Zadok: The Loyal Warrior-Priest

At the close of the dark days of the judges, when Eli was high priest, a man of God came and delivered God’s judgment. In that message, God said this: “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 Samuel 2:35).

At Ambassador College, we were taught that this “faithful priest” was Samuel. In looking at this more closely, however, I don’t believe it could be. Samuel served as a judge and a prophet, but never as high priest. He was not of the Aaronite line. The role of high priest remained in Eli’s family through Abiathar.

1 Kings 2:26-27 show how Abiathar the priest failed. At that point, that line of priests ended, and God established a new, faithful priestly lineage. He gave the office of high priest to Zadok. Zadok was the “faithful priest” of 1 Samuel 2:35.

This man of God in 1 Samuel 2 was prophesying about the priest who would replace Abiathar—decades after Eli’s death! God was already looking beyond Abiathar and his rebellion, all the way to Zadok! And He said, I will raise me up a faithful priest—one who will be loyal to my throne forever!

This connects us to this prophecy in a special way because God calls His faithful Philadelphians in this end time “sons of Zadok.”

There is quite a lot about Zadok and the sons of Zadok in the Bible. One thing the Bible shows us is what a warrior Zadok was. Zadok instructed and even led some of the mighty men of David. Zadok was a captain, a fighter—not the type of priest you would normally think about.

When King Jeroboam broke 10 tribes of Israel away from David’s throne, he schemed to get the weakest priests in power so he could control them. That’s not the way it was when Israel was great. In David’s time, the unified kingdom had some priests whose examples of courage and power will rock you back on your heels!

Zadok had a lot of these men of character around him. The men who were loyal to David and to God had to be strong warriors. Just think about some of the trials David endured: David sinned with Bathsheba and even had her husband murdered; two of David’s own sons nearly kicked him off his throne. Men like Zadok had to deal with many serious problems and difficult struggles. But Zadok was there from beginning to end and never left David—or God.

Zadok also had an outstanding son and a grandson—fighting sons of Zadok. The example of this faithful priest and his sons is one we should study and gain inspiration from.

‘A Young Man Mighty of Valor’

Because of his rebellion against God, Saul lost the throne to David. After Saul died, thousands of Israelites came to show they wanted David to rule them (1 Chronicles 12:23). Among these thousands of people were some “mighty men of valour for the war” (verse 25). Here was one of them: “And Zadok, a young man mighty of valour, and of his father’s house twenty and two captains” (verse 28). Zadok was with David virtually from the beginning of his reign.

Zadok hadn’t always been a priest. He was a strong man—a mighty man of valor—before he was ordained! (1 Chronicles 24:3 shows that he was a descendant of Eleazar, a son of Aaron—from whom Israel’s priests issued; Numbers 25:11-13.)

When you look at this world, do you see that kind of a strong man becoming a priest or a minister? This is unusual. Zadok, a mighty man of valor, was in control of 22 captains—probably commanding a total of around 900 men who were themselves men of valor.

Another priest, Abiathar, had been with David even back to the time when Saul was chasing David in order to kill him. The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary states that both Zadok and Abiathar were “officiating high priests” of great rank. “The duties of the office were divided. Zadok ministered before the tabernacle at Gibeon (1 Chronicles 16:39); Abiathar had the care of the ark at Jerusalem, although not exclusively ….”

A Dangerous Commission

Zadok spent a lot of time by King David’s side, and he learned some profound lessons from David.

He witnessed David’s son Absalom trying to draw the hearts of the people away from God’s anointed king. Absalom launched a conspiracy to usurp the throne that gained a lot of momentum. He actually got to the point where he was ready to kill Israelites—even his own father if necessary—in order to satisfy his lust to be king!

When David learned of the treachery, he decided to flee the city (2 Samuel 15:13-14).

It is in desperate circumstances like these that those who are truly loyal to God’s throne distinguish themselves. “And the king’s servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint. And the king went forth, and all his household after him …” (verses 15-16).

Zadok and Abiathar were both with David at this time. They were both loyal to David, but I think for very different reasons.

Zadok and the Levites were carrying the ark of the covenant, and after they had gone out of Jerusalem, David instructed Zadok to bring it back (verses 24-25). The ark really did belong in Jerusalem—but by this time, the city had grown quite hostile and rebellious toward God. David said, “[I]f I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and shew me both it, and his habitation: But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him” (verses 25-26). David was saying, The ark belongs in Jerusalem. If God is with me, He will bring me back to Jerusalem. And if not, I don’t need to go back.

It took a lot of courage to fulfill this command—but this was also a tremendous lesson for Zadok. David just trusted God, and that had to be very impressive to Zadok. This great king didn’t say, Let’s start chopping off heads and killing all the rebels we can. He said, You just take the ark back, and we’ll see what God works out for us.

David then sent Zadok and Abiathar on a mission with their sons, Ahimaaz and Jonathan, to spy for him. David put a great deal of trust in these men and even asked them to risk their lives for him! That was a big and a dangerous job for those sons—two young men who were likely teenagers, maybe 17 or 18 years old (verses 32-36). But they didn’t question such a commission; they just did what David requested with a good attitude.

This made a good impression on the king. Later we see Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, receiving high commendation from David.

During this trying period, Zadok and Abiathar and their families remained loyal to David because they knew he was God’s man. That is a credit to them and a wonderful example to follow.

However, both priests did not remain loyal.

Absalom’s rule came to a bitter and bloody end. The story here takes an exciting turn if you understand what it means for us. And this story does apply to all Philadelphians today.

Absalom’s Death

The tide began to turn in David’s favor. David was able to build an expert army while exiled from Jerusalem. When the revolt led to a battle, Absalom’s army was no match for David’s. Absalom’s defeat was on the horizon. David loved Absalom, even though he had killed David’s firstborn son, Amnon, and now was angling to take over. David took special precautions to ensure Absalom would be spared: In the ears of all the people, he commanded Joab and the other captains not to kill his son (2 Samuel 18:5).

David was a strong king spiritually, but he was weak in the sense that he couldn’t always control those under him. Joab was a powerful general in David’s army. King David was weak in this situation, and he really needed Joab. Joab was loyal to David in that he recognized Absalom as an enemy, but he was disloyal in that he decided to take matters into his own hands.

As it turned out, Joab found Absalom, whose head had gotten caught in the branches of an oak tree. David’s captain ignored what he had been told and thrust three darts through Absalom’s heart (verse 14).

Amid all the trauma besieging the throne at this time, here was another act of disloyalty to David’s government!

If you read Israel’s history, you know this was a significant event. God takes vengeance on that kind of rebellion—and, when the time was right, Joab was going to be punished.

As far as David’s rule was concerned, Absalom’s death was bittersweet. David would be restored to the throne, but his son was dead. The good yet tragic news had to be delivered to David.

Zadok’s Son: ‘A Good Man’

David’s men won this civil war in Israel, and the two teenage sons of the priests had a lot to do with that. Zadok’s son, Ahimaaz, was so excited that David had been restored to the throne that he wanted to personally deliver the message of the victory to the king (2 Samuel 18:19). Joab didn’t want to let him run the message to David because he knew how David felt about his son, and Absalom was dead. Joab sent Cushi instead.

Ahimaaz was loyal to David like his father was. He wouldn’t give up; he begged Joab to allow him to deliver the message. “Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But howsoever, let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi. And Joab said, Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings ready? But howsoever, said he, let me run. And he said unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overran Cushi” (verses 22-23). Finally, Joab relented and allowed Ahimaaz to run the message to David. He was so excited about David’s victory that he outran Cushi to tell David the news. He ran because he loved David, just like his father did.

This was a dark hour for David, at a time when he was a weak king. But he hoped the messenger would bring good tidings. Notice what David said about Ahimaaz. “And the watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings” (verse 27).

David was hopeful because it was Ahimaaz. He knew that Zadok’s son was a good man. From having experience with Zadok close by, David knew this was a loyal young man, running with news of the battle. There was great loyalty to David’s throne in Zadok’s entire family.

After the battle was won, David was most of all concerned about Absalom. I’m sure he thought about the times he had different wives and the times he was away from Absalom and neglected to train him well. The king was weak in his child rearing. When he received news of Absalom’s death, he probably blamed himself most of all. He felt he should have died in Absalom’s place. He deeply loved all his sons—but it appears almost all of them were a disappointment to him. Absalom was a violent man, and he died violently—but David was still devastated to lose him. Even with the victory, it was a dark time for David.

Joab strongly criticized David for mourning over Absalom (2 Samuel 19:5-7). The nation was in confusion after Absalom’s revolt. The Israelites felt that David had abandoned them. There was doubt as to whether David would be accepted back as king.

Zadok and Abiathar were still very loyal to David, and they began to help win the people back to the king. Throughout this major crisis, these two priests stood by him. But another crisis was yet to come, and only one priest remained loyal.

A Failure in Child Rearing

Let’s skip ahead now to the very end of David’s reign. 1 Kings 1 records another terrible rebellion against David that teaches us more about Zadok.

At this time, David was old and getting weak. His son Adonijah seized the opportunity and declared himself king. This was a very arrogant thing to do. Why did Adonijah do this?

God laid much of the blame at David’s feet. 1 Kings 1:6 reveals, “And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, ‘Why have you done so?’” (New King James Version). Again, the reason comes back to David’s inability to rear his children properly. David never restrained Adonijah. He had not trained and challenged his son like he should have. He never corrected his son. The Moffatt translation reads, “His father had never checked him all his life, by asking what he meant by his conduct.” He never told him to stop or asked him to explain his behavior—he just let him go. Maybe David was around Adonijah so little that he felt guilty about correcting him. Yet that correction earlier in Adonijah’s life would have been a great blessing! That is the kind of training that Zadok gave his son.

We must learn to apply the rules of child rearing if we are going to rear princes for God.

Verse 6 also states that Adonijah was a “very goodly man.” David probably saw positive traits in Adonijah and didn’t think he needed to discipline him. David should have observed him more closely. He should have tested this son’s loyalty more.

Mr. Armstrong used to tell stories about his two daughters. They were good daughters, very loyal to Mr. Armstrong and the Work early on. But Mr. Armstrong said himself that he did not test them enough. When challenged by certain issues related to the use of makeup, one daughter left God’s Church.

Parents need to observe their children closely. When you do, you will discover certain motives that are not right. Our children need to be restrained at times. If we fail to do so, then they will act like David’s sons: They will revolt against us and do things that are very embarrassing to our families. An unrestrained child will eventually do what Adonijah did. The problem with teenage gangs and thuggery is a perfect example of unchecked children. No one has ever restrained these young people, so God will have to restrain them in the Tribulation. He will use the military might of a united Europe led by Germany to restrain them.

God has child rearing laws that must be obeyed if we are going to raise kings and priests that can rule for God. If you have children, then you have the responsibility to rear them properly.

Abiathar’s Disloyalty

It was in the midst of this betrayal that the character of Abiathar, the other priest who had been loyal to David for so long, was revealed. “And [Adonijah] conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him” (1 Kings 1:7). This is what happened to Abiathar. He forsook David and helped the king’s rebellious son!

Abiathar had been with David for a long time. He stayed with David before he became king. He stayed with him while Saul was chasing them and forcing them to hide in caves and making their lives miserable. He stayed loyal through David’s mistakes and all the challenges he faced. But in the end, he lost it all and went with Adonijah.

Abiathar must have been giving David his support on a carnal level only. This was a terrible ending—forsaking God’s man and looking to another man. Abiathar appears to have looked only to David the man and not to the God behind him.

There is a great lesson here for all of us. God is going to test our loyalty. We may pass the test once like Abiathar. We need to be ready to pass it a second time. God will test our loyalty until He knows we won’t betray Him or His throne.

Why would Abiathar leave David for Adonijah, but not with Absalom? Probably the main reason was that David was an old man. At the time of Absalom’s rebellion, David was a younger man and more virile; when Adonijah revolted, he was much older. It would have been easy for the younger men to look at themselves—their youth, talent and abilities—and determine that David was too old to rule Israel. It would have been easy for them to feel that they should rule Israel. But God did not choose them.

We have seen a rebellion like this today. Remember, these are prophecies for this end time, primarily. Isn’t this story very similar to the history of Mr. Armstrong in the late 1970s? Many of the young men who worked with him seemed loyal. They weathered many crises together. But when he became an old man and had a near-fatal heart attack, some of the young men began to claim that they should rule in his place. Many began to claim that Mr. Armstrong was too old to lead God’s Church. Like Adonijah, some appointed themselves rulers in Mr. Armstrong’s place. But God did not choose them or approve of them.

Abiathar made a grave mistake. He looked at David as a man only, and decided David was too old to lead. He wanted young, powerful Adonijah, even though God wasn’t with him. He followed youth instead of following God. God is always going to use men. We must be sure to follow the right one—the one God is using. Abiathar’s disloyalty is the only big mistake recorded against him in the Bible. Nevertheless, it did bring much shame on himself and on his family.

Notice, though, that there was another priest who wasn’t shaken in his loyalty: “But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah” (verse 8). These men remained faithful! Zadok could have left: He was there when David committed all those sins. But he knew God was behind that man and never doubted it to any serious degree.

Notice in this verse: Zadok is listed first. This indicates that Zadok had a lot to do with spiritually instructing and directing Benaiah. David taught Zadok, and then Zadok taught Benaiah, this mighty man of David. Zadok was a strong priest who had the respect of David’s best warriors!

All of David’s priests betrayed him except one. Zadok was the only priest loyal to David throughout his reign. He had the faith to recognize whom God was using. It is all too easy for human beings to get confused with loyalty. God does expect us to follow men—but we must follow the men God is with.

Zadok Anoints Solomon

Nathan came and announced that Adonijah had called a great celebration to confirm his kingship (1 Kings 1:22-25). “But me, even me thy servant,” Nathan said, “and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called” (verse 26).

Adonijah knew who was loyal to David! He knew exactly where those men stood. It is quite an honor that these men were not invited to Adonijah’s feast.

David quickly planned a coronation for Solomon: “And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada” (verse 32). They took servants and put Solomon on David’s mule, bringing him down to the Gihon Spring. “And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon” (verse 34).

Up until the present-day queen of England, coronations on David’s throne have rung with these stirring words: “God save the king!” Why? Because of this history!

After David gave these instructions, Benaiah responded in a most inspiring way: “And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the Lord God of my lord the king say so too” (verse 36). This response shows a wonderful perspective: Benaiah, like Zadok, was focused not on a man, but on where God was! He was following God’s anointed, but he was looking to “the Lord God of my lord the king”!

God really blessed those men for that spiritually oriented attitude. They had the honor of anointing Solomon king. At that point, the whole situation rapidly turned around.

Men of War Fit for the Battle

Benaiah is listed as one of David’s mighty men in the book of Chronicles: “Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he slew two lionlike men of Moab: also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day. And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear” (1 Chronicles 11:22-23).

Later, Benaiah was given an important job. Adonijah was given a chance to live, but he rebelled again and deserved to die. Joab, too, needed to be executed for some of the things he had done. Once Solomon became king, he directed Benaiah to kill both of these men.

Do you see gutsy men like this in Israel today? When David was a teenager, he slew a lion and a bear, and then Goliath. Benaiah followed that example and fought against great odds. This is the kind of warrior you would want on your side!

And realize: Benaiah was trained by Zadok—before he became the priest!

That may seem incongruous. But the fact is that it took great faith to do such mighty deeds. And again, this history is recorded mainly for God’s Church today!

1 Chronicles 12:8 describes the great servants of David. These were “men of war fit for the battle.” That is what we need to be today. God has called us to be spiritual soldiers. We are here to take on the worst Goliath of all time: Satan the devil in his worst wrath. We must be fit for this spiritual battle.

This is an age when we really need to remember our own history and Israel’s history. This history is specifically for us. When we understand men like David, Zadok and Benaiah, it helps us realize how much more valiant we need to be, physically and spiritually, in this battle!

We must learn to war and fight like these tough soldiers who had faith in God and who really loved each other. God is telling us He wants us to be tougher. We need to become warriors like Zadok and Benaiah and their sons. We can have their kind of courage because, like them, we have the unlimited power of God behind us!

When Benaiah crawled down into a pit to get that lion, he wasn’t just looking to David. If he had been, he would have probably asked David to do the job. He was looking to God! He knew this was required of him in order to further the cause of a ruler of Israel, and he simply believed God. That valiant, faith-filled attitude enabled him to accomplish some amazing things.

One of modern Israel’s recent prime ministers said, “We’re tired of fighting.” Just like the Laodiceans, the Jews are tired of fighting. But if they don’t fight, they will face the worst time of suffering ever. The Laodiceans will have to spill their blood just to make it into the Kingdom of God!

We must FIGHT! We must fight to do spiritual battle every day. We have to fight to remain faithful to the great God. We have to fight to get our prayer in. We have to fight thinking that we are “too busy” to pray. If you get “too busy” to pray to God and don’t fight to put Him first in your time, then you are in the carnal zone. Never allow that to happen. As Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life”!

Zadok’s Children

In 1 Kings 2:35, Zadok was made the chief priest, replacing the disloyal Abiathar. That was a wonderful job, giving him the opportunity to serve right there beside Solomon. Zadok was loyal throughout, and he was given the chief seat and the authority to direct all the ministers. He was a “priest’s priest.” All because he was loyal to David, and to God, from beginning to end.

The Interpreters’ Bible says this about Zadok: “God gave to Eli’s ancestor, Aaron, the priesthood in which he intended to keep in Eli’s family forever. But the conduct of Eli and his sons had made this impossible. And the coming death of Hophni and Phineas is to be the sign of a greater disaster to the family from which only one man will survive. It is further the destiny of Abiathar to weep out his eyes in exile under Solomon while a faithful priest, Zadok, takes his place (Deuteronomy 19:6-8). The plain object of the present passage is to give divine sanction to the exclusion of the priests of the high places by making the family of Zadok the only legitimate priests.”

What honor God gives this man! Zadok was loyal through all of David’s sins and battles. Even after David died, Zadok was loyal to his memory and to Solomon. He remained loyal because he was not following a man. He followed God, and God’s leader, regardless of circumstances. And his legacy carried on long after he died.

1 Kings 4:2 states that Zadok’s grandson Azariah (1 Chronicles 6:8-9) was made a prince for Solomon. That loyalty to God’s throne continued in the family, and so too did the honors for that family!

God is grooming royal priests today for His Kingdom tomorrow. His people have a tremendous and exciting calling! If you want to be a “prince” or leader in God’s Kingdom—if you want to be a royal priest for God—then take a lesson from the success of Zadok and his family.

Zadok also had other relatives who were dedicated and accomplished great things. They received many rewards, even in this life, because, as Azariah’s name means, they were “strengthened by God.” If you are strengthened by God, amazing things will happen in your life, just like they do all the time in God’s Work! You do have to do a lot of praying to really be strengthened by God. You may think you have strength—but you’re not really strengthened by God unless you go to God to receive that strength.

2 Kings 15:32-33 are about another king of Judah, Jotham. He began to reign as a young man, “[a]nd his mother’s name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done” (verses 33-34). Here was a mother who, just as the Proverbs instruct, taught her son how to be king. I’m sure she was quite an outstanding wife and mother, just judging by the fact that she came from Zadok’s family. Here the house of David was merged with the lineage of Zadok!

Not every example was perfect, but the Bible really does record some great deeds performed by the “sons of Zadok” anciently. On top of that, God bestowed additional honor on that faithful priest by attaching his name to an inspiring prophecy.

A Time of Apostasy

We have lived through a time of great treachery and apostasy among God’s people—upheaval even worse than what King David faced! The great majority of the very people of God have been disloyal to David’s throne during this Laodicean era. When Mr. Armstrong died, so many of them left God—as if God died at the same time!

Ezekiel 44 is an end-time prophecy about these terrible abominations occurring within God’s sanctuary, the Church of God. In verses 8-12, God prophesies of the Laodiceans who went far from God when the people turned away.

God condemns them for their lawlessness. Because of their failure, God refuses to let those men come near Him now and in the future: “And they shall not come near unto me, to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed” (verse 13). Their reward, even if they repent in the Tribulation, will be severely diminished (verse 14).

This is also a time of mass disloyalty to God’s government among His ministers. That terrible example has led God’s people into catastrophic lawlessness! Just like Saul, these rebellious leaders caused the Church to go astray.

The disloyalty and faithlessness these men demonstrated is at the heart of why they went astray! They didn’t get it at all!

We must take heed, because this is where we too could begin to go off track. God’s ministers are given more honor and more responsibility than the rest of God’s people—and we are also judged more severely! God says that in many scriptures (e.g. James 3:1).

Notice, though, how Ezekiel’s prophecy continues.

Sons of Zadok

“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 … They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge” (Ezekiel 44:15-16).

Anciently, the sons of Zadok were loyal through all the trauma; they never followed a man. Who are the sons of Zadok today? They are God’s very elect. They are loyal to God’s government established through Mr. Armstrong even after his death—just as Zadok remained loyal to God and Solomon after David died.

This is a prophecy of what the Philadelphia Church of God is doing today. When the majority of God’s Laodicean people go astray, the sons of Zadok remain loyal. That is why they receive such breathtaking rewards!

This is surely one of the most profound prophecies in the Bible! The sons of Zadok will come near to Jesus Christ in the World Tomorrow, when others cannot. The people of God who rebelled against Him, even though they repent, will not qualify to be on that level.

The sons of Zadok are always loyal to the teaching about David’s throne, which God also taught through Mr. Armstrong. This Church clings to that teaching about David, and the house and throne of David, just as Zadok did. Because of that loyalty, we will share that headquarters throne, unlike the Laodiceans (Revelation 3:14-21).

Doesn’t that suggest that we are going to work closely with David in the World Tomorrow? It’s David’s throne, and Christ is going to sit on it, and God has focused the pcg on the key of David in an extraordinary way! We have received a lot more truth about it even than what Mr. Armstrong had, and we are proclaiming that truth to the world. So it would make sense that in the World Tomorrow people are going to get a lot of their teaching and instruction from those of us in the Philadelphia Church in the Laodicean era.

“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” (Ezekiel 40:46). The chamber faces north, where God’s throne is. The sons of Zadok are in charge of the altar. They are chief among the Levites, or ministers. The sons of Zadok are the only ministers who “come near to the Lord” from the last era of God’s true Church. They have qualified to be the leading kings and priests, working closely with God in the highest level of government. They work where God dwells, in the inner court (Revelation 11:1-2). They are to be God’s pillar priests forever, working closely with David and other top leaders.

This is the honor that awaits the sons of Zadok today! (You can read more about this in our free booklets The Key of David and Ezekiel: The End-Time Prophet.)

All of God’s ministers need to remember Zadok’s example. We must unify around headquarters. Whenever we speak, we should speak as if we were giving our message at headquarters. We are the sons of Zadok, and will receive special honor for eternity for demonstrating that loyalty today.

Remember where the revelation about the sons of Zadok came from: through the office of God’s end-time apostle. That is how God’s government works! You become a son of Zadok by understanding that revelation. Since we are the spiritual sons of Zadok, if the revelation came through my office, couldn’t you say this office is a type of Zadok? I’m only asking a question, not making a statement.

Faithful Priests

To this day, we use the wonderful title “sons of Zadok” to describe the faithful people of God. What honor God gives us! He calls Zadok a faithful priest, and He calls us sons of Zadok.

God prophesied in 1 Samuel 2:35 that He would raise up a faithful priest, Zadok: “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.”

This prophecy applies to the spiritual sons of Zadok in the end time! God has done it, just as He said. All the way through, these saints stay with the throne of David because they see God behind it.

We are here to become faithful priests like Zadok. It means a lot to God to have a faithful priest! He needs faithful priests—not somebody who will say, I’ve had it with David! and revolt when things get rough. We must be willing to sacrifice everything for the house and throne of David. If we are not faithful priests, then we cannot be pillars, serving God and helping to rule the world.

David was a man after God’s own heart, who wanted to think and act like God in every way. That is the kind of king God wants. And Zadok was faithful, and did according to what was in God’s heart and mind. That is the kind of priest God must have in His headquarters temple forever! God loves a priest who will stay loyal to Him no matter what.

God will test us in this, you can be sure. But look at the reward He offers: “and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.”

There is endless depth in this prophecy! God uses the word “forever.” If you will remain a faithful priest, you will reside forever in the headquarters of God’s great Work in the soon-coming World Tomorrow! Soon God’s Family will be introduced to the world. We will be kings and priests, teaching the whole world these spiritual lessons. Today God has restored all things in His Church, but He will soon use us to help Him restore all things to the entire Earth! That is the purpose for which God calls His people, His firstfruits, at this time. And that is why it is so important that we remain loyal! Then we will help Jesus Christ restore all things and teach all nations.

You are righteous, faithful priests. You are a king from the house of David getting ready to rule forever with Jesus Christ! Once you find that throne, cling to it and never let it go! You will be thrilled forever that you made that choice. That is promised!

Zadok was a great fighter for the throne of David, and for God. And to this day, that man who supported David is sung about. Every time a king or queen is crowned on the British throne, the chorus sings “Zadok the Priest.” The music was written by G. F. Handel, and the words were taken from 1 Kings 1:38-40: “Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, anointed Solomon king. And all the people rejoiced, and said, God save the king! Long live the king! God save the king! May the king live forever! Amen! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen!”

So I think we can all say, “And long live Zadok the priest and the sons of Zadok!”