Emergence

The temple at Jerusalem had long been destroyed and the city left in ruins after Nebuchadnezzar had executed God’s wrath upon Judah. The inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah, who had been fortunate enough to escape Babylon’s massive slaughter, were carried off to Babylon to dwell in captivity (2 Chron. 36:14-21).

Now, almost seventy years removed from their native homeland, God had directed the Persian king, Cyrus, to issue a redemptive proclamation and decree that would liberate the Jewish exiles, restore what had been previously taken from them, and resource the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-4, 7-11).

In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, there is recorded a listing of the names of the first group of Jewish exiles who had chosen to return to their homeland in Jerusalem and Judah under the leadership of Zerubbabel, those who were zealous for the house of the Lord and were willing to labor to rebuild it (Ezra 1:5).

The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, though they could not prove their fathers’ houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, 652. Also, of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name). These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food, until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim.
(Ezra 2:59-63 ESV) See also Neh. 7:61-65.

Among the group of Jewish exiles returning to Jerusalem to help rebuild the temple were a significant number of Jews, including a company of priests. These priests were unable to prove their authenticity or pedigree as true sons or daughters of Abraham, or valid heirs of the priesthood. Their genealogical records may have been destroyed in the burning fires of Jerusalem’s destruction, or perhaps they were lost during their long process of captivity. Either way, there was no “cloud” storage or computer hard drive with a backup of their personal records, and without it they had no valid credentials proving who they really were or where they came from—at least far back enough for them to claim any right to property or inheritance in Judah— which was a huge deal for any Jew. This meant that they would have to dwell as foreigners in their own land, barred from the rights and privileges of true citizenship. To everyone else around them, including society at large, they were seen as illegitimate, fatherless, disconnected, and without a true identity.

As a result of this dire predicament, these particular priests were rejected from the priesthood, barred from its functions, and regarded as defiled or unclean. It didn’t matter how holy, committed, consecrated, or anointed they were. They were forbidden from partaking of their priestly inheritance until a priest could consult the Urim and Thummim.

Here is a company of priests, along with several hundred post-exilic Jews, that was willing to uproot themselves and their families from the comfort and convenience of a corrupt, foreign, Babylonian system (where there was protection, plenty, and many Jews had begun to prosper and establish thriving businesses) and undertake the long, arduous, and rigorous journey back to Jerusalem (anywhere between 540 and 900 miles, depending on the route taken, with many of them on foot, and possibly traversing dry, parched desert). Not to mention the hard and laborious process of rebuilding the temple from ruins in a less than comfortable or convenient wasteland of destruction. It is no wonder that many of the Jews chose to remain in Babylon and enjoy their safety, comfort, and material prosperity rather than undertake such a journey.

This process of migration was nowhere close to being easy. But a company of leaders and priests, who prior to this moment had embraced the core culture and values of Babylon, were willing to respond to the voice of God and the Spirit’s promptings within their hearts to lead the rebuilding and migration efforts. They were willing to brave the long and arduous journey, relinquish old mentalities, leave behind what they had become accustomed to, sever old covenants and relationships with those who chose to remain, and endure the harsh, parched dryness of transition through wilderness or desert territory.

Similarly, today there is a small remnant of leaders and priests (ministers) emerging who have hearkened unto the voice of God and the promptings of the Spirit to recognize that His Temple—the Ekklesia—lies in ruins and is in desperate need of repair. They have internally uprooted themselves from a corrupt or syncretistic form of Babylonian worship and have chosen to divorce themselves from its culture and values. They have internally migrated from a “bless me,” materialistic (Babylonian) mindset to a “building” mindset which focuses upon God’s desire and intent rather than our own comfort or satisfaction. They have transitioned from religion to Kingdom, and from deformation (anything which resembles Babylon) to reformation (that which is built to conform to God’s divine plan, pattern, purpose and intent).

Among this emerging remnant of priests or ministers who have surrendered their hearts to God and have left everything behind through the process of migration, is a company of priests with no earthly credentials.

There is another priest in Scripture who had no genealogical records or earthly credentials substantiating his priestly ministry. His name was Melchizedek.

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever (Heb. 7:1-3).

Melchizedek was a king-priest with no earthly record of his pedigree or lineage, and without any history of fatherly affirmation, identity, or inheritance. He was not some angel or supernatural spiritual being like a pre-incarnate Christ, even though he clearly is a type of the latter. The clause having neither beginning of days nor end of life does not mean he was an eternal being. It refers to the fact that there was no historical record of his birth or of his death. He was a human being who lived and walked the earth just as the priests in Ezra’s day who had no genealogical records to refer to for one reason or the other. However, his kingly authority and priestly ministry were not based upon earthly credentials or human validation, as is evidenced by Scripture and Abraham’s significant response. By receiving Melchizedek’s ministry and honoring him with a tithe of his booty or spoils, Abraham was acknowledging an authority and spiritual, priestly rank that far superseded earthly genealogical credentials.

It is for this very reason that Jesus is referred to in Scripture as a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek (Heb.5:6, 10). Jesus’s high priestly ministry was not based upon earthly religious credentials, because He was not a descendant of Aaron. By earthly religious standards, Jesus had no right at all to the priesthood. Even when He walked the earth as a man and worshiped at the Temple in Jerusalem, He was barred from entering into the inner sanctuary where the priests ministered because He was never acknowledged as a true priest by the established religious systems of His day. Like the priests in Ezra’s day, Jesus was “excluded from the priesthood as unclean” or defiled. He had no “valid” genealogical records since the origin of His birth with respect to His biological father was questionable.

Like Melchizedek, Jesus’s kingly authority and high priestly rank were not derived from earthly credentials or human validation but divine authorization, which far exceeded Aaron’s. Jesus’s priesthood, like Melchizedek’s before Him, was far superior to anything in the Aaronic order. Initially, He may have been withheld the honor and recognition He truly deserved. After all, He was “despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Is. 53:3). The established religious priesthood despised and rejected Him. But just as Abraham was able to recognize the grace of God upon Melchizedek and give him due honor, even so shall the true sons and daughters of Abraham recognize the grace and anointing of God upon this despised priesthood and give them true honor. Just as Jesus’s sheep hear His voice, they shall hear the voice of His priests who He has sent (John 10:27). You may be despised and rejected today, but God shall vindicate, exalt, and promote you tomorrow, because you belong to a superior priesthood.

It would appear from the accounts in Ezra and Nehemiah that all the Jews—including the priests—who were captives in Babylon and unable to prove their genealogical lineage had all emerged from five main Babylonian territories or cities. This suggests that they shared more than just a common dilemma but a common culture and environment where they had been forged and cultivated as a people during captivity.

The fact that Scripture takes the time to identify these five cities or territories by name when such detail is ignored for the majority of the other Jewish captives (with acceptable genealogical records) who were preparing to return to their Palestinian homeland is significant. They describe the internal environment and culture of these spiritual rejects that are emerging today.

These five cities identified in Ezra and Nehemiah are:

In addition to the internal environment and culture listed above are several key characteristics which identify and distinguish this company of rejected priests. While much of their genealogy remained questionable, these priests are recorded in both Ezra and Nehemiah as children or descendants of three men: Habaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai.

It would almost appear from the account in Scripture that these rejected priests were left in a hopeless situation with regard to their spiritual inheritances, callings, and destinies, but this most certainly was not the case. A glimmer of hope is offered by the governor, probably Zerubbabel, stating that the exclusion from their priestly inheritance would only continue until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim (v. 63).

The significance of this condition is quite profound. It meant that certain spiritual and physical conditions were required in order to accommodate their emergence. Firstly, the priesthood needed to be restored well enough until there was a functional high priest capable of consulting the Urim and Thummim for divine revelation. This would assume, of course, that the priestly breastplate containing these devices was still intact and had not been destroyed with the temple. If these items were destroyed, or were somehow lost, then these, too, would need to be restored before these priests could emerge to take their rightful place.

From an historical point of view it would appear that the Urim and Thummim, along with the Ark of the Covenant, were never found or restored to the temple after the captivity. This meant that even through the priesthood was eventually restored to full function, all of the conditions were never met for the rejected priests to emerge into their ministerial inheritance… until now!

While we are not certain as to what happened to the original priests who were excluded from the priesthood during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, or whether they were ever validated and restored, we know that this prophetic scripture was meant for a future generation—this one!

A rejected priesthood is presently hidden away in the shadows of obscurity, having migrated from a Babylonian mentality and processed through a fiery furnace of affliction, until… The spiritual and physical conditions must be just right for their emergence. The priesthood must be fully functional and restored, with every New Covenant ministry—including all ascension gift (five-fold) ministries—being activated, recognized, and manifested throughout the global Kingdom Community. The Urim and Thummim (light and perfection)—mysterious devices used by the high priest to obtain divine insight, revelation, or direction—must also be restored. This speaks to me of an open portal of access to heavenly resource, especially the voice of God, or an awakening of light and perfect truth.

In the context of consulting these mysterious instruments with regard to obtaining insight about the authenticity of the priests, it speaks clearly of divine validation. It is one thing to have earthly authorization or credentials, but it is far superior and weightier to have divine authorization and validation from heaven. Whether through a powerful anointing, great authority in the spirit, authentic prophecy, supernatural ministries with signs, wonders and miracles, or all of the above, these priestly ministers will be validated by God.

The trumpet has sounded and the time of their emergence is close at hand. A company of priests previously rejected, afflicted, and obscure are now emerging in the earth ready to co-labor and build God’s Temple. Their authority to function is greater than any earthly man or ministry, because they have been divinely authorized from heaven. They are complete (three ancestors) and full of grace (five territories/cities), reserved until this time when all ministries have been restored and there is an environment of open access to heaven’s resource, the voice of God, and an awakening of light and perfect truth in the earth.