!" These two priests represent the two priesthoods mentioned by the unknown prophet - one of the spirit of Eli, the other, a ministry unto the Lord. ----------------------------------------------- Let Us Look First at Zadok ----------------------------------------------- He was one of those who came to David in Ziklag. "Now these are the ones who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still restricted because of Saul the son of Kish... For day by day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army like the army of God... also Zadok a young man mighty of valor, and of his fathers house twenty two captains" (1 Chronicles 12:1,22,28). Zadok and his entire house rejected Saul and gave their hearts and allegiance to David. Not once did he ever look back. He proved to be righteous because he proved to be faithful! He was there when David needed him! And when so many others were being carried away with the rebellion of Absalom, Zadok remained faithful through it all. "The king also passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over toward the way of the wilderness. Now behold, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him carrying the ark of the covenant of God... And the king said to Zadok, Return the ark of God to the city... The king said also to Zadok the priest, Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace and your two sons with you, your son Abimaaz and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. See, I am going to wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me" (2 Samuel 15:23-25,27-28). Read it again: "Are you not a seer?" This meant, "Zadok, you have the gift of discernment! You know what is evil and what is holy. You are strong enough, faithful and committed enough to Me to go into that realm of rebellion and idolatry and save the kingdom!" The king said to Zadok, "Return to the city." God now had a holy priest to guard the house of God from ruin! A whole nation was in rebellion, but in Gods house there was a holy remnant. At the very seat of evil and disobedience, where Absalom committed lewd acts with concubines on the palace housetop before the nation, there was faithful remnant priesthood untouched! Zadok stayed true, holy, committed, blameless, and faithful! He knew Gods Word, he trusted his life and future to it - David was the only king! (Note, David is a type of Christ.) All the while, God was building Zadok an enduring house, a priesthood that fulfilled the prophecy of the man of God who prophesied to Eli. This is that "faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul." The holy remnant, the faithful priesthood of today, these servants of the Lord whose hearts are blameless and faithful - these are the offspring of Zadok! The spiritual sons of Zadok! Ezekiel had a vision of a spiritual temple. In it he saw remnant priesthood offering sacrifices to the Lord. "And you shall give to the Levitical priests who are from the offspring of Zadok, who draw near to Me to minister to Me, declares the Lord God, a young bull for a sin offering" (Ezekiel 43:19). These are "near to the Lord" who minister to Him. Ministry to the Lord is the mark of the Zadok remnant. ----------------------------------------------- Now Let Us Look at Abiathar ----------------------------------------------- He was pious, dedicated, at peace with God, and his very name suggests great reverence for His lordship. He is also with David and Zadok on the other side of Kidron. "And Abiathar came up... Therefore Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and remained there... And are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So it shall be that whatever you hear from the kings house, you shall report to Zadok and Abiathar the priests" (2 Samuel 15:24,29,35). Abiathar wanted nothing to do with Absaloms rebellion. He and his son appeared to be just as faithful as Zadok. He appeared outwardly holy, blameless, and faithful. So why did the prophets ignore him, speaking of Zadok as the example of the holy-remnant priesthood? Abiathar had in him the seed of Eli! The lazy, indulgent, weak spirit of Eli laid dormant in his soul. It happened just as the man of God prophesied to Eli - that at the very peak of his usefulness, at the peak of Gods blessing, he would fall. His inner weakness would be exposed: he would go so far and then stop short of Gods glory. Abiathars heart was not right with God. "Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king... .And he had conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; and following Adonijah they helped him. But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men, who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah. And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel" (1 Kings 1:5, 7-9). Here we observe that Zadok stayed faithful and Abiathar fell into a trap! All that the unknown prophet said to Eli was being fulfilled in his descendant Abiathar. Abiathars sin was self-exaltation! Listen to these tragic words: Abiathar the priest... following Adonijah... helped him." He followed the rebellious, compromising multitude all the way to the stone of Zoheleth, which in Hebrew means "the stone of the serpent"! Not Zadok, not Nathan, not Rei, and not any of Davids faithful men. This was a boastful bunch. They mocked the "old and worn out" ways of David. They were crying for a new kind of kingdom, a new kind of priesthood! There was rebellion, the spirit of adultery, a demonic realm of pride and self-esteem. A new wave of self-exaltation was sweeping through the land deceiving the masses, and Abiathar was one with them. Abiathar became caught up in this demonic realm. How sad! A pious, once faithful man whom, at the peak of his ministry, made a wrong move! He compromised! He turned against the true way and unwittingly thought he was doing Gods will. Now we see him so spiritually blind - with no discernment! He is doing the ministry of a priest at the stone of the serpent! Look at the difference between these two priesthoods. Abiathar was coming under the curse of the house of Eli because of the pride, sin, and rebellion that had suddenly sprung up in him like a wildfire. The self-exalting preaching of Adonijah appealed to something in him - and he cast aside his suffering past to be successful and accepted with the new wave gospel. Compare this with the Zadok priesthood - the holy remnant! "Then King David said, Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came into the Kings presence. And the king said to them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and have my son. Solomon ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel, and blow the trumpet and say, Long live king Solomon! Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne and be king in my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah... "So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethities went down and had Solomon ride on King Davids mule, and brought him to Gihon. Zadok the priest then took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, Long live King Solomon!" (1 Kings 1:32-35, 38-39). King Solomon knew all about the curse upon the house of Eli. And he recognized Abiathar as being of that kind of priesthood. "So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh" (1 Kings 2:27). What an amazing fulfillment of prophecy! A man, who once shared the suffering of his lord - now dismissed, rejected, put on a shelf. He was told to go his own way, for he was of no more use to Gods kingdom! ----------------------------------------------- Both Ministries Were Operating In Ezekiel's Day - And He Prophesied That the Priesthood Of Zadok and Levi Would Become More Pronounced in the Latter Days. ----------------------------------------------- Ezekiel saw the ministry of Zadok as a ministry unto the Lord, not unto man. He saw the Zadok remnant as a priesthood called out of a priesthood! "These are the sons of Zadok, who from the sons of Levi come near to the Lord to minister to Him" (Ezekiel 40:46). The Zadok ministry is separated from the world and has one mission in life; to be at the Lords table to minister to Him! This priesthood is clothed in the pure, unmixed garments of holiness! They walk in absolute obedience to the Lord. They teach Gods people the difference between right and wrong. They are not afraid to denounce sin. "Moreover, they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean" (Ezekiel 44:23). Their only true possession in life is the Lord Himself. "And you shall give them no possession in Israel - I am their possession" (Ezekiel 44:28). ----------------------------------------------- Ezekiel Warns: The Curse of the House of Eli Has Fallen Upon A Corrupt Harlot Church and it's Idolatrous Shepherds! ----------------------------------------------- "And you shall say to the rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God, Enough of all your abominations, O house of Israel, when you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to profane it, even My house, when you offered My food, the fat and the blood; for they made My covenant void - this in addition to all your abominations" (Ezekiel 44:6-7). Here is a house of God full of abominations - so bad that God cant take any more of it! "Enough!" He declares. They had polluted His sanctuary with ungodly worshipers. They had a form of godliness with no power of holiness. God says, "No more!" These half-converted, worldly, corrupt, so-called believers have no place in My house!" Jimmy Swaggart once asked me, "Why does God allow these corrupt ministries to go on? They seem to go on, flourishing, seducing the masses." At first I thought God would wipe them out - bring them down. Now I see it differently. Now I know what Ezekiel prophesied and it makes me weep. God is cursing a corrupt people with corrupt shepherds. He is appointing them shepherds after their own hearts. Idolatrous shepherds are being appointed to shepherd idol-loving sheep! Read what the Word says: "But the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, shall bear the punishment for their iniquity.... And they shall not come near to Me to serve as a priest to Me, nor come near to any of My holy things, to the things that are most holy... Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the house, of all its service, and of all that shall be done in it" (Ezekiel 44:10,13-14). These backslidden, sin-loving shepherds have gone astray from the Lord in their hearts. They cling to secret idols; they look and sound like men of God, with all the outward ministry in the house. They themselves have become stumbling blocks, indulging in secret sins that Gods Holy Spirit has convicted them of. They know it is wrong. God says, "Enough!" Still they go on ministering with idolatry in them, stumbling over and over again because of an evil thing blocking their walk with God. What a curse. "They shall bear the punishment for their iniquity. And they shall not come near to Me... nor come near any of My holy things... .they shall bear their shame" (Ezekiel 44:12-13). They will not be removed from Gods house; they will "keep the charge of the house and of all that shall be done in it." What is their shame, their punishment? "I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to the place which I gave you and your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your bothers, all the offspring of Ephraim" (Jeremiah 7:14-15). The worst punishment, the most horrible shame upon a man or woman of God, is to minister in the flesh with no anointing. Their houses are like Shiloh - "The glory has departed!" Their message is chaff and Gods holy presence has gone from them. Yet - they are still appointed to minister to the house but are also abandoned by the Lord. Think of it - appointed as ministers to a house of rebellious children even though they are idolaters. Horrifying truth! This is the offspring of Eli - the Abiathar priesthood! Isaiah called them dumb dogs who are greedy, dreamers who love to slumber, shepherds with no understanding (Isaiah 56:10-11). God wanted to raise up shepherds for the people after His own heart. If Gods people had been repentant, if they had cast down their idols, if they had sought Him with all their hearts - He would have given them faithful, holy shepherds. "Return, O faithful sons, declares the Lord; For I am a master to you, and I will take you one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding" (Jeremiah 3:14-15). But a majority of Gods people seem to prefer the Eli priesthood! "An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; and My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?" (Jeremiah 5:30-31). Compromising, idol-loving, indulgent, sensuous Christians have been appointed shepherds just like themselves. There is a whole priesthood; the offspring of Eli, appointed to feed the idols enthroned in the hearts of Christians with divided hearts. ----------------------------------------------- In These Last Days, We are all Priests unto the Lord. Which Priesthood Do You Belong To - Zadok or Abiathar? ----------------------------------------------- God is even now raising up the royal priesthood - sons of Zadok! "You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ... But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for Gods own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:5,9). We are called to a ministry to the Lord. All direction comes to this priesthood while we minister to the Lord. "And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them" (Acts 13:2). There is a sure word that will come forth to all those who love the table of the Lord and who know their one ministry is to the Lord. All other ministry springs out of that ministry to Him. Is the Spirit purging you? Are you being refined by fire? Do you sigh and weep over the abominations in the land? Do you hunger for Christs holiness? Do you sit often now at the Lords table? Are you casting down idols? Are you sick and weary of all the self-exalting ministries in the land? ----------------------------------------------- God Is Seeking To Get You Out of One Priesthood into Another - Out of Abiathar's and into Zadok's Offspring! ----------------------------------------------- In the midst of all the ruin, the apostasy, and the great falling away, the Zadok remnant is coming forth - visible and anointed. Those of the Zadok remnant all speak the same language: faithfulness to King Jesus, repentance as a way of life, separation from all that is touched or represented by the world, an intense hunger and thirst for righteousness, purging, and refining, and a pure heart wholly given to Him. --- Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O. 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