We have been talking about the hope that God gave to both Old Testament and New Testament believers through four strange verses. We have covered Enoch, the Ark of Noah, and Elijah. Today, I want us to take a look at Moses.

Before we get to Moses, though, we need to first go back to the beginning. Genesis tells us: Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground’” (Gn 1:26-28, NIV).

Mankind is not like any other creature, is above and over all creatures on this earth, and has dominion over the animal and plant kingdoms yet with a responsibility to take care of and nurture these kingdoms. Humans are stewards of them but not equal with them.

In addition, as God is triune, so are we: body, soul, and spirit.

Body: our physical makeup

Soul: that which makes us as we are – our personality

Spirit: that which connects us with God on a spiritual level

Our body decays when we die, but that is not the end to our body. If that was not the case, then Christ would not need to return for his bride and bring those who have died back to receive their body and then glorify it. Paul tells us: For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first (1Th 4:16, NIV).

He also tells us: But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable, it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. And just as we have borne the image of the earthy man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man (1Co 15:20, 42-44, 49, NIV).

So, somehow, our body is fused with our spiritual body for us to become glorified for our eternal existence. This then ties us back to our puzzling verses about Moses: And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is (Dt 34:5, 6, NIV).

And the verse we read before: But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Ju 9, NIV)

This begs the question: why did Satan argue with God over the body of Moses?

Some say God buried him so a shrine could not be erected and worshiped. That may well be true as mankind has fallen too often worshipping shrines. Yet, this verse seems to imply more. The dispute was likely over God resurrecting Moses, and Satan claiming he had to remain in Sheol. Why do I say that? As we have already shown, the physical body is needed for glorification. Also, remember what Moses was symbolic of. Here are two verses to remind us:

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me [Moses] from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him (Dt 18:15, NIV).

Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel (Dt 34:10-12, NIV).

The following were characteristics of Moses: Deliverer / Lawgiver / Prophet / Mediator / Performed signs & Miracles. Christ also did these same things but by his own power. Moses was therefore a type of Christ in life and in death. He is an archetype of all those who will enter Christ’s kingdom after they have died and have been resurrected into their glorified bodies.

Let’s not forget what Solomon told us: What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun (Ec 1:9).

Paul also tells us in 1Co 10:14 that the happenings in the Old Testament are examples and warnings for us. While Moses’ resurrection is not equal with that of Christ by any means, it is an archetype for us to consider and ponder.

Why was Moses needed to be glorified before the death of Christ? Well, we find this verse in Matthew’s gospel: There he [Jesus] was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus (Mt 17:2, 3, NIV).

Jesus likely met with only Moses and Elijah (and not Enoch) on the Mount of Transfiguration because his death is what would usher in his Church, his Bride, of whom they both represented:

Moses: those who died and will be resurrected and glorified and then enter his Promised Kingdom.

Elijah: those who will be translated and glorified and then enter his Promised Kingdom.

This then raises two important questions: (1) Why are these examples important? and (2) Why were these acts achievable by these and not by others?

We will explore the answers to these questions next time. I hope you join me for an understanding of these very important questions. Until next time. God bless.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Some say we’re going backwards if we take Ezekiel’s last vision (Ek 40-48) which God gave to him literally. After all, if Christ came and abolished the Law, then why would God say he would go back to a temple with a sacrificial system? Yet, if we look at this more closely, I think we will better understand the why and the need.

We need to understand the following: (1) what Adam’s rebellion caused; (2) the purpose of the Law; and (3) what opportunity Israel failed to fulfill. Understanding these three things help us to understand the need for a Millennium here on this earth, and why a sacrificial system would be re-established. Let’s look at each of these three points.

Did Adam really rebel? Is eating some fruit really that bad? Well, to be honest, any sin is an act of rebellion. What is rebellion anyway? It is knowing what is expected and then doing the opposite. Isn’t that what Adam and Eve did? God only had one rule for them: do not eat of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the middle of the garden (Gn 2:17). Yet, they disobeyed. After hearing the half-truths from the serpent, who was influenced by Satan himself, they believed these lies and doubted God. They doubted that God wanted the best for them and would supply the best for them. Isn’t that at the core of all sin. If we go against what God has told us, then we are really saying we don’t believe he has the best for us in his mind. He’s holding back, and we must take matters into our own hands. That’s what Adam and Eve did. They doubted, which lead to a change in their belief about God and his goodness, which led to actions against God’s will.

So what did Adam lose? Everything. God had established a theocratic kingdom with Adam ruling under God’s leadership. He had given Adam dominion over all the earth and its creatures, had told him and Eve to have many children, and asked them to lead the earth’s inhabitants with God as their ultimate authority. This was lost. Adam turned it over to Satan. How do we know this? We are told that Satan today is the prince of the power of the air (Ep 2:2), and when he tempted Christ in the wilderness, he offered all the kingdoms of the earth to Christ if he would only worship him. If these kingdoms were not his to give, he could not have offered them, and Christ would not have taken his offer so seriously.

So, what was the purpose of the Law? It was to show the wickedness of man. To help mankind understand they were not good on their own. It wasn’t about the sacrifices. God often stated he valued obedience over sacrifice (1Sa 15:22; Ho 6:6). He was always about the heart and not the sacrifice. The sacrifice did not forgive sin. It represented the horror of sin and what it ultimately causes, i.e., death (Ro 6:23). It has always been about faith – not sacrifice. Abraham believed, and it was counted to him as righteousness (Gn 15:6). This was the way before the Law was ever given. Even the prophet Habakkuk stated it had always been about faith (Hk 2:4). The Law pointed to the need of a Savior. It all pointed to Christ. He did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill the law (Mt 5:17). Sacrifice also pointed to the fact that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin (Mt 26:28; Hb 10:18). Sin leads to death. Mankind needed a Savior.

When God created Israel as a nation at the base of Mt. Sinai, he told them they were to be a kingdom of priests to the world (Ex 19:6). They were to lead the world in the worship of God. Yet, they failed in his. They took the meaning of being God’s chosen people to make them feel superior to other peoples and not that they were chosen to be God’s ambassadors to the world. While many did do this, they did not as a nation. They missed a great opportunity.

God’s plans will never fail and nothing mankind does can ever thwart his plans. He has something to prove before he makes Satan and sin disappear forever. He will remove the curse that Satan and the rebellious act of Adam and Eve caused upon the earth and all mankind (Ac 3:19-21). While the earth will become a utopian-type society under his rule, there will still be people born into the kingdom who will be unsaved. While Satan will be removed from the earth for this period of time, man’s propensity to sin will not be removed. This will demonstrate man cannot blame his acts of rebellion on Satan’s influence alone. Therefore, they will need to understand their need for a Savior just like we do today. Why does this mean a sacrificial system will be needed to do this? This utopian society, with the curse lifted, will occur after what is called the first resurrection (where all the righteous will be resurrected from the dead; Rv 20:4-6). There is nothing recorded in Scripture that another resurrection of the righteous will occur. Therefore, it would seem that death has also been abolished, although those who rebel will be removed from the earth. It is not clear if others will actually see them die. So, the sacrificial system will be a demonstration of what death means and how it creates separation. In one sense it is a visual aid—a very graphic one—and will show the seriousness of the consequence of their disobedience. Since Christ will be physically present, there is a need for cleansing for worship of a holy God. The sacrificial system demonstrates this need for holiness and purity in the presence of someone holy (Ek 43:26; Zc 13:1). This will also fulfil God’s promise to Israel that they as a nation will lead the world in worship of the one true God.

And, why will it last for one-thousand years (Rv 20:3)? No one knows for sure, but could it be a way to demonstrate to Satan that Christ can build a kingdom which lasts longer than mankind can last on their own? Because of Satan and his influence, the world had to be destroyed with a flood to restore it (Gn 6:11-13). Adam lived for 930 years (Gn 5:5). Methuselah lived for 969 years (Gn 5:27). By Christ’s kingdom lasting one-thousand years, it shows his kingdom is superior to all that has come before. No sin, no disobedience, no acts of rebellion will be able to thwart God’s plan. God will rule forever. He has given us a chance to be a part of all of this. Are you going to accept what he offers?

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens