Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20080528.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Leviticus: Fellowship With A Holy God
Part III: Acceptable Living Before A Holy God, Leviticus 11:1-27:34
M. Honoring God's Great Works In History
5. Honoring God's Regathering Of Israel For The Kingdom
(Leviticus 23:23-25)
  1. Introduction
    1. We are premillennial in theology, for we believe we live before God's restoration of the Davidic Kingdom to Israel in a future literal thousand year reign of Christ on the earth. As such, we hold that God has ONLY temporarily laid aside the nation Israel as the vehicle of His ministry (Romans 11:1-36), a view opposite reconstructionist theology that asserts the Church REPLACES Israel in God's program, and that the Church must then install Christ's messianic kingdom in subjecting the world's institutions to itself.
    2. This belief difference, then, makes a huge difference in how we minister as a church, and knowing the prophetic teaching of the Feast of Trumpets relative to God's working with Israel significantly affects this:
  2. Honoring God's Regathering Of Israel For The Kingdom, Leviticus 23:23-25.
    1. Though we have learned in this study that the feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits and Pentecost are all connected, and predict Christ's death and resurrection, and the coming of the Church, the Feasts of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles all came 3 1/2 months after the Day of Pentecost with no connection to the first four feasts, J. S. Baxter, Explore The Book, 1975, p. 143.
    2. This implies that these last three feasts, all of which came within a few days of each other, prophetically refer to events that are not connected to Christ's death, resurrection, and the institution of the Church.
    3. Now, prophetically, we know that the people of Israel must be officially regathered in the land of Israel in connection to the nation's repentance concerning her previous rejection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, all so the nation can enter her messianic kingdom. Accordingly, various Scriptures indicate that the Feast of Trumpets that begins this final trio of Israel's annual feasts pictures the coming REGATHERING of the nation Israel for the official reinstitution of the Davidic Kingdom under JESUS CHRIST (as follows):
      1. Right after the Hebrew exiles from Babylon had rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem (Neh. 6:15), Nehemiah 8:1-12 reports they renewed their commitment to the Lord at the reading of the Law by Ezra on the first of the seventh month, the Day of the Feast of Trumpets, cf. esp. Neh. 8:2 with Leviticus 23:23-24.
      2. This was also "Rosh Hashanah," Israel's civil new year, Ryrie St. Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Lev. 23:24.
      3. When Ezra read from the Law, and had the reading translated into Aramaic so the exiles from Babylon could understand, they realized they had been in captivity for their sin, and began to weep, Neh. 8:8-9.
      4. However, the day for repentant weeping was the Day of Atonement that was on the tenth of that month, so they were told to celebrate this New Year Day instead, Neh. 8:10-12; Ibid., Ryrie, ftn. to Neh. 8:9.
      5. Thus, the Feast of Trumpets at Nehemiah's civil restoration of Jerusalem was a foretaste of the final regathering of Israel to establish her civil government under Christ in the restored Davidic Kingdom!
      6. For this reason, Leviticus 23:23-24 called this day to be one of blowing of trumpets to predict the joyful era when the people of Israel will heed God's call to regather in Israel under Christ their King!
      7. We know from Numbers 29:1 that this was to be a day of rest, a Sabbath, indicating the regathering of Israel would be a supernatural work of God to unite the nation once again, but this time under Christ.
      8. The offerings to be made this day included the usual New Moon offerings to celebrate the new month, but as this was the first month of the civil New Year, a young bull, a ram, seven male lambs and a male goat were also offered along with the usual daily morning and evening sacrifices, Numbers 29:1-6; Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 250.
Lesson: The Feast of Trumpets typologically predicts the REGATHERING of the NATION ISRAEL for the MESSIANIC KINGDOM under CHRIST. Accordingly, the CHURCH is NOT ISRAEL, but is a distinct body of God that is to make disciples for that FUTURE earthly reign that GOD will institute!

Application: May we NOT yield to reconstruction belief that tries to make the CHURCH institute the messianic reign on earth, but DISCIPLE men to trust in Christ for the earthly reign HE will institute!