                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                           The Zadok Priesthood!
        Discerning the Difference Between Holy and Phony Ministries!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Plain Text File + Related Bible Study + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

By David Wilkerson
July 25, 1994
__________

          The book of First Samuel tells us that an unnamed
          prophet came to Eli with an awful message. This unknown
          man delivered an amazing prophecy -- one that has
          everything to do with what we see going on in the
          church today. It is a word that reveals much about
          dead, dry, ungodly ministers and churches in operation
          right now!

          This prophecy tells of two priesthoods that would
          develop and continue, from that day onward until the
          very end of time. Both of these priesthoods would be
          ministering in the church. One would be a cursed,
          abominable shame. But the other would be a ministry
          after God's own heart!

          The unnamed prophet tells Eli:

          "Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm,
          and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not
          be an old man in thine house" (1 Samuel 2:31).

          He is describing a curse upon the ministry of Eli!

          But then he continues:

          "And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall
          do according to that which is in mine heart and in my
          mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall
          walk before mine anointed for ever" (verse 35).

          This prophecy of two priesthoods is being fulfilled
          today -- right before our eyes. Indeed, both ministries
          are operating simultaneously, in nations all across the
          world!

          First, the prophet speaks of the ongoing ministry of a
          self-centered, backslidden, compromising priesthood. He
          describes those priests who are of the spirit of Eli,
          mentioning two things:

          1. Such priests are people-pleasers, more than pleasers
          of God.

          "Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering
          ...and honourest thy sons above me..." (verse 29).

          Eli was soft on sin! He never made any decisions that
          would offend his two sons. Only once, in over fifty
          years of ministry, did Eli correct them. They had been
          committing adultery, raping women, committing the most
          vile acts. Yet even then, all Eli could say to them
          was, "Why do you do this?"

          This man had no righteous indignation! He never shared
          God's wrath and hatred toward sin. And he represents a
          priesthood of ministers who are afraid to reprove God's
          family, the congregation!

          There are churches today that you can attend for up to
          a year, and yet never hear one word of reproof. A
          church could be totally corrupted -- half of the
          congregation divorcing, adultery rampant, teenagers
          sleeping around, children unruly. The whole
          congregation can be given over to pleasure, sports,
          entertainment -- but there is never a word of
          correction from the pulpit! Instead, the pastor caters
          to the people's weaknesses and cravings. He is afraid
          to offend anyone -- afraid the offerings will go down
          and he'll lose his income.

          This is the first characteristic of the evil ministry
          developing in Eli's soul. And it is the mark of every
          ongoing, compromising priesthood today!

          2. They cater to their own needs and comfort rather
          than give themselves toward the needs of the flock.

          They "...make (themselves) fat with the chiefest of all
          the offerings of Israel my people" (verse 29).

          When the people brought the meat offering to the
          priest, it was supposed to go into the seething pot to
          be boiled. Afterward, the priest dipped a three-pronged
          hook into the pot, and whatever came out on the hook
          went onto his table.

          But Eli's two sons didn't want the boiled, sodden meat.
          They wanted the red, raw filet mignon! So they brought
          their father the prime cuts. There was no sodden flesh
          on his table. That's how Eli got fat, lazy, careless.
          If he would have dealt with his sons, he might have
          lost his filet mignon!

          Eli was concerned with his own interests, his own
          table. And that is what is happening in many dying
          churches today: Preachers are interested only in their
          own comfort, in caring for themselves -- instead of
          spending time on their knees for the sake of the
          people!

          The prophet is saying, "You are self-absorbed, Eli --
          feathering your own nest! To you, the ministry means
          nothing more than food on the table, security for you
          and your family. You don't really care about the flock.
          You're more interested in what goes onto your table
          than in what goes into the people's hearts. Yet you
          never once think about how your compromise and
          selfishness bring reproach to God's name. You never
          consider the people who watch as your sons steal the
          prime meat. You are soft on sin, afraid to reprove --
          because you're consumed with things that make you
          comfortable!"

                      -------------------------------

                       The Prophet Pronounced Three
                  Terrible Judgments on This Priesthood!

                      -------------------------------

          Every so-called minister who is of the seed of Eli --
          compromising, soft on sin, concerned only for himself
          -- will know three judgments:

          1. A loss of all spiritual power and authority.

          "...they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
          Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm
          [strength], and the arm of thy father's house..."
          (verses 30-31).

          To be "lightly esteemed" by the Lord meant a loss of
          God's favor and blessing! It meant no impact against
          Satan's kingdom. Such a minister may be esteemed by
          others -- but in God's eyes he is a lightweight,
          someone in whom He puts no trust!

          God said, "You despise Me by not preaching My whole
          counsel. You're not a man of prayer. You're not
          concerned about My people, but only about your success
          and reputation. You just want to make sure there's a
          crowd. You have lightly esteemed My Word -- and now I
          am going to lightly esteem you! Go your way -- do your
          own works. You are lightly esteemed in My eyes!"

          This cutting off of God's anointing leaves the Eli
          priesthood to busy, helter-skelter programs -- works of
          the flesh that only look good. It all sounds like
          important kingdom work. But God refuses to touch it! It
          is simply busy activity -- lightly esteemed ministries
          undertaken by lightly esteemed ministers!

          2. They will be bypassed by the true anointing and
          blessing of God in the last days.

          "And you will see the distress of My dwelling, in spite
          of all that I do good for Israel..." (verse 32, NAS).

          In other words: "When I choose the time to pour out My
          Spirit, you'll be standing in ruins!" And that's
          exactly what is happening in America today: Preachers
          are standing in churches that are dead, dry and ruined!
          God has said to them, "I will pass you by!"

          This priesthood will be standing there among the ruins
          as God blesses and anoints another priesthood -- men of
          God who have paid the price! Right now, in these last
          days, His anointing is falling on those who have given
          their lives to Him. The Spirit is laying hold of these
          praying, fearless men. But those of Eli's seed are
          being bypassed -- left to play their church games!

          God is saying, in essence, "In spite of all I do, you
          will not see the good! You will not be part of My
          last-day, holy remnant. You are lightly esteemed -- and
          you will go about your ministry with no real spiritual
          authority!"

          3. They will lose God's touch in the very prime of
          their life.

          "...all the increase of your house will die in the
          prime of life" (verse 33, NAS).

          This verse is taken two ways. First, it was fulfilled
          literally when Saul sent Doeg up to Nob to slay
          eighty-five priests who were of the seed of Eli.

          But the verse also has a spiritual application: It is
          saying that this priesthood will look good up to a
          certain point. The ministers will be very active and
          busy. But just at the point when they ought to be at
          their best -- full of energy, power, wisdom and
          holiness, ready to be used the most -- a spiritual
          death will take place. God is going to leave them!
          They'll be left standing before the people as dead men,
          while in the very prime of their lives!

          Yet perhaps the most tragic of all the prophecies given
          by this unnamed man of God is that this backslidden,
          compromised priesthood would never be cut off from
          God's altars! The evil ministry would continue to the
          very end:

          "Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My
          altar that your eyes may fail from weeping and your
          soul grieve..." (verse 33, NAS).

          God will not cut them off! Compromising, spiritless,
          dead men are going to exist till the last day, when the
          Lord returns. But, God says, "What a grief they're
          going to be. They will be a cause for weeping!"

          Yet now I want to show you another kind of priesthood.
          It is the other ministry that the prophet said God was
          raising 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" (verse 35, NAS).

          This holy ministry is the Zadok priesthood! It is made
          up of faithful, holy ministers of God who walk and live
          according to His desire. And such a priesthood remains
          to this very day!

          Everything that this unnamed prophet prophesied is
          fully illustrated in David's kingdom. David is a type
          of Christ, and Israel is a type of the church. And
          David had two priests who fulfilled these two prophetic
          priesthoods to the letter: Abiathar and Zadok.

          "And hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar
          the priests?" (2 Samuel 15:35).

                      -------------------------------

                       Let Us First Consider Zadok.

                      -------------------------------

          Zadok's name means "one who's proved righteous".

          "Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag... And
          Zadok, a young man mighty of valour, and of his
          father's house twenty and two captains" (1 Chronicles
          12:1, 28).

          Zadok was the first young priest to recognize God's
          anointing on David!

          Men were fleeing to David, coming from all over to join
          his forces. Zadok recognized that the Spirit had left
          Saul; his ministry now was all hype, flesh, with no
          call or touch of heaven. And Zadok said, "I don't want
          any part of that kind of ministry. It's dead -- God has
          gone from it. I'm going with David, who has the
          Spirit's anointing!"

          So Zadok went to David at Ziklag -- never to leave him
          for the rest of his life! Through every rebellion,
          Zadok stood with him, a man proved righteous. David had
          captured the priest's heart -- and Zadok never looked
          back.

          Thank God, there are men of God like this in many
          pulpits today. These are men of prayer who are
          committed to Jesus, having walked away from all flesh,
          entertainment and worldliness. And you know it when you
          hear them preach -- because something registers in your
          soul!

          When others forsook David, Zadok remained faithful.
          David was running from his son Absalom, who had
          rebelled. And when David came to the brook Kidron,
          Scripture says,

          "Now behold, Zadok also came... and Abiathar went
          up..." (2 Samuel 15:24, NAS).

          Notice here that both Zadok and Abiathar are with
          David. Both are at the brook Kidron with him, and both
          go back to Jerusalem at David's order. So, while
          Absalom defiled David's concubines in full public view,
          and Israel went berserk with wickedness and revelry,
          two holy men stood in God's house -- Zadok and
          Abiathar.

          And so it is today! While the whole world is going to
          hell amid unheard-of wickedness, God still has His holy
          men serving at His altar. He still has a Zadok
          priesthood, faithful in all God's Word!

                      -------------------------------

                  2. Consider Now the Abiathar Priesthood!

                      -------------------------------

          Abiathar's name means "at peace with God." He was with
          Zadok as they took the ark back to Jerusalem.

          Indeed, at this point, Abiathar appears to be holy,
          dedicated, devoted, loyal to David. He will have
          nothing to do with Absalom's rebellion. He goes about
          his ministry looking as pure and uncompromising as
          Zadok.

          But why is he never mentioned in the Word after this?
          Why is he not named among the prophets? Why does his
          name die out? Something happens. Suddenly Abiathar is
          "lightly esteemed" -- and Zadok is made the example of
          the holy, remnant priesthood. Why? It is because
          Abiathar had the spirit of Eli in him! All those awful
          prophecies spoken by the unnamed prophet fell upon him.

          And it all happened quickly!

          The unnamed prophet had said that not all such kind
          would be cut off. Abiathar's father and eighty-three
          other priests who wore an ephod were slain by Doeg.
          Only Abiathar escaped! He ran to David -- and the
          ministry he represented survived, which was according
          to prophecy.

          Yet just as the prophet had spoken, Abiathar -- the
          seed of Eli -- in the prime of his life and at the peak
          of his blessings was seduced by the call of success. He
          lost his place with God's anointed!

          You see, David had another son, Adonijah. His name
          means "success and prosperity." This young man
          pretended to introduce a "new move" in the land by
          naming himself king. Yet it was only another rebellion
          -- not a move of God, but a snare of Satan!

          This is the very ministry the prophet had warned of:
          self-exaltation and success!

          "Then Adonijah...exalted himself..." (1 Kings 1:5).

          It was self-centeredness, pride! Adonijah said, "I will
          set myself up as king!"

          This young man was raised under a ministry of "no
          reproof":

          "And his father had not displeased him at any time in
          saying, Why hast thou done so?" (verse 6).

          Notice here: Everything the prophet had prophesied of
          this kind of ministry had come to pass. All of the
          elements he had said would happen under this kind of
          priesthood were in this man, Adonijah!

          "And he conferred with Joab, the son of Zeruiah..."
          (verse 7).

          Adonijah surrounded himself with ungodly men! There was
          not a holy man among them -- not Zadok, not Nathan, not
          any faithful men of David (see verse 8). And, Scripture
          says, this group met at "the stone of Zoheleth" --
          which means "place of the serpent."

          This was a group of self-serving, success-driven,
          ego-stroking rebels. They cried, "Here is something
          new, something that works! Away with David's old,
          wornout ways. God is doing a new thing in the land!"

          Up to that point, Abiathar had been loyal to David. But
          now the word was out: "There's a new move taking place
          -- some great, new thing happening in the land. And
          it's very exciting!" It grabbed the heart of Abiathar
          -- because it looked like a ticket to success and
          prosperity. Now he could make it! He had found a new
          man and a new message.

          I meet many people who come to this country from places
          in Europe, Africa and Asia where churches are dying.
          They hear about some new work happening in the churches
          here, and they become hungry to see it happen in their
          church -- a new move of God!

          Once, when I was overseas, I told one pastor friend,
          "You and your wife used to be on your faces
          continually, weeping before God. That's why your church
          was so blessed. But you've gotten so busy, you don't
          know God anymore!" This couple began to weep, crying,
          "You're right!" But instead of repenting, they came to
          America -- looking for some new program that would make
          their ministry work!

          That is the ministry of Abiathar! He got caught up in a
          fleshly, ungodly work of Satan. And he gathered with
          the others at the stone of Satan, eating, drinking and
          shouting, "Long live King Adonijah!"

          When David was told about it, he cried, "Get me
          Nathan!" You see, when God wants to do something that
          really counts for His eternal purposes, He calls on
          those who have been shut in with him. David is a type
          of Christ here. And he cried, "Forget Abiathar. Go get
          Nathan! I lightly esteem Abiathar. Tell Nathan to get
          the trumpet and the oil, and to go anoint Solomon!"

          So Solomon was anointed king. And the first thing he
          did was to kill Shimei, who cursed David. Then he began
          dealing with all of David's enemies -- and he called
          forth Abiathar.

          Now, I remind you that the unnamed prophet said this
          Eli-Abiathar ministry would never be cut off. And
          Solomon knew all about this prophecy. Abiathar should
          have been executed for treason. But instead, Solomon
          told him:

          "You cast your lot in with my brother Adonijah. You
          tried to bring down this kingdom. And because of that,
          you deserve to die. But I'm not going to kill you. You
          carried the ark of God for my father, David, and you
          were afflicted with him. Because of those things, I
          will not put you to death at this time. Now, go to
          Anathoth, to your own field, to do your own thing. You
          are lightly esteemed!"

          "So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto
          the Lord; that he might fulfill the word of the Lord,
          which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh"
          (verse 2:27).

          The Eli priesthood is still here today! But God says to
          their kind, "Go, do your own thing. I lightly esteem
          you!"

                      -------------------------------

                    3. Ezekiel Understood the Prophetic
                   Importance of These Two Priesthoods!

                      -------------------------------

          Both the Zadok and Abiathar priesthoods were operating
          in Ezekiel's day. And, like the unnamed prophet,
          Ezekiel prophesied they both would flow as two streams
          of ministry to the very end:

          "...mark well the entering in of the house, with every
          going forth of the sanctuary" (Ezekiel 44:5).

          God was telling Ezekiel, "Stand at My house and see all
          the people coming and going. Discern all the activities
          going on here. It's all an abomination! They're
          bringing strangers and foreigners into My house to
          defile it!"

          Likewise today, the abominations going on in churches
          are so horrible, God is saying, "Enough -- I've had
          it!" Ungodly ministers have brought into the holy
          sanctuary rock-and-roll, entertainment, utter
          foolishness, singers who use drugs and alcohol and
          don't even know God. These people stand ministering in
          the pulpit, and the people don't even know the
          difference!

          "And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things:
          but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary
          for yourselves" (Ezekiel 44:8).

          He was saying, in other words: "You've brought in
          foreigners, people who do not know me, to keep charge
          of My sanctuary!" These were foreign elements --
          wicked, unholy, unseparated, still of the world. God's
          house was being profaned!

          So God appointed an Abiathar priesthood to minister to
          a people whose hearts were set on idols! The shepherds
          had strayed far from God. They were filled with the
          spirit of Eli, chasing fame and success -- and the
          people loved to have it so! Thus, God appointed
          idolatrous priests to give the people what they wanted.
          "Like people, like priest!"

          "Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the house of
          all its service, and of all that shall be done in it"
          (verse 14, NAS).

          How blind such ministers are! God says of them,

          And they shall not come near unto me..." (verse 13).

          They stand in the pulpit lightly esteemed by God, full
          of self and idolatry, nowhere near to the Lord. Yet
          they go through all the motions: preaching, teaching,
          counseling, all the ministerial duties. But they don't
          know the difference! They have no discernment, no
          witness of the Spirit!

          Beloved, if you do not repent and surrender all to
          Jesus -- if you hold onto an idol in your heart -- you
          will end up listening to a minister who preaches to
          your idolatry!

                      -------------------------------

                    God Made a Promise in His Word That
                   If His People Would Repent and Return
                   to Him With All Their Hearts, He Would
                    Raise Up for Them Zadok Shepherds!

                      -------------------------------

          "Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord... and I
          will bring you to Zion: and I will give you pastors
          according to mine heart, which shall feed you with
          knowledge and understanding" (Jeremiah 3:14-15).

          Ezekiel prophesied that a Zadok priesthood would be
          very much alive and well in the last days:

          "But...the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my
          sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from
          me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and
          they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and
          the blood, said the Lord God: They shall enter into my
          sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to
          minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge"
          (Ezekiel 44:15-16).

          There will be no mixture in this priesthood:

          "...they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no
          wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister..."
          (verse 17).

          Wool mixed with linen represents mixture -- a little
          bit of God and a little bit of flesh. But God says, "My
          priesthood is made of pure linen. There is no mixture!"

          This Zadok priesthood will be fearless against sin --
          and will have the power to lead people into
          righteousness and holiness.

          "And they shall teach my people the difference between
          the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern
          between the unclean and the clean" (verse 23).

          These are the marks of the Zadok priesthood:

          1. They are not afraid to reprove with the power and
          authority of the Holy Ghost. 2. They make clear to you
          what wrong and right are, until you gain the knowledge
          and wisdom to make right choices. 3. These men know the
          voice of the Lord. They know what God speaks, because
          they sit and wait on Him! They don't pray, "Bless me,
          bless my programs, give me money..." Rather, they cry,
          "Oh, Jesus, I love you! I want to know Your mind and
          Your heart!"

          You may be saying, "It's good to know all this about
          preachers." But God is saying to you right now: "What
          about you?"

                      -------------------------------

                       Dear Saint, Did You Know This
                         Message Is All About You?

                      -------------------------------

          Scripture says,

          "(He) hath made us kings and priests unto God and his
          Father; to him be the glory and dominion for ever and
          ever..." (Revelation 1:6).

          Beloved, this verse is true for the whole body!
          Everyone who calls himself or herself by God's name is
          to be a priest unto the Lord.

          So, I ask you: Which priesthood describes your walk
          with God? Are you of Zadok? Or Abiathar? Are you
          self-centered -- running around to conventions and
          seminars looking for comforting answers? Or do you
          receive reproof with joy, knowing that God wants to cut
          the cancer of sin out of you in order to heal you? Do
          you buy tape after tape of some evangelist to try to
          get a word from heaven? Or are you learning to discern
          God's voice for yourself, by giving quality time to Him
          in the secret closet?

          Everyone who lives by the name of Jesus should be
          learning to hear God's voice. He wants you to hear His
          word in your own heart! If you learn that, you can go
          to any church anywhere and know within five minutes if
          the Spirit of the Lord is there. If it's really Zadok,
          your hands will go up in the air. You'll say, "I'm
          hearing something good. Something is registering in my
          soul. This is God!"

          Or -- you will discern what is of Abiathar. And it will
          make you sick to your stomach! You will flee, because
          you cannot stand the stench of flesh!

          Oh, God -- give us the spirit of the Zadok priesthood!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.

          This material is solely for personal use and is not to
          be posted publicly on other web pages. The Lorain
          County Free-Net Chapel holds exclusive rights from
          World Challenge, Inc. to publicly post these messages
          on its web page. You are free to download, copy, print
          and distribute this material, so long as you do not
          post it on a different Internet site. You may, however,
          link this site to reference these messages.

                 ------------------------------------------

 Plain Text File + Related Bible Study + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright

                 ------------------------------------------

         Times Square Church Information | New Reader Information

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION LIMITATIONS:

This data file is the sole property of World Challenge. It may not be
altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for
circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data
file must contain the copyright notice [i.e., "Copyright  1998 by World
Challenge"]. This data file may not be used without the permission World
Challenge for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This
includes all of its content with the exception of a few brief quotations.
Please give the following source credit: Copyright  1998 by World
Challenge, Lindale, Texas, USA.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       This web site is a service of
                          The Missing Link, Inc.
       Linking Troubled Youth and Adults with Life-Changing Programs
                       Web Site - http://misslink.org
               Chapel Site - http://misslink.org/chapel2.html
  Home of David Wilkerson's Times Square Church Pulpit Series Multilingual
                                  Web Site
             http://misslink.org/chapel/teacher/multilan.html

                                ------------

            Copyright  1998 - The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel
                         North Central Ohio, U.S.A.

                                TOP OF PAGE

           Our webmaster welcomes your comments and suggestions.
                This page was Last updated August 27, 1998.

  Why Revival Tarries/ "Help!"/ What's Here/ Sponsor/ Statement of Faith/
   Bible Study/ Around the Piano/ Bulletin Board/ Library/ Pulpit Series
