by fgt2u | Sep 26, 2011 | Articles
Since the writing of the popular “Left Behind” series by Hal Lindsay, the subject has been widely debated by many students of theology. Certainly, by close examination of the scriptures, there will be a people who are taken out and a people who will be left behind. The question that is open for debate is:
1. Are the righteous taken out and the unrighteous left behind, or, conversely
2. Are the unrighteous taken out, and the righteous left behind?
This is the question that this small article will address. The purpose of writing is not; one is right and the other is wrong (although ultimately that must one day be the conclusion), but rather the purpose in writing is to provoke the diligent student to closely examine the scriptures as to this subject.
We will begin by addressing the questions that were posed to Jesus by the disciples in what is referred to as the “Olivet Discourse” as recorded in Matthew chapters 24-25.
The questions were:
1. When will these things be? (The destruction of the temple)
2. What will be the sign of your coming?
3. And of the end of the age?
The first of these, as is commonly accepted, took place in 70 AD when the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.
The second of the above questions is the one that we will focus on pertaining to the subject at hand; “taken or left behind.” In answering the question as to the sign of His coming, Jesus replied in Matthew 25:36, dealing with the timing of the day of His coming by saying “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
He then addressed the attitudinal behavior and situation of the world as it would be at that time. That is, very similar to the days of Noah, just prior to the time when Noah and his family entered into the Ark, just before the commencement of the flood. They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. These were normal aspects of life and in themselves were not deemed sinful by the Lord in anyway. The Lord was pointing out that they were focused on routine matters of daily life, but completely oblivious to the signs of the time. Primarily that of the testimony of Noah, both in words of warning and his daily witness spanning 120 years in the building of the Ark.
Likewise the majority of people are, in today’s world, exuding an attitude of “life goes on,” the routines of daily living as the signs, spoken by Jesus, of floods, earthquakes, famines, wars and rumors of wars are happening all around the globe as we write. Regardless of these warning signs, as were the people in Noah’s day, so are the majority today, blinded to the fact that these signs are pointing to the urgency of the hour, the fast approaching coming of the Lord..
We now come to the point in the Lord’s narrative of the event itself. Being oblivious to the signs of the time, they will, like those in days of Noah, be caught unawares. He goes on to say “Then two men shall be in a field, one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill, one will be taken and the other left.”
The question now arises, who will be taken and who will be left? In answering the question we need go back and carefully examine verses 38 and 39. In verse 38 Jesus is talking about the attitude of the people, (not Noah and his family) how they were living as normal and giving no heed to the testimony of Noah entering the Ark. Jesus then goes on to say, “and took them all away.” The reader must decide, to whom is the pronoun “them” referring to, the people or to Noah?
As the Lord is focusing on the people and their nonchalant attitude, the pronoun “them” is obviously referring to the people: “and took them (the people) all away.” Thus leaving Noah and his family on earth, to repopulate it. Also the phrase “and did not know until the flood came and took them all away. Who did “not know?” The people, not Noah, for he did know. So, again the pronoun “them” is referring to the people who did not know.
If we decide to make the pronoun “them,” refer to Noah, Jesus mentions Noah in the singular, therefore the following phrase would have to read “took him away” not “them”. Some may say that “them” in this case is referring to Noah and his family. But to do that would contravene English grammar, for the third party, Noah’s family, are not referred to in the text.
To take the matter a little further, let us look at two of the Kingdom parables in Matthew 13. In the explanation of the parable of the wheat and the tares, Jesus states in verses 39b – 42. “…the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The son of man will gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.” So again it is seen that the wicked are taken out leaving the righteous.
Also the parable of the dragnet of fish as seen in verse 47 – 48. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which when it was full, they drew to shore, and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.” Again we see the bad taken out and destroyed and the good remaining.
Still other examples may be referred to, such as the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, and the parable of the pounds in Luke 19:11-27. In both of these parables the Lord is speaking of delegated responsibility during His absence and then the day of accountability upon His return, the lazy and slothful are bound and cast out, leaving the faithful to enjoy the rewards. Likewise the man without the wedding garment is also cast out, and the five foolish virgins also being left out.
The reason for some to endeavour to insist the righteous are the “taken” is because they associate the words of Jesus in Matthew 24 to be pertaining to the rapture. Jesus is not talking of a rapture here but is answering the question as to the sign of His coming. The second coming and the rapture are two entirely different subjects, the rapture being pre-wrath, the second coming post wrath. It might be argued by some, that if the rapture has taken place pre-wrath, then there would be no righteous left to take out, or leave behind. My answer to that is the rapture only concerns a very small minority of believers, the dedicated fruitful overcoming company.
In conclusion, it is in my opinion that the scriptures lean favorably to the taking out of the wicked and the righteous remaining. Whichever way the student draws a conclusion after having examined the scriptures their decision is theirs to make. The important fact is, whichever way we decide, are we ready for that day? Giving all diligence to make our calling and election sure ……….. for, so an entrance will be supplied to us into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That Kingdom being His Millennial reign here on earth for the one thousand years. Revelation 20:4-6.
For me, my desire is not to be taken out but to be left here on earth for the duration of that Kingdom. Revelation 3:21.”To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”
Whatever the outcome, be it the righteous or the unrighteous who are left, we must make sure that we are in the company of the righteous.
by fgt2u | Aug 19, 2011 | Articles
Marc A. Dupont, Mantle of Praise Ministries, Inc., November 2010
God’s grace does not give us the freedom to do what we like and get away with it. It releases the power of God’s Word and Spirit to become individuals conformed to Christ.
Over the last few years a number of ministries have embraced a perception of grace that, biblically speaking, is demonically distorted. True God given grace does not give us the freedom to do what we would like and get away with it. Rather, it releases to us the power of God’s Word and Spirit to become individuals conformed to Christ Jesus. Two passages found in Romans- 8.29 & 12.2 both address the conformity God is after in our lives. Perhaps more directly to the point, however, is Peter’s writing found in 1 Peter 1.14-16, which reads:
“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
1) The assault of Old New Age Gnosticism
There are three primary sources feeding the current perversion of grace. First is a resurgence of Gnosticism. This, in essence, as with much of ancient Gnosticism, is a false separation between what is spiritual and what is physical. In ancient Gnosticism there was the teaching that the two were completely unrelated. In effect the belief was that what one believed and nourished in the spiritual realm was unrelated and untouched by one’s actions within the physical realm.
The emerging Gnosticism in the contemporary church is not so much due to a deliberate teaching as it is from a growing ignorance and ignoring of the Word of God. In some church circles where things like prophecy, healing, and impartations of the Holy Spirit are valued there is also, unfortunately, a devaluation of the written word of God. This vacuum of ignorance has sucked many into a spiritual climate with a lack of regard for the holiness of God. That holiness is what we were born again to experientially walk in. To reference Peter a second time, 2nd Peter 2.20-22 warns that those who have come to know Christ Jesus but return to practicing former sins are like ‘dogs who return to their own vomit’.
To some degree the current hunger for spirituality and spiritual experiences devoid of an appetite for the Person and ways of God is witchcraft. This witchcraft manifests in two essential ways: 1) a hunger for spiritual experiences aside from the Lordship of Christ, and 2) a prevailing of anti authority attitudes. Witches love to move in spiritual dimensions but also despise authority, which is in keeping with the demonic realm. As well, as was with Jezebel, there is usually a fascination with perverse sexuality. To sum up modern day Gnostic traits emerging in the church there is a hunger for spirituality while there is a de-emphasizing of the Lordship of Christ governing one’s attitudes and actions. The false application of grace provides the loophole to continue in doing what one feels like doing and still praying the prayer “bless me, Lord”!
What has also, in a huge way, fed into current Gnosticism is a de-emphasizing of the Biblical mandate to make disciples. In many churches today the gospel is reduced to the two things: 1) free fire insurance, to escape the flames of hell, and 2) consistent teaching from the pulpits that God simply wants to give us formulas for success regardless of our lifestyles. Of course, God does want to bless people, but not apart from our embracing God’s principal of dying to self and living for Christ by embracing Christ’s ways. Galatians 6.7 reads: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”
If we sow to carnality that is exactly what we will reap- bondage and death, on many differing levels. The growing mantra today is “it’s okay to do what you like. God will forgive you.” Forgiveness is the result of repentance. Repentance, essentially, means to see things from a higher perspective (God’s vantage point) and to change one’s behavior accordingly. The remedy is church leaders must return to preaching the gospel of ‘the kingdom’ that Jesus preached and seek ‘its righteousness’ not merely its blessings. Otherwise, when a so-called Christian is continually grieving the Holy Spirit it is the spirit of this age that rules them, not the Spirit of the living God!
2) The Assault of the Fear
As much as the church growth movement has been a help to many leaders for the last several decades, I believe, it has also proven to be a curse for some. It has mandated the wrong measuring stick. God measures the success of leadership by things like obedience, fruitfulness, and the making of disciples. Strictly using the ‘nickels, noise, and numbers formula’ to qualify/quantify one’s ministry is like trying to assess heaven by earth’s standards. By many church standards today Jesus would have to be labeled as a poor leader due to His message of ‘eating His body, and drinking His blood’. Because of that message He went from the multitudes following Him to barely the twelve. It would be a contemporary pastor’s worst nightmare. Jesus, however, measured success by obedience to the Father, not the accolades of man or the size of the crowd!
Proverbs 25.29 states “the fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.” Due to success being primarily measured purely by numbers there has come about a great fear of offending church attendees by saying the wrong thing from the pulpit. That ‘wrong thing’ too often means anything that might cause that attendee to stop attending. Without necessarily intending to we can inadvertently become pleasers of men rather than of God. We must constantly remind ourselves that the gospel message itself (if Biblically preached) is offensive. It is offensive simply because God calls people to die to themselves and change their behavior. Less than a changed lifestyle is less than Biblical Christianity.
When the incomplete message of “it’s okay, God loves you just the way you are” prevails there will be very little room for the Spirit’s conviction for change. The other half of that message is begging to be preached: “He also loves you too much to leave you the way you are”! Yes, by all means let’s be as welcoming and as friendly as the good news itself to all. But a physician who won’t warn a patient about a growing cancer tumor out of fear of depressing or offending that patient is a lethal care giver! There is after all a sorrow the Spirit can release that leads one to repentance. (2nd Corinthians 7.10)
We need to learn to discern between religious condemnation and the Holy Spirit’s conviction. The former wraps people up in the legalism of religion, while the latter opens people up to the potential of healing and abundant life in Christ!
The current statistics of 50% percent of all Bible believing, church going Christian men and 20% of the same group of women being addicted to pornography tell us that something is seriously out of order in the church today. As if that is not enough of a problem there is almost the same percentage of divorce in the church as there is among non-church goers. If the ancient boundaries that God has established for healthy living are moved then we have managed to learn to graze in the camp of the enemy without fear of consequences! If the foundations are destroyed, or at least obscured, what can the righteous do?
We can begin by proclaiming and praying for a return to God’s standards of ‘grace based holiness’. If judgment starts first with the household of God, then it is probably a safe bet that judgment will start first with the gatekeepers of the church- leaders. We can either fear man, or fear God, but not both at the same time.
3) The Assault of Unsanctified Compassion
Due to past movements, which practiced a focus on the control of individual Christians, the word ‘accountability’ has almost been thrown out the window. Accountability, Biblically speaking, is not so much a thing of control, but rather of encouragement and strength. The truth is all healthy relationships demand some sort of accountability in order to function well. A relationship where there is a fear, or pride, based resistance to honesty is doomed to fail to reach it’s potential.
Out of fear of treading on people rights, or offending people in one’s church, accountability has become neglected. So when problems arise due to ongoing destructive behavior (sin) there is too often the tendency to issue blessings based on ‘unsanctified compassion’. Many church attendees and members want prayers of blessing and breakthrough despite the fact that the hurtful condition they are in may be due to reaping what they’ve sown. To continually bless some one who will not truly repent (change) from destructive behavior is comparable to giving throat lozenges to some one dying of throat cancer and thinking that because the pain is temporarily gone all is well.
In contrast to unsanctified compassion Paul and Jesus were seemingly harsh. Paul wrote, “if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat” regarding the distribution of charity to poorer church members. There was absolutely no sense of unearned entitlement with Paul! Obviously, he was not speaking of those who simply could not work. When it comes to those who refuse to stop coarse sinning Jesus said to treat them as sinners, not as redeemed members of a congregation. (Matthew 18.17) Jesus also, categorically, without any ambiguity what so ever, stated that a man who leaves his wife to marry another woman is to be treated as an adulterer- a flagrant practicing sinner. (Matthew 19.9) Of course, this is excepting when his wife first committed adultery. Today there is a veritable plague of men and women in church leadership abandoning the ‘wife (or spouse) of their youth’ for a younger version! Truths regarding marriage, such as oneness and covenant, which God emphasizes have been treated as obsolete by many current ministry leaders. God simply sees this as sin on a grand scale. Yet the church has learned to sweep adultery, financial impropriety, substance abuse, and many other sins under a heavy carpet incorrectly labeled ‘grace’.
The love of Christ does not negate accountability. Rather, it gives a context for which healthy accountability can function.
There are those who claim that it is incorrect to call Christians into account for sin due to a very lopsided view of the grace of the cross. Please note: I am not speaking of those in the process of coming to Christ, but those who claim to be Christians and desire good standing within a congregation, or a ministry.
The grace of the cross is simply not available aside from truth. The apostle John tells us that not merely mercy was realized through the cross but ‘grace AND truth were realized through Jesus’. (John 1.17) Psalm 85.10 tells us “loving kindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” This is a prophetic picture of the grace of Christ. To claim forgiveness, as in one’s sins being washed away without truth (repentance) renders transformation impossibility.
Should we have compassion for victims of sexual and substance addiction? Totally! But Biblical compassion is far more than feeling sympathy for the victim. It is to be moved by God in such a way that we lovingly call the victim into a sense of responsibility for their choices and assist them in reaching out to the power of God’s compassion. It must be stated, however, that God will not violate one’s free will. One must make the decision to reach out to God and trust in His power to change. That power through the Word and in the Holy Spirit cannot be experienced aside from repentance. We must take repentance out of the dusty church closet of shame and condemnation and view it as a great gift that God has given us to move towards wholeness & holiness.
Pseudo Restoration
Due to the onslaught of adultery taking place among church leaders today there has arisen a common scenario of what I call ‘pseudo restoration’. Pseudo restoration is a less than real healing process that in many ways is simply waiting until the dust settles and then reinstating the still fallen leader back into their ministry position. Pseudo restoration has more to do with spinning the message than it does true accountability of the messenger.
Just because an individual takes a short break from ministry does not necessarily mean the root issues have been dealt with! It takes real time to realize God’s convicting truth in one’s innermost being. Merely feeling sorry for being caught and the damage one may have caused by one’s sins is less than knowing truth on a deep, deep level.
Partially the syndrome of quick fix restoration is due to the church not always grasping the importance of Christ like character being the foundation for one’s ministry. But, mainly, it is due to unsanctified compassion. We say ‘look at the high calling’ and ‘well, there under so much stress due to ministry’. Both are an affront to God. How can one claim to be a servant of Jesus and refuse to honor the ways of Jesus? Jesus after all stated that if we truly love Him we will obey His commandments- the Word of God!
True restoration takes time.
As stated it takes time to allow God’s truth to filter past layers of guilt, shame, and bring about deep down change at the root level. It takes time to rebuild equity and trust between a leader and his/her followers and supporters. It takes time to close the doors to condemnation so that the enemy can no longer manipulate one through the memories of sin. It takes time simply to rebuild trust in one’s own self towards one’s own will. When we see patterns over several years of sexual sin, or financial impropriety, or substance abuse some of the blame lies at the church which places greater value on that stumbling leader’s ministry than on the leader as a person in need of true, not false, compassion.
“If the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do?”
(Psalm 11.3) Edmond Burke is credited to have written “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” I believe that God is calling church leaders today to rise up and begin to champion grace based holiness. Grace based holiness is teaching the truth in love, without condemnation! While the foundation of Christianity can never be destroyed we can quench the Holy Spirit to the degree that we render the church impotent in moving in the fullness of the grace and power He has for us. He is after all ‘the Holy Spirit’. I believe that God is calling the contemporary church to essentially four responses in regards to the plague of misperceived grace, which is afflicting many ministries and congregations.
1) Pray for a revelation of God’s heart and power to walk, model, and champion grace based holiness especially for leaders. Let’s cry out for a revelation that would cause us to echo the cry heard around God’s throne- ‘holy, holy, holy’. Isaiah 6.3 & Revelation 4.8
2) Begin to boldly, yet, with love & humility, educate and encourage the church in what the Bible has to say regarding healthy behavior to the point of hating sin! It is possible to hate sin, and yet love sinners- after all Jesus did it.
3) Become intentional about taking to heart Paul’s admonishment to “not grieve” (offend) the Holy Spirit- the very presence of God in our lives and midst! After all we no longer belong to ourselves. He is the one who is in us to do His will & good pleasure.
4) When serious sins do emerge in the life of a leader, let’s learn to value them as a person, more than their ministry. Let’s take the time to deal with the source of the issues rather than simply putting on the band-aid of ‘time out’.
by fgt2u | May 31, 2010 | Articles
Rev Dr Colin Hurt
At the present time there is an emphasis concerning the grace of God that is spreading around the world. Often there is an imbalance because only one aspect of grace, unmerited favour, is being taught. Let us examine four aspects of grace that are found in God’s word.
ASPECT ONE – SAVING GRACE
Eph 2:8-10 NIV (8) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— (9) not by works, so that no one can boast. (10) For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
This salvation is entirely by grace. There is no work we can do to merit it, or it would not be by grace. Although this salvation is not procured by good works, its purpose is to produce good works.
There are two concepts being taught which distort the New Testament truth about saving grace. The first one is that God’s love is unconditional. That is not the teaching of Jesus.
THE CONDITIONAL LOVE OF THE FATHER FOR THE SON
Jn 10:17-18 NIV The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. (18) No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Please note carefully what Jesus is saying. There has always been an eternal love between the Father and the Son. The continued love of God was contingent upon Christ obeying the commandment of the Father. The commandment was that he should lay down his life. Please note that this did not initiate the love – it maintained the love.
THE CONDITIONAL LOVE OF THE FATHER FOR THE SONS
Jn 14:21 NIV Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
This is very important. The only way to demonstrate our love for Jesus is by obedience. This is the only way to be loved by the Father. It is the only way to be loved by Jesus. We see that in the New Testament the love of God is conditional not unconditional.
The second concept being taught which distorts the truth of salvation by grace is that all sins, past, present and future are already forgiven. This is not stated anywhere in the New Testament. In fact there are several conditions given. I will quote only two:
(i) 1Jn 1:9 NIV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
(ii) Mat 6:14-15 NIV For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (15) But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
This means that sins are not forgiven unless we first of all forgive others and demonstrates that Jesus had no concept of future sins already being forgiven.
ASPECT TWO – STRENGTHENING GRACE
Act 20:32 NIV Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
God’s grace not only saves us, it also builds us up. This shows that grace is not only unmerited favour, it is also the active power of God in our lives.
2Co 12:9 NIV But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
This is another facet of the strengthening grace of God. It enables us to cope with situations which in the natural would be beyond our ability to endure.
ASPECT THREE – SANCTIFYING GRACE
Tit 2:11-12 NIV For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. (12) It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
True grace gives us instructions. Once again, this is far more than unmerited favour. It is the sanctifying effect of grace. Firstly it gives us negative instructions. It tells us to reject ungodliness and worldly passions. Then it gives us positive instructions on how to live, with self control, uprightness and godliness.
ASPECT FOUR – SERVING GRACE
Rom 1:5 NIV Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
1Co 15:9-10 NIV For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (10) But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
2Co 8:1-2 NIV And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. (2) Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
All of the above texts demonstrate that the genuine grace of God will produce within us the desire, ability and energy to serve God in his world and church. If we do not demonstrate this service in our lives, we have no evidence that we really have received the grace of God.
These four aspects of grace show us that it is far more than just unmerited favour. We can be certain that we have received the true grace of God only when all four aspects are evidenced in our lives.
by fgt2u | Oct 16, 2009 | Articles
by Marc Dupont
Mantle of Praise Ministries
It has become far more than a “cliché message” to preach/teach the contemporary church is in a time of transition. While that may be true in any given season of God, it is also true that in learning to walk with God, and in the ways of God, that we are to continually be in transition. Having said that, however, I do believe that the last few years have been a time of vital transition. In effect, it has been a time of crossing over the Jordan of our dreams and God’s visions for our lives which he has been preparing us for. In short, I believe that many Christians, churches, and ministries are in a time of promotion, which will result in greater fruitfulness. Jesus stated that the Father is glorified by us bearing much fruit, and in so doing we prove to be Christ’s disciples. (John 15.8)
The problem, however with transition unto greater fruitfulness is it always involved the necessity of unlearning some old ways and learning new ways. This scenario in a nutshell is illustrated in Isaiah 6 when God is planning on anointing and releasing Isaiah to become one of the greatest prophets of all time. In verses 1-8 we see Isaiah beholding his righteousness, or lack there of, in the light of God’s absolute righteousness. For Isaiah to enter in to the greater thing God was calling him to change was required.
A popular saying over the last 20 years in many circles has been “higher levels, bigger devils”. While it is true that spiritual warfare usually increases with an increase of anointing and responsibility, it is also very, very true that God always, always, always gives us the tools, the resources, abilities, and power to move in the new things He calls us to. It is not so much “higher levels, bigger devils”, but rather “more of God necessitates more of His ways”!
The inherent problem, however, is that when God is calling us to use new tools and minister/live in new ways we can not apply the ways we used the old tools with the new ones. It’s a little bit like when a carpenter goes from using a traditional hammer powered by arm muscle to a pneumatic nail gun. With the old tool you bang the hammerhead against the nail. To use a nail gun in the same way would quickly destroy it. With the nail gun you simply set it against the spot you want to drive the nail and pull the trigger. With the nail gun you drive far more nails, in much less time, with much less energy but it does call for a change of doing things. We are in a time of increase where many of us will see a greater anointing unto greater fruitfulness, but actually requiring less work on our part.
The promise before the Hebrews who crossed over the Jordan was that they would enjoy fruit in a size and quantity they had never experienced before. However, as mentioned, moving into the land of bigger & better usually necessitates change. The book of Joshua, chapter 5, verses 11 & 12 read: “On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year.” Shortly after entering the land they did, in fact, begin to enjoy the greater fruit. The problem, however, was that on the next day the particular supernatural blessings of God which they had experienced everyday for all of their lives completely ceased. The sense of shock and retooling they experienced must have been severe. The manna (bread) and quail (meat), which God had simply given them every day, all of their lives, was no longer there. Instead, they had to begin to exercise a whole new level of faith. (When we say the manna is disappearing we are obviously speaking about the level of God’s provision, not of Jesus- the true Bread of Life)
This faith was a very targeted faith. It was following the specific leading of the Holy Spirit (Joshua 3.3-5). The accompanying problem, however, was that the Lord led them into the seemingly impossible. Joshua 3.13 tells us that the waters did not part until the feet of the priests stepped into the flooded Jordan River. 40 years prior with Moses, the great man of God, he had stretched forth his staff and exercised the authority God had given him while the people simply spectated. This time it was a very different scenario. The time of Moses was over. They had symbolically (at least from our perspective) journeyed from the ministry of Moses, which represented the law or the performance of man to the ministry of Joshua, or Yehoshua, which represents the grace of God for the impossible. The only requirement of God was to actively and obediently follow the Presence of God with faith even if it meant stepping into the impossible!
The previous generation had experienced the same invitation 40 years previously but “the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.” (Hebrews 4.2) They had even seen some of the incredible fruit first hand due to the spies bringing some back. They chose, however, to lean unto their own understanding and failed to believe that God could accomplish the miraculous against the fierce enemies and giants of the land.
Today, despite the economic chaos, which is gripping, much of the world God is calling us to initiate new endeavors in reaching out to our cities, cultures, and nations. Common sense would tell us to simply hold the fort until things change financially. God’s seasons, however, seldom coincide neatly with our seasons and perspectives. Like the Hebrews who crossed over God is calling us to confront giants and fierce enemies of the gospel (at least, in a spiritual sense). The promise of His word is that “the righteous will prosper even during a time of famine”. The key prophecy of Haggai, chapter two, is to not be afraid of the outward situation because the Spirit of God is with us (if we are truly with Him)! In fact, Haggai went on to say that the riches of the world, would, in effect, fund the work of the kingdom of God. The fresh call on God’s leaders today requires 3 things, I believe.
1) We must not lean to the their own understandings, but to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts
2) We must keep our eyes focused on the Holy Spirit, for He is about to lead many of us in ways we have not gone before.
3) And if we will accordingly sanctify ourselves (be open to change) He will do wonders in our midst. (Joshua 3.3-5). His promise is no matter how large the enemy or how thick the armed fortress’ we will come into the land of greater fruit. The price tag is being willing to change from the blessing we know, to the greater glory we don’ so much know.
Marc Dupont is the founder of Mantle of Praise Ministries, a ministry concerned with revival and restoring a prophetic edge to the whole body of Christ. Marc has served in various forms of church leadership for over 15 years, including teaching, preaching, counseling, evangelism, and church planting.
by fgt2u | Aug 11, 2009 | Articles
by Dr David M Shearer
Principal – Southland Bible College
Invercargill – New Zealand
1 Peter 2:9-10 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
The Church is not about what we want..It’s about what God wants!
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Throughout Scripture the Lord makes it plain that He will dwell with His people only where His name is recorded. And He will record His name only where the meeting place conforms to His high pattern and standard. Exodus 20:22–26.
a) Following Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, God establishes His covenant of law with them through Moses and gives them the acceptable pattern for His dwelling place and their place of worship. His injunction: “And see to it that you make [it] according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain”–– Exodus 25:40
b) In time, the Tabernacle is superseded by the Temple of Solomon, which was to be God’s dwelling place with His people in a new era of peace and rest for Israel. Once again, God gave very specific instructions for the building of the temple. 1 Chronicles 28:10–20. c) When Jesus came He built neither temple nor church for he was now God’s dwelling place with man –– the pattern Son! If any desired to meet with God they came to Christ for “in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily”––Colossians 2:9
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When Jesus returned to the Father He sent His Spirit to dwell in His people (John 14:16–18). The church is now become God’s dwelling place and anyone desiring to meet with God must find Him in living epistles “known and read of all men”––2 Corinthians 3:2.
d) If God was very particular indeed under the Old Covenant that His dwelling place should meet the divine pattern, how much greater and higher is His standard for the New Covenant church “…written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables
of the heart––2 Corinthians 3:3
-> The church of the living God is not called to be a church busy with its own plans and agenda… full of works and activities which God’s Spirit has not called for.
-> But what God wants is a church without “spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” ––Ephesians 5:27.
-> And what God wants is a church (called out ones) for Himself… for He has created us for His pleasure and for His glory.
God’s Heart is for a kingdom of kings and priests…
Revelation 1:5-6 [And from] Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
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That’s what God wants… Kings and priests, again recorded in Revelation 5:10!
a) God has always wanted a people for Himself… a dear and loyal and faithful and sold–out company who would love Him as he loves them, and be one with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, for all eternity.b) This cry has been on God’s heart from the beginning in creating man in His image and likeness.
1. Adam’s race called to be God’s Kings and Priests
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God created man to this end and set Adam in a garden to be His king and priest in the earth.
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But Adam failed and handed his sceptre and crown to God’s enemy, Satan.
2. Nation of Israel called to be God’s Kings and Priests
Exodus 19:1-6 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
3. The Aaronic Priesthood
1) Israel rejected God call and so God chose Levi to be the priesthood. Both Moses and his brother Aaron were Levites. Aaron had four sons – Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar – and they became the Aaronic Priesthood.
Exodus 28:1-2 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron
thy brother for glory and for beauty.
2) But this priesthood proved disastrous! Aaron made Israel a golden calf (Exodus 32) to worship while Moses was upon Mt Sinai seeking God.
3) Then Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu desecrated their office with strange fire and God’s judgment fell and slew them instantly:
And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the
LORD. (Leviticus 10:1-2)
• Nadab and Abihu offered “strange” or “profane” fire before the Presence of the glory. “Profane” means “to show disrespect or contempt or irreverence for sacred things”. (This was the sin of Shimei whom Solomon slew when he established his kingdom).
• “Strange” = zuwr [zoor] meaning to turn aside in a profane way (irreverent, blasphemous) ; to commit adultery by going after a strange or foreign woman.
• These two priests seized the censers that were set apart of the worship of the Lord and filled them with the fire and incense of their own choosing, not the offering prescribed by God.
• They came carelessly and with irreverence into the presence of the glory, bearing an unacceptable offering and treating as common that which was holy. And being priests they bore the greater judgment.
John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
• Immediately after this event Moses instructed that the two dead priests were to be taken outside the camp and buried:
Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said. (Leviticus 10:3-5)
• “Out of the camp” or outside the camp – disassociation without honour from the presence of God and the “church in the wilderness”.
• And then Moses warns Aaron and his two surviving nephews that they were not even to mourn their dead brethren lest they die as well:
And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your
heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let
your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled. And
ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the
anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses. (Leviticus
10:6-7)
4. The Eli Priesthood
1 Samuel 2:27-35 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father [Aaron], when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house? [28] And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel? [29] Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?
[30] Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
[31] Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm [of strength], and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. [32] And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.
[33] And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.
[34] And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them. [35] 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.
1) 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 self-centred 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 (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.
2) A Holy Remnant Priesthood Prophesied
The unknown prophet who came to Eli prophesied of a new kind of priesthood:
“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 an amazing 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 subsequent reign of David, there was a dual priesthood of Zadok and Abiathar who fulfil the type and shadow of this prophecy to the letter.
• 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 who spoke to Eli – one is of the spirit of Eli, the other is a ministry unto the Lord.
• Abiathar, who was of the house of Eli, in the line of Ithamar, had been the high-priest after the death of Ahimelech his father.
• Zadok, who succeeded him as high-priest, was descended from Aaron by the line of Eleazar.
– Both Zadok and Abiathar served jointly as priests in David’s kingdom – and both bore the Ark of the Covenant on their shoulders as it was returned by David to Jerusalem.
3) Let Us Look First at Zadok
I. SAUL: Zadok rejected Saul and gave his 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!
II. ABSALOM: And when so many others were being carried away with the rebellion of Absalom, Zadok remained faithful through it all.
III. ADONIJAH: And when David lay dying and succession to the throne was passing to Solomon, Zadok remained true to David and opposed Adonijah’s bid for the throne.
• 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.”
4) Now Let Us Look at Abiathar
I. SAUL: Abiathar chose to be faithful to David, like Zadok.
II. ABSALOM: Abiathar wanted nothing to do with Absalom’s rebellion. He appeared to be just as faithful as Zadok. He appeared outwardly holy, blameless, and faithful.
III. ADONIJAH: But here Abiathar failed his test, siding with Adonijah over Solomon, and thus betraying David
1 Kings 1:5, 7-8 “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”.
o He remained true to God in the test between Saul and David
o He remained true to God in the test between Absalom and David
o He failed God in the test between Adonijah and David
-> This rebellious company 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 fell under the curse of the house of Eli because of the latent sin of pride and rebellion in his heart. 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.
• Because his heart had not been cleansed, he joined Adonijah and Joab and Shimei in the fall from grace and loss of reward in the coming kingdom of Solomon.
• Solomon was going to build a new temple and God required a new priesthood for it! The ascension to the throne of David was a Divine test for the priesthood.
• King Solomon knew all about the curse upon the house of Eli. And he recognized Abiathar as being of that kind of priesthood in his siding with Adonijah.
1 Kings 2:27 “So Solomon thrust out [dismissed] Abiathar from being priest unto the Lord, that he might fulfil the word of the Lord, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh”.
• What an amazing fulfilment of prophecy! A man who once been faithful in two major tests of God and shared the sufferings of his Lord – now dismissed, rejected. He is told to go his own way, for he is of no more use to God’s kingdom!
5. The Zadok Priesthood Read Ezekiel 44:15-19, 23
Ezekiel 44:15-19 But the priests the Levites, 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, saith 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. And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat. And when they go forth into the utter court, even into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments… Ezekiel 44:23 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
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Ezekiel prophesied That the Priesthood Of Zadok and Levi Would Become More Pronounced in the Latter Days.
Ezekiel 40:46 “These are the sons of Zadok, who from the sons of Levi come near to the Lord to minister to Him”
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This anointed and holy priesthood is to be the fulfilment of God’s desire for a nation of kings and priests––a glorious temple and dwelling place for God Himself.
• 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.
Ezekiel 44:23 “ And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.”
• Their only true possession in life is the Lord Himself.
Ezekiel 44:28 “…and you shall give them no possession in Israel – I am their possession“
The New Temple, the dwelling place of God – the Church!
In the 40th chapter of Ezekiel, the prophet is taken by spirit-flight from Babylon to Jerusalem.
• In the 25th year of the Babylonian captivity – The 14th year after the fall of Jerusalem.
• Ezekiel’s name in Hebrew means ‘in the strength of God’.
Ezekiel 40:1-2 “In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the
tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day
the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither. In the visions of God brought he me
into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city
on the south”. *
• He is spiritually transported to a high mountain, and he is shown an unfamiliar city (“something like the structure of a city on the south”).
1) Ezekiel, coming from the north, is set down upon “a very high mountain” which portrays Mt Zion on which Jerusalem with its temple stood.
2) But this mountain is not the literal Zion, nor any other actual mountain. It exists only in vision, it is “the mountain of the Lord’s house” described by the prophet Isaiah and speaks of the Kingdom of God.
Isaiah 2:2-3 “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”
The apostle John was taken up in the Spirit to the same “great and high mountain”
Revelation 21:9-11 “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal”
• Standing on the mountain, Ezekiel and sees the city-like frame of the new temple stretching southward.
1) The temple structure is so vast and varied that it bore the aspect of a city – far larger than the site of the former city of Jerusalem!
In Ezekiel 40:3 God brings him close up to it, so as to inspect it minutely.
2) He is in God’s holy temple-city built by the Spirit of God… the New Jerusalem
3) This is the same city Abraham had spent his life seeking… Hebrews 11:10 “For [Abraham] looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”
4) John likewise was given a vision of this same temple-city in Revelation 21:
Revelation 21:2-4 “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away”
5) The apostle Peter describes this spiritual temple in his first epistle:
1 Peter 2:5, 9 “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. [9] But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”
• On this mountaintop Ezekiel encounters a Christophany (an appearance of the preincarnate Christ in the Old Testament) – “Whose appearance was like brass” and who held a line of flax and a measuring rod.
Again, the appearance of Christ is similar to John’s Christophany in Revelation
Revelation 1:13-15 “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.”
1) In Scripture, brass (or bronze) speaks of Divine judgment. It was the substance of the brazen altar in the Tabernacle and Temple where the sacrifice for sin was offered before God.
• Ezekiel sees the King is standing in His Kingdom – come as Judge to measure His temple.
• John was given the same “measuring reed” in Revelation and commanded to measure the temple:
Revelation 11:1-2 “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is * given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”
• The line and the reed were instruments for measuring the trueness and straightness of buildings in Old Testament times.
o Line: used for longer measurements:
Zechariah 2:1-2 “I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.”
o Reed: used in measuring houses. It marked the straightness of the walls.
Revelation 21:15 “And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof”. *
2) The Man’s words to Ezekiel were very succinct:
Ezekiel 40:4 “And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart [focus intently] upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel.”
• i.e. “Ezekiel, give this your full attention for you were brought here so that I might show these things to you!”
• Note: Ezekiel is the only person in the Bible, other than Christ Himself, who is addressed as “Son of man” with a capital ‘S”. There is one reference to Daniel as “son of man” with a small ‘s’ in Daniel 8:17.
• Following this special admonition, great detail is taken to familiarize Ezekiel with the measurement, gates, common areas, windows and directions of passage in this great temple of worship.
• Although Ezekiel served in the former temple, he was to be familiar with the new temple and understand how different this worship and its edifice would be from the one to which he was accustomed.
3) This true spiritual temple shows Ezekiel how far away the old temple is from the real things of God.
• The Spirit points out the necessity of familiarizing oneself with this new Temple, focusing upon its structure and being like Ezekiel in noting its particulars.
Ezekiel 40:46 “And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, which come near to the LORD to minister unto him.”
• The Spirit declared that the Sons of Zadok must know this temple like the back of their hands. They must prepare themselves for making this temple their life and ministering there, their work.
4) With the Coming of a New Temple God is Raising Up a New Priesthood.
• Ezekiel shows a contrast between two kinds of ministry: the sons of Zadok and the ordinary Levites. Not all Levites were Zadokites, but all Zadokites were Levites.
• Vast differences between the ‘Eli’ system and the ‘Zadok’ priesthood:
• Between hype and hypocrisy in religious circles – and high calling and holiness in spiritual circles.
• Between what proceeds from God – and what emanates from the heart of man.
• Because what man touches he corrupts
Ezekiel 43:10-12 Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house. *
2) What Characterises Those Who May minister to God as opposed to those who may not?
But I will make them [the defiled and unholy ministry] keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein. (Ezekiel 44:14)
• This penalized ministry were to be identified with a straying congregation (vs 10-14).
• An unholy congregation would be ministered to by an unholy clergy.
• Both ministers and people were worshipping idols alongside one another.
• God showed Ezekiel the secret idolatry and adultery and blasphemy of the priesthood and the people.
• The holiness of the Zadok priesthood was evident to all.
Psalms 89:7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of
all them that are about him.
“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints” (Commentary from The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon):
“Those saints of his who walk close with him, have a daunting power in their appearance. Sometimes when you come into the presence of one who is truly godly, whom your conscience tells you walks close with God, does not even the very sight of such a one terrify you? Does not the very lustre of that holiness you see strike your conscience.
“Ecclesiastical stories tell us of Bishop Basil of the early church: when the officers came to apprehend him, he then being exercised in holy duties, that there was such a majesty and lustre from his countenance that the officers fell down backward (as they did who came to apprehend Christ), and they were not able to lay hold of him. When Basil died in 379AD he was mourned by the entire city, and the weeping crowds at his funeral included Christians, Jews, and pagans.
• This is a far cry from the Lord’s complaint through Isaiah:
Isaiah 29:13 “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men”
• The Significance of the Zadok Priesthood:
-> Zadok comes from the Hebrew word Tsodek meaning ‘to be right’. The Hebrew word for ‘a righteous one’ is Tsadek = one who is righteous.
In Biblical thought, in the Hebrew language – which Paul tries to communicate to Greeks in Philippi – one cannot be righteous unless one is right. If one is not tzodek, one cannot be a tzadek.
| In other words, if what you believe is wrong, you have no chance of being righteous. The fact that what you believe is right, however, does not guarantee that you are righteous. One can believe what is right and still be unrighteous; Paul tells us this in 1 Corinthians 13. It cannot be assumed that because someone’s doctrine is right, they are also right. It may be an indication of righteousness, and in fact it is; however, it does not prove righteousness. However, if what someone believes is wrong, that person cannot be righteous. |
• Self–elected, never saved and never called.
• Look at verse 10: ” . . . the Levites who went astray from Me when Israel went astray”.
• Isaiah begins by castigating the clergy for leading the people astray. Jeremiah begins in the same way.
• Earlier in his ministry, Ezekiel begins also by following the examples of his predecessors, Isaiah and Jeremiah. However, in the second half of his book, Ezekiel reverses it. He no longer says that it is the leaders leading the people away; the problem becomes the people leading the leaders astray.
• In other words, the blame of the leaders here is not that they are misleading the people, but that they are failing to be leaders. Instead, they are letting the people dictate what should be done.
A Levite will always give the people what they say they want; the Zadokites, on the other hand, will give the people what God says they need.
• Today the big philosophy in church growth is, ‘find out what the people want and give it to them.’
• The church will therefore become more and more like the world. ‘Oh, they want Christian rock music and smoke machines, so we’ll give it to them’. So instead of having worship services, you basically have rock concerts in church, based not on the worship of God but on the worship of worship.
• But the righteous clergy give the people what they need. They were the minority. Let us look further, to understand how this works.
3) A Change of Priestly Garments
Ezekiel 44:17-18 And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.
• Notice that the high priest could not have a mixture. The Levites had a mixture, but the Zadokites had none.
• The Zadokites could also not wear anything that would make them sweat. Why? Let’s begin by looking at the mixture: they were forbidden to make a garment of flax and wool. God hates and despises mixture.
Revelation 19:7-8 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
• A Zadokite wore pure linen; his deeds were no mixture, so there would be no sweat. The Levite had a mixture, so there would be perspiration. In other words, a Zadokite would rest in the Lord, whereas the Levite would strive in the flesh.
Ezekiel 44:23 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
• A Zadokite will teach discernment. A Levite will be politically correct; he will not teach discernment.
• Only a righteous leader will teach discernment. When you see churches that will not deal with error, will not teach the people what is wrong with what’s being shown and espoused on popular ‘Christian’ television – when you see people who will not take a stand and warn people when they go to a Christian book shop what kinds of books to keep away from – when you find that discernment is not being taught in a church – that is a Levite, not a Zadokite.
• A Levite will always compromise truth. Once people begin compromising truth, it won’t be long before they are compromising morality.
Ezekiel 44:24 “And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.” *
• A Zadokite, a righteous minister, will take a stand in a dispute and judge Biblically. Again, a Levite will be politically correct. He will come down on the fence.
• Remember that Ezekiel prophesies not only for his own day or even for the first coming of Jesus, he also prophesied for the last days.
To which priesthood do you belong? Zadok or Abiathar?
• God is even now raising up the royal priesthood – sons of Zadok!
1 Peter 2:5, 9 “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.[9] But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”
• We are called to a ministry to the Lord. All direction comes to this priesthood while we minister to the Lord.
Acts 13:2 “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”
• There is a sure word that will come forth to all those who love the Lord and who know their ministry is of Him and to Him. All other ministry springs out of that ministry to Him.
• Is the Spirit purging you? Are you being refined by fire? Do you hunger for Christ’s holiness? Do you sigh and weep over the abominations in the church and in the land? Are you casting down the idols in your life?
1 Peter 4:17-19 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it
first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the
righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let
them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well
doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
• The Lord is coming in this hour of judgment to cleanse His temple a second time – to raise up a new priesthood of believers who can minister to Him in the new Temple!
