"The Road to Captivity", Part 7; A Study in Jeremiah, Chapters 30-33
ZADOK PUBLICATIONS - Dr. C. R. OLIVER
January 1, 2010

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ZADOK PUBLICATIONS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

January 1, 2010

"The Road to Captivity", Part 7
A Study in Jeremiah, Chapters 30-33

          Our continuing theme, "The Road to Captivity," wherein comparison is made between judgment on the House of Judah and the spiritual estate of Christianity in the free world, including national captivity for many parts of it, finds new ground in these chapters.
          No, Judah was not rescued from its intended course. No, the message of Jeremiah was not received by the government or the multitudes. No, Jerusalem was not spared the injury of destruction. No, the temple was not left standing as a witness. What was modified was the tenor of the message of the Lord to those facing calamity.
          God chose to give a message of hope to those being taken away. It is a prophetic hope for end-time deliverance. Right at the moment the captors broke through the walls, He shouted down a word about their future. (Note: Without getting into eschatology and end-time prophetic speculation, the message of Jeremiah will be reviewed as, "God always brings His people to a place where He can be Sovereign and reign over them.") These chapters offer hope to a "hopeless" situation. They bring light to those enveloped in the darkest moments of their lives. All these rays of future joy did not, however, diminish the terrible twisting and turning which occurred around these prophetic truths and their carrier.
          Jeremiah, recognizably, was a citizen of this doomed nation, but he was also a contrarian to all in which national Judah was involved. Zedekiah was impotent in governmental matters, profligate religiously and spiritually dead. His government reached out for foreign involvement in order to redeem it. His princes vacillated between adherence to his policy and rejection of his edicts. Zedekiah was never resolute on any issue. He turned from receiving God's word to putting away God's prophet. He couldn't make up his mind about any issue without sounding out his princes and following the route of "political correctness." Zedekiah was the epitome of a failed leader presiding over a spiritually (and thereby economically) bankrupt nation. Is there present-day similarity?
          Through all the turmoil, Jeremiah stealthily progressed through mine fields of entrapment and imprisonment, all the while hearing the clear voice of God and suffering for having remained true to his calling. This is the way of the prophet!

Chapters 30-31: A Tale of Two Houses:
           Introduction: Before showing the divisions of this and chapter 31, one must see how the overriding theme: "God always brings His people to a place where He can reign over them," is based in Scripture. At this point there is a major shift.

Instead of recognizing a priesthood based on family and tradition, God chose to acknowledge only individuals who exhibited a proper condition of heart, as the requisite to approaching Him.

'For who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me?' says the Lord. You shall be My people, and I will be your God.'

Jeremiah 30: 21-22

In these two chapters, new rules were to be established. A new covenant was espoused. A "Know ME" criterion was to be established. (The only corporate entity God would recognize was to be made up of "individuals," who have pledged his/her heart to Him (the only corporate aspect would be individuals interacting with other individuals who exhibited a "pledged heart."). Ensuing verses revealed a "new thing" happening (which was to be a bride who encompassed Him, for she was set upon protecting her relationship with Him. See: Solomon's Secret.).

It would be amiss not to point out that throughout these two chapters, which offer many assurances, there are parallel assurances, one of which is: God will bring His wrath against all who persecute and take advantage of His "pledged heart" people.

          Exposition:

          30: 1-2
          Jeremiah was told to write a book for himself. Now, think of the task this entailed, for God had spoken these prophetic words over a period of twenty-six years. Yet, the Spirit gave him remembrance and we have the wonderful privilege of reading and using this book today. (It is necessary for the saints to keep records of the words God gives to them and preserve those words for posterity. Books [and other media] allow other persons [and generations that follow] to review and enter into the work of the Lord with an understanding of the sacred historical perspective. One of the great problems in education today is reliance on secular history. History is spiritual and the spiritual viewpoint of events must be chronicled and preserved.)

           30:3ff
           Verse three addressed the two houses of Jacob: the House Israel and the House of Judah. They were addressed separately because they were separate. Israel (who is Biblically referenced as Ephraim) was taken captive years before. Most of the prophetic work in these two chapters, nonetheless, refers to Ephraim and how God will preserve them. The Jews (the House of Judah) comprise only three verses.

(Note: Allow me at this juncture to make some observations. I believe all these future references and assurances are to a people who believe Jesus Christ is Lord, which are those of the "pledged heart." These "pledged heart" people are Israel-people. I do not believe there is a separate covenant for "Jews" which grant them entrance to the heaven-lies as "God's chosen people" without belief in the Lord Jesus as the Christ.)

           References to Jacob show the two houses in common need for words of encouragement.

'The days are coming,' says the Lord, 'that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,' says the Lord.

("My people" are the saints who have Jesus in their hearts. No other consideration is tenable either to Paul or to me.)

Years had passed since the Assyrians took away the House of Israel. To the House of Judah-they were ( out of sight, out of mind) gone and of little concern, so little, in fact, that one hears no mention of them in the pleadings of Judah for deliverance. God had not forgotten them, however.

I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.

Jeremiah 30:3

Along with the re-occupation of the land, bursting of bonds, there was to be a destroying of yokes. (Think of the yokes incumbent upon the Jews through vain traditions and Talmudic rules.) The last days Israel-people will serve under the Master yoke-breaker, they shall live under the kingship of the Son. Jacob will rest and be quiet. No one shall make them afraid. The "full end of all nations" will have occurred. Somehow, this is not the condition, nor will it ever be, of the State of Israel today.

The Lord promised a day when,

'They shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.'

Jeremiah 30:9

          That's Jesus!

          Modern Israel may think they have skirted the issue of His kingship by establishing themselves as a nation-state rather than a religious state, but they have not. Tragically, most of the leadership of current Israel as a nation are atheists and lean to communist ideology. Support of national Israel is a dangerous course for Christians.

          Every word of God's promises of restoration depends on Jesus Christ being Lord-He is the "raised up king."

(Note: Verse 8 where a curious statement is made. "I will break his yoke from your neck and will burst your bonds;" Grammatically a semicolon is used to end a statement. Ask, "Where is the antecedent to the 'his' spoken of in verse 8? Does it refer to Nebuchadnezzar and coincide with the next verse? No. Does it refer to Jacob? Yes. Every yoke put on Jacob's neck will be broken off, even the yoke of religious traditions and rites. )

It is also to be borne in mind that, throughout the whole prophecy, neither Babylon nor the king of Babylon is once mentioned; and that the judgment described in these verses cannot possibly be restricted to the downfall of the Babylonian monarchy, but is the judgment that is to fall upon all nations (v. 11). And although this judgment begins with the fall of the Babylonian supremacy, it will bring deliverance to the people of God, not merely from the yoke of Babylon, but from every yoke which strangers have laid or will lay on them.
(from Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

Terrible times were converging on ancient Judah, and God assured them He had things under control. "Alas! For that day is great and it is the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it (30:7)." (For our study, "the time of Jacob's trouble" is viewed as concurrent with Jeremiah, not a future state of being.) A great promise ensued,

Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, YET I will not make a complete end of you (30:11).

Spend a moment contemplating the phrase, "full end of all nations where I have scattered you." Jacob's seed has been scattered all over the world. Genealogical and archeological studies have proven this. (See: www.truthinhistory.org)

(Note: the house of Judah HAD INCURABLE WOUNDS THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED NOW, so there is a NOW aspect, even while God was projecting a THEN dimension. Many things have changed since Jeremiah's words. The Israel which God is addressing is redeemed Israel. They are those of the seed of Jacob who are the rightful owners of the territory and who will dwell in the kingdom of His dear Son.) The following passage is the NOW aspect.

'I will correct you in justice and not let you go altogether unpunished (30:11).'

Walk along with God and review the venue of Jacob's punishment and see if there are not parallels today.

1. The nation had no solution for their problems. (30:12ff) "Your affliction is incurable… You have no curing medicines… I have wounded you." (Notice who administered these wounds.)

2. Sin had increased exponentially. "For the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins have increased (30:14)." (Repeated in verse 15.)

3. Foreign Policy was in shambles, as they saw their alliance nations turn against them. "Your lovers have forgotten you; they do not seek you (30:13-14)."

These three elements will drive any nation to trouble. The proliferation of "alliances," treaties, covenants and pacts is spiritual co-mingling, resulting in disruption and failure. It was so with Judah and it is so today.

The founding fathers of the United States believed in having no foreign treaties. A principle the nation has violated to its great harm.

George Washington warned, "Steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world." Thomas Jefferson in 1801 was explicit: "peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations… entangling alliances with none."*
(*Thomas, Des, America: the last frontier for Manasseh, Kingdom Publishing, Georgia, 2001, page 201.)

Of course, Washington voiced his opinion on an equally great issue:
"No punishment, in my opinion, is too great for the man who can build his greatness upon his country's ruin (Ibid: 193)."

Self-aggrandizement and foreign intrigue brought Rome to the dust; why should it not bring the free world to its knees today? God Help us all!

God's intervention had a retributive course, for vengeance belongs to Him (30:16). (Remember: in the following verses, He is still addressing the redeemed.)

Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured.
All your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity;
Those who plunder you shall become plunder,
And all who prey upon you I will make a prey.

YHWH declared, "I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds (30:17)."
This was joined by verses 18-24 and is linked to "the latter days." Since we are in those days, we are fulfilling some of the action of verse 24, now. "In the latter days you will consider it." In the strictest sense, the readers of these newsletters are considering the relationship between those of Jeremiah's day and our own. In the broader spiritual sense, these things will come to pass during latter day times.

Chapter 31

'At the same time,' says the Lord, 'I will be the God of all the
families of Israel, and they shall be My people.'

          "At the same time," means those latter days of chapter 30 (the time of Jesus' reign over His people) and it specifically addresses Ephraim (the House of Israel). "When the watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim (31:6), Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God." (Note: planting vines in Samaria is a sure and symbolic approval of the Israel-people.)

          The return will be huge and God will "lead them." "I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, in a straight way in which they shall not stumble; for I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn." Zionists need to look at this passage very closely.

          Now, one must consider Chapter 31:18 in order to comprehend the entire matter of restoration and relief. "I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself" saying "Restore me and I will return, for You are the Lord my God." (Most of these great promises were directed to Ephraim [Israel] of the northern kingdom, who had been dispersed and thought to be forgotten of the Lord.) "You shall yet plant vines on the mountains of Samaria (31:5)." "Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more (31:15)." "Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a pleasant child? (31:20)." "For I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn (31:9)."

Ephraim is not Judah. Don't get into confusion about which promises are connected to whom. Judah was addressed specifically and separately in Jeremiah 31:23-25. Judah had a NOW hope:

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'They shall again use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I bring back their captivity: "The LORD bless you, O home of justice, and mountain of holiness!" And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all its cities together, farmers and those going out with flocks. For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.'

Some changes were to take place in the way God dealt with both houses. First, His promises would be based on individuals making Him the Lord of their life. Those individuals were to be in both houses. In Chapter 31: 26-34, the following is noted as Jeremiah spoke:

After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was sweet to me.

27 'Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. 28 And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD. 29 In those days they shall say no more:

'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children's teeth are set on edge.

30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.

31 'Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah - not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, "Know the LORD," for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.'

Building and planting a kingdom is important work. This kingdom is to be a theocracy. This kingdom will be made up of those who truly know Him as person. It will not be based on nationalism, where someone can blame another for his/her punishment. No longer will YHWH regard the corporate body, but the body composed of many parts (see Paul) all functioning for the edification of the other. No wall of separation will be there. (Like in Song of Solomon, the bride will encompass Him.) Everything will revolve around Him, not national identity.

Jeremiah 31:22, For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth -
A woman shall encompass* a man.

*OT:5437 cabab (saw-bab'); a primitive root; to revolve, surround, or border; used in various applications, literally and figuratively (as follows): - bring, cast, fetch, lead, make, walk, whirl, round about, be about on every side, apply, avoid, beset (about), besiege, bring again, carry (about), change, cause to come about, circuit, (fetch a) compass (about, round), drive, environ, on every side, beset (close, come, compass, go, stand) round about, inclose, remove, return, set, sit down, turn (self) (about, aside, away, back).
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Like always, God hinged the assurance of these promises on His integrity. From the viewpoint of the first chapters of Genesis, God indicated---the whole universe would have to collapse before one of these promises would be broken. (Why does the Lord always go back to the moment of creation to assure His people? The reason, I believe, is at the creation, when Light was spoken into being, that "fire" was released with all the ingredients of all the things that God was to do in connection with earth and its people.)

One caution was given by the Lord, "Don't lose your way." This admonition is found in the following verses and it is valid for today. In the midst of disintegration and national collapse, it is easy to get lost. Three directives were given.

Jeremiah31:21 Set up signposts, Make landmarks; Set your heart toward the highway, the way in which you went.

(Note: Many of the following Jeremiah verses have been incorporated in the several books by this author. First, in the book, Sealed Unto His Coming, there was noted the many "I will" passages listed below. [There is a popular teaching among Pentecostals that God has no arms but ours, no legs but ours, no voice but ours]---I beg your pardon, but no where in these "I will" passages does God refer to anything or anyone aside from His own power. Yes, I know such teaching has a spiritualizing reach, but let it be established that no man on earth was present at the very beginning and God did just fine. As a matter of fact, "in the beginning" has special pregnancy of meaning from which the whole earth and plan of God emerged.

30:3 I will bring back from captivity My people
30:3 I will cause them to return
30:8 I will break his yoke, I will burst your bonds.
30:9 David, their king, whom I will raise up
30:10 I will save from afar
30:11 I will not make a complete end of you, but I will correct you
30:17 I will restore health to you and heal you
30:18 I will bring back the captivity of Jacob's tents
30:19 I will multiply them and they shall not diminish, I also will glorify them
30:20 I will punish all who oppress them
30:21 I will cause him to draw near and he shall approach Me
30:22 I will be your God
31:1 I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people
31:4 I will build you
31:8 I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the ends of the earth.
31:9 I will lead them, I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters
31:14 I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance (Zadok priests).
31:20 I will surely have mercy on him
31:27 I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man
31:31 I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
31:33 I will make (this covenant) with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah (notice the separation carrying into the future).
31:33 I will be their God
31:34 I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more
31:37 I will also cast off all the seed of Israel (if the heavens can be measured)

Secondly, in the Sons of Zadok, the quote, "I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance," was used as a reference to the cleansed priesthood and pointed to the passage in Ezekiel 44 about the Sons of Zadok [known as the priests of righteousness].

Likewise, in the book, En Punto, one will find the quote from Jeremiah 31:9, "I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, in a straight way in which they shall not stumble." It is a beautiful reference to guidance by the Spirit, not only in directing our paths, but assuring our steadfastness.

In the book, Solomon's Secret, one will find this quote from Jeremiah 31:12, "Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, and they shall sorrow no more at all." The Garden of the Heart is watered by an internal fountain, a fountain opened by Him. )

At the end of Chapter 31, God called forth a crowning promise: a city "holy to the Lord." This is to be a holy city, not a divided one, not a shrine to Zionism, not a man-made Temple, not the central city for national pride, not a travel destination for inquiring multitudes, nor the battle-field between opposing religious codes… but a holy city!

Chapter 32: The Cost of the Truth

Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison which was in the king of Judah's house. For Zedekiah King of Judah, had shut him up…

Jeremiah 32:2, 3

Jeremiah was locked up because of his message. Even though Jeremiah was related to Zedekiah, he trucked no favor from his kinship. Mark it down, however, that one may pen up the prophet, but cannot cloister the prophecy. Zedekiah asked him, "Why do you prophesy and say, 'thus says the Lord, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon and he shall take it?'"

Zedekiah clearly wanted the prophet to change his message to fit Zedekiah's thinking, but the integrity of the true prophet would never allow that to happen. (Prophetic integrity must be restored to this generation.)

Jeremiah's prophetic words were counter to every prophetic word in the kingdom. His "thus saith the Lord" meant more than the sum total of all other prophetic utterances. Truth is like that… it is uncompromised and stands alone. O' that we should hear such words today!

Since a prophet must believe and rely on the word of the Lord, God answered Zedekiah's inquiry by an act of faith on Jeremiah's part. God caused His servant to invest in real estate. (The facts reveal a battle was being fought over the land at the exact moment his offer came. Jeremiah's own relative would not redeem it for those and other reasons.) Having faith in God's word, Jeremiah offered the price requested and set about [while still in the prison] to take the deed for the property, both in the sealed and in the open form. All aspects of a modern real estate transaction were employed in that purchase. Money changed hands. The contract was reduced to writing. The purchase was witnessed. Baruch was charged to keep the documents in a safe place.

Question: Why would a sane man ever buy property miles away, without inspection, during a national calamity in which his own prophetic word declared victory for the enemy? Rationally, even Jeremiah would not have done so. Faith-wise he trusted the prompting of the Lord and desired a stake in the future estate of believing Israel… trusting the prophetic word over the objections of human reason. This must be the case for every end-time believer!

Yes, God was insuring their return from Babylon. Yes, the modern rise of the nation Israel, from 1948 to the present, is by the hand of the Lord (not for the Zionist design, but as a "keeper society" to prepare for a greater day yet to come).

Verse 16, a prayer of confidence:

Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord saying: 'Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the Heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm THERE IS NOTHING TOO HARD FOR YOU.

(Reference to the creation in approaching God is very significant, because in that creation moment, He invested Himself and all His plans set before the foundation of the world.)

Jeremiah's faith was overflowing. His words of praise for His Mighty God were met and answered in verse 27:

Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

Jeremiah's, "You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to the fruit of his doings," was affirmed in God's own review of His works and wonders of the past. (Imagine, in prison, having just exercised his faith, Jeremiah bursts into words of praise and gives God glory. He is then enjoined by God Himself and they both extol the power of YHWH's dominion. What a happy duet that was!)

(Note: The song rightly says, "You are Great, You do miracles so great, There is no one else like You!")

Jeremiah, in verses 20-25, revealed the breadth of God's concerns. The Lord did great works of deliverance in Egypt, but was equally interested in the purchase of land by the prophet. God, who gave them a land flowing with milk and honey, assigned a piece of that land to His beloved Jeremiah.

(Note: As a land owner, Jeremiah had the spiritual rights over that land to confess and cleanse it. At this point, Jeremiah began to confess the sins of his people who sinned against God's loving hand. He was a property owner, and it was his right to confess over his land the blessings of God and seek to remove any curse through association it might have harbored [So do we!].)

They have not obeyed Your voice or walked in Your law. They have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do; therefore You have caused all this calamity to come upon them. Look… what You have spoken has happened; there You see it!

Jeremiah 32:24

Humorously, Jeremiah recited actions of the Hand of God in his own life. Even in the face of invasion, He leaned upon the foreknowledge of God. That is faith applied! He now owns a stake in the promised return!

You have said to me, O Lord God, 'Buy the field for money, and take witnesses.'

Jeremiah 32:25

The Lord joined in this humor. He told Jeremiah virtually that "Jeremiah didn't know half of how ridiculous it was for him to buy land at that time." In verse 29 YHWH recited the coming of the Chaldeans and the burning (destruction) which would take place. (The unbelieving religious, who are moved and react to 'circumstances,' are about to have a difficult time with those who act only by the voice of God.)

Had Judah listened and followed the will of God, they too would have found themselves doing ridiculous things in the face of the enemy, but they would have found deliverance.

Ridiculous action was often God's method of receiving glory, take Jericho for instance. Instead of marching around Jericho and seeing the walls fall, Zedekiah blindly took rational defensive actions (seemingly necessary for their survival) and witnessed their own walls fall. (Could this happen again in modern times?)

Notice how God took His own actions:

Fire on the roofs where the Baal sacrifices were made
Burning residences (because) "the children of Israel and the children of
     Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth. V.30
Removal of the city of Jerusalem from the sight of God, because
     "this city has been to Me a provocation of My anger and My
     fury from the day that they built it, even to THIS day, V.31."
The people removed from the city. By means of sword, pestilence
     and famine, all levels of society were "taken down." (Notice
    who is taken and in what order: Kings, princes, priests, prophets
     and then the citizenry. Vs. 32-34.)
Abominations come to an end. (The offerings of sacrifices to Moloch; the
     sacrificing of children [abortion?] to false gods V.35.)

God's plans for the true sons of Jacob were revealed.

l. I will gather them out of countries where I have driven them in My anger. V. 37
2. They shall be My people and I will be their God. V. 38
3. I will give them one heart and one way that
      they may fear Me forever, for the good
     of them and their children after them V. 39
4. I will rejoice over them. I will plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul, V. 41
5. I will cause captives to return.
     I will preserve the land of Jeremiah.
     Upon their return, they will buy land,
     make deeds and seal contracts. V. 44

Chapter 33

Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, WHILE He was still shut up in the court of the prison…

Vast numbers of people believe that prisoners hear nothing from God because they automatically assume they are irredeemable or "bad" or they wouldn't be incarcerated.
Wrong! Literally thousands of "believers" are in the prison systems of the US and other free nations. It doesn't take much to land there these days. It didn't take much in Jeremiah's day either. The Lord is not limited by bars, neither is He intimidated by them.

He is the God of the "impossible." Look at Joseph. Look at Paul. Look at Samson. Look!
What was the word? (God always certifies His creativity in making the universe as His credentials.) The word was in two parts. In the first part, ask yourself, "what then is the antecedent of 'it' in verse 2?" Is He referring to covenant? Yes!

Thus says the LORD who made it, the LORD who formed it to establish it (the LORD is His name):

Jeremiah 33:2

Review His next wonderful statement:

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:3

Of "those things which are to come" are features for both the near and the distant future.

1. He will restore Jerusalem and the city will be filled with rejoicing. (Near future)

2. He will bring health and healing and "reveal" to them the abundance of peace and truth. (A little further in the future, Jesus would come and the "revealing" would take root.)

3. He will perform "that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and the house of Judah (that good thing is found in vs. 15-16)." (This is Distant future.)

4. Jesus will reign and rule and Judah will be saved, v. 16
Jerusalem will be called, "The Lord our Righteousness" Jehovah Tsidkenu
Priests will be in abundance (Sons of Zadok).
Lineage on the throne of David will be proven through time, v. 21.
Abraham's seed will be universal in scope, v. 22.
True Israel will never cease to be, v. 26.

THE END TIME WORK OF THE SONS OF ZADOK

Many of my readers have asked the question, "How do we implement the teachings of the Sons of Zadok into our regular life?" They may also ask a different way, "What is the role of the Sons in the latter days?" Again, their question might be: "How do I meet and fellowship with other Sons of Zadok?"

These and other forms of inquiry course my desk so frequently that the Lord set upon my heart today to answer these issues.

First, one must review what is taught in the Sons of Zadok and what the Ezekiel 44 passages say. Sons of Zadok do primarily five things in these venues.

(1) They minister to God. The Sons of Zadok, in their ministering to God, praise and fellowship with Him in holiness and righteousness. Ministering to God is different than ministering to people, just as the "secret place of the most High" is different than the secularity of church. Ministering to God requires hearkening to His desires, seeking His face (the smile of acceptance and expressions of satisfaction). Ministering to God is attending to His voice and to the exclusion of the voices of men (including other ministers). Ministering to God is being open to His revelations and the willingness to receive His comments and corrections. Deep calls to deep when the Spirit moves on our hearts directing us to what is pleasing to Him. It is through ministering to Him the Sons ascertain their power and assignment in how to minister to others. There is no such thing as ministry that does not originate from Him.

Ezek 44:10-17
"And the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who strayed away from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity. 11 Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, as gatekeepers of the house and ministers of the house; they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them. 12 Because they ministered to them before their idols and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity, therefore I have raised My hand in an oath against them," says the Lord GOD, "that they shall bear their iniquity. 13 And they shall not come near Me to minister to Me as priest, nor come near any of My holy things, nor into the Most Holy Place; but they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. 14 Nevertheless I will make them keep charge of the temple, for all its work, and for all that has to be done in it."

15 "But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood," says the Lord GOD. 16 "They shall enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge. 17 And it shall be, whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, that they shall put on linen garments; no wool shall come upon them while they minister within the gates of the inner court or within the house.

(2) Sons of Zadok are to be teachers. They are to teach the multitudes the difference between the holy and the profane. They are to be constantly showing the contrast in their own lives from what is "acceptable" and what is "unacceptable." Much of what is taught and tolerated in the churches of today is "unacceptable" to God. The responsibility of the Sons of Zadok is both exemplary and didactic… they walk out what they teach. Many times, because of the condition of Christianity today, their work will be a one-on-one ministry. Certainly within their families there will be great opportunity to define the differences between God's will and way and those proffered by the world and religion. Sons of Zadok stand as a force for right in the face of a diminutive moral arena. They are the contrast to much of what is expounded from pulpits and public media as "Christian." Penetrating the facades of both clergy and laity, they stand in the place of intercessors and priests for multitudes seeking the truth.

Couched in terms of the Temple, they offer the same sacrifices the Levite's did, but they offer them with holy hands and from a pure heart. The same might be said for their position in the ranks of the churches. Intercessory prayer from holy hands and pure hearts coupled with the faith that He receives such ministrations is different than the normal "clergy" and their "laity" participants. When the Lord allowed system priests to continue ministering to the people who wanted their services, He assigned a counter to their work. He allowed the Sons to minister to them as well, but not along side them. He also restricted the activities of the Sons of Zadok.

Ezek 44:23-24
"And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. 24 In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments. They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings, and they shall hallow My Sabbaths.

(3) Sons are to disdain dead associations and sinful contact. The Bible says they are to observe some very strict personal and public cleanness… even to the point of what they wear, how they appear and whom they marry. They are prohibited to have certain relationships as well. When one's steps are ordered by the Lord, that must alter their behavior patterns in order to conform to His Image.

Ezek 44:19-22
When they go out to the outer court, to the outer court to the people, they shall take off their garments in which they have ministered, leave them in the holy chambers, and put on other garments; and in their holy garments they shall not sanctify the people.
Note: this lines up with the Zechariah/Joshua construct of removing stained garments which were stained through association and being clothed with new garments which were white and pure.)

20 "They shall neither shave their heads, nor let their hair grow long, but they shall keep their hair well trimmed. 21 No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court. 22 They shall not take as wife a widow or a divorced woman, but take virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel, or widows of priests.

Furthermore, the Sons are to avoid contact with the dead. I take this to mean associating with those spiritually dead as well. I firmly believe associations outside the prompting of the Spirit are sinful and harmful to the true Sons. This may well include disassociating oneself from worldly entanglements such as business associations and memberships, churches which are spiritually dead, persons who are clothed in death spiritually (there are many good "Christian" folk whom the Sons may not fellowship with because of their relationship to God). The only dead ones allowed into their lives are their family members who require a filial relationship.

Ezek 44:25
They shall not defile themselves by coming near a dead person.

The Sons are to be strict adherents to the things of God: I do not believe this requires Sons to be adherents to Talmudic and Hebraic festivals and feasts. I see no problem in them being celebrated and understood by the Sons, but I do believe God has individually spoken to them specific duties and matters they only must attend. These duties and mandates take precedence over any ritual or traditional exercise. This is doing the perfect will of God.

Ezek 44:24
They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings, and they shall hallow My Sabbaths.

(4) Sons are to be judges. People need to know who they can come to for guidance into "the right way." (Sons rather than "Christian counselors" are what are needed today.) God has established a system of judges around the world and the Sons are those judges. Many religious bodies simply do not understand this. God's original way of establishing equity was through His appointed judges, but the people wanted a king. They did not want what God had prepared for them. The church stands in that rebellion today. The multitudes still want a king… he or she maybe called pastor, but they function as kings of old. The "Christian" public wants answers that do not require spiritual insight nor demand spiritual commitment. The Sons of Zadok are to offer judgments according to Spirit direction that exhibit both. They are to uncover the will of God and assist their correspondents to come to God's conclusions in all matters of life. Sons are the saints who will someday judge the whole earth.

Ezek 44:24
In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments.

(5) Sons are not to follow the money. Rather than depending on man for their inheritance, their livelihood, and their resources---they are to "know" God Himself is their source. What a huge difference this factor alone makes in the way one ministers. Man dependence requires compromise, accommodation and even abdication. When the Sons approach their LORD, they know He alone is their provider and He stands as their guarantor. The church and religious world know little of this. Without an "offering" construct few ministers and ministries are unable to function… receiving tithes and offerings comprises their total financial plan and prowess.

Conclusion:
Although much elaboration could be made around each of these facets, the truth remains; these are the unique aspects of the life of the Sons of Zadok today. I know that many are starved for real intimacy with another Son or Daughter of Zadok, but comfort comes in the knowledge that many are in the preparatory stage and are being groomed in all the countries of the earth… waiting for the day of the manifestation of the "sons of God." At that time, we shall really know each other.

Fellowshipping with other Sons sometimes is difficult because of the scarcity of their ranks, but God supplies knowledge of one another and even provides opportunities to invest deeply in the lives of many. Relish in this fact: the Lord knows those who are His and you are one He knows on a different level than those who occupy pews, usher the public or even preach sermons… you are different by God's design.

Until Next month,

Dr. Cosby R. Oliver, PhD.

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