The separated, royal priesthood
The feast of Tabernacles reminds us of the separated, royal priesthood. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: (Leviticus 23:42) The feast of Tabernacles is for those whom God has called from the nations of the earth to be His servants.
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: (Exodus 19:5)
The concept of God choosing certain people to belong to Him in a "peculiar" manner is not agreeable to us in the present climate of "the rights of people." Nevertheless, the concept of election, of our destiny being governed largely by God’s foreknowledge and determination rather than by our choice and zeal, is a basic teaching of the Scriptures.
. . . and his servants shall serve him: (Revelation 22:3)
This is not to say that our works are not important. They are indeed! But predestination is a fact of the Kingdom of God.
The whole scene of the new heaven and earth reign of Christ illustrates vividly the concept of the Church, and then the "nations of them which are saved."
The division between the Church and the nations of the saved is emphasized by the monumental wall that is so prominent in the vision.
The wall of the new Jerusalem, typified by the work of Nehemiah and the Jews of the Restoration, was established forever by the Lord Jesus Christ in His prayer:
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. (John 17:9) They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (John 17:16)
To claim that the Christian churches are social institutions is to misunderstand the true nature of the Church. The Church is the new Jerusalem, the holy city, the Body of Christ, the Wife of the Lamb, the eternal Temple of God.
The Church is an elect creation of God, foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and glorified in advance. Yet, our sanctification, and the establishing beyond doubt of our calling, are responsibilities to which we must take heed or lose our crown to someone else.
The Church is not of the earth. The Church is of God and comes down out of Heaven from God. The Church was begun by God, is being built by the Lord Jesus Christ ("on this rock I will build my church"), and will be brought to completeness and perfection by the Lord. The Church is Divine and is married to Divinity.
The Church is not of the world.
One of the greatest problems of numerous Christians, as is true also of many Jews, is their inability to grasp the fact that they are not of the world. We strive in every manner to be accepted by the nations of the earth, to win people to our way of thinking, to make the Church understandable and accessible to everyone we can.
We cannot seem to understand and appreciate that fellowship with the world is impossible. All we succeed in doing is losing our strength. Our strength, like that of Samson, depends on our separation as a "Nazarite" to God. The moment we reveal the secret of our strength, our covenant of separation to God, the "Philistines are upon us." They put out our eyes, our spiritual sight, and chain us to the mills of the work of the world. Now we are playing the clown for Satan and his servants.
Do you recall the basis for evangelism in the Book of Acts? "The Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved"; "as many as were ordained to eternal life believed"; "I have much people in this city"; and so forth.
What kind of perversity abides in us that we will not accept the truth of our election as saints, God’s holy ones? Why will we despise the approval of God and seek to please men? What is the basis for our refusal to be a royal priesthood?
The nations of saved peoples of the earth will accept our role as belonging peculiarly to God as His elected, preordained holy nation (I Peter 2:9). It is we who will not accept it.
But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. (Isaiah 61:6)
And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles [nations], and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed. (Isaiah 61:9)
We have stated, in the last few pages, that there are at least eight concepts that are common to both the feast of Tabernacles and the new heaven and earth reign of Christ:
The dawning of a new age. .
The completion of God’s purpose. .
The dwelling of God in His elect among the nations. .
A time for rejoicing. .
Holiness, righteousness, and obedience. .
God’s Israel as the light. .
Rivers of living water, and.
The separated, royal priesthood. .
In the day in which we are living the Church is being called past the feast of Pentecost to the feast of Tabernacles. Each time we are invited to enter further into union with God in His eternal purpose in Christ we become more separated from, more incomprehensible to, the peoples of the world. Paradoxically, it will be the final separation and perfection of the Church that will release the nations from their bondage to corruption.
The religious delusion of the last days will stress that we Christians should become part of the worldwide movement to improve the quality of living for all the members of mankind. This attempt on Satan’s part to "join" the Church will deceive the majority of the believers in Christ; for they cannot conceive that our purpose as saints is to meet God’s needs first, and man’s needs only as God directs. But all else is Antichrist—the imitation of Christ.
But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. (Ezra 4:3)
Our answer to the world is as follows:
"You have nothing to do with our building a house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel."