* God is in the transfer business.

* He shifts platforms and positions away from those who seek to build their own thing to those who seek to build His thing.

* One day Christ is coming back to set up a kingdom that will last 1,000 years.

* Our job is to get things ready for His return.

* This is why we have to guard against any talk of “one world government” apart from Christ’s return.

* That is a ripoff from Satan and we must resist that idea.

* Ezekiel 40-48 gives us the best picture in Scripture of what that new kingdom will look like.

* The Temple will be restored, a new order of worship that involves the Jews, King David will be back in a leadership position, the land divided amongst the people, etc.

* The priestly rule will also be in effect once again.

* After the Temple is restored, priests will come in to serve and they will have special rooms.

* Vs 44-46 - the priests from the line of Zadok are the ones who will have authority at that time.

* BACKSTORY - before Samuel was priest, Eli was in charge.

* Bruce Wilkinson - “Eli represents a cursed priesthood, a priesthood of fat, 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 life-styles and their refusal to cry out against sin. Eli saw iniquity in his sons who brought a curse on themselves, "and he did not rebuke them" (1 Samuel 3:13). For this God said, " I am about to judge his house forever." And his house was judged.

* Eli was replaced by Samuel, who appointed David as king.

* After Samuel, two priests arose - Abiathar and Zadok.

* Bruce Wilkinson - “Abiathar had in him the seed of Eli! The lazy, indulgent, weak spirit of Eli laid dormant in his soul. It happened just as the man of God prophesied to Eli - that at the very peak of his usefulness, at the peak of Gods blessing, he would fall. His inner weakness would be exposed: he would go so far and then stop short of Gods glory. Abiathar's heart was not right with God.”

* When David’s son, Adonijah, tried to take the kingdom from his father, Abiathar joined him.

* David’s son, Solomon, knew all about the curse upon the house of Eli. And he recognized Abiathar as being of that kind of priesthood.

* 1 Kings 2:27 - “So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.”

* Bruce Wilkinson - "Why does God allow these corrupt ministries to go on? They seem to go on, flourishing, seducing the masses." At first I thought God would wipe them out - bring them down. Now I see it differently. Now I know what Ezekiel prophesied and it makes me weep. God is cursing a corrupt people with corrupt shepherds. He is appointing them shepherds after their own hearts. Idolatrous shepherds are being appointed to shepherd idol-loving sheep!”

* What’s the difference between the Zadok spirit and the Abiathar spirit?

* ABIATHRAR: 

* 1) Seeking to please people.

* 2) Swayed by culture. 

* 3) Unwilling to make distinctions & stand for truth.

* 4) Desires a great name - wants to build a brand.

* ZADOK:

* 1) Seek to please God alone.  

* 2) Not swayed by culture - immovable and unshakeable.

* 3) Willing to make distinctions and stand for truth even when it’s unpopular.

* 4) Desires a great name for God - all about God’s Kingdom.