STILL MORE NOTES ON THE VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTEOUS: THE ZADOK PRIESTHOOD AS THE LAST DAYS REMNANT CHURCH

SCRIPTURE. “Then David said, ‘None should carry the Ark of God but the Levites, for the Lord chose them to carry the Ark of God and to minister to Him forever.’” – 1 CHRONICLES 15:2, AMPC

QUOTATIONS

DELUGE. “Then from the bowels of the Abyss boiled up the Big Waters; Each wellhead spewed wide its wild-racing torrent; No bank but burst apart, by river or pool; The seas in great surges swelled toward the sky; The clouds cleft in pieces, that carried the rain: From rifts high in the heavens it rushed down to earth; Forty days undiminished the deep flood rises. The woods were awash, and the wide fields, for when the weather of the welkin had wet the whole world, all beings that drew breath were bound to perish. They who marked the mischief lamented their fate, that they were doomed to drown in the deep streams.” – THE GAWAIN POET, “Noah’s Flood,” c. 1375-1400’ edited

DECALOGUE. “The Ark of the Covenant, Hebrew Aron Ha-berit, in Judaism and Christianity, the ornate, gold-plated wooden chest that in Biblical times housed the two tablets of The Law given to Moses by God. The Ark rested in the Holy of Holies inside the Tabernacle of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem and was seen only by the high priest of the Israelites on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The Levites (priestly functionaries) carried the Ark with them during the Hebrews’ wanderings in the wilderness.” ― EDITORS,  Encyclopaedia Britannica, July 20, 1998; edited

DELIVERANCE. “You cannot come to Christ unless the Spirit of God brings you. But what if you ignore His warnings? Then you are in the gravest danger, for some day God will no longer be speaking to you. Then it will be too late. ‘Come to Christ while there is still time.’ Christ, God’s Greater Ark, stands ready to welcome you to safety today.” ― BILLY GRAHAM, Hope for Each Day: Words of Wisdom and Faith, 2006; edited

1. FIRST THOUGHTS

“The Great Flood is on its way.” So it is that from the pen of an unapologetic atheist-environmentalist in her landmark work, ‘Rain: A Natural and Cultural History,’ CYNTHIA BARNETT ‘prophesies’ more accurately about what is coming to the earth than ten thousand American pastors. Without knowing it of course, but nonetheless:

A Prophecy for our times.

The Biblical Narrative of The Ark comes to us in THREE MANIFESTATIONS (1) The literal, Biblical Deluge from Genesis 7. (2) The Ark of the Covenant from Exodus 25. (3) Most importantly, Jesus Christ as our Ark of Safety found in Matthew 24:37. Let’s treat each one in proper sequence to establish a theological beachhead for the analysis that follows.

ONE: THE DELUGE. [God says to Noah]: “For in seven days I am going to cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights; and I will destroy (blot out, wipe away) every living thing that I have made from the surface of the earth.” – GENESIS 7:4, AMPC

Of this Epochal Event theologian JOSEPH BENSON writes: “‘Yet seven days’ — Or after seven days, which time the long- suffering of God (1 Peter 3:20) granted to the world, as a further space for Repentance, of which, therefore, it is probable, ‘Noah gave them notice.’ And it is not unlikely that many of them, who slighted the threatening when it was at the distance of one hundred and twenty years, now hearing another threatening, and considering the nearness of their danger, might be more affected, and brought to Repentance. And although destroyed, as to their bodies, by The Flood, for their former and long-continued impenitence, yet might be saved in their spirits, 1 Peter 4:6. And as it is likely that some, who were preserved from the waters by the Ark, nevertheless, at last, perished in Hell; so some that were drowned in The Deluge might be eternally saved into Heaven [Selah].

With respect, however, to the generality, this Reprieve was certainly in vain: see Luke 17:26, and 2 Peter 2:5. ‘These seven days were trifled away after all the rest, and they continued secure until the day that The Flood came.’ While Noah told them of the Judgment at a distance, they were tempted to put off their Repentance: But now he is ordered to tell them that it is ‘at the door;’ that they have but one week more to turn them in, to see if that will now at last awaken them to consider the ‘things that belong to their peace’. But it is common for those that have been careless for their souls during the years of their health, when they have looked upon death at a distance, to be as careless during the days, the seven days of their sickness, when they see it approaching, their hearts being hardened by the ‘deceitfulness of sin. Reader, art thou the man?’”– Notes on the Holy Bible, 5 vols., 1811-1818; edited

THE GREAT OFFENSES. Given the breathtaking magnitude and violence of a Worldwide Flood, one has to ask: ‘What was it’ that so infuriated the Lord that at one point He declared: “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” TWO REASONS underlie this unprecedented, Divine Rage.

• HUMAN INIQUITY. “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually … The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” – GENESIS 6:5, 11; NKJV

• DEMONIC INIQUITY. “There were Nephilim (men of stature, notorious men) on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they gave birth to their children. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown (great reputation, fame).” – GENESIS 6:4, AMP

UNPRECEDENTED EVIL. Two Hebrew words are used to described this Antediluvian Proto-Earth. (1) Wickedness [‘Ra,’ וָרָֽע]: “Calamity, mischief, sorrow, grief, adversity, frenzy and violence; (2) Corruption [‘Shachath,’ שָׁחַת]: “An utter waste destined for complete ruin; to be marred, spoiled or mutilated; morally perverse, monstrous [bestial]; to be entirely cast off.”

Do bear in mind that this tidal wave of Moral Darkness was ‘Worldwide;’ there was no place on the planet that was good, no exception to the Rule of Wickedness anywhere. In fairness, the world back then was certainly much different than it is today, with scientists and historians proposing a population of 500-750 million souls concentrated primarily in what today is known as the Middle East. Recall also that human beings lived much longer during this period, up to 700 years on average.

All of which leads us to:

THE FIRST REMNANT. “On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark … [And] God destroyed (blotted out, wiped away) every living thing that was on the surface of the earth; man and animals and the crawling things and the birds of the heavens were destroyed from the land. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.” – GENESIS 7:13, 23, AMP

Only Eight Souls. Thus was the First Remnant preserved out of nearly one billion people on which the human race would be reestablished. Yet to demonstrate our fierce propensity for evil, by Genesis 11, the Lord had to once more intervene in the wickedness of mankind, because this time desired to become greater than our Creator:

“They said, ‘Come, let us build a city for ourselves, and a tower whose top will reach into the heavens, and let us make a [famous] name for ourselves, so that we will not be scattered [into separate groups] and be dispersed over the surface of the entire earth [as the Lord instructed].’” – GENESIS 11:4, AMP

THE APPLICATION. Though I suspect the pertinence to Our Times is pretty obvious to the great majority of you, let me state just a little bit of the obvious. We see in today’s American Church overwhelming evidence that the Truth about the approaching Storm of Judgments headed for us from Almighty God are being suppressed by almost every pulpit in the country. Or retranslated into a defense of Church iniquity. It is this sort of blindness that consumed the people of Noah’s day, and which so perilously characterizes so many Christians of today.

A Great Flood is coming, beloved, and is articulated specifically in the FIRST SIX SEALS of the Book of Revelation, Chapter 6: Antichrist; War; Famine; Pestilence; Persecution; and Cosmic Chaos. Too, as in Noah’s Day, the people, believer and unbeliever alike, were oblivious to the impending Judgments.  Selah.

1. THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

TWO: THE DECALOGUE. Indiana Jones’s epic fictional movie, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981) notwithstanding, in order to establish a Context for this section, I turn to the respected online journal, Bible Study Tools in a review written by JENNA BROOKE CARLSON (ret. Jan. 23, 2023; edited).

“In Exodus 25:10, Moses receives the Command to build an Ark of acacia wood. Within this Ark were to be placed the ‘Tables of The Law’ which God was about to give to Moses. Upon the top of the Ark, probably not as a lid but above the lid, was a golden plate upon which two cherubim, with raised wings and facing each other, covered the Ark. From the place between the two cherubim, God promises to speak to Moses, as often as He shall give him Commands in reference to the Israelites. 

The Ark was designed to be a symbol of the ‘Presence of God’ in the midst of His people is the common teaching of the Old Testament. This place on the lid was also referred to as the ‘Mercy Seat.’ Once a year a priest would enter the Holy Tent and sprinkle blood from a sacrificed animal to atone for the sins of Israel. This Old Covenant on the Day of Atonement is no longer needed as Jesus Christ became a New Covenant in which His sacrifice on the Cross was a complete atonement for sins …

Other contents believed to have been in the Ark of the Covenant were: A pot of Manna from when Israel was in the wilderness to remind them of God’s love, provision and care; and the Rod of Aaron to symbolize God’s given leadership and priesthood.”

THE MYSTERY OF THE ARK. There are at least TWO GREAT QUESTIONS associated with this extraordinary creation of the physical Ark of the Covenant. I briefly touch upon each below to increase the intensity of its importance to both history and to the present hour.

This is taken from an excellent article by HARRY ATKINS writing for the online journal, History Hit (Apr. 23, 2022; edited).

• THE ARK AS WEAPON. “The Ark plays a significant role in the Biblical Stories of the Exodus from Egypt and the conquest of Canaan. In both cases, ‘the Ark is used as a tool to defeat the enemy.’ In Exodus, the Ark is carried into battle by the Levites, and its Presence causes the Egyptian army to flee. In Joshua, the Ark is carried around Jericho for seven days, and on the 7th day, the walls of Jericho collapse. The Ark is also mentioned in the story of Samuel, when God uses it to reveal his will to Eli, and in the Book of Kings, when the Ark is captured by the Philistines but is eventually returned to Israel.”

• THE LOCATION OF THE ARK. “The Ark is only fleetingly mentioned in the Old Testament after 2 Chronicles 35:3, in which King Josiah orders its return to the Temple of Solomon: ‘Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. It is not to be carried around on your shoulders.’ This narrative suggests that the Ark was kept in the Temple of Solomon until the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC. During the invasion, the Temple was looted and destroyed and the Ark’s whereabouts have been the subject of excitable speculation ever since. There are many theories about what happened to the Ark following the destruction of the Temple of Solomon. Some believe that it was captured by the Babylonians and taken back to Babylon. Others propose that it was hidden away before the Babylonians arrived, and that it’s still hidden somewhere in Jerusalem.”

Which brings us neatly to the Core Reason for this Commentary: ‘Zadok and the Levitical Priesthood as Forebears of the Last Days Remnant.

1. THE TEACHING

SCRIPTURE. “Then David said, ‘None should carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the Lord chose them to carry the ark of God and to minister to Him forever.’” – 1 CHRONICLES 15:2, AMPC

THREE: DELIVERANCE. In case it was not obvious by now, I am building a case for today’s Last Days Remnant to be recognized as ‘heirs of the Levitical Priesthood.’ Beginning with Moses’ elder brother Aaron during The Exodus, this line is both long and highly honored and carries with it enormous responsibility for remaining loyal to both Christ and Canon.

As I have also argued in previous commentaries, the essence of “BIBLICAL HOLINESS,” by this ancient standard is operationally defined by ‘Remaining True to God’s Word – to His doctrines, His precepts, His Law, His way of life – beginning with The Tablets from Sinai. That is why the Lord so intensely warned of “false christs” and “false doctrines of demons” permeating the End of History, and why we are royally commissioned to fight against it with all our might!

KEY TERMS. As always then, we turn now to the Central Ideas presented in this brief passage to nail down even more tightly the argument that I am attempting to advance.

• CARRY THE ARK. Taken from the Hebrew word, ‘Nasah’ [נָשָׂא]: “To lift up, to advance or arise; ‘to suffer to bear;’ exalt; to magnify; to burn [with zeal]; to raise up high [the name and works of God]; to extol or bring forth [and otherwise honor above all else].” DK: Only the Levites were qualified to bear God’s burden with honor, courage and joy.

• CHOSEN. Here the word is, ‘Bachar’ [בָּחר]: “From an ancient root word meaning ‘to try or test’ in order to be found acceptable; which is based on a thorough examination [by God] to prove one’s worthiness; communicates a most careful and deliberate choice by the Lord; a Divine appointment.” DK: We are to take our duty most seriously, at every moment and occasion.

• MINISTER TO GOD. Finally, we have a designation of the priest’s primary function; from the word, ‘Sharath’ [שָׁרַת]: “To attend to, wait on, serve; to firmly oppose all forms of idolatry; to perform a sacred service to God; also, to supply all forms of relief to the afflicted; to worship.” DK: This, to be blunt, is ‘our most sacred charge,’ and to avoid all possible compromise, no matter what!

COMMENTARY. “‘Then David said’ – Either within himself, or to his ministers and courtiers about him: ‘None ought to carry the Ark of God but the Levites;’ he saw his former mistake in employing those that were not Levites in bringing up the Ark from Kirjath-jearim, and bringing it in a cart, and not on the shoulders of the Levites, and so miscarried in his attempt (2 Samuel 6:1) and, perhaps, had since more diligently consulted the Law of God about this matter: ‘For them hath the Lord chosen to carry the Ark of God, and to minister unto Him forever;’as long as the Levitical Dispensation lasted, as appears from Numbers 1:50.”

Codicil: “For many are called (invited, summoned), ‘but few are chosen.’” – JESUS OF NAZARETH, Matthew 22:14, Amplified

There is a ton of wise counsel here for the contemporary condition of the American Church. CHARLES ELLICOT’S Commentary (1878, 1897), for example, reduces this grave honor to simplest structure: The ‘chosen’ are those who both accept the invitation and comply with its conditions.” To “comply” means ‘to yield’ to God’s will in every single matter before us, summarized in the Colonial War Cry in 18^th century America:

“We have no king but King Jesus!”

THE ZADOK PRIESTHOOD. With all of that in mind therefore, we turn now to this special group of Levitical priests called ‘The Zadok Priesthood.’ I hope to make abundantly clear the historical significance of this original Faithful Priesthood to God’s present demand for a company of ‘Last Days Zadok’s,’ if you will, who shall take no knee save to Him in these Times of Apostasy all around us.

In order to best do this, I turn to THREE SERMONS BY DAVID WILKERSON dealing with this Prophetic Idea, officially dated 2002, though no sermon was clearly assigned a date. Mr. Wilkerson was killed in an automobile accident on April 27, 2011, so it is quite possible that the date posted above is valid.

• BACKGROUND. “Then [an unnamed] man of God came to Eli and said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord … Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel? …  But I will raise up for Myself ‘a faithful priest’ who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an Enduring House, and he will walk before My anointed always’ (1 Samuel 2:27, 29, 31-33, 35). We find here a curse upon one priesthood – and the prophetic raising up of ‘an enduring’ holy-remnant priesthood. ‘Eli represents a cursed priesthood,’ a priesthood of self-centered servants of God. They are called priests, but lightly esteem the work of God. They do not like the ministry of correction. Their spiritual children become wicked because of their lazy lifestyles and their refusal to cry out against sin. They ‘make themselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people’ (verse 29).”

• 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.”

• ABIATHAR. 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’ [by God] — and Zadok is made the example of the holy, Remnant Priesthood. Why? It’s spoken by the Unnamed Prophet who 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 [the chief herdsman to Saul]. 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.”

• LAST DAYS LEGACY. The obvious teaching here was that in the very Last Day God will continue the legacy of both ZADOK AND ABIATHAR. There will be one anointed, highly favored Holy Remnant preserved according to the ‘Example of Zadok,’ and another, an accursed yet vast majority Church in the ‘Way of Abiathar.’ The former fully devoted to the Messiah, ready to lay down their very lives for Him and His Truth. The latter, oppositely, self-serving, working hard to preserve their own estate, position, security and sense of importance. NOTE: God loves and blesses and anoints the former, but hates and withdraws from the latter, the very ones He prophesies He shall “vomit from His mouth!” (Rev. 3:16).

The Meaning: ALBERT BARNES minces no words in his Commentary (1835; edited) concerning what Jesus meant: “The idea is, that ‘they would be utterly rejected and cast off as a church!’”

Please think on that, Pastor, most seriously.

WILKERSON CONCLUDES. “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!”

ONLY THE REMNANT! Beloved, “Not everyone gets to go,” as I have said it so many times. No, no. Only THE ZADOK REMANT OF GOD is permitted to: (1) Carry forth the Last Days ARK OF SAFETY, and (2) ARISE BY HIM to the clouds! – cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Only these.

1. LAST THOUGHTS

PROFILE OF THE AMERICAN CHURCH. Since I have been pretty rough on pastors during the past three years or so, I feel it only fair to specify ‘just why’ that is. Therefore, I will conclude this Commentary with a Generalized Snapshot of the American Christian Pulpit in 2023.

It isn’t pretty, but I understand from a very wise Man that it’s the Truth that sets us free, and not the Lie (John 8:32).

I cull most of these closing remarks from a superb, no holds barred essay by Lutheran pastor and veteran journalist, ANGELA DENKER as excerpted from her recent book, ‘Red State Christians: A Journey into White Christian Nationalism and the Wreckage it leaves behind’ (2022).

THESIS.Both Ms. Denker and I are operating from a Uniform Premise: ‘An Abomination’ has taken place in the American Church that constitutes The Great Apostasy of the Last Days that was prophesied by the Law, the Prophets, the Apostles, and the Messiah Himself.

What follows will give some of the grotesque details, in her passionate, narrative form.

“On Sunday, January 10, 2021, I woke up early, stepped out my back door into frigid, biting air, and drove from one America into another … I drove into red America to lead a tiny rural church in worship that Sunday morning, but before I did so, I took a deep breath and told my church members about the time that I was a victim of ‘Right-wing white Christian terrorism.’

Maybe terrorism is too strong a word, but I was terrified when Breitbart News took a screenshot of my interview on CNN in December 2019 and blasted it across their front page. They initially called me a ‘liberal pastor’ who said American Christians had ‘lost the Gospel of Jesus Christ’ and instead embraced a gospel of wealth, power, and Christian Nationalism.

Breitbart didn’t misquote me, but their framing of the interview led to a barrage of online harassment and threats, from the bizarre (a message suggesting my “swollen, lumpy throat” indicated cancer) to the scary (bleak and violent threats).

I combed my online presence and made sure my home address wasn’t visible anywhere. I ensured Facebook posts with pictures of my kids were no longer public for the most part. But Breitbart’s goal wasn’t actually to harm me or my family.

‘It was to silence me.’

My clear analysis of the distortion of the Gospel in American Christianity posed a threat to the Right-Wing White Christian Empire of wealth and power, an Empire encompassing publishing houses, TV networks, churches, colleges, universities, and schools. It shakes hands with corporate America to ensure that no one upsets the apple cart of an agreement first made in Imperial Rome some 1,700 years ago, when Emperor Constantine first attempted to colonize Christianity under the guise of Empire.

‘For all these years since, Biblical Christianity — forged in the cross, humility, and poverty — has been At War with a Co-opted Christianity’ that forgets Jesus’ Gospel of Liberation and instead seeks to use His Story to entrench wealth and power in the hands of a few white men …

With this Jesus in mind, this Jesus who is decisively not American and wholly not white, I invite you to read the rest of this book with His instructions in mind: “See, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves’ (Matthew 10:16).”

CODA. Beloved friends of Christ, I have found vastly more Christian wisdom and compassion in this admittedly ‘liberal narrative’ than I have in a thousand Evangelical and Spirit filled churches across the landscape of this tortured land. We are not merely at a crossroads any longer:

We are at an Historic Watershed: “A crucial dividing point that serves to separate one faction from another.”

I Propose: If we do not make a Sea Change Reversal of Course in American Christianity in the next two years, we are lost. If you listen very carefully, you can hear the ancient creak of a massive gopher wood door begin to close (Genesis 7:13-16), shouting to us all, this one more time:

“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” – JESUS OF NAZARETH, Matthew 24:37-39, New King James Version

Choose well beloved, and especially you, Pastor. Everything depends on it.

Ever your servant, DK

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