Contrasting Yeshua to Moses

Of late we have been speaking of the Person and Character of Jesus Christ. We have paused in our pursuit to know Him as the Spirit of Prophecy in the Book of Revelation, to re-acquaint ourselves prayerfully, through Scripture, revelation, and more personally with Him as Son of God / Son of Man. The thought being to better grasp His Ways and Character and thereby know Him more intimately. Not in the sense of only seeking “knowledge,” as that puffs up, but to study to show ourselves approved.

To know Him is to have increasing faith in Him. Not faith that we would be justified in Him, as that is already the case, but faith that produces fruit of works that when He returns we might be judged worthy of faithfulness and of being “caught up” into the heavenly realm above the earth to rule and reign with Him.

Scripture reveals Christ Jesus first present in the Creation in the Unity and Plurality of the Hebrew word “Elohim” as God of very God. Next, after the fall of Adam, He is discovered in the prophetic word of God in Redemption,“….And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it (the virgin’s Child) shall bruise thy head (take victoriously satan’s usurped authority), and thou shalt bruise his heel (murder by the Cross).”

Later we see Him clearly in type in Torah as “the Passover Lamb”, in the calling out of one Nation, in all the Levitical Sacrifices, in the Psalms, like Psalm 22, and in the Prophets, like Isaiah 53. And the very clear declaration of His manifest Person by the Spirit through Moses: “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet front the midst of thy brethren, like unto me; unto Him ye shall hearken; according to all that thou desirest of the lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire anymore, that I die not.  And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.  I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and (I) will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him.  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which He shall speak in My name, I will require it of him.”– [Deuteronomy 18: 15-19]

LIKE UNTO MOSES….A Prophet like Moses, foreteller of events, teacher, judge, Moses was not just like any other previous or later Prophet, save One, but one with greatest of intimacies with God and anointing of Spirit. In addition, this Prophet must be like Moses, Redeemer, Mediator, Intercessor, Leader, Judge and King. In these ALL Christ Jesus has been manifest to the fullest.

And in the NC we have the enlightening passage of Scripture that contrasts for the Believer the significance of those 2 Prophets and their respective callings. Multiplying the Ministry, Majesty and Glory of Christ Jesus. “Wherefore holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Christ Jesus, Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Who is faithful to Him that appointed Him, as was Moses also, in all his house.” [Hebrews 3:1]

GLANCING UNTO THE SUPERIORITY OF CHRIST JESUS and His Calling in Hebrews 3 and 4. Like unto Moses, Christ Jesus was Called. He called Moses, saying, “Come now, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt.” [Exodus 3: 1] And for this Divinely appointed task, Moses will forever be known as the deliverer of Israel from the tyranny of the Pharaoh of Egypt. But this was just an imperfect type of a greater Passover in redemption wrought by a greater Redeemer, that of man who sold himself under sin in the Garden and has been a captive of satan ever since with the grievous consequence of infinitely greater significance, being eternal bindings in servitude. God, who promised redemption to the family of Abraham, [Genesis 15] also promised redemption of all Mankind and Creation [Genesis 3:15; Romans 8:21] He that should be the Redeemer of mankind was to be the “Seed of the woman”. [Genesis 3: 15], “like unto Moses” [Deuteronomy 18:18], human, “in all things made like unto His brethren” [Hebrews 2: 17], except that He must be free from servitude to Satan, or, in other words, “without sin”. For He could not, if He were Himself a slave to sin, ransom others from the power of it.

Therefore, satan, having no place in Christ, He being without sin, could effectively by “giving His own life a ransom for many,” He being then the spotless Lamb, God might lay the sin of all Mankind upon Him. Being then without sin, He could not be just the “seed of the woman” for all seed of women had the taint of sin. [Romans 5:12] So it is that the Redeemer of mankind as the “Seed of the woman,” must be also Divine as well as human. “His own Son, made of a woman and under the law, Whom God sent forth, when the fulness of time was come, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons”.

WITH…..

“It is a light thing that Thou shouldst be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give Thee for a Light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” How far superior this Redeemer and His Redemption than that of Moses!

Here, we as Christians, are confronted with the contrasting of two callings. Two Callings that are to go far beyond just Redemption, but one as superior to the other as Heaven is to Earth. The calling of Moses and its “rest”  is to an earthly kingdom versus the calling of Jesus, the Anointed Apostle and High Priest, which is of a heavenly type. And what follows here in Scripture is the warning of provocation to NC Believers, likened to the Israelites who after being redeemed out of Egypt, who then afterwards because of unbelief of God’s Word, delivered by Moses, did not enter into the “rest” of God in that earthly kingdom in the land of Canaan. A like warning to those of us who having been delivered out of the Egypt of this World, to not in like unbelief, refuse the Words of Jesus, and lose the “Rest” of the future heavenly kingdom.

The earthly kingdom rest and promise in overcoming had to do with an inheritance of legitimate earthly things, but the promise of the inheritance of the heavenly kingdom to the OVERCOMER has to do with spiritual and heavenly things. To the one, is the appeal of gaining earthly blessing [Deuteronomy 28:1-13], to the other is attached the warning of covetousness. Jesus said unto them, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things of which he posesseth.”

Again, Hebrews 3:1…. “Wherefore holy brethren….” There was a certain holiness that would accompany the strict keeping of the Mosaic Law. A holiness primarily extracted from the body of flesh in obedience to ordinances of Law”. [Colossians 2: last half] Consider the meanings of the prohibitions of touching of the dead, and eating of certain foods, and the general keepings of rituals in order to maintain that holiness before God.  Contrast that with the holiness in spirit, of faith in Christ Jesus, “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” We of the heavenly calling are set on higher ground as it relates to holiness, as is shown further on in the Book of Hebrews, through the Blood of sacrifice of Jesus and the higher position of THE Apostle (sent one) as He is also THE High Priest in Heavens Holiest Place, ever-making (greater) intercession for those He has redeemed and called out. The Higher Calling, by warrant of a Higher Mediator and His Offering of Greatest Propitiation, and thus a greater Grace, naturally must lift the Spirit heeding Called one into a higher realm of holiness fit for THE KING and THE Judge Who has called Him to His side, to rule from a heavenly place.

The holiness accompanying the calling into the heavenly inheritance, having nothing to do with the commands of ritual dealings with the rudiments of the World and flesh, (with mere show of spirituality) but with the heavenly command of a continuance in the knowledge and wisdom of “following THE Apostle (sent One of God)” by Jesus’  Word and Spirit/spirit in the paths leading to the death of the disqualifying inward defiling lusts, satisfactions and affections of things worldly along with the error-filled mindset on the legitimacy of seeking the  abundance of earthly things.

Rightly dividing the Word….

#1) Some might argue that the OC (Old Covenant) commanded a freedom from covetousness as well, and some offerings of restoration with penalty were provided. The blood of OC sacrifice cleansed and restored the flesh and one back into fellowship, but it ever fell short of purging the conscience of sin. And as the OC blood and water was limited to the cleansing of the flesh , as was first seen in the animal offering of God in the Garden, it would allow again only for both limited fellowship and limited access. That being also in the case of Israel and the Jew while alive ever restricting the inheritance and fellowship to the earthly kingdom, and an after life hope limited to Abraham’s Bosom.

The blood of the OC mixed with faith was enough to cleanse the flesh of the OC Believer and as it had not the efficacy, it could not reach to the purging of conscience unto glory, could only hold forth the far lesser blessing of rest in the inheritance of the earthly kingdom, and upon death, the Garden of Abraham’s Bosom, and in the OC promised Resurrection, one from there could only hope to ascend to rule in Restored Israel in the Promises of Abraham.

Much Superior are the Promises accompanying the Atonement of Christ. Whereas the Blood of the Lamb, the Son of God goes beyond the flesh and limited earthly realm of peace and blessing in rest to the power of purging the follower in spirit and soul and body through the conscience, a higher degree of holiness commensurate with the highest offering of propitiation, with the higher degree of inheritance, that being THE KINGDOM OF THE FIRST HEAVENS, that place where Christ Jesus calls HIS BRIDE to rule with Him over that heavenly realm over the earth for 1000 yrs. [Revelation 20:4-6] “For the grace of God that brings salvation for all hath appeared, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age; looking for the blessed hope, and the appearing of the glory of our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ”. [Titus 2:11-13] With “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.” [Revelation 19:7]

However, to whom much is given much is required. The warning of Hebrews 3 and 4 is fully amplified in chapter 10:29  “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, and unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”  To accept the Redemption is to accept the Calling to be a participant in the heavenly sphere, and then not to go on and follow CHRIST JESUS into the heavenly sphere, is to do as almost all of Israel did in type who died in the Wilderness, after  following Moses out of Egypt, but then failing to go into the Promised Land. It is to this very thing the author of Hebrews warns 5 times.

#2)And on the other hand, some of the NC  (New Covenant) would argue that the Lord promised a 100 fold return NOW in this time. (When considering Christ’s Words and context before and after Mark 30:10, don’t forget “…with persecutions.” Bringing to mind, “to whom much is given, much is required.”)

To have wealth and seek the Lord is one thing……TO have the Lord and seek wealth is entirely another.

When considering your following Christ Jesus unto the Kingdom of heavens, consider the many warnings by the Spirit of desiring wealth. A few being Matthew 6:19-34; Mark 10:24-27; 1Timothy 3:6, and the first few verses of James 5. Suffering is the and test of Christlikeness and worthiness the hallmark of the heavenly calling. [Romans 8:17; 2Timothy 3:12; Mark 10:35-45]

Israel’s gifts, country, city, and heritage were/are to be on the earth. Ours is sent out of Heaven to be in the first heaven above the earth. This change of the Calling involved, and involves very often, a loss of the earthly things. Of this, the Saviour frequently warns us. His disciples must be ready to surrender all of earth in order to inherit His Kingdom Coming. As He freely surrendered all of the rights and privileges of Heaven for us, so we also are to freely give up our earthly rights and privileges for Him, partially seen in Luke chapters 12 and 14 and more specifically in Philippians 3.

Believers, CONSIDER CHRIST JESUS, in His ‘like unto Moses’; two offices here named, and confess a higher allegiance to the sent One from a higher station and  higher Priest of a greater Tabernacle. And consider also that He is the soon coming King who will judge those who profess Him.

Jesus IS and Moses was faithful to the Callings that God gave them.

“Wherefore (as the Holy ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice.…”

“TODAY” here speaks to THIS AGE OF GRACE AND MERCY, this last 2000 years where He is limiting His Voice to the heavenly calling for a Bride/Firstborn sons of God, if you will hear“His” voice, Christ Jesus’ voice. Jesus is THE Leader into the heavenly calling of Millennial glory inheritance and rest. “And His rest shall be glory.” [Isaiah 11:10] God declared by audible voice, “This is my beloved Son; hear Him.” Christians, consider, “Why call ye Me, Lord, and do not the things I say?”   Obedience to the Son alone is obedience to God the Father.

“Behold, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land” [Deuteronomy 1: 8] Moses reiterates the word: “Behold the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it“ (verse 21).  They refuse.  They would not enter because of the perils.

Only “confessors” (that is, the redeemed of Christ Jesus) can disobey and refuse to go in by way of Christ Jesus’ Words, thereby harden their hearts.  “They have not known my ways.” As no one will know the Father save by the SON. The heart, without living in Christ Jesus’ Words and Spirit/spirit to lead them, is at enmity with God. [Romans 8] We have thought that since Christ Jesus leads us, that victory is surely ours and all will be smooth. To think this way is to have not known His ways. “Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no“ [Deuteronomy 8:2] We, having also been saved, have promised perfect obedience; but we, like they were, ignorant of our pride, perverseness, and enmity against God, and the Most High would reveal to us our hearts on the way as we humbly examine our words and actions in the mirror of Christ’s Words.

Though saved, yet refusing to do the things Jesus says, and although the Father often chastens, we remain at enmity with God in our heart, refusing and not knowing His ways, we harden our hearts. He swears these will not enter into the Millennial Rest with All Creation.

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