Comment: After answering many questions about whether Samuel was a Levite, it seemed timely to state it once and for all.  To some people it had become a real issue because I had made this claim, and at least one man accused me of being a false prophet because of it.  Samuel was a Levite Priest and the Bible states this very clearly.  So the importance of his priesthood cannot be emphasized enough.  The answer to the following question goes at least part way towards detailing this importance.

Neville V. Stevens

New International Version quoted throughout unless otherwise specified.

QUESTION:

^Hello,

^{In one the online document related to zion's ministry, http://www.zionministry.com/kingsrl3.pdf, it was stated that Samuel is from the tribe of Levi.}

^{Could you check if that is correct?}

^{I think he is an Ephraimites, for his father is so claimed the Bible. This is why after Eli, the [high] priest was not Samuel [he is a judge, just like his sons are] for he is not a Levite.  I believe Zadok was the priest after Eli, as can be seen in David's time.}

^{But I maybe wrong.}

^{Thank you}

^{Andreas S.}

ANSWER: 

 Hello Andreas,

Samuel was indeed a Levite, even though he descended from an ancestor who is described as an Ephraimite in 1Sam 1:1.  Not only was Samuel a Levite priest who wore the Ephod, but he was also a prophet.  The importance of the Ephod is stated by God Himself in 1Sam 2:27 “Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father's house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? ²⁸ I chose your father out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence.’”  It was the right only of the Levite Priesthood to wear this garment.  Samuel wore the Ephod (V14) from the moment he entered the priesthood under the auspices and tutelage of Eli – a direct descendant of the appointed Levite Priesthood of Aaron.

It’s very clear that Samuel is of the linage of Levi and this is clearly shown in the Bible, but we’ll get to that shortly.

God chose to strip away the priesthood from Eli and his family because of the ungodly conduct of his sons.  He made this known to Eli through Samuel while he was a mere child.  ISam 3:11 “And the LORD said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. ¹² At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family - from beginning to end. ¹³ For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them. ¹⁴ Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”  Samuel told Eli all that the LORD had said to him (V18).

At this appearance of the Lord Logos – later to be called the Lord Christ – Samuel gained fame throughout Israel as both a priest and a prophet (1Sam 3:19-21).  God makes it very clear that the priesthood is to be taken from Eli and his sons, and God also makes it clear that Samuel is His chosen instrument for the priesthood.  Not only was Samuel born by a miracle through his formerly barren mother Hannah, but he was also dedicated from birth to the Levite Priesthood.  Throughout his life, and from early childhood, Samuel proved to be faithful and obedient to God and trained in all aspects of the Levite Priesthood.

To further  clarify that Samuel was a priest and prophet, there was a time when Saul prepared a sacrifice to God while he waited for Samuel to arrive to make the sacrifice.  When Samuel’s arrival was delayed, Saul went ahead and made the sacrifice himself (1Sam 13:9-10).  It was a serious mistake and Samuel duly told him (V11) and further reiterated that his kingdom would not endure.  Only a Levite priest could make that burnt offering to God and Saul knew it.  It was a costly mistake for Saul.  It should be noted that not only was Samuel a priest and a prophet, but he was also a king-maker through the appointment of God.

God chose Moses, a Levite, and Aaron his brother, to rescue the House of Israel from Egypt.  Moses was protected from birth just as Samuel was.  Both had their destiny mapped out as soon as they were born.  This was to be true of many other Levites, including John the Baptist.

Being a prophet doesn’t indicate that someone is a Levite, since Joseph the father of Ephraim and Manasseh, was a prophet, but not a Levite.  Nor does being a Levite mean that all Levites are prophets, though a disproportionate number of prophets were Levites.  As a matter of fact, Moses foretold of another prophet, just like him, arising at a later time.  Deut 18:15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.”  God confirms this: V17-18 “The LORD said to me: "What they say is good. ¹⁸ I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. ¹⁹ If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my Name, I myself will call him to account.”  There was a prophet just like Moses who arose at the time of Christ.  In fact, this prophet was appointed to precede Jesus and to prepare the way for Him.  The former was a Levite, and the latter, a Jew from the Tribe of Judah.  Yet both shared the same ancestral linage, and their mothers were cousins.  At least one of Mary’s recent forebears had to be a Levite for them to be cousins.  Both the parents of John the Baptist were Levites (Luke 1:4-6), both descended from Aaron, and both kept God’s Commandments blamelessly (same verse).

The Lord Jesus, on the other hand, was of the Tribe of Judah and of the direct linage of David.  This is confirmed in the final verses of the Book of Revelation: Rev 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this Testimony for the Churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” 

It’s worth noting that John’s parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, kept God’s Commandments blamelessly as did both John and Jesus.  Few people in the churches today keep this Testimony.  And this is why they don’t understand the Testimony of Jesus, which is the Spirit of Prophecy (Rev 19:10).

John the Baptist was of the priestly line, and was a prophet.  Samuel also was a priest and a prophet, and we find a passage in the Book of Acts that details all of these things: Act 3:17 “Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. ¹⁸ But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. ¹⁹ Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, ²⁰ and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you – even Jesus. ²¹ He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through His holy prophets. ²² For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. ²³ Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people. ²⁴ Indeed, all the prophets from SAMUEL on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. ²⁵ And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ ²⁶ When God raised up His servant, He sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” 

From Samuel on, all the prophets spoke of that time – and beyond.  Jesus is to remain in Heaven until the time comes to restore everything.  All prophecy concerns the 12 Tribes of Israel, and it’s these who will be restored and become the premier nations for all time.  The Church that Christ built (Matt 16:18) was appointed to retain the teachings of Jesus and to be a guiding lamp to the House of Israel.  This Church was appointed to demonstrate obedience to God and to encourage the Tribes of Israel to conform.  It’s interesting to note that in the time of Samuel, when God was about to promote Samuel to replace Eli and his sons, it’s mentioned that the lamp of the LORD had not yet gone out: 1Sam 3:2-3 “One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.” 

For most of the churches today, the lamp of God has gone out.  They don’t obey God; instead they choose to serve God as they see fit.  They are so very different from the Priests, Prophets and Apostles – all of whom lived by and obeyed God’s Commandments.  And do they look forward to the day of the restoration of all things?  Or do they dread the day when they might have to obey all of God’s Commandments – including the fourth?

The Holy City of God Jerusalem is under siege today by God’s ancient enemies.  These are the descendants of the very people that God ordered destroyed – utterly!  A situation arose when King Saul went out and slaughtered them, but chose to grant life to their king.  Samuel was outraged and immediately ordered Agag, the king of the Amalekites, to be brought in before him (1Sam 15:32).  Samuel then hacked him to death on the spot and made it known to King Saul that he, Saul, was finished forever!

All the prophets, from Samuel on, have warned of any repeat of such madness as sparing mass murderers of God’s people Israel.  Yet today, we see church groups openly advocating on behalf of the Muslim hordes who are determined to kill all the House of Israel, most particularly the Israelis and the Americans, but the Western Europeans also, and to seize God’s Holy City Jerusalem.  If only they could see their errors and be more like Samuel and David, and for that matter, like David’s most famous Son Jesus.

The restoration of all things will bring many changes, not least of which will be the return of the mightiest Warrior of all – the Promised Messiah Jesus.  Perhaps most people are unaware of what one of the Lord Christ’s first acts will be.  The prophets recorded it for all to see: Isa 63:1-6 “Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson?  Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength?  “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.”  ² Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress? ³ “I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me.  I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing.  ⁴ For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come.  ⁵ I looked, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that no one gave support; so my own arm worked salvation for me, and my own wrath sustained me. ⁶ I trampled the nations in my anger; in my wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground.” 

In these very verses, we see a reference to salvation, and a lesson on what it actually means.  In this instance, the Lord Christ fights and kills His age-old enemies, as it happens, in the territory of Edom – the homeland of Mecca and Medina – the ‘holy’ cities of Islam.  So His own arm sustains Him and works salvation for Him from His enemies.  We find an interesting addition to this in reference to John the Baptist.  His Father Zechariah, under the influence of God’s Holy Spirit, details what John was to become (Luke 1:66-67).  Like Jesus, John was to be instrumental in rescuing God’s people Israel from the hand of their enemies.  Luke 1:66-79 “Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord's hand was with him. ⁶⁷ His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: ⁶⁸ “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. ⁶⁹ He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David ⁷⁰ (as He said through his holy prophets of long ago), ⁷¹ SALVATION FROM OUR ENEMIES and from the hand of all who hate us – ⁷² to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his Holy Covenant, ⁷³ the oath he swore to our father Abraham: ⁷⁴ TO RESCUE US FROM THE HAND OF OUR ENEMIES, and to enable us to serve him without fear ⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. ⁷⁶ And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, ⁷⁷ to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, ⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Rising Sun will come to us from heaven ⁷⁹ to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”  

But like Jesus, John didn’t fulfill this the first time round.  Both were killed prematurely, and both prophecies are still to be fulfilled.  But both clearly define the meaning of ‘salvation’, and this is diametrically opposite from the vague and meaningless definition given in the churches.

God requires far more than mere lip-service!  In fact, God wants His people to be just like His Son Jesus, as well as all the priests, prophets and Apostles that served God faithfully.  All God’s servants must possess the same Spirit – the Holy Spirit of God, and God gives this only to those who obey Him: Acts 5:32 “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Which brings us to another point, and this is the factor that binds all the Priests, Prophets, Apostles and servants of God in unison.  All who served God faithfully were endowed with God’s Holy Spirit, the very Spirit given to God’s Son Jesus without measure.  Without this Holy Spirit it is impossible to please God because this is where Godly faith comes from. 

So what is faith?  This is the Bible definition: Heb 11:1 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for.”  And what were they commended for?  Heb 11:32 “And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, SAMUEL and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵ Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.” 

^{The Linage of Samuel as defined in the Bible:}

 But getting back to the linage of Samuel, we find him listed under the clans of the Levites: 1Chron 6:16 “The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. ¹⁷ These are the names of the sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei. ¹⁸ The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. ¹⁹ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.  These are the clans of the LEVITES listed according to their fathers: ²⁰ Of Gershon: Libni his son, Jehath his son, Zimmah his son, ²¹  Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son and Jeatherai his son. ²² The descendants of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, ²³  Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son, ²⁴ Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son and Shaul his son. ²⁵ The descendants of Elkanah: Amasai, Ahimoth, ²⁶ Elkanah his son, Zophai his son, Nahath his son, ²⁷  Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son and SAMUEL his son.  ²⁸ The sons of SAMUEL: Joel the firstborn and Abijah the second son.”  In the Chronicles of the Tribes, Samuel and his father Elkanah are definitely listed as Levites.

Shiloh was in the allotted territory of Ephraim!  And this is where Samuel lived and served God in the Tabernacle.  The Levites, having no appointed territory of their own were given lands among all the Tribes to live and to farm.  God required them to live among all the Israelites and to act as teachers and instructors.  And this is the way it is today.  Perhaps because Elkanah lived in the hill country of Ephraim some of his ancestors called themselves Ephraimites to distinguish from Levites living elsewhere.  Regardless, the recorded Chronicles are clear that Samuel was a Levite.

But I would hasten to add that linage of the Levites today is not the overriding factor, but the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit that leads them to faithfulness and obedience to God.  I am a Levite by linage and birth, but many in this Levite Brotherhood are not.  Though all share the same Holy Spirit, they also share a healthy fear of the Awesome God of the Universe.  In the Book of the Messenger (the Book of Malachi), God details the description of this Brotherhood in these terms:

 Mal 3:16-18 “Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. ¹⁷ “They will be mine,” says the LORD Almighty, “in the day when I make up my treasured  possession.  I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. ¹⁸ And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

Almighty God also made sure that a Levite teacher would be present to teach the righteousness that God requires.  Levi (Mal 2:4, 7) is the one whom God appointed to give true instruction (V6) and to do it without fear or favour and without regard for the opinions of men.  Levi is the messenger appointed to precede the True Messenger (Mal 3:1).

In confirmation of the foregoing, God makes it clear that salvation will not be achieved as easily as some like to suggest.  There will be death and destruction everywhere, long before anyone sees salvation!  But salvation will come some time after the Holy Land cleared of the Islamic hordes, then Jewish people will truly confirm Jesus words that ‘salvation is from the Jews’ (John 4:2).

  Mal 4:1 “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them. ² But for you who revere my Name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. ³ Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the LORD Almighty.” 

And the Book concludes with another warning about God’s Laws that He gave to His servant Moses on Mount Horeb: Mal 4:4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the Decrees and Laws I gave him at Horeb FOR ALL ISRAEL. ⁵ See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. ⁶ He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse (Heb: utter destruction).”

I noticed a reference to the Salvation Army in your correspondence.  I guess at one stage the founding fathers of this church had some vision of what to expect in the future with ‘Army’ being a part of their name.  It’s a good indicator of what will bring peace to this earth.  Even a quick reading of the Book of Revelation indicates that the meaning of salvation is not what people think it means.  One has to admit that the Book of Revelation is not exactly pleasant reading.  It details horror and torment on a massive scale.  Generally speaking, Bible prophecy is not good news, and was designed to warn of the consequences for disobedience to the Great Creator God.  I guess when ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ is sung with the line ‘marching as to war’, it conjures up a wholly different view to the unwary as that of end-time prophecy as detailed in the Bible. 

Another hymn that is frequently sung in cathedrals around the world is the song ‘Jerusalem’.  As a matter of fact, it was sung at the funeral of the late President Ronald Reagan.  The tune is claimed to date to the early 18^th century, but I suspect the words go back to the time of the Crusades, when the Crusaders understood the problem with God’s enemies and sought to do something about it.  For your own edification it’s worth listening to the words, since it closely resembles Bible prophecy.  But just bear in mind, that Jerusalem is not in England as the modern version seems to suggest.

But as I say, the Salvation Army began with a good premise with the adoption of their name, but it would prove timely to understand the meaning of ‘salvation’.  It’s a misnomer in the form it’s used today.

Something else that came up in the correspondence associated with your inquiry, and this was a reference to Gentiles.  I certainly hope that this was not a suggestion that the Western nations are Gentiles.  The Western Nations, predominantly Western Europe, Britain, America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Israel, are the ‘lost Tribes of Israel’ – the very nations to whom the Lord Christ came at His first appearance.  If they remained ‘lost’ until the Lord Christ returns, then His whole purpose was futile.  But in fact, we know these are the Christian nations, and so they obviously did get the message.  It’s these very nations that are being targeted by the satanic hordes of Islam.  The point is that Satan knows who the ‘lost Tribes of Israel’ are, even if the Israelite nations themselves don’t acknowledge their own identity.

On a slightly different note, the World Council of Churches has just called for a boycott of the Israelis, citing their reasons as ‘the brutal treatment of Palestinians and the occupation of their territories’.  It’s hard to believe that anyone who professes to be ‘Christians’ could so blunder in knowledge and understanding of the Holy Scriptures.  Have they never read the Bible?  God gave the Holy Land to the House of Israel!

Had these representatives of the World Council of Churches understood anything, they might have been acquainted with certain prophecies that tell the final outcome of the trouble in the Middle East and the demise of the satanic hordes that occupy it.  Here’s an example: Zech 12:1-9, 13:1 “This is the word of the LORD concerning Israel. The LORD, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: ² “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. ³ On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. ⁴ On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the LORD. “I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations. ⁵ Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the LORD Almighty is their God.’ ⁶ On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. THEY WILL CONSUME RIGHT AND LEFT ALL THE SURROUNDING PEOPLES, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.”

Did the World Council of Churches ever back the wrong horse!!  In their madness they have challenged both God and the Scriptures and backed God’s enemies!  For a long time God has remained silent, just as He said He would.  During the course of these many centuries, foolish human beings have devised their own plans and their own methods for worshipping God.  But they never noticed the Great and Dreadful Day of the LORD arrive just six years ago, the beginning of the Seventh Millennial Day, a Day that will usher in the promised rest from Satan’s hordes.  The purpose of the weekly Seventh-Day Sabbath was to point to this Seventh Millennial Day; this is made very clear in Heb 4:1-11.  So it will all begin with the slaughter of those who surround the Holy Land!  It’s the people of Jerusalem and Judah who will inflict this slaughter on these satanic hordes.  The Lord Christ Himself will take care of similar hordes in Mecca and Medina.

God will ensure that the dwellings of Judah are saved first: V7 “The LORD will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the House of David and of Jerusalem's inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah. ⁸ On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the House of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them. ⁹ ON THAT DAY I WILL SET OUT TO DESTROY ALL THE NATIONS THAT ATTACK JERUSALEM.” 

Zech 13:1 “On that day a fountain will be opened to the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.”  This is the fountain that flows from under the threshold of the Temple and becomes the River of Life (Eze 47:1, 12).  The River of life is also mentioned in Rev 22:1.  David also mentions it in Psalm 46:4-7 “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. ⁵ God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. ⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts His voice, the earth melts. ⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah ⁸ Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations He has brought on the earth. ⁹ He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, He burns the shields with fire. ¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” ¹¹ The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Selah 

This serves to show that when this River of Life is flowing from under the threshold of the Temple, the nations will still be in uproar and kingdoms will continue to fall. 

And where will the Great God dwell in that day?  For all those who have visions of living in heaven for an eternity, they need to know that God will be living on earth, just as David states in this Psalm.  What is more, the Levite prophet Ezekiel also confirms this in the visions he had in the presence of God: Eze 43:6-7 “While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. ⁷ He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my Throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever.”  It’s certainly odd that most Israelites from the ‘lost’ Tribes of Israel don’t know who they are, because this is where God is to dwell forever – on earth, and right among them!

But there is much to happen before this.  The importance of the priesthood of Samuel is further emphasized by the reference to Shiloh coming.  Shiloh, of course is the place where the Tabernacle stood and where Samuel lived and became a Levite priest.  In was Jacob that referenced Shiloh (in some versions of the Bible) in Gen 49:10.  Jacob prophesied of it, and it surely came – and went!  It was a prophecy concerning the Levite Priesthood that will prepare the way for Him to whom the Scepter rightly belongs.  Shiloh will come again, and the Tabernacle will stand there until the Temple is built in Jerusalem.  But that’s another story.  Having regard for the length of this email, and the possibility that you may not even read it, it’s best left for another time.

I hope you find these few words of interest, and I want to thank you for taking the time to write.

May God be with you,

Neville

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